[Star Wars] Guardians of Peace, Episode 6: "A Darkness Grows, part 2"

As attacks by SHADOW WING increase, the systems of the neutral zones cry out for help. The vicious pirates strike virtually at will, only to disappear back into the depths of space. 

Data from the captured droid leads Jedi Taanar Ryl to the Glom Tho system where she finds evidence of the SHADOW WING. In a spaceport cantina the pirates confront the Jedi and her companions...

Trapped within Glom Tho's isolated spaceport during the nightly curfew, Taanar Ryl wondered how she should proceed. They had lost communication with Ferb, who had been waiting aboard the Fortune of Greepo. It seemed likely that the Shadow Wing pirates had discovered him and abducted or even killed him. She considered returning to the docking bay to find out, but after searching her feelings she decided that it would be unwise. The pirates had probably left sentries with the ship, and she doubted that they would have slain Ferb. But this meant she and her companions would have to find somewhere to rest and hide overnight. They searched maps of the spaceport until they located a nearby hostel. 

When the quartet arrived at the hostel, they were refused entry. It seemed the hostel was only for local citizens who practiced Glom Tho's dominant spiritual beliefs. Ren began to question the doorkeeper of the hostel about these beliefs, and as he did so Nema suddenly noticed a similarity between the native religion and some of the tenets of the Jedi. After learning this, she courteously asked if they might still be given the room, but they were refused. Then the Secura brothers noticed some people nearby who they suspected might be trouble. The group quietly slipped away before they were noticed.

Though they were reluctant to check into a hotel, the four representatives of the Jedi finally decided to take a room in a mid-range hotel near the waterfront. Nema was able to persuade the droid clerk not to ask for their identification. Once they had settled in their shared room, Taanar put Den and Ren into a healing trance. She rested while Nema stood watch over them. As Nema looked out the window toward the canal, she noticed a speeder arriving and being met by a group of armed people who emerged from a nearby warehouse. One of these people was the leader of the group that had attacked Nema and her companions at the Spacer's Delight. She began to feel convinced that these people were holding Ferb inside the warehouse. 

At dawn, Taanar woke the Secura brothers and told them about Ferb and the warehouse. The group discussed how best to get inside to rescue him when they were outnumbered and outgunned. Finally they settled on using a diversion so that Taanar and one of them could get onto the roof of the warehouse. To add verisimilitude, they rented a load lifter, some empty cargo containers, and coveralls.

While Den and Nema took the load lifter to the loading bay of the warehouse, Taanar and Ren climbed up to the roof of the nearest building. The street was fairly wide below, but Taanar had an idea of how to get herself and the young Ranger across. Meanwhile, Den and Nema tried to convince the men guarding the loading area that they had a delivery to make and would get in trouble with their boss if they didn't take care of it. While they were arguing with the guards, Ren made a running jump toward the warehouse roof and Taanar used the Force to boost him across, then vaulted across herself. 

After they had both landed safely without attracting any notice from below, Taanar used her lightsaber to cut the lock from the rooftop trapdoor. When she peered down into the warehouse space, she spotted Ferb looking a little worse for wear but eating. Ren slid silently down the ladder from the trapdoor. He crept up to Ferb and conversed with him in whispers. Ferb warned Ren that the Shadow Wing were planning a coup against the government of Glamtho. He also showed Ren that he was wearing a slave collar, which would kill him if he got too far away from the person carrying the device's remote control.

Meanwhile, Taanar had spotted three speeders inside the warehouse. When Ren rejoined her and told her what he'd learned from Ferb, she decided they would have to abort the rescue in favor of warning the government about the impending coup attempt. She and Ren left through the trapdoor and leaped back across to the other building, then signalled Den and Nema to leave.

When the four had regrouped, they considered heading across the now-open causeway to the mainland to contact government representatives and warn them. But as they approached the causeway they spotted Shadow Wing members watching it. They retreated, deciding to take a chance on returning to the docking bay and using their ship's communication equipment to contact the Jedi and ask them to warn the government. 

On the way to the docking bay they passed by Blaster's Arena, which was displaying billboards advertising that night's contest starring the captive Imperial Knight. They realized that she was wearing a slave collar like the one the pirates had put on Ferb. 

As they cautiously approached the bay where the Fortune of Greepo was housed, the four companions could see that there were six Shadow Wing pirates inside the bay, including the Herglik that Taanar had tossed in the Spacer's Delight two nights earlier.

Next: Episode 7, "A Darkness Grows, part 3"