“We’re Gonna Be in So Much Trouble”

Parents to the rescue
At night, the greenish glow of the Barrier hangs over the forests of the planet At Attin. On the ground, one of KB’s mothers, Garee, pulls Wendle’s goggles away from her eyes. She warns them to be careful because barrier access codes are not easy to come by. Fara then hands her a computer chip and glances at Wendle. Maree then installs them on the device. Shortly after, Nooma arrives with the transmitter and questions whether it will get through the barrier. They then hear the noise of a footfall in the background. Maree sets up the transmitter.

Nooma says she has a “bad feeling about this” as several lights flash around them. A safety droid’s voice warns that they have an unauthorized communications device and orders them to surrender or they will be stunned. Nooma attempts to grab the transmitter and run but is stunned. Maree grabs the device and flees into the forest but is stunned. Garee grabs the device and passes it to Wendle, who runs across the stream. Fara follows him. When Wendle is stunned, Fara grabs the device.

The safety droids order Fara to drop the communicator. She hides behind a boulder as the droids file past. She creeps up an incline into a small incline. She activates the device and releases it into the air. The communication device ascends into the skies and heads towards the Barrier.

Homeward bound
Meanwhile, the Onyx Cinder travels through hyperspace. Aboard, Fern and Neel chase a slap ball through the corridors. In the cockpit, KB tells the others that the ship’s instruments tell them they should be home soon. Fern brings the good news to a despondent Wim, who exits the bedroom towards the cockpit. Fern suggests they could hide the ship in the woods and tell the grownups they got lost hiking.

However, Wim is unwilling to return to how life was due to the upcoming Assessment. Wim regrets passing the green button. Neel attempts to cheer up Wim by saying he enjoyed their “real adventure” despite some near-death experiences. Fern tells Wim that she is glad he touched the button and gives him a pat on the back, reassuring him that it will be fine.

The pirates arrive
Meanwhile, Brutus’ frigate exits hyperspace above At Attin, which appears as a green-hued giant with lightning storms. At the bridge, Brutus dismisses the planet as a toxic maelstrom and asks the navigator, Chaelt, for verification. Chaelt verifies that the hyperspace coordinates are correct. Brutus drags Jod Na Nawood forward but questions whether At Attin is a treasure planet. Believing the Barrier to be impassable, he orders that the airlock be prepared. As two pirates step forward to usher Jod into the airlock, the pirate captain chastises Brutus for his stupidity.

Giving a speech, Jod tells the other pirates that At Attin is camouflaged. Brutus dismisses At Attin as a fable. Jod counters that Tak Rennod was here and orders SM-33 to check the logs. SM-33 appears and recalls Rennod’s account that At Attin was hidden behind an endless storm. Jod tells the other pirates that At Attin is hidden inside the green storm and offers to fly a starfighter inside the Barrier himself. Brutus decides to send one of his pirates to test Jod’s claim.

The Quarren pirate Glerb climbs aboard a snub-fighter and jets off. Via comlink, he tells Brutus that Ravager One is ready. In the command bridge, Brutus monitors the operation via various hologram displays and monitors. Glerb reports that he is approaching the Barrier and thinks he should be able to manage the storm. However, his starfighter is struck by lightning, and he loses contact with Brutus’ frigate. Several monitors go into flat-line.

Jod suggests sending another, but two pirates grab him and haul him towards the airlock. Jod tells the pirates it is a defensive grid designed to hide the treasure as he is hauled inside the airlock. Before a bald buccaneer can activate the airlock, Jod asks SM-33 to remind them what Rennod had said about getting through the Barrier. Brutus orders his crew to throw Jod out through the airlock but is interrupted by a female pirate who reports that their sensors have detected another starship exiting hyperspace.

The Onyx Cinder exits hyperspace and heads towards the Barrier surrounding At Attin. The pirates activate a hologram of the new starship. Brutus dismisses the ship as an antique and orders them to open fire. Jod convinces Chaelt to open the door to the airlock. Addressing the pirates, Jod tells them the ship is the key to At Attin. Brutus growls at him.

Jod retakes control
Aboard the Onyx Cinder, the four children gaze at the greenish Barrier. KB and Neel marvel at the sight of the Barrier. Fern surmises this is why nobody went in there. The Onyx Cinder is caught in the pirate frigate’s tractor beam, which hauls the ship into its spacious hangar. As the pirates converge in the hangar, Brutus warns Jod that he will kill him regardless of whether or not they find the treasure. Jod counters that the crew loves him, prompting Brutus to claim that the crew loves plunder.

As the pirates wait outside the gangplank, Brutus demands that the Skeleton Crew surrender. Before he can board the ship, he is grabbed by a cargo-riding claw. An automated voice demands that they release the tractor beam in return for Brutus’ release. Jod tells them not to fear and releases his shackles. He grabs Brutus’ blaster. Using her voice-altering augments, KB warns them not to come any closer. Jod locks eyes with the trapped Brutus and shoots him, causing both the children and pirates to react with shock.

Jod dismisses Brutus as a “backstabbing mutineer” and asks the pirate crew whether they want to follow him as their leader. Kona lowers her blaster, and Jod praises his crew for their loyalty. He orders Kona and Pax to seize the Onyx Cinder, telling them they will find four scared children aboard. He orders that the children be taken hostage. He orders Gunter to fetch SM-33 and the rest of the crew to prepare the frigate to plunder At Attin. The pirates cheer. The kids retreat while Jod gazes at the Barrier. Just then, Fara’s communications buoy exits the Barrier.

The parents’ message
Later, Kona and Pax watch over the four children huddled over a table. An armored Jod leads SM-33 into the cockpit, tasking the droid with investigating what mechanism allows it to pass unharmed to At Attin. He orders that the technology be removed and installed aboard the frigate, adding that he needs its firepower to seize the At Attin Mint. The two notice an incoming transmission on the Onyx Cinder’s computer. Jod flicks the comscreen.

The communications buoy relays Fara’s hologram. Fara tells the children that their parents love them so much. She tells Fern not to worry and that she is not in trouble. Fara reassures them that this message will show them how to get home. Garree and Maree address KB, telling her not to give up. Fern moves closer to the hologram but is held back by an armed Pax, who brandishes a knife. Nooma then addresses Neel, telling him that he can make it home. She mentions that his little brother has gotten a new tooth and misses him. Fara explains that they cannot transmit codes due to security restrictions but tells the children to find a Republic Emissary. Wendle adds that a Republic Emissary is an official who knows how to find At Attin and to get through the Barrier. He warns that the barrier can be very dangerous and to be careful about whom they tell. He adds that they were not supposed to learn about this information until graduation. Wendle apologizes to Wim for not listening to him earlier.

Watching the hologram messages, Wim says they must return the Onyx Cinder. Fern suggests tricking Jod and exploiting his greed. Without consulting the others, Wim charges into the cockpit only to be restrained by Pax. Fern attacks Pax, allowing Wim to escape again, but only to be restrained by Kona. Jod orders his crew to chain up the hostages. Wim denounces Jod for his deceit and says that the ship is theirs. When Jod disagrees, SM-33 explains that the ownership of the Onyx Cinder is disputed since Jod is currently the captain of the pirate frigate. Citing the Pirate’s Code, SM-33 explains that a captain can only claim one ship.

Fighting back and escape attempt
Wim tries to speak, but Jod muffles him. Jod claims that Onyx Cinder as his ship. However, his claim is disputed by both Wim and Fern, who claim the ship for the “kids” and order SM-33 to remove Jod. SM-33 strikes Jod in the head, knocking him to the ground. SM-33 removes the other two pirates and throws them out of the ship. When Jod awakes, he finds himself, Kona, and Pax outside the gangplank. Meanwhile, SM-33 and the children fire up the Onyx Cinder’s engines. Several pirates race into the hangar and attempt to shoot down the escaping starship.

As the Onyx Cinder jets out of the pirate frigate’s hangar, Gunter contacts Jod and demands to know why he has launched the starship. Vane orders that two snub fighters be dispatched after the Onyx Cinder. Several satellites pass by as the Onyx Cinder descends into the barrier, emitting energy bolts. The pirate snub-fighters trail behind the ship. One of the pirates demands that the children turn the Onyx Cinder around but is killed when an energy bolt hits his ship. SM-33 observes that the defensive grid is still active and says that Rennod stole one of the Mint’s ships so that he could fly it safely back through the Barrier.

Another satellite releases an energy bolt, which destroys the second snub-fighter. Fern tells KB and the others to keep flying through the ship. As the ship passes a satellite, it shifts from red to green. Wim remarks that the Onyx Cinder is not a pirate ship but belongs to At Attin. The Onyx Cinder descends through the greenish barrier to reveal At Attin, which is surrounded by a hollow core at the center of the fake gas giant. They pass under a ray of sunlight from a distant sun. Wim asks if this is really At Attin while KB adds that their homeworld looks large from above. Fern says that they made it.

Just then, the ship’s controls go into autopilot mode, which Neel recalls is similar to what they encountered on Hayna’s planet. Fern quips that her mom lied about them not being in trouble. Jod expresses disagreement, prompting the children and SM-33 to turn around. SM-33 goes to confront Jod, but he beheads the droid with a blue lightsaber. Jod orders the children to get on the ground. As the bilge rat Snowball exits SM-33’s head, Jod kicks it aside. Jod then attempts to contact his crew through the transmitter but finds that the Barrier is jamming signals. He orders the children to stay silent and tells Wim he is the most annoying. When Fern glares at him, Jod dismisses them as “weak and sheltered” and says he has a headache and zero patience. He orders them to be quiet and threatens to kill their parents if they get in the way of his plans to contact his pirate crew.

The “Emissary”
Meanwhile, on At Attin, the children’s parents are detained in Fara’s office. A safety droid informs them they violated At Attin’s security protocols. The droid asks them why they released the communications buoy through the Barrier. Wendle responds that they left them with no choice, while Nooma says they did it for their children. Garree says that the problem with the droids is that they don’t listen. The safety droid is about to reply but enters “stand by” mode and exits the room, revealing a mural mythologizing the mint with robed figures.

Just then, The Supervisor’s voice can be heard over the intercom. Addressing the citizens of At Attin, the Supervisor tells them that a Republic emissary is arriving and that not all non-essential work is suspended until offloading is completed. Maree gazes out the window and says KB. Citizens and droids gather as the Onyx Cinder approaches. A landing pad emerges from a circular lawn as the Onyx Cinder descends. After the ship’s landing struts touch the ground, the gangplank opens, and Jod descends with Wim, Fern, KB, and Neel.

A safety droid welcomes Jod, asking if he is the Republic emissary. He says that the children are some waifs he encountered along the way. The safety droid addresses the children, saying that travel outside the Barrier is prohibited. The droid cites a planetary procedure that requires any visiting emissary to proceed directly to the Mint to begin offloading procedures. When Jod says he needs to speak to his ship, the safety droid insists on commencing with procedures and takes them and the ship down a shaft. Wendle and Fara walk through the crowd.

The Vault
As the landing platform descends the shaft, the safety droid offers to inform the parents about the missing children. Jod tells the safety droid to hold them on his ship for their safety. One of the safety droids accompanies the children aboard the Onyx Cinder while the others remain with Jod as the platform descends deeper into the Mint. When Jod asks the droids to help him communicate with his other ship, the lead safety droid says he must speak with the Supervisor about contacting outside the Barrier. Jod asks the droid to fetch the Supervisor and bring some refreshments.

The landing pad reaches the vault, which lies at the bottom of the shaft. After a bridge extends to reach the landing pad, Jod walks with the droid into a vault. When Jod asks the safety droid how many vaults At Attin has, the droid replies that the planet has 1,139 vaults. The vault consists of several shelves stacked with blocks of golden credits. Several mechanical arms lift the blocks. Jod touches a credit, causing several credits to cascade down the pallet. Laughing maniacally, Jod begins showering himself in the gold credits.

Meanwhile, the children wait on the Onyx Cinder’s gangplank. Shortly later, their parents arrive on a repulsorcraft. Parents and children hug each other. A menacing Jod approaches the children and their parents, igniting his lightsaber.