Star Wars: Escape from the Jedi Temple Begins

Chapter 8 Escape from Death, Gu Gu

Dozens of shuttles roared out of the hangar exit and soared into the sky.

One of the elegantly designed yellow Naboo N-1 starfighters stood out slightly in the formation.

On each side, there is a slender, beautiful, long, and pointed tail that extends to the rear of the cockpit.

Behind Lance, a standard astronaut robot was placed in a slot in the fuselage.

Several fighter jets were close behind him, firing at him incessantly.

Sensing the Force, he quickly made the corresponding dodge maneuver.

The fighter jet swerved and rolled in the air, easily dodging the incoming energy beam.

The beam of light grazed the fuselage as it flew past.

However, the enemy's firepower was fierce, and their fighter jets were overwhelming, far outnumbering them.

At the same time, the gun barrels on the ship's belly were lit up one by one.

Dense beams of light drew out a net-like pattern of fire in the airspace.

The shuttle formation suffered heavy losses and was forced to disperse.

Several ships had just adjusted their course when they were hit directly, their fuselages exploding in mid-air, and debris trailing flames as it fell to the ground.

The screams pierced the cabin walls; they were the desperate cries of those facing death.

Gu Gu buried her face in Lance's arms, trembling uncontrollably.

"Don't be afraid, it's alright."

"We will all survive."

Lance gripped the joystick and whispered reassurances.

With the superior performance of the N-1 fighter jet, it quickly arrived at the forefront of the formation.

After shooting down two oncoming fighter jets, he immediately pressed the red button on the control panel.

Enter sub-light speed mode.

The engine roared to life, its power output instantly pushed to its limit.

The fuselage trembled.

The next instant, the thrusters spewed out two thick plumes of flame.

A strong push-back sensation suddenly came over him, pressing Lance firmly against the driver's seat, his back pressed tightly against the seat.

The fighter jet successfully broke through the atmosphere and entered outer space.

More than a dozen shuttles were still attempting to break through the blockade, but most of them were unfortunately shot down en route.

A small number of ships were captured by the traction beams of the cruisers, becoming stuck in the air and unable to move, or even being slowly pulled toward the ships.

Less than 10% of the shuttles ultimately succeeded in reaching outer space.

As originally planned, to avoid being wiped out at once, they each chose different directions and jumped into hyperspace.

Lance didn't stop and quickly locked onto a pre-set route.

The navigation system completes the calculations, and the hyperspace jump coordinates are generated.

Exiting sublight speed mode, the engine begins to redistribute energy.

Hyperspace engine activated.

The surrounding space briefly distorted, and the star points stretched into lines.

Before the naval guns could lock on, the N-1 fighter suddenly vanished from its spot.

......

In the dimly lit office.

Palpatine sat in a luxurious chair, his face hidden by a large hood, revealing only a pair of scarlet eyes.

He stared intently at the holographic projection on the table, his gaze fixed on the vanished shuttles, his expression calm and devoid of any emotion.

"Several shuttles escaped the blockade."

An officer's voice came through the communicator, visibly tense.

Seemingly fearing punishment and in an attempt to make amends, he quickly added:

"But we have successfully captured dozens of Jedi, and we believe we will soon be able to extract information from them about the whereabouts of those people."

Palpatine nodded slightly, as if listening to something insignificant:

"Well then, I look forward to your result."

Communication ended.

The room returned to quiet.

The shadows engulfed the room. Palpatine sneered, his fangs gleaming, his eyes swirling with triumph and cruelty.

After a while.

A Chagrian dressed in a luxurious and expensive gown and holding a long scepter appeared at the office door.

His skin was grayish-purple, with a texture like soft, damp fabric covering his face.

A pair of smooth, pale pink horns grew from its forehead.

Two fleshy tentacles droop from the sides of the shoulders, with mottled blue-purple patterns at the head and tail, the tip of the tail gradually turning into a soft yellow hue.

Mas Ameda, Vice President of the Galactic Council.

But at this moment, his expression was extremely respectful, and his demeanor was reserved.

Mas entered with a bow, not daring to look up, his voice very low:

"Speaker, my master."

"The meeting has begun, and we are eagerly awaiting your arrival."

......

The N-1 starfighter moved smoothly along a dark blue path, having switched to autopilot mode.

Lance leaned back in his seat and let out a long breath.

The scenes from the Jedi Temple still replay in my mind.

Those once-familiar faces fell one by one before his eyes.

A heavy, oppressive feeling slowly accumulated in my heart.

Adding to that the final, perilous aerial chase, his physical and mental strength was almost completely drained.

He looked down at Gu Gu in his arms.

My thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the scene after I entered the hangar.

The clone soldiers kept pouring in.

To cover the shuttle's takeoff and ensure a smooth evacuation.

The remaining Jedi almost all chose to stay behind to cover the retreat.

At that moment, their fate was sealed.

Even so, the thrusters of several spaceships were still destroyed.

The ship that Gu Gu was on was one of them.

After defeating the enemy, Lance casually took him aboard his fighter jet.

Fortunately, the little guy is the size of an infant, and being curled up in his arms will not affect his ability to pilot the fighter jet.

Seemingly confirming that the danger had passed, Gu Gu's body stopped trembling and gradually relaxed.

Lance gently patted his back and whispered:

"Gugu, it's alright now."

"We're safe...at least for now."

Upon hearing this, Gu Gu sensed the stable and gentle aura emanating from him and slowly poked her little head out.

Lance looked at the adorable little guy, and a gentle smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

In that instant, the sadness, anger, and exhaustion seemed to be diluted somewhat.

He reached out and gently rubbed Gu Gu's head.

Gu Gu looked up at him and made a few babbling sounds like a baby.

Then she opened her small mouth and let out a long yawn.

Her eyelids slowly closed.

She nestled closer to him.

Before long, his breathing became even, and a soft snoring sound began.

Lance smiled indulgently:

"It really is a baby."

Having just escaped from the brink of death, I'm now incredibly sleepy.

But if we're talking about age, this "baby" is already over forty.

He's older than both of them.

According to the Chinese way of speaking, he should call Gu Gu "uncle".

However, this is absolutely impossible.

Gugu and Master Yoda are of the same clan.

This race has an extremely long lifespan, reaching nearly a thousand years.

Master Yoda is now over nine hundred years old.

Based on this calculation, Gu Gu is indeed still an infant.

Countless people are obsessed with the pursuit of immortality.

Such a long lifespan is, in the eyes of most species, equivalent to another form of eternity.

But the Milky Way is vast, and there are races that live even longer than them.

It's both enviable and heartbreaking.

What others strive for with all their might is, in fact, an innate racial talent.

That quote is quite fitting here:

Some people never reach Rome in their entire lives, while others are born in Rome.

Lance shook his head, trying to dispel the random thoughts in his mind.

He grabbed the hem of his outer robe and gently covered Gu Gu with it.

Silence returned to the cockpit, with only the soft rumble of the engine.

Having experienced such a dramatic change, he also found it difficult to fall asleep.

Lance couldn't help but think of his master, Pro Kong.

There is a natural bond of primal force between master and disciple.

It can not only sense the other person's safety and emotions from a distance, but also their blurry images and thoughts.

During battle, this connection also made their cooperation more seamless.

The strength of Force bonds increases with the time spent together and the level of trust.

At this moment, Lance could sense that the invisible bond, though not broken, was extremely weak.

He was certain that his master was still alive, but was probably seriously injured and extremely weak.

"Master, hold on. I'm coming to save you right now."

Lance clenched his fists, suppressing the anxiety in his heart.

When contact was lost, Master was on a mission on the planet Katonemoydia.

Cocatonemoidea is located on the edge of the Milky Way, a very long distance away.

The N-1 was not designed for interstellar travel; it carried limited fuel and could not reach directly.

Multiple resupply stops are needed along the way.