Chapter 16: Into the Fray
21 BBY, Mustafar
Fay had been a Jedi Master for a very long time. She did not know for sure, for she had stopped keeping track of time so long ago, but it had to be centuries at the very least, far longer than she likely should have lived, even with her heritage, which already extended her lifetime. It was the will of the Force that she would continue to serve it until it was her time to pass on, and she had continued to faithfully do so, travelling far outside the Core, helping people, stopping conflicts through peace, following the guidance of the Force.
She had always known that this would be her path, having disliked much of the politics that seemed to seep into the Jedi Order, instead of doing what they should have, and following the will of the Force. After all, being a Jedi was more than fighting darksiders and bounty hunters; it was to serve the Force, to help people through kindness. And so, she had packed her bag one day and simply followed the guidance of the Force, wherever it took her, never looking back.
Fay had travelled the stars, seen sights that the rest of the Order would likely never see, spoken with cultures that have long since been dismissed by everyone despite their richness. She rarely returned to Coruscant, and every time, she thought that the Order was just a bit more different, more entangled with the Senate. She supposed that change was a natural part of life, as time took its toll on everyone around her.
Nevertheless, she did not approve of it, and thus did not approve of this war, or at least, the Jedi being involved in its affairs, and had no plans to involve herself in any way, continuing her mission as she had for so many years. She had been tempted for a few moments to return to Coruscant, if only briefly, to investigate the disturbance in the Force that she had felt all the way from the Outer Rim, but the Force had urged her otherwise.
Not yet.
Though her desire against involving herself in the war was not fulfilled, as the Force guided her to the volcanic planet, Mustafar. After all, her fellow Jedi were working on dismantling the droid manufacturing facilities of the Trade Federation there, as well as destroying a research centre where a chemical weapon was being developed named swamp gas, which could cause millions to perish if released.
The Force had guided her towards the latter, having destroyed the research centre alongside a promising Jedi by the name of Obi-Wan Kenobi. She sensed he was a good man who was strong in his convictions, but he was still a general of the Republic. It had not taken her long to realise that the Force had plans for him, though, sadly, that was not always a good thing.
Fay’s thoughts were interrupted by the approaching speeder that made its way towards her, the one that held the darksider girl, Ventress, as well as Durge, a Gen’Dai bounty hunter that was infamous even during her youth.
They had been chasing her for quite some time, and they had taken her by surprise, given the wound in her gut that she took in Obi-Wan’s stead. It was only because of the Force that she had not died, though she felt quite weakened by it.
She did not regret it, of course. After all, this was the will of the Force that he lived this trial. It was why she had visibly taken the container that held the virus, forcing them to chase her and leave the young Jedi behind.
Still, her wound was taking its toll on her, requiring much of her concentration and focus, which was why she did not sense Durge throw an explosive that shook the lava around her, damaging her speeder. Fay barely reacted by using the Force to propel herself away from the fallen speeder and watched as the vehicle melted into nothing as she gracelessly fell onto the hard, dark rocky shore of Mustafar.
She winced as she felt her injury flare. She had forgotten how painful Lightsaber wounds could be. She quickly sought out the guidance of the Force, only to realise that she was right where she needed to be.
It was strange that the Force asked her to remain like this, given the dangers, but if it was her time to become one with the Force, then she would accept it.
Fay pushed herself off the ground and saw Ventress and Durge land casually, their speeder undamaged. The girl walked forward with smugness radiating around her, “The famous Master Fay of the Jedi. I’m afraid that you’re not living up to the legend.”
The Jedi shook her head in disappointment, despite the pain that she felt from her injury, “Your hatred and arrogance blind you to the truths before your eyes.”
She saw the girl’s eyes rage as she prepared to draw her Lightsabers, only for Durge to stop her, his gaze pointed towards the ground. Ventress followed his gaze, her eyes widening as she saw the vial that Fay had been holding, the vial that fell when her Speeder crashed. It held the only prototype of the swamp gas, the only possible one, given that the research facility that housed it was now destroyed. And so, the girl immediately summoned it using the Force and smirked in victory, having reached her goal.
Unfortunately for her, the smirk did not last for long. “This is empty.”
Fay was tempted to laugh at the change in expression, but soon she felt the darkness within the girl intensify, as her hatred surged, “Where is it? Is it with Kenobi?”
This time, the Jedi did not stop her smirk from showing as she looked at the lava, “Gone.”
She felt the girl’s anger quickly shift into terror. Ah, her master would likely punish her for her failure then. Then again, Fay had no intentions of setting such a dangerous weapon loose on the galaxy, as the Force agreed. She had thrown the true vial into the lava long ago, and even the vial that she had given Kenobi was an empty one. His mission was to retrieve the weapon to be studied, not destroy it, something that she vehemently disapproved of.
The Force had agreed as well, given the way that she had urged her to destroy the prototype, as well as ensure that young Kenobi left. He had a role to play as well, not just in the wider scheme of things, but also here on Mustafar, likely involving the mission to destroy the planet’s droid manufacturing facilities.
She did regret the trickery, though, though the Jedi High Council would likely not be happy, but if they denied the will of the Force itself in favour of a mission from the Senate, then things must be dire indeed for the order.
Fay sensed a warning in the Force as her opponents prepared to take out their rage at their failure on her, and sought out the guidance of the Force, only to be surprised when it asked her to remain.
The Jedi wondered for a moment if this was her time to be one with the Force. She was not afraid, for she had lived for a very long time, and if the Force had decreed it so, then she would peacefully pass on as it willed. But she instinctively knew that it was not time, not yet.
Still, Fay had faith in the Force, and so, she did not move as her opponents approached. Her faith was rewarded when she heard a voice speak up behind her, “Well, isn’t that an interesting sight?”
That moment seemed to break the tension completely, and Fay, Ventress, and Durge turned at once to look at its source, seeing a man who was almost dressed like a smuggler, with a jacket made of something that resembled Krayt Dragon leather, but was not quite that. He also had a strange white bird on his shoulder that resembled a Convor, but was not quite one.
Most importantly, to Fay, she had not felt their presence in the Force. It was as if it passed through them completely, but when she delved deeper, she realised that it was some kind of Force Technique, to radiate their surroundings instead of themselves. She prepared to move deeper, but felt the Force warning her from continuing, and she pulled away immediately. Still, this was confirmation that the man had, at the very least, some skill in the Force.
She did not know who that was, but unfortunately, it seemed that both her opponents did, given that the defeat and fear that they felt had quickly morphed into hope and murderous glee. It was Durge who first spoke up, laughing, “Harry Potter.”
The man smiled at that, “What a small galaxy this is, that someone recognises me so readily. Have we met before, good sir?”
Durge seemed almost taken aback by the man’s politeness. To be fair to the bounty hunter, Fay also found it strange as well. The Gen’Dai quickly steeled himself, “No, but I would be a poor bounty hunter if I missed knowing about a bounty as large as yours.”
Ah, that was where she remembered that name. Fay did not focus overly much on these matters, but she had heard of the large, sudden bounty on a man of no import to the galaxy. Only Senators and dangerous individuals had such bounties, and this was the subject of a lot of gossip across the galaxy. She had heard rumours that her fellow Jedi were looking for him, though she had assumed to protect him from whoever set up the bounty; she sensed that there was more to it than that.
It seemed like Potter was surprised by it before, as he groaned, “Did that ridiculous bounty follow me outside of Coruscant too? I swear I should have just gone on another… enthusiastic walk to the Senate and dealt with the consequences later.”
Durge seemed almost shocked at that, “How could you not know about your bounty? It’s yours for Frack’s sake.”
Potter waved his hand dismissively, “I’ve been busy with things.”
Fay could feel the Ventress’s frustration flare in the Force, before being tightly controlled, “Count Dooku sees this bounty for what it truly is, a proof of the corruption of the Republic. You said yourself that the Senate are the ones who released this bounty. To remedy this injustice, the Count has graciously extended you an offer of protection, an invitation to stay safe from the countless bounty hunters roaming the galaxy.”
It did not take long for Fay to realise what that meant. Ventress radiated deception in the Force, but her actions were proof that Count Dooku wanted Potter. What for, she did not know, only that he did, but most importantly, he wanted him alive. The dark sider obviously wanted to regain her master’s favour after her failure with the swamp gas that Fay had destroyed, and Harry Potter was a prize that was worth more to the Count than a chemical weapon that could kill millions.
The man contemplated the offer for a few moments, though Fay sensed that his heart was not in it, before shrugging and answering, “Nah, I’m good.”
That brought both Ventress and Durge short. Had they not expected him to refuse? Had they not noticed his Force Technique? It was somewhat expected from the bounty hunter, but not from the dark sider. If they hadn’t, then she supposed they did not know that Harry Potter was likely capable of protecting himself, at least, given the warnings that she received in the Force, and thus would not be terrified at the idea of having a large bounty on his head. Of course, it was still dangerous for him, but not overly so.
Ventress gritted her teeth and answered, “I’m afraid that I must insist, for your own safety, of course.”
Fay felt the Dark Side surge at her words, having realised that she had likely been trying to use it to compel him to come with her. She saw Ventress’s eyes widen as it failed to take effect. Realising that the man must have some strength in the Force, she suddenly unsheathed her Lightsabers and leapt to attack her enemy, only for Potter to flick his finger as she was in mid-air.
The Jedi Master felt the Force shift so subtly that she almost missed it, and suddenly, Ventress was sent flying away far into the distance.
Durge did not wait for his ally to return as he quickly activated his jetpack, rising in the air, while taking out his blasters, ready to fire them at Potter. The bolts seemed to be stopped by small rocks that were telekinetically used to stop them, before the blasters were ripped from the bounty hunter’s hand.
Unfortunately, Durge was not unarmed, with a Slugthrower appearing from one of his armoured hands’ attachments, ready to attack Potter, and she used the Force to deflect the bounty hunter’s aim and crush the weapon. She then telekinetically pulled him into the ground, wincing as her injury flared as her focus on healing herself had wavered for a few moments.
The Bounty Hunter rolled as he hit the ground, moving forward towards Potter, with his flamethrower ready to attack him. Only that Potter somehow grabbed his arm, stopping it from reaching him with one of his eyebrows raised. She could feel the surprise that Durge felt, as well as a brief moment of glee, as he activated his flamethrower; however, instead of attacking him, he had aimed it at the bird who still remained perched on the man’s shoulder.
Fay's eyes widened as she tried to stop him, but could not in time. A jet of flames appeared from the flamethrower, ready to burn the poor creature to a crisp. She crushed the flamethrower as well, wincing with the use of the Force, which had become quite straining since her injuries worsened with her lack of attention.
When the flames were gone, Fay could feel herself gape at the sight of the bird on the man's shoulder, completely unharmed, though it was staring at Durge with hostility in its surprisingly intelligent eyes.
The feat itself was not impossible; it could be achieved with some very finely controlled telekinesis or a very small Force barrier, but the skill required to do so at such short notice was certainly impressive.
As for Harry Potter, the small, amused smile that was on his face was gone, and instead he gave Durge a severe look. He spoke up, his tone as cold as ice, “Did you just try to kill Hedwig?”
Fay assumed that this was the bird’s name and she committed it to her memory. Still, the bounty hunter did not have the opportunity to answer that question as he was sent flying into the sky, before being plummeted down into the ground. He was then sent towards a mountain in the distance, before being summoned back and forth, each impact injuring the bounty hunter further.
The scene would have been comical, had it not been for the sheer brutality of it.
Finally, after far too much time and probably too many impacts, Potter finally let go of Durge, letting him fall to the ground before him. Half of his armour was missing, having been shattered, and there were wounds littered all over his body, wounds that were healing, given his nature as a Gen’Dai, though he was grunting in pain.
Potter gave him an unimpressed look, “A regenerator, huh?”
The man then calmly took out a hand blaster. It seemed like a very average one that the clones used, and he aimed it at Durge, a weapon that should have, by all counts, posed no real danger to the Gen’Dai.
The bounty hunter must have sensed some sort of danger. Maybe it was because Potter was not particularly surprised by his ability to heal; Fay did not know. What she did know was the fear that Durge radiated in the Force, “Please… It was just a Kriffing bird.”
The man mercilessly fired at the bounty hunter, and she felt a shift in the Force as the bolt hit him. The effects were not immediate, but slowly but surely, Durge’s form began to turn into dust, being destroyed completely and utterly, until he perished from the world. This time permanently, after two thousand years plaguing the galaxy, given that she could not sense his presence in the Force anymore.
This... This was not something that she had ever witnessed before in her many centuries of life. Aside from the fact that he had used the Force by firing a blaster, the effect itself was pure destruction. Durge had essentially been vaporised, and yet, she could not sense the Dark Side in its use. This was not how the Force was meant to be wielded, and yet… it had.
Potter didn’t seem to care about his impossible feat and simply walked towards Fay, having returned his weapon back into his holster. She slowly stood up, wincing slightly, but the man held her hand, keeping her stable. He then spoke up, his voice soft. “That’s a pretty nasty wound, isn’t it? You really shouldn’t have broken your concentration to help me. I appreciate it, but it really wasn’t necessary.”
Fay smiled at that, “It is the duty of the Jedi to give aid when we can.”
“Well, I suppose that it’s only right that your help be returned. So, do you mind some help? I’m not as good as my wife when it comes to healing, but I did pick up a trick or two.”
Fay did not need the Force to tell her to agree, for she nodded immediately. As Harry Potter placed a hand upon her wound, Fay found herself wondering if this had been the reason the Force had guided her to Mustafar, aside from the destruction of swamp gas, of course, that she was meant to meet this strange man. The Force remained silent on the answer, carrying only a quiet sense of anticipation that told her journey on Mustafar was far from over.
AN: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. As I said before, I’m still getting the hang of writing a Star Wars story, so bear with me if anything feels off.
As for this chapter, I decided to go with it instead of having a chapter where Harry would be essentially leaving Tython. There is a small time-skip that happened, around a few weeks at most, and what happened on Harry's side will be mentioned in the next few chapters. I also wanted to build on the changes caused by Harry’s interference, starting with the Senate leaks, which forced Dooku to move the swamp gas project to Mustafar, which changed the events about the swamp gas, and with it, Master Fay's survival and her meeting Harry. I always thought that Fay was a very cool character that hasn't been used as much as I'd like, and so, I have a few plans for her. For those of you who don't know, she's a very long-lived Jedi (who is obviously inspired by Tolkien elves imo) who goes around helping people peacefully, following the will of the Force, without even using her Lightsaber. I also know that some of you have questions about Daphne, which I will address in a chapter soon.
Also, I wanted to know if you guys had anything to say on the story so far. We're still somewhat early on, so I wanted to know your thoughts in general, what you liked and disliked, and what you'd like to see in the future. I'd rather see how things are right now, so that I could keep them in mind when writing future chapters.
As usual, I don’t mind rewriting this chapter depending on your feedback, so please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.