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The departure from the Theed spaceport was a far more grand affair than their
arrival had been. The citizens of Naboo, still reeling from the occupation but
energized by the news of the new trade alliances, lined the streets as the Jedi
and the Serennian delegation made their way to the hangar.
Padmé stood at the top of the Explorer's boarding ramp, her regal gowns replaced
by a simpler, yet elegant, travel outfit. She looked less like a queen and more
like the young woman who had shared a kitchen raid with them only hours before.
"I still haven't decided if I should have you arrested for kidnapping your
Queen," Padmé joked, looking at Harry. "Or for the Rosemary bread. It was
dangerously good."
"The bread was Eirtaé's idea," Harry said, bowing with mock gravity. "The
kidnapping, however, was a collective effort for the good of the realm. You were
snoring, Padmé. It was very undignified."
Sabe and the other maids smothered their giggles behind their hands. Padmé's
cheeks turned a soft pink, but she smiled warmly. She turned to Master Fay and
Obi-Wan. "Thank you. Not just for the liberation, but for the future you've
helped us build. Naboo will not forget its friends in the Jedi Order. Or
Serenno."
She glanced at Dooku, who stood nearby, his hands clasped behind his back. The
Count inclined his head. "The benefit is mutual, Your Majesty. I expect the
first shipments of super-dense alloys to arrive on Serenno within the month. My
people are already preparing the berth for the Lucrehulk."
The Wookiee delegation was already boarding their own shuttle, a sleek craft
provided by the Naboo. One of the large warriors paused at the ramp, his
translator box crackling to life. "/We go to tell the King of our new brothers
and sisters on Naboo,/" he rumbled. "/The trade routes will be safe. No more
shall the greedy spiders of the Trade Federation trap us in their webs./"
"Safe travels, friends," Obi-Wan said, his voice steady. He seemed older today,
the weight of his new knighthood and the loss of Qui-Gon settling into a quiet,
focused resolve. "May the Force be with you."
As the Wookiees boarded, Lily Potter drifted through the air, her translucent
form shimmering in the sunlight of the hangar. She hovered near Harry and Aayla,
her eyes fixed on the distant stars. "A massive ship filled with Wookiee
engineers and Jedi intentions," she murmured, her voice audible only to those
sensitive to her presence. "It's going to be quite the project, Fay."
Master Fay smiled faintly. "Indeed it will be, Lily. But first, we must return
to Coruscant. The Council will have many questions about our... unconventional
negotiations."
"And about me," Harry added, feeling the familiar prickle of Aayla's presence in
his mind. 'You ready for the Temple?' she projected, a hint of nervousness under
her bravado.
'As ready as I'll ever be,' Harry sent back. 'At least we have the 'fishmonger'
reputation to fall back on if they don't like our lightsaber forms.'
The group finally boarded the Explorer. As the engines hummed to life and the
ship lifted off, Harry stood by the viewport, watching the green and blue beauty
of Naboo shrink beneath them.
Beside him, Aayla leaned against the bulkhead. "You know, Harry, the Count was
right. You did haggle like a fishmonger. Where did you even learn to talk like
that? I thought you grew up in a manor."
"I did," Harry said, a distant look in his eyes. "But my Dad always said that if
you're going to be a wizard—or a Jedi—you should at least know the value of a
Galleon. Or a Credit. People respect you more if they think they can't cheat
you."
"I think," Aayla said, watching the stars begin to stretch as they prepared for
the jump to hyperspace, "that 'respect' isn't the only thing the Council is
going to feel when we get back. They're going to be terrified of what you'll
talk them into next."
Harry laughed, the sound bright and clear in the cockpit. "Maybe I'll talk them
into giving the Padawans a higher stipend. Or better food in the refectory."
"Now that," Aayla grinned, "would truly be a miracle of the Force."
The Explorer vanished into the blue tunnel of hyperspace, leaving a liberated
world behind and heading toward a Temple that had no idea what was about to hit
it.
On the bridge, Lily Potter sat in the co-pilot's chair, her ghostly fingers
dancing over controls she couldn't touch, a soft hum of an old English lullaby
vibrating through the Force. The journey was far from over, but for the first
time in a long time, the pieces of the galaxy were starting to move in a new,
unpredictable direction.
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