As always thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows. Sorry about all the typos in the last chapter, I went back and tried to fix them.

Battle of Mos Espa continued:

Interlude X - Percy

A few minutes later, Shmi, Gaarchit, and Blue found them back at the communication center right after Annabeth had sent a new mass hologram message. It basically told everyone that it was safe, and someone would be at their door shortly to give them the choice to leave Tatooine as long as they didn't have a transmitter chip. Unfortunately, everyone else would have to wait until tomorrow to get their chips out. She also warned that if residents lashed out violently then the freedom fighters had no choice but to do the same.

Shmi hugged both of them, "I'm so glad you're both okay." She stepped back then and stuck her chin out stubbornly, "I'm going to help relocate those who want to be relocated."

Percy knew he wouldn't be able to change her mind, so instead he said, "Fine, but we're going to be your guard."

The whole point of the Helpers was just that. They'd go door to door throughout the spaceport, seeing to immediate needs and determining where everyone wanted to go. Annabeth and Percy had converted several old slaving freighters into passenger shuttles in the last few months. They weren't The Blackjack, but they were a good deal more comfortable than what they had been. A few SASS crews were handpicked to man the ships. Some would go to the more central Mid-Rim and Core planets while others would stay in the Outer Rim. Once those without transmitter chips had been dropped off, the pilots would come back for the freed slaves.

Percy just hoped the passengers would be peaceful. He trusted his SASS crews and had been careful to only pick ones who wouldn't hold grudges against ex-slaveowners. The ones who were angrier and more hotheaded, he and Annabeth stationed around Nar Shaddaa where there were always slavers to attack.

As Shmi approached her first door, Annabeth scanned for lifeforms. She used Daedalus instead of the standard sensor they'd passed out to the other Helpers. "Looks like two people are in there. One of them is probably a child," Annabeth reported.

Shmi knocked. Percy already had Riptide drawn in case he had to block a blaster bolt, but the door remained closed. She pressed the controller, but it must have been locked. "R2?" she asked. Blue beeped happily and plugged in to the socket. After a few seconds the door whooshed open.

A woman cried "Ledo, no!" just as a blaster fired right at Shmi. Percy deflected the bolt, and Annabeth and Gaarchit prepared to return fire. "Please," the woman begged. She flung herself between Percy and whoever had fired the shot. "He didn't mean to. He's just a child. I didn't realize he had a blaster."

"Zaia?" Shmi asked trying to push past Percy.

The woman glanced up, and her green eyes widened in surprise, "Shmi?" The next thing Percy knew the two women were hugging each other, and Zaia was crying. "I heard rumors you were back, but I didn't believe them." She wiped the tears off her cheeks and chuckled. "I didn't believe that anyone who was lucky enough to leave this cursed planet would ever come back."

"I'm sorry. I would have come to see you, but Jira told me you married one of Jabba's men. I didn't know what to think." Shmi admitted. "And I couldn't risk what we were planning. Besides, I didn't think you could stand Talas. What happened?"

Zaia shrugged, "He found out that Ledo is his, and he always wanted a son. He threatened to take him away from me unless I married him."

Shmi hugged her friend again, "I never knew."

"I tried to hide it. I figured with Anakin you'd understand." Shmi blushed, and Percy wondered how hard it must have been for Shmi. How many of her friends just thought she was too ashamed of Anakin's father to ever say who he was? After all, that was easier for people to believe than Anakin's father actually being some mystic power. "At least the bas– I mean Ledo's father had the decency to free me. He didn't want anyone to think that the mother of his son was a slave."

A little boy no more than eight, peered around Zaia's legs. "And this must be Ledo! My have you grown! The last time I saw you, you were this big," Shmi moved her hands to show how tiny the boy must have been six years ago. Percy noticed that the boy still clutched a blaster in his hand.

His mother must have seen it too and quickly pried the weapon away. "I really am sorry. I don't know when he grabbed that, but we were so frightened. You won't punish him, will you?" She looked fearfully at Percy.

"Of course not," Shmi answered for him. Percy was surprised that the woman had thought he would hurt a kid, but then he glanced at his blood-spattered armor and realized he probably looked pretty barbaric.

Zaia sighed in relief and hugged her boy. "Where's papa?" he asked looking around as if he expected his father to walk through the door behind Percy. Zaia tensed and communicated her unasked question to Shmi with a look.

Percy saw the guilt and conflict flash across her face. The truth was this boy's father was probably dead or about to die. Percy hadn't thought much about it, but at least some of the people they killed today had families, people who depended on them or cared for them. Annabeth cleared her throat, "Did he leave to fight the Sand People, or did he try to stop the slaves from freeing themselves?"

"He was going to fight the sand monsters," the boy answered.

"Ledo, can you please be a big boy, and go get our guests something to drink?" Zaia whispered. As soon as the boy left, Zaia squared her shoulders and looked at Annabeth expectantly.

"There's a chance he's still alive then," she replied.

The woman's shoulders sagged in relief, though there was something else too, like sadness or disappointment gleaming in her eyes. "That's good. He tries to be a good father for Ledo, so that's good," she sounded like she was trying to convince herself. Percy examined the woman more closely, but she wore long sleeves and full skirts that hid most of her skin like many women he'd seen on Tatooine.

On a hunch, Percy stepped towards Zaia, and she instinctively flinched back. "He beats you, doesn't he?"

She gasped at him, but Percy saw the truth in her eyes. Suddenly, he wished he could give this Talas a much more personal death than he'd probably get. "Well, you won't have to worry about him anymore."

"But I thought. . ."

"If the Sand People haven't killed him yet, then I will," Percy declared. "Any man who's despicable enough to beat his wife will fall right into the trap we have to stop Jabba's goons from retaking the spaceport. You're free now to build a better life for you and your son either on this planet or on another one. We have shuttles coming in a few hours to take you away if you want since you no longer have a transmitter chip."

"Really?" Zaia asked in disbelief.

"Really," Shmi told her friend. "You could always come to Naboo. I think you'd love it there."

Ledo came back with a tray of cups. Percy took his and downed the water, suddenly realizing how thirsty he was. "We have to keep going Shmi," Annabeth reminded.

Shmi nodded, "Of course, go to the main square if you want to take the shuttle, or you can stay here."

Zaia looked around the house, much nicer than the apartments in the slave quarter. She seemed small and lost as she clutched her son's arm. Percy felt bad for her. "Can I come with you and help?" she asked almost desperately. "I know many of the other free people here and could help calm them."

Smiling kindly, Shmi answered, "Yes, we'd love to have you."

The next several houses went much quicker. Some were empty. Another was a good friend of Zaia who was more than pleased to be rid of the man of the house. A few had owners that just didn't care about the change in the city because it didn't affect them. One angry resident threw several impressive Huttese curses at them and some bowls. Apparently, he'd owned several slaves but had the good sense not to fight to stop the rebellion. The hardest ones for Percy were the women and children and a few men or sometimes just children who answered the door and were devastated by the news knowing that it meant death of loved ones.

As they went down the row, the houses got nicer and the owners snobbier, more demanding, and less trusting. "How can you trust them Zaia?" the latest woman sneered. Honestly, Percy thought she might be haughtier than Hera. "They could be trying to lead us into a trap or shoot us."

Percy snorted, "Look, lady, if we wanted to shoot you, we would've already." He pointed at Annabeth and Gaarchit's blasters.

"Why I never," she dramatically placed her hand on her chest. "How dare you threaten me in my own house. . ." she wrinkled her nose as she took in Percy's appearance, "you brute."

"Riona, you're being ridiculous," Zaia stepped in before Percy could do something stupid. He gritted his teeth and let it go as the two women bickered, and Shmi helped were she could.

"We don't have time for this," he told Annabeth. At least based on the latest group leader check-ins, the barricades blocking the land entrances into Mos Espa were mostly up, and all the anti-aircraft artillery they could find were in place.

"I know," she agreed. "And we're not the only ones, the other Helpers are having trouble too. We need to win these people over somehow, so we don't have to fight them tooth and nail." Jira had just asked Annabeth for advice on the matter.

Finally, they moved on when Zaia and Shmi had convinced the ridiculous woman to at least consider their offer and hopefully not cause trouble. The next door though was wide open. Percy thought it would be empty that the owner must have rushed out at the start of the attack. Instead they found bodies. A Rodian father, mother, and son. The kid looked about the same size as Ledo and had a fatal blaster wound on his back. "Oh my!" Zaia exclaimed and tried to hide the sight from her son. Percy's anger swelled. This was wrong. There was no reason for a kid to be shot in the back.

"This door was forced open," Annabeth stated. "Whoever did this, went out of their way."

Percy knelt down and picked up the boy's body. He'd seen a lot of bodies in the streets today, but this one was the youngest and shouldn't have happened. He and Annabeth had used every precaution they could think of to keep everyone under sixteen safe. They'd spent years planning this battle to make sure it wasn't a free for all blood bath because they couldn't afford it to be. For them to end slavery across the planet, they needed the support of those who were already free. Any savage, revenge massacres would drive that support away. "I want all freedom fighters in the main square," he gritted out.

"Except Blue watch," Annabeth added. "Keep watching for the enforcers." She blocked her comm and whispered just to him, "What are you doing?"

Percy wasn't completely sure himself, but he had to do something, "Showing everyone what kind of Tatooine, we're building."

He carried the body to the main square. Through the comms, he heard Annabeth tell Jira, "Try and get as many residents as you can to come to the square too, especially those who are giving you a hard time. I think they'll want to see this." He thought Shmi and Zaia might have gone back for the annoying woman, but he wasn't sure.

The two hundred or so fighters they'd scrounged up waited for him. All the laughing and joking stopped when they saw Percy enter. He lifted the body, so everyone could see it. "Who did this?" He asked.

No one answered, but the crowd shifted away from a man. He looked angry at his buddies for ratting him out, but then he stepped forward. "I killed the brat, what of it? It's a battle lots of people died."

"You killed an unarmed child who was running away from you," Percy's voice was flat emotionless, barely holding back the storm that was raging inside of him. "And clearly bragged about it, otherwise how else would your comrades have known? You knew the rules. Yes, this was a battle and many people died, but everyone who was handed a blaster swore to use the weapon honorably. This was not honorable."

The man spat in Percy's direction, "Who are you to be bossing us around? You ain't been around here."

"Acin," Jrome warned.

"You don't even regret it," Percy's voice shook.

"Of course not, kid was a useless brat. I'd kill more if I got the chance," the man glanced over to the other side of the square where the civilians and ex-slave owners had gathered. They quickly tried to hide their children from the man. "What I want to know, is why we're listening to these Outlanders anyways? We have the blasters now. Why should they be telling us what to do, and who we can kill?" He raised his blaster and pointed it at Percy.

Percy released the tight leash he'd kept on his anger until then. There was a slight tug on his gut, and the nearest moisture vaporators exploded. Acin stupidly took his eyes off Percy to look, but by the time he realized that was a mistake, it was too late. Percy only had about 3 gallons of water, but it was enough. He thrust his right hand out, and the water copied his movement as it formed a hand and grabbed Acin by the neck lifting him in the air and squeezing. "I should kill you right here," Percy said. "For murdering a child, for breaking your word. There's a difference between having to kill and wanting to kill, and you crossed that line."

Acin tried to say something, it looked like 'Sorry,' but Percy didn't care. "But, I'm going to give you the chance that you took away from that kid. The chance to grow, the chance to change, the chance to be better, but if I catch you in this town again, I won't show mercy twice." He flung his arm, and Acin soared over the townhouses and market and the barricade landing in a sand dune on the outside of Mos Espa about 500 yards away. Percy knew there were plenty of smaller settlements within a day's walk from Mos Espa. If the man was smart, he'd head there.

It wasn't until after he'd literally thrown the man out of the city that Percy remembered the transmitter chips. Oh well, Acin should have thought of that before he killed a kid and tried a mutiny. Maybe, he'd get lucky, and his master hadn't activated the chip.

"Anyone else has a problem not killing children?" Percy asked. The crowd looked at him in stunned silence. "Look, I know you've lived through hell. But we asked you to show restraint and forgiveness. I know it's not fair, but we need to work together both recently freed and those who've never known slavery, in order to build a better Mos Espa and Tatooine, to free your sisters and brothers still enslaved in Mos Eisley, Bestine, and Jabba's palace itself. If you want to free every slave on this planet, you can't afford revenge. So, I'm asking you to bury the hatchet, be the better person, to stand together for something bigger than yourself, to show Jabba that he doesn't control you, any of you. If you can do that, maybe your children will know a better life, one that doesn't involve getting shot in the back." He gently set down the boy's body on to the sand. He wished he could give the boy a proper send off, but that would have to wait.

The square was so quiet, Percy started to wonder if he'd pushed too much. Then, he heard a cry both from his ear comm, and across the square, "They're coming!" Annabeth grabbed his hand, and they ran to the western edge of the spaceport, the side closest to the new lake.

"Alpha, Beta watch our backs," Annabeth commanded. "Gamma and Delta focus on the front."

They reached the western edge of Mos Espa. Percy pulled out a pair of macrobinoculars from his belt and saw nearly 250 fighters making their way back on swoop bikes, speeders, desert skiffs, and a few homemade tanks. Annabeth waited until they reached the lake shore before pulling out a voice amplifier. "Mos Espa is now a free settlement with no more slavery. If you wish to join our new, free society, step away from the lake, and we will welcome you in. If you do not wish to live in a free Mos Espa, go back and find another settlement. Continue forward at your own risk. You have been warned."

Through his binoculars, Percy saw the group stop. A few of the fighters peeled off to the side and some hung back, but most of them charged forward. "Ready?" Annabeth asked.

Percy didn't bother with a spoken response. Instead, he reached out with his power. There was a tug in his gut as he summoned a huge tidal wave from the lake, his lake. He heard a gasp from the crowd behind him. His wave swept up the would-be attackers with their speeders and tanks and blasters and sucked them down to the bottom. He held them there for a minute, two, and then released. The water was still, and slowly the bodies rose to the surface. He turned away. He didn't want to see the result of his work. How many had he killed with little more than a thought? A hundred? Two? Annabeth's hand found his while the crowd looked at him in awe and fear. Someone who sounded a lot like Doubter Shane started the chant, "Da Soocha! Da Soocha!" Everyone else joined in.

Percy and Annabeth spent the rest of the day burying bodies cleaning up the streets and vetting the fighters who had decided to stay in a free Mos Espa. As Percy had predicted, Zaia's husband hadn't been one of them. He'd drowned in the lake. Most of the disgruntled ex-slave owners left on the first batch of ships. Apparently, Percy's display in the square had convinced them that they wouldn't be harmed.

Annabeth kept her word, and as soon as the suns went down, they brought out the casks of Corellian whiskey. So far, Jabba hadn't tried to retaliate. Percy and Annabeth entered the cantina to cheers for Da Soocha and Atalanta, but Shmi quickly grabbed them and pulled them to the private rooms in the back.

"Good, you're here. I wanted to get ahold of you earlier, but I didn't want to do it over the comms. We have a problem," she explained. "I received a message from C-3PO. I guess back when we were on the streets. Jawas raided the ship and took him and everything else."

"Kriffin Kronos," Percy muttered, suddenly feeling too tired to curse properly. He slumped on to the nearest cot. It'd been a long day.

The news seemed to have an opposite effect on Annabeth. She had a mini temper tantrum. "Gods! What is up with this planet! Why is it so gods damned illogical! How did they even get to the ship unnoticed? They would have had to skirt around not one but two battles."

Shmi just shrugged and smiled sadly, "They're Jawas. That's what they do."

"Well, at least we brought all of our stuff with us. Our weapons, ambrosia, nectar, and your laptop." Percy tried to stay positive.

"Yes, but the Gungan shield generators that we need to protect Mos Espa and for the next battle are gone and the hundred med droids we brought to remove the transmitter chips," she ranted. "My device can only hold 10,000 signals without a reference for so long before the frequencies start drifting. I never could get that right. It's not like I'm a child of Hephaestus."

That was an immediate problem. "How long do you think we have?" Percy asked. The plan had been to bring the med droids in the morning and get everyone's chip out. They hadn't dared to bring all those med droids into the city because it would have attracted too much attention. Even in the wild west of the galaxy, someone would have gone sniffing around a large freighter with a mysterious cargo, and they'd worked too hard to misdirect Jabba. They hadn't wanted to tip him off.

Annabeth bit her lip, "Well if my hypothesis is correct, and it's the Celestial bronze to normal metal ratio that's disrupting the frequencies, based on my calculations. . . we have about two days. I wouldn't dare try to push it more than that."

"I could go find the Jawas and get our stuff back," Percy volunteered though the thought of doing that tonight made him even more exhausted. Gods when did he start feeling so old. Were you supposed to feel like an old man at 23?

"No, I think there's going to be a sandstorm." She pulled out her laptop to check. "In about four hours. Even if we left tomorrow, we'd have lost the trail, and the Jawas are harder to spot on the satellite. It would be super risky, but we might have to do that. There are probably only 5 med droids in this spaceport right now. The procedure to slice and close the wound would take too long especially if the chip is in a more delicate place."

"We could always go back to the Riptide idea," Percy suggested. "It's fast and doesn't actually cut anyone."

They'd accidently discovered the Riptide idea, and it had sort of been a joke. Annabeth had messed up with one of the slave chips, and it'd been about to explode on her desk. She'd shouted, "Riptide," and Percy had tossed it to her as it transformed from pen to sword in mid-air. She'd caught it and sliced the bomb, deactivating it. She'd gouged her desk, but it was better than blowing it up. Percy had jokingly said they could deactivate all the slaving chips by just slicing through them since Riptide would pass right through the mortals and only interact with the chip. Annabeth had laughed saying, "Okay, you can explain that one to the people your swinging your sword at." But now it could work.

Annabeth tilted her head to the side as she considered the idea, "Assuming we could do two chips per a minute with Riptide, plus the five droids it should work. We just have to convince people to let you swing a sword through their bodies. And we never did actually test it."

Shmi tried to volunteer, but Gaarchit wouldn't let her and insisted they inject a spare transmitter chip in him instead. Percy would have done it himself if he could have, but since he and Annabeth were probably the only people on this planet that Riptide would actually cut, that wouldn't have worked out. Annabeth monitored the whole thing with Daedalus' scanner, pointed out the exact spot Percy needed to hit, and then after the blade passed straight through Gaarchit's arm, she confirmed that the chip was no longer activated. Even though it was still technically in the body, she was certain that it couldn't blow-up any more.

"Now, we just need to convince everyone that the sword won't hurt them," Percy said. "Maybe, we can tell them it only hurts immortals and evil oppressors. It would help sell this Da Soocha legend even more."

Annabeth peeked out the door to the rest of the cantina where everyone was having a good time. "Since a lot of them are drunk right now, it might make them a bit more accepting of things that don't make sense. We should get started right away. I just hope there really aren't any Force Sensitives, but I think I can sense them now if I concentrate. Maybe start slow, just to make sure Riptide doesn't cut them. Oh, and Shmi could you go to our makeshift hospital and get the medical droids started on this. I think all the critical injuries have already been seen to. There should be scanners there already. I'm sure Jira can help you."

Percy wasn't sure if it was just the whiskey or a combination of how much everyone trusted and respected him and Annabeth now, but Jrome volunteered to go first as soon as they explained the strange way they were going to deactivate the slave chips. After Annabeth had found it, Percy slowly pressed Riptide down on the spot. Jrome tensed up when he saw the blade touch his skin and shut his eyes tight but stayed perfectly still like a champ. The celestial bronze blade went straight through his shoulder, harmlessly. The audience gasped in amazement and cheered like Percy had just done an impressive magic trick. "You're a free man now, Jrome!" Annabeth declared.

The other hundred or so ex-slaves squeezed in the cantina lined up pretty quickly after that. It wasn't long before Percy and Annabeth found a rhythm. She located the chip with Daedalus in datapad form. Percy waited a moment until she nodded, letting him know the person wasn't Force-sensitive. Percy swung Riptide through the spot usually somewhere on the neck, leg, or arm, and then Annabeth would confirm that the transmitter chip was destroyed.

All the people started to blur together, until Annabeth hesitated. The man in front of him was muscular with tanned skin, dark hair, and yellow tattoos across his cheeks. Percy vaguely remembered seeing him at the first meeting for the rebellion. The guy had combat experience, but he was too new for anyone to trust him with a command position. Annabeth frowned in confusion and asked, "Are you a Jedi?"

The man they'd just freed snorted, "Quin, a Jedi? No way! He gambles and drinks with the rest of us."

The one on Quin's other side muttered, "Though he is unusually lucky at cards."

Annabeth looked at Percy, "I felt something, I know I did, and then it was gone." She didn't need to spell it out, he knew what she was thinking. Only a Jedi would have been skilled enough to recognized that Annabeth was probing and then try to shield, cutting off his abnormal presence in the Force. Annabeth turned to the man next to Quin, "When did he get here?"

The man shrugged, "About two months ago, I think."

Annabeth gave Percy the look, "The timing fits." Assuming Obi-Wan had told the Council about their plans to go to Tatooine, two months ago was about the soonest the Jedi could've put a spy in place. It was something they'd talked about but had hoped the Jedi would just mind their own business. Percy couldn't really blame his friend, but he really hadn't wanted to deal with Jedi too.

Percy looked at Quin more closely. He wore the same clothes as the other guys and seemed to have consumed a good bit of whiskey. He couldn't see a lightsaber on him. He repeated Annabeth's question, "Are you a Jedi, Quin?"

Quin chuckled, "Me? Don't be ridiculous. I'm just a recently freed slave hoping you'll stop this device in me from blowing up."

The guy was good, but Percy knew Annabeth was better. "That's good," Percy said with a smile as he expertly twirled Riptide in his hand making sure it sharp edges flashed in the dim lights of the cantina, "because if you were a Jedi then this blade would cut off your arm, but since you aren't. . . "

The man's eyes widened slightly, "Wait, you said the blade only hurts immortals or oppressors."

Percy shrugged, "In my experience, Jedi are oppressors."

"What!" Quin exclaimed, "How can you think that?"

"They're oppressors of fun," Percy replied with a smirk.

Quin laughed, a genuine laugh like someone who knew an inside joke, "Fine, you got me. I'm a Jedi. Well played, Da Soocha, well played."

"You really are a Jedi?" his buddy asked. The poor guy looked like he was going to pass out.

Quin patted the man on the back, "Sorry for the deception friend, but it was necessary." He bowed dramatically, "Jedi Master Quinlan Vos at your service."

"It's looking up for us gents and ladies. We got a god and a Jedi on our side now," Jrome proclaimed.

"The Jedi cannot officially support an insurrection," Vos stated which started a chorus of boos and hisses from the crowd. "But I am here to do what I can to help as long as it doesn't lead back to the Jedi or Republic." To Annabeth and Percy, he muttered, "Can we go somewhere to talk?"

Annabeth glanced at the cheery chaos Vos's reveal had caused and sighed, "Might as well get this over with quickly, so we can get back to chip deactivation without any distractions." There was no more line of people waiting for their chips to be removed as everyone started discussing Jedi and gods and who would win in a fight. Percy was a little amused that that was the word people were using to describe him since he'd been very careful to never use it himself. Annabeth hadn't really used the priestess disguise in Mos Espa either. The legend was already growing on its own.

As soon as the three of them slipped into the empty back room, Annabeth wheeled on Vos, "Let's cut straight to it. Did the Jedi Council send you to spy on us?"

"Or are you trying to stop us from disturbing the peace?" Percy added, not bothering to hide his annoyance as he gestured with Riptide. He wasn't feeling particularly friendly, and Riptide helped him make his point.

"My mandate was to observe your efforts to free the slaves, discretely help when I could, and only intervene if galactic peace was threatened." Vos explained. "Given your strained relationship with the Jedi Council, the Masters thought it best if I remained undercover. They believed you would most likely distrust a Jedi that approached you directly and try to block me from your operations."

Percy rolled his eyes, "And we're not going to distrust a Jedi that wormed his way into our operation, so he can spy on us and stop us if we do something the Jedi Council thinks is too extreme?"

Vos at least had the decency to look embarrassed, "I'd hoped to work my way into your inner circle on my own merit and earn your trust. I wasn't supposed to be discovered. Usually, I'm quite good at undercover missions. If I'd known you'd progressed so far in detecting Force-sensitives, I would have shielded better from the beginning though I'm not sure how I would've gotten around your sword. The Council failed to mention it in their briefing."

"Rather sloppy of them," Percy grumbled. "Just because my sword isn't a lightsaber doesn't mean Riptide should be overlooked."

Vos smiled, "I do think the Council feared you'd just be storming Jabba's palace swinging a lightsaber and starting a galactic war when the Jedi and Republic were blamed."

"We're not idiots," Annabeth huffed.

"Never said you were," Vos winked. "I think the whole Da Soocha angle is rather brilliant. Even Windu would be impressed."

That seemed to appease Annabeth, some, "I guess the next question is what should we do about you. I don't suppose you'd just leave if we asked nicely?"

Vos tilted his head to the side as he considered the question, "I suppose I could. The Council wouldn't be happy, but it seems like you've got a good plan going here, assuming you have an answer to the power vacuum problem if you do kill Jabba?"

"Replace him with Gorga, on the condition that slavery ends for good on Tatooine," Annabeth answered.

"That might actually work," Vos sounded impressed. "In my experience with the underworld, Gorga always was more levelheaded and business minded. No wonder you wanted to drive up the price of slaves first. But it might be a hard sell to those newly freed people out there."

"I know," Annabeth admitted, "but it's the best way."

"So, you'll go and let us handle this our way?" Percy hoped.

"Look, I don't want to fight you guys," Vos confessed. "I know you and the Council don't exactly get along, so if you want me to leave I will. Personally though, I'd like to stay. I've been wanting to do something more about slavery for years, but there's only so much I can push the Council. I admire what you guys are trying to do here. I'd like to help. I'll admit, you guys are good, but are you really in a position to turn down free help?"

"The thing is, I'm not sure if your help is free," Annabeth mused. "We don't trust you, and this quest is already too delicate."

"Fair enough, but before you decide to kick me out, why don't you check with your buddy Kenobi. He'll vouch for me" Vos suggested with a smirk, like he would personally enjoy this for some reason.

Percy was about to disagree, but Annabeth stopped him, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. We could use the help, and I don't think Obi-Wan would lie to us if we asked him the right questions."

"Oh fine," Percy grumbled as he activated his special wrist comm. "Obi-Wan?"

"Yes, Percy?" came the cautious reply.

"What can you tell me about a Jedi named Quinlan Vos?"

Obi-Wan sighed, "So you found him. That was quick, not even a week. A lot of Jedi who participate in the mission betting pool will be disappointed. It's a shame I do not gamble. I could have been relieved of creche support duty."

"Jedi have a betting pool for missions?" Percy laughed, temporarily forgetting that he was currently very annoyed with the Jedi.

"Yes, unofficially of course and never for anything of monetary value," Obi-Wan answered with a hint of disapproval in his voice. "I believe Master Fisto will have a lot of free time on his hands. Most didn't think you would discover Master Vos' identity until much later, if at all."

"I can't believe Kit bet against me!" Vos sounded betrayed.

Percy grinned, "I knew I liked that guy."

Of course, Annabeth was the one to get them back on track, "Tell us Obi-Wan why we should let Vos stay?"

"I'm aware that you and Percy might resent Jedi interference, but you can trust Master Vos. I actually recommended that the Council send him because despite our differences I believed out of all the Jedi that could go to Tatooine, he was the only one that would actually help you while still keeping the Council satisfied in his own unconventional way."

"So, you're saying he's one of the few Jedi that won't make me want to blowup toilets?" Percy wanted to clarify.

Obi-Wan chuckled softly, "I believe that is the case. For the safety of Tatooine's fragile plumbing, I hope I'm right. I might should apologize ahead of time to Annabeth though."

"Great, there's going to be two of them," Annabeth muttered.

Vos tried to look innocent, but he couldn't hide the mischievous glint in his eyes. Percy was starting to like this guy a little more. Annabeth cocked an eyebrow at Percy, and he nodded. It was worth a try. Percy had to admit that Jedi could be pretty useful when they weren't lecturing or judging or giving cryptic answers. "All right Obi-Wan, thanks for the help. You can tell the Council that we'll play nice for now."

"That's good to hear," Obi-Wan sounded relieved. "Oh, and Percy I feel a little ridiculous for asking, but Anakin has all of a sudden started worrying about his mother, something about a bad dream of her in pain and Jabba the Hutt of all beings. I'm sure it's nothing, but Shmi is safe on Naboo right?"

Percy's heart froze for a second, "Umm, no, actually she's with us. She wanted to help, but we're keeping her safe and far from Jabba. I'm afraid to ask Obi-Wan, but are these just dreams or dreams, like Jedi visions of the future and stuff?"

"I do not know." Percy could practically hear his friend frowning.

Percy cursed in ancient Greek. He really hated anything prophetic. "I guess it doesn't matter from our end though. In my experience knowing the future doesn't really do much good. Trying to prevent a vision or prophecy often can cause it."

"Master Yoda likes to say, 'Always in motion is the future," Obi-Wan recited.

"Huh, glad to know the Jedi Code and the Percy Code both agree that trying to predict the future is bantha poodo even if I have a good friend who's an oracle."

"I would not say it like that, but yes, in this case it seems you are in agreement with the Jedi Code." Percy knew his friend had the smug grin on his face right then. As if he could really convince Percy that the Jedi Code was really the best way.

After a quick 'May the Force be with you,' Percy ended the call. Vos flashed a smile, "Great! Now that's settled, could I see that really cool sword, Percy? I've never seen an object that only interacts with Force-sensitives before."

Percy shrugged and handed the celestial bronze sword over, but as soon as Vos grabbed Riptide's leather grip, something happened. The Jedi screamed and collapsed to the floor. His eyes shut and his body jerked like he was having a seizure or a really bad dream. Annabeth tried to bring him around. Percy splashed water on him. When nothing normal worked, Annabeth reached out with the Force, but quickly recoiled and gasped, "He's in pain, Percy!"

Percy didn't know what else to do, so he activated his wrist comm again. "Obi-Wan, something happened when Vos touched Riptide. I think I broke your Jedi friend."

Thanks to the reader who suggested Quinlan over a year ago (I went back through the reviews, but couldn't find who suggested it). Quinlan's hard to write since there's so many different portrayals of him. I attempted to base mine off of the Clone Wars version and a really good fanfic by ruth baulding (Peer Pressure). The next chapter wasn't in my initial plan, but I felt like Quinlan and Percy needed some guy bonding time. It will be posted in a week. Interlude 13 will be the last before Attack of the Clones. I promise. Sorry for stretching this part out, but I didn't want to rush it since I'm using this to set the stage for the Clone Wars.