When Aayla Secura meant that her meditation would take some time, Harry hadn't expected it to take over half a day. Harry had flown the ship into outer orbit of Coruscant and waited patiently amongst the thousands of ships there were also out there. Things were very tense and everyone was waiting for something to happen.
And then the news started trickling in - the Separatist Council was dead. The war was now officially over, and the Emperor would have an official state-sponsored coronation in the near future.
The whole thing reeked to Harry. Even knowing who the Emperor actually was now, it was incredible what he had managed to accomplish. Harry didn't even know a fraction of the full extent of the events that the Emperor had manipulated, but he had somehow managed to pull the wool over the eyes of the entire galaxy. He had essentially started a war with himself, as he was the leader of the Senate, and was the man behind Count Dooku, who had been the public leader of the Separatists.
That was terrifying. A man like that was extremely dangerous, and Harry was terrified to learn how far deep the manipulation actually went. And there was no doubt in Harry's mind that it went far deeper than anyone was aware of. Like, when did it all start? How did it all start? Harry couldn't figure it out. Usually in retrospect, the signs would be all over the place, yet Harry still saw none. But, Harry only had access to the same information that the public had, so it was possible there were hints, just none Harry was aware of. The bounty hunter's database was no use in that regards.
It was troubling. Yet, it reminded him a bit of home. The self-proclaimed Dark Lord Voldemort had managed to nearly take over the entire magical government from the inside before his existence had even been revealed to the public, though Harry had done his best to reveal the truth. There just wasn't much to be done when the government itself would rather live in ignorant bliss rather than confront the problem, and therefore dooming themselves to failure.
Harry didn't miss them.
While waiting for Aayla Secura to meditate, Harry was restless. He was dead tired and tried to get a few hours of sleep, but to no avail. He was hungry, yet did not have an appetite. He tried to meditate himself, but could not sit still for long enough or couldn't stop his mind from thinking about the the faceless helmets of all the soldiers he had killed. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the dozens of murdered children.
Harry didn't regret his actions, not really. The clones had been accessories to the murder of a hundred Jedi within the temple itself. While the clone trooper helmets were faceless, the Jedi weren't. They had been slaughtered like sheep, within their own place of study, their own home. Men, women and children. Children barely old enough to go to school. And the clone troopers had just standing amongst the dead bodies, waiting for more Jedi to show up.
No, he did what he had to do, but it didn't make it any easier. He'd do it again, if he had to. Harry hoped at least that no more Jedi would be killed at the temple because of his actions. If that meant a few restless nights, then he would manage.
Harry didn't know what his role would be in whatever came next. What he did know, is that nothing would be the same. He had spent years keeping a low profile, trying to live a simple life. And he had a strong suspicion that that was all about to change. The warning signs were all there, and he was someone capable of acting. It would no longer be about massive armies clashing on obscure outer rim planets. It would be something much more personal.
Harry wasn't sure if there was anyway out of getting involved. And at this point, he wasn't sure if he'd even want to. That had gone out the window the moment he had rescued Aayla Secura and raided the Jedi Temple with her. He was invested now.
Like a switch being flipped in his mind, Harry was suddenly out of his funk, and he was hungry. He thought it would be rude if he ate without offering anything to the Jedi. When was the last time she had ate anyways? She was rail thin when he had found her, and he hadn't seen her eat since.
She had said to not disturb her. But, that had been over twelve hours ago. The last time she said she was going to meditate, she fell asleep right there in the co-pilot's seat. For all he knew, she could be wracked in nightmares over her entire life crumbling around her, as well as starving.
Harry knocked on the door and paused, listening for any sounds coming from within. However, a moment later, the accented voice of Aayla Secura replied back. "Yes?"
"You hungry?" Harry asked. "I'm going to make some food."
There was some shuffling from inside the room and suddenly the door opened. The Jedi stood there looking serene on first glance, but a closer look at her face showed the tiredness in her eyes, as well as some hastily wiped wetness on her cheeks. Her last twelve hours did not look to have gone much better than Harry's. "I'll have whatever you've got," she said.
Harry nodded and lead her to the mess hall. It wasn't much. The table and chairs both collapsed and stored away in the wall. There wasn't a vast amount of cooking appliances either, just what would be needed on a starship that wasn't planning on serving twelve-course meals. "I haven't had a chance to restock in a bit. I had planned to on Felucia, seeing as how it's primarily a farming planet, but didn't get a chance to. So the choice is between frozen food A and frozen food B. If you close your eyes while eating it, it's not too bad, and it's got all the nutrients you need."
"Honestly, I can eat whatever," she said. "I'm not terribly picky, and my physiology lets me eat pretty much anything."
"That's good to know," Harry replied as he pulled out some frozen meals. There was a fancy device that was used to cook them quickly, though it was nothing like a microwave. He didn't really like it, so he often tried to have as much fresh food as possible. It was at the top of his priority list the next time he stopped at a nice world.
Pulling the table and chairs out of the wall, Harry served the meals. As promised, the Twi'lek devoured her meal with no complaint. One finished, she asked, "Any news?"
"The Separatist Council is dead," Harry said. "So, it looks like the Emperor managed to cut the Jedi Order and separatist movement apart in one cold, calculated step."
"That is… troubling," Secura responded. "Deeply."
"What about you?" Harry asked. "Did you reach enlightenment?"
"No… but I am at peace with my actions. I lost many friends this week, but they will never be forgotten. They will live on through the Force," she said.
"They will live on through you," Harry said.
The Jedi nodded. "I also know where Master Yoda is. He's with Senator Organa on his cruiser."
"Senator Organa?" Harry repeated. "Who is that?"
"He's the Senator from Alderaan. He's a friend of the Jedi," she explained. "Always has been. He'll be an important ally to have if we're to somehow fight back against the Sith. We're going to need every ally we can get, and we have to do it without getting caught. The stakes have changed dramatically."
"Right," Harry said idly. He tapped a few buttons on the console and the display popped up with Senator Organa's biography. "So, he's royalty pretty much, at least from Alderaan. Charitable guy. I guess that's where we should head?"
"It's as good of a lead as any," she said. "I don't know what his cruiser is called, though it is likely in the Jedi database. You don't have the correct port on your console for this size datacube though.."
"Hm, Alderaan isn't too far, and it is our only lead," Harry said. "Do other Jedi know of his close affiliation? Will others seek him out?"
"I suspect it is possible," she said. "I don't rightfully know. Truthfully, I never paid too much attention to the political side of things."
"Same," Harry said. "I'm all about the action. Could be why I'm a bounty hunter. There's nothing like the thrill of the hunt."
The Rowena's Revenge slowly made its way out of the local orbit. It was necessary to get out of a planet's gravity well before jumping to hyperspace, though it was technically possible to do it without leaving. But there were so many ships in orbit, even in deep orbit, that he had to get a safe distance away from them as well.
Alderaan wasn't too far away. In fact, it was one of the closer neighboring systems to Coruscant. The only issue was that there was no easy direct route. There were asteroid fields and other hazardous uninhabited systems abound between them, making a direct route unfeasible without more advanced local knowledge.
Harry didn't have that, so he took the route that most others took, which was a brief hop back onto the Perlemian Trade Route and then making short hops system to system following the Commenor run, which wound all over the place. It was a bit of a difficult hyperlane, but it was better than the alternative. Going off the beaten path was rarely worth the risk.
Plugging the course in, he watched Coruscant fade away. It would likely be the last time he saw the planet for awhile, though he wouldn't say he'd miss it. The whole place was just a facade. It was the seat of the galaxy, but the corruption was as rampant there as anywhere else, and the whole place smelled. A trillion people in one place was more than Harry could handle for an extended amount of time.
Once they were well underway, the Jedi master spoke up from the co-pilot's seat. "May I ask a question?" she asked.
"Certainly," Harry said. "Though, no guarantee that I answer it."
She nodded. "When were were fighting inside of the Jedi Temple, I saw you do something I didn't think was possible. You created a shield, using the Force. I know it was the Force, and not just a personal shield micro-projector, because I could feel it. How did you do that?"
"Ah, that," Harry said. "Like I told you when I rescued you off of Felucia, some would call me Force-sensitive. I find that term to be a bit too bulky. Like, you're Force-sensitive, but you're a Jedi."
"I'm not sure I follow," she said. "Is there a different term you would use?"
"There's no good term, so I'll just tell you a bit about myself. I'm from a backwater planet that is likely not on any map you've seen, located out somewhere in the vastness of wild space. The people on my planet haven't even explored outside of their own gravity well, let alone heard of the word "Jedi". Yet, what you call the Force was ever-present on the planet, and we call it what many backwater planets call it, when people can perform great feats that no normal person can with mere thought."
"Magic," Aayla Secura said. It wasn't a question, as she had heard similar stories before.
"Right in one," Harry said. "We had a sizable population of Force-wielders, however, there is one big difference between the society I came from and the society the Jedi are apart of. You guys adapted to technology, use it every day. You even use your abilities to augment your natural skills when flying a spaceship, or using your lightsaber. Your knowledge of the Force goes hand in hand with your knowledge of technology, and they were fostered together. You were seen as benevolent protectors of the people. Where I come from, things were much different. Out here, you have technology that the Force cannot even come close to replicating."
Harry paused for a minute while the ship entered the hyperlane. There were only a handful of systems between there and the start of the Commenor Run which would wind its way all the way past Alderaan to Commenor. That it wasn't a straight shot is what made it so difficult. It was easy to overshoot where you were trying to go if you weren't careful.
"That's not so true where I'm from," Harry continued. He had contemplated this topic for years and had quite a few opinions on the matter. "At one point in history, Force-users walked openly amongst those without. But at some point, they grew envious of the Force, and they wanted miracle solutions for everything. They started persecuting our kind as unnatural, and before long, we removed ourselves away entirely. Eventually enough time passed to where our existence was just a myth, and that there was no such thing as magic, no such thing as the Force. In the absence of magic, their technology grew more advanced. They could now do things that could have only been done with magic, such as flight. And, in the absence of technology and the largest portion of the planet's population, our kind stagnated. However in light of self-sufficiency, we created many techniques for doing whatever we needed to do, techniques and skills that you likely think are impossible, whether that's because the Jedi Order has simply never had the need to develop such a talent, or perhaps the knowledge has long been lost during one of the Sith's purges of the Temple archives. But there's very little you can't do with the Force, if you know how."
"That's an interesting theory," the Jedi Master said after a moment of contemplation. "It is rare for a Jedi to try and discover new techniques. In the past, that has lead to corruption. There are several accounts of those who have discovered secrets to greater power, and without exception, they have all fallen to the Dark Side. So the Jedi stick to a strict doctrine, and only differ from that under extreme circumstances."
"Same thing happens on my home planet," Harry said. "There are some things that should never be explored. Necromancy, for example. To even directly kill with our power is considered blasphemous by some, which was why I was using The Big Gun, rather than using any of my latent talents. Though, if I was fighting another Force-user, then things would be different."
"I am curious as to where our deviation happens," she said. "Jedi stick to a few basic skills which serve us well enough, and truthfully, I've never really contemplated what is even possible. The temptation might be too great. Power corrupts."
"Power does corrupt, which is why you always have to be careful," Harry replied. "But, my mentor had a saying. It's the choices we make that make us who we are. The Force itself is not inherently good or bad, but it's what we do with it. Knowledge itself is not harmful, but, once you know something, you cannot unknow it, so the temptation will be there. Your intentions could be altruistic at first, but for how long? I would be willing to teach you some things I know, provided you wish to keep travelling with me, which is completely your choice of course."
"Well, I don't have a space ship," she said. "So, you are my ride for the time being. I would like to confer with Master Yoda before I say yes or no to such an offer. Your profession could bring us into contact with many potential allies."
"That's your choice," Harry emphasized.
The Jedi Master nodded her head. "You never did answer my question," she pointed out.
"Ah, well, the answer is straightforward," Harry admitted. He pulled out a talisman from under his shirt. It was pretty small, fitting into his palm easily, and it was made out of a silvery metal. It was unornamented except for a single symbol carved deeply into it. It wasn't in a language the Jedi had ever seen, but to Harry, it was a symbol of protection.
"There's a lot of power in this," Harry said, handing the amulet over the the Jedi. As soon as she had it in her hands, her eyes widened in surprise.
"It feels…. alive!" she exclaimed.
"The protection itself is pretty basic. But I've been imbuing it every single day for months now with the same enchantment. It adds up, bit by bit, and was very helpful against those clone troopers. I wouldn't have stood a chance otherwise, even with my armor."
"This is something you can teach?" she asked. "To imbue something with the Force?"
"It's all about intent and willpower," Harry said. "Once you know the technique and how to do it, it's pretty straightforward, though there's an actual process to it. It ties into what I said before. My people don't have the technology you do. They cannot create shield generators, therefore someone came up with the technique to create a shield using the Force. In fact, there's many different kinds of shields that can be created, depending on the need."
Secura nodded in understanding. "You've given me much to think about," she said.
"Do you need to meditate on it?" Harry asked. She rolled her eyes.
"No, I've meditated enough today," she said. "We've got about six hours to go, correct?"
"Near enough," Harry said. "Unless you would like me to push the hyperdrive? I don't see the need though."
"Our speed is fine," she said. "Does this technique of yours have a name?"
Alderaan was a beautiful planet. Majestic cliffs and vast blue expanses of ocean were a stark contrast to the planet-wide jungle of buildings that was Coruscant, or the actual jungles of deadly, beautiful Felucia. It was a respectable planet with minimal crime, and as such, Harry hadn't ever stopped there properly.
It was a wealthy planet as well. A tourist location that's exotic, but still soothingly familiar so as to not stretch beyond the comfort zone. As a Human planet, Harry really should have stopped by at some point. However, it was not unique in any specific regards. The Galaxy was a very large place, with many base-Human planets, and Harry hadn't had any particular reason to visit this one in particular.
Harry wasn't sure what he was looking for. There was no signal, no obvious place to go. Secura hadn't given him a name of a vessel, or a time and location for a secret meeting. But, he had chosen to trust her, and to believe in her trust in the Force.
Scanning the system for ships didn't help all that much either. The planet had its own security, and there was a significant amount of trade ships coming too and from. Nothing stuck out as obvious. There was no way to even know if the Senator was in the system.
A few minutes of futility later, Harry started going through the various outlier ship registries. Trade ships and military vessels did not interest him, and there were no capital ships either. He focused on some of the personal cruisers in orbit and docked, of which there were thousands.
It was almost frustrating. But, he knew with enough time, he would prevail. It was nothing he hadn't had to do to track down a bounty. It was expected almost. Perseverance was the key, and when that failed, he would resort to his magic. It didn't come to that though.
After sitting in orbit for nearly two hours, a large ship entered the system. It wasn't quite ten times as large as Rowena's Revenge, but it was quite long, and cylindrical. There was a bank of eleven engines on the back, giving it some significant speed capability, and there were gun emplacements up and down the hull. Yet, it wasn't a warship. It was a consular flagship, and after a brief check, it was registered to the House of Organa.
Bingo.
"That's the one, it's got to be," Harry said, gesturing to the image that popped up on his display. "The Tantive III, registered to the Royal Family of Alderaan. Shall we signal them?"
"I feel like that is the correct path," she said.
Harry pushed a few buttons on his console and then spoke. "Tantive III, this is the Rowena's Revenge, do you copy?"
A few seconds passed before there was a reply. "Rowena's Revenge, the Tantive III copies. What is your query?"
"I have a passenger on my ship who wishes to meet with a passenger on your ship."
"There are currently no passengers on this ship," came the reply. "This is not a passenger transport; it is the service vessel of the Royal House of Alderaan. Please do not waste our time."
Harry turned to the Jedi and rolled his eyes. "I do not know how secure this link is, but my passenger's name is Aayla. The passenger on your ship will know who it is."
There was a noticeable pause then went on just long enough for Harry to be nervous. The Tantive III was quite armed, but it wasn't heavy guns, just enough so to deter smaller vessels such as his own. Though, with the modifications done to the Revenge, he wasn't too worried.
"We wish to open video to confirm your statement," the Tantive III eventually said.
"Certainly," Harry replied. He flicked a switch and suddenly the display was filled with the view inside of the Tantive III. There was a middle-aged man, aristocratic with a hint of grey at his temples. He looked respectable.
"I am Bail Organa," he said. "Senator of Alderaan. To whom do I speak?"
"I'm Harry Potter," Harry replied. He leaned forward and grabbed onto the gimbal that controlled the viewer, and tilted it over to Aayla. "And this is Jedi Master Secura."
"Senator," the Jedi said. "There's been a great disturbance in the Force… but it has led me to you."
"Indeed," the Senator said. "I am pleased to see you alive. Master Yoda told me to expect you. I will transfer docking protocols over to you momentarily. We await you at your leisure."
A light on the console flickered green just as the call cut out. A moment later, the docking formula was loaded into the system. "Well, this should be interesting," Harry said. The Tantive III had entered Alderaan's orbit on the other side of the planet, so it took the better part of thirty minutes to get an approach vector for docking.
The Tantive III was large, but it wasn't that large. The docking bay was just barely large enough for the Revenge and maybe a handful of smaller vessels. Harry would go so far to call it cramped, and his ship wasn't exactly big.
Once docked, Harry lowered the ramp and disembarked, with Aayla Secura following shortly after. This wasn't really his gig, but he was already involved so he figured he might as well get in on the ground level.
Two crewmen wearing the royal colors of Alderaan greeted them upon leaving this ship. Welcome," one of the guards said. He was a dark skinned man with a grey goatee, but a strong jaw. "Our instructions are to bring you to the conference room. Senator Organa will be waiting for you there."
"Thank you," Secura said. "Please, lead the way."
The Tantive III was a cramped ship, just like its docking bay indicated. That wasn't actually atypical. Spaceships were almost always designed for utility first, and open space was usually one of the first things to get cut. Even on Senator Organa's flagship, that wasn't any different.
However, that didn't mean it wasn't extremely nice. It was clear that the owner had a lot of wealth, and the rooms and even the hallway had personality to it, and the crewmen all seemed extremely friendly. It was a stark contrast to the usual ship crews Harry came across, which usually ranged from crotchety to outright hostile.
Once they got past the crew chambers and miscellaneous control rooms for the ship's various functions, it actually opened up quite a bit. They were eventually lead to a conference room which Harry would actually consider spacious, and quiet luxurious. There was even a server off to the side waiting to get drinks for them, which they both accepted.
There was a large table situated in the center of the room, taking up a lot of space, but not so much as to feel oppressive. No one was sitting at it. Instead, both Senator Organa and Master Yoda were standing off to the side, near the viewport giving them a beautiful vantage point of the planet below. Upon Harry and Master Secura entering the room, they both turned their attention to them.
"Glad to see you again, I am," Yoda said with a bow.
"I am glad to still be alive," She replied. "All the thanks goes to Harry Potter here in that regards."
Yoda turned to Harry and gave him one scrutinizing look. "My thanks, you have as well."
"What happened?" Secura asked.
"Strong the Sith Lord is," Yoda admitted. "Dueled in the Senate Chambers we did. Much damage we caused. Successful... I was not."
Yoda paused for a moment, closing his eyes in contemplation. "His command of Force lightning, I could not beat," he continued. "Too fast with his lightsaber he was. A formidable foe, he is. Regroup, we must - what of your mission?"
"Successful," she replied. She held up the container that held the data core as well as all of the holocrons she had gathered. "The collective data of the Jedi Order, at least what was held in the library and archives."
"Done well, you have," Yoda commended. "Most useful, this information will be. Secure it, we must."
Senator Organa chose that moment to join in. "You can store it on Alderaan," he offered. "I will even provide the funding to construct a proper archive to store it."
"Generous you are," Yoda said. "But dangerous it would be. Make you a target, it would."
"We just have to hide it or disguise it exceptionally well," the senator said. "That data can't be lost. The future of your Order depends on it."
Yoda paused for a moment. "Still unclear, the future of our Order is," he admitted. "Too many mistakes. Learn from them we must, as to not make them again. Too strict our rules were. Pushed our own to darkness, we did. Contemplate on our future, I must."
"What of Master Kenobi?" Secura asked.
"Waiting for his report, I am," Yoda replied.
"He was successful?"
"Unclear, that is," Yoda said. "Alive, Master Kenobi is. Anything else, the Dark Side clouds. Angry, the Emperor is."
"Much has happened in the last week," the senator said.. "Too much. Dooku dead, only to be replaced by the man who did it. The Jedi set up as scapegoats, General Grievous killed, the order to kill all Jedi…"
"Troubling, it is," Yoda said. "You must put up a loyal front. A senator, you still are. An inside man, you will be."
"I will do what it takes to see the downfall of this man," the senator replied. "I will help you with whatever you need, provided it is within my capabilities."
Yoda nodded. "Gather allies, we must," the ancient Jedi Master said.
"I agree," the senator said. "This war can no longer be fought with armies, so we must resort to new tactics. Guerilla warfare. Sabotage. Misinformation."
The senator paused before sighing. "This topic is heavy," he said. "I suggest we eat first. I find myself thinking clearer with a full stomach."
"Agreeable, that is," Yoda said.
Harry wasn't one to pass up a meal that wasn't cooked by himself, and apparently Twi'leks were capable of eating anything on a whim. During the whole meeting, Harry did feel like the odd man out. He wasn't really anyone. He wasn't a Jedi, and he had no political power. He really just happened to be at the right place at the right time.
That was the story of his life.
To be honest, he was a bit rusty at that sort of thing. It had been years since he had actually been a wizard first and foremost. He hadn't been in a magical duel since he was in his teens, and he was nearly thirty now. But, if helping to stop the galactic evil meant he had to take off the training gloves once more, he'd do it.
It was a great dinner, considering the events of the recent days. There was real meat, fresh vegetables, and drinks that were more than just flavored water. It was quite good. Being a rebel could almost be worth it if that was the kind of meal he could have every day.
They had gone through several courses when the comms opened up. "Senator, there's a message coming through," the voice said. "It's from Master Kenobi."
"Dessert will have to wait a moment," he said to the server. "Send it through."
"Senator," Obi-Wan Kenobi said. "Master Yoda, Master Secura, and Harry Potter. It is good to see you all. I bring grim tidings."
"Safe, you are?" Yoda asked.
"I've completed the mission," he said. "It was difficult, but he was overconfident. I will give you a full debriefing once I arrive, but there is a medical emergency. Senator Amidala is injured and quite pregnant, and needs emergency treatment."
"I will make sure the medical bay is prepared," the Senator said. "What is your ETA?"
"I'm almost within visual range," Kenobi replied. "Also, I should say that the Separatist Council is dead. Anakin killed them, on the Chancellor's orders."
"Disturbing, this is," Yoda said.
"I will fill you in when I dock," Kenobi said. "I'm almost there."
All thought of dessert was forgotten as they all got up from their seats and prepared for Kenobi's arrival. It appeared that they finally had some good news, though with a caveat.
The ship Kenobi was flying was a large ship, though not as large as the Rowena's Revenge. It was large enough to cause a serious docking situation though, and he had just barely managed to squeak it in. Any tighter, and he would have been scraping the paint off of the Revenge.
Two crewmen were there immediately with a stretcher. They were on and off the ship in under a minute, carrying a very pregnant senator on the stretcher, with Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi following close behind. It was all Harry could to do follow awkwardly behind them all as they made their way to the medical bay.
"What happened?" one of the crewman asked as the medical droid started going through procedures. It was an older model droid, and didn't appear half as sophisticated as the one on Harry's ship. Then again, the one on Harry's ship was one specifically offered to bounty hunters due to the injuries someone in his line of work could expect, anything from plasma burns to death.
"Skywalker used the Force and practically choked her to death in his rage," Kenobi started to explain. "He thought she had betrayed him by leading me to him, when I had actually snuck aboard her ship without her knowing. She lead me straight to him, and he did not like that. He struck her down, and then we dueled. The duel took awhile, and when I got back, she was completely unconscious. I came straight here, using her ship."
They crew worked with the droid while everyone watched from outside the room. It was a tenuous situation, and it didn't look good. After several long minutes of work, one of the crew came out to address the Senator and the Jedi.
"The prognosis isn't good," he said. "There's no way of knowing if she'll ever wake up. There could be permanent brain damage. We have to make a choice. We have to induce birth right now. That is the best chance the babies will have of living. If we don't, there's a high chance that she will die, and take them with her."
"Save the children, you must," Yoda said.
Senator Organa nodded in agreement. "Padme would want her children to live."
"There's another issue…" the crewman said hesitantly.
"Yes?" the senator asked.
"We're not equipped for this sort of situation. My estimation was figuring into account a full birthing suite as well as a capable medical droid. This isn't that."
The senator cursed.
"If I may?" Harry said, butting it. "My ship has a fully functional triage droid," he said. "It's one of the newest models available, and I'm sure I have everything needed for a birth."
Senator Organa didn't even pause to contemplate it. "Do it. Bring the senator onto his ship. Make haste!"
Once again, the senator was back onto the stretcher and rushed to the docking bay. All that jostling could not have been good for her, but it was the best option.
The inside of the Ravenclaw's Revenge wasn't that cramped for a single person, but when there was a half a dozen or more, even Yoda would feel claustrophobic. Once inside his medical bay, it was only Harry and the same two crewmen, who at this point Harry assumed had some sort of medical training.
Harry immediately activated the medical droid, which hummed into life and began scanning Senator Amidala, much like it had done to Aayla Secura when he had brought her aboard. The droid diagnosed her immediately and began calculating the procedure of a birthing. Harry wouldn't watch that, so instead, he went into the one medical closet and started collecting the post-birth necessities. If Amidala were to survive, she would need more than just a standard medicine due to her head trauma. She would need a little help in the form of a potion.
Messing around with someone's brain was always a dangerous thing, but Harry actually had a remedy on hand to help with that. Asphyxiation was a popular way that Death Eaters liked to murder their victims with. Such a death would often baffle muggle investigators who would find no obvious cause of death - no marks of strangulation, no toxic amount of gases, nothing. But, if someone manage to survive the curse, there was a potion that could help stimulate brain activity and restore the flow of oxygen to correct levels.
That wasn't the only use of the tonic, as it was most often used as a non-spell based way to reverse the effects of a more powerful stunning spell. It wasn't too dissimilar to a massive burst of adrenaline to kickstart the body.
The tonic was a bit innocuous looking. A single dose was quite large, maybe half the size of a typical drink canister. Harry used a green cylinder to store it in, though the tonic itself was a very light pink. On the back of the cylinder was a sort of barcode, which Harry used to scan it into his system. The medical droid would administer it.
Harry didn't want to stay around for the birth.
He rejoined the others waiting in his lounge. Compared to the Tantive III, his lounge was outright pedestrian, and Senator Organa looked quite out of place, but he didn't seem to mind. He was also the first to speak up and voice the question that they had all been thinking. Well, everyone but Harry.
"I must admit, I didn't even know Senator Amidala was pregnant," the senator said.
"Neither did I," Kenobi said, "And I know her better than most."
"Know, I did not," Yoda added. "Most circumspect, it is. Wonder who the father is, I do."
"I wonder as well," Senator Organa said. "It could be quite the scandal."
"Isn't it obvious?" Kenobi said. "Who is the one person she's spent more time with? The one who followed her around like a lost puppy since the age of nine? Anakin Skywalker, of course. The signs were all there, but I did not think their relationship extended that close."
"Skywalker," the Senator said with distaste. "A Jedi with kids? A Sith with kids?"
"There's a reason we never marry and never have relationships except under very specific circumstances," Kenobi said. "It splits loyalties, and causes emotional stress that we cannot tolerate due to our abilities. Anakin's fall is proof enough of our doctrine."
"Also proof that our doctrine is outdated, it is." Yoda said. "If he had not been forced to hide his relationship... different, things might have been."
"Well, it doesn't matter now," Kenobi said. "Skywalker is dead. We dueled over the lava mines of Mustafar. He got cocky, and I caught him in midair as he tried to leap over a river of lava. I severed three of his limbs with one strike, and I saw him get consumed by the fire. It was a terrible fate, no matter who it was. Now, his children will never know their father, and I can only hope they do not blame me. Hatred is a powerful thing."
"Padme Amidala knows the truth," Yoda says. "Enough, that will have to be."
"Let's hope she lives then," Kenobi replied. He was getting testy, as the whole ordeal was very difficult for him. First, a thousand of his brothers had been betrayed by the very army they had been fighting for, and then he had been betrayed by his own former padawan, and a man he had considered an actual brother. And he had to be the one to put him down. That he hadn't broken down yet was a testament to his fortitude.
"Mustafar was where the Separatist Council was?" Senator Organa asked.
"Apparently," Kenobi said. "I can only presume that the Emperor sent him there to take them out, to tie off one more loose end in his war. I just can't help but think back even farther, to the Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo. Palpatine must have constructed that whole scenario with ousting former Chancellor Valorum, and convinced Amidala to vote him in instead."
"Dangerous, this line of thinking is," Yoda commented. "But true. Deceived and betrayed, we all were. But look towards the future, we must."
"What is our plan?" Secura asked.
"Clear, it is, that the Order needs to change," Yoda said with some contemplation. "A new order, perhaps, to combat the new empire. Less restrictive, it would be. Drive our own to the Dark Side, we cannot. No more, the current Order is. Beholden to your old duties, you will not be."
"We will have to hide who we are," Kenobi said. "Surely, the Emperor will look to finish off what he started, and try and hunt us all down."
"Learn to hide ourselves like he did, we must," Yoda said. "Contemplate that, I will. Allies then, we must gather. Interested in helping, Senator Organa is not alone in. Others there are. Sure of this, I am."
"I've already sent out feelers from the minute the Chancellor renamed himself to Emperor," Senator Organa said. "Mon Motha is just as adamant as I am, and will do whatever she can. I'm sure others will be just as amenable. Amidala likely has more contacts than I do, so once she recovers she will be a useful ally as well. What of your Order? How many do you think are left?"
"Hard to say," Yoda said. "A hundred, perhaps. A handful of masters. Assigned to battalions, not everyone was. Shaak Ti, as an example. Others who had left our order, may yet survive. Ahsoka Tano, possibly."
"Skywalker's former padawan?" the Senator commented. "I reckon she would have been spared, if only because she's not technically a Jedi anymore."
"Find her, we should," Yoda said. "And others like her."
Yoda then turned to Harry. "Useful, your abilities will be," he said. "If you wish to help. Tracking, your specialty is. Use it for good, will you?"
"I'll do what I can," Harry said. "Though if someone doesn't want to be found, then it will be very hard to find them. Not impossible, though. The nature of my business leads me all across the galaxy so I do tend to meet a lot of interesting characters, some of which could be agreeable to lending their aid. I'd need some names of Jedi as well, so I know who to search for. And someone will have to plan out actual logistics and such. Backers, and gun-runners, and supply smugglers."
"In due time," the Senator agreed. "I've got some ideas."
"Survive first, we must," Yoda said.
A few moments later, one of the medical crewman who was assisting with the birth entered the room. "Some good news," he said. "The birth went fine. Two beautiful twins."
"Twins?" Obi Wan repeated in surprise.
"Correct," he said. "We're going through standard care procedures right now."
"What about Amidala?" Obi Wan asked worriedly.
"She's alive, but only just. Now that the pregnancy is over, her body should be able to recover, but it will be a long journey. She's gone through quite an ordeal. But, she's a strong woman."
"How long?"
"It's hard to say for sure," the crewman responded. "Months, at the very least. Perhaps a year. She shouldn't do anything strenuous at all during that time."
"Thank you," Yoda said. The crewman nodded and returned to the medical bay.
"There's an old saying," Harry said. "That a ship isn't a real ship until someone has giving birth on it."
There was a noticeable pause in the room before Senator Organa spoke up. "Anyways, there's an opportunity here, if we wish to pursue it."
"Open to suggestions, I am," Yoda said.
"We can fake Amidala's death," the Senator said. "If her children are Force sensitive-"
"Children of Jedi and Sith almost always are," Kenobi added.
"Then they will be targets," Senator Organa finished. "The Emperor will likely not rest until every Jedi is dead, and in the case of Skywalker's, no doubt he would try and recruit them to the Dark Side."
"Truth in your words, there is." Yoda said. "Proposal, you have?"
"I can hide Amidala on Alderaan, as well as her children. If the galaxy thinks she is dead, no one will know about her children, let alone think they are Skywalkers."
"It's not a bad idea," Kenobi said. "The only issue is that she would have to give up her senate seat."
"That could be for the best," Senator Organa replied. "She'd be a target for the Emperor, now that he has shown his hand. I have enough Senate connections that we won't lose too much there, though she's always been a better speaker than me."
"Not having political obligations would give her more time to look after her children, and to use her non-political connections."
"Her choice it is," Yoda said. "Consult with her when she is awake, we will. Until then, hide them on Alderaan, we should."
Senator Organa nodded. "She'll like it there," he said. "It's a good place to raise kids."
"We should get in contact with her handmaidens," Kenobi said. "Sabé in particular. She bears a striking resemblance to Amidala to the point where if you don't know here extremely well, you'd never notice. With Amidala's permission, she could help the cause in her guise while Amidala recovers."
"A good idea," Organa said. "I know the handmaiden of which you speak. I will get the word out to her as the news of Amidala's 'death' gets out. We could even use it to build sympathy, but that might do more damage to our cause when they learn she's still alive."
"Tread carefully, we must," Yoda stated.
The medical crewman came back one more. "The Senator is safe to transfer at the moment," he said. "She's out of immediate danger, but she'll need some long term care."
"Is she awake?" Kenobi asked.
The crewman shook his head.
"Very well," Senator Organa. "I will make preparations to bring her down to the surface."
"We must discuss our next step," Kenobi said. "Where do we go from here? What will you have me do?"
"Order you to do anything, I will not," Yoda said. "Equals, we are."
"Be that as it may, you are still far more experience than me."
Yoda acquiesced with a nod. "Find Shaak Ti, if you can. Our most knowledgeable healer, she is. Invaluable, her knowledge will be. Escaped the Jedi Temple, I believe."
"I can do that," Kenobi said.
"Set up a new headquarters, I will. Training youngs, I must. More important than ever, that is," Yoda said. He turned his head between every around him. "A secret planet, only I know of. Strong in the Force, it is. Mask our presence, it will. Secure, the holocrons will be."
"What of me?" Secura asked. "You know of my talents. I could go after the Emperor, if you wish."
"Too well protected, he will be," Yoda said. "Wait, we must, until the moment presents itself. Active until then, we must be. Capable, you are. A target, you will be. A symbol of hope, perhaps? Follow the Force and trust in yourself."
Secura closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded. "I'll be the most painful thorn in their side they've ever experienced," she said. "What should I say if someone wishes to join our cause? I can't just direct them to straight to Senator Organa."
"Perhaps that's where Sabé can come in," Kenobi suggested. "Or, we can come up with codenames."
"Or both," Harry said.
"It's a good idea," Senator Organa said.
"Of this, we are agreed," Yoda said. "Begin immediately, we must."
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I don't really like doing author's notes since I feel like if there's anything that really needs to be addressed, it should be done in the actual story rather than explained outside of it. Plus, I don't like to pad the word count, but since this is the longest chapter so far, I felt like that doesn't matter here.
Anyways, I just want to emphasize that Kenobi's duel with Skywalker on Mustafar is exactly as it happened in canon. It is not my intention to lead anyone on into assuming something different, nor is it my intention to try and have it be some sort of plot twist that Skywalker survives. Literally everyone knows that he becomes Vader, so I'm really not trying to turn it into some big amazing plot twist down the line - it's simply canon. However, I am experimenting with Amidala surviving. I think it could create an interesting Dynamic. Everyone, including Amidala, believes that Skywalker is dead. Skywalker and Palpatine believe Amidala is dead. So they both believe the other is dead, while they're both actually alive. Needless to say, it will be a very awkward reunion.