Dawn comes late on Tatooine. However, as soon as the radiance of sunrise emerges beyond the mountains, temperature rises dramatically in less than fifteen minutes. Obi-Wan sits in the back seat of a tiny landspeeder. An urban design, unsuited to this arid environment. It is the only vehicle Anakin can borrow from his master. The hull has rusted through, which confirms that the air is more humid than one might think.

Padmé went out at first light to buy clothes from Wakko Wakko. Her previous outfit has suffered. The girl is now wearing a light, durable sports outfit, the kind that the daughters of dignitaries put on in summer. She didn't choose this one for its practicality, though. It was the most stylish thing in the store. The young queen was keen to look her best. Otherwise, the padawan had no idea why Jar Jar Binks had agreed to come. He seemed happy to visit and keeps making hollow comments about the scenery:

« Yousa see all that sand? And the mountains? All beautiful! » He says in a joyful exclamation.

However, no one reacts, which obviously doesn't stop the gungan from carrying on. Anakin drives with talent: you can hardly feel his accelerations, despite the terrible state of their vehicle. His little neighbor has a scarlet face. She hasn't said a word since departure. Occasionally, Padmé finds enough courage to face the driver and open her mouth, but immediately changes her mind and remains silent. The girl has been doing this for an hour. The boy does not do much better: he too turns from time to time, freezes, and then simply returns to his initial position in front of his wheel. If we combine their dance with Jar Jar's incessant observations of the « desert wonders », we get a result worthy of an Ambrolian theater play. Lovers of the absurd, the Ambrolians. They would love it.

The landspeeder engages inside a canyon, which sinks deeply underground. The light fades, as does this infernal heat that sweeps everything in its path. For the first time, Obi-Wan feels good. The trip is pleasant, actually. Their craft begins to slow down, entering a cave lit by homemade lanterns. It leads to a huge basin surrounded by steep cliffs. A canopy is stretched out a few meters away:

« We... we've arrived! » Signals Anakin as he parks under the cover.

The vehicle freezes and falls like a rock. The repulsor only knows how to produce two results: start up or shut down. The subtlety of a gentle descent is reserved for properly maintained hardware. The boy jumps over his door. There's no point in trying to pull the handle, its mechanism is broken. The other three follow his lead. Obi-Wan walks away to look around. This place seems like a crater. The kid tries to unlock the rear trunk, but it refuses to move. Their gungan companion comes to help: he pulls so hard that the top rips off!

« Mesa sorry, mesa have... »

« That's okay. I'll weld the joint when we get back. » Cuts Anakin as he tugs out his bag.

The teenager suddenly feels bad. He perceives an incomprehensible whisper. The Force is getting aggressive. The young man has the sensation that his skin electrifies. This place is dangerous. Obi-Wan breathes slowly to calm his nerves. He notices several structures emerging from the sand. They are covered with hexagonal slabs of dark stone. What's beneath? The boy approaches, followed by Queen Amidala. She watches him discreetly.

« There's an entrance over there! » He says, pointing to a gray flag.

The child walks until he reaches said banner. He then puts his hands on the ground and searches for a long time, before digging a rope out of the dust, pulling with all his might. A dune rises and opens to reveal a gloomy passage. Inside, Anakin presses his finger on a button. The lights brighten to reveal a hangar. Obi-Wan reacts:

« Wait... we're in a... »

« Very old ship, yes. »

The floor plates have burst revealing a tangle of pipes. A few platforms are painted in a brighter color, with a mark signaling a direction of opening. The freight elevators, probably. The young man runs his sleeve over an embossed inscription and removes the dirt. These symbols... a Trade Federation vessel! Obi-Wan knows a bit of Normalized Language, the dialect used by the feds. This craft has no designation, just an identification code that starts with « TL ». A battleship? There's an additional notation engraved above it, in the metal. Padmé pulls at the padawan's robe:

« It says 'Grievous Division'... I don't recall ever hearing a name like that before. »

« Neither do I. The Jedi Order doesn't know of its existence, or I was never informed. »

« This way! » Anakin interrupts, now seated in front of a desk.

They all move closer to the boy. Obi-Wan hears that odd whisper again. It seems more intense. The kid turns on the console: a detailed map of the ship appears. It is monumental, at least sixty decks high! Much of the structure has long since been destroyed.

« I need power couplings. I saw some on my last visit in the fighters in that belly hangar, over there. We're on the dorsal side. We'll have to go through the utility tunnel. I know the route well. If you happen to get lost, look for a red line at your feet. My predecessor painted it. It will lead you back to surface. »

« Do you come here often? » Obi-Wan asks.

« Once a week. I loathe it. There's something eerie about this place. Anyway, you can't find a better derelict on all of Tatooine! So do I really have a choice? »

« Mesa not afraid! » Jar Jar replies with a smile.

« You're lucky. » Points out Anakin. The kid gets up, turns off the screen and indicates a door:

« Let's go! If we're fast, we'll be done in half an hour! »

He releases the metal tube that bars entry, then operates the manual override. The doors retract silently and reveal a passageway covered by thousands of debris. All ceiling lamps shine with a dying brightness. The lighting sometimes returns to near normal, but soon fades again. The ventilation system creaks loudly. The atmosphere has become foul, as if air were turning toxic inside the corridors.

« Please, avoid touching the walls or the rubble! They are very hot. »

The child takes a deep breath and moves forward. Padmé remains in his shadow. Jar Jar, on the other hand, does not move. The gungan tries to put a finger on the wall. It is covered with small black hexagonal tiles. Seeing that nothing is happening, he decides to put his hand:

« Why hesa say hot? It doesn't is! »

Obi-Wan follows his example, placing the whole palm. A short moment is enough to cause him abominable pain. The young man restrains himself from screaming and just grunts:

« Good grief! It's boiling! »

« Weird, mesa feel nothing. » Jar Jar has his hand visibly plastered to the same bulkhead.

Looking at his fingers, the teenager realizes that he has no injuries.

« What are you doing? Hurry up! » Anakin yells.

« Wesa coming! » Jar Jar starts to run.

Obi-Wan follows, still shaken by surprise. He looks closely at some hexes and notices a pink sheen. This is Cortosis metal, not stone! Probably, and by an enormous margin, the rarest material in this galaxy. One ton would be enough to buy a country. This ship is lined with it. Incredible! Of course, every knight knows about Cortosis, the only substance that is immune to the Force. You cannot lift it, propel it or see through it. The Order uses the metal to design cells that imprison criminals who are sensitive to the cosmic stream.

The Senate monitors its production. A law requires all major political buildings to install some as insulation to prevent people from using their powers to spy. The metal is easily recognizable: its rock-like texture, in particular, is distinctive. It looks black at first glance, but is actually dark purple with a pink sheen. Are you Force sensitive? The slightest touch will burn your nerve endings. Its cost and especially its fragility fortunately keep it from intensive military use. A sudden vibration breaks it without trouble. The owner of such a vessel was certainly obliged to find expensive solutions to assemble so many slabs without having them shatter.

How did the federation manage to accumulate such a large quantity? No, that's not the important question. Why does they have a ship covered in Cortosis? The material is only useful against Force users, which means the feds have ships designed specifically to fight against Jedis! Obi-Wan has the strange feeling that his superiors will find this discovery very interesting. In any case, the young man couldn't have imagined himself in a worse position: he will be unable to use his talents in this wreckage and his weapon will shut down at the slightest contact with the walls.

Every child in the galaxy learns that in school: a lightsaber is comparable in power to a supernova. Such a tool could disintegrate everything in its path. The saber uses a Kiber crystal to generate a « blade » of pure energy with the colossal friction caused by the Force itself. It is the only piece of technology known to be able to tame the cosmic stream artificially. However, you will not find a factory capable of manufacturing it. The level of precision needed to assemble its components requires supernatural perception. Yet, despite its dangerousness, put a small plate of Cortosis in front of it and the machine will not even start.

If the situation ever arises, Knight-Master Mace Windu advises to « just give a good kick and the problem will be solved ». Obi-Wan is humbled by such wisdom. The padawan walks quickly. His companions are ahead of him. Suddenly, he freezes. Another whisper. The voice is too low to hear words, but the young man knows for sure it means something. Anakin stops in front of a conduit door. Padmé stands at his back. Jar Jar tilts his head over the void. The teenager comes within range, breathing loudly.

« This is the utility tunnel I mentioned earlier. There's no gravitation inside, to make it easier for the droids to get around. See that rope? » The boy points to a stretched cable:

« Pull yourself down! With no gravity, it won't take long to get to the bottom. »

« Mesa goes first, mesa good climber! »

Jar Jar leaps up... and hits the end wall like a brick. He didn't realize what « no gravity » really meant. Anakin bursts out laughing, then says as he hears him cursing:

« I did warn you, though... »

Padmé jumps carefully, grabbing the rope before her momentum sets her adrift. Obi-Wan and Anakin follow her lead. As they descend, the kid asks:

« What do you do for a living, Jar Jar? »

« Mesa hunter! Mesa bring home the game for big parties. Big responsibility! Mesa very proud! »

« An interesting job. You're not used to traveling on a ship, then? »

« Ugh, no! Mesa never do that before metal swarm attack. »

« I see. »

You can hear in his voice that Anakin is disappointed. When they reach their destination, the boy pulls a control lever to open the entrance toward a passageway. He sets his feet down carefully, regaining gravity. Jar Jar passes by, but doesn't realize the difference in weight and finds himself on his knees. The gungan grumbles:

« Cursed gravity! »

Queen Amidala still hasn't spoken a word. She's so silent you'd think she had aphasia. The boy keeps turning his eyes in her direction. Obi-Wan realizes that he would like to take advantage of this trip to talk. But the child has greatly overestimated his bravery. He doesn't like being here and didn't want to come alone. This place makes him anxious. The simple fact of behaving normally already costs him a lot. The lighting is so dim that one can hardly see. A kind of metallic noise serves as a background sound. The whisper has become powerful. The young man is in a cold sweat now that he understands the words: « This way! » The call sounds like a gasp of agony and comes from a nearby hallway. Anakin enters the hangar, filled to the ceiling with droid fighter-bombers.

The boy takes a chemical torch from his bag and throws it. The light shines brightly in response, revealing the extent of the damage. Sand has seeped everywhere. The girl is seized with a spasm of terror as she sees the mounds of broken droids. Their arms still move. They are damaged beyond repair. The most appalling thing is that the eye holes are glowing. Piles of red eyes! Every single machine is covered in Cortosis. Everything should have self-destructed as soon as the central computer stopped transmitting. Why didn't they? « This way! » Obi-Wan turns around and can't help but move in the corridor direction, while Anakin exclaims:

« I need a second to take this thing apart and we can leave! »

« The sooner the better. » Padmé whispers.

The teenager arrives at the entrance. There's no way to tell what's in there, it's too dark. As the Padawan steps forward, a door suddenly locks behind him. He is separated from the others.

« Hey, the door! » He shouts.

« Obi-Wan? Wait, I'll open it! » It's Anakin, who seems to be working on fixing the issue, in vain. Finally, he stammers:

« I can't... I should... or rather... »

« Mesa push! » The gungan lashes out, to no effect.

« It's no use, Jar Jar. This kind of door resists explosions. » Padmé points out.

With any other ship, Obi-Wan would just pull out his lightsaber, but it won't do much good here.

« Can't you do anything? » The young man asks bluntly.

« No... there must be a red line at your feet. Follow it! You should be able to go back upstairs. We'll wait at the top! »

« Okay... » He concludes, his heart clenched with worry.

« This way! »