So, I wish to apologize to you guys, I missed my own self-imposed deadline for a story that was already complete. However, I do have a valid excuse. On Monday after work, I decided that I should eat something and decided to cook for myself, as such I decided to cook pork sausage and proceeded to cook it incorrectly and got food poisoning. Yep, I got food poisoning from raw pork because I, the cooking dumbass I am, cooked it incorrectly. It's safe to say that I won't be having pork for a while. And because I was basically puking the entirety of Monday, pretty much, I missed my own deadline. Then Tuesday came and I was pretty much recovering. But I'm good now. That being said, let's start covering the stats from last time. Statistics have definitely gone up, which I like to see the numbers going up, same with reviews. Speaking of which, let's take a look at those.

DaDragon562: Based on the perspective focus being on Harry in this story, the forward-facing persona that Palpatine would still be wearing would be passive in regards to Padme's choice in security, after all, while he doesn't care about her in the long term, he needs to make her think that he cares. Behind the scenes, though, he'll definitely be more annoyed. I am still contemplating how to express that annoyance in further continuances of this story.

[French-speaking guest]: Merci? I don't speak French but thank you.

Jostanos: Not even a spoiler, the third party is our favorite Sith Lords.

CP Strats: I agree. I was going off of the listed range on the wiki for it. Could be a typo, I do not personally know. I do also know there's a difference between maximum range and effective range. For example, a .22lr has a maximum range of approximately a mile if you really increase your MOA out the ass, but the effective range of it (accuracy, penetrative power, etc.) is still around under 100 yards for most shooters. Same with 5.56 with either M855 or M193, the maximum range is out there, but when factoring in wind and the like the effective range of those cartridges are around 300 yards due to most combat happening at or under that range; this is also similar to the AK's 7.62x39mm cartridge. Point is, whoever wrote that wiki article I got that information from doesn't know firearms, or firearms just work differently in the Star Wars universe due to no one really making them in centuries if not longer. Or I was drunk when writing that part, I have no idea as parts of this story were written at different times and it's been at least a year plus. I could have been reading at the time the range at which you'd want to consider using that specifically too.

As for everyone else who left encouraging reviews last time, thank you and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. It is about a third shorter than the last but we're getting near the end here.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my copy of MS Word and my desktop. See the first chapter for the full disclaimer.

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War is simple. It's two or more entities who gather their forces to face off against each other to gain something that the other has. Sometimes it's money. Sometimes it's a precious resource that only that other party has. Sometimes it's all about revenge and attrition. If there's one thing that humanity knows, it's war. Earth's history, what little I remember of it, is filled with it. There hasn't been more than a ten-year gap since we've kept journals and historical logs that we haven't fought with each other over something whether it be ideological, philosophical, or just resources. But with humans and other sapients, you can sympathize with them. You can rationalize their decision from a moment of hindsight to make sense of their decisions and why they went to war. There are even times that there can be a lull in fighting to have a moment of shared comradery over a single thing, like a holiday where the entire day is dedicated to peace, love, and harmony. The same can't be said for droids. They're unfeeling, unsympathetic war machines that will act upon their programming to the letter; of course, I speak of combat models. They are designed that way to be as brutally efficient as possible. Naboo is currently full of these droids, tens of thousands (if not millions) of them. We're a bunch of squishy humans, and one gungan against a droid army. I've never believed in the Force, but we're going to need a miracle on this one.

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The trip back from level 1313 was completely uneventful. No one looked at them funny, no one gave them a second glace, even. They were more concerned about their own business, and an armed young man and woman weren't their business. The taxi speeder took them to the Senatorial block and deposited them there. From there Padme changed into her handmaiden robes once more and the entourage left to the landing pad that her ship was docked at. The time of day on the massive city-planet to night. The lights of the buildings around them and the neon lights of various businesses, night clubs, and adult-oriented establishments filled the city street paths below. There were guards followed by the pilots who went into the ship. This much I could see from the Senatorial transport that Palpatine had arranged and had been on board with as well. The speeder pulled up to the mobile landing pad and just outside he could see Qui-Gon and Anakin speaking about something.

Panaka, Harry, the queen and her handmaidens left the transport and met up with the Jedi Master. "Your majesty, it is our pleasure to continue to protect and serve you," he greeted.

"I welcome your help," the double replied as she continued to walk. "Senator Palpatine fears that the Federation means to destroy me."

"Which will only happen if we fail, or after they get their signed document," Harry chimed in.

"I assure you; I will not allow that to happen," Qui-Gon reassured her.

"Wesa goin' hooome!" Binks cheered out.

This made Harry raise an eyebrow, 'Didn't his species essentially sentence him to death be exile?'

"Come on, R2," Anakin followed behind them.

The pre-flight checks were normal, nothing to observe that was out of the ordinary. Soon, they were above the cloud layer and were in orbit, then in hyperspace once more. Harry took this time to service his weapons and armor. Harry borrowed the one set of crew quarters for himself and removed his armor and donned a robe that had been lying around and started to service his armor. Padme, in her handmaiden attire, had walked in to consult with her private guardian.

"Harry, I-," she paused for a moment, seeing that he had removed his armor and was sitting at a table. "You aren't wearing your armor."

"I'm giving it one last tune-up before we land, I'd say we maybe have about 12 hours before we arrive. I have nothing better to do and this seemed to be more productive," he shrugged.

"This feels… weird."

"Really? How so?" he asked with raised eyebrow as he cleaned one of the wrist mounts on one of the gauntlets.

"A Mandalorian warrior out of their armor just looks… weird," she couldn't find any other words to really describe it.

"We have to take off the armor at some point, whether it be for cleaning or because the battle is won and there is no more need to fight. Plus, I'm not one of those religious types." He finished and reattached a micro-missile launcher. "All Mandalorians know that one day our fighting will come to an end, whether it be at the blade of a worthy foe or of old age."

"What about walking away? Surely there are some battles that are too great or the risks too extreme."

Harry pulled out a pistol, it looked larger than a standard blaster pistol in length but Padme could clearly see that it was a slugthrower. He proceeded to disassemble and clean it too. "Perhaps, if the risk was more than the reward."

"Like what?"

Harry was silent as he cleaned it, reassembled it, and checked the slide which showed the current round and ejected the used shell. It clicked shut and placed it on the table. "I suppose if one's family was in true danger. If the enemy found out who I was and retaliated. But even then, I would not go quietly into that good night. Should someone hurt mine, I will return it will hellfire in return."

"Who do you consider 'yours'?" she asked trying to get closer.

"Not my father," he chuckled mirthfully. "He can take care of himself. Should he fall, it would be to a worthy foe, he wouldn't dare die to anything less." He started to load the magazine with rounds that were clearly slugthrower in origin. "The powerless. The innocent, perhaps."

"So, the warrior has a heart of gold."

"Something like that," he muttered.

The air was tense and Padme decided to break it. "So… a slugthrower?"

"Yes, they're extremely effective against Jedi-types."

"Jedi-types? You mean Force sensitives?" Harry nodded. "You aren't planning on killing the Jedi, are you?"

"No. However, there is that dark Jedi who is on the payroll of the Trade Federation. Slugthrowers, especially well-maintained ones with proper munitions are extremely effective. After all, unlike blaster bolts, bullets can't be deflected and move much faster."

"How much faster?" Padme asked with morbid fascination.

"Depends on the caliber. But this specific one is an overpressured .45 ACP round, around 300 meters a second, rounding up the numbers. Much faster than a blaster, much more difficult to dodge," he summarized.

"Are you expecting to use it?"

"I hope not. Because if he sees us first, he'll have the advantage." Time passed again, "I don't like this plan of yours."

"What do you mean?"

"You're working off of a lot of assumptions."

"I trust in democracy and mutual gain."

"Well, you better start praying to whatever gods you believe in. Because we're going to need all the help we can get."

Padme went off to do her queenly duties and Harry continued to prepare. Hours later the ship dropped out of hyperspace, they were plenty of thousands of kilometers away per the briefing that the Trade Federation wouldn't detect them right away, but the closer they got the sooner they would be picked up on radar. As per a previous discussion, a meeting was called in the queen's audience chambers on the ship. Anakin was being kept occupied in the cockpit by Ric.

"As soon as we land, the Federation will arrest you and force you to sign the treaty," Panaka started.

"I agree," Qui-Gon chipped in. "I'm not sure what you wish to accomplish with this."

"I will take back what is ours," the double parroted Padme's silent response.

"There are too few of us, your highness," Panaka countered. "We have no army," he stressed.

"And I can only protect you. I can't fight a war for you," Qui-Gon added.

"Given enough time and subterfuge, we could have a resistance armed with cheaply made munitions, but nothing on this scale. Any mercenary force requires time to assemble, so that's out of the picture. I mean, if we had the capital, we could maybe buy some nuclear weaponry and silently drop them on the control ships," Harry put in his two cents. They all gave him shocked looks at the latter. "Just because its illegal in war doesn't mean it can't be used in a planet's self defense against an invading foe. Who dares wins. But to summarize, even if we could buy it, it would take time to get it out here."

The double looked at the Gungan of all things. "Jar Jar Binks," she called out.

"Mesa, your highness?" he asked while he pointed to himself. Everyone looked on in shock, except Harry, he knew what she was going to ask of him.

"Yes. I need your help. I'm told that your people have an army."

"It is a grand army!" he boasted.

"Do you think that you can convince them to help us? The Trade Federation is persecuting them as much as the Naboo."

"It won't be-a easy, but maybe da Bosses can-a be persuaded."

"Then it is decided, we will convince the Gungan Bosses to fight for us as much as themselves," she decreed.

The meeting was adjourned and Obi-Wan caught up to him. "What was that about nuclear armaments? Those are illegal for a reason."

"When your home planet retains an arsenal of the things capable of blowing up the planet twenty times over, you learn these things," Harry responded.

"Mandalore?"

"No, a place far away from here hidden in a nook of the galaxy no one would dare look."

"The Unknown Regions?" he asked in shock.

"Something like that," Harry hinted at as he went to double check his own arsenal.

The Nubian ship flew in range of the planet and Harry decided to be on the bridge to offer any insight. "I have one battleship on my scope," Ric reported. On the display was a single Trade Federation heavy transport. Commonly known as the Lucrehulk-class. It was pretty much a heavily armed transport for all intents and purposes.

"It's a droid control ship," Obi-Wan observed.

"They've probably spotted us," the co-pilot commented.

"We haven't much time."

"Isn't it odd though, that they only have one ship?" Harry said as he looked at the scopes, they were all clean except for the one ship. "Cocky bastards, I'll give them that."

The royal transport entered the atmosphere quickly and descended to the swamps and stayed just above the treetops. Obi-Wan directed them to where they had been taken underwater just a few days prior by the Gungan. Harry helped in getting some of the supplies off of the ship and handed Padme a higher-powered blaster than she was used to.

"I don't need this," she argued.

"Just… keep it on you, alright?" Harry persisted. She took it and nodded.

Out in a clearing next to the shore of what appeared to be a bog, the two Jedi were speaking to one another. "Jar Jar is on his way to the Gungan city now, master," Obi-Wan reported.

"Good," Qui-Gon responded.

"Do you think the Queen's idea will work?" Even the apprentice agreed with Harry, despite not knowing his own feelings on the matter.

"The Gungans will not be easily swayed." He appeared to sound like he had some insight on the matter. If they had this level of survival instincts, they at least had something over Jar Jar, at least. "And we cannot use our power to help her."

Obi-Wan did seem conflicted by this second addition. "I-I'm sorry for my behavior, master. It's not my place to disagree with you about the boy." It seemed like the meeting with the other Jedi didn't go to plan. "And I am grateful that you think I'm ready to take the Trials."

"You've been a good apprentice, Obi-Wan. And you're much wiser man than I am," Qui-Gon accepted his apology. The way he sounded, it was like he saw something was going to happen to him soon, and not the good kind. "I foresee that you will become a great Jedi Knight." There were no further pleasantries about meeting a future apprentice or anything like that. It sounded so… final. This did not sit right with Harry.

It took a while and they had long since gotten unpacked. But Jar Jar finally came out of the bog alone. He shook himself off and approached the two Jedi, Panaka, and Harry. "Desa nobody dare," he reported. "The Gungan city is deserted. Some kind of fight mesa tinks."

"Do you think they've been taken to the camps?" Obi-Wan suggested. No one knew what to think, after all, this was their only plan.

"More likely they were wiped out," Panaka answered. He knew what the Nubians thought about the Gungans and likely how the Federation would also see them as.

"Considering how they only want the Naboo alive so that the Queen will sign the treaty, it wouldn't surprise me," Harry added in agreement.

"Mesa no tink so," Jar Jar argued.

"Do you know where they are, Jar Jar," Qui-Gon asked.

"When in trouble, Gungans go to sacred place. Mesa show you, come on! Mesa show you!"

No one liked it but started to hike. Eventually the air started to get thick. It was a swamp, pure and simple. Harry's motion tracker kept going off and he had to filter it to only see humanoid creatures. Eventually though, he held up a fist ordering them to stop, taking point when they left. "We're being watched," he announced.

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked aloud for the group.

Before he could answer, Gungans approached from behind the trees both on their beasts and on foot wielding weapons all pointed a them. "That's what I meant."

"Heydey ho, Cap'n Tarples," Jar Jar greeted almost too cheerfully.

The Gungan, identified as Tarples looked annoyed as Harry felt with Jar Jar. "Binks!" he called out in annoyed disbelief. "Notta gain!"

"We come ta see da Boss!" he announced his intentions chipperly.

Tarples sighed. He couldn't let them leave because that may expose them to the Trade Federation's patrols. Seeing no other options, he marched them deeper into their Sacred Grounds. Their weapons weren't taken away which shocked him, though their guard constantly kept their weapons on them.

As they were marched deeper in, Harry started to notice more structures. What looked like temples and the heads of either gods or religious figures that Harry noted sort of looked like Buddhist or Hindu gods in style. The other thing he noted was that they all looked human in shape. Were the gods that the gungans worshipped human in form? Or were these lands taken over by the Nubians in ancient times and these statues and monuments from ancient Nubian culture? The 'inner anthropologist' in Harry really wanted to know, but that'd be something he'd need to look into after this whole situation was addressed with the Trade Federation. As they went deeper still, on a large tree sat the fattest gungan Harry had ever seen. Considering the height that this absolute unit of a being sat on and those around him, this was the 'boss' that Jar-Jar had spoken of.

Tarples reigned in his mount and stopped. As he did, he announced the 'outsiders' presence, "Your Honor, Queen Amidala of the Naboo." As he stepped aside, the Nubian – and Jar Jar – procession walked forward.

"Uh, h-heyo dadee, Big Boss Nass, Your Honor," Jar Jar sputtered out.

"Jar Jar Binks," the Boss bellowed out in his booming voice. "Who's da uss-en uthers?"

Without missing a beat, the decoy spoke up. "I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo. I come before you in peace," she said almost monotonal. She's going to need some more lessons to sound like Padme.

"Ah, Naboo biggen. Yousa bringen da Mackineeks. Yousa all bombad," he dismissed them with a hand wave. He clearly had his mind made up, but perhaps there was a way to persuade him.

"We have searched you out because we wish to form an alliance-."

Padme wasn't happy with her double's performance and stepped forward. "Your Honor," Padme spoke up. This was clearly off script because the double was confused as to handle this situation.

"Whosa dis?" Nass asked.

"I am Queen Amidala," Padme revealed.

"Huh?" Jar Jar spoke for everyone not already in the know. This appeared to be limited to Panaka, Harry, and the Jedi.

"This is my decoy, my protection, my loyal bodyguard. I'm sorry for my deception, but it was necessary to protect myself. Although we do not always agree, Your Honor, our two great societies have always lived in peace."

"Ah," Nass began to speak but Padme continued.

"The Trade Federation has destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build. If we do not act quickly, all will be lost forever. I ask you to help us." She paused for a moment as she started to kneel. "No, I beg you to help us. We are your humble servants." Everyone started to kneel as well. Padme shot Harry a glance who had yet to do anything. He returned the glance, helmet off the entire time, that said 'you owe me.' Everyone in the Nubian party on their knees, Padme continued. "Our fate is in your hands."

Nass hummed aloud in thought. The silence was long and awkward. Even the gathered gungans hadn't spoken or whispered a single syllable. Then, Nass let out a loud, "Ha!" before laughing. It seemed to not be a laugh out of insult or demeaning, but out of sheer surprise. "Yousa no tinken yousa greated den da Gungans?" Padme could only nod. "Me-e-esa like dis! Maybe… wesa… bein friends." He then shook his head, jowls and loose skin making sounds that those that were misophonic may not like. This must have been the way of finalizing something, because all the gungans began to cheer. Hearing this, everyone stood up and hands were shaken between Nass and Padme sealing the pact.

The next few hours were spent relocating closer towards the Nubian capitol with scout parties of humans sent out while the rest of the queen's delegation, the Jedi, and the gungans plotted the upcoming battle. Harry used this time to also prepare and do his own scouting from long range with whatever electronic access he still had to the Palace's security systems. He made sure to bounce the signal as many times as possible, but it all used the royal starship as the relay entrance and exit. If they didn't track them coming in, they knew where they were now. They would later relocate to a grassy clearing at the edge of the swamp kilometers away from the starship once everything had been unloaded and moved.

Out in the field a gungan sat atop one of those stone heads with rangefinders looking over the hills. At the base Anakin had been waiting there to play the role of messenger boy. "Deysa comin!" the scout reported.

"All right!" Anakin replied hurriedly as he ran back to the others at the treeline. "They're here!" Anakin reported to the Jedi and Padme.

"Good, they made it," Padme sighed in relief. The mission was still on. Three speeders, one with a rear mounted heavy blaster which appeared to be unmanned (leading Harry to believe that it was controlled by the copilot or a designated gunner). As they parked, Harry could hear the conversation going on between Boss Nass and Jar Jar who were walking away from the treeline behind him and further inside the swamp. Maybe a good ten meters or so.

"Yousa doen grand," Nass complimented. Jar Jar chuckled dismissively as if it had been nothing. "Jar Jar bring uss-en and da Naboo together."

"Ah, no, no, no." He was appearing to be modest.

"So, wesa make you… bombad general."

"General?" Jar Jar proceeded to lean on his leader before fainting, collapsing on the ground. This had made the Boss laugh. Either he found it legitimately funny – and if that were so he'd have to buy the gungan leader a drink – or it was just his mannerism to dismiss the awkwardness of the situation.

"Captain," Qui-Gon had greeted Panaka as he returned with the scouting party. He decided that he should see it first hand to make sure all tactical information was gathered and nothing missed.

"Your Highness," Panaka returned the greetings but acknowledged his queen more than the Jedi.

"What is the situation?" Padme asked.

"Almost everyone's in camps." Harry had to refrain from making a tasteless joke in an attempt to lighten the mood. It was likely a bunch of people were going to die. Maybe even him if he wasn't careful. "A few hundred police and guards have formed an underground resistance movement."

'No shit, Sherlock,' Harry thought. 'Not like they'd have recruitment banners out saying, "Join the Naboo Resistance! We have no healthcare coverage but we do have cookies!".' Nass did use this time to approach the rest of the group.

"I brought back many of the leaders as I could. The Federation army's also much larger than we thought, and much stronger."

"Makes sense," Harry thought aloud. Getting looks to continue, he did. "If the Federation is so cocky to think that this is a shoe-in, then they'd dump their forces and leave all but one watcher vessel – the ship we saw on the way in. Whatever they're planning, they think that they're going to win no matter what we do."

"Your Highness, this is a battle I do not think that we can win," Panaka finished his report.

"Plans do not survive first contact with the enemy, this goes for the Federation who are banking on an easy win."

"That also applies to us as well," Qui-Gon countered. Harry could not fight that logic. It was the brain of the leaders in charge of the soldiers to make sure that the ever-evolving battlefield could be countered with whatever their opponent decides to do.

"The battle is a diversion," Padme reminded Panaka of the plan they had all discussed and had been approved. "The gungans must draw the droid army away from the cities. R2?" she asked the droid who started to project 3D schematics on the speeder they were using as a war table. "We can enter the city using the secret passages on the waterfall side."

"That the Federation occupants still haven't discovered," Harry added. "Reviewing the footage that I was able to skim before abandoning the ship in the swamp showed as much."

Padme continued, reassured that at least one part of her plan was already a success. "Once we get to the main entrance, Captain Panaka will create a diversion. Then we can enter the palace and capture the viceroy. Without the viceroy they will be lost and confused." She then turned to the Jedi. "What do you think, Master Jedi?"

"The viceroy will be well guarded," Qui-Gun replied.

"The difficulty is getting into the throne room," Panaka countered. "Once we're inside, we shouldn't have a problem."

"The main office of the throne room has a panic room function," Harry added for context. "Once triggered heavy durasteel plates will cover the windows and the entrance sealed along with a ray shield turning it into a durasteel box. You'd need a heavy blaster cannon or dedicated demolition crews. And I highly doubt that the Federation would be willing to blast their viceroy to get in."

"There is a possibility, with this diversion, that many gungans will be killed," Qui-Gon directed this towards Nass.

"Wesa ready to do our-san part," Nass replied while pounding his fist to his chest.

"We have a plan which should immobilize the droid army," Padme continued. "We will send what pilots we have to knock out the droid control ship orbiting the planet."

"A well-conceived plan. However, there is great risk," Qui-Gon replied, playing Devil's advocate. "The weapons on your fighters may not penetrate the shields."

"And there's an even bigger danger," Obi-Wan added. "If the viceroy escapes, Your Highness, he will return with another droid army."

"Well, that is why we must not fail to get the viceroy. Everything depends on it."

"If nothing else, if he tries to escape my ship has some… ordinance that'd be more than capable of destroying a shuttle," Harry added.

"How come that sounds illegal?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Well, if I told you what it was then you may be right," Harry countered. "Or if he tries to run away and gets shot, we can always say he committed suicide by two shots to the head."

"That's… both disturbing and oddly specific." Harry could only shrug.

The preparations were done, plans solidified, they all departed in minutes after calling out. The gungans went back deep into the swamp, the Nubians – and Harry – to the speeders. They embarked and entered the city limits. They stayed out of sight in the shadows, using brush and other plants to disguise their craft. Once they saw the droid army leaving in massive troop transports and their flanking tanks. They waited long after the droids had gone over the hills and were out of sight. Taking this opportunity, they slipped into Theed. They stayed to the shadows and Harry drew the slugthrower and had attached a suppressor to the end of it. While not silent entirely, it would be much quieter than a blaster or slugthrower at full volume. He had taken point due to first having backdoor access to the surveillance system in the city mainly used for the local security for catching jaywalkers or someone committing a traffic violation. He would stop them as they got close to a droid patrol and would silently start them again when the patrol passed.

They walked past a motor pool where tanks stood at attention but unmanned. There was a patrol walking away from them and they used this opportunity to slip behind a building. Padme signaled across the street where Panaka's team was and he signaled back that they were ready. Harry had been with her team for obvious payment reasons. Qui-Gon leaned down to Anakin and gave him instructions. "Once we get inside, you find a safe place to hide and stay there," Qui-Gon instructed.

"Sure," Anakin replied hurriedly.

Qui-Gon didn't seem convinced and reiterated, "Stay there." The kid could only nod. Harry had a feeling that somehow, he wouldn't listen.

Seeing the speeder with the heavy cannon mounted to it pull into range, Harry took his place at the corner of the building they were at and swapped to his blaster rifle. If anyone looked at it from his home planet, they'd assume it looked like a short-barreled rifle with a scoped sight. He flicked the thumb safety and lined up a shot on one of the droid commanders in their way. As soon as the blaster cannon erupted with its payload, exploding a tank, the diversionary force opened fire opposite them. Seeing that the diversion was doing their job, they started to move towards the hangar doors. The Jedi ignited their lightsabers and deflected bolts. As they did, Harry laid down suppressive fire taking down multiple targets. The droids were meant to be expendable foot soldiers and didn't have much for armor plating. Even small arms would punch through it.

They moved to the main blast door and Padme provided the override to get them in. As they opened, they started to file inside, Harry being in before the two Jedi. The door sealed behind them and they rounded a single corner before arriving in the spacious hangar bay. The door they had taken was a service entrance large enough for a large transport to go through if needed. Turning into the hangar, a firefight erupted on a smaller scale. The Jedi didn't directly engage, but they didn't have to. Deflecting the bolts went right into the droids that sent them their way. The rest of the guard and Harry laid down fire. One bolt made it past the Jedi and diffused it self into Harry's shoulder pauldron only leaving a char mark on the paint.

"Ani, find cover," Qui-Gon ordered. Seeing actual blasters go off was enough to scare the kid to find cover.

"Quick! Get to your ships!" Padme ordered. The pilots that had been rescued some time prior to their landing scattered to get to their fighters. The blasters fired their way only scoring the paint job on the fighters as they were not powerful enough to breach the vacuum-rated armor. The pilots quickly ran through pre-flight checks (mostly that they had fuel and power to weapons) and immediately peeled out of the hangar. Meanwhile, the Jedi and guards on top of Harry shot at the droid retainers.

Anakin had hidden behind some crates where some stray blaster bolts flew over his head. While he had bore witness to some violence on Tattooine, it was always at a distance, this had been the first time he had been in a firefight and his 'fight, flight, freeze' response was telling him to get the hell out of there. Harry had been very selective with his firing, making sure to make the most effective shots possible, specifically targeting the CPU housing in the chest of the droid. That was something he thought was odd, why not make it part of the head? The head is harder to hit and most security forces are instructed to aim center-mass to ensure a target hit, or at least a much high probability of it. In a rapid fire – or at least what many who may have been paying close attention to him – he took down three droids in succession with three trigger pulls. While the Force may have guided his aim, the reaction was all him and training.

Anakin looked over to R2 who had gotten into a N-1 fighter's astromech bay, the elevator pulling him into it. Seeing this, Anakin ran over to the fighter and hid inside it. He had seen just how ineffective the blasters were and it was the safest place in the room. And he'd get to be in a pilot's seat. Win-win for him. Padme's double did well with her training and took down a droid that had fired on a guard that had been pressing up. More fighters streamed out of the hangar, but they weren't 'turning and burning,' but cruising out of the hangar at a low speed. This was immediately revealed to be a flaw and mistake when a droid tank had rolled itself to the cliff edge and started to fire on the second wave of fighters that were making their way out.

Anakin peeked out of his canopy to see Padme in the open firing on some droids. Harry, knowing that staying behind cover was much more tactical ignored this and started to fire standing up, making him look like the biggest threat in the room – which was a hard thing to do considering that there were two Jedi. Harry picked off two more droids and Padme finished the final droid off, ducking beneath a slowly passing fighter who was taking off. This fighter didn't make the same mistake and as soon as they were clear of their countrymen punched the throttle, the tank's shots missing them entirely. It didn't take long to clear out the rest of the guard force that had been protecting the hangar.

They regrouped and Padme spoke to Panaka – and to those listening, "My guess is the viceroy's in the throne room."

"Red group! Blue group! Everybody, this way!" Panaka ordered.

Seeing that he was going to be left behind, Anakin stood up on the seat. "Hey, wait for me!" Anakin called out.

"Stay where you are," Qui-Gon ordered. "You'll be safe there."

"But I…"

"Stay in that cockpit," Qui-Gon reiterated his order as the group walked towards blast doors that led into the Palace proper. As they did, the blast doors opened revealing the black cloaked man from before. Everyone drew their weapons and aimed them at the man. Harry flicked off the safety on the slugthrower that he had brought specifically for this type of situation. His finger was on the trigger, ready to apply the five pounds of pressure needed to send the firing pin forward sending a slug moving at two hundred ninety meters per second into the man. "We'll handle this," Qui-Gon said as he walked through the crowd.

"We'll take the long way," Padme uneasily said. Unsure if the man would just follow them instead of fighting the Jedi.

As they parted to let the Jedi and the other man fight – as they removed their outer cloaks and drew lightsabers – the sound was heard of metal on stone. A very distinctive sound. Harry's attention was immediately drawn to three figures, discs, rolling into the room. He knew what they were: droidekas. Drawing up his right arm, he aimed a missile towards the last droid flowing into the room and fired instantly, his arm needing to be at the right point. The explosive packed missile flew across the room and as the two droids next to it deployed their shields, the last one didn't have the time to deploy it as the missile slammed right into its midsection, the shockwave ripping it apart.

"Well, there's at least one less to worry about," Harry said as he hid behind cover with the rest of the guards, heavy blasters exploding against the pillars.

"Can you do the same thing to the others?" Panaka asked him.

"Not enough of a payload to overload the shields," Harry reported as he peeked over cover to provide some semblance of cover-fire. "I'd need to waste an entire magazine's worth to blast through it!"

"How many would that be?" Panaka asked as he fired too.

"Five."

"And how many do you have?"

"…Four."

"Blast!"

Seeing that his friends were in trouble. Anakin started fidgeting with the fighter. "I'm trying to! I don't know where the trigger is!" The fighter rose off of the ground and R2 started maneuvering it towards the exit. "Oops, wrong one. Maybe this one." The canopy slid closed and pressurized. Harry at this point couldn't hear him anymore, somehow over the blaster fire. But the fighter opened fire on the two remaining destroyer droids, the ship strength cannons immediately overloading the shields, the bolts severing the central 'spine' of the droids making them useless. The fighter, killing the second droid started to fly out of the hangar.

"Let's go!" Padme ordered.

As they passed the droid remains, Harry called out, "Dibs on the salvage." Padme gave him a look but they continued. They made their way to a corridor that had been sealed off, but the same codes that had worked before still worked and they were able to continue. Anakin was unable to stop the fighter and it continued out of the hangar completely. "Godspeed, you crazy kid," Harry said taking one last look before following, sealing the door behind them.

Down the hallway, both sides of which were sided with glass windows, at the end was a stairway which had two droids standing atop it. The guards opened fire and hit one of them, but the other was able to avoid being hit. This reprieve of just two droids didn't last long as they were reinforced by other droids. While they could take them all out in due time, Padme said what they were all thinking. "We don't have time for this, Captain."

The firefight continued as Panaka was planning something. He aimed across the hall and fired at the window, firing more times than needed to blow it out. "Go!" he called out and several people including Harry ran over to the window, covering them as they crossed taking out several droids. "Ascension guns!" he ordered.

While some covered the windows, the rest stood out on the terrace just outside the window and fired grapples that stuck into the roof several stories up. Harry looked to Padme, "What a time to not have a jetpack, huh?" he joked. "See you in a bit."

"Don't die," she replied with some worry.

"Same goes to you." She nodded and ascended up. He didn't like having his employer separated, but there was one lynchpin that the Federation didn't know: Padme was the queen. They only knew of the misnomer of 'Amidala' who didn't exist. Well, didn't exist in modern times. The viceroy was going to be guarded by much more powerful droids and it'd be a slaughter if all of them went at once. They'd need to pull a fast one.

Harry linked back up with the second force and they fought their way to the stairs and went up it. Soon enough, the droids dried up and they finally made their way to the final floor and the queen's office completely unopposed. All of the droids had been recalled.

"Viceroy!" the body double called out into the open door and Harry hid behind a pillar near the door. "Your occupation here has ended." She fired into the room taking out two droids.

"After her. This one's a decoy," the viceroy ordered his droids. The majority of them streamed out of the room and as they did, Padme snuck to her throne where more blasters were hidden. She threw one to Panaka who opened fire on droids behind them.

As this happened, Harry moved into the room and opened fire with the pistol he had on him and took out two droids right away near the door. The Nemodians in the room were confused as to what was happening and froze up. As they did one droid got a lucky hit on Harry's bodysuit which threw him back with the force the bolt had behind it. He rose up with the pistol and fired three shots in succession – two of them went into the chestplate of the droid while the final one went into the head of it. The rest of the guards gathered the blasters in the room and held the viceroy and his second-in-command at blaster-point.

"Jam the doors," Panaka ordered. Two guards moved over and activated the lockdown. The door took but a moment to slam shut and electromagnetically seal. Harry picked himself up, feeling sore. When the adrenaline wore off, he'd feel worse.

"Now, Viceroy, we will discuss a new treaty," Padme ordered. She looked over to Harry seeing the blaster mark on his bodysuit and the trickling blood. "You're shot."

"I'll live," he replied.

From there Padme sat behind her desk and the two members of the Trade Federation sat on the other side. A short time later one of the resistance members reported that all droids had shut down and the returning pilots reporting that the battleship above the planet had been destroyed by Anakin no less. The battle had been won. Naboo was free once more.

Chapter end.

XxXxXxX

And that's one more chapter down, one more to go. This chapter was significantly shorter than the other chapters mainly because I had to purely focus on the Naboo ground force part that Harry was part of. I didn't cover anything he couldn't see. Everything that happened that he didn't see will be revealed to him after the battle, which will happen to be the next chapter. The next chapter will be the conclusion for this story. Yeah, this was quite the short story in the grand scheme of things.

At the time of writing, I'm already contemplating a sequel prior to Attack of the Clones which will fill in the gaps and will cover more of the Harry/Padme pairing as that's what I want to happen at the end of the day. That, though, I do plan to go into more detail in the conclusive chapter which happens to be next. The next chapter will be the post-battle recap, the burial, and the parade. As previously mentioned, I will post one final "chapter" as well for review replies and a QnA session. So in the final chapter, please feel free to ask any questions and I'll answer them. The final, final chapter will be an announcement and preview of the continuance of the story's plot. Please note that I will have no idea when it will come out due to pre-planning and real life, the latter taking priority. Let me know what you all thought and as mentioned before, tip jar addresses are in my bio. I do plan on doing some other stuff unrelated to writing over on Odysee. Username is still the same as it is here.

See you all next week.