Chapter 17
Three Days Before the Race.
Harry convinced Jabba to let him return home to work on his pod, and Master Yaddle stayed behind with Hermione. On the first day Harry had finished his pod, and he had checked over both Thantas and Anakin's pods as well. He had finished talking to both his parents and his master he was thinking over their discussion.
Flashback:
He had just walked in carrying his supplies to find his parents and Master sitting at the table talking and laughing. However, the discussion stopped when Harry entered the room.
"Harry you have avoided this discussion for close to two months." Master Fay said softly with Shmi and Cliegg nodding along with her. "Time to pay the piper."
"While I know the discussion will not help me it will be informative for you to know where my head is. Harry stated. "I am in many ways broken by the experiences earlier in my life. Growing up I did not know what love was. All I knew is that my aunt and uncle did not love me. That was further showcased when I met my two best friends in school, or at least I thought it was at the time. I learned different a few years later, and very recently I learned that my rock; Hermione Granger had not abandoned me. No, what happened was much worse. Her free will was taken and by the time she got it back; I had let a dragon fry my scrawny ass because I looked for and found no support only hatred and loathing." He tapered off his green eyes looking in the distance. "Fast forward to two months ago. After almost a year and a half I have found acceptance and yes love in shape of a family and two bonded companions."
"I did not want to be sucked back to my homeworld." He said with a hint of scorn in his voice "However, Hermione was dying. So Assajj traveled with me between and beyond." Harry could barely contain his rage. "When I got there, he was standing over her naked broken body. Just a husk; she was gone because I was not there to defend her. So, I moved to bring him to justice, and at the end of the day I killed someone I thought of as a brother. All the while struggling not to reach for the force to choke the life out of him. The only thing that kept me from committing an act of evil was Assajj, Ahsoka and you master."
"I don't know why you and master Yoda are being lenient on this I felt the call of the dark side." He wondered aloud. "The only saving grace in all of this is Hermione is now here, and I can tell you she and master Yaddle are getting along like a house on fire. I am angry, angry at Ron, and more importantly angry with myself!"
"Let go of it Harry. Let it wash away along the currents of the force." Master fay advised. "You have just over 36 hours until the race go enjoy your freedom."
"After you take a nap." Shmi said with a smile. "A long one! You look like something a rokghoul spit out."
"Yes Mother." Harry said looking down he turned and went to his room. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
"Enjoy your freedom?" Shmi asked raising an eyebrow.
"We are going to ground for a year after we got to Naboo." Fay countered laughing. "How was I to know you wanted him to take a nap?"
"We were going to ground him. He is punishing himself far more than we could ever. I for one want his head clear for the race." Cliegg said seriously. "The last thing we need is for him to get killed on that little skiff of his!"
Bib Fortuna moved through cantina with a purpose. He had an appointment with a couple of people; one of them being Zam Wessel who he found waiting at a table in the courtyard. "Ah Wessel so good of you to come! I would like to retain your services to capture the Potter Whelp. He does not even need to be in good shape. If you can get him during the race somewhere on the backend of the course would be best."
Wessel who did not like Fortuna. "How much are you offering?"
"5000 half upfront, and the rest upon completion." The Twi'lek offered officially starting the negotiations.
"That is not nearly enough for the amount of hassle catching him is sure to be Fortuna!" The bounty hunter sneered at him. "Word has gotten out about the Lars family farmstead, and nobody who is anybody has a beef with Skywalker other than you. If you want me to give you any serious thought on this matter 75,000!"
"15,000!" He countered.
"60,000!" Wessel countered.
"25,000!" Fortuna ground out.
"50,000! Take it or leave it!" Wessel knew she had him. "Dealing with seven Jedi is not worth it otherwise!"
"Fine 50,000! 15,000 now, and the rest payable upon delivery.
"Pleasure doing business with you!" She said going back to her drink.
Ten minutes later Fortuna had a meeting with four other rough men. "I have it on good authority that someone is going to attempt taking Skywalker. From what I understand they will try some time on the backside of the course. I will pay 2,500 each to guard Potter even though he is not the favored to win. Jabba Favors him for his abilities."
When the four thugs agreed he smiled moving on not seeing Hermione or Yaddle frowning at the exchanges. "Master Yaddle I think maybe I should warn Harry."
"Yes, you should! Sit Meditate you should; Guard you I will."
Harry was deep into his power system chasing down an annoying power drop when he felt her. He smiled as he sitting down, and began to meditate. When he entered his mental construct, he could see Hermione pacing back and forth ranting to herself. "Hermione?" When she did not respond he stepped into her path reaching out and pulling her into a hug. "What has you so wound up?"
"Bib Fortuna is plotting something! He had a meeting with a bounty hunter about capturing you, and he paid out a significant amount. He then hired four thugs to double-cross the bounty hunter. I feel like I need a shower just being around him." She ranted before tearing up. "I just got you back I don't want anything to happen to you!"
"Well, I am probably going to end up killing him." Harry said plainly and without preamble, it unnerved Hermione a bit, and Harry being the dutiful best friend noticed. "He seriously has it coming Since you will be with Jabba in the top box watching the race. When I win; watch Fortuna. He will likely make a play for you, and I will have to gut him like a fish."
"The boy I know…" Hermione started and Harry rolled his eyes. "Sorry Harry. Things were simpler when we were 11. Now we are in a different reality, and you grew without me nagging you. You have taken a life, and it changed you. I don't know how it is going to affect you in the long run?"
"You think I am going dark?" Harry muttered as he turned and moved away from Hermione. "Is that it?"
"No, but how have you felt since you ended Ron's Life." She asked and noticed his wince.
"Can we talk about this after the Race?" Harry asked.
Hermione sighed. "Of course. We will have two days travel time to Naboo, and all four of us will have time to bond." She admitted. "However, you are not off the hook; you will talk with us Harry."
The Night before the race
After putting Sabe to bed in his quarters as she demanded refusing to wait another minute now that she had him. Obi-Wan was about to lay down when he suddenly had a bad feeling. "Sabe, I am going to take a quick survey of the perimeter before we retire for the night." He stepped out of his quarters and moved toward the loading ramp of the ship. He came around the first corner after coming up the ramp from the landing pad he ran into a Shmi carrying a device that looked to be explosive.
Zam Wessel had spent the day watching the Skywalker clan prep for the Boonta eve race. It was nearly dark as she stealthed her way in and planted several listening devices the night before. She e also noted the boy Fortuna and Dooku both wanted to destroy was kind of scrawny but good with tech problems. She waited until everyone seemed to be engrossed in something else, and she snuck on the ship hiding in an empty crew room. She prepped the three explosive devices and managed to sneak around the ship planting the first two only to run into the one person she did not want to. Obi-Wan Kenobi the Sith killer.
Both looked at each other with a shocked expression. "Well, this is uncomfortable as I know Shmi is already in bed. I don't think I will be going out on a limb to think that perhaps there are more bombs." Obi-wan stated honestly while thinking across his bond. 'Anakin! I need you Padme is in danger we all are.' Wessel nodded activated the device, and threw it at Kenobi before turning down the ramp and activating her jetpack was gone into the night.
Anakin having received what could best be thought of as a force scream from his master came running out of the fresher. Wearing a pair of loose sleeping pants, no shirt, and his lightsaber in his hand roused the entire house save Shmi and Fay.
Anakin got to the ramp of the ship, and Obi-Wan was walking down looking at the countdown. 'There is a lot of explosives here there are likely more on the ship. I do not know if they are active or not."
Anakin nodded looking at the timer grabbing it from his master; he ran off toward the part of the property that overlooked a small cliff. He used the force to power his throw, and sending the device hundreds of feet away. The resulting explosion woke everyone. Harry who had been in the process of waking up sat ramrod straight his handheld aloft activating the wards around the farmstead.
Harry walked up to Padme's ship holding his hand on the hull he felt everything that was in the ship that should be. He then found two things that were not; he could feel the intent but said nothing of it. "Check the Hyperdrive and under the pilot's console." He stopped to hug his mother, and in turn ended up hugging all the female members of the family even his master and Master Yaddle. Shortly thereafter, everyone went to bed.
Wessel had been unnerved by the encounter with Kenobi. He knew they would find the explosives, and he was dreading the call she was about to make. Then the face of Tyranus appeared in the holo, and he swallowed uncomfortably. "Lord Tyranus there has been an issue with securing the death of senator Amidala. Kenobi was doing one last pass through her ship before sealing it up for the night. We encountered each other I armed the last explosive, and threw it at him. Then I proceeded to leave with prudent haste. I would guess that all the explosives have been found, and the attempt is moot I have returned the retainer this is on me."
'My old padawans apprentice' how life's little ironies like to bite us. "That is okay Zam. I need you back on Geonosis. I need you to guard Poggle and Gunray." 'Perhaps it was too soon.' Then Tyranus thought "Contact me when you reach Geonosis. I will need advice on another project."
Harry wandered through the house after having packed everything up and seeing his family off. His heart heavy with the memories that only a year had come about. It was a whirlwind in his mind. Master Hett and his family were relocating back to Coruscant so A-Sharrad would have an official teacher and Sharrad would take another padawan himself. His own master had cornered him before she launched. "Harry I have a bad feeling about this. Leaving you here without backup is not something I am comfortable with." She told him ruining her normally serene face with a frown.
"Master I would give my life for my family, for you to be safe and whole. With everyone gone; Fortuna has no leverage to use against me. It is better this way for everyone involved. He replied gently turning away from Her. "I will try not to kill him or anyone else, but I may not be able to stop bloodshed from occurring. All I ask is that you trust me this one-time."
Seeing the sense in his words she nodded going up the ramp into her ship and taking off shortly thereafter.
"Did Anakin leave for the race?" Obi-Wan asked. "I cannot find him on the ship!"
Padme smiled thinking back to the discussion.
She had walked into his and Harry's room and saw him packing the last of his stuff before leaving it for Harry to shrink he kept only his communicator. "Padme there are many things I want to say. Many things I want to do. I want to court you properly. I realize it will not be easy as our tasks are so vastly different."
"Well…" Padme said with blush. "We have the trip to Naboo to start with." She paused when he froze at her saying that. "Only you are not going with us, are you?"
"He is my little brother I cannot in good conscience leave him." Anakin admitted. "I am sorry I must ask your patience another day."
Padme closed the gap between them pulling him down into a kiss that promised more. "If you want more of those bring you and your brother home. This is the comm line for a landing pad at Theed." Seeing Anakin Gawk, she smiled. "You owe me for this. A Night out in Theed. Just you and Me."
"As her highness wishes." He said sincerely giving her a chaste kiss on the lips leaving the house.
"He stayed on Tatooine to watch Harry's back Obi-Wan." She said expecting him to react.
"Oh good!" The Knight said when Yaddle entered the room.
"Thantas stayed as well?" Yaddle nodded.
High above Tatooine Fay, Sharrad and K'sheek sat listening to the prerace byplay.
"Anakin, Thantas, Ahsoka, and Assajj stayed on Tatooine." Sharrad broke the silence. "At least he has backup."
"He doesn't like it!" She replied distractedly listening to the lineup. "He did not want Jabba to have any leverage on him as he sends the message."
"Poodoo!" K'Sheek spat looking at her husband who had just gotten up. "Just where do you think you are going."
"Nowhere dear, nowhere at all." He said sitting down like a child who had been told he could not go play with his friends. "Are you sure I couldn't just go supervise them?"
"No!" The small woman responded. "To the temple, we will go. You said before the force is their ally; is it not; and a powerful alley it is. Maybe you should go meditate?"
"Maybe I should." He said to no one in particular as he went and did that very thing.
"You have him very well trained." Fay admitted. "If only Harry were so easy to control."
"Not for you to control." K'Sheek said her voice almost a whisper. "Your job to teach."
Down on the planet, Harry was doing last-minute tune-ups when they started announcing racers. When they finally got to the back row where he was in the middle when two figures came up on either side causing Harry to groan. As Tan Sky, Harry Skywalker, and Thantas Shing were announced.
"Could you guys be any more obvious?" Harry complained his carefully thought plan had to be hastily refined to add his brother and sister into the mix. Before calming himself and letting his anxiety flow into the force. "Thank you! At least I won't be the only one grounded."
They both laughed "We love you too little brother!"
Anakin's cart was the same as the last time he raced. Thantas's pod was a little more feminine but still just as big.
Harrys' pod was something he was lying face down on. The two engine pods were solidly attached to the pod by lengths of a bar that were enchanted to look like small chains. The engine pods were no longer than Harry's arm, and only slightly three times the size of his fist around. The only other difference between his pod and everyone else who was racing was that his power supply was not external.
"Racers on your Marks, get set, go!" And they were off.
"Fay was watching the race from orbit. She was locked on to Harry, but then she got felt more than Saw Anakin and Thantas. "Obi-Wan and Yaddle are going to ground both of them." K'sheek only nodded.
Harry initially decided to lag behind the pack making people think he was having trouble keeping up.
'What are you doing Harry?' Anakin thought to his siblings.
'He is making everyone underestimate him!' Thantas thought.
All they got from their brother was a smile and shrug.
Three quarters through lap one just after the last drop on the course Harry decided to open it up. Moving his way up through the field he noticed there was a craft in the air mirroring his motions. 'Fortuna has pulled all the stops out to get me.' He thought as he passed the lap line. Moments later he noticed he was in the top ten with Anakin two spots ahead, and Thantas a spot behind as they rounded the first turn on the second lap. Tusken raiders had somehow gotten a hold of a repeating blaster rifle. Harry was surprised when he took a hit in the leg causing him to fall behind Thantas, and out of the top ten between the two groups. Harry groaned in pain and shielded himself as the small craft that mirrored him opened fire.
As Harry dropped back Thantas became worried. 'Anakin either Fortuna is making his move or someone is trying to kill Harry.'
From the observation area, Jabba watched the race and he saw the boy take a hit to the leg and smiled. 'Fortuna are you really this stupid?' He exulted. Moments later his exultation turned to anger as someone was now trying to kill the boy. Jabba motioned for a few of his people and made the motions to take care of the problem.
Fay saw what was happening, and began to manoeuvre for re-entry. Racing and facing Fortuna was one thing, but it was another when someone else starts trying to kill her padawan.
The craft firing on Harry was fast and agile; being handled by a pro it seemed as Harry could not shake him. If he moved up or back, he put other racers in danger. His break came when they passed through a cave system and Harry decided enough was enough and sped up breaking into the top five as he crossed the lap line a second time.
Fay Brought her cruiser in over the fighter that was chasing Harry, and opened comms. 'This is Jedi Master Fay you have mistakenly opened fire on one of the racers. Cease now or I will be forced to bring you to justice.'
'At least I got paid up front!' The pilot thought as he peeled off after receiving another order from Jabba's people.
Fay landed her ship next to the prize ship. She and the Hett family walked out by the finish line and waited.
On the third lap, the other pod racers pulled out all the stops, and all the dirty tricks. Things were being thrown into intakes, pods ran into walls, or were forced into the ground as it happened to Thantas. Both Harry and Anakin noted it was a dug pilot who did it. Anakin decided to slide back behind Harry. 'Go get him, little brother!' Harry for his part nodded and started skimming the ground just out of the dugs sight. Using the force to avoid any ground objects; Harry slid under the dugs pod. He rose between the pod and the engines pulling the pod, and sent simultaneous cutting charms in both directions causing the pod to drop like a rock plowing into the ground nearly killing the pilot. Harry Passed the finish line and then did spinning reverse streaking back out to check on his sister.
Thantas was pulling herself from the wreckage of her pod when Harry came zipping back. "Are you okay?" he asked concerned for her wellbeing.
Touched by his concern. "Beyond my head and a couple of ribs only my pride is hurt, little brother." She said holding her side. "I don't suppose you can give me a ride?"
"Yeah, just be careful of my leg though." He admitted a wince crossing his face.
She took a quick look at his . "We are going to need a Bacta patch some time in a tank would be better." She said then climbed on beckoning him to take off. As they approached, they saw Master Fay and Hett waiting for them as they crossed the finish line.
Authors notes Here is the second to last chapter of Force and Magic: The Beginning the last chapter will be posted in early October. In the aftermath of my sisters death I have had some writers block it has been getting better but it is slow going. This last year has been a good year overall for writing I have reworked some stories a little, written a few new ones. Some of my older stories seem to be in mothballs as my muse looks at them and weeps. For NaNoWrimo I will be writing the second installment of Force and Magic: Paradise Lost Which will take place over the second and last year of Harry's time as a Padawan It will be Five Story arcs... One each for Harry, Hermione, Assajj, Ahsoka, and an arc that will change everything for everybody. Many people have commented on Ron and his appearance in the Star Wars Universe. To be clear there will be No redemption for Ron ... None at all. That being said Ron's Path in all of this may well surprise you before the end.
With that out of the way I want to issue a challenge everyone who reads my stuff to write something for NaNoWriMo this year 2500n-10000 words. Write it, post it or send it directly to me to read.