Separation

Anakin Skywalker stood very cautiously in front of Hutt Gaddula aboard the ship, keeping her separated from the others.

But on the other side, almost no one paid him any attention.

After boarding, Justin Levis tossed aside his customized laser sniper rifle, sat down off to the side, put on headphones, and watched cartoons on a miniature personal theater.

In the cockpit, Cun Te was absorbed in the Astro-class vessel's advanced systems. Dubrak Kunto, the copilot, had long since put his past behind him. His former girlfriend, Feraci, who had betrayed them, had been punished with mining duty; he had heard she died in the mines a few years ago, but he no longer cared. Now, he was enthusiastically discussing with Cun Te what kind of drones would be best to place in the ship's seventy-five-cubic-meter drone bay.

Naturally, they ultimately concluded that compared to Fourth Group's unreliable experimental drones, their only choice was still Vulture droid fighters... so they began discussing whether to paint the Vulture fighters white.

Navigator George Kadas and Kenneth, the Rodian mechanic, were playing cards. George Kadas was actually the sort who could get along with anyone, but he had absolutely no fondness for Jedi Knights.

In the end, the only one who paid any attention to Anakin Skywalker was Shi Aimin. Ever since learning that Anakin was a Jedi Knight, he had kept making awkward attempts at conversation—one moment challenging him to arm-wrestle, the next wanting to race him at top speed on the treadmill—only making the atmosphere even more awkward.

Even so, Shi Aimin's behavior eased much of the hostility in Anakin's heart.

The ship landed in the deserts of Tatooine. The Calamity Legion, which had been waiting for some time, had already come to receive them. More than twenty Pathfinder-class light