Harry Potter, The Jedi That Would Not Die
Chapter 10 – Mission the First
"Raise the end of your lightsaber Hermione, don't let him catch you with a high swing."
"You keep striking to the right first Harry, don't be so predictable."
"Just stick to doing the two parries, don't get ambitious and try for more, small steps first."
Harry and Hermione were in the middle of a Form VI lightsaber training session, this was the first time either had actually had a target other than a training drone.
It had taken both of them quite a while to get used to the unusual feel of a lightsaber; all the weight was in the handle, the blade was completely weightless but when it was being swung about or in contact with another object it encountered friction causing it to expert a drag and also despite the fact that it had no actual weight you had to swing it with force in order to penetrate an object, it was the most unusual combination of characteristics for a weapon.
It was already three months into their stay at the Temple and they were currently both using training lightsabers which were basically the same thing as normal lightsabers except in the fact that they were slightly lighter and they had a lot less power in them so even when at full power they could do little more than burn the skin unless held in place for several seconds.
It was clear from the duel that both were in need of a better level of fitness, it's not that they were in anyway unfit, Harry was a sportsman after all, but neither had the level of fitness required to be a Jedi and those few weeks in Azkaban barely moving on minimal food and water had done nothing for Harry's muscles.
"Ok, time for a change, attack at the at the clock positions we state, Hermione you follow my instructions, Harry you follow your masters, take a half step apart when each sequence finishes."
"Yes Master."
"Yes Master."
"Six, four, two."
"Two, two, four."
"Twelve, eleven, three."
"Twelve, four, five, two, nine."
"Ahh!" exclaimed Hermione as the last strike caught her off guard and caught her arm.
"Hermione," exclaimed Harry, dropping his lightsaber to his side. "Are you alright?"
"Ten, eleven, one," shouted Coleman quickly.
Hermione responded quickly and made the attack, this time catching Harry with his guard down so that her first stroke caught his shoulder.
"Stop," called Coleman. "Well done Hermione, you didn't let your injury distract you from your task."
"Harry, you need to stay on guard unless it is safe to do so. This is lightsaber training, these sort of injuries happens on a daily basis, and if we were in a real battle you would just have been cleaved in two by Hermione's stroke."
"Yes Master," he nodded embarrassed.
"Happens to most of us at least once Harry," smiled his master sending him an encouraging wink. "Just remember that as Jedi it takes more than a small injury like that to take us down and you must not let a companions injury distract you. You can't protect them if you get injured as well. Let us continue."
"Hermione, how did we end up in this situation?"
"Well believe it or not Harry, this is a fairly normal situation for most people our age. The only thing that is different it that instead of being dragged along by parents to meet their old school friends or colleagues for a boring evening of being told to behave and not to make a fuss about the food while they chat about boring things, instead we were dragged along by out masters as representatives of the Jedi Order, but the food is quite good as it's from the senate cooking staff and I'm actually quite enjoying it."
"Exactly what part of this are you enjoying?" he asked from their position in the corner of the large room that was filled with a myriad collection of species, most of whom were senators, senators aids, serving droids or similar. It was one of the senate's informal meetings to allow the representatives to socialise and get to know each other outside of official sessions. Currently they were standing in the corner of the large room, both had empty glasses in their hands and Harry at least was trying to make it look like they were engrossed in a conversation and did not want to be disturbed.
"All of it actually Harry," she replied bashfully. "I mean almost every person in this room is from a different planet, a different culture, many are different species as well, it's all just...just..."
"Like Hermione heaven," he joked, but the look on her face made it clear that it was true.
"At least we are not the centre of attention though Harry," she smiled, waving a serving droid over and taking tow glasses to replace theirs.
"That is one good think about it I suppose," he replied. It was at times like this he wished that his best friends master was not the poster boy or even poster Master of the Jedi Order. Unfortunately his master requested that they could join Coleman and Hermione so that Harry could start getting used to the senators, she was probably regretting that decision know. "But while you and your Master might be enjoying this, me and mine are not."
"What do you mean Harry?"
"Well if you look over at one o'clock you will see my Master standing patiently in front of a Twi'lek male that makes Vernon Dursley look small."
"That's Orn Free Taa," hissed Hermione in a chastising tone. "The Senator for Ryloth, the Twi'lek home world, he's one of the most powerful men in the Republic."
"Yes well, regardless of who he is, my Master is really not enjoying his attentions," he replied with a smirk.
"Really? She doesn't look like she's annoyed."
"Oh trust me, she is. She's just thought that if he tries to impress her by making another comment about his four overly large lekku once more she's going to cut one off."
"You're not supposed to read other people's minds Harry, especially not your Masters."
"I'm not, she's broadcasting down the link, I think she's hoping I'm going to tell you so you can get your Master to rescue her and prevent her from causing a major incident."
"Oh ok, I'll let him know."
About thirty seconds later Master Coleman wandered over with three human senators and liberated his Master.
You took your time Harry.
I was just enjoying the show
Couldn't you tell I needed rescuing.
Of course Master, but I wanted rescuing from having to attend this function yet you still brought me. You subjected me to this, I left you being subjected to that until I thought you might actually turn violent.
IfIhadknownyouhadsuchanevilstreakImighthavethoughttwicebeforeapprenticingyou, she joked
The feeling is mutual Master.
As the three approached the mental conversation ended.
"Harry, Hermione," greeted Coleman. "Allow me to introduce you to His Serene Highness Prince Antillies, Senator of the Alderaan Sector."
"Prince Antillies."
"Your Highness."
"Padawans."
"Prince Merrik, Senator of Kalevala and the Mandalore System,"
"Prince Merrik."
"Your Highness."
"Padawans."
"And Senator Palpatine of the Chommell sector."
"Senator."
"Senator," as Harry shook the last Senators hand he felt a chill run through him and a tingling in his scar, the like of which he had not experienced since Voldemort had touched him in the graveyard.
"Padawans."
"Together they represent probably the three most beautiful planets in the galaxy."
"I don't think any of us would disagree with that Master Coleman," smiled Palpatine, sharing a smile with his fellow senators. "I understand both of you have only recently come to the Jedi Temple?"
"That's correct Senator," replied Hermione. "Our planet has only discovered by the Jedi Exploration Corp in the far Unknown Regions a few months ago."
"What's your planet like young one?" asked Antillies.
"From what research I have done Senator it is quite like Senator Palpatine's planet of Naboo, or at least it would be if most of Earth were not covered in human settlements. Other than that we have very similar landscapes, mostly rainforests, plains and desserts, large oceans, I think the main differences are the fact that we have a molten rather than water core, that we only have one major sentient species rather than Naboo's two, though we do have several smaller populations of Near-Human and Humanoid Force Users, and that Naboo has a lower population density than Earth."
"For someone who has spent such a short time in the Republic, you seem to be quite good at remember quite detailed information Padawan."
"Hermione has always loved research Senator," smiled Harry. "Whereas some of us would play sports or just relax in our spare time, Hermione could almost always be found in the library of our school or with a book in her lap."
There was a ripple of amused smiles as Hermione blushed.
"She is proving to be a most attentive apprentice," smiled Master Coleman. "I started teaching her more detailed galactic history one afternoon, when we resumed the next morning she was telling me things about galactic history that even I didn't know."
"Most impressive," smiled Merrik. "I thought you knew everything there was to know about history Master Trebor."
"I try Senator, but I would be extremely arrogant if I were to claim I knew everything, that's one reason why I know that the next time my mediation skills are required she will be most helpful."
"I'm sure she will," smiled Antillies.
"Tell me Padawan Potter," asked Palpatine. "Is it true that you were a hero on your planet?"
"Well, yes and no Senator, it depends on who you ask," he replied.
"I would say yes Senator," continued Hermione, not willing to let Harry downplay his importance. "He was indirectly responsible for the defeat of a Dark Lord on our world as a young child and that made him famous, he also has a habit of finding himself thrown into dangerous situations that he always managed to escape from and this made some people idolise him, unfortunately this also made others angry or jealous at him like our government who after the last and greatest accidental heroic and life threatening situation he found himself in, that the Jedi who had come to Earth, myself and some friends aided him in resulted in him defeated the resurrected Dark Lord who tried to kill him as a child. After that event despite the fact that there were witnesses to prove what happened the corrupt government had him arrested and thrown into our worst prison for murder of the Dark Lord, who they called an unidentified wizard. The heavily fixed trial was a joke, where none of us were asked to speak and only those who supported the Dark Lord and were there to support him were asked to give evidence. Harry was tried and in prison before most of us even knew he was gone."
"That's despicable!" interrupted Antillies. "How can any government justify that. What was the public reaction to it?"
"The government used the media to try to turn us against Harry, but I know around the school at least it was not very successful. Those that know Harry knew he was not capable of what he was being accused of. Even his worst enemies at school did not believe it."
"What? Malfoy didn't believe it?" asked Harry in shock, this was not something they had talked about.
"No, it probably helped that his father was one of those that gave evidence against you but neither he nor Snape mentioned believed it in fact that latter was quite vocal about it."
"Well, that was unexpected," commented a shocked Harry.
"It was only a few weeks after that that I formulated a plan to get Harry out and effectively blackmailed the Jedi into helping us."
"How did you manage to blackmail three Jedi?" asked Merrik.
"She basically said," explained Aayla. "That either we help her and it might work or we didn't and she would try to do it anyway and definitely fail and then both she and Harry would the spend the rest of their lives in the torture of that prison."
"Was the prison really that bad?" asked Palpatine.
"That place makes Korriban look like a holiday destination," replied Aayla, shuddering at the memory. "Just in the minutes that we were in the place rescuing Harry I had had much more of that horrific feeling that permeated the air than I ever want to experience in the rest of my life."
"How can anyone subject a child to that?" asked Antillies in shock.
"Our government did not really care about that," explained Hermione. "They just wanted Harry out of the way so that their powerful and evil friends could remain free and continue to fill their pockets, especially our Minister's."
"As a result I don't have much of a liking for politicians," commented Harry, before hastily adding. "No offence."
"None taken young Padawan," replied Palpatine. "Given what you have just told us I am not surprised you feel that way."
"If you will excuse us Master Jedi, I need to speak to the other Senator's about the culture exchange agreement we have been setting up," asked Antillies.
"Of course Senators," replied Coleman as the trio departed.
"I doubt that cultural exchange will take place any time soon," commented Hermione, causing all but her master to turn to her. "There is a civil war raging there at the moment between the True Mandalorians and the Death Watch."
"What's the fighting about?" asked Harry.
"The True Mandalorians believe that Mandalorians should be honourable mercenaries," explained Coleman. "Whereas the Death Watch wanted them to return to the traditional ways of being brigands and pirates."
"I know which I would prefer," Aayla commented.
"What we would all prefer Secura," nodded Coleman.
"Come on you two, faster."
"Damn," panted Harry. "I never would have thought that my Master was such a slave driver."
"I heard that Padawan, that will be three more laps at double speed once you have finished those twenty."
Harry groaned, that would teach him for forgetting how good his master's ears were. He tried to accelerate his pace but realised that would not really help him that much on those extra three laps.
"Come on Harry, you can go faster than that," chased Aayla. "Just because Hermione is running slower than you does not mean you have to run slower to allow her to keep up, move faster."
Groaning again he reluctantly accelerated away from Hermione as he finished the running section of the course and approached the first obstacle again and prepared to crawl under it. The pair were both currently running the fitness course that made up part of the Temple and as their fitness was not yet up to scratch they were running it quite a lot, every morning in fact. At the moment Hermione's Master was at a meeting of the High Council so Aayla had volunteered to oversee her running of the obstacle course at the same time as Harry's. There were usually several initiates and padawans on the obstacle course at the same time and both of the young apprentices had been finding it quite humiliating that they were being lapped by kids several years younger than them, thankfully in the few weeks they had been in training, their physical fitness had been a priority and they were both rapidly improving. Unfortunately that did not stop their Masters pushing them harder and as they were unlikely to stop until Coleman was done and the High Council rarely decided anything quickly they were likely to do at least another hours exercise.
"Hermione, why have you stopped, you are still two laps behind Harry and he's not finished his initial twenty laps yet."
"My Master just contacted me Knight Secura," panted Hermione. "We are to meet him in the High Council Chamber in fifteen minutes."
"Alright you two, get back to our quarters quickly and get cleaned up, we don't want to keep the Council waiting."
Two very quick showers later and after the use of some cleaning and drying charms the three arrived at the High Council chambers and were admitted as soon as they arrived.
"Knight Secura, Padawans Potter and Granger, good you have arrived," spoke Master Windu.
"You wished to see us Masters?" asked Secura.
"Yes, Knight Secura. We have a mission for yourselves and Master Trebor. We need you to go to Mandalore and oversee the ships transporting Senators Palpatine and Antillies back to their respective home worlds."
"The three senators are meeting up on Mandalore to discuss cultural exchange they are arranging between the three planets," explained Master Adi. "The problem is that the True Mandalorians and the Death Watch do not like what the New Mandalorians are calling the planets culture and there have been indications that attempts may be made on the senator's lives in order to stop the cultural exchange taking place."
"I have requested this mission for us," explained Master Coleman. "As they are not due to leave Mandalore for at least another couple of weeks and to allow our Padawans to prepare themselves for their first assignment, the additional time will allow us a chance to make a detour to Ilum."
Both the padawans eyes lit up at this, there was only one reason any Jedi ever went to Ilum and that was to get crystals for when they built their own lightsabers.
"Yes, I thought that would meet with our Padawans approval," smiled Coleman. "We leave first thing tomorrow morning. I suggest you both go to the Quartermaster and ask for any lightsaber parts you don't already have for constructing your own, though knowing my Padawan it would not surprise me if she had already designed hers and had already assembled most of the parts."
A blushing Hermione gave a slight shrug.
"I might have made a couple of prototypes."
AUTHOR'S ESSAY: Hello all, the main question after the last chapter revolved around whether Harry would know that Voldemort was in his mind and if his defences would tell him. Well in this case my answer if going to be no, Voldemort was in his mind before the defences went up and followed him into the deepest parts of him mind so he would have felt no presence breaking in and no forced entry of any kind. We know Harry's mind does have alert systems like the ones that sounded the claxon when Aayla appeared in the cells he just forgot to build any further into his mind and although Harry was clever enough to construct such detailed defences he cannot think of everything, in this case he forgot to include a way for his active defences to contact him to warn him of an intruder.
No really action in this one, this chapter was really just to set things up for the next few chapters like introducing the Senators, the lightsaber construction and a little bit on the pairs training. I know it's a little bit early for the pair to be building lightsabers but as they started their training late I imagine they would be on their own custom training scheduled.
Will Harry be super? Maybe, he's not going to be all powerful but I would not have given him the midi-chlorian count I did if I was not going to give him some power to play with.
If I were to make the pair into animagus, what animals would you like to see, especially if they are not from Earth, the more interesting the better. I have several ideas of my own, but I would like to know what you have in mind?