Welcome back to the final chapter of this story, yes it was very short and I know that full well. But let's get to the reviews so I can go over the story itself, where I see it going in a future installment, and then open the floor to you guys. But more on that at the end.

BioHazard82: For this specific story's entry, not really. This is something that I'm discussing with a couple of springboards to see where it goes. I want to make it go somewhere different yet still keep with the main themes of the original films.

dogukangurz: As plot points for additional material are still being considered, I do not know. I want to go down the Darksaber route mainly because of what it means for Mandalore itself as a society.

AnimeA55Kicker: Not really. Remember, while Boba Fett was well known as a Jedi hunter in legends (mainly) and canon, he still got his ass handed to him by a blind man. Jango in canon was a well-seasoned warrior who got killed off by Mace Windu. While the potential for Harry to fight Maul to a standstill if not victory is potentially possible, but not with his current skill set and tools. Yes, it is a potential soft hint of a plot point for something that could happen during a Clone Wars set of stories.

Sonic Sound: I agree to an extent, part of it is to see the reply to the other reviewer above. An addendum is that during the entirety of the Prequels we know what's going to happen at the end. The man named Anakin Skywalker is going to fall to the Dark side and be the eventual Emperor's right-hand fist. One of the questions I want to answer, or at least pose since we're the audience, the people in the higher planes of existence watching this Space Opera, asking if fate can be turned; if certain events are set in stone, or are malleable to an extent. In order for Anakin to fall under the tutelage of Obi-Wan and therefore fall, Qui-Gon must be out of the picture. Qui-Gon let himself die as he saw it was his destiny, or so the theorists state.

Blunacy14: I don't know about "the best," I know there are others out there that are certainly of higher quality, a couple of which you can find in my public favorites on my profile; and yes the Padme pairing is exceedingly rare. Perhaps some people out there want to take a run at making it a little more popular?

jslee102: Thank you for the well wishes and I would refer you to my reply to Sonic Sound above for the remainder.

AVeryBoredTeen: I would love to update more things more often, unfortunately, real-life always takes priority. FFN isn't going to pay the bills. I do upload random stuff in my pilots repository if you're interested.

Malchior: I'm unsure if you'll come across this or not considering that you left your review in the first chapter (which is fine), but I do cover a fair majority of your criticisms in the previous chapter's responses, something I do intend to readdress at the bottom of this entry as it's something that I, too, agree I fell flat/short on.

LordCroussette: You'd be right in concluding that would be next. I haven't really covered any form of a timeline, something I hope to address.

As for everyone else who liked what was in the previous week's chapter, thank you. As for those who didn't or haven't really like this, I'll address it at the end.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, see the forward for the full disclaimer.

XxXxXxX

There's… a verse I remember from my former life, that one Earth when I had been forced to go to church.
"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace."
When the smoke had cleared from the Battle for Naboo, there was both joy and sorrow. Those that had been taken to the detention camps weren't well off and many had died in captivity. Deaths that the Federation were going to be held to account for. I had heard of atrocities in school from the First and Second World Wars, as well as the American Civil War, but I thought that an "enlightened" society in the stars would be better than I left behind. I guess I was wrong. It's not like these Nemodians were Hutts, they were in civilized space. If it wasn't for the fact that the Federation was going to be tried for war crimes, I would have domed the both of them and kicked their bodies off the waterfall behind the palace. Once this job is done, I'll need to take a short vacation.

XxXxXxX

Several days had passed since the now dubbed 'Battle for Naboo' (or 'Trade Federation Invasion' depending who you ask). It had taken some time to get communications reestablished to the larger galaxy. The Trade Federation hijacked one of the communication buoys and one of the spares kept in the case of a space junk accident had to be installed. Once up, the Chancellor's office had been called, showing that it was actually former Senator Palpatine in that office seat now. The next day a transport was dispatched with the newly elected Chancellor on board.

Now, here they all stood outside the palace waiting for the Chancellor's shuttle to land. In this little gathering stood an honor guard of the queen alongside Panaka, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Harry. Padme was decked out in her more fashionable attire and had her hair done up. Harry still thought it was a wig considering how much hair there was. The shuttle landed and the boarding ramp lowered.

"Now, Viceroy, you're going to have to go back to the senate and explain all this," Padme said to the viceroy.

Panaka stepped forward and couldn't resist one last jab at the Federation. "I think you can kiss your trade franchise goodbye," he spat smugly. He nodded with his head signaling them to move. As they did, Anakin and Obi-Wan walked along with them. Out of the shuttle the Chancellor and his honor guard emerged.

Obi-Wan and Anakin bowed in the Jedi fashion to him. "We are indebted to you for your bravery, Obi-Wan Kenobi," the Chancellor announced. He then looked to Anakin, "And you, young Skywalker. We will watch your career with great interest." He placed a hand on his shoulder before walking past him. He walked to the queen and her entourage with a smile on his face. Harry still couldn't shake the feeling he had from the man.

"Congratulations on your election, Chancellor," Padme greeted the single-most powerful man in the galaxy.

"Your boldness has saved our people, Your Majesty. It is you who should be congratulated. Together we shall bring peace and prosperity to the Republic." His eyes met Harry's who were under his helmet though he only had a single pistol on his person. More-so because there wasn't a single person who was sympathetic to the Federation on this planet and any droid that had been associated with them had been dismantled to prevent a possible subroutine running.

The afternoon turned into early evening and evening to night. The day had been spent watching Padme and Palpatine discuss various political topics. It was something that Harry had tuned out as he recapped the entire ordeal since their attack began. The casualties in the gungan army weren't as many as some had expected, but there were at least a hundred that had died. For the guards in the resistance that held the droids' attention while the small infiltration force made its way towards the throne room was in the dozens. The largest casualty list was from the Federation inflicted on the civilian population. Out of the over four billion lives, approximately twenty thousand had died from suppressed uprisings, food shortages, and long marches from their homes to camps. There were parentless children, childrenless parents, and several families just wiped out entirely enmass when they wouldn't comply with the droids. To be frank, it was horrible. Palpatine reassured Padme that now that he was the Chancellor, he'd make the Federation pay for its crimes against their people. Something told Harry that this was just lip service, that no matter what he tried to do would be circumvented by legal loopholes.

In the evening in a crematorium that once was reserved for the former royal family laid Qui-Gon Jinn to rest. The keeper of the building lit the Jedi's body alight and the fire quickly consumed it. The burning of flesh was not a pleasant one, it was quite disturbing. The fact that everyone present was able to suppress gag reflexes was astounding. Harry, for one of the few times, actually had his helmet off to see off the telekinetic warrior. As someone who died in battle, it was the only respectful thing to do even if their two cultures wouldn't get alone almost ever.

In the rotunda were those that Jinn had met on his final journey. Boss Nass and Jar-Jar representing the gungan peoples. Queen Amidala and her entourage. Former Chancellor Valorum who had tasks the Jedi to seek a resolution under the table. Current Chancellor Palpatine was to be a given. Multiple Jedi masters including the legendary Yoda and Mace Windu. There were monks of an old Nubian religion who bore witness to speed his soul on to the afterlife, whatever may await him. Harry stood behind Padme who was dressed in a more appropriate attire for a funeral.

Beside him, Obi-Wan looked over to Anakin. "What will happen to me now?" Anakin asked Kenobi.

"The council have granted me permission to train you," Kenobi replied. "You will be a Jedi, I promise." Reassured, Anakin continued to observe the cremation.

While they were quiet, Harry could still pick up what was said. After all, no one really spoke. "There's no doubt the mysterious warrior was a Sith," Windu reported to Yoda. The word 'Sith' definitely stood out to him. After all, after the Ruusaan reformation they were all thought to be dead with whatever godforsaken event happened as that was lost to the annals of history. Or was covered up.

"Mmm," Yoda agreed but added, "Always two there are. No more, no less. A master and an apprentice."

"But which was destroyed? The master or the apprentice?" To say this unsettled Harry more was an understatement. While some of the old clans had allied themselves with the Sith and that brought them nothing but problems after the Ruusaan Reformation and led to the Excision and the ruination from the Republic to their homeworld.

The rest of the ceremony went without any words said. When it finished, he filed out with the rest of the observers. He walked the queen back to her private quarters. As he did, she asked him a question. "Mister Skirata, what are your views on the afterlife?" she asked formally.

He shuffled uncomfortably before replying. "The Mando don't really have an afterlife in the religious sense. But there is a saying we have; I'll just give you the direct translation. 'You are dead but I still live. But since I remember you, you will live forever.'"

"And of your homeworld?"

This was uncomfortable. "There are multiple different religions. Each have their own iteration of the same afterlife, I suppose. One of the major religions states that should you be righteous in your life you will enter paradise at the Right Hand of God and live with him in eternal bliss forever. Another states that something similar happens as well but I do not remember the specifics. And there are others that think nothing happens. When you die, you're dead; so, get to living while you're here. Yet there is another that believes that when you die your consciousness enters the Collective Unconscious, influencing future generations for the better which is why patterns arise every so often in their history."

"And what do you believe?"

"Princess," he paused for a moment realizing that she was asking as queen not as a friend. "Your Highness," he corrected, "I'm not sure what to believe. We live in a galaxy with plasma sword wielding psychic men able to control things and people with their minds and are very much the 'super man.' I'm not sure what to believe anymore." He sighed. "Maybe the Force really is the Collective Unconscious all along," he muttered.

They arrived at the door of her quarters. She opened it and looked back to him. "Good night, mister Skirata."

"Good night, your highness," he replied as she closed the door. As he walked away, he couldn't bear to think that had this been some schlocky rom-com movie that would have been a horrible date: going to a funeral. And with that, he went back to his assigned quarters, removed his armor, and went to sleep.

XxXxXxX

One week later… Theed, Naboo.

Harry wore mechanics coveralls as he worked on his ship. A piece of metal fell off and landed near his foot. "Mother fucker!" he called out in both fear and anger. That had easily been a few dozen kilos and considering his current attire would have crushed his foot.

"You should learn to watch your language," a familiar voice called out.

He looked over to see Padme dressed in more casual clothes. They were still gaudy and 'upper class', but they weren't 'royal' vestments. "Princess, what brings you here?" he asked.

"You weren't at the parade today," she commented.

"Sorry, got a bit carried away. The Federation did a number on the Belfast. Stripped her of her guns and guided munitions. Luckily, she's still space worthy and has shields. I finished remounting the cannons," he pointed at the barbettes for the forward-facing cannons. "But the launchers are empty. Federation must have emptied them out and brought them up to their ship."

"You should have come to the parade."

"I'm not the party type. Plus, Mando armor doesn't quite mesh well with bright party clothing." It was an excuse and both of them knew it.

There was an awkward silence for a while and Padme spoke. "So, you're dead-set on leaving, then?"

"The threat has been eliminated and our contract complete," Harry simply replied.

"You can stay here, if you want. You're a hero to my people."

"Thank you for the offer, but I'll have to decline." He looked up to the heavens. "I have a feeling my place is up there."

Padme wasn't all too happy but she accepted it. "Just remember, you have a place here if you want it." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before leaving.

"That was… unexpected," Harry said as he continued to work on his ship.

Two days later Padme was speaking with local leaders about the Nubian Recovery Act that she had ratified to help those displaced by the Trade Federation when she looked out the window of her throne room to see a very distinctive ship fly out of its hangar and into the sky. She wondered if she'd see Harry Skirata again.

Harry looked at the control panel as he programmed a flight path away from the Naboo system, his pockets metaphorically laden with treasure he had obtained with the completion of his contract. As he did, a conversation that he had with Qui-Gon Jinn before his death came to mind.

"Young Skirata," Qui-Gon had said. "I have a strong feeling that the destiny between you, my padawan, and Anakin are intertwined."

"What do you mean?" Harry had asked.

"I do not know precisely. All I know is that all three of you are strong in the Force in your own ways and because of that will have an impact in future events. I cannot say more as the future is hidden. All I know is that your destinies align closely with each other."

This had been told to him during the hours after landing back on Naboo and the assault on the palace. The fact that the Jedi 'outsider' in his own order revealed strange information that didn't include himself at all disturbed Harry. 'Did he know that he was going to die?' Harry asked himself. From what little he was able to overhear in the report that Obi-Wan made to the Jedi Council member, Qui-Gon was extremely calm right before his death. Almost like he knew he was going to die and his death would be the catalyst to something bigger than himself. It was strange, but Harry filed this into the back of his mind. It would be years later that this would make any semblance of sense.

Harry brought up a manifest of what he had. He managed to salvage two of the droidekas to retrofit them into one single droideka with all their parts together. These things went for a high price. The original species that made them tried to sell them for four hundred thousand credits a unit, or bartered down with exotic meats but they were still extremely expensive for other comparable units of the same strength. He hadn't been able to find his concussion missiles, so they'd need to be reacquired. All of his weapons had been reacquired from all their hiding places around the palace and had recommended that the royal guard replace what was taken of his own stock with their own.

The navicomputer stated that it had finished the calculations needed to make the jump to hyperspace however he'd need to make it out of the gravity well which would take a minute. He flicked a switch and it started to play a song that sounded like it belonged in the 1980's.

[Play: Roller Mobster – Carpenter Brut]

The drop happened right as he reached the safe distance from the gravity well, and he pulled the lever sending him into hyperspace. As he did though, he felt a chill run down his spine as he jerked backward. It was like those words that the Jedi had spoken to him were slowly coming to fruition on top of something else going on in the background completely separate from the rest of the galaxy. A feeling that felt like it was coming from… home. He didn't like where this was going.

"It's always something, isn't it?" he asked aloud.

The end… for now. To be continued unless the world ends.

XxXxXxX

And with that this project comes to an end. The first time I thought about this project was 5 years ago. Not even joking, the first file for this project was created 5 years ago. And now this first, with potentially more subsequent additions, project of mine has seen completion. Actually, this is the first project that I've finished, like an actual finished project. I see that as a thing to celebrate about. One thing to again note is that a lot of this was a very short project mainly due to the limited viewpoint that we get to see due to Harry, at least in the context of the story, not being able to leave the side of the queen. Before I start on Episode II's inevitable story, I have to think how either Harry needs to go on a different adventure or change the events of the Anakin/Padme sections of the story that are canon. I am plotting an in-between story between episodes I and II due to the ten-year gap that will involve our old trope friend: the Triwizard Tournament. That specifically will be a very Harry-heavy story to begin with of which I plan to explore his interactions with his fellow Earthlings and set up relationships (in the platonic sense) that will be needed in order for what I'm thinking about for Episode II to play out the way I'm currently envisioning it.

With the completion of Episode II, I'm contemplating doing some episodes of the Clone Wars, primarily the Mandalore-based arcs. How would what be considered a "freelancer"/bounty hunter who himself was raised True Mandalorian interact with the denizens of his namesake culture when needed to for various reasons who are borderline all godless pacifists (this is a joke)? Should I contemplate how the CIS should attempt to assault a just barely space-capable Earth mainly due to how Earth's humanity is not like the rest of the humans in the galaxy. If you look at the r/HFY subreddit (Humanity, Fuck Yeah!) we're usually seen as Space Orcs or some kind of hybrid of Space Orcs with Space Elves. Great subreddit with great short-form stories and there are YouTubers that cover that subreddit with great voiceover work. The point being, it's a possible plot point; or I could just leave it out entirely. But again, these are things that are still in the plotting stages, I haven't even done anything regarding it outside of creating a folder in my cloud storage for it if I get to that point.

Now onto the more detailed criticisms response. Yes, I'm well aware this is a "tag-along" or "piggyback" fic where not much has changed. While I don't expect many to accept this excuse, as previously mentioned this was a story that was started 5-6 years ago as a part-time project to see if I could even complete a project. If you're familiar with my previous series of works, none of them have ever come to completion. Ever. I don't even see my pilots or shorts repository as being complete despite them literally being one-off story ideas. One of the biggest problems I have with these long-form projects is scope creep. For those not in the know about what that is, it's a project management term where you keep saying "wouldn't it be cool if I added this?" and then repeat that multiple times never getting to the end and the project that you started with is just a bloated mess and resembles nothing of what you started with. THAT is scope creep. What sealed this story's fate as a tag-along fic was the end of the first chapter. At the time I was working a different job and my mindset was different. Go over the years where you're in a job where you can't really let the creative juices flow, you can't just stop for a ten-minute break and write down an interesting idea and at the end of the day, any motivation to do anything creative is just... gone. I had to force myself to finish the idea in the state I had started it with in the same mindset I had started it with, if for anything to prove to myself that I could finish one of these creative projects. Is this the greatest explanation? Fuck no. But, I hope you at least understand where I was coming from. To address the primary issues that many had, it's something I'm discussing with an old FFN friend who reached out to me once again. There's certainly going to be more notes taking and more storyboarding when contemplating the next idea, whatever it may be, assuming it comes to be. I've even contemplated using that software "Campfire" to help. I've seen several content creators, professional content creators no less, advertise for it and they seem to like it. Maybe that's the tool I need.

Regardless, it's been a few interesting years for me, but a few interesting weeks for you. Hopefully, you'll remain patient as I contemplate what to do in regards to continuing this further or not. Hopefully, it won't take 5 more years. Hopefully, you'll stick with me and check out some of my other stuff too. As previously stated a couple of times, I do have an Odysee channel that I'm planning on putting content on soon, stuff that's completely unrelated to FFN content (probably going to be mirrored over on YouTube too). Tip jar addresses on my profile. As previously discussed, In one month, end of March 2022, I will be doing final responses to this story's content, specifically this story. If you have any questions you want to have answered, go ahead and ask them and as long as it's not personally identifiable information I'll answer it.

As the story itself is complete, the story is being marked as such. See you all in a month.