Target: Tatooine

After arranging the work at hand and ensuring that Clement, who handled administration, Qi Jian, who handled military affairs, and Graham, the mayor of Dawn City, could continue organizing the next stage of the colonization plan, Tang Xiao went straight to the mothership hangar to find Cun Te.

Cun Te was still in the hangar, looking after the YT-1000 spacecraft that now belonged to him. When he saw Tang Xiao approach, he jumped down from a ladder. "Boss, I think I've more or less figured this ship out, and I've almost finished learning Galactic Standard. I was just about to say goodbye and head out to explore this universe. If there's anything you need me to do, just say the word."

"Take Kunto and the others with you, then go to Tatooine. Things over there are complicated, which makes it a good place to fish in troubled waters, but we're strangers there and need someone to lead the way. Kunto will be your guide. He happens to have a shipment to deliver there," Tang Xiao said.

"No problem, boss." Cun Te gave him a thumbs-up. "Anything else?"

"One more thing. Just one requirement," Tang Xiao suddenly said. "I'm coming with you this time. I have something to do on Tatooine."

He knew that the place from his dream was Tatooine.

Tatooine... this place meant far too much to Star Wars.

Countless people had left behind their legends here: Hutt Jabba, the Chosen One Anakin Skywalker, the most powerful Sith Darth Krayt, and the absolute protagonist, Luke Skywalker...

So who had been calling to him in that dream? Judging by the timeline, the only possible one among those legends was the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker. But at this point in time, Anakin Skywalker should still be a child, shouldn't he? Then was the one calling him Anakin Skywalker, or the omnipotent Force itself?

He had to go to Tatooine. Perhaps the answer was there. Besides, there was no harm in looking for Anakin Skywalker now. After all, he would be the protagonist in the Clone Wars of the future.

The moment he heard Tang Xiao was going, Cun Te's expression changed. He hurriedly tried to stop him. "This won't do, Administrator! You're the leader of tens of thousands of our people. How can you go outside? We still don't understand this universe. If you run into danger, the entire colony will be left without a leader!"

"First, I think I already know some things about this Milky Way Galaxy. Second, I have a reason I must go. More precisely, I'm going to find someone—someone critically important in that war in the future," Tang Xiao said. "While our operation is still small, I want to go see what I can do. We can't just sit at home and wait to die."

"If you're looking for someone, I can find them for you. And why do you think it means going to your death?" Cun Te frowned.

"How am I supposed to explain that person's appearance, personality, future path, and even the things they might encounter to you? Besides, the war that will break out more than ten years from now isn't something the power of a single star system can resist. Unfortunately, the system we're in is one of the main battlefields," Tang Xiao answered gravely.

"How do you know about the future?"

Tang Xiao smiled faintly. "That's why I can be your Administrator."

Cun Te was a free-spirited man. He smiled and said, "Fine. Since you've decided, I'll take you there. Remember, keep a low profile. We're just an ordinary smuggling crew. Thousands, even tens of thousands, of crews like ours pass in and out of a planet every day."

"No problem."

Tang Xiao's expression remained extremely solemn as he slowly nodded.

He understood very clearly that his greatest advantage in this world was his knowledge of the Star Wars plot.

So he couldn't possibly tell anyone the entire Star Wars story in every detail. On one hand, it was simply too vast. On the other, it was his greatest secret, the very foundation of his survival.

Fortunately, with the Force in existence, he could attribute his knowledge of the plot to his perception of the Force.

Outer Rim of the galaxy, Arkanis sector, Tatoo system.

Like the Endor system where Dawn Star was located, the Tatoo system was also a binary star system. Its two stars, Tatoo I and Tatoo II, orbited one another. Beyond those two stars, seven planets revolved around them.

However, among those seven planets, only the one closest to the stars possessed a relatively stable geological environment. The planet had a diameter of 10,465 kilometers, a rotation period of 23 standard hours, and an orbital period of 302 standard days. Because it was too close to the stars, the scorching heat of its twin suns had turned the planet almost entirely into desert.

That planet was Tatooine.

Because this system lay at the intersection of the Trillus Trade Route and the Corellian Run, it was considered an important transportation hub even in the remote Outer Rim regions. Yet the planet was located in the Outer Rim of the galaxy, within Hutt Space, the territory of the Hutts. The Galactic Republic had no authority here at all.

That was precisely why Tatooine had become a lawless planet where criminals and pirates could be found everywhere.

After making three hyperspace jumps along the Trillus Trade Route, a YT-1000 light freighter manufactured by the Corellia Engineering Company appeared in the outer reaches of Tatooine.

Cun Te sat in the pilot's seat, skillfully pressing different buttons to stabilize the spacecraft after it dropped out of hyperspace. He turned to Dubrak Kunto, who sat in the co-pilot's seat. "All right, it's up to you now."

Kunto glanced sullenly at the pilot's seat that had originally been his, then sighed resignedly and activated the communicator in front of him. "Mos Eisley Port, this is YT-1000, Cheap..."

"Rename it the Lancer," Tang Xiao said from the back.

"I like that name." Cun Te grinned.

"All right... Mos Eisley Port, this is the YT-1000 Lancer. I need supplies and cargo unloading. Anyone with an available berth, give me a shout," Kunto called.

Static came through the communicator, followed by several responses. The coordinates of seven or eight berths were uploaded to the ship's computer.

Kunto glanced at Tang Xiao. "Tatooine is a completely free planet. There's no official government here; everything is private. You need to remember that once you arrive, because no one will step up for you if you get into trouble—except yourself."

He selected a berth on the computer. "All right, let's go to Truda's place. He works for Jabba and knows me pretty well. It's safe."

The ship entered the atmosphere, sweeping over endless yellow sand and barren wasteland before descending outside a city that looked utterly dilapidated.

Most of the buildings in the city resembled domed brick kilns. Apart from a few tall towers, it was difficult to find even a building over three stories high, and there were also many tattered tents.

Yet the streets were packed with people, making the place extremely bustling.

The ship, now renamed the Lancer, landed in a roughly leveled open area. A Nikto walked out. The scales on his face had become incredibly rough, and some of his lizard-like bone spines were worn down or broken. For a Nikto, that was a sign of age.

Holding a wrench, he banged it loudly against a metal doorframe. "Get moving, boys! Fill this ship's fuel tanks, and bring in some more drinking water!"

Several engineering robots that had been curled up on the ground, pretending to be dead, immediately sprang to life. Those carrying hoses grabbed hoses, and those carrying wrenches grabbed wrenches, bustling around the ship with practiced efficiency.

Kunto walked over and patted the Nikto on the shoulder. "Long time no see, Truda. How have you been lately?"

"Whether I've been doing well isn't important. What the hell have you been up to these past few days?" Truda said. "Jabba's people have been looking for you. This job of yours has been delayed long enough."

"Ah..." Kunto glanced back at Tang Xiao without drawing attention, then coughed dryly. "Well, cough! My ship had a... uh, malfunction. See? Didn't I come back?"

Truda looked behind him. Tang Xiao, Cun Te, T-850, and the Rodian crewman Spade stood there. Tang Xiao and the others had long since changed into shabby casual clothes. Other than their comparatively clean faces, they looked no different from ordinary adventurers.

Bonus chapter image 1: Engineering robots.

People are always telling me that the protagonist should stay home, that kind of stupid nonsense. Situation one: outside, the Galactic Republic has occupied the entire galaxy. Situation two: war will break out in ten years. So do you want the protagonist to stay cooped up at home and compete with the entire galaxy's development speed using one star system, or do you want him to tell everyone everything he knows about the plot and let others go out in his place?

From now on, anyone who argues with me about this sort of thing will be treated as someone deliberately stirring up trouble and permanently banned. Goodbye.