Chapter VIII – Pilgrimage to Jedha : Tale of the four armed priest

The Black Sun Pearl dropped out of Hyperspace some distance away from a planet which showed a clearly visible pink hue. “Planet NaJedha,” Alpha Five reported, “An oceanic world, orbited by the pilgrim moon of Jedha.”

“Our actual destination,” Peter added.

The ship flew past the pinky moon and over the planetary horizon a small desert moon became visible which was, as Peter had announced, their actual destination. “The desert moon of Jedha,” Alpha Five confirmed.

Jedha

“One of the most religious heavenly bodies in the galaxy,” Goku said, “A must visit for every spiritual person at least once in their life.”

“Have you been there before, Goku?” Luke asked, “You are a monk after all, aren’t you?”

“I have,” Goku nodded, “I haven’t been to Jedha before, but I’ve always wanted to visit it.”

“Good food?” Peter asked after a brief silence.

“Good food,” Goku nodded.

“I wonder if the tip you got is sound,” Luke said, folding his hand and staring down at the desert moon which became bigger and bigger as they approached, “Are you sure he’s  here?”

“My contact is sure General Grievous is on the planet,” Peter nodded.

“Your contact,” Peter repeated, “Why don’t you just say ‘my aunt’?”

“My contact,” Peter repeated, “Thinks we can find Grievous outside of the religious capital.”

“It’s still a strange place for a war general to be,” Goku pondered, “Jedha is mostly known for its religious sites and good food, but not much other than that.”

“Maybe he likes good food too,” Peter guessed, “Or he’s trying to establish a cult.”

“You can discuss your silly theories later,” Alpha Five interrupted, “Strap yourselves in first; I’m going to land us near the holy city.”

“Will you be going with us after we’ve landed?” Luke asked.

“Aye yi yi, no thank you!” Alpha Five squeaked, “I’ve seen enough desert for a lifetime.”

“Still hate sand?” Peter grinned.

“Don’t get him started,” Luke warned.

They ended the discussion with that and Alpha Five took the Black Sun Pearl down to the moon’s surface, setting the freighter turned pirate ship down gently just outside of the city, near one of the major roads. Jedha was a sacred place and not popular with criminals so there was no need for secrecy. Even pirates were condoned here, as long as they behaved: the planet’s dominant forces believed that everyone should deserve a chance to explore their religious side. Even former war generals with a cyborg body.

“Where do we go from here?” Goku asked, after they had left the ship.

“According to our intel the general was spotted east from the holy city,” Peter said, “But we don’t have any information other than that.”

“So we can follow this road,” Luke suggested, “And maybe ask around?”

“That’s the plan,” Peter agreed, “Hopefully someone will have heard of Grievous, or have seen him.”

“A massive cyborg that looks more droid than human,” Luke said, “Shouldn’t be hard to miss.”

“You’d be surprised how little people pay attention to each other and their surroundings,” Peter said, “And Grievous might have disguised himself.”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Peter said, “Let’s get going anyway. A walk will do us good. I’ve been sitting in space ships too much.”

“Are you sure?” Goku asked, “Aren’t you incredibly hot in that suit of yours?”

“It’s a special fabric that regulates my temperature as needed,” Peter replied, putting on his mask, “Trust me, I’m as cool in there as I am inside our ship.”

“Cool,” Goku said, impressed by this.

“Exactly,” Peter grinned from under his mask.

They began walking in the eastern direction, leaving the holy city behind them. However the city was a massive construct that had grown in size over many centuries, and even after walking for several hours the contours of the holy city were still visible on the horizon. They passed the occasional holy shrine or small temple, and even a stray house or two, but other than that the path was as desolate and abandoned as you would expect of a desert world. They also barely encountered any travelers. Most visitors to Jedha remained in the holy city or only visited the shrines directly surrounding the city. The rest of the moon was much less interesting. They only encountered the occasional pilgrim or peddler, but other than that, the road was barren and empty.
It wasn’t until several hours of walking later – the holy city had finally disappeared behind the horizon – that they encountered a larger group of oddly dressed individuals, some of them wearing an odd and tight yellow and blue spandex, an odd choice of clothing, considering this was still a desert world. “Greetings, travelers,” one of them spoke, presumably the leader. He was wearing a darker shade of spandex, or something akin to it, and wore a helmet with a visor which obscured his eyes, “You are a fair distance away from the holy city.”

“As are you, friends,” Luke Skywalker greeted them.

“We are traveling to visit a shrine on this planet dedicated to the Phoenix Force,” the group leader replied, “We recently lost a friend to unnatural causes, and we hope the Phoenix Force is benevolent and will grant our request, bringing her back to us.” 

“A noble cause,” Luke replied, “We hope you will find your request granted; or that the voyage here will help you in dealing with your loss.” 

“Thank you,”  a woman in the group replied.

“We’re here looking for someone, an individual who holds information on something we seek,”  Luke replied in turn.

“A droid of over two meters in size,” Peter added, “Although he might have disguised himself to stand out less.”

“Don’t think we’ve seen that one,” the group leader replied.

“Actually, Cyclops, I think we did,” one of the women in the group replied, “A while back, a tall figure wearing robes. Do you remember?” 

“Oh, now that you mention it, you’re right, Storm,”  the man called Cyclops realized, “A little while back at that odd private villa. There was this huge guy walking around in the inner garden.”

“Do you remember what he looked like?”  Peter asked.

Cyclops shook his head. “It was as you said, he was wearing robes to obscure his body. But he really was massive; larger than a human for sure.”

“Could be him,” Goku guessed.

“It’s worth checking out,” Luke agreed.

“You’ll find this mansion about ten minutes down the road,” Storm said, “You can’t miss it, really.”

“Thank you,” Peter said, “And good luck with your own journey. I hope you will find what you are looking for.”

“Thank you,” Cyclops said, and the group of traveling individuals continued their journey, leaving the Spider-Man Pirates alone again.

“They’re an interesting group,” Goku said, “You think that’ll come back to haunt us later at some point?” 

“Nah, I can’t see anything happening there,” Peter said, waving the suggestion off.

They continued their walk and as the woman named Storm had described they saw a villa in the distance not much later, surrounded by a large lush garden and protected by a tall wall, with iron gates blocking the only way inside. Peter tried looking through the iron gate to see what was going on inside, but didn’t see anything; the garden was empty.

“So what do we do now?” Goku asked, “Knock the wall down?” 

“Or use our powers to sneak inside over the wall,” Peter suggested.

“Or we could simply ring the doorbell and see if this person is the one we’re looking for and if he’s willing to talk to us,” Luke groaned, and pressed the doorbell.

There was only silence. Luke pressed the doorbell again.

“Yes, who is there?” a low and wheezing voice responded a little later, “I am not interested in any wares you might have.”

“We’re not selling anything,” Luke replied, “We’re looking for someone.”

“Looking for someone you are?” the voice replied, “Well, you’ve found someone, hmm?”

“Are you drunk?” Peter now asked, “Or using anything?”

For a moment there was silence. Then the voice asked again: “What do you want? Are you here to join our group?”

Luke wanted to say something, but Peter interrupted him: “Yes, yes we’re here to join your group!”

“Excellent!” the voice replied, “I will open the gate for you and will come to greet you in person. You will make a fine addition to our collection!”

“Pardon?” Luke asked.

“Collective,” the voice corrected, “I meant to say collective; I will be right with you, please wait at the entrance.”

The massive iron gate began to slide open and the Spider-Man pirates stepped inside. After they had entered the gate closed again behind them and they patiently waited for someone to come and greet them.
They didn’t have to wait long. The figure that Cyclops and Storm had described exited the mansion and came walking up to them. He seemed to be limping a bit, or at least there was an odd pacing in his walk, and as Cyclops had said, most of his body was obscured by robes. “Welcome to The Separation Mansion,” he greeted.

“The Separation Mansion?” Luke repeated, “That’s an odd name for this place.”

“Oh?” their host asked, “But you came here to join us, right? Surely that means you must have heard the name before?”

“We were introduced to this place under a different name by one of your promoters,” Luke hastily said, hoping the quick lie would preserve their cover. 

“Ah, that Ventress again,” their host replied, “I really have to talk to her about her marketing strategies someday. It’s setting up so many false expectations. I hope you will not be disappointed after your arrival here.”

“Why would we be disappointed?” Goku asked, “You have food, right?” 

“We do take care of our own,” the host replied, “There is ample food present.”

Goku beamed with happiness.

“The Separation Mansion is a place secluded from the galaxy, and from the rest of Jedha,” the host explained, “Here there are no classes, no races, no religion, except our own religion of freedom. Here you will discover who you really are.”

“Is this where you discovered who you really are, General Grievous?” Luke suddenly asked.

And immediately all were silent, it was an awkward silence where no one knew how to proceed. Only Luke seemed determined, glaring at their host, waiting to see how he would respond. 

“You remind me of someone,” the host said after a moment, “But who are you? You are not here to join the Separation Mansion, that much is clear.”

“Are you General Grievous?” Peter asked, seeing how their host seemed to avoid the subject.

Their host hesitated for a moment, then threw off his hood, revealing a massive form constructed of some white and silver metal. There were still signs that this person had once been humanoid, but very little seemed to remain of that. “A name I have not heard in a long time,” Grievous replied.

“You knew my father,” Luke replied, “Although he never spoke of you.”

“Oh?” Grievous replied. And suddenly approached Luke with an impressive and unnatural speed. But Luke didn’t flinch. “I see,” Grievous replied, “What is your name, child?”

“I am Luke Skywalker,” Luke said, staring up into the monstrous cyborg’s eyes, “My father is Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight.”

“Skywalker,” Grievous repeated, “Yes, I remember the name quite well. Another name I haven’t heard in a long time.”

“It has been a long time,” Peter said.

“Indeed,” General Grievous confirmed, “So it’s revenge you seek then? Retribution?” 

“Retribution for what?” Luke asked, “You never succeeded in killing or defeating my father. I doubt you were even able to wound him.”

“There is a reason your father never spoke of me,” Grievous taunted back, “I’m sure he is ashamed of the many times he faced defeat or injury at my hand.”

“Yeah right,” Luke retorted, “Like a piece of junk like you could…”

“We didn’t come here with hostile intentions,” Peter interrupted, “We’re simply looking for information. Your help even.”

“I am a retired man,” Grievous said, “Or cyborg; wars no longer interest me, the galaxy no longer interests me. I have come here to be reborn, established the Separation Mansion to find the meaning of existence and help others in achieving the same. How would I be able to help you?”

“The same way you helped Hondo Ohnaka all those years ago,” Peter Parker replied, “We are looking for the Space Piece. I am going to be King of the Space Pirates!”

Grievous began laughing at that point, which annoyed Peter, until the large cyborg began to choke due to a lack of air. “So,” he finally said, “Hondo Ohnaka. Another name from the past; a name I dislike hearing as much as I dislike hearing the name Skywalker again.”

“Your own actions are to blame for your life, general,” Luke glared.

“I know, I have my regrets in life, but I have accepted them,” Grievous replied, “Still, no one is pleased when the past comes back to haunt them. It is counterproductive to becoming a better person.”

“Have you become a better person?” Goku asked.

“That is not for me to judge but for those who come after me,” Grievous replied, “But I have spent the last years in becoming a better someone, and in helping others who are lost to do the same. Are you sure the Separation Mansion is not where you would like to spend some time? You are free to leave whenever you want, of course.”

“No thank you,” Luke said, “Just answer Peter’s question, if you can help him.

“Ah, yes,” Grievous said, turning his gaze towards Peter again, “The Pirate King.”

“What did you tell Hondo Ohnaka all those years ago?” Peter asked, “Do you know the location of the Space Piece?”

“If I did, I would have retrieved it myself,” Grievous said, “But I did give Hondo Ohnaka the pivotal clue he needed which allowed him to find it. It was information I picked up during the war, from an alien fighter from a distant world, in the unknown regions.”

“Which is where Ohnaka went after speaking with you,” Luke added.

“Yes,” Grievous replied, “I assume you are aware of the deal we struck as well then?”

“You helped Ohnaka,” Luke replied, “And in return he would help you in defeating my father, Anakin Skywalker.”

“A deal which he broke,” Grievous replied, and for the first time, they heard resentment and some anger in his voice.

“An agreement he couldn’t help because he was arrested and executed,” Peter said.

“A pirate’s trick,” Grievous replied, “One I should have anticipated. And now you want me to help you as well? Free of charge?”

“Why not?” Luke asked, “That is who you are now, right? You were just going on and on about being a new person and about helping others.”

“I was talking about a spiritual journey, not an actual one,” General Grievous replied, “The Space Piece is no small prize, and I will not share what I have for free. Compensation is required, young ones.”

“You would make a fine pirate yourself,” Luke spat.

“Fine then,” Peter said, “What is it you require?”

“And you’d better not be going after my father again!” Luke warned.

“Oh, I am beyond such petty things as revenge,” Grievous replied, “No, Anakin Skywalker no longer holds my interest. But there is something I want.”

“Name it,” Peter suggested.

“I desire independence for Jedha,” General Grievous replied with a calm voice, “Independence from Emperor Palpatine’s Galactic Empire.”

“Wow!” Goku exclaimed.

“You can’t be serious!” Luke shouted.

“This is my demand,” Grievous assured again.

“It’s an impossible demand,” Luke replied, “We’re pirates. Enemies of the Empire! How do you expect us to convince the Emperor of granting Jedha independence?!”

“Jedha is a religious world but doesn’t contribute much to the Empire other than that,” Grievous explained, “But that is not the major point here. The Emperor will listen if the suggestion comes from someone faithful to the Empire, someone close to him.”

“Someone like my father,” Luke surmised. 

“Master Skywalker’s voice holds sway in the Empire,” General Grievous confirmed, “If the suggestion comes from him, it will be done.”

“And if the Emperor doesn’t listen, the one who made the suggestion will fall from grace,”  Luke also surmised, “My father.”

“I’m sure it won’t come to that,” Grievous assured. But Peter thought he heard a soft chuckle at the end of that sentence. 

“We can’t guarantee the Emperor will listen and do it,” Peter said.

“The attempt itself is sufficient to me,” Grievous assured, “If you agree to my terms.”

“I agree,” Peter said almost directly.

“Very well then,” Grievous said, “Then I will tell you what you need to know, the same thing I told Hondo Ohnaka.”

“What did you tell him?” Peter asked.

“I told him about a warrior that I had often fought with in the Trade Wars, a hero with feline characteristics exiled from his home world of Thundera,” Grievous began, “This warrior, he would often speak of home and of the many tales and legends interwoven into his culture. One of those spoke of a distant and mysterious world outside of our current space and time, where the power of legends could be found, the ancient treasure that would answer all. His culture called that special place The Space Piece.”

“It’s a place? Not a treasure?” Luke gasped.

“No, it’s treasure all right,” Peter said, pondering, “There is enough literature about the Space Piece to confirm it. That being said, the name can’t be a coincidence.”

“Return to your ship,” General Grievous said, “I will transmit the coordinates of Thundera to your ship once you’re in orbit, but not before that.”

“Why only then and not now?” Luke asked, “If you betray us, we’ll be back.”

“I am many things, but I am not without honor,” Grievous replied, annoyance in his voice, “My word is my bond. But I also want you away from my colony, my collection. I will transmit the coordinates once you’re off this planet, and no sooner.”

“Very well, that is acceptable,” Peter Parker said with a sigh, “Thank you very much for your help, General Grievous. We’ll be leaving now.”

“Until we meet again,” General Grievous said, which was both courteous and ominous at the same time. 

They left the general and his odd mansion alone after that, journeying back to the Black Sun Pearl. Alpha Five took the vessel into orbit and as soon as they had achieved orbit, there was an incoming transmission from General Grievous, containing the coordinates, just as he’d promised. Alpha Five entered the coordinates into the system and began plotting a course that would take them to this mysterious planet Thundera in the unknown regions.

“Are you okay?” Goku asked Luke, “That was your father’s great nemesis, after all.”

“I am fine,” Luke said, “For such a great foe, my father never spoke about it; either he didn’t feel like sharing it with me for some reason, or General Grievous isn’t as big of an opponent as he considers himself to be.”

“He did seem formidable enough,” Goku said, “He seemed strong. I like strong opponents.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Alpha Five, who had just finished preparing everything: “Aye yi yi! Thundera is this far into the unknown regions? It will take us nearly four days to reach it!”

“Then we have plenty of time to consider where to go from there,” Luke said, “Onward!”

And again the pirate vessel accelerated tremendously into Hyperspace, beginning what might be the final stretch of their voyage. A trip that would now take them to an area of space well beyond the edges of the Galactic Empire, to unmapped space where very few had dared to travel. Their next destination would be deep within the unknown regions.