The transition from the rusted, industrial grime of Ord Mantell to the gleaming, ship-choked orbital rings of Corellia was a masterclass in contrasting engineering philosophies. It was the turn of 102 BBY, and the Black Pearl ghosted into the Coronet City starport with a localized sense of arrogant grace. To the Corellian traffic controllers, they were just another XS-stock light freighter with a few non-standard modifications; to Revan Shan, the ship was a coiled spring of Kyber-Quantum potential, itching to show the Core Worlds what a Maverick's budget could truly achieve.
Revan sat in his Sovereign's Command Chair, now angled at a forty-two-degree "Velocity Repose." Calculus was sprawled across his chest, while Theorem, the silver-and-black Loth-kitten, was currently stalking the jittering holographic telemetry of the Corellian orbital lanes. Chewbacca, comfortably ensconced in his Co-Captain's Chair, let out a series of resonant, appreciative growls as he monitored the ship's atmospheric thruster alignment.
"You see, Chewie," Revan murmured, his voice carrying the dry, slightly manic rasp of the 12th Doctor as he adjusted his polarized sunglasses. "According to my 4th Doctorate in Advanced Engineering, Corellians don't build ships; they build engines with localized habitability issues. But according to my 1st Doctorate in Theoretical Physics, their 'Speeder-Snap' races are the only place in the galaxy where the laws of momentum are treated with the irreverence they deserve. It's time for an audit of the local speed records."
The Vreni Island Speeder-Snap: An Engineering Audit
Corellia in 102 BBY was a world of high-stakes gambling and even higher-stakes piloting. The "Vreni Island Speeder-Snap" was a localized legend—a race through the jagged, archipelagic canyons of the Vreni sector where the atmospheric pressure varied so wildly that most repulsor-lifts simply gave up and became kinetic projectiles.
Revan didn't enter a speeder. He entered the Black Pearl.
"Cortana, initiate the 'Sass-Override' on the atmospheric compensators," Revan commanded as the freighter hovered at the starting line alongside a dozen customized racing sloops. "We're not here to win; we're here to conduct a structural integrity audit of the competition's ego."
"Calculations complete, Revan," Cortana replied, her avatar wearing a tiny, holographic racing helmet. "Eleven has synchronized the Kyber-Quantum core with the port and starboard thrusters. Chopper is currently bypass-wiring the auxiliary power to the primary ion vents. He says if we don't hit 1800 KPH, he's going to start venting the cargo bay."
The race was a blur of neon and salt-spray. Revan didn't use the flight computer to navigate the canyons; he used the Feeling. He entered a state of Force Precognition, sensing the micro-bursts of wind and the thermal shears seconds before they hit the hull.
> The Speeder-Snap Velocity Equation (V_{snap}):
> By his internal audit, Revan realized the Black Pearl wasn't just flying; it was negotiating with the air. He utilized Mechu-deru to whisper to the repulsor-coils, making them vibrate at a frequency that essentially turned the freighter into a wingless glider.
>
With Chopper shrieking in binary delight and Eleven outputting 4.2 trillion calculations per second, the Black Pearl didn't just win; it shattered the local record by forty-two seconds. Revan crossed the finish line at a steady 1800 KPH in atmosphere, a feat that left the Corellian engineers on the sidelines frantically recalibrating their sensors.
Local Delicacies and Dark Tidings
The year on Corellia wasn't just about the thrill of the race. Revan and Chewie spent their evenings in the Blue Sector, sampling Corellian Spiced Ale and Flame-Grilled Ryll-Roast.
The peace, however, was interrupted by a localized syndicate known as the Coronet Crawlers, who had been using the race as a front for a smuggling operation involving stolen Jedi artifacts. Revan tracked them to a hidden warehouse in the industrial docks using Force Psychometry on a discarded crate.
Revan walked into the warehouse, his black robes billowing, and his Sonic Screwdriver humming in a steady, cyan trill. He didn't ignite his sabers. He simply smiled—the 11th Doctor's manic grin masking the 12th Doctor's cold intent.
"According to my 5th Doctorate in Galactic Lore & Ethics," Revan said to the twenty armed thugs, "storing a 4,000-year-old Jedi Holocron next to a leaking vat of industrial coolant is a localized tragedy. I'm here to close your account."
"Statement: Master, I suggest a 'Kindness Intervention' involving the high-yield setting on my electrostaff," HK-47 whirred, stepping out from the shadows behind Revan. "Observation: Their defensive posture is statistically pathetic."
Revan didn't move. He utilized a massive Force Repulse, sending the thugs flying into the stacks of shipping containers, then used Mechu-deru to lock every electronic exit in the building. He secured the artifacts—mostly minor relics and a fragmented data-pad from the Old Republic era—and left the thugs tied up with their own cabling for the local CorSec to find.
During his research into the local news cycles, Revan's Kyber-Quantum computer flagged a high-priority genealogical birth record from the planet Serenno.
"Dooku," Revan whispered, looking at the image of a newborn noble child. "According to my 10th Doctorate in Galactic History, you're a variable that's going to cost the galaxy a lot of sleep. Try to be nice, little Count. Don't let the darkness audit your soul too early."
The Council's Concern: The Corruption of the Younglings
Back on Coruscant, the High Council was in a state of localized panic. They were reviewing the "Maverick Impact Report."
"Over two hundred," Master Sskeer hissed, his tail twitching in agitation. "Over two hundred younglings have been 'mentored' by Knight Shan in the last two decades. They no longer recite the Code; they talk about 'Kindness Audits' and 'Statistical Significance.' He is corrupting the future of the Order from within."
"Curious, they are," Grandmaster Yoda rasped, though his eyes held a glimmer of amusement. "Independent thought, he encourages. A Maverick's spirit, they develop. But busy, he must stay."
"We've reviewed his itinerary for the next twenty years," Master Sol added, looking at a data-pad. "Kashyyyk, Chandrila, Toydaria... he's planning a sightseeing tour while the Outer Rim burns. We should send him on simple missions—escort duties, diplomatic oversight. Keep him under the Senate's eye."
"When I asked him why he doesn't take a Padawan," Master Yaddle whispered, "he laughed. He said it was 'too much hassle.' He said becoming a Master means getting the diplomatic missions—especially the ones involving trade taxation. He prefers the freedom of the Knight."
"Freedom," Sol sighed. "He has 3.41 billion credits and a ship that outruns Corellian racers. He's not a Knight of the Order; he's a Sovereign of his own whims."
The Sovereign's Nap: End of 102 BBY
By the end of the year, the Black Pearl was fully stocked with Corellian engineering manuals and high-grade engine components. Revan sat in his chair, the Theorem-kitten curled into a silver-and-black ball on his lap, while Calculus sat regally on his shoulder.
"Status, Cortana," Revan whispered, the chair reclining to the Calculated Nap Angle of 134.5 degrees.
"The Corellian records are broken. The artifacts are secured for the Lehon vault. The 90-million credit liquidity is stable," Cortana reported. "The HK-51 Legion on Lehon has completed its latest orbital defense drill. We are 5% of the way through the Twenty-Year Itinerary."
"Brilliant," Revan yawned. "Adventure is the journey, D6. And Corellia was a remarkably fast stop. According to my audit, 101 BBY is going to be even more interesting. I hear Kashyyyk has some very nice trees this time of year."
He closed his eyes. The Maverick was at rest. The galaxy continued its slow, binary dance toward a dark future, but in the heart of a black freighter, the lattes were hot, the cats were purring, and the journey... well, the journey was just beginning.
"Try to be nice, galaxy," Revan murmured. "I'll see you at the next planet."