Chapter 32: Time Moves On And The Child Of An Old Friend

Star Wars + Harry Potter Crossover

Chapter 32: Time Moves On And The Child Of An Old Friend

A/N: With a pregnant wife and a string of illnesses this chapter has taken longer than expected but this story is almost done. Still I have learned my lesson and I will fully write out my next story before posting...

32 BBY

3,621 ATC

Tatooine

Qui-gon Jinn was too old and too philosophically minded to deal with this new threat or at least that was what he told himself as he watched his exuberant and youthful Padawan putter about the ship and soothe the startled and fearful minds of its passengers especially that of the young Anakin Skywalker.

The Sith had returned with this tattooed assassin and he had done his duty and informed the Council though it was with a shadow on his heart.

He had wanted to shake his head a their folly as they were first cautious and then outright dismissive of his warning of a Sith preferring instead to believe that it was simply a well trained Dark Jedi or (more accurately) someone who had been trained as such. They could not conceive of their ancient enemy returning, not really, not yet.

Then again, he thought wryly, the Jedi are not what they once were.

That was not to say that the Jedi were bad or malicious in any way. They still helped as much and as often as they could and he chided himself mentally for even thinking that but they used to be so much more than they had become.

However the golden days of the Jedi were long gone. The days of the Shan family gently guiding the Order and the Republic, the redemption of Revan and even the Army of Light were long gone. They had become legends, whispered stories and fanciful tales rather than the lessons that they were supposed to be.

Worse the majority of the Jedi, including the Grandmaster himself, not only (rather blindingly in his opinion) refused to see the stagnation at all and instead insisted that the Jedi were now stronger than they ever were.

Sitting in his personal sleeping quarters on his bed he thought about that and he knew that he was unable now (and would likely never be able) to get them to see it and part of the reason for that was he honestly had no idea when the decline started or what had caused it to speed up in the last few centuries.

He had no idea where the Jedi had gone wrong. There were just too many possibilities in his mind. It could have been the Senate's corruption, the adoption of the simpler code, the many minor wars and resulting loss of knowledge, the fact that the Sith had (until this moment) disappeared or it could have been something that he was completely unaware of.

While he was lost in his depressing thoughts his hands, unconsciously and restlessly, caressed the small circular object that he held in his palm almost as if he was trying to decide whether it (and the mess of trouble it might contain) was worth the fallout that it would likely cause.

When he noticed what he was doing he was honest enough with himself that he had already decided what he was going to do and accept it.

Unknown to any Jedi living, save perhaps Grandmaster Yoda himself, this small metallic object was very very old and it all related back to his own personal history which was both very well known and as it happened very wrong.

True he was the former Padawan of Master Dooku and it was also true that under the man he became a Jedi in full but what was not widely known was that Master Dooku wasn't his first master but rather his second.

That may have been why their relationship had started off so...impersonal…but perhaps, he reflected, it was always going to be that way.

He still had good memories of the one beautiful year that he had been the Padawan of Jedi Master Fornan and, unlike his cold and formal relationship with Dooku, he had truly bonded with his first teacher.

It was only when the man had lay dying from a poorly maintained reactor explosion on the Outer Rim that Fornan had passed on the disk that he currently held and told him of its history although most of it was relayed through a holographic data crystal that had come with the disk.

It told of a friendship lost in blood, lies, political maneuvering and death. It was unreservedly critical of Grandmaster Coven and of Jedi Master Yoda (as he was then) to name but a few.

The hologram, of famed Jedi Knight Arstonia, spoke of the Traditionalists and the Progressives including a comprehensive list of both their strengths and weaknesses while clearly trying to refrain from giving in to any bias for one side or the other.

In fact the speaker went out of their way to be as dispassionate about the whole affair as they could possibly be and to not comment about which ideological path was the better way despite eventually becoming a Progressive herself.

More than anything else though the disk spoke of the charismatic and handsome Jedi Lord and why he had both left the Jedi as well as the disk behind with her. Qui-gon himself was the last in a long line to be gifted with it but circumstance, perhaps the will of the Force itself, had caused his master to pass it on far earlier than custom dictated.

Arstonia Evon was a legend in her own right, even more so than almost any other Jedi of that time period except William Potter, and one of the things that that made her so was her blunt and honest way of speaking.

That was why he believed every single word that the Hologram had spoken. Sadly given the nature of the somewhat recent shift to the Dark Side that the Force had taken he thought that the truth that she spoke and the secret that his line of Jedi had kept was better buried for now.

Fear and suspicion were far too common in these days especially concerning such ambiguous historical figures. Some historians distrusted that first generation of simplified Jedi while others, in their philosophically detached way, argued that it was possible (but unlikely) that she and William Potter were the last known pinnace of the Jedi Order.

Sadly they were an extreme minority as well as ignored by almost all and with tensions growing especially in the Outer Rim all such discussions had been discarded in the pursuit of peace.

So for years Qui-gon had never spoken of it and though he believed that the 'Progressives' had weakened the Jedi and that everything that the Hologram said was true he simply did not have enough proof of its authenticity for the suspicious Council. Besides, even if they believed him, that did not necessarily make his suppositions true and the debate over that would be far less certain to come out in his favour.

He had therefore buried the disk in his personal belongings and tried to forget about it. There was an old adage...every single question that is answered produces more questions. Over time his questions grew even if he didn't want them to.

Added to that, as times got more and more unsettled and the corruption of the Senate more obvious, he found that whenever he left the relative safety of the Temple that he kept it on his person or in his bags (like most of the Jedi before him) just in case it was needed.

With a steely look and a frown he tried to banish his thoughts. He then proceeded to press the half concealed button on the back of the disk and watched fascinated as runes that had been hidden for centuries burst into glowing life around the disk.

The Sith had returned, he thought, and they are hunting me. Now is the time.

Thoughts of the Sith lead him to remember the duel on the sand that they had only just barely escaped and he hoped that help would come soon.

As he watched he couldn't help but notice that the runes had not only begun spinning but that they appeared similar to the few examples of those that they had seen on Commonwealth technology which led him to muse on the idea that they really had no idea how many there truly were or how old that language was especially if they could be hidden for so long.

Soon enough the glowing runes slowed settling into a particular pattern and then somehow morphed into a flowing script that he could read before his very eyes.

Aid is on its way. Keep this on you. Aid is on its way.

Qui-gon sighed softly hoping that whatever aid came would be enough.

-LAFA-

Coruscant

At the same time that the disk was pressed Mace Windu was in the training room, still tinkering with his fairly new lightsaber form of Vaapad. As he moved from one swipe to another his footwork was superb and his every movement fluid showcasing one of the many reasons why he had recently been granted a seat on the Jedi High Council.

He had also, for doing something that no Jedi had done in living memory, been granted the title of Jedi Weaponmaster.

It had taken him time to come to grips with both his new limbs (covered in synth skin of course) and using the Force through such impediments but he had managed and had arguably become both stronger and wiser for it.

Ionize alluded his skillset now of course but, aside from that, he had at least as much power as he used to have. Added to that he now knew every small movement of his body intimately and now knew how to control it better than almost any Jedi alive.

And as a byproduct of all of this he had managed to master all seven known lightsaber forms further justifying his new title as Weaponmaster.

Still the fight with the Silver Prince haunted him every now and again. No matter how powerful or skilled he had become he knew that he was miles and miles behind the skill that Potter had so negligently shown.

Of course the position of a Jedi, let alone a Jedi Master on the High Council, was not awarded due to combat skill alone (it wasn't even a necessary requirement) but rather to how he recovered and then handled himself after his injury.

Mace had thrown himself into improving his skills. It wasn't for revenge but rather taking to heart the rather bitter lesson that there was always someone better. That he had managed to let go of any ill feeling and instead dived into his duties with a renewed passion was more than noted as it was seen as a true mark of the man he was becoming.

He threw himself into diplomatic duties, meditation and teaching with a passion that far outstripped the level of dedication he had shown before and had even managed to impress Yoda with the strength of his zeal. He had impressed even more when he had, somehow, found time to train a padawan alongside all of his intense study.

To be fair he had been training her before he began to refocus his life after his injury but she hadn't managed to accompany him as Billaba had been sent on her own mission. The separation of Padawan and Master for short periods was not common but, given the nature of their work, was sometimes necessary.

He was proud of her though as she had managed to join the High Council herself less than a year before.

As he turned off his lightsaber, placing it gently on a small side table in the sparring room, he began to towel off his sweaty face while masking a spike of irritation as he saw one of the last people that he wished to see moving towards him with her customary purposeful stride.

As one star rises another falls. That thought whispered in his mind even as he studied that hard and unforgiving face of Master Kara Durvan. Still, his thoughts continued, that is hardly my fault as she would likely still have my place on the High Council if it wasn't for her unorthodox and hostile views.

The years had not been kind to the once handsome woman. Although never classically beautiful her striking face was now marred by frown lines and her features seemed almost eternally cast in a strong and unforgiving scowl.

Her harsh eyes, which he once remembered shining at him with concern and caring, were now pitiless and missed nothing. It was as if time had worn away all of her warmth and left nothing but cold hard steel underneath.

"Master Windu" to his ears even her voice had changed, becoming as dry and aridly cracked as a harsh desert, there was even a low note of danger in it. "The High Council is well I trust?"

"They are" he answered with clear warning in his voice "as you would know if you would return to the duties of a Jedi".

"I am doing the work of a Jedi" she responded calmly. "It is our paramount duty regardless of any other mandate to seek out and stop any resurgence of the Sith in the galaxy".

Mace stared at her for a moment in silent contemplation before (and perhaps taking comfort in the calmness of her tone) deciding to broach the subject that had seemingly both consumed her as well as, in his opinion, led her to being relieved of her temporary seat on the High Council.

"This obsession of yours has become unhealthy and I fear dangerous for you. Take the advice of an old friend...let it go".

"Let it go?" she said and only as she said those words did Mace realise that he had erred in thinking that she was calm. "The Sith have returned and you want me to ignore my highest duty and let it go!" she all but screamed.

"Calm yourself" Mace's voice was like cold ice against the fire of the near rage in her voice. To her credit she did look chastised, if only for a moment, at her own emotional outburst. "This… display….is neither becoming of a Jedi nor is it helping your argument".

"Will you at least listen to my argument?" she asked in an almost pleading tone of voice.

"Very well" Windu answered even as he held back a sigh "but I warn you I am more than a little skeptical. Hubris it may be but I do not believe that the Sith could have returned without the Jedi knowing about it even with what Qui-gon has seen...it is much more likely his enemy was a dabbler...an experienced one but a dabbler nonetheless".

"I am not talking about some half educated assassin in the desert" she replied with a cold intensity "I am talking about this".

With that she reached into her high quality but rather tattered robe and pulled out a small holo-projector that, with a flick of her thumb, blazed into life.

The structure that was formed above it was immediately recognisable not least because its architecture was unlike any building that surrounded it on the Republic's capital. The fact that it had strange symbols, called runes, pressed into its makeup and predominantly on its main archway with (it had to be assumed) many more hidden inside as well as out.

It was also made of the almost vanishingly rare (inside the Republic's borders anyway) New Atlantis steel sheathed in phrik. The fact that the particular combination of metals was artistically stylised in no way took away from the rarity and versatility of its construction.

It could have been confused as a cathedral at a distance if the viewer overlooked the fact that it was also clearly heavily fortified.

It was the newest Chapterhouse of the Knights of the Silver and it was standing tall and proud on Coruscant.

"How does the Chapterhouse and the de facto embassy of a foreign power relate to the Dark Side?" Windu asked.

"It relates when the leader of the Commonwealth is a Sith Lord" she stated with iron purpose.

"There is not even the slightest shred of proof to support your assumption. If anything the construction of the Chapterhouse highlights the problems within the Republic. As well you know the rumblings of discontent in certain sectors prompted the Senate to renegotiate the deal they had with the Commonwealth".

"And that required us to give them an embassy?"

"The Senate asked for an extra ten percent on all goods traded by the Commonwealth, in part as a stockpile against future trouble within our own borders, and didn't have the money in their budget to pay for it without cutting the economy to the bone. This was the compromise." His reply was just as hard as her own.

"Proof?" She asked with scorn and neatly ignoring his point. "Just look at what has happened since William Potter entered the Temple, since his family introduced us to Cadi as it was then known, and tell me that's not proof. The Great Financial Collapse, the defamation of the Jedi Order not once but many times, the formation of these so called Knights and even the dark shroud that fell over the Force ten years ago".

"You are attributing blame for events that the Commonwealth had no clear part of and are doing so motivated less I think for the Republic but rather your own personal dislike. Do not bend history to suit your narrative" he warned.

"Is that what I am doing? Is it merely coincidence that all of these events happened after the arrival of the first Potter to the galactic stage?"

"Perhaps…. Perhaps not. All you can suppose from your line of thinking with any certainty is that there could be a reaction to the emergence of the Commonwealth as a factor in some of those events and that is hardly a true indictment of the Potters. Besides the Republic is, at present, beholden to the Commonwealth in many ways...such accusations must be carefully considered".

"And no measure to stop trade with them has been proposed" she cried latching on to the downside easily enough for her argument. " Over 70% of our blaster gas is now bought in trade from them. Does the fact that they have that much free to sell not worry anyone at all? We had enough trouble with the last bad deal that was entered into with the Commonwealth and I shudder to think what will happen when this one goes bad".

"The contracts have been meticulously poured over by our finest legal minds and steps against economic problems have been taken. If another collapse was to happen the Republic even has stockpiles that should last until they have found their own supply from fresh mines" Windu stated.

"How can you defend them after what they took from you?" Kara replied switching her tack to a more personal argument. "I thought that of all people you would understand my point of view".

"What do you want me to do exactly?" Windu asked exasperated with the conversation.

"Present my argument before the Council again...maybe coming from you it will have more effect. Things have changed anyway as with the shroud over the Force our ability to sense the future has been...damaged. Day by day it becomes much harder to see or to direct in any way. Faced with that uncertainty we must not only stand united but realise that we can not have an uncertain power at our doorstep".

"Is that your idea or Senator Palpatine's?" Windu questioned.

"It is no secret that we talk. I find his views helpful and he clearly cares about the Republic but..I think we can all agree that the quickest way of destroying the shroud is to eliminate or strip the Force from the Sith that made it".

"And you believe that it is Potter?" he asked even and she nodded quickly. "So you would do to him what his ancestors did to yours?"

"I'll freely admit to a sense of poetic justice in it if that's what you mean. Surely you have seen the other side of the Commonwealth's generosity and know where it must lead surely…"

"What I have learned" interrupted Windu "are the dangers of hubris as well as acting before thinking things through to their conclusion. That is why, even though I do not personally believe that the Sith have returned, I will be watchful but I will not help you".

His voice, which was full of calm compassion, was pitched to soothe but instead it seemed to send her into an anger that was approaching true rage.

"Then you have learned nothing" she spat. "Do you really think that the Commonwealth will be easy to control when they show their true colours at last? The time to easily deal with them has long passed and truthfully it only existed back when either William Potter first left the Jedi or when Cadi was struck from the records".

"I am afraid" began Windu "that I don't see your point".

"The point is that there are now over 400,000 worlds in the Commonwealth. The Jedi alone cannot stop the nation but we must stop the leaders who are Sith. We must stop both Harry and Luna Potter from corrupting more generations as they turn them to the Dark Side of the Force".

Windu slowly looked down at his mechanical hands and then past them to his feet as he carefully considered his reply.

"You know… it took much more skill for Harry Potter to disarm me and remove both my arms and my legs rather than simply kill me. On top of that the remaining Silver Knights could have easily killed Squire Kinning but they instead only took his arm. I believe that it was not only intentional but has led, however indirectly, towards my elevation to the Council and to Kinnings rank of Knight. To me these are not the actions of someone drunk on power or a Sith".

He then looked directly into her eyes with steel in his gaze "My answer is still no".

"Then you are twice the fool that I thought you were. I may not have allies amongst the Jedi yet but I will. How many worlds on the Outer Rim are practically abandoned due to the amount of people leaving for the Commonwealth? How many more have to leave before our borders are forced to shrink? They are the rising power and I will, no matter what, protect both the Jedi and the Republic from their own folly".

A gobsmacked Windu watched her leave angrily before deciding to report the entire disturbing conversation.

Durvan, for her part, was off to speak to the one person who would still listen to her and could give her reasonable advice. He was the only person who showed her deep understanding and not only actually cared but was also the only true friend that she had left.

Senator Palpatine.

-LAFA-

The Commonwealth, not being the Republic or the Jedi, had a much better understanding of the reasons behind the problems that beset their nearest neighbour at the moment. As they were not currently the cause of those problems (or at least not the most pertinent ones) it was still difficult for them in other ways.

Though they knew that the Sith Order was responsible they had centuries of experience in covering their tracks, though they did have several units of Knights and intelligence agents hunting down every rumour and gap of information that they could find.

After all some things could be reconstructed from the hole they left in the information net if nothing else.

The Chapterhouse on Coruscant was there not so much to foster good relations (though it did) but to gain more information. That was why it just so happened to be right beside the Senate building.

Despite the fact that they had many people on the problem the Commonwealth still had no idea who the Sith actually where though both Harry and Nic had their guesses. It was not really surprising though as the Banite Sith had been in hiding since the Army of Light and the Brotherhood of Darkness had clashed almost one thousand years ago.

Though the Jedi were now a shadow of what they once were and the Sith themselves were far from their strongest (thanks to both Darth Gravid and the much lesser damage Harry had done under their tutelage) they had both once been the mightiest of the mighty.

On balance the Sith had more of their old strength and used it to its fullest to remain obscured.

Though it was causing trouble both with training and discipline among the Knights the shroud was designed to blind Jedi (or those that relied nearly completely on the Light Side) so it was not a great problem for them but rather an annoyance.

Yes it was more difficult for the Padawans of the Order and emotions ran to the surface far too easily but they, unlike the Jedi, could still see the future (though with added danger of falling to the Dark Side of the Force).

The Jedi on the other hand were rapidly losing all ability to see the future with only the strongest able to gain fragments of what might never come.

The Knights of the Silver kept this secret though as, if they were asked by anyone, they firmly told anyone who would listen that they too were losing their ability.

So, with the new factory worlds churning out more and more new troops and ships, they didn't miss the rising darkness that was permeating Coruscant and were already on a semi war footing where the Republic dithered.

They also didn't miss the Force's scream of defiance at being wrenched and manipulated in such a fashion though the Jedi did as it was swiftly swallowed by the darkness.

Then came the greatest travesty and the Force's revenge...the creation of the 'Chosen One'. where the Sith clearly wanted a new life of great Force Potential to manipulate it would not be so easily abused and caused the child to be born elsewhere and far out of the reach of (for the present moment) the Sith.

The search for the child was underway for two of the sides in this three way ideological battle even as the Jedi continued to bicker and focus on the lesser of the two problems oblivious to the greater issue.

The race was one that Harry and the Royal Council intended to win.

-LAFA-

The war was nearly here.

Harry could feel that in his bones and to him with his senses so used to searching for traces of the conflict to come the air practically sang with the tension of it. It's shadows had already begun to reach out into the greater galaxy as he walked arm in arm with his wife through the peaceful oasis that was their home and, in many ways, that they had created together.

"Why won't he accept it?" Harry said quietly to the empty air.

He knew the answer of course and, if circumstances had been different for him, he might have made the same choice but it didn't make it easier to accept.

He hadn't meant for Luna to hear him but, after all the time that they had spent together, she picked up on his disquiet easily enough and chose to answer him.

"He wants a normal life" she replied obviously talking about their son, Lord David, who at eighteen was currently serving with other more senior Knights in the Border Defense Forces. "Functional immortality is the right choice for us right now love but it is a path we both chose freely and no one is meant to live forever. We have to respect his decision".

"I still don't have to like it though" grumbled Harry thinking about their eldest twins (and only sons) choice. Both siblings had inherited their parents gifts in both the Force and magic in full measure being somewhere between the two of them in raw power. "His sister agreed easily enough".

"Sarah is not her brother" was Luna's simple reply even as she sighed and looked deeply into her husbands face fully understanding as her heart was battered by the situation too. " I can only repeat what he has told us. What he wants is to find a nice girl without forcing her to choose him and the family secret of our immortality over her own relations and people that she genuinely cares for."

She stopped walking with him and, giving him her frankest look in the entirety of her marriage, continued. "I could even state the other twenty odd reasons that he came up with but you know them as well as I do. I could even point out that if we ever wish to hand over the throne to him it would be far better for all involved that he was completely mortal but...as I said...you know all of this".

"If there is one thing that I have learned" Harry began slowly "its that understanding is only important if it leads to acceptance and I have to accept this don't I?"

"We both do dear one" she said softly while stroking his cheek "though it's hard for me too".

"We could just offer immortality to everyone that they cared for" he argued half heartedly but they both knew what a slippery slope that would become and what it would most likely eventually lead to.

Luna for her part snorted at the weak argument before shaking her head.

"And then what? Aside from everything else things would go wrong and eventually we would have the bane of immortal serial killers to deal with. Haven't we done that already with Voldemort?" She challenged. "Don't look at me like that..I'm deadly serious...it is human nature that mistakes would be made and a few bad apples would make it through so don't act like this is news to you".

"Some would argue that we already have an immortal serial killer" he whispered.

"Then those people would be stupid" she argued back "you were not yourself and, the minute you realised it, you broke those chains and helped create all of this".

"I still remember it" He replied and, for a brief moment, his mind was assaulted with the smell of death, the stench of blood and the memories of the horrors he had inflicted.

"Some wounds never truly heal" she answered sagely.

"Imagine" she said in a deft maneuver to turn the subject back to point "what the Jedi or, Force forbid, the Sith would do with such knowledge let alone the Republic or the Senate".

He remained silent and her eyes softened as she looked at her usually strong and sure husband. He was more reminiscent in that moment of the young child in a cupboard under the stairs who cried from his beatings and wished for a family than he had been in many many years.

"His decision is not your problem though is it love? Rather it's the consequences of it".

"Is it so wrong of me" he began sounding lost "that I don't want our son to die? That I don't want to stand over his grave and look like his son or grandson?"

"Of course it isn't but...we both knew the price, all those years ago, for the choices that we made when we first became what we are and when we had children and we did it anyway".

"All things have a price" Harry said with deep bitterness "and it's one that we have to keep paying".

"But everything balances in the end" was her simple reply.

"Everything must balance" he agreed "but the balance is rarely kind".

"Agreed" she said with all her heart even as his face turned pensive and solemn and she knew that what he was about to say would be hard for them both.

"No more children please?" He half asked and half begged. Luna took a long moment in the ensuing silence to think, truly think, about what she would say next.

She loved her children as much as Harry. Images of her belly growing as she carried them, of playing with them, teaching them to read and love books, the day that they had both chosen to try and become Knights of the Silver and all of the quiet times that they had shared as a family flashed in her mind's eye.

She wanted more of those with all of her heart and as many times as she could.

Then she thought about having to bury each and every one of them and almost instantly all of that day dreaming turned to ash for her as she saw an unending graveyard in their future. That and a sea of bittersweet memories was all that she would be left with, she realised, aside from Harry and the few (never enough for either of their tastes) who would walk the same difficult road.

"No more children" she said finally.

-LAFA-

The new Patience was a marvel of Commonwealth engineering and ingenuity which was hardly surprising as it came straight out of one of the experimental factories. Like all of the new ships it was designed with both the latest in cutting edge enchantments, runes and Modular Technology.

The latest advancement that had just been put into mass production and was a natural evolution from the blending of both the Mod Tech and magic.

Like the majority of the new ships it was in the rough shape of a black diamond as even the largest ships (still called Centurions) now looked like that but the smaller ships including the patience were different in one key aspect.

Though it had proved impossible, both logistically and in terms of time, to do the same to all of the ships the smaller ones (like the Patience) could now shift between two configurations in a matter of seconds.

It had all started with an off hand comment by Dobby of all people as he had been reminiscing with both Neville and Harry about the room of requirement. Soon the Commonwealth engineers had started experimenting with expansion charms and the idea had ballooned from there.

The Patience had a freighter configuration that was very similar to it's progenitor in style and like it the black hull had the same blue and bronze paint job. It did have a smaller more weaponized form that was essentially a heavily armed three person shuttle craft.

This was the configuration that it was currently in as it was both faster and better able to cloak than its less manouvrable counterpart.

The most novel part of this new design was that it exploited magics tendency to react poorly with simple (relative to the Republic's technology anyway) unshielded electronic current as, at the push of a button, a small electrical charge would hit either the expansion or shrinking runes layered throughout the ship.

That, combined with even more advanced and protected machines that moved the relevant parts into place or back into storage, was essentially the secret of the new technology.

This all led to the happy fact that he had two ships in one.

The downside of that was that not only did some systems only work for one configuration or the other but that the magical batteries that Harry, Nic, Droid Hermione and Luna had spent so long struggling to create couldn't handle the massive power requirement for long.

That meant that even with Magi like Harry on the ship the magic could not be used to enhance the shields (as they did on larger ships) and, once exhausted, the batteries would need a full day in a magical environment or a month around Magi without it to recharge.

Four times were all the Patience could manage before it reached that point.

Added to that all the magically enhanced systems would then fail. There were mundane redundancies that would hold for a short while of course but they were nowhere near as good and the Patience would be far too vulnerable for his liking.

At the absolute worst he could take the magic from one of the magically enhanced missiles if he didn't care that it wouldn't buy him all that much in terms of power and he was okay with the likelyhood of blowing himself and perhaps everyone in the nearby vicinity up.

Life support and navigation were the only systems hardwired to work without any of the twelve miniature magical batteries working from the get go and those same batteries also formed one of two ways in which the ship could self destruct if it was needed.

Even though it wasn't the original it was still Harry's personal ship and he liked it very much. Its interior was littered with small personal touches that reminded him of a time when he had far fewer responsibilities.

Harry grinned happily as he moved smoothly around his training room having finished his morning run and transitioned smoothly into working through every lightsaber drill that he knew, first with one hand and then the other, before moving on to Force and magic drills.

Both he and Luna were aware that as their other responsibilities were only increasing as time went on and now that they had almost full contact with the Republic the stakes were only getting higher.

Now was not the time to get soft.

They had stepped up their training as much as they could both separately and together. More than that they had both taken their personal battalions to the borders of the Commonwealth and spent long periods on active patrol despite the Royal Council's objections.

They had done this four times over the past ten years (separately of course as both wanted at least one parent at home for their growing children and to represent their views on the Council) for anywhere between six months to a year at a time.

It has paid off, thought Harry, as I am in the best shape of my life and I am more grateful than ever for the holocrons that I have picked up over the years as they have helped to further deepen my connection to the Force.

When not training themselves (they even took the holocrons with them when on patrol) they were teaching their children all they could about politics and statecraft. They were also not shy in taking them out to simply see the galaxy, at least within Commonwealth borders, and spend time simply enjoying being a family.

Still, he thought, there were troubling things on the horizon hence the Chapterhouse on Coruscant.

Still it was effective as, at Harry's last count, due to its wards and runes they had caught one hundred and fifty two spies. It was disturbing to say the least that the majority of them worked for parties or companies that, when traced, seemed not to have ever existed.

On the plus side it did provide a relatively easy and legal means for anyone who wished to emigrate from the Core Worlds though not many did given the relative comfort in which a large portion on those worlds lived.

It did require them to renounce their Republic citizenship officially and of course get their mandatory tattoos.

It was quite a headache for the Council to set up, he remembered, as not only did the Jedi object to what I was doing (which was to be expected of course) but so did some very vocal members of the Senate that were not traditionally allied with the Jedi as well as many mercantile and paramilitary groups that had bought and paid for Senators.

Then there was the heat from his bracer and the amulet that had been with the Sith for so long.

When he had visited Coruscant as an official Commonwealth diplomat for the very first time five years ago and stepped onto the Capital's soil he had felt his bracer warm. It had taken him a long slow moment to realise exactly what that meant as it had been so long since he had set it up.

When he did he smiled slightly even as he began shaking politicians hands (mostly bribed ones though some were blackmailed as he was on Coruscant after all) at the official ribbon cutting ceremony.

Snapping out of his memories he entered the cockpit as the computer stated in a bland voice that they were nearing their destination he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to face.

The blockade on Naboo.

He activated the ships cloaking device before his ship could be detected and ordered the ship to begin to assemble the parts of the fifty JK-XI droids that he had brought with him.

Luna and the Council had wanted him to bring more than that. She had wanted him to take at least three hundred and was not pleased when he reminded her that the scout/shuttle configuration wouldn't take that much and, at simply taking fifty, the smaller version of his ship would be uncomfortably stuffed.

The Council, in his opinion, were even more ridiculous as they wanted him to bring not only the Sabre Battalion but also the full crew and compliment that came with the Silver Flame as well as the ship itself.

He had felt like he was arguing with small children when he had patiently explained why he could not. He had pointed out, quite effectively he had thought, that this was a personal errand so he couldn't justify using Commonwealth resources.

When they had still protested he had continued by asserting that if he had done so then the presence of a Commonwealth Battlecruiser would cause a very large and messy diplomatic incident even before you added the presence of the Knights of the Silver whereas he could always argue, if pressed, that he had taken a small security force to protect himself as he retrieved an ancient family heirloom if he did things his way.

A diplomatic incident like that would also be all the justification that some in the Republic would need to declare war.

He personally hoped that, if or when war came, that not only would the Commonwealth be the defender rather than the aggressor but also that the droids and the almost two million Magi (though of them only around a quarter were active fighters).

It also helped that he still had all of the organic soldiers and roughly 420,000 Knights of the Silver to fight as well. Both he, Luna and the Royal Council hoped that it would be enough.

-LAFA-

Qui-gon Jinn was in the battle of his life and he had been in enough of them throughout his life to know that it was not going well at all.

He felt that he was far too old for this kind of exertion especially as he was entirely the wrong discipline to be in such a heavily combat focused battle but with his padawan stuck behind ray shields he had little choice.

Thankfully he only had to hold out a little longer.

His opponent however was not making it easy to do. Where he had chosen both the Niman as his go to form and the path of the Jedi Consular which was the least skilled in combat (with notable exceptions such as Yoda) his enemy did not.

Not only did the strange fighter have a double bladed lightsaber that he barely remembered from holo recordings but was also exceptionally skilled in Juyo. The man was trained to a razors edge while Qui-gon was out of practice and outclassed by comparison.

Every blow shook his arms and felt like falling boulders as they battered his guard and every manipulation of the Force that he could think of failed as he couldn't keep his mind to shaping anything more than the most simple and crude ones that were swiftly discarded.

If the field didn't come down in time he would lose swiftly and badly. In his struggle to survive he had forgotten about the disk that he carried but, given that he was fighting for his life, he could be forgiven that.

-LAFA-

A few minutes earlier at the most Padmé Amidala was in deep trouble as well.

The fight to stop the exploitation of her planet and Viceroy of the Trade Federation had gone as well as could be expected so far. They had encountered heavy resistance almost from the first but they had planned for that and her small team as well as Captain Panaka had managed to push through and closer to the two faced Neimoidian that was both their oppressor and their goal.

That was of course where everything went wrong.

Three Droidikas and seven B-1 Battle Droids surrounded her small team and although they raised their weapons she reluctantly ordered them down. Looking at the inhuman eyes of the B-1's and the powerful blaster cannons attached to the Droidikas she knew that to resist at this point would only invite a massacre.

She still intended to resist of course, when the time was right, and would not make it easy for them. The so called treaty that they would try and make her sign would take days of torture and torment while she would be looking for an chance or excuse to turn the tables.

She was spared that agonising fate from the most unlikely of sources.

Droids with burnished silver frames engraved with the now famous (some would say infamous) symbol of the Commonwealth appeared from the other end of the corridor. The first that she knew of their arrival was EMP grenades landing amongst her enemies and flaring with their telltale blue hue turning her deadly threat into so much scrap.

The approaching droids were led by the equally renowned and, she admitted to herself very handsome Silver Prince. As much as she tried to stop herself she couldn't help, even in a situation such as this, idly wishing that he wasn't married.

"Are you alright?" He asked when he got close enough. She smiled at him and found herself wondering how exactly a voice could be so caringly filled with concern and yet almost musical at the same time.

Stop that, she told herself, not only is it inappropriate but I don't have time for this.

Her rational internal scolding did nothing to stop the traitorous butterflies in her stomach though thankfully she was able to control the blush that threatened to spawn on her cheeks.

"Yes" she managed to say in a almost normal tone but, mortifyingly from the half smile on his face,she gathered that he understood why her tone was only almost normal.

"Where are the Jedi? Where is Qui-gon Jinn? Normally when someone asked her such direct questions and she hardly knew them the reply would be short, hard and mildly undiplomatic.

Yet when his melodic voice asked she answered without thinking.

"He went that way" she said stretching out her arm "with his padawan. They were fighting with another Force User...who had a strange red lightsaber".

"Thank you" he said before looking critically at the rag tag group before him. "Jk's protect the Queen at all costs and see her safely through her much needed meeting with the Viceroy".

"Yes my lord" said one of the droids in its synthetic tone and both it and it's fellows were already moving forward and assuming position around Naboo's Queen.

"But" she asked "Aren't you staying? Can't you take at least some of them with you?"

"No." Harry shrugged "Like it or not, in this moment, your life is far more important than mine". The he smiled a full roguish grin "Besides I have a foolish Jedi to save".

With that and in a Force enhanced blur Harry Potter was off to find both Qui-gon Jinn and Obi-wan Kenobi.

-LAFA-

Following vague or incomplete directions is almost always useless, Harry thought even as he slowed his pace at a dead end, still I do know ways around that.

Holding out his ring hand, palm up, he began to concentrate and silently chanted the point me spell in his head while focusing on the few images that he had seen (he had kept track of Arstonia's 'family' tree if only from a distance and through spies) of Qui-gon Jinn.

A small green spark blossomed in the center of his palm before it quickly bent and reshaped itself into a distinct arrow shape and then he was off again in the direction it indicated as fast as his Force enhanced limbs would allow.

Soon enough Harry began to hear the hissing clash of lightsabers and the grunts and gasps of battle. It was always this way coming onto a lightsaber battle as the sounds were not only quite distinctive but also very loud.

The sight that greeted his eyes when he first entered the room in which they were fighting made him want to sigh.

The young padawan was trapped in the midst of several force fields while his master Qui-gon Jinn fought for his life against a dark cloaked Dathomirian.

Of course Harry was behind the fields himself and the stuck padawan was between him and the two fighting men. Life, thought Harry, would never make it simple for me to enter the fight even once now would it?

Harry could almost see the waves of power that was almost visibly pouring off both men and given their respective training both men's movements were fluid and crisp as they struggled to best each other.

It was clear though, even in the few exchanges that Harry witnessed, that barring some freak accident Qui-gon was going to lose even if it was mainly down to the twin facts that the Jedi's opponent was both much younger and clearly had been far more combat focused in his training.

Why do Jedi, thought Harry even as his hand dived deeply into an expanded pocket, always have try the hard way of doing things?

His hand whipped out of his pocket almost violently and sent a small metal sphere flying at the nearest computer terminal which happened to be a small black square that was near the first field emitters.

The line of spheres were originally created by both Luna and nic as a joke over his (comparatively at least) abysmal hacking skills but they had quickly become must have kit for anyone in the Commonwealths service from the lowliest Intelligence Agent to the most famed Knights or Magi.

The sphere launched an electronic spike that pulsed a light shade of red as it connected with the shields regulator subroutines and soon pulsed again...green this time.

Harry didn't even break the run that he began when it turned red and, with his lightsaber turned on and humming dangerously, fairly flew through the corridor as the fields closed in rapid succession barely a tenth of a second ahead of him and accidently knocking down Obi-wan as he did so.

He was just in time too as the assassin was in the middle of an attack routine that clearly was overwhelming Jedi Master Jinn as well as setting up the man for a killing blow.

His abrupt arrival was enough (with the distraction it caused) to turn what would have been a death blow into a deep wound on Qui-gon's body as he was able to use the fraction of hesitation in his enemy to turn his body.

It may have saved the man's life, at least for the moment, but the thrust did go clear through a portion of his lung and if he didn't get medical attention soon he would die and he fell to the floor in agony being reduced to a simple spectator for what was to come.

He was witness to an immediate and massive buildup of Force strength as the assassin was forced back because of Harry's furious assault on him with all the righteous skill that the Silver Prince could muster.

-LAFA-

This was not a battle of passion. This was not a fight of carefully gauged skill. This was instead a vicious and powerful brawl. It utilized every dirty trick and underhanded technique that Harry had picked up using these weapons over his very long life and coupled it with the very powerful blows that were the trademark of Form V (Djem So).

This turn of events had Darth Maul seething in hatred.

Truthfully it was unsurprising as Maul considered himself the ultimate master of Juyo and had used both his prodigious skill in it and double blade to destroy every enemy that came before him literally demolishing any enemy that came before him.

Here though even he a admitted master of his form found himself stymied. His hatred though deep was a petulant thing full of pain, loathing, self loathing and distress over how twisted his life had begun.

It simply could not overwhelm the iron will of a man that had nearly one hundred and sixty eight years to hone his craft.

Every blow that he tried to land was swatted aside like a small and annoying bug. Every thrust was countered, every dirty trick he tried to use was turned back on its user and, to his growing annoyance and shame, the fight hadn't been going on for even thirty seconds.

Maul used this new source of anger and hatred to escalate the fight even further increasing his reaction times and his skill. Instead of beating his foe down as he expected his new attacker simply met him blow for blow no matter what he tried.

Until suddenly he didn't.

-LAFA-

Harry smiled grimly as he used his forms power attacks to turn every blow his opponent tried back on him. His strong blows and swift counters were more than matching the erratic and Dark Side infused attacks and even the unpredictable nature of Juyo couldn't break Harry's sure and fluid footwork.

This was the main strength of Form V as well as its main weakness. You had to have the skill to match your opponent (or nearly so) and maintain that focus while simultaneously empowering your body with the mystic energy.

To do that and use Force Powers as well not only was very draining but also incredibly taxing to the practitioners willpower.

Thankfully Harry had both in spades compared to Maul.

First one emitter and then the other were almost surgically removed from Maul's weapon with agonising hisses. The smell of burned metal was extremely pungent as the small pieces of metal hit the floor with twin clinks.

Before Maul could react or do anything about his lack of usable weapon he was catapulted through the air as if his own defences against the Force were nothing more than wet paper. He quickly struck the wall furthest away from the injured Qui-gon and stayed there stuck.

"Master" said Obi-wan with his face full of concern and care as he rushed to his pseudo fathers side at last.

In the Padawan's defence he had been wary of entering an ongoing lightsaber battle that was so intense and delicate. He simply couldn't take the risk of distracting their ally and causing a turn in the tide of the battle nor would he anyway with his master so injured.

Harry found himself repressing a second sigh at the younger man's lack of tactical awareness as Maul was by no means dealt with yet. Then again, Harry thought, the sentiment is touching even if it is badly timed.

Thinking of Maul he turned to the Sith who was slowly breaking the bonds that held him to the wall with his still impressive, though nearly exhausted, powers.

"You know" said Harry while keeping a critical eye on the gasping and seriously injured Qui-gon "there is another way to the path that you are walking".

"I will never serve the Jedi" growled Maul only to blink in shock at Harry's reply.

"And I never said you should" he shot back "after all I don't. I may not serve them but I am also not a slave to a madman and his diseased Order's quest for power at any cost. Many have fallen to the dark before but trust me, if you want it, there is always a way to find balance".

As he finished his impromptu and heartfelt speech Maul broke free of his bindings and summoned Qui-gon's lightsaber from the ground where it had fallen when the man collapsed. The assassin tried to strike viciously at Harry hoping, no doubt, that surprise and speed would accomplish what skill had not.

"Well I guess that answers that" Harry said almost conversationally even as his oft hand blossomed a deep golden hue and he, almost contemptuously, disarmed the man with a small gesture of his saber holding hand. "Don't say I didn't give you a choice".

Mauls powers, weakened as they were, stood no chance against Harry's own powers. Harrys free hand slammed violently into his head and the power the blow carried him right back against the wall from which he had just escaped even as Harry followed him still holding his forehead.

Maul then began to scream. Not the scream of an injured or tortured man but rather that of a wounded and dying animal. The Jedi watched in shock as something happened before their eyes that they had personally never seen before.

Harry ripped the Force away from Maul both blocking his access and gathering the left over power in the man's system. It became a small floating ball that slowly grew and bobbed gently behind Harry's head.

Then, getting his attention, Harry pierced Maul's mind through the crazed Sith's eyes and began to ruthlessly pillage it for information on the Sith.

Maul's mind was powerless and would ordinarily be easy pickings but, with the sudden loss of his Force ability coupled with being decimated in combat, his mind was a fractured crumbling mess of discordant information and images.

Grabbing information from his psyche was like trying to grab sand with a bucket that had no bottom.

Of course Harry could have waited for the man's mind to slowly reform from the great shocks that had pummeled it but, no only was the no guarantee that it would, he doubted he would have the time.

Besides, he thought grimly, not only would that likely require specialist mind healers but they would have to have easy access to Maul and given that I'm on a Republic world and in the company of two Jedi I doubt that it'll ever happen.

He did manage to get two things from the stewed mess that was Maul's mind (other than the man's name) was an impression of a cloaked figure and the name Darth Sidious. He also got a fleeting image of the Senate floor but that was about all he could get as the only consistent thing left in his mind was an ingrained and unyielding hatred of the Jedi.

He was about to give up and withdraw before he was gifted with one final piece of information. The ship Scimitar, its location and an approximate image was quickly added to his mind. He decided then and there to dispatch droids to secure it straight away.

Ignoring the now practically comatose Maul he turned to the distraught Padawan and the dying Qui-gon.

"Obi-wan" he ordered "you must…" Qui-gon's voice was ragged and even by simply looking at him Harry could tell that, unless he did something, the man was not long for this world.

"Sorry to interrupt" said Harry softly "but you wished for my help?"

"I...am...glad you came" gasped out Qui-gon in obvious pain even as Obi-wan watched him like a hawk while obviously having no idea that Harry had been called. "The...Queen?"

"Safe as far as I know. I did leave fifty of my droids with her for protection" Harry paused

And then brought the subject back to the dying man. "It would be a poor measure of my help if I were to just let you die today though".

"Nothing to...be...do-" even as Qui-gon gasped out those words Harry gestured to the grey ball of light that was the residual Force power that had been running around Maul's system until recently.

It quickly smashed into Qui-gon completely under Harry's control.

Both Jedi gasped. The elder of the two did so in shock and pain while the younger did so in wonder as the ball entered the wound and repairing it as it went.

"Is this how you have managed to live so long?" Obi-wan couldn't help but ask.

"No" Harry said with a smile that was half grimace (it was very difficult to control after all) and slipping back into the role of teacher well enough. "The reason for my longevity is well known. This is different, more related to a sort of condensed healing trance, though you can't perform it on yourself. It is very dangerous and long lost to both the Jedi and the Sith...though it does have an added bonus".

The last words that Harry spoke came out as more of a pained gasp than anything else and he stumbled, barely catching himself from falling, and exhausted even as Obi-wan looked down at his Master with shocked eyes.

The process that had clearly saved the man's life (there was now not even a trace of the wound now) had also managed to partially rejuvenate his body. It looked looked like Qui-gon had lost somewhere between twenty and forty years of wear and tear from his frame.

His hair that was once grey more than anything else was now back to the deep brown of his youth and many lines had disappeared from his face. Further tests would later show that the effect was more than skin deep as the man's internal organs had also lost much of the damage and stress that tended to accumulate over time. The regenerative aspects were permanent though any power boost (if any) would be very short lived.

"I'm alive?" Qui-gon asked in shock.

"You are" agreed Harry, tired but amused, while helping the man to his feet and calling Qui-gon's lightsaber back to his hand and passing it over with a smile.

"Could you teach me that?" asked Obi-wan eagerly imagining the many Jedi that might be saved from using such a technique.

"No...it's too dangerous. If your concentration wavers the results tend to be...explosive"

"Explosive how?" interrupted Qui-gon now curious as well.

"Death of the subject and the caster…extreme damage to this building" answered Harry to the deep shock of both. In truth he had understated it as, frankly, in the worst case scenario people wouldn't be cleaning up debris in the Palace they would be asking what Palace.

"Why?" Qui-gon asked and Harry's eyebrow twitched from such a loaded question and he thought for a moment about how to respond.

"Let's just say that my family owed yours a debt and that it has now been paid. Added to that I like almost everything I have ever heard about you and was not going to let you simply die if I could help it".

"Obi-wan" said Qui-gon turning fully to his student "could you restrain the prisoner properly please?" After his padawan had left he turned back to Harry "And there is no price for this intervention at all?"

"Well" said Harry while going with his feelings (as Force Users often did) and trusting that the man in front of him could be trusted to keep his mouth shut... and possibly so much more. "I wouldn't say that as I have a few pieces of advice for you and something that I would like your word that you will discuss it with no other Jedi for at least a few years, preferably never, unless you can verify it through someone else".

"As long as the information does not directly harm the Jedi or the Republic" Qui-gon grudgingly agreed after a few moments of hesitation.

"Then let's find the Queen and help her as we may before discussing other things at your ship shall we?" Harry asked smiling.

-LAFA-

If anyone noticed, in the battles aftermath, that ten of Harry's droids had gone missing they generally assumed they were lost in the battles that came in taking back Naboo from the trade federation.

After all the Federation may be neutralized and their droids scrapped but they still had sympathisers that had to be rounded up and most of them either had organic guards or small personal controls for their droid bodyguards.

In reality they were gone because they were busy disarming the traps on and then staffing the Scimitar on it's trip into Commonwealth space so that Nic could get his hands on it. He and his people were itching to crack it open and make it reveal all of its secrets.

After Harry had protected the Queen and things had settled down a bit he found himself in a room with all the other 'Heroes of Naboo' and in conversing with them he was drawn to the puzzle that was Anakin Skywalker.

To his finely tuned senses the Force swirled around the boy in great waves, one moment joyous and inquisitive and the next almost grief stricken and lonely, Even untrained (or perhaps because of it) and at such a young age the boys grasp of the Force approached his own and would come close to eclipsing his own if not outright do so if he managed to get a handle on it.

Given the uncomfortable look on Qui-gon's face when he talked to the boy about his life before the Jedi the Jedi Master was well aware of it too and most likely believed him to be the 'Chosen One' .

No, thought Harry, it's something more than that...something to do with how the boy came to be with the Jedi in the first place.

He had his answer at the brief flash of guilt across Qui-gon's face when he probed both Anakin and Obi-wan to learn that it was a betting game with dice that had won Anakin's freedom though not his mothers. A simple act of fate Obi-wan called it and though Harry wanted to snort he managed to suppress the urge...though barely.

Still when he was finally alone with the Jedi Master he couldn't fault the man's reasoning (Chosen One aside) as someone that powerful would either have to be trained to use his power and think for himself or end up a tool of someone or something.

He didn't mention the obviously sensitive subject of being the 'Chosen One', sensing that he would get nothing but strong resistance about it from the man, or at least not directly.

"It would be better" began Harry while sipping the tea that Qui-gon had passed him "if the boy was trained by us rather than the Jedi". He soon realised that his attempts at sidestepping the subject were for naught with Qui-gon's next words

"He is the Chosen One" the aged Jedi rebutted leaning forward across the small table they were sitting round "He belongs with us".

Harry didn't need the Force to understand the man's mood. His easy going smile and genial nature had disappeared only to be replaced with a face of granite and steel in his tone. Clearly his viewpoint would not allow anything other than Anakin to be trained as a Jedi and nothing he could say would sway him on the matter.

"Perhaps" conceded Harry "perhaps not. I have some experience with Prophecy and I worry that this, rather than being a certain outcome, is more of the self fulfilling kind. What I mean is...if you teach him he is the Chosen One that alone might make him one. No matter what else he is he is still just a boy...the weight of that responsibility alone could crush him".

"What would you have me do then...short of giving him over to you and yours?" Qui-gon asked curious at Harry's reasoning.

"Do not tell the boy….if he is the Chosen One and that is set in stone it will not matter as he will bring balance regardless. If he is not that he will not spend his days either living up to an unreachable goal or moulding himself into what he is told the Chosen One should be. In fact make no hint of it to other Jedi and if others make the connection dissuade them from speaking of it".

"So the boy can grow into his destiny naturally...free of hinderance?" Qui-gon asked following his thoughts.

"Exactly. In furtherance of his growth perhaps...Jedi or not...the boy could come and train with us occasionally" Harry said almost in an offhand manner.

"So you do believe he is the Chosen One then?" Qui-gon pressed.

"Truthfully? I don't know. But let's be honest here as it is just us. The Jedi are not what they once were and, if he is what you believe him to be, he will need a wider instruction at some point than the current Jedi standard".

Harry could tell from his new friends face that he was wavering in the idea of training Anakin only in the prescribed Jedi Arts but that, beneath that, he was still resolute in making him a Jedi first and foremost.

"A compromise then. Both you and your future Padawan are welcome to visit the Commonwealth for specialist instruction when you deem yourselves ready...provided of course that swear not to speak of the training methods employed and obey all of our laws while in Commonwealth lands".

"Why would you do this for us...if you do not believe?" Qui-gon asked. He had a point as, since its very beginning the Commonwealth had never allowed anyone affiliated with the Jedi Order any access to its territory, not once, not ever.

"Frankly I like the boy" Harry said as he was both likable and Harry was not unaware of the parallels between Anakin and himself at a similar age. "More than that you are a Grey Jedi, at least ideologically, and I feel that you would reserve judgement on us and our methods. You also know first hand from my actions that though we are not Jedi we are not Sith or darksiders. I will only place two caveats on your visits… if you are not comfortable with something say so. We won't be offended as open minds are highly prized amongst the Knights of the Silver and that you and Anakin have the health tattoo that all citizens of the Commonwealth take".

"The first is no problem" Qui-gon said slowly. "As for the second? I'm afraid that I would have to know more about it?" The lilt of the man's voice changed at the last few words and turned the entire last sentence into a question.

"It's quite a simple application of the Force actually" Harry lied through his teeth while projecting an aura of complete and utter honesty. "Sith alchemy, what little we know of it, is actually a bastardisation and corruption of the techniques that it uses...though it is a comparatively minor form. It strengthens the body, which is probably why the Sith wanted it in the first place, making it more resistant to disease. As a happy byproduct it add roughly fifty years to the subjects lifespan..on average".

Of course it did more than that but Harry was not about to let Qui-gon know a secret that was known to so few especially when he appeared on the fence about the whole thing. If he had not only would Qui-gon most likely refuse but he would also have questions about it that Harry didn't want to answer.

"Why do you demand this?" Qui-gon queried.

"Because it is the law" Harry shrugged. "While I could force through an exception for either allowing you in as you are Jedi or skipping the tattoos my Council would never allow both and I don't even want to attempt it".

"Agreed" Qui-gon said at length before adding quite perceptively "but that's not what you wanted to talk about in private is it?"

"No it is not" Harry agreed. "The Jedi Order and the Commonwealth do not trust each other and while I like individual Jedi well enough" here he smiled at Qui-gon and shrugged "memories and history are funny things. You can't forget them even if you can bury them for awhile".

To Qui-gon in that moment Harry was not sitting next to him but rather far away and in another place reliving a trauma that had affected him deeply. The Jedi shook his head and reminded himself that this man before hm was far, far, older than he was and probably had seen more than he could ever hope to himself.

"This is about the advice that you want to give me?" Qui-gon said shrewdly.

"Yes and I must ask...again… that you tell no one. Wait a period of at least ten years if you must absolutely tell someone but, for now, be silent about what I am to tell you unless it can be verified elsewhere. Your word on it...as a Jedi".

"You have my word" Qui-gon replied after a long moment with both his face and voice set into a grave cast.

"Maul… that was the Dathomirian's name... Darth Maul. his mind was fractured...disorganised… but I'm sure your people will try to get more later"

"You invaded his mind?" Qui-gon rebuked him.

"It was necessary" responded Harry unconcerned. "I did find something of interest though… be careful of any politicians or their aides interested in the boy… I had a disjointed image of something dire...there is a Sith who calls himself Darth Sidious and he is connected to or in the Senate".

"You said yourself that it was disjointed. He could have been delusional… it could have been a fantasy" argued Qui-gon half heartedly.

"Not likely and I suspect that, though both of us would like that scenario, you don't believe that it was the madness of a fractured mind that caused those images. Neither do I".

"Still that is a lot of detail for a fractured image...either you are very good or it was left for you on purpose" stated Qui-gon playing devil's advocate.

"Really? You're suggesting the logical absurdity that a Sith left false memories in their mind just in case they were caught and their impressive defences were somehow breached?" Harry asked incredulously.

"And from the Republics point of view you are suggesting something just as absurd. Besides the Jedi would know" Qui-gon sounded much more sure than he felt that Harry could sense easily enough.

"Would they?" Harry asked rhetorically before adding "And as one friend to another, albeit a new one, please choose a different Lightsaber Form to fall back on. I know you don't enjoy fighting and it is easy enough to become proficient but true mastery of it is one, if not the, hardest to achieve. In the warlike times to come it will get you killed".

Soon enough Harry's and Qui-gon's conversation turned to other things but, when Harry left, Qui-gon sat staring into his slowly darkening room for many hours completely lost in thought.

-LAFA-

Harry wasn't able to leave the ship straight away as he was stopped by the young Anakin Skywalker whose Force Presence was clouded with both fear and worry.

"Master Qui-gon said that you helped him" said the honest eight year old abruptly "is that true?"

Harry smiled down at the boy and once again internally marvelled at the power that the young human had yet to truly tap into. Whether it was actually going to be stronger than his was far too early to tell but it was clear that he would eventually become one of the most powerful.

"Yes I did. My wife and I like to help out when we can...if we can" Harry answered.

"Could you help me? It's not for me but my mother she's…"

"On Tatooine living as a slave I remember. It's complicated...you don't quite understand what you are asking" Harry responded.

"So you won't help?" There was a clear spike in anger both in the tone of the boy's voice and the swirling energy surrounding him.

"I didn't say that" said Harry soothingly "but I want you to understand that my agreement with the Hutts is very specific. If I do this she will be free but she can never join the Republic or even rejoin Hutt Space as she would then be fair game for them to retrieve. Believe me when I tell you that they would love to have a Jedi, even one in training, both in their pocket and far enough away from them so they are not a serious threat".

"So I can't become a Jedi?" Anakin's voice was pained.

"Of course you can. In fact I have just informed him that he and whoever he brings as his Padawan are welcome in the Commonwealth where your mother will be required to live and they will be the first Jedi to ever do so. What I am saying is that you could talk to your mother, visit her even, and she would be free but for her safety she could never live in the Republic with or without you".

"But you would find her a good life wouldn't you? A free life?" Anakin's voice was almost painfully filled with hope and relaxed at Harry's firm nod. "Then please do it...I'll do anything you ask".

"She will be free within a week..you have my word. All I ask is that you study hard and learn as much as you can. Also, when you visit me, do so with an open mind can you do that?" Harry asked.

"Yes sir!" the boy almost squealed in happiness. "Thank you...Silver Prince".

"Harry" he corrected softly seeing the worry almost literally bleed away from the young boy had moved him deeply. "Friends should always call each other by their first names don't you think?" Anakin nodded with all the solemnity that he could muster.

"Harry?" the boy asked as he was about to turn away only and Anakin blushed as his new friends full focus turned back fully to him. "You said you have a wife? I thought that Jedi weren't supposed to do that?"

"Generally" Harry replied thinking of the few exceptions to that rule that he knew of "they are not. However there are paths other than the Jedi or the Sith and I took one. Always remember that there are other paths that are just as valid my young friend".

With that Harry returned home stopping only to buy out the contract of Anakin's mother who eventually (and joyfully) called her son who soon became , very grudgingly, Qui-gon's Padawan as the High Council thought that Obi-wan might be ready for his trials.

When Anakin realised the enormity of his good fortune he broke down while talking to his mother as he was happier than he could ever remember.

The Jedi never did learn anything from Maul. Orders to transfer him to a very well equipped detainment and medical ship were received even before the Jedi had come close to Coruscant.

Sidious had his failed apprentice killed shortly afterwards not even giving him the dubious honour of killing him with his own hands though the recordings of Maul's wounded screams entertained the man for quite some time.

The scene was now set for a time of great change in the Galaxy. Ideologies would wither, people would die in agony and the universe would never quite be the same.

But times were uncertain, the story had not yet finished and the identity of the eventual victor remained unclear.