Chapter 2 - Coruscant
“Where am I?” Harry asked himself.
He landed in some dark corner of a closed-in alley that was outside of what looked to be an enormous building. In fact, he was surrounded by enormous buildings. All around Harry were bits and pieces of Number 4 Privet Drive that evidently travelled with him.
“I must be in London,” he thought to himself.
Harry had never been to London but he knew it was the biggest and closest city. He looked up to see how high the buildings were but he couldn’t see all the way to the top. They seemed to go on forever.
He decided to leave the alley and get a better idea of what the big city looked like. Slowly he walked toward the alley’s exit. When he got there, he noticed he still couldn’t see the sky or the tops of any buildings. Moreover, there were so many of them.
Then he noticed something even stranger than that. Everywhere he looked there were weird looking creatures of all different kinds that Harry had never seen before, not even in books. They were walking around like people and some were even talking to each other in a very odd language that Harry couldn’t understand.
“I don’t think this is London at all. Who are those things and what is this place?” he asked worriedly.
None of the creatures appeared to want to do him any harm so Harry ventured out further and walked down the street to see the sights. There were lots of places to see and bright lights everywhere. Harry saw a place that looked like it had good food to eat; he was hungry so went to see if he could get some food. He went up to the counter and pointed at what he wanted.
The man said “That’ll be 3 credits” but he said it in Basic which is not a language Harry understood. Harry asked “What?” and indicated he didn’t understand.
“No credits. No food,” said the man.
Once again, Harry indicated he didn’t understand so the man called over his shoulder and immediately something that looked like a robot came out of the back room.
“How can I be of service?” the droid asked in Basic.
“See if you can understand this child. He doesn’t speak Basic,” replied the man.
The droid turned to Harry. “Greetings, young sir. I am G4P2. What is your name?”
“Sorry, I don’t understand” Harry replied.
“Wait…searching…ah ancient language but different. One second…”
Harry just watched the droid in fascination. He’d never spoken to a robot before. It appeared to be looking for a way to communicate with him. It finally spoke again, this time in English.
“Greetings, young sir. I am G4P2. What is your name?”
Harry smiled. Now he understood.
“My name is Harry Potter and I’m very hungry. I want that food right there but I can’t understand what the man is saying.”
“He is willing to sell it to you but it will cost you 3 credits.”
“What are credits?”
“In your language it would be called money. You will need money to purchase the food you want and it costs 3 credits.”
“Sorry, I don’t have any credits. I guess I’ll have to go hungry. See you around.”
The droid turned to the man.
“The young boy’s name is Harry Potter and he is very hungry but has no credits so he could not buy the food he wanted. That is why he is walking away.”
The man, a Zabrak with the typical pointy spikes on his head, was kind hearted but would not allow anyone to take advantage of him, especially in business. However, he was feeling certain that this kid was worth the kindness.
“Tell the kid to come back.”
“Wait! Please come back young sir.” called G4P2.
Harry hadn’t gone far. He was thinking hard on how he was to survive in this strange place. Somehow, he needed to get credits so he could eat and it looks like he was going to have to learn a new language too. Harry heard G4P2 calling him so he turned back around and walked back over to the droid.
“Yes, G4P2? What can I do for you?”
The man handed Harry the food he wanted and gave Harry a big smile. “Tell Harry he can have this one for free but he will have to pay in the future.”
The droid explained it to Harry and told him how rare it was for the man to do such a thing. “He obviously must like you young sir but be sure to bring credits next time. Joban will not give food away again.”
“Thank you, G4P2, and thank you, Joban. I will not forget this,” replied Harry excitedly.
“Harry thanks you Joban and promises not to forget this gift,” the droid said in Basic.
Joban smiled at Harry and nodded his head.
“G4, can I ask you a question?”
“Certainly young sir. I will answer if I can.”
“Please call me Harry. I need to learn to speak the language here. Where can I get help to do that?”
“You need a communication droid like myself. A droid will teach you Basic and just about any other language you wish to learn. We communication droids are fluent in many languages.”
“A droid will cost many credits, right?
“Yes, very many credits, Harry.”
“Thanks, G4, and thanks for the food.”
“You are most welcome, Harry. Be careful.”
Joban handed Harry some water to go with his food just when he was about to leave.
Harry was not sure what the food was but it looked good and tasted even better. He started eating it as he walked back the way he came. He didn’t know where else to go so headed back to the alley where he landed.
What he didn’t know was a Rattataki was following him. He went back to the far corner he started in and sat down to finish his food. He had taken his last bite and drank all his water realizing he had eaten more than he ever remembered eating before. It felt good to be full. He was contemplating his future and how to proceed when he noticed he had guests in his little alley.
The Rattataki entered Harry’s alley along with two friends who were quite large. They looked like pigs to Harry, but were called Gamorreans. The Rattataki spoke to his friends.
“Grab the boy. He will make a nice slave. We will be able to sell him quick.”
One of the Gamorreans grabbed Harry by the back of his shirt and lifted him up with one hand. He started taking Harry towards the entrance of the alley following the Rattataki and the other Gamorrean. Harry was just hanging there from the big pig’s hand once again being mistreated as if it was the most natural thing to do.
Harry, however, had gone well past the ability to tolerate such treatment. Building up his magic, he lifted his hand toward his captor and blasted him against the wall knocking him unconscious when his head collided with the hard surface of the outside of the building.
The Rattataki and the other Gamorrean whipped around quickly to see what happened. They saw their partner in crime out cold and the little boy standing there looking a wee bit angry. In addition, he had a glow about him that was worrisome.
The Rattataki drew his weapon and pointed it at Harry. “I don’t want to shoot you kid but you are coming with us whether you like it or not.”
Harry didn’t understand him but certainly didn’t like his tone. Harry raised his hand and summoned the weapon to him. He figured if he can push people away then he should be able to pull things to him too.
The Rattataki got off one shot but the aim was off because of Harry’s magic calling the weapon from his hand. The shot grazed Harry slightly in his left arm but Harry still caught the weapon in his right hand. He had too much adrenaline going to even feel it yet.
Harry threw the weapon behind him and raised his hands again. He waved one hand one way and the other Gamorrean flew into the wall like his friend did. Harry then waved his other hand at the Rattataki and he flew into the opposite wall. All three were now unconscious.
Harry thought about what to do and after a minute, he remembered he needed credits. He checked all the pockets of his fallen guests and found a few credits on the Gamorreans and quite a lot on the Rattataki. He also found two more blaster pistols, three blaster rifles, and two large knives. He pocketed his credits and piled up his other findings in the corner.
Next, he built up his magic and blasted all three of his attackers clear out of the alley. They flew through the air, landing in the street hard, and lay there still unconscious for a couple of hours.
The people on the street who saw the Rattataki and two large Gamorreans come flying out of the alley wondered just what was residing in there. The word spread and no one wanted to venture close after that either.
When the three slave traders woke up and found they had been robbed and tossed out like rubbish into the street, they decided to leave well enough alone and go look for easier prey. No, not someone who looked like easy prey but actual easy prey. They wanted no more of the little hellion that had taken them to the cleaners. They recognized he had force power but had never seen that much of it or that kind of control in someone so young. They would not make the mistake and bother him again.
Harry started feeling the pain from his arm so he sat down in his dark corner and cried. He was feeling lonely and was very tired of people attacking him. He then remembered how he had healed his broken arm when he was just three years old.
Harry concentrated on where the pain was and pushed something that was inside him toward it. Harry knew now that the something inside was his power so he concentrated and sent his power to his arm. Harry had his eyes closed so he didn’t notice that he was glowing when he did that. The magic healed his arm up completely and he felt much better.
Harry was tired after that so he gathered up what things he could find in the alley that would keep the wind off him. He then curled up behind the broken crates and other items and fell asleep.
When Harry woke up the next morning, he wandered around for a bit before getting hungry. He then went back to Joban’s and got something else to eat. When Joban held up three fingers, Harry nodded and gave him six credits. Joban said, “No, you only owe me three credits” and tried to hand Harry back the extra three credits but Harry would not take them back.
Joban called G4P2.
“Greetings, young Harry. I hope you are well today.”
“Thank you G4. I am. I feel great in fact. I have some credits and bought some food. I gave Joban credits for the food yesterday too so please tell him that the extra credits are for that.”
G4 translated for Harry and Joban smiled and patted Harry on the back. “You’re a good kid, Harry.”
Harry only understood when Joban said his name but he felt he got the gist of what he was saying.
“G4, I plan on going to a shop that sells droids. I believe I might have enough now to get one that can teach me Basic. I recently received some things and credits. I’m hoping it will be enough to buy a droid that will help me. Do you think you could come along and talk for me?”
“Let me check with Joban to make sure it is okay.”
G4 talked to Joban for a minute. Joban then went in the back and brought someone up to the counter. He turned to G4 and said, “Let’s go.”
G4 turned to Harry. “Harry, Joban is coming with us so he can make sure you get a decent deal from the droid shop owner. He will help you.”
“Thanks, Joban, and you too, G4. I have to go back to my alley to get the things but it’s on the way to the droid shop.”
Harry and his friends stopped in Harry’s alley to gather up the weapons. Joban had heard the stories about this alley so was cautious when Harry entered it. He soon figured out that it must have been Harry that threw out the three slave traders so he relaxed.
He was not happy when he saw where Harry was sleeping so made a note to remedy that situation after he helped him get his droid. Joban and G4 carried all the weapons for Harry as they walked to the droid shop. With three hand blasters, three rifle blasters, and two large knives Joban felt Harry could do well enough for a decent droid, especially if he had some extra credits to apply to the purchase.
They entered the shop and walked up to the counter. Behind it was a man called a Quarren who had tentacles for a chin. Harry was always amazed at how many different species this place had.
“I want to buy a droid that can teach me Basic and other languages if necessary,” said Harry. The Quarren looked at Harry strangely. He had never heard such a strange language before.
“Hello sir. I’m Joban. Young Harry here is new to this world and does not speak Basic. He is requesting to buy a droid that can teach him Basic and possibly other languages. He has collected quite a few weapons that he would like to trade for the droid.”
Joban and G4P2 placed all eight weapons on the counter. They were used but very well maintained. The owners needed them quite often so kept them in great condition.
The Quarren pretended they were not worth much and offered a very low price for them. While Joban was bargaining with the Quarren Harry began walking around the shop looking at the different droids that were for sell. They were all operational so Harry took the time to speak to them to see how fast they could pick up his language.
They were all about the same as G4P2 until Harry came up to one that looked a little more worn out than the others did. He was not as new as the others were for sure. Harry started to walk on by but said “Hello” anyway. The droid said “Hello” back immediately and began introducing himself.
“I am OP3C and am quite honored to make your acquaintance.”
“Hi OP3C. My name is Harry and I was wondering how you picked up my language so fast. The others had to think a bit before figuring it out.”
“I have spoken a dialect very similar to your language before so I was able to do the calculations and know your language instantly.”
“How many languages do you know?”
“Over 1 million languages so far.”
“So, you are still learning more?”
“Yes, it is what I am best at.”
“Thank you OP3C for answering my questions.”
“You are most welcome, sir”
Harry turned back around to the counter and asked “How much for this one?”
“Young Harry wants to know the cost of the older one behind him” translated G4P2 to the Quarren.
“I will take the weapons plus 500 credits for OP3C.”
That was still too low of a trade for the weapons and Joban was pretty harsh with the shop owner when he tried to cheat Harry out of a good trade. The shop owner changed his tune when he realized he was not going to get away with it.
“Okay, since it’s an older droid I will take the weapons plus 200 credits.”
That sounded fair to Joban so he instructed G4P2 to explain it to Harry. After G4P2 explained it, Harry walked over and paid the man 200 credits. Harry had collected over 1,500 credits from the slave traders so he was doing OK for now.
The Quarren went over to OP3C and removed his restraining bolt. Harry walked back up to OP3C.
“OP would you like to come with me and teach me Basic? I need someone like you so I can learn to talk like everyone else.”
“I would be delighted young sir. Just tell me what you want me to do and I will do it.”
“Great! Let’s go,” said Harry.
All four walked out of the shop together.
“First of all, OP, I want you to call me Harry.”
“I would be delighted, Harry,” replied OP.
As soon as they were back out on the street, Joban began asking Harry questions via his droid who translated.
“Harry, I would like to make you an offer.”
“Sure, okay” replied Harry
“Harry, I would like you to come to work for me.”
“Work for you? But what could I do?”
“I know you were the one who took care of those three slave traders all by yourself, so I would like to hire you as my security.”
“Well, I figured those slave traders owed me after what they tried to do to me.”
“No argument from me on that, Harry. The job comes with room and board and all the food you can eat. I have a room in the back of the shop with facilities for washing up. You can use that as your room and if you want to help around the restaurant when you’re not busy handling security you can do that too.”
“What would I have to do for security?”
“Just take care of anyone who starts trouble in the restaurant. It doesn’t happen often but it does occasionally. You could handle them easily since you took down those three tough slave traders. You took their credits and all their weapons from them. If you can do that then you can handle any problems that happen in my restaurant. Plus, I will always have your back if you need it Harry.”
“Sounds good to me. When can I start?”
“Right now. You have nothing left in that alley so just come on with us and bring OP3C with you. If this works out well for the next two weeks then I will start paying you a little so you can make some credits.”
“Great!” thought Harry. Now he could buy some new clothes and get cleaned up. It will really be nice to have a room and a regular bed to sleep in.
Harry settled into his new room, which was far more spacious than his cupboard under the stairs. He also liked Joban and G4 much better than the Dursleys. After Harry was introduced to the other employees and they were told that Harry was the one in the alley, they understood now why Joban had hired a six year old for his security guard.
They also figured out that Joban wanted to get him off the streets and give him a decent place to sleep. They knew under that stern exterior was a kind heart since every single one of them had been helped one way or another by their boss. It also didn’t take them long to figure out that Harry was most likely force sensitive. They figured time would tell.
After all that was done, Harry took OP with him to buy some new clothes. They found a good shop quick enough since OP was familiar with the area. Harry ended up getting some clothes that made him fit in better, although the styles here were quite varied. He bought several sets and undergarments too. They also sold boots and shoes so Harry bought a couple of pair of nice fitting boots that were quite comfortable.
When done they headed back to Joban’s where Harry enjoyed a good shower to get him clean again and have the feel of fresh clothes to wear. Joban had told Harry to spend the first couple of days working with OP3C on learning Basic. He really needed to get that out of the way. After he could speak the language, Joban wanted Harry to go to school so he could get an education and not fall behind.
Harry agreed so spent the next two days with his new droid.
Harry ended up cleaning OP so he didn’t look so worn. When he was done, he was shining like a new droid. OP was tall, about six foot, and looked to be made out of solid silver, which shined quite beautifully when cleaned and polished. As it turned out OP was an excellent teacher but the first question Harry asked had nothing to do with learning Basic.
“OP, where am I?”
“You are in your room, Harry.”
“No, I mean what is this place? I believe that I somehow came here by accident and here is like another planet or something. On my planet, we only had people like me. My planet is called Earth. What planet am I on now?”
“Coruscant.”
“What is the name of this city?”
“Coruscant.”
“How big is Coruscant?”
“It covers the entire planet.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Harry. It is a city planet.”
“Are all the different people here from Coruscant?”
“No, most everyone here are from other planets.”
“So, they can travel from other planets?”
“Yes. They have ships that fly through space and can take people just about anywhere.”
“Wow!”
“Are you okay, Harry? This must be a bit of a shock.”
“It’s different but I like it. Anyway, I have nothing to go back to. My life was horrible back there and I was treated in the worse way you could imagine. If I had realized my power sooner, I could have made a difference but I didn’t.
“It was the realization of my power that brought me here and I much prefer it here by the way. My life is so much better than it was before and it just got even better when I bought you and moved in here.”
“I am pleased you are happy Harry. I will help you in any way that I can.”
“Okay, then. I guess it’s time I learned Basic.”
Over the next two days, Harry and OP hunkered down in his room and worked hard on Harry learning the new language. He only took time out for food and sleep.
Harry also spent some time working with his magic. He was wondering if he could use it in a more gentle way rather than just pushing or pulling hard. He wanted to see if he could move small objects around, setting them down gently. He worked on this while he was learning Basic to break up some of the monotony. After two days, he was able to lift OP gently and set him down gently.
This was not fun for OP until he realized he was safe with Harry moving him around. The kid was quite powerful.
Harry made sure he learned some phrases in Basic first so they would help him on his job. One of the first things he learned was “Leave or I will be forced to hurt you!” He also learned to say, “Settle down or you will answer to me.” Of course, this would all sound funny coming from Harry who was only six years old and not even as big as a normal six year old.
Two weeks later…
Harry was starting to get a better handle on Basic since he worked with OP some every day. Harry had only one encounter with a troublemaker so far. Joban had asked him politely to leave but he still stayed and became even more of a problem. Joban called in Harry and told him about the man and how he had been drinking too much. He then watched Harry with amusement.
Harry walked over and spoke to the man.
“Leave or I will be forced to hurt you!”
The big man took one look at Harry and burst out laughing. Harry had learned a little more Basic so he added more.
“I will give you only one more warning. If you do not leave then I will force you to leave.”
The man burst out laughing again.
“I warned you,” Harry said calmly.
The man continued to laugh until he was bodily picked up in the air and carried out the door. Only no one was touching him. He looked over and saw the little boy with his hand outstretched pointing at him. Harry set him down gently in the street.
“Now, stay out,” said Harry and he turned and walked back into the restaurant.
All the customers in the restaurant gave Harry a standing ovation when he walked back in. They were applauding him for the great job he did as Joban’s security guard and bouncer. Harry was embarrassed over the special attention so he quickly went into the back where he could hide his red face.
The troublemaker Harry put in the street sat there for a minute until he realized he had pretty much seen everything now.
“I should not have had that last Juma Juice.”
