Harry Potter and the Boy From Tatooine - Chapter 33 - Following the Corthalon

Master Cerulian sighed contentedly as he stood, his old bones protesting slightly. "It has been a pleasure speaking with you, young Skywalker," he said, a warm twinkle in his eyes. "But I feat I am not as young as I once was, and can already feel the exhaustion of the day.” He stood slowly, placing a hand on the table for support. “And I still have one more meeting to attend to before I can return home to rest and meditate, so I best take my leave."

Harry, who had still been running his fingers along the polished wood of his wand, rose as well as he bowed his head slightly. "Thank you again for finding this, Master Cerulian. It means more to me than I can say. And for speaking with me."

Cerulian’s lips curled into a small smile. "It was no trouble at all, young one. Simply returning what was lost. A Jedi’s weapon is an extension of themselves. And though that is not a lightsaber, I suspect it serves you just as well."

Harry grinned at that and tucked the wand into his robes. As Master Cerulian made his way toward the door, it slid open, revealing Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Halcyon, approaching from down the corridor.

Master Cerulian inclined his head before turning to look at Obi-Wan. "Ah, Kenobi. You couldn’t have timed that better if you had tried. I was just finishing up. Thank you for allowing me to speak with your Padawan. Young Skywalker certainly is an interesting one."

"No worries, Master Cerulian," Obi-Wan said, sparing a glance at Harry before his gaze returned to the old Jedi. "It was an unexpected delight to run into you here. I'll be sure to let Master Dooku know you’re looking well."

Master Cerulian chuckled. "I never took you for a liar, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan let out a laugh, shaking his head. "I simply aim to put more good into this world than there was before."

Master Halcyon smirked as Cerulian turned Harry. "May the Force be with you, Young Skywalker."

"And with you as well, Master Cerulian," Harry replied watching the two of them make their way down the hallway.

After they turned around the corridor, Obi-Wan turned back to Harry, one brow arched. "Now, just what was that all about?"

Harry opened his mouth, unsure what he was going to say, but before he could answer, Obi-Wan’s communicator beeped. The Jedi Knight tapped the device, and Captain Falco’s voice came through, slightly distorted but firm.

"Kenobi, Skywalker. Report to my office immediately."

Obi-Wan exchanged a glance with Harry before speaking. "Understood, Captain. We’re on our way."

Obi-Wan clipped the communicator back onto his belt and turned to Harry. "Are you up for this?"

Harry nodded, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah, I’m good."

"Then let's not keep the Captain waiting."

The two of them navigated the hallways of CorSec Headquarters, the bright lighting and utilitarian walls giving the place an air of controlled efficiency. CorSec officers bustled about, most paying them no mind. A few, however, shot curious glances at Harry, still unsure what to make of the Jedi-in-training.

When they arrived at Captain Falco’s office, the door slid open with a hiss, revealing the seasoned Corellian officer seated behind her desk. Her sharp hazel eyes assessed them as they stepped inside. She exuded an aura of command, the kind that came from years of dealing with criminals, politicians, and Jedi alike.

Standing to the side was a young lieutenant, a man with short auburn hair. He stood at attention, hands clasped behind his back, watching them enter in silence.

"Kenobi, Skywalker," Captain Falco greeted, motioning for them to step forward. "Take a seat."

Obi-Wan did so without hesitation, while Harry hesitated for only a moment before following suit.

She nodded towards them before turning towards the lieutenant and dismissing him. “Thank you for setting that up lieutenant if there are any alerts I want you to contact me immediately.”

"I assume you’re wondering why I called you here," Falco said as she turned towards them, lacing her fingers together on the desk.

"The thought had crossed my mind," Obi-Wan said evenly.

Falco stood, her sharp gaze landing on Harry. “First of all I want to say that it is good to see you in one piece, Skywalker.” Her tone was gruff but not unkind. “And apologies for one of my men trying to kill you. Much to my displeasure turns out … there was a mole within CorSec. A matter than is being seriously investigated to find out what depth CorSec was infiltrated and if there were others.”

Harry shrugged, though his fingers twitched slightly. “Don’t worry about it.”

Falco snorted, a rare chuckle escaping her. “Easy for you to say. From what I hear, you made it out fine—can’t say the same for the room.”

Harry couldn’t help but smirk at that. “Yeah, well … it was either me or him. And I didn’t have a lot of options.”

Falco’s amusement faded quickly, replaced by her usual stern expression. “We retraced your escape route and managed to find the building where you were held. By the time we got there, the base was abandoned.” She exhaled sharply, crossing her arms. “However, we did find traces of corthalon.”

Harry’s fingers clenched at his side as a cold shiver ran through him.

Falco’s expression softened just a fraction. “I won’t lie. I was disappointed to be able to confirm your story.”

“I told your men I wasn’t making it up,” Harry muttered, trying to keep his voice light, but the words felt hollow.

“It’s not that they didn’t believe you but more of a case of not wanting to believe you. But we appreciated the tip,” Falco continued. “Because we were looking for it we confirmed it was there and now that we have confirmed that corthalon is in play, we have implemented the processes to track it. As we speak, our tech teams are scanning the entire planet for its unique chemical signature.”

Harry managed a small smile. “Well … I’m glad something good came out of my—” His voice trailed off as memories of his capture flashed through his mind. The cold room. The harsh restraints. The pain.

Falco hesitated before nodding slightly. She was a hardened officer, but even she seemed to understand that some wounds took more time than Harry had had before they healed.

Harry cleared his throat and looked between Falco and Obi-Wan. “That’s a good thing … isn’t it?”

Falco exhaled, rubbing her temples. “Yes and no.”

Harry frowned. “What do you mean?”

Falco leaned against her desk, her sharp eyes locking onto his. “Despite corthalon’s unique chemical signature, it’s usually stored in specialized containers to keep it stable—and those containers usually block any external scans, especially from distance. The only time we can detect it is if it’s been stored improperly or if they are preparing it in poorly shielded locations.”

Harry’s stomach twisted. “And if they stored it properly?”

“Then we won’t detect it until it’s too late.”

A heavy silence settled over the room.

Obi-Wan’s brow furrowed. “So you’re saying we have no way of tracking it unless they make a mistake?”

Falco nodded grimly. “That, or we’ll have to take advantage of the very narrow window when they arm it. When corthalon is exposed to the energy used to activate it, it becomes highly reactive. That’s when its signature increases dramatically, making it possible to detect. But at that point …” She shook her head. “There’s only a very small window for action.”

Harry let out a slow breath, his mind racing through the implications. “But based on the amount of containers that were in Jaxar’s base …” He hesitated, pushing aside the memories of that cold, dark place. “Maybe we’ll get lucky. Maybe one of the containers will be improperly shielded.”

Falco tilted her head, considering that. “It’s a possibility.”

Then, she hesitated, glancing between Harry and Obi-Wan, her jaw tightening.

Obi-Wan caught the look immediately. “There’s something else.”

Falco exhaled sharply. “Yes. The amount of corthalon Skywalker described … it worries me.” She shook her head. “I would have assumed that if Jaxar planned to use it, he’d have obtained just enough for a localized explosion, certainly would have been cheaper and much easier to slip through any checkpoints they needed to.”

Harry frowned.

Falco shook her head as she looked to her monitor. “Based on the quantities you described, Skywalker, we’re looking at something far worse.” She ran a hand through her hair, her expression dark. “If Jaxar has that much corthalon and actually plans to use it … he’s not just planning an attack he has enough to send a serious message.”

A cold pit formed in Harry’s stomach. “What kind of message?”

Falco’s voice was grim. “He has enough corthalon for the destruction of half the city.”

A thick silence followed her words. Harry felt his breath hitch, his chest tightening as the weight of that statement sank in.

Obi-Wan’s face remained calm, but his fingers had tightened into a fist against his robe. “That would be mass murder on an unprecedented scale,” he said evenly. “It would be an attack unlike any that I can recall on a Republic world.”

Falco nodded. “I can’t imagine anything like this has ever been done on Correlia, but if that’s what he’s going for it will certainly shake things up.”

Harry felt his pulse quicken. He had faced dark wizards, seen his fair share of death, watched entire buildings be reduced to nothing, but this was different. And worst of all, they might already be running out of time.

Obi-Wan turned to Falco. “What’s our next step?”

Falco exhaled, her expression hardening. “We double down on the scans. If we can find even a trace of improperly stored Corthalon, we’ll have a lead. But we also need to anticipate Jaxar’s next move.”

The room fell into silence. The weight of what they had just discussed—the possibility of Jaxar planning an attack capable of destroying half the city—hung heavily between them.

Then, an alarm blared from Captain Falco’s desk.

She didn’t hesitate. With a flick of her wrist, she canceled the noise and turned her attention to her holomonitor. The glow from the screen cast sharp shadows across her face as she scanned whatever information popped up along with the new alert.

Before either Harry or Obi-Wan could ask what was happening, a holoprojector on the wall flickered to life, displaying the face of the CorSec lieutenant who had been in the room when they had arrived. The man looked tense, his expression grim.

“Captain,” he said, his voice clipped. “We got a brief hit on a corthalon signature.”

Falco’s eyes sharpened. “Where?”

The man relayed the coordinates, and Falco’s expression shifted, her eyebrows rising in surprise.

Harry and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance before turning back to her.

“This is well outside city limits,” she muttered to them as she entered the coordinates into her map. The screen shifted, displaying a terrain overview of the designated area. After a moment of scanning, she exhaled sharply and shook her head. “The senator’s villa …”

She nodded to the lieutenant. “Thanks for catching this, I’m sending CorSec forces to investigate.” She cut the transmission and turned back to them

Before she could say anything else, Obi-Wan spoke up, his tone measured but firm. “Something doesn’t feel right about this.”

Falco paused and gave him a sharp look. “Explain.”

Obi-Wan gestured toward the map. “It doesn’t make sense for them to have stored the explosives within Coronet City, only to later move them so far away. If the plan was to target the senator’s villa, they could have done so at any point. And if they had planned to use the explosives outside city limits, they wouldn’t have stored them in an urban area first.”

Harry frowned before nodding. “It would’ve made more sense for them to have brought them in through an unlisted or remote landing pad well outside city limits and then have stored them in a hidden facility far away from from the city rather than either use a landing pad close to their base or have transported them into the city.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “Exactly. And having then had to move the explosives from inside the city to a remote location … it would have increased their chances of being detected. It’s a risk that serves no purpose—unless this is a diversion.”

Falco narrowed her eyes. “A diversion?”

Obi-Wan leaned forward, his hands clasped in front of him. “You yourself were concerned about the amount of explosives they had. If their only goal was to kill the senator at his villa, I find it unlikely that they would have needed nearly that much. This isn’t just about one person—this is about sending a message. And if that’s the case, attacking the senator at remote location doesn’t achieve that goal.”

Falco was silent for a moment, then let out a slow breath. “You think they’re planning to attack the Senator within the city on the Day of Joining.”

Harry swallowed. The Day of Joining was in less than a week. Coronet City would be packed with high-ranking officials, off-world dignitaries, and thousands of civilians. It would be the perfect target.

Obi-Wan nodded. “It makes the most sense. If they wanted to kill a senator, they wouldn’t need this much effort. But if they wanted to strike fear into the heart of the planet and the Republic, an attack during a major event would be do that much better.”

Falco’s jaw tightened, and she turned back to the map, staring at it as if willing it to make more sense. “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath.

Harry looked between them. “So what do we do?”

Falco’s fingers hovered over the comm panel. “I’ll also put CorSec on alert and discreetly increase security around the event. We can’t afford to panic the public, but we need to be prepared.”

Captain Falco stared at Obi-Wan for a long moment, her piercing gaze searching for any hint of uncertainty. When she found none, she gave a slow nod, her expression unreadable.

“You might be right,” she admitted. “But this is too significant of a lead to ignore. I still have to send a CorSec unit to investigate the villa. If this is a diversion, we can’t ignore it. But I’ll keep the response limited—no full-scale deployment  

Obi-Wan nodded. “A wise precaution.”

Falco nodded her head as she looked at him. “However, we do have to take this seriously, there is the chance that even if Jaxar had originally planned to use the explosives within the city, maybe your padawan’s escape threw everything off. And there is always the chance that investigating this lead will uncover something else.”

She paused, tapping a few commands into her holopad. The map flickered, shifting slightly as it zoomed back in on the coordinates that the lieutenant had given her.

“I’ll take lead on the investigation personally,” she continued. “If nothing else, I can move things along quicker. But I’ll leave enough men behind to continue searching the city. And even though I’ll be using some of the technicians to try and narrow down the precise location of the hit we had just gotten, I’ll keep leave most of them to continue scanning, focusing on the city, as there is a chance you are right.”

Harry exhaled, relieved that she wasn’t blindly charging into what could be a distraction.

She turned back to them, her eyes flicking between the Jedi Knight and the young apprentice. “I suppose the two of you don’t want to come along? Your presence might speed up the investigation.”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, his face calm but deeply contemplative.

Harry watched as the Jedi focused inward, no doubt reaching into the Force for guidance. The seconds stretched.

Then Obi-Wan’s eyes opened, filled with certainty. He shook his head.

“I can’t shake the feeling that what will happen will not happen there,” he said firmly. “It will be here.”

Harry swallowed, feeling a strange chill run down his spine.

Captain Falco studied him for a moment before nodding. “Then I’ll trust you to trust your instincts.”

She tapped her communicator. “Lieutenant I need you to get all team leaders set up for a briefing asap. Get any information you can on the area of the corthalon but be ready in ten. I want to be ready for movement within the hour.”

The sound of acknowledgment came through the comm. Falco turned back to Harry and Obi-Wan.

“I’ll stay in contact,” she said. “And if this turns out to be a false lead, I’ll be back immediately.”

Obi-Wan inclined his head. “Understood. Be careful.”

Falco let out a dry chuckle. “Always.”

With that, she turned and motioned for them out of the office, before following right behind them, beginning to issue orders to her officers who began following her. Within moments, she was gone, leaving Harry and Obi-Wan standing alone in the room.

The silence stretched between them before Harry let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.

“So,” he said, glancing at Obi-Wan. “Where do we start?”

Obi-Wan folded his arms, his expression thoughtful. “We need another lead.” He turned back to the holo-map on the wall of the office, his eyes scanning the layout of Coronet City. “Other than the traces of corthalon CorSec hadn’t found much but I have the feeling that we should go back to Jaxar’s base,” Obi-Wan continued. “CorSec swept through, but there’s always the possibility they missed something. It was likely his main hideout. And your escape likely meant that it had been abandoned in a hurry, there is the chance that there could still be something useful left behind.”

A chill ran down Harry’s spine at the suggestion.

But he also knew that Obi-Wan was right.

He clenched his jaw and nodded. “Alright.”

Obi-Wan hesitated. His gaze flickered over Harry, assessing him with the sharp intuition of a Jedi Knight.

“It’s one thing to leave your room to speak with Captain Falco about this,” Obi-Wan said carefully. “But are you well enough to go back there? I can go myself.”

Harry met his eyes. “I’m well enough for this.” His voice was steady, but there was steel beneath it. “I won’t stay in my room while Jaxar is still out there planning a large scale attack on the city.”

For a long moment, Obi-Wan simply studied him. Then, finally, he nodded. “Alright.”

Together, they turned and made their way out of CorSec headquarters.

Kind Regards,

FavoriteAuthor

If you like this content do not hesitate to smash that like button and subscribe. Haha but seriously if you do enjoy the story - do favorite it, other than messaging me or leaving a comment it’s the only way I know if you are enjoying the stories and chapters.

Story Note 1 – Don’t worry Master Cerulian will certainly be back! Perhaps sooner rather than later. And hope I managed to capture the evolving humor of Obi-Wan. Certainly something that was present as Anakin got older. And something that I enjoyed writing.

Story Note 2 – Any guesses on how the Day of Joining is going to shake out? Was Captain Falco right to follow up on this lead … is it a diversion … is it something else entirely?

A large thanks to those of you out there who enjoy my stories, I promise to keep updating the stories as long as you all are enjoying them, and a special thanks to those of you who have taken the time to leave feedback or have reached out to me directly.

Disclaimer – It has come to my attention recently that I unfortunately do not own Harry Potter or Star Wars or their respective universes. Who knew.