"No problem," the other said, setting his toolbox on the floor beside the panel and pulling himself out. "You still having trouble with the repeater in the aft reactor bay?"

"Unless what you just did fixed that one, too," Tarkosa said.

"Probably not," the young man said as he maneuvered the access panel back into place. "These things are hooked parallel, but I doubt the circuit extends that far. I'll try to get to it when I get back from D-One."

"Why not do it now?" Uliar suggested. "D-One's all the way over on the far side of the hexagon. Why go all the way there and then have to come all the way back?"

"Because D-One's also the command ship," the tech reminded him. "Mon Gals might look like pushovers, but when Captain Pakmillu says he want something fixed, he meansnow."

Tarkosa snorted. "What's he going to do, bust all of us to civilian?"

"Don't know what he'd do toyou," the tech said drily, "butI'd still like to have a job once you fly off into the wild black. It won't take long, I promise."

"We'll hold you to that," Uliar said. "You sure we can't persuade you to come along? You're light-years ahead of most of our regular techs."

A muscle twitched in the other's cheek. "I doubt that, but thanks anyway," he said. "I'm not ready to leave civilization just yet."

"You'd better hope civilization doesn't leaveyou," Tarkosa warned. "The way things are going on Coruscant, I wouldn't bet on it."

"Maybe," the tech said, picking up his toolbox. "See you later."

"Okay," Uliar said. "Thanks again."

The other smiled and left the room. "Good man," Tarkosa commented. "You ever get his name?"

Uliar shook his head. "Dean something, I think. Doesn't matter-it's not like we'll ever see him again after tomorrow.

Okay, that rack of shock capacitors goes next to the negative couplings."

"The entire system can be run from here," Captain Pakmillu said, waving a flippered hand around the vast Combined Operations Center. "That means that if there's an emergency or disaster on any of the ships, countermeasures can be instituted immediately without the need to physically send people to those sites."

"Impressive," Obi-Wan said, looking around. Situated just aft of the cross-corridor behind the bridge/monitor room complex, the ComOps Center stretched probably thirty meters aft and filled the entire space between the Dreadnaught's two main bow corridors. It was currently a hive of activity, with dozens of humans and aliens bustling around and half the access panels and consoles open for last-minute checks or adjustment.

"What's that thing?" Anakin asked, pointing to a low console two rows over from where they were standing. "It looks like a Podracer control and monitor system."

"You have sharp eyes, young one," Pakmillu said, his own large eyes rolling toward the boy. "Yes, it is. We use it to control our fleet of speeders and swoops."

"You're joking," Obi-Wan said, frowning at the console. "You runswoops through these corridors?"

"Outbound Flight is a huge place, Master Kenobi," Pakmillu reminded him. "While each Dreadnaught is linked by the pylon turbolifts to its neighbors and the core, there's still a great deal of travel involved where the turbolifts do not go. Speeders are vital for moving crewers back and forth in both emergency and non-emergency situations."

"Yes, butswoops? " Obi-Wan persisted. "Wouldn't a more extensive turbolift system have been safer and more efficient?"

"Certainly," Pakmillu rumbled. "Unfortunately, it would also have been more expensive. The original Dreadnaughts did not include such a system, and the Senate did not wish to pay the costs of retrofitting."

"These control systems really are pretty good, though," Anakin assured him. "Some of the Podracers on Tatooine use them when they're trying out a new course."

"There aren't fifty thousand people wandering in and out of a Podracing course where they could be run over," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"But thereare plenty of animals on the courses," Anakin countered, a little too tartly. "You know, like dewbacks and banthas?"

"Anakin-" Obi-Wan began warningly.

"We have already tried the system, Master Kenobi," Pakmillu put in quickly. "As Padawan Skywalker said, it works quite well."

"I'll take your word for it," Obi-Wan said, eyeing Anakin darkly. The boy had developed a bad habit of disrespect lately, especially in public where he perhaps thought that his master would be reluctant to reprimand him. It was partly his age, Obi-Wan knew, but even so it was unacceptable.

But Anakin also knew just how far he could push it. In response to Obi-Wan's reproving look, he dropped his gaze, his expression indicating at least outward contrition.

And with that, this particular incident was apparently over. Making a mental note to have yet another talk with the boy the next time they were alone, Obi-Wan turned back to Pakmillu. "I understand you'll be making a short tour through Republic space before you enter the Unknown Regions."

"A sort of shakedown cruise, yes," Pakmillu said. "We must confirm that our equipment is functioning properly before we go beyond reach of repair facilities."

He stepped to a nearby navigational console and touched a key, and a holo of the galaxy appeared overhead. "From here we go to Lonnaw in Droma sector," he said, pointing. "After that, we'll cut through the edge of Glythe sector to Argai in Haldeen sector. Then we'll travel through Kokash and Mondress sectors, with a final stop possible in Albanin sector if it seems necessary."

"That's a lot of stops," Obi-Wan said.

"Most will just be flybys," Pakmillu assured him. "We won't actually stop unless there are problems."

"What happens then?" Anakin asked.

"If all goes well, three weeks from now we'll formally enter Unknown Space," Pakmillu said. "At a point approximately two hundred thirty light-years from the edge of Wild Space we'll stop for a final navigational calibration"-his mouth tendrils wiggled as he shut down the holo-"and we'll then begin our journey in earnest. Through the Unknown Regions, and to the next galaxy."

Anakin whistled softly. "How long before you'll get back?"

"Several years at least," Pakmillu told him. "But the storage core has supplies enough for ten years, and we expect to be able to supplement its stores of foodstuffs and water along the way. In addition, our numbers may well diminish if we find hospitable worlds to colonize."

"You're not just going to leave people behind in the Unknown Regions, are you?" Anakin asked, frowning.