Harry Potter, The Jedi That Would Not Die
Chapter 7 – The Council on Coruscant
As the group walked up the Procession Way and passed the huge statues and carvings of Jedi's past Aayla could not help but feel that is must be like it was for the Jedi back at Hogwarts for Harry and Hermione, the Jedi Temple was a nightmare to navigate despite the obviously uniform shape it possessed from the outside in contrast to Hogwarts non-uniform one. They were just lucky that at the moment they landed at the base of the ziggurat where the landing platforms for larger ships were rather than further away in the complex; otherwise they would have had to catch a speeder to take them the remaining distance.
As they continued to walk Harry and Hermione were busy studying everything they could as they passed, oblivious to the stares their unusual attire was getting from the rest of the inhabitants of the temple. The Jedi had gone through their wardrobes and had picked out what they thought would be considered the smartest things for them to wear which turned out to be their school attire minus the Hogwarts House badges which they removed as neither considered themselves students of Hogwarts any more.
Finally after walking through many long corridors they reached the High Council Tower in the corner of the Temple. The atrium of the tower was at its base where they were all currently sat waiting for them to be called up to see the Council, normally they would not have been seeing the High Council over a simple exploration mission but since they had found a large group of Force users the High Council wanted them to report to them as well.
The pair only started to get nervous as they sat and waited for their meeting with the Council, they had each been told about how the Council worked and other than the fact that they were to be judged by twelve complete strangers they were also aware that the twelve people currently on the floor immediately above them were the most well trained and powerful Force users in the galaxy.
But while the two Earthlings may have been nervous, that was nothing to how Aayla felt, she was completely terrified of the Councils reaction, after all she had promised Harry she did not honestly know what she would do if he were to be turned down now.
"They are ready to see us," Qui-Gon announced as if the words had just popped into his head, directing them all to the lift that would take them up the tall tower to the summit and the High Council Chamber.
"Just remember when we are in there to stay one step behind me and one and two steps to the right of me as we walk in and as we stand there. Don't speak unless spoken to and be respectful if you are and don't forget to and bow as we go in and leave."
"Relax Secura," smiled Qui-Gon completely calmly. "Everything will be fine."
"How can you be so calm?"
"Because I have seen the Council many times, they are just normal people like you and I."
"You've seen them many times because you love to disobey them Master," she countered.
"I believe firmly in the Living Force Secura, many members of the Council do not believe in it so strongly. And I feel obliged to point out that is exactly the sort of thing that the Council and I disagree on that caused us to have two extra passengers on the way back."
Aayla growled at losing the point under her breath.
"Everything that must happen will happen, fate is already laid out before us, we just have to accept it."
As he finished the doors opened to admit the group into the sunlit room that possessed the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy.
Aayla was acutely aware of Harry's and Hermione's reactions to the Council and of their every movement. She watched through the Force as they followed her just as instructed and then bowed and waited.
Harry and Hermione were doing their best to study the room without it being obvious what they were doing, as they entered they had a few seconds to observe the twelve inhabitants and were quite surprised to see that a third of their number appeared to be or closely resemble humans and most had basically the same body shape as they did with only different individual features.
On the whole the two young students found the humans to be more scary and intimidating than the non humans, it helped in a way that they found it harder to read some of the non humans expressions but two who were obviously human, both male, one with darker skin and no hair and another with white hair and a beard both looked rather stern, especially the former who they had been told beforehand was the Master of the Order and was second only to one of the smallest members of the Order who was the Grand Master and were the members they should address when not replying to a specific question from one of the others.
The training they had received thus far enabled them to shield their thoughts to a certain extend and enabled them at least not to broadcast them for the whole world to see as well as also allowing them to perceive that there was a high amount of mental communication going on in the temple, especially in this room and most of it they guessed was about them though they could not understand what was being said and would not dare to try and find out.
"Master Qui-Gon, Knight Secura, Padawan Kenobi, welcome back," began the Master of the Order.
"Thank you Master Windu," responded Qui-Gon.
"And welcome to Coruscant Harry Potter and Hermione Granger."
"Thank you Master Windu," they both replied.
Qui-Gon and the others have obviously taught them some of our ways, commented Mace.
It is only right replied Tyvokka. We would not go before the leaders of their world without knowing their customs either.
"We have reviewed the initial report you send ahead," continued Mace. "But we would like you to go over it in detail now please. Can you start by telling us more about the politics of Earth and how the two separate communities function and interact?"
This was not strictly necessary, the Council had got almost all it needed from the report, the request was to give them a chance to talk in private without having to send them away while the discussed things.
I sense much tension in them, observed Dooku. But it is not the same in each.
No, agreed Micah Giiett. The girl is related to her excitement at being here and her fear that we will send them away.
Yes, agreed Adi Gallia. From Master Qui-Gon's report it would seem that she is a very bright student who excels in academic subjects.
The boy is quite different though, observed Oppo Rancisis. His fear is related to his need to belong, his need to be needed. He needs a purpose.
From what the report said that is hardly surprising, commented Eeth Koth.
No it is not, but his emotions are nowhere near as stable as the girls, stated Dooku. He has a lot of fear in him, possibly too much for what Master Qui-Gon is obviously going to suggest once we get around to it.
"Thank you Master Qui-Gon," continued Mace. "We have no more questions on this matter, it is clear that the rest of the planet Earth's population is not ready for galactic contact, maybe in a century or so the possibility can be looked into again. Could you go on to explain in more detail how it is that the Magical community interact with the Force."
Considering what his life has been like up until now, surprising it is not, Yaddle resumed. Though very old to be entered into training, both are.
From what we have heard and from what Master Qui-Gon is now saying about Magic I would say they would not be starting from scratch, Micah added.
It does sound like an alternative version of Force manipulation, both more varied and adaptable but also not as powerful, Oppo contributed. Maybe similar to the Witches of Dathomir and similar Force users.
Yes, it does sound like a basic form of Force control, agreed Mace. The midi-chlorian counts of the majority of wizards while higher than the galactic average are still not as high as our own. So they have some ability to connect to the Force but not much. These wands they speak of must act as focuses allowing them to better channel the power that they can access. This lack of full Force access might explain why although their Force abilities are not as powerful as ours, they are much more varied as they have had to learn to do more with less.
It's probable that once they have been taught that they have to use a wand to access the Force that they never actually try to access the Force around them any other way, continued Eeth. Their lower midi-chlorian counts would make it much harder to do so anyway.
The spell that was described that rid the prison of its dark guards sounds much like our own Force Light which is impressive as that is a difficult ability to learn even for some masters, but that does not change the fact that they are FAR too old to be entered into training, Even Piell added forcefully.
Need I remind you Master Piell, interrupted Eeth. That I too came late to the Temple and if I have managed to achieve membership of this council before entering the autumn of my life it has obviously had no adverse affect on me.
You were ONE year late to starting your training Master Eeth, pointed out Even. They will be TEN years late. What jedi will want to take on padawans that have not had the discipline of a decade's worth of study and training?
Oh I think we know at least one, added Adi, mentally smiling as several of the members exchanged an amused look.
Yes, spoke Yoda for the first time. To the boy quite attached Knight Secura has become.
Though I doubt she realises how close or she would be able to see what is bound to happen when we reject him, added Mace.
See she does not, continued Yoda. But an important future, these two have.
The Force is clouded where they are concerned, agreed Mace. But I sense they will play an important part in things to come.
His midi-chlorian readings are quite remarkable, commented Dooku. Never in the recorded or spoken history of our Order has there been a count so high.
And there was us thinking Master Yoda's count would be the highest on record for many more centuries, joked Even.
Jest you do Master Piell, replied Yoda. Know as well as I, you do. A judge of power, any measure of size is not.
True, replied the one eyes Master with a grin. But I still think that despite their previous training and what they have picked up on their way to us that they should not be trained. We have seen in the past what happens when students beyond a certain age get trained.
Yes we have, and I sense darkness in the boy, agreed Dooku. It is not his core being but it is there, though he does not seem to be actively trying to suppress or access it...as if he does not even know it is there. It is almost like another presence trying to hide within him if such things were possible, it may be buried deep down but if he ever realises that it is there and if it rose to the surface, he could be very dangerous if he were to fall to the Dark Side.
I do not believe that would happen, Micah replied, Many of us have some darkness within us, it is part of being a Jedi to learn how to keep that part contained and controlled. Both of these two are reported as being firmly opposed to the dark forces on their home world and the amount of power the boy was able to channel to completely wipe out hundreds of dark being simultaneously whilst being mentally and physically exhausted demonstrates a strong will for fighting against the dark.
If he is able to wield that kind of power without training imagine what he could do with it, suggested Oppo.
It was almost certainly an emotional reaction caused by those he cares about being in trouble that caused that outlay of power, countered Dooku, trying to emphasize his point. And that sort of power being at the control of an emotional being is very dangerous.
I believe it is worth the risk, decided Mace.
Agree I do, confirmed Yoda, shortly followed by eight of the other members of the council.
Very well, nodded Dooku, steepling his fingers and being gracious in defeat.
It is decided, concluded Mace. By majority vote Potter will be trained.
Well, as it was inevitable that at least the boy will be trained we must now decide what to do about the girl, concluded Saesee Tiin.
She will be much easier for a jedi to train than the boy, contributed Eeth. Now that his argument against the training had been lost he didn't bother trying to fight the same battle again. She does not have the emotional weakness he has.
With his happiness, more concerned she is than for her own, observed Yaddle. Happy doing most anything as long as happy his is, she would he.
A very admirable trait, Adi complemented.
In one so young, rare it is, agreed Yoda. Though about her I suspect the same feelings he has.
If one were not to be trained it might cause problems for the other, observed Eeth. Though I think they might have feelings for each other beyond those of friends, though I suspect neither knows that the other feels for them.
That is something they will have to deal with as they train, interjected Adi. It's not uncommon for padawans to develop feelings for others during their training, it's something many of us have been through. Knight Secura herself I know is an object of desire for many of the padawans, it is something they will grow out of as they learn and mature as part of the Order.
Then she will need to be trained, agreed Micah, But how many jedi would willingly take on and be willing to train one so old who has very little training and a strong attachment to another.
There was mental silence in the room for several seconds before the only member who had been completely silent thus far spoke.
I shall.
The answer was so unexpected that several of the council members physically turned their heads to the one that spoke, causing Qui-Gon to pause slightly in what he was saying about the channelling of Force powers through use of wands and for Aayla and Obi-Wan to look at each other worriedly, the council were very rarely shocked, what had just been said to cause that reaction?
As your padawan you are volunteering to take her Master Trebor? asked Yoda.
Yes Master Yoda, replied Coleman Trebor. I have reviewed the information that was sent to us by Master Qui-Gon and she seems like me in many ways. She spends much time studying, she prefers to think and talk things over rather than fight and her ability to, how did Master Qui-Gon phrase it, 'soak information up like a sponge', could be very useful in the disputes I am often sent to resolve.
Forgive us if we sound surprised Master Trebor, apologised Adi. But I believe many of us thought that you would not take a padawan at all.
I have been thinking about if for some time now, admitted the Vurk master. But none of the current initiates have caught my attention, but this girl I believe is right for me.
Then decided it is, concluded Yoda.
I recommend we let them finish their reports before we tell them of our decision suggested Mace as they all turned their attention back to Master Qui-Gon who had gone on to explain how similar certain magical spells were to Jedi Force manipulation by comparing the patronus spell to the Jedi's Pillar of Light.
You just want to make them stew for a bit grinned Even.
Don't deny me one of the few bits of fun that comes with this job Mace replied. Besides, we are still going to have to force Knight Secura's hand; I doubt she will think of what we see as an obvious outcome until we do.
"Thank you Master Qui-Gon," continued Mace. "Hermione Granger, would you demonstrate how you use Magic for us, I believe it would benefit us to see you version of Force in action."
"Of course Master Windu," she nodded before looking around the something to use magic upon before coming to a conclusion. "Master Qui-Gon, may I borrow your lightsaber for a moment please."
"Of course young one," he nodded drawing his weapon and handing it to her. She then proceeded to place it on the ground in front of her before drawing her wand.
"Wingardium leviosa."
As she spoke the lightsaber started to float off of the ground and rose to chest height. She then proceeded to use her magic to move the lightsaber towards the master furthest around that side of the room so that it was floating just in front of him before directing it around the room, altering its height as she got to the taller and shorted members of the Council so that each could see the floating lightsaber close up. Once she finished the circle she floated it back to Qui-Gon who caught it out of the air and reattached it to his belt.
"Fascinating," spoke Adi.
"May I see your...'wand' I believe it is called," asked Mace, as if he had not had the previous conversation with the other masters. They often came to a conclusion about something then asked for it to be described by those giving the report so that they could hear if the conclusions were the same.
"Of course Master Windu," she nodded, but instead of walking over to him and handing it over she tied to Force levitate it to him which did not go too well as her wand rocketed out of her hand and would have impaled his head had he not raised a hand to halt its progress.
There was a collective gasp from the room at the unexpected excitement.
"I'm so sorry Master Windu," panicked Hermione. "I never intended- I thought I had learned to control-"
"Miss Granger," interrupted Mace, his powerful voice silencing her instantly. "I know you did not intend to do that, but Jedi do not use their Force powers just because they can."
"That would be my fault Master Windu," interrupted Knight Secura. "As we were trying to teach them a decade's worth of instruction in a few months I told them to practice whenever possible so as to get them more used to using the Force this way."
"Why would this method of using the Force be so difficult for them?" asked Micah as Mace picked the wand out of the air and began turning it over in his hands before passing it on to the next master.
"If I may Master Qui-Gon?" asked the girl who seemed to have recovered a bit from almost impaling the second most important Jedi in the galaxy. At his nod she continued.
"The wizards on our world almost always control and cast magic through use of focuses like wands, casting magic both silently or worse wandlessly is quite challenging, only a few wizards could do it and the more powerful the spell the harder it is to cast it."
That agrees with our conclusion mentally nodded Tyvokka.
"That might be due to the way you use the Force inside you rather than around you," proposed Adi. "You have a smaller Force pool to draw on than Jedi do."
"Something they are relearning," contributed Qui-Gon.
"It does not take am interrogation droid to work out what you are hinting at my old padawan," replied Dooku.
"They would both make powerful Jedi, Masters," he replied.
"Maybe so," countered Mace. "But they are well beyond the age when they should have started their training."
"You said so yourself Masters; magic and the Force are variations on the same thing," reasoned Qui-Gon. "Which means they are not without training."
"Maybe so, but they still do not possess the decade's worth of training any initiate would have had by this point," replied Even.
"If I might Masters," spoke Obi-Wan for the first time, earning raised eyebrows from many that one so young would speak without being spoken to in the High Council Chamber. After receiving the affirmative gesture from Windu he continued. "Their training might be different but it is not completely different to initiate training. In the few months we have to train them on the way here they both learned far faster than most initiates, including myself did. After a few weeks of training I was still struggling to lift an object, the fact that Hermione is able to throw one with such force proves that their magical training will help them catch up."
"Harry is a more than competent flyer," continued Secura. "As well as being a quick learner when it comes to using a lightsaber and Hermione is close behind him, though well ahead in the more academic subjects."
"On this subject, the three of you are already decided it seems," commented Yoda with a hint of amusement. "Who will train them the question remains."
"Few Jedi would be willing to train such inexperienced students?" asked Even, repeating his earlier question to the rest of the Council. "I personally can think of none?"
Everyone in the room was silent for a moment, all waiting for the inevitable to happen.
"I will train him," Secura spoke suddenly, causing many cries of finally or similar around the ring of masters and even one amongst those standing up.
"Are you sure Knight Secura," asked Mace. "You are only just a knight yourself and a young one at that."
"With respect Master Windu," she spoke, turning slightly before directing Harry to stand in front of her with her hands on his shoulders. "I may be young but there is nothing to say that I am not able to train him. What's more I know him better than any other Jedi, I was there during two of the most traumatic experiences of his life and I was the one who not only brought him here but promised that I would take care of him and that he would be trained."
"We could order you not to train him," Mace pointed out.
"Yes Master you could," she agreed, deliberately not saying else on that subject, indicating that either she would ignore such an order or she would find a way to train him regardless.
The Council exchanged looks, silently confirming that no one had any objections.
"Very well Knight Secura," nodded Mace.
"Your padawan, he is," agreed Yoda.
"That still leaves the question as to who will train Miss Granger," reminded Oppo.
"She is a quick study," complimented Qui-Gon. "She was known as the brightest in here year of students at their school of magic."
"That is not such an impressive boast Master Qui-Gon," pointed out Mace. "From what you have told us that would make her the first of around forty students. This planets population is over a trillion and the total amount of Jedi in the Order only number ten thousand, to be in the Order at all, all of us have beaten the odds of over one hundred million to one and that is not even counting the hundreds of worlds that form the rest of the Republic."
"I was merely pointing it out to illustrate that equipping her to become a Jedi Knight will not be as difficult as you imagine, Masters."
Mace and Qui-Gon exchanged stares for a moment before Master Yaddle ended the unspoken contest of wills.
"Fortunate it is, a master has been found."
Her statement drew the attention of those in the centre of the room.
"Master Yaddle, I was under the impression you were to be taking no more padawans."
"Her master, not I it will be," replied the small master.
"It will be me," replied Coleman standing and walking along to stand in front of his new padawan before kneeling down in front of her so they were at roughly the same height. "If she will have me that is?"
The room watched as the young student studied the unusual extended face of the Vurk master before seeming to realise that she was being waited on.
"I would be honoured...Master," she bowed earning a smile from her new master who went around to stand behind her as Aayla had with Harry and placed his three thick fingered hands on her shoulders.
"It is decided then, Padawan Potter shall be trained by Knight Secura and Padawan Granger will be trained by Master Trebor. Unfortunately we have other things to discuss before Padawan Granger can get to know her new master. Master Qui-Gon, would you and the others please escort her back to the atrium at the base of the tower where she can wait for her new master."
"Yes Master Windu."
"May the Force be with you."
With that they bowed and exited the room while Coleman returned to his seat.
"An interesting first padawan you have chosen Master Trebor," remarked Tyvokka.
"Indeed Master Tyvokka, it should make for an interesting apprenticeship."
AUTHORS NOTE: I would suggest to anyone reading this chapter who is looking at the names of the Jedi Masters and asking 'who on Coruscant are these people' that you whack their name into a search engine (possibly with the word wookieepedia before it) so you at least know what all the masters look like, especially Coleman Trebor as he will obviously be in it a bit more than most of the others. The first time each of them speaks I have included their full name to make this easier.
The first time I wrote this chapter I really enjoyed doing so as it all came very easily and I did not have to stop and think at all while writing it, it was only about three weeks after I wrote this that I realised that I have got it all wrong in that I had used the Jedi High Council members as they were during Phantom Menace, not when this is actually set over a decade earlier. Thusly I had to go back and research who was on the council at that time, some like Yoda were very easy as he had been on the council for hundreds of years, but people like Ki-Adi-Mundi and Plo Koon were not members yet so I had to replace them with their predecessors Tyvokka and Micah Giiett, that was fair enough. Then it got tricky because looking up who was on the 12 person council I managed to count 13 council members at the same time. The two people I had spare were Sifo-Dyas the creator of the Clone Army and Dooku (not a Count at this point, I suggest looking him up to understand why) which made for a difficult decision as to which to pick. In the end I went for Dooku as everyone knows who he is and he is more likely to play a bigger part later plus some of the lines that had originally been written for Depa Billaba (who I had as council member 12 before I realised my mistake) sounded right and quite ironic coming from Dooku when he started talking about falling to the dark side.
I also had to make another change to the Council layout and that is that I have had Coleman Trebor elevated to the council 17 years before he should as his predecessor (Yarael Proof) would die before I was ready for Hermione to lose her master and that would be an added plot complication I did not need. I also chose Coleman as her master as I wanted someone from canon whose personality was not really explored and that was very not human as I think it's not fair on all the non-humans if humans get all the air time.
One bit of advice for anyone trying to write Yoda or Yaddle (as she is the same species), I found the easiest way to write their speech pattern so that it sounded write is to write them normally then take the beginning of the line and then transfix it to the end in such a way that it makes sense.
For those of you wanting to make suggestions for how Voldemort will rear his ugly face again and how he will interact with Sidious, this week will probably the last week you will have the chance to do so as I have written up to the point where I had planned to attempt (though I am still not sure how) to bring him back. I have one idea of my own, others have suggested that Voldemort contacts and join forces with Palpatine either as an apprentice or that he possess him, others have suggested that he merges with the Dark Side during the sort of test that Luke Skywalker went through on Dagobah where he faced Vader/himself, so if you like these ideas or want to suggest your own say so now as I will be writing the chapter when whatever it is is likely to happen in the very near future.
Also any missions or tasks you would like to suggest for the Jedi feel free. I have trouble trying to think of filler chapters because you don't want the story to jump from action to action every chapter otherwise it progresses too fast.
Regarding Hermione knowing how to repair the droid when the crew member didn't, that does not necessarily mean that she was smarter than him, it just means she spotted the problem first. I am a computer tech and I have spent ages trying to fix problems in the past only for someone who knows less about computers than me to come along and point out the obvious problem that I have missed for the last thirty minutes.
Darksnider05, great minds think alike, I had a similar idea. I love the idea of someone shooting out their hyper drive engines, shouting 'we have them now' only for the ship to portkey itself away. Also hope my description of the Magic/Force relationship is explained the way you wanted it. As for the sanctuary ship, well I'm not going to give anything away but I have had similar ideas and I will say again that great minds think alike.