The next two days were incredibly enjoyable for Harry who instantly found that he enjoyed spending his time with the pilots and the engineers of the ship, learning first hand the ins and outs of the Naboo Royal Starship which he learned was a modified J – type 327 Nubian Starship built by Nubia Star Drives and it belonged to the Queen.

  During his discussions with the crew, and even Jar Jar, he also began to piece together the story of their escape from Naboo before they were forced to make their way to Tatooine in need of repairs, a story which absolutely shocked him. Even though he had heard some stories within the cantinas on Tatooine about how some of the corporations and guilds of this galaxy took advantage of people, and in some cases, entire planets, in predatory ways, he had mostly discounted the majority of the insane tales as synthol or spice fueled exaggerations.

  However, hearing the story about how the Trade Federation could blockade an entire planet, basically depriving them of the necessary imported goods, simply in an attempt to force them to sign a more beneficial trade agreement seemed ridiculous to him, especially when coupled with the fact that they progressed to trying to kill the Jedi who came to negotiate before moving on to mounting a full-scale planetary invasion.

  But besides the rude awakening to the realities of the galaxy, he for the most part found himself to be enjoying the trip to Coruscant.

  Unfortunately, since Padme had retaken her duties to the Queen once they reboarded the ship, he found that he had only gotten to see her once more since they took off from the planet and this didn't include when he had been summoned before the Queen, as she was not among the Queen's handmaids.

  Shortly after entering hyperspace Qui-Gon had come to find him, bringing him to the Queen's audience chamber for an incredibly brief introduction, with a short but albeit heartfelt personal thank you from the Queen, including what she said was an official offer to make sure that no matter what circumstances he found himself in in the future, both she and the planet of Naboo would never forget what he had done.

  That evening, well after she said her duties to the Queen were finished, Padme had come to visit him and his mother, primarily coming to make sure they were doing alright, as she recognized that the experience of travelling on a ship, even one as nice as the diplomatic ship they were on, with a Queen of a planet and a pair of Jedi, was unlike anything either of them had ever experienced and secondarily letting him know that the Queen's offer was genuine and as long as everything worked out for Naboo both him and his mother would have friends with the people of Naboo. She also let his mother know that while Harry was likely to be busy with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan as she had heard that they were going to start lessons with him, she was more than welcome to approach her and she would be able to find something for her to do to help the Queen.

  The next day, perhaps sensing that Harry wanted some time alone, his mother had done just that and after confirming that he was alright had gone off in search of something to do, leaving Harry to spend most of his day split between working on C-3PO with extra parts the ships crew had laying around, reading some of the books on magic that he found in the mokeskin pouch, and learning about space travel and navigation, including learning about the planets in the regions of space they were travelling through.

  While most of the planets were similar enough to Earth or Tatooine that Harry just nodded and tried to file the information about them to memory, some of them, like the planet of Manaan caught his attention and left him intrigued.

  One of the pilots, once hearing about Harry's podrace … a story that all of the pilots had loved hearing about and had more than a couple times requested to hear Harry repeat the story, had taken to chatting to Harry about podracing and other variants of the sport, the biggest of which was swoop racing. A sport that the pilot had proudly told Harry that he had competed in at the amateur levels, as it was more open to human competitors (as they didn't need the advantages that alien physiology usually provided non-humans), as while the swoop bikes themselves were generally faster than the podracers the tracks were safer and the races themselves were done solo, rather than all at the same time, so one never had to worry about another racer attempting Sebulba-like antics on the course.

  The pilot had told Harry about competing at an amateur invitational tournament on the planet of Manaan and winning, which had in turn brought him to the attention to of the Naboo Royal Space Corps and led to his current position. But even more interesting than his description of those events was his description of the course, revealing that the with the exception of Alto City, the entire planet was completely covered in water and while Harry learned that the whole planet was little more than an out of the way trading hub now adays it had once been the sole producer of Kolto, which was one of the natural precursors for Bacta which had eventually almost completely replaced it once it had been developed. The pilot had also shared a story with Harry that according to the historians Kolto had only been replaced due to a disastrous event about 4000 years ago which had rumored to have been caused by a Jedi and as a result Jedi were not welcomed warmly to the planet.

  However the most enjoyable thing that he had found, was in spending time with the Jedi. Shortly after they had left the planets atmosphere, after a much shorter amount of time spent debriefing the Queen than Harry had assumed would have been needed, Qui-Gon had invited Harry to his quarters where he began briefly explaining what would be instore for him and teaching him a couple of meditative exercises he claimed were to eventually help him access the Force with greater ease unlike his accidental and uncontrolled connections so far. Additionally, he also formally introduced Harry to his padawan, who Harry took an immediate liking to.

  While his chats with Qui-Gon were certainly interesting, Harry always left their chats feeling that the Jedi Master had a much more philosophical outlook on life than he would ever have, especially concerning the deeper mysteries of the Force, at least based on a brief conversation that Harry had accidentally partially overheard between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, regarding the living Force. That being said, although Qui-Gon often was in his room alone meditating on recent events or attempting to contact other Jedi, including his old Master, Harry, for the most part, enjoyed their conversations and found the man to be a good instructor, reminding him of Professor Lupin. However, as much as Harry appreciated Qui-Gon as a father-figure styled mentor, he really found himself to enjoy spending time with Obi-Wan.

  Originally Obi-Wan had been slightly dismissive of Harry and treated him as a child, but very quickly learned that Harry was much more than the nine-year old boy he appeared to be, and once he figured that out, he quickly began warming up to him. That being said while Harry found Obi-Wan to be selfless and honorable and significantly more patient than he was, he quickly found out that Obi-Wan expected 100% effort and wasn't willing to take it easy on Harry when they went through the meditation exercises.

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  Harry sat cross legged in the dimly lit room the Jedi had been given to use for their mediating, his eyes closed in deep concentration. He focused his mind, attempting to quiet the chaotic thoughts that were racing through his head. While part of him enjoyed the peace and relaxation of attempting to meditate, he found that he struggled over longer periods due to his desire to be doing something, especially as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan seemed to effortlessly manage it.

  But in that specific moment, everything seemed to shift, his senses tingled as he felt a subtle shift in the … atmosphere around him. It was as if a gentle breeze brushed against his skin, carrying with it a sensation of warmth, serenity, and belonging.

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  While not what he had expected or precisely how it had been described by Qui-Gon, he audibly gasped in awe.

  With a rush of excitement he opened his eyes, breaking the sensation he had momentarily experienced and turned to the other individual in the room who was seated in a similar position, a calm expression on his face.

  "Obi-Wan!" he exclaimed, unable to contain his enthusiasm. "I felt it! … I think … I felt the Force!"

  Obi-Wan's eyes shot open in surprise. "Did you now?" He asked calmly.

  "Yes!" Harry replied smiling, feeling more certain as he reflected back on the feeling. "It was … more intense than anything I have ever felt before. But good intense. It was incredible though. I felt this … this energy flowing through me, like I was connected to everything around me."

  Obi-Wan's surprised expression widened, "That … is indeed the essence of the Force … as I understand it, at least," he explained patiently. "It binds the galaxy together, connecting all living beings in a harmonious balance."

  Nodding, Harry briefly closed his eyes before reopeneing them, "But why now? How did I suddenly feel this today? Even though it was quick, it was intense and Qui-Gon said it would likely take weeks or even months to feel the faintest of an echo of the Force."

  The man sitting beside him nodded, considering the question thoughtfully. 'The Force works in mysterious ways," he replied eventually. "Sometimes … it reveals itself when we least expect it. But I have to admit …" he paused for a second momentarily frowning before he managed to hide the expression, "… while I was younger than you are now, when I first felt the Force, I had been training on Coruscant for almost six months before I felt the first whisper and it was several months after that when I felt it with any intensity … I need to grab Qui-Gon. I know he asked not to be disturbed by anyone when he was trying to contact Master Yoda, but I feel he will want to hear about this … maybe he'll have an answer for you." He said as he stood up and made his way to the door before pausing and looking back to Harry. "Maybe try to see if you can regain that state before I come back and try to see if you can hold onto the connection for any amount of time."

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  Harry sat by his mothing in the ship's common area, having trouble focusing on everything she was saying. He had just finally been excused from the meditation room by Qui-Gon after displaying that he could consistently enter the deep mediative state where he could feel the Force.

  After admitting his surprise at Harry's progress, Qui-Gon let him know that he was well ahead of the curve and dismissed him for the day suggesting that he go find his mother, while letting him know that he would need to keep practicing so he would be able to access the Force more naturally and reliably without the need to meditate for minutes before hand. As Harry was leaving, Qui-Gon momentarily stopped him and let him know that he would need to spend time meditating by himself to fully understand what the Force meant to him, but admitted that he was nonetheless impressed by what he had accomplished.

  In the minutes before he found his mom and in the time since then, Harry had been partially distracted by Qui-Gon's words and had been thinking about the Force and had slowly began to feel that something was incoming … something significant and it worried him.

  Perhaps sensing his distracted state, he felt his mom put her hand on his shoulder startling him causing him to look up.

  "Are you alright, Ani?" Shmi asked, her voice tinged with concern as she stared at him.

  Harry nodded, though his thoughts were far from settled, "I'm fine, Mom." He replied, although even he could tell that his tone was clearly lacking conviction. "Just thinking about everything that's happened, what's happening, … and I guess … what's going to happen."

  His mother reached out and gently squeezed his hand, offering him a reassuring smile. "I understand, Ani." She said softly. "It's a lot to take in. And while I can't really help you with the things you are learning and the things you are going through. I'm positive that you will be able to face whatever comes your way, just like you always have … we are hardy people, after all."

  Pausing, Harry nodded before returning her smile, grateful for her unwavering support. "I know, Mom," he said, his voice filled with determination. "But I can't help but wonder what will happen when we reach Coruscant. What will become of us?"

  Her expression grew somber as she paused, appearing to consider his question. "I've spoken with Qui-Gon since we left Tatooine … he came to visit while you were meditating." She explained, ignoring the look of surprise on Harry's face, her voice tinged with sadness. "He apologized, admitting that leaving me behind on that planet was the wrong decision … but he warned me that should the Jedi Council accept you for training …" she paused and smiled as she shook her head slightly. "… which he seems quite confident that he will be able to arrange, despite the fact that they normally wouldn't take you on due to your age … well that's not important but he warned me that the Jedi Council may not be willing to allow us to be together."

  Harry's heart sank at the thought of being separated from her, especially as he worked so hard to make sure she was coming to Coruscant in the first place, not liking the thought of merely abandoning her on a strange planet despite the fact that even after a likely unfair conversion to Republic credits she would likely have enough money to live in general comfort for some time, certainly more than long enough to find a decent job.

  "But why, Mom?" he asked, his voice tinged with frustration. "Why would they keep us apart. I thought I'd already had the argument with Qui-Gon."

  Shmi smiled before sighing, her gaze distant as she struggled to find the right words. "Qui-Gon dmitted that leaving me in those conditions on Tatooine would have been a bad idea but said that since I won't be in danger the Jedi Council will be more firm in their decision. He says the Jedi have their reasons," she replied, her tone resigned. "They believe that attachments can lead to the dark side, that love can cloud one's judgement, especially those who strongly feel and use the Force."

  Harry shook his head and frowned, unable to comprehend how love could be seen as a weakness … as a bad thing, especially as it had literally saved his life several times. "That's just ridiculous," he protested. "Why should we have to split up just because the Jedi say so? Especially over something that I think is so … well … dumb."

  His mom paused for a second before bursting out in laughter, which he found himself unable to prevent himself from joining in on.

  Eventually they calmed down enough that she refocused a serious look back on him as she reached out and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead, her voice filled with warmth and tenderness. "I don't have all the answers, Ani," she said eventually, her voice soft but resolute. "However, we don't know the future, no one really does. But there is no point in worrying over what might or what might not happen before Qui-Gon even meets with the Jedi Concil. But I do want to let you know … no matter what happens, know that my love for you will never waver. And even if we are apart that doesn't mean forever."

  Unable to express himself he nodded before eventually finding the words, "I love you, Mom," he said earnestly, his voice choked with emotion.

  "And I love you," his mother replied, her eyes shining with tears. "Always and forever."

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  They spent another couple of minutes talking, with Harry enjoying his mother's company and support, before he noticed his mother beginning to yawn. After assuring her tht he was fine, she allowed him to walk her to the room she was sharing with several of the Queen's handmaids.

  Shortly after dropping her off in her room, he realized just how much their conversation had served as a distraction, as the impending sense of something approaching hit him like a podracer, almost knocking him to his knees.

  Massaging his head to try and prevent the headache that he felt forming, he tried to make his way to the room he had been assigned to, although he suspected if anyone had seen him stumbling through the hallway they might have assumed he had discovered a stash of Corellian Ale. By some miracle, he managed to arrive just as he felt the weight of what was coming began to peak and his vision darken.

  He barely had enough time to drop into the meditative position on his bed, the position that Qui-Gon had shown him, remembering that the Jedi Master had told him it was helpfully for centering oneself, and close his eyes as he felt himself … get whisked away.

  As he opened his eyes he recognized that he was standing on the bridge of a ship, although it looked more antiquated than the various bridges of ships that the pilots had shown him holopictures of.

  Looking down the length of the center platform, towards the far end of the bridge, Harry saw an individual cloaked in a robe, staring out of the viewport … and as the figure began to turn …even from where Harry was standing Harry could tell there was a lightsaber in his hand.

  Kind Regards,

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