Summary: The battle in the Department of Mysteries ends with Boy Who Lived plunging through the veil after his godfather. What happens when Harry comes into contact with an object of dark power in a galaxy far far away? Look out Star Wars Universe because Sith Harry is coming to make a splash (and annoy the hell out of the Jedi). Sith Harry. Grey Harry. (Harry x Ventress, ?, ?, ?).
Rating: M
Word Count: 50,840
Status: Ongoing
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14001622/1/The-True-Way-Of-The-Sith
Chapter 1: No Harm Ever Came From Walking Through A Door
The world was moving in slow motion. Spells were flying, people were screaming, and apparating, and dying. None of that mattered though. The only thing Harry could focus on was Sirius.
Sirius who had been fighting by his side.
Sirius who had taunted his foe instead of taking her seriously.
Sirius who had gotten hit by a curse of an unfamiliar color and fallen through the Veil of Death.
Sirius… who could still be alive!
The world was suddenly in focus and reeling as he stumbled and slid his way up the final steps to the Veil as fast as his grief numbed mind would let him. In the background he could just make out Ron fighting alongside Neville to pin down Bellatrix. Luna and Seamus attacking Dolohov, and Nymphadora fighting alongside Lupin.
He saw the moment Remus figured out what he was doing. His eyes grew wide and he lurched forward with his arm outstretched, as if to grab his surrogate nephew and hold him back. He didn't make it. At the last second Harry launched himself forward with all the strength of his legs and suddenly he was through.
He'd thought the cloth would have some sort of feeling, or that maybe he'd just end up on the other side of the arch. He was wrong on both counts.
There was no feeling, no texture, to the material that seemed to wrap around him and then release. One moment he was in the Ministry fighting for his friends and his life, and the next he was somewhere else.
Blearily he tried to make out any details that might show where he was, what had happened, or where Sirius had ended up. But his glasses had not made it through the gate. In fact it didn't seem like any of his clothes had.
It was as he was fumbling his hands around the floor that he finally found something. The object was small, sharp, and one of it's pointy ends knicked a small cut in the palm of his hand as a red glow lit up the floor.
Through the blur of his defective eyes the boy could just make out the shape of some kind of triangle before he heard something. A voice on the wind, calm and caressing. It sounded both as if it were the most seductive and inviting thing in the world. It was coming from the triangle and all it wanted was for him to pick it up.
So he did.
Immediately the world disappeared, to be replaced with a wide and barren field. The stars overhead seemed to be lit with crimson fire and Harry could hear a breeze that he did not feel.
He wasn't alone in this strange world. A woman stood before him. Tall, cowled, and arms crossed in an expression of arrogant power. Some sort of long metal cylinder was hooked to her waist. After a moment she raised a hand to lower her hood, revealing long blond hair and severe looking tattoos over her golden eyes. She was hauntingly beautiful.
"Greetings." Her voice was smooth as silk. "I am Darth Zannah, and you have entered my holocron." She tilted her head and a glimmer of slight confusion could be seen on her face. 'I wasn't aware any in this time knew of the old ways of blood connections, but nevertheless here we are."
Harry was more confused than at any other time in his life. "I'm sorry miss, but I have no idea what is happening here. Where am I? What is a holocron?"
Her head tilted the other way and a small smirk appeared on her face. "Could it be that you have awakened me from my slumber by accident? It does not matter as you are here now anyway."
Her arms fell to her side as one hand began to inch toward the cylinder at her waist. "Weather you be here intentionally or not is immaterial now. However by the constraints of the ritual I must explain what is about to happen to you. Are you ready?"
Harry was still confused but he nodded his head regardless.
The cylinder was in the woman's hand now. "What you bled on was a depository of ancient knowledge called a Sith Holocron. Into that holocron I placed all of my knowledge and experience so that future generations of Sith could learn from my life. Normally this is a one way experience, but by granting your blood to the exchange you opened a connection to my spirit in the living force."
She twitched a finger on the cylinder and red beams of light extended from both ends. "It is a technique used only for vast absorption of knowledge, and by using it you have also given me an opportunity. You see, if you defeat me in combat you will gain an instant absorption of of my knowledge, skills, power, and techniques. However, if I defeat you, I get your body and the ability to walk the physical world once more." Her eyes narrowed and her smile widened, showing several slightly pointed teeth.
The boy started backing up and waving his hands, "Wait, I don't want to fight you!"
She was smirking in anticipation as her twin blades of light started cutting the air around her with a light hum. "That is irrelevant. You made the connection, so the deal is done. Prepare yourself!"
She set herself to run at Harry; he set himself to dodge. But before anything could start between them a third voice sounded in the air, "This body is mine!" Harry's blood went cold. That voice sounded jut like Voldemort's!
All at once a wraith covered in smoke seemed to erupt out of his skull and struck the self named Darth, the two tumbled a short distance away, wrestling each other for supremacy. Her light blade had been dropped in the struggle and bolts of lightning seemed to be flying into the sky.
There were a lot of things that were unknown to Harry about his situation, but one thing had been made clear. If he didn't kill this woman then she would kill him, and then she'd possess his body. Call him territorial but he didn't like the idea of someone else riding around in his skin. Killing the wraith was a bonus, nothing good could appear that shitty.
With a burst of speed he didn't know he possessed, Harry ran forward, scooped up the light blade, swung around, and drove it down onto both of his potential possessors. The wraith screamed in pain and rage before dissolving into dirt stained particles that dissipated in the air.
Meanwhile Darth Zannah simply smiled as her flesh began to take on a greyish-blue tone. Then her body seemed to just slide across the blade as she stood back up on her feet.
Her smirk had turned into a warm smile. "Congratulations apprentice."
"Apprentice?" Harry was still holding the light blade against her neck but it didn't seem to be having any effect.
"Indeed. You have defeated me in combat, not directly, but that in of itself is much as a Sith should behave. Through victory you have gained all of my knowledge and experience. When you awaken from this world you will have it. But just having it is not the same as knowing when to use it. As such I have decided to remain by your side. The force has brought us together apprentice, and I am looking forward to seeing what you shall achieve with my instruction."
In spite of his previous experience with mortal single combat Harry was intrigued. The knowledge this woman seemed to be offering was astounding and incredibly enticing.
People that knew him would be shocked by this interest of course. It was true that he didn't often get good grades, but that had nothing to do with his love of knowledge. The problem came from his experiences as a child, when his Uncle Vernon would beat him with a belt for getting better test scores than his cousin. Obviously that trend didn't continue at Hogwarts but the experience had left scars deep enough to be remembered. So he didn't spend time studying for tests; instead he used that time to devour as many books in his own private corner of the school's library as he could. So this mysterious Darth offering him all of her knowledge seemed almost like a divine blessing!
He lowered the blade. "What must I do for this instruction?"
The now see-through woman raised her hood back over her head, her eyes glowing through the dark shadow on her face. "Kneel."
He did as instructed and then bowed his head.
"Repeat after me." The specter intoned.
He did as instructed, the words rolling off his tongue as if he'd known them for years. "Peace is a lie. There is only Passion. Through Passion, I gain Strength. Through Strength, I gain Power. Through Power, I gain Victory. Through Victory my chains are Broken. The Force shall free me."
"Rise, Darth Rache." Zannah spoke in a tone of reverence, "Welcome to the Sith my apprentice."
Harry made to rise from the floor and suddenly found himself back in the cave he had left. Only this time he could see! Something about the out of body experience he had had fixed his eyes! He looked down and the light blade was still in his hand. The blades had deactivated now and the metal was quite warm.
"I must say apprentice, your body is quite well defined for your age, and I love your scars."
The new Sith spun around and there was his new teacher in all her ghostly glory. He quickly moved to cover himself, but then thought against it. She had already gotten a look so hiding his bits now wouldn't change anything. He lowered his hands and took a more thorough look around.
He was amazed. What he had thought was a cave was actually a series of metal walls, tables, and wall mounted stations. A series of words popped into his head as he examined everything.
"The Victory," he murmured, "Theta-Class T-1 vessel, shuttle classification." He blinked. "Why do I know that?"
The ghost stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. He could not feel it yet the gesture was still comforting. "As I said, you have my memories now. You just need stimuli and training to access them. This ship, The Victory, used to be mine, and now it is yours. As is my lightsaber." She nodded to the cylinder in his hand. With my training you'll find it the deadliest weapon you'll ever own."
Harry was pondering this new development when he notices something else. Peeking behind a row of boxes on the other side of the room was what looked like a hand… a human hand! "Sirius!" The boy yelled as he ran to the older man's side. He was alive, but he looked terrible. He was naked as Harry was, his skin was clammy and cold, he was sweating profusely, his skin was turning green and red lines were beginning to spread out from his eyes and hands.
"What's wrong with him?" He desperately asked his new teacher.
She took a look at his multiple ailments and said, "I am not quite sure apprentice. I have seen similar ailments before, but never all at once. My best guess would be that he experienced temporal displacement and the journey altered his overall chemical makeup. As such his body is rebelling against the changes and rapidly degrading from the inside."
Starting to panic now, Harry asked, "Is there nothing I can do?"
The spirit sighed. "You need to focus apprentice. There is a technique in your memory called the Essence Transfer. With it you can transfer your friend's soul into another object. I would recommend a droid. That way he would have mobility as well as communication capability. We also don't have the time to grow a clone for such use."
Doing as he was told and focusing, Harry realized that he did indeed have the necessary knowledge. Jumping to his feet he set the lightsaber (he knew what to call it now) on the nearest table and ran to a tall compartment that he knew contained a personal bodyguard droid. He connected a series of cables to the wall to power it up and then ran back to Sirius. Once he'd dragged the man close enough to where he could put his hand on the droid as well, he closed his eyes and focused on every painful memory of his life. Then he moved on to his greatest moments of triumph, and finished with the moment he first realized how beautiful Hermione was. And once the emotional high of it all had crested over his tolerance threshold he snapped his eyes open and screamed.
Power exuded from every pore in his body as the lights around him began to flicker and short out. It went on and on until eventually the power drained away and the boy broke off his hold. Sweat was pouring off his skin, and the reflection he saw in the nearly mirror like shine of the floor confirmed that his eyes were currently a glowing gold color. In his conquered memories he knew this was a signifier of a Sith. A warrior that used the dark side of the force, but he did not care. His knowledge of the Sith had given him power, and if that power had saved his godfather's life then it had freed him as well. He thought he could relate rather well to the Sith creed.
"H-Harry" Sirius's voice spoke down to him with a mechanic wir. "What's going on? Where are we? Why are you on the floor?"
The apprentice looked up at the hulking metal giant and gave his first true smile since arriving in this strange new place. "It's a bit of a long story Sirius, but let's just start by saying we aren't in Kansas anymore."
One Hour Later
Sirius's robotic eyes were locked onto the specter of Darth Zannah… as were his wrist canons. "So you're an evil warlock then?"
Zannah sniffed in disdain. "That is a gross oversimplification. The Sith are not useless sorcerers. We are warriors, teachers, explorers and marauders. We settled star systems, brought learning, empire, and advanced medicine to trillions of citizens across the galaxy. True the Jedi called us evil because we allowed ourselves to actually feel our emotions, but those pricks have their own self worth and image shoved so far up their asses it's no wonder they can't stop spouting their creed of constant peace to the masses."
Harry was intrigued by this statement. "Isn't continued peace a good thing Master?"
The specter seemed to shiver for a moment. "I have always dreamed of an apprentice calling me that. In life I never had a worthy enough student. Regardless, to answer your question peace is good as a concept, but not for all time. Think about it, I'm guessing there was much fighting in your world's history?"
The boy and the machine nodded.
"And how many industrial and societal changes and improvements came about as a result of that fighting?"
The two were silent for several moments before Harry said, "you have a point."
Zannah huffed, "Of course I do. War and conflict breed growth and evolution, while peace breeds nothing but stagnation and complacency. Heed this fact carefully apprentice, for through conflict and combat you will find some of your own greatest moments of self discovery."
The boy thought back to his altercation with Quirrel, the fight against the basilisk, taking on one hundred dementors single handed, and finally taking on a mother-fucking dragon and Voldemort in the same year. Each event had impacted his psyche and changed him just slightly in a different way. He nodded to his teacher in understanding. Then something else occurred to him.
"Not that I'm not enjoying this stimulating conversation," he began, "But are there any clothes on this ship? And for that matter what should we do about Sirius body? I can't imagine watching it decompose will be a fun experience."
"You can place the body in the airlock and jettison it. Though I'd recommend taking a tissue sample first. It might take a few years to clone a new body but eventually your godfather might enjoy feeling the wind on his face again."
The robot's voice sounded hopeful, "You mean I can have a real body again?"
"Once a new one is grown Harry can use the same technique that saved you to move your essence into the clone." The Sith agreed, "Though as I said, it will take a few years to make one and we must first find a facility that will do it. It has been millennia since I have flown across the stars and I'm not currently sure where to look for one.
"Her eyes danced back to her apprentice, "And though I do so enjoy the view apprentice, I'll admit that clothing is a necessity. You'll find robes and armor in the next room down. The carbon vacuum and lack of air should have kept them in pristine condition."
Harry nodded and left to go explore. In the silence he left, the now robotic Sirius continued to glare at the ghost before him. "What is your game Darth? What do you want with Harry?"
She seemed to actually ponder her answer for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure." She finally said. "As a Sith, I of course would want my student to grow strong and eventually go on to dominate a kingdom of his own, but I can already tell that is not what he wants. No Harry desires the greatest freedom possible. To be free of all shackles and authority. That too is a welcome desire for a Sith. For that alone I would train him, but from the moment I felt him enter my holocron I have felt a connection between us building. The force itself has drawn us together and for now…. I simply want to see where that leads."
"Death must have been really boring for you eh?"
"By the force you have no idea!"
Satisfied for the moment with her answer Sirius chose to engage her in conversation about her history, and the history of this new galaxy he found himself in. When he finally did die he couldn't wait to tell James and Lily about the time he took their son on an interstellar road trip.
After a while the boy in question returned. He was wearing black robes and a hooded cloak with crimson highlights. The double bladed lightsaber of his master was clipped horizontally behind his waist. All of that paired with his new golden eyes caused him to cut quite the figure.
Then he ruined it by saying, "I'm not going to ask why you had so many sets of men's clothes back there Master, but should I be worried about sitting in any uncleaned bodily fluids while in this ship?"
Zannah burst out laughing while Sirius stared, his robotic lens incapable of blinking. He'd told a joke. His godson had actually told a joke! He was so proud.
"Do not worry about that apprentice." Zannah finally managed to get out. "Those clothes were my master's. We often traded ships depending on the need of the mission we were on. And as far as bodily fluids go… The only people I brought back to my ship were women, and we cleaned up after ourselves."
Now that the laugh had been had Harry walked further into the ship, still amazed at how familiar everything was to him. He knew these memories were not his own, but his fingers still closed around random objects and dials as if they'd always known the feeling. It was extraordinary, but not nearly so as the memory that was taking him into the cockpit… He remembered how to fly this thing.
Upon reaching the pilot's chair he flipped several switches, cranked a lever quickly to the left, and hard to the right, and suddenly the lights came on, the engines whined, and Harry's eyes shone.
The universe was open before him in an endless expanse of stars and planets. He could see so much, and with the Victory he could experience all of it. What man could ask for more?
"Well done Apprentice. All systems seem to be functioning within acceptable parameters for a voyage. Not bad for a vessel lying dormant all this time. The force was with you."
"Perhaps," Harry muttered before turning to his teacher fully. "I want to see the central systems, the outer rim, the outlying worlds. I want to experience it all."
Zannah chuckled. That is quite the request young one. But easily doable. Through continued use of the force and enough clones for an Essence Transfer you could live for hundreds of years. Where would you like to start?"
He thought for a moment as his fingers pulled up a starmap of the outlying systems. He finally settled on one. "Here. This is an outlying system so we can approach it from the backside and work our way into the inner systems from there. It looks beautiful."
The Sith examined her apprentice's choice. "Ah, Serenno. I remember that world." She smiled at the boy then, "An excellent choice apprentice. Though it will take two years to arrive. This ship has been floating in the unexplored regions for centuries after all. We'll use the time to train your body and mind to wield both my lightsaber and the force abilities you've inherited from your conquest." Her muted eyes glimmered in the blue light, "By the time we arrive you'll be a force of nature against any that would challenge you."
Sirius chose that moment to but in. "Not to put a damper on this moment, but you said this ship has been floating endlessly for centuries, is there any food on it? Harry needs to eat to survive after all."
The ghost just waved her hand casually. "There are several carbonite frozen meal packets that will last for at least half a year. As long as they are frozen they cannot expire." She addressed Harry directly then, "That, apprentice, is why I want you to search your memory before we begin and remember how to sustain your body with the force. Through this method you will be able to go weeks without food or water. It also serves as a good meditation technique."
The boy closed his eyes for a moment before nodding, a peaceful smile adorning his face. "I remember master."
Zannah nodded, "Good. Now chart a course to Serenno and then meet me in the cargo hold. Your training begins now."
TWO YEARS LATER
One Year Before The Start Of The Clone Wars
"Shuttle Class, Victory.." The voice on his comms came through with the usual static of interstellar communications, "You have entered the sovereign starspace of Serenno. State your purpose for visiting and declare any harmful cargo immediately."
The man staring through his viewport at the approaching planet and security ships was not the same one that had started this journey. He was taller now, by almost three inches. His hair had finally grown enough be placed in a manageable braid down his neck, and he'd put on at least twenty pounds of muscle. The robes and armor he currently wore fit him like a second skin.
His greatest growth however was in his understanding of magic. Through heavy meditation and experimentation he had discovered that the magic of his home world and the force were the same thing. Only expressed differently. This had led to the development of many new force abilities that the young Sith was eager to try out.
He pressed his microphone's transmission button. "Greetings. My purpose here is strictly recreational. I've heard of the beauty of your world and wanted to experience it for myself. The only potentially dangerous cargo I hold is my personal bodyguard droid. I hereby request a landing reservation."
"Copy, please hold your position." The voice intoned before clicking off the comm line. Harry knew what was happening now. They were running his ship's specs and name through all known star databases to see if it had ever been used for smuggling or piracy. They wouldn't find anything.
Sure enough, after a few minutes of silence he was hailed again, and given a number in the planet's surface landing order. With a smile he took direct control of his craft's flight and took her in for a landing.
To date flying was still his favorite activity, and with the razor precision of the Victory he was capable of completing his crazy maneuvers like never before. This time however he just safely landed the craft at the spaceport and left the cockpit.
He was met in the dining/meeting room by Sirius and Zannah.
Both were ready to go, and Zannah had assured him that no one would see her but him. Then she directed him to her hidden stash of credits and the three stepped off the lowering ramp to the bustling spaceport.
Harry's first stop was to pay for his ship's berth for the next twenty-four hours, and then he left the massive complex to explore the streets of this strange world with his godfather clomping around behind him.
As he walked down the busy main street of Serenno's capitol city Harry noticed several inconsistencies. The world was full of color, but this city's designers hadn't seemed to use any of it when building the place. Every building was sandstone grey and uniform. Additionally, there were futuristic machines, devices, and even holographic advertising signs, but the people were all dressed as if they were citizens of the renaissance era. He supposed he shouldn't judge since he was technically wearing robes in public, along with a fitted Mandalorian steel chest plate, shin guards and forearm protectors. He honestly looked like he was getting ready to go LARPing.
His meandering of his little group went on for several hours. He had nowhere in particular he wanted to go or be so he perused a grouping of trader stalls, investigated an open air market, and even shamed himself by walking through a lingerie store (Zannah wanted to see what the 'style' was these days).
All and all it was a fine afternoon and it was shaping into an equally fine evening when a group of eight men in bright colored livery approached the two of them.
"Sirius," he whispered, "I count eight ahead of us. Five more on the roofs. They all appear to be carrying melee weapons, get your canons ready in case this turns ugly."
The droid did not respond verbally, but Harry heard the low hum of his weapons charging up. Zannah just did her usual ghost thing and walked to the side. They were ready.
A man wearing a spotted red coat and a giant plumed feather on his hat stepped forward and addressed him. "Greetings good sir. It has come to the attention of our venerated governor, Count Dooku, that you have in your possession a Theta Class T-1 Shuttle. As a collector of rare spacecraft he has asked that you join us to his estate for dinner so that he might inquire after purchasing it from you."
A quick look around showed him exactly what kid of response saying no would get him. It wouldn't take him much effort at all to kill every man here and be on his way, but he was curious. He had never met a count before, and he wasn't exactly doing anything else.
"Lead on sir. My droid and I will follow." The arched eyebrow on the man's face showed that he had indeed been expecting a fight, but was willing to roll with the situation and carry on.
They led the trio of travelers down several new streets. Each more opulent than the last until they reached the gate of the tallest castle he'd ever seen. The place was bigger than Hogwarts.
By this point the other guards had dispersed leaving them with their leader. "The Count is expecting you. Just make your way down the path, enter through the front door, and a servant will be waiting to take you to him."
Before the man could take another step Harry waved his hand and he stopped. All movement, all breath, was stilled. The young Sith breathed in deeply with his nose, absorbing the scent of this stranger's fear. He used it to fuel his next command. "Tell me everything you know about Count Dooku." The man began to answer in a mad rush.
This was the difference between Harry and the cruel Sith of old. They might have terrified and tortured this man for sheer enjoyment. He did it because it served a purpose. In this case information.
In short order he knew that this Count Dooku had once been a Jedi, but had left for an unknown reason. That he had returned to claim his family seat here on Serenno where he immediately began ramping up production on the world's shipyards, and that he was once praised as the greatest duelist in the Jedi Order behind Master Yoda. Interesting facts, and interesting names. Harry was even more curious now, so he made the guard forget everything that had just transpired and proceeded into the ornate castle.
True to the instruction a servant did meet them at the door, and after leading them up several flights of stairs he knocked on a door as high as the vaulted ceiling and scurried off. Clearly the count liked the help to stay out of sight. Harry knew the feeling well. The Dursleys had liked him out of sight too.
Before entering the room he pulled his hood just over his brow so his eyes could glow out of the depths, placed his hand on the wood of the door and opened up his mind and senses to the feeling of the living force.
The world seemed to slow to the point that the boy could even see the tiniest mote of light as it drifted by the window. He was aware of every thing in this hall and the next room, which was how he knew that there was a young woman hiding in an alcove behind the throne-like chair that an aged man was currently sitting in as he waited for his guests, and unlike the old man she hadn't learned how to mask her feelings.
A wash of rage, misery, loneliness, and yearning impacted his mental defenses all at once, with a startling power that showed not only was she force sensitive, but that she had potential. The only answer to all of this information was that Count Dooku was training a Sith, and Harry knew for a fact that to train a Sith you needed to be one. This was one naughty former Jedi.
Without another word Harry pushed open the door and entered the room like he owned it. Dark power oozed out of every pore as he channeled his pain, rage, pride, and confidence into his aura.
From the look on his host's face, this image of power was not what he expected to see.
"I believe I received an invitation for dinner." Harry intoned as Sirius moved to a position on the side of the room.
Dooku stared for several moments without responding, and the young Sith just knew he was sizing him up and taking in everything about him that he could. He saw the moment that the man realized what he was. White eyebrows fought to keep from rising to his hairline, and white knuckles gripped the arms of his chair hard enough to make the wood creak. No Sith would appreciate another one in their domain. Even if he believed him someone too young to challenge him.
"Indeed." He finally managed to say in a strained tone of cordiality. "Please take a seat." He gestured to a seat a few places down from him, and as Harry moved to walk over to it Zannah interrupted his thoughts by moving to walk beside him.
"This upstart Sith is insulting you apprentice. He does not offer you the place of respect to his right, nor does he offer you the seat of an equal across from him. He is subtly stating that you are less than him." She glowered at the man though she knew his old eyes could not see her. "You seek true freedom. That cannot be achieved when those with power see you as weak. Show him what you are Darth Rache!"
Faster than thought Harry's hand shot up and Dooku found himself suspended in the air, his hands grabbing frantically at his throat as he tried to ease the pressure.
"Ah," Harry slowly moved his hand to the side to remove the older man from his path. As he took a seat in the formerly occupied head chair he felt the vestiges of power the older Sith was throwing against his control. "Impressive strength I must say, but the Sith of the present are nothing compared to those of old." He dropped his hand and splayed his fingers out flat. As a result Dooku found himself crushed spread eagled on the ground as several audible cracks announced breaks in his skeleton. To his credit, the man did not scream.
As the count's formerly clear eyes turned an angry orange Harry laughed. "Don't take this so personally Darth. To meet the needs of the present the Sith naturally turned their emphasis towards training cunning, deception, and manipulation in their apprentices so the difference between us makes sense. My master however, trained me as a sledgehammer able to wield an ironclad vice over my enemies." The chair creaked beneath him as he moved forward, "I think you're feeling that vice now. What is your name anyway? Not this Count nonsense, your real one."
He lifted his pinky finger an inch and the older man gasped out a breath of rage. "When I get out of this I will-" He was cut off as Harry dropped the finger again. A bit of mental pressure and the man's right leg cracked, eliciting a silent scream of pain.
He lifted the ringer once more and received an answer this time. "Tyrannus." Dooku huffed out the word, "My name is Darth Tyrannus."
"Tyrannus." Harry rolled the name around in his mind for a second. "Well it's nice to meet you. Funnily enough, I was under the impression that Sith only existed in two's in this time. Well whatever, I'm Darth Rache. Now what reason did you have to bring me here, and be careful. I'll know if you're lying."
The man seemed as if he was going to try anyway, but eventually spoke the truth. "You have a unique ship in your possession. I planned to either force you to surrender it to me, or kill you and take it anyway."
"Then you do really collect old ships. Well that's no matter, the Victory is mine and no one will ever take her from me." With a twitch of energy the younger Sith flew to his feet and walked close enough to place his hand on the older man's head. "Now let's see what is happening in this wrinkled old head of yours."
"Stop!" Dooku tried to halt the action, but he was too late. Using the mental manipulation techniques of his teacher, Harry was already inside the man's head.
At first he saw only flashes of emotion, then insights and lessons. Later came his time in the academy and the combat training from Master Yoda. With a subtle twitch of will that particular set of memories was saved for later perusal.
After that he sped through a multitude of missions and losses and self-revelations until the moment he met the Sith Master. This confused Harry. From his advanced age the young man had assumed that Dooku was the master and the young woman still hiding in that alcove was his apprentice. It seemed that he had been wrong. He absorbed everything he saw, memorized every face, and then he came to the plans for the upcoming war.
With a snarl he exited the man's mind and slapped him full across the face.
"You dare call yourself a Sith?" He seethed in rage. The lessons of Zannah stood stark in his mind, as did her reasons for war. Reasons he fully agreed with. "War is meant to advance your people, stake your claim to territory, and it is meant to move society forward. To provide Progress! You and your master want to take this galaxy backwards!"
A snap and a hiss were heard and then one end of the saber staff was lining the air parallel to Harry's body, and Dooku's head was rolling on the floor. In the aftermath of his own sudden attack he almost missed the gasp from behind him. He turned, and crawling out of her hidden alcove was a girl, perhaps his age. Her skin was a very light grey, she had wispy silver hair shaved to the scalp on the sides of her head and coming down at an angled bob over her piercing blue eyes, and light tattoos coming from the sides of her mouth to her chin. She was beautiful. And from a brief probe of the force he could tell that she had it in her to be powerful too.
As he started to approach her Zannah took the opportunity to speak to Sirius. "That was very clean. He handled his first kill well." She spoke with pride that turned into confusion at her partner's response.
"That wasn't his first. When he was eleven a teacher at his school attempted to kill him. When Harry defended himself, latent magic left by his mother struck out at the professor and turned him to ash." His head swiveled to glare at her, "Harry has been learning to deal with death since then, and from what he's told me about that time, no one ever gave him pointers. It's led to some strange coping techniques."
"This boy keeps getting more and more interesting." The Sith mused as she glided her way over to the confrontation that was about to happen.
Seeing as the girl had made no attempt to attack him yet, Harry decided to speak to her before going on the offensive. "I have seen that corpse's memories. You were not present in any detail. Why is that?"
She shrugged. "I had just arrived today. Dooku promised the matriarch of my order that he would train me in the ways of the dark side. It was my job to someday bring those lessons back to my sisters." Her voice was a smooth rasp in the air as her eyes looked angrily onto the corpse at the base of the long table. "I don't know what to do now. I can't return to my sisters a failure."
An idea began bobbing in Harry's head, but he wasn't sure if it was a good one. Zannah of course chose to make up his mind for him.
"It is alright apprentice. You are ready to take a student of your own." She whispered in his ear. He rather found it funny that she tried to do things the regular way when no one besides he and Sirius could see or hear her.
His decision made he turned the full force of his eyes onto the girl. "My name is Darth Rache. Lord of the Sith." He pointed at the corpse on the ground, "That is an example of my power. Would you like to learn it?"
She nodded eagerly and knelt before him.
"What is your name?" He asked.
"Ventress." Her voice was a sweet rasp now, "Asajj Ventress."
"Repeat after me…"
As before, the creed of the Sith was spoken. As before it seemed as if the words had a life of their own. And as before, a teacher gave their student a new name.
Harry placed a hand on her head and intoned, "Rise, Darth Jagerin."
She stood and he moved his hand from her head to her shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Welcome to the Sith, apprentice, and welcome to the crew of the Victory."
He flicked his hand and several blocks of wood in an unlit hearth spontaneously combusted before being thrown into the large curtains that dominated the window of the room. They instantly caught fire.
Catching on to what was intended the new apprentice latched onto her master's hand as he and his droid marched out of the room, into the hall, out the front door, and back into the street as the castle behind them burned. Forever concealing the evidence of his murder.
Eventually, as they were nearing the spaceport, Asajj managed to get a hold of herself enough to remove her hand from the man and walk beside him. Then she asked the most burning question she could think of, "Master? Where are we going?"
He smiled down at her in amusement. "Well my dear, I have now seen one of the outer planets, and I think I'd like to see one of the inners. We're going to Coruscant, and on the way we'll begin your training."
A cruel smirk alit on the alien woman's face. She was looking forward to that part.