c11

Here Be Dragons

Hermione was watching a padd leaned against a cup of caf, while working on eight other padds laid out in a semicircle on the table in front of her, a week after the story had broken in the Republic about their arrival, When the Empire nets picked up the story "Whores from another dimension? What? Who does this miserable streak of piss think he is?" She produced a sheet of parchment and a fountain pen and wrote angrily for several minutes, tapped it with her wand and incanted "Sonorus maximus." Then did another twist and the envelope turned red and started smoking. She jabbed her padd then nodded and incanted "Portus Imperial Senate. Activate!"

Harry grinned, got a padd and tuned it to a live image of the imperial palace, and laughed when the windows blew out of the top fifty floors and smoke billowed from the building. The image was generated from a holo camera on the Jedi temple and the speaker on the padd still blew out and a curl of smoke rose from it.

Hermione blushed and Daphne arched a brow "You've been called worse, what was that about? And what the fuck, over? You should be magically exhausted after that little display of temper."

Hermione pouted "Flashback to Draco fucking Malfoy. It's a whole new galaxy, and someone I never even met called me a whore. Harry you screwed that up. You should have let the Vong lose in the empire to kill the dark bastards for us."

Hermione blushed "I am having some trouble regulating power. This Galaxy crawls with magic. I mean, all these people doing wandless magic, so much so, they never even thought of foci? Well except for twats trying to take over the galaxy. Light sabers aren't foci but are tied, or attuned, to their user, and they don't even realize? How inured to the Force can they be? I can feel dark side users so far away I can't get a good location on them by intersection from the far side of the planet."

Aayla hugged her. The two had become joined at the hip. Harry leaned over and joined the hug. He nodded "Had to crank my occlumency way up to not walk around drooling all day."

Mace pinched the bridge of his nose. "Never mind killing half the humans in the galaxy. We will talk about that later. You've been able to do that the whole time Dread Lord?" Mace hadn't gotten over the god or demi god thing quite yet.

Harry shrugged "Never-"

"Thought of it really." Mace finished "So you can make the Force do anything, and you never know what you are going to make it do until you do it."

Harry shrugged "You've seen me do stuff. Just ask if you want something Mace. I'll figure it out."

Daphne cleared her throat "And we will check if it's safe, and codify it. What Hermione did was known magic Master Windu. Not sorcery. A plea for magic to do your bidding, not the will and the word, and then magic throwing itself at your intent like a love-struck school boy at whoever made him realize girls are different."

Harry rolled his eyes "It's not sorcery. It's still magic, or the Force. You've been like this since you read those books. You would make a damn fine Polgara though." Harry grinned at Daphne rakishly and waggled his brows.

Luna smiled "Only you and Master Yoda can do it though, talk directly to the Force."

Yoda nodded "Easy it is not for me. Unlike for Master Potter. Six hundred years it took me as well."

Gabrielle shrugged "Needs must when the devil drives." Celeste looked at her then hugged her. Only Harry, his wives and Gabrielle knew why she was so quiet and so powerful now when she had been a sparkling normal chatterbox as a young woman. Harry found her and brought her home when her family had given up all hope, she had moved in with him, Hermione and Daphne. It took her a year for her to say the first word. She slept in their bed from the first night. Daphne had blinded wizards for looking at her. Hermione healed them, eventually. Harry wouldn't. It had taken her five years to touch Harry. Then they had sparred for a month, all out. Celeste had understood immediately.

Mace glared around "What I want is this war over."

Harry chuckled darkly "I don't think you really do. Or if you do you don't understand, yet, what that would entail. You are way to light for that."

Mace blinked, and Gabrielle joined Harry in chuckling along with Arden and Daphne. The rest of Clan Potter, Yoda and Yaddie were stone faced.

Apailana changed the subject "You all are in amazing shape." She said to Hermione.

Luna shrugged "Demons are strong, magically powerful as well, resistant to magic or were. Strong body, strong mind, strong magic. The lazy people got eaten. So slaves Harry?"

Harry shrugged "Not in the Republic and the MLE, Aurors, Hit Wizards, Jedi and Shadows watch for it. So do the droid networks."

Daphne nodded "Good. You've done amazingly well Harry."

Harry laughed "Thank Garm and Bail. I had a thought. Bail ran with it and told Garm, he went and ended up putting the command code for the droid army under my name because it would have been dangerous for them. The Sith Lord would have come after them, nobody knew who I was, and there are no records of me in this galaxy, it was actually a reasonable plan. Then I did a Fidelius on that command, or base control, code before many people knew. The code was stored in a kind of Master AI and it is the secret keeper. Not quite sure how that happened as it lives in the same box doesn't it? Anyway, the fideliused base code perpetuated across the droids and their manufacturers, and made me the owner of the droids unless they are built off line, by hand by organics and then all new code written for them. It even propagated across software patches and upgrades. The lawyers are still wrangling about that.

Then you can thank Aayla, Shaak, Maris and Ahsoka, they taught me to be a Jedi. Then of course Master Yoda and Windu and all these. They all helped. Arden, Celeste, the Knights Potter." He tossed them a grin.

Apailana looked at Hermione "He always does this?"

Hermione nodded "You have no idea. He's done it for years. The people who made him this way got eaten though, so nothing to be done now."

Mon shrugged "Put the whole Senate in his pocket and nearly the whole Republic. Even a freshly conquered world. Aayla had to cut up airborne panties there."

Daphne rolled her eyes "Again?" The women stopped and looked at her. She shrugged a bit "New galaxy same hormones I guess. Happened a lot at home. Hermione has the record. Six pair on the wing."

Harry blushed and put both hands over his face. Mace started the laughter. When everyone settled Mon looked around "Speaking of which, you are all awful chummy with what I would view as competitors?"

Hermione snorted "They love him, he loves them. We can read minds, especially surface thoughts like that. Lust comes across like a search light. Love is different, and takes more. Sex isn't love, well for anyone, or many, besides this doofus, Mr. high moral tone. She has to invest in it as does he. Plus not to swell his head but a girl needs a little help with the Dread Lord on occasion. I expect more occasions when we are pregnant. I think I like having some not pregnant ones around then." She frowned "Love does seem to preclude random tumbles though." Harry smiled gently at her. Daphne and Gabrielle rolled their eyes. Both of them, Harry and Hermione were so clueless, they still didn't know they had been in love since the troll, a lifetime ago.

Depa looked at Harry "You said some from your planet can read minds. Not all."

"It's a learned skill, and the more powerful the better. Harry lends power, and then when handfasted to him, well we all doubled or better in power and we weren't slouches to start with. Aayla has gotten more powerful than that even with the babies, so has Shaak. That's a phenomenon we need to look at." Daphne supplied.

Depa looked at her "How have you not fallen to the Dark?"

Daphne gave her a sultry smile "Who says I haven't."

Depa snorted "There isn't an evil bone in your body. I have chest bands more evil than you. Pinching things."

Daphne laughed "It's about emotion. Dark magic and emotion are a tangled web. I had to learn to control my emotions to survive. Even before the demons. Once we beat the first Dark Lord I could free my control a bit, hence the whole Hermione, Harry thing, They were both powerful enough to tell me I was running amok, and then do something about it. So I seduced a light side witch to get to her above classification warlock. In spite of my families plans for me. Since that little youthful rebellion I've just learned over the years to keep it away or them away from the darker magic's. A cleansing ritual a month helps too. Mastery of occlumency is a must, not competence, Mastery, complete and total. I was made to master it by the time I went to school at age eleven. That was pretty much my childhood, meditation and control or punishment. Few in my situation succeeded, many fell to the dark, then into the very worst of the darkness, it corrupted them utterly, and we had to kill them. They were the soldiers of the dark lords.

Arden is good at occlumency, she will become better and then, well then, we can show her the true power of the dark. Light siders can fall too you know. It's the intent behind the emotion. Harry didn't show you Lavender Brown's hair trick? Even I never mastered that one, not like her. Dead minor demons as far as the eye could see, we walked on the bodies for two days, vultures and hyenas so fat they were paralyzed. Despite being an allegedly dark creature, Lavender is so light she farts rainbows, and that is a pure light side spell. Harry can do it better than I. Lavender can however be a howling, quite literally, beast. She has no intention to dominate, rule, secure her place at the expense of others. Now my apprentice has this lie on a sponge thing we have to investigate as well. I can't believe that never occurred to me."

Harry smiled "Not like Lavender though, the hair trick. How is she?"

Hermione laughed "Keeping a harem. Seamus, Ron and Anthony Goldstein. She has gone back to working on the cure. She is going to have a baby naturally or die trying. I told her about envitro. She was going to try that as soon as she found an unoccupied womb. Everyone with a womb was pregnant, with at least twins, a month after you killed the king on that last one. This last incursion was small, a hundred thousand or so, and a tier three that was over reaching, calling himself the new king. A tier four sacrificed a few tier sixes, we missed a few along the way somewhere, and this tier four kept its head down, and the tier sixes in a cage, opened the portal without human help. We were handling it with a Battalion after the initial assault and containment, just guarding really, as we got a sponge in it early, when the damn portal collapsed a mined out salt dome. We never thought about salt as we were on the US side of lake Michigan, Dearborn. The mundane had been mining the salt for years. We were too close and went right in. So did all of the demons. It was like a funnel web or a lion spider trap. The demons all got eaten by the sponge. The chief demon touched the sponge and here we are. It ate him, and then exploded when we were right at the event horizon, but it had already fallen through into the demon plane. Our armor linked up into a kind of bubble and threw us through some kind of worm hole. I think it anchored on you since we are bonded. That is what you felt and why you were magically exhausted. Normally it takes you killing a full horde by yourself to do that. We'll work it out but we might have to explode a star or two. Nothing else has that much energy.

Something odd about it though. I mean it's been twice, three, maybe more, times as long for you here as for us. We all cooked quints for the old crowd that didn't make it and had just gotten them all settled in with their relatives and were thinking about the next set as we recovered fully back to fighting trim and then here we are. Two years for us. Some kind of time dilation maybe. We'll check it out."

Harry leaned his head back "You know mine absorbed the King as well now that I think back on it, or it started to, his soul at least, then boom. I can't get the things to go off here, well, one tiny little one I probably screwed up making. I bet you are all hot as hell pregnant." He turned his head and smiled at each of the girls.

Luna nodded "Makes sense. They hold so much it needed the demon plane and then the demons were the tipping point or trigger. One big gulp too many. We are hot pregnant. I think the time dilation was an artifact of it being tied to Harry and not terminated." She was examining Ahsoka's montrals closely again. Ahsoka grabbed her hand and put it on one. "Oh thank you."

Ahsoka blushed "Just leave the lekku alone…in public."

Luxa grinned then frowned "I should have waited to get married. I bet that bedroom is a party now. Although none of you are the worse for wear, even after pregnancies. Those potions do work I guess."

Roganda snorted "Like it wasn't before. You never wrote or did a story about it."

Luna smiled "But she knew. Curious thing."

Mace glared at Harry. "Hey she had her own bedroom and never slept in mine. She just hung out, and girls talk to each other." Harry explained.

Clynda nodded "Unlike big strong males." Garm rolled his eyes.

Daphne looked around "So state wedding? The Republic marrying Naboo."

Breha nodded "Defender of the Republic, but yes."

Daphne nodded "Gowns then. Armor under."

Apailana sighed "State robes for me."

Daphne nodded "Still armor under. We need to check yours today. Harry where do you work?"

Later they all sat at worktables like Harry's looking at the armor. Hermione nodded "This is really good work. Harry?"

Harry nodded "And them. Celeste had a lot of influence in the form and fit. I mostly did the base runes. Apailana and the girls did the color change rune string all on their own. Now the Jedi, they have to learn to make armor before they are Knights in case they take a Padawan. The Jedi sell the armor, the base material is scrap metal. No idea why none of them in this crew have taken one yet. In this plane it's the Force that selects the Padawan."

Luna shrugged "No Queen youngling so no padawan for a Queen Knight plus who would be the Knight doubles and guards padawans. After her babies. Big flap about her retiring. Most likely for now anyway. A couple others, one where she is Queen forever, immortal by injection. A slew of padawans then. Never without them really, as the girls who could be queen want to be just like Apailana."

"Luna, public." Gabrielle said.

"Sorry." Luna looked up and around.

Luxa waved her off "No holo zone. The AI does operational security censoring too."

They reviewed plans, guest list, and smiled at the handfasting being done by retired boss Rugor Nass, once they heard the story. Then they went to look at the location stepping through doors and impressing the Earth wives. The Witches smiled at the gigantic tree on the edge of the water. Gabrielle dropped an ivy cutting and they all offered it encouragement. Apailana was in tears at their show of support for her marrying their husband, so were the doubles and guards, as the ivy climbed the giant tree lovingly. Not like it had done the thorn trees on Felucia. The Queen of Naboo really was a package deal.

Later Hermione was looking at the plans again when she looked up "Harry the leadership of the Republic will be here. Palpatine will do a Riddle, like at the Burrow."

Harry shrugged and nodded "Dark Lord. Must be something they learn on the way up. Somehow they just can't resist. This one tries to be crafty though."

The command counsel opened their mouths and Luna poked some buttons on the holo tank and pointed out Alderaan, Corellia and Kuat "These, from the Z axis, up and down. Naboo from the Z up and down as well." She frowned then smiled "Oh I see. Oh yes he likes that now as he can move about freely. Why would we dig holes in space?"

Harry smiled "Mines Luna. Like the land mines we used on demons."

"Oh, OK. Mine him in the inner core, top and bottom, it's where his fleet is. Well besides the feints he throws but the patrol moons kill those easy. Harry, you build moons?" Luna's eyes were solid silver.

Mace sighed "The Dread Lord is immortal, and married to a seer. Of course."

Daphne snickered "This close in time to an event she is one hundred percent accurate too. Like long range battle precognition."

Ackbar nodded "That could be very handy." And started tapping away.

Gabrielle chuckled "Not if you are a demon or an Imperial."

Ackbar grunted "Anything over here?" He indicated the far side of the core toward Ilum.

"No Admiral."

Mace blinked "Well that was succinct. Anvil and Hammer then."

Ackbar nodded "SoD Vs and Planetary defenses as the anvil. Mines to shape the battlefield Sod II through IVs as the hammer. Super Lucrehulks and Subjugators mop up and Lucrehulks pull salvage. We may have trouble maneuvering them all in three, well four, planetary systems. I have brought the mine and vulture droid racks all up, and they are cloaked."

The room lightened as the lights started swimming into place in the tank and everyone saw Hermione with her arms crossed under her breast "Sods Harry?"

Harry snickered "Sphere of Destruction. And they do frack enemies right up the arse. It works both ways."

Aayla groaned "You bastard, you've been having us on for years."

"Nu uh, I love those sodding things. They are great! Wait till you see Mi! They have huge fracking cannons, and lasers that are really particle beams, in enormous triple and quad turrets, like Iowa class but bigger, anti-matter torpedoes the size of frigates at home, sponge launchers, a million autonomous fighters and and well BOOM!" He waved his arms. "It's beautiful! George would love it, so would Sirius." He wound down "Dora too."

Hermione dropped her arms and hugged him "Oh Harry. Fine, SoDs it is."

The others looked at each other and shuffled uneasily feeling like they had just seen something very private.

Luna looked at Jocasta with a very clear direct gaze "All family Harry lost to his first dark lord before he died the last time. Before we knew what we know now. Except for Dora. Then the Russians died, well, most of them." The others blinked.

The Potters left and Obi wan said "Why do I feel like if the SoDs don't deliver, we will find out what the light and the dark are capable of." Everyone nodded.

The Empire, obligingly, began movement in time to be physically present for the wedding, and the Lucrehulks out on deep watch saw their every move.

SSDV

The handfasting started and the Empire hit the cloaked mines. They valiantly fought on and the cloaked SoD's opened fire. The engagements raged, and the older SoDs pressed the attack from all sides. Ackbar's little addition kicked in, and the rest of the fleet still on patrol turned inward and advanced into the empire. Fourteen core worlds had armies landed on them, and almost nothing to resist them after the planetary shields were over loaded or had sponges dropped on the generators. The sponges went right through defense shields and absorbed anything less than heavy caliber masses traveling near hyperspace speeds.

The Inner core fleet finally came up to stop the advance after six more core worlds were invested. Coruscant was heavily bombarded from orbit. Every government building was hit multiple times. The imperial place was left a shell by fire. It had gotten three sponges, one on each planetary shield generator. If that hadn't worked, droids were standing by in the under city to cut power to the grid. They were the back up as they still had years of mining to do. No one wanted to spend them early.

Imperial fleets and units that tried to flee were pursued and destroyed, and the noose tightened around the core with the Republic not giving ground this time. If they took it they held it and fired continuously into the core and inner core. The Imperial fleet withdrawing back to the inner core was the only thing that stopped it. The six additional core worlds were abattoirs. Despite the Republic not intentionally engaging civilians, only military targets.

Counter attacks by the Imperial fleet saw them retake everything but the fourteen more core capitol worlds and thereby their sectors they lost in the Alderaan/Corellia bulge, while taking grievous losses. This time the Republic sacrificed its oldest ships and equipment, but the garbage barges of the galaxy hauled it all back to them. No command ships were lost, the organic officers and soldiers were jerked to hospital ships by portkeys when wounded and the droids fought to the last erg then, the B3 and higher, self-destructed in the kiloton range, amidst piles of destroyed droids so the empire couldn't have the parts for R&D. At the end of the eight days of combat the Republic again came away the winner.

SSDV

Palpatine burst an aneurism and had to move to a clone body. Vader escaped again, heavily wounded this time. Tarkin was on a Star destroyer in the inner core the whole time. Nearly the whole of the counter attacking fleet's officer corps were killed and the ones taken prisoner were crippled. Most of the storm troopers were killed. The empire had no way to tell how effective they were as Rebel casualties disappeared in swirling blue lights. Imperial forces going after hospital ships were savaged. Then their home ports and carriers were taken under sustained long range bombardment that continued for months or until they were destroyed.

The food and recycle fleets evacuated the wounded from those six contested worlds then anyone who wanted to leave. Most of the people, as the planets were burning wrecks headed for nuclear winters.

SSDV

Harry was on a honeymoon, on Naboo, at Apailana's house in the country by a lake. Republic One Control Sphere was grounded by the lake with its reactors at full output supplying the AI with power. Its holo transmit and receive dishes were nearly glowing. Yoda led the Jedi to help the people of the fourteen liberated worlds, systems really, as those worlds were the capitols. Hermione watched the holo's and could be heard saying "Call me a whore, you great fucking twat."

Luxa was having a field day with footage of gun crews fighting to exhaustion and being dragged away from their gun's unconscious, Ships in decisive ship to ship action, ground armies taking worlds by force, led by Jedi and Rangers, and Republic fleets massing fires at fleeing Imperial vessels. Then the final heroic last stands around air shafts by the droids as food and recycle ships evacuated injured civilians. Finally, the ultimate selfless sacrifice of B3 - 5 droids, in heaps of their less capable soldier droids taking brigades of storm troopers with them and buying precious moments for the evacuation.

The Republic Senate tried to give Harry a medal, he argued successfully that the droids didn't have to defend the air shafts and it would have been easier for them not to. The awards were given, post destruction to the droids who led those defenses and self destructed, their designations retired. Droid factories had frames and skins installed, each marked with a retired designation, of those droids in among a pile of B1 and B2 droid parts in front of the factories. Droid engineers didn't know you could get more loyal than hard coded instruction until then. The AI's of the Republic proved you actually could. Every change to software and hardware was evaluated first on how best it served the Dread Lords goals in a system of systems concept.

The next months were the Knights marriages and the empire suffering under astronomical prices for anything they couldn't acquire from their own worlds except food.

Jocasta was ecstatic as the Potter wives from Earth tore into and added to the archives. They gave excellent lectures on theory to back up Harry's more practical application demonstrations. Those holo's were so in demand, multiple copies were running on multiple channels on the holonet continuously. A channel for each branch of magic with the lessons coming on from first year to mastery then repeating. If you were coded for first the instruction, and then that level. To gain a level you had to pass a written test then a test in front of a trio of Mages, a new category of non Jedi Force users, Masters or Knights who were already passed that level. Daphne was amazed how good his potions instruction was though, and was nearly orgasmic over new ingredients, and swiftly showed what a real potions Mistress could do. The scientist, pharmacologist, materials and chemical engineers were agog as Daphne delved past potions into alchemy.

Luna talked with Yoda and Senior Masters along with Shaak and the magic of Divination was added to the list of syllabi. From scrying to Force visons.

As Harry was good at all task, and without peer as a practical instructor, his Earth wives were generally good but then specialized in one or two subjects. It really opened the throttle on instruction.

Jocasta came to understand that, like the other Earth Mages, Harry had a couple of areas he really shined in, runes and healing were Harry's forte. Hermione nodded "It's disgusting, he can do anything with runes, and make it permanent. Never even took the subject in school! What, he didn't tell you about Luna and her team doing the sponge? He took the one apart and then rewrote most of it in other than a dead language as they translated it. Hieroglyphs? Please, who writes in Hieroglyphs? He did it while they worked and it took a year. Experts later took eight years to translate it all and he didn't miss a letter of the rune sets or an iota of the intent. Gabrielle came to us during that and she essentially drew what Harry did as he did it. You didn't see that book he has? That was all Gabrielle. Its the seminal text on runes on Earth now.

I've looked at the holos of those ward stones for the planets. All of those empire boats together probably couldn't penetrate those wards, before he had you put them on interstices. I think there is a reflective component too. Our Harry likes his little surprises. I wouldn't want to be the first one to take a shot at them. Those planets will probably survive being engulfed by a supernova."

Harry walked up "I wasn't sure about that, but I added it. You know how Dark Lords think. If they can't have it destroy it no matter what it takes. Blowing up a star isn't too far a reach for them."

Jocasta nodded "Ships not boats. It has happened in the past. Blowing up stars."

Hermione sighed "I better be immortal Harry. They have twenty-five thousand years of stuff in their library."

Harry smiled and kissed her "You could always haunt it."

"Ghost can't hold books Harry." Jocasta gasped then looked at Harry. Hermione grinned "You know there is a potion that deages beings."

Harry blinked and went to his table. Jocasta followed him with her eyes. The Potter wives giggled madly. Daphne snorted "Hurts like being boiled in oil too, that potion does."

Shaak shrugged "A Jedi can conquer pain."

Ahsoka chuckled "That one is going to try it. Get out your cauldron Daph."

Luna jumped off her stool "Reminded me. I need to get Poppa and Mama elf together. And talk to one of these trouser makers."

"Stop that Luna! Geneticist. You are one for Morgana's sake." Gabrielle yelled after her and got an airy wave back. "And a magizooologist and an arithmancer, what else, theoretical physicist!"

Ahsoka added "And nearly as big a pervert as Harry. Well about lekku anyway." The head nodding turned to giggles.

Mon leaned back in her chair "Well it's lively."

Obi wan snorted "It was lively before, it's a madhouse now."

Mace nodded "So we think the Empire is going to rebuild again."

Garm sighed "To what purpose. How can he not take a hint?"

Bail shrugged "My grandkids will be grown before he is ready to try again this time. At least for something in the Republic. I am more worried about Hape, the Hutts and Chiss."

SSDV

Harry looked down at the Earth like world. They had been in hyper space for three weeks and now were going to be here for three months.

Every day was a good day now. He was married. All his wives were here, the news from the home plane was good. They had the portal doors, going up all over the place now, everyone was busy and the Empire was rebuilding. Chiss Space, the Hape Cluster and Hutt Space were eating Imperial intelligence, Inquisitors and dark Jedi like Chex mix at a sausage fest. Life was good.

His recruiting was going well. Twenty-five thousand of each species and moved to a planet that could support them. A ward set installed, equipment provided, some light industry making the tools of medium and then heavy industry, agriculture started, natural resource management rigorously enforced and viola, hehehe, where was Hermione, she hated when he did that, another world of the Potter hegemony. So far fifty of them. The pace on that was growing too. Bars wanted to get to one a day. Eventually it would take off exponentially as their target populations of no more than a billion, based on what the world could support with its own resources, was reached. The ecess would be moved to new worlds. Not like they weren't finding, warding, and mapping five or ten a day.

The counselor Jedi were creaming themselves coming in and starting governments and linking planets up together to form sectors that then got a senator. All sworn to Harry, but it made them feel good he supposed.

Somehow, the Jedi didn't get oaths. They lived with so much of the force around them, they didn't get the nuances. Why did they think the empire was struggling so hard? Oath breakers in all the command positions. It would be a generation or two before that was fixed for them, and by then? Well at the rate the Sidiot was going he wouldn't last the course. Riddle and Dumbledore weren't this hard headed. Nor this active. Put the whole thing on the fast track really. Had to work to stay even with the Sidiot so he could gnaw on his liver until he made another mistake and they could chop another piece of him off.

Exercise in the morning, classes for a couple hours. Work on projects then a meeting via holo, kid time until their bedtime, then snuggle time with somebody. Meals when he was hungry or someone was. Now work on a Hermione project. A whole world to seed with magical flora and fauna from Earth. She had brought ova or eggs, seeds or spores from anything magical in a trunk, magically expanded to the theoretical limit by al the girls working together. You could probably fly Republic One in the thing. The geneticist had cloned up a bunch and slightly altered their genes to make viable populations from what Hermione and others had scrounged. Luna had dived into that project nearly as soon as the Earth wives got here. Daphne dropped jaws making the necessary potions.

So now, three months of animal husbandry, horticulture and ward setting on a garden planet then leaving it in the able manipulators of droids. Well the warded animal or plant zones. The rest of the planet got as many colonist as they felt it could tolerate and had inbuilt renewable natural resources growing and waiting for. A super Lucrehulk freighter full of shrunken droids. Those were to work the warded areas until the population of beings got competent. Just because they were a capable fighting force, well that was a benefit. Hermione wanted to do five of these, and in there somewhere the yearly pilgrimage to Ilum, and the girls all wanted to see Felucia. He should have put a portal in that cave. Oh well. He never thought of these things until it was too late. He would leave one there this time. Everyone else treated the cave like a shrine, bit embarrassing really. Someone had made the holo of his, Aayla then Shakk and Maris time there play in a loop there in real scale and real time and it was a tourist attraction. All it needed was the stations of the cross. Well at least the girls parts were suitably blurred out. Then they were doing five worlds of non magical earth flora and fauna.

Speaking of ova. Hermione had brought the eggs of the girls that willed them to all his earth wives and they were cooking another set of quints apiece, this time one of them being theirs. The of age, twenty five for human's, whatever the research said for non humans, women were implanted a month apart. The wives weren't for waiting. No demons meant it was baby time. They would stop when they ran out of eggs from friends or rather once they had all gotten one or several of their own. He hoped? Maybe not really. The kids were like little drunks. It was hilarious what popped out of them. Harry had a padd with all those comments and recordings on it. His archivist made a Potter family archive out of them. The earth girls had infected the others. Oh my gods it was boy heaven. They were so hot pregnant!

Luna had waved Harry off when he got concerned. "We'll have the portals up and running and can get them back to their relatives if they have any. You already agreed to this anyway. Plus, you like making them as much as we do. Besides, with phoenix tears in the after birthing potions, we are in the best shape we have ever been in in two weeks. Tight as a virgin. Oh hey, Daphne could do a little work and you could pop our cherries again."

"Luna!"

"Hermione! Like that idea did you? I knew you had a little pain smph mn mnu." She glared at where her lips were sealed together, or tried to, Daphne nodded and her wand disappeared again.

The armor had gained a layer. The girls got pinched once in a while by thigh guards and their pants, or breast and back plates and pants. Harry solved this by making a wire of mandalorian iron from a ship the scrappers had brought, alloyed with ultrachrome, durasteel and even a little neuranium. He drew this into a less than hair thin wire and had a runeset engraved on it with a laser. Harry made a loom and wove it into a cloth. He then had droids make suits for the girls and they shrunk to skin tight and the runes activated with a drop of blood.

The first problem was underwear. That had to go. Next was hair, if the girl in question had any, anywhere other than on her head at least. That got trimmed right down, then last the suit had to be peeled down to go to the loo but the girls waved that off, as it was a known problem with women's clothes apparently, and, no matter how good the runes were they were not peeing much less anything else in their suits. Then a patch of absorbent material was woven in in the right places. Under boobs for one. Harry had explained for hours about the runes and how they didn't need that, plus the armor already had vanishing charms. Celeste had already explained boob sweat at great, horrifying, length. Harry had huffed. It made them a little salty, what was the big deal? He got lifted chins and imperious looks so the natural fiber thread was woven in by the droid looms and its attendant mech droids.

The suits kept them cool or warm, dry, were rune charmed soft, light as air, permanently clean, impervious and waterproof. You could discharge a lightsabers power cell trying to cut them and not change the color. One survived a quad laser battery hit on a test dummy, the dummy survived as well. By the time he got the shrinking charm where they wanted them they were also the best shaping garment ever so bulges between joints of the plate didn't happen and so didn't get pinched. They were also charmed to stay clean and were nearly indestructible. A second skin really and their armor needed no modification to go on over it. They also came with footies made on to them, gloves and a cowl hood.

The girls loved them but they only came in a gold tone. Like a really nice natural tan. The girls wore them for missions and exercise, like they could get worn out. Between the suits and the armor no one needed environmental suits and could probably swim through the rivers of lava on Mustafar or survive in space until a Lucrehulk showed up and tractored you to the medical bays. Harry shook his head. They ignored him. Knights learned the charms needed to make the suits and activate them before they became Masters like the armor. Harry set up a plant making the fabric and had all the necessary metals transferred to that planet from the scrap piles. His suit shrank to fit with no compression. Somehow the girls liked but he hated being squeezed.

The close security droids began gaining patches of skin that gold color, over vital areas.

Hermione, Daphne, Luna and Gabrielle being the people they were wanted to learn all the things a Jedi should know and burned through the course. They would be ready for a crystal when they got to Ilum. Gabrielle took to light sabers like a Gungan to water. Celeste beamed at her and they tackled Mace and Yoda. Yaddie sent them scampering. She did not take it easy on them because they were pregnant. Even subconsciously.

The girls spent hours and hours talking. Harry was generally right in the middle of it smiling and either working, reading, teaching or holding a baby. Sometimes all at once. He drove the holonet women's channels wild. Him with a mate caught in a PDA would crash those channels. He blithely ignored it all.

Daphne had a secret smile and was turning Jocasta back a day for every one as she gave her tiny doses of deaging potion.

Luna had a huge smile and Yaddie and Yoda were seen more together than apart and seemed to be getting slowly younger as well. Nobody asked. Yoda started hanging out withy Harry. Nobody asked about that either.

The children toddled about in a huge pack trailed by alert, gold tone, B4 droids with additional nanny cores, female voices, vibro blades and heavy caliber blasters. It was comical to see a toddler holding the hand of a droid super warrior, and excitedly gabbling away. Approach that child and make a hostile move and it stopped being funny instantly, lethally. It turned deadly swiftly and unless you somehow signaled your complete and utter capitulation it stayed that way for the microsecond remainder of your life.

Suddenly a whole factory making B4 Nanny Droids was running three shifts at max production. The leases on those weren't cheap, but they freed up workers, not least from the children's homes Harry was running for orphans, and teachers from primary schools. An insider attack on a school eventually happened. No one, not even the perpetrator, was harmed. Well much. Having a B4 lift you by your hair and carry you to the principle like that had to hurt a little, all that screaming indicated it did anyway.

Harry wasn't having one of those feelings because everything wasn't in fact going along according to plan. The Juvex/Senex sector and the slavers there were trying to get back in business and Harry was going to have to do something he really didn't want to do. Start killing again. They were refusing to comply with Republic law and refusing Republic Law enforcement and the Jedi Shadows were reporting bad things as were Mon's networks. They would swing down there after Ilum. They had worlds to look at in the unknown regions anyway. Then they could pop out in Juvex/Senex. Surprise motherfucker.

SSDV

Harry activated his hundredth set of Potter Hegemony ward stones that day, finishing the weeks production, so they could be taken away and loaded onto exploitation lucrehulks. All the worlds the scouts found got an exploitation Lucrehulk next if they were unoccupied or a Jedi team if occupied. Just barley activated wardstones were placed and then the droids placed a small amount of blood from Harry on them, a single drop. It made him or his agents have to keep the book but the recruiters had the people going to the world to live sign the book or leave a digit tip print after reading the oath Hermione tied to the ward book at the orbital entry point and give a couple of drops of blood if they were going to live there before they caught a Larty to the surface. The exploitation lucrehulks brought all the necessary equipment and supplies along with older model reconditioned droids to set it up and get things running. Those Lucrehulks landed and became temporary housing, workshops, schools, and power stations along with holofeed stations and government offices. Planetary defense hubs as well, but you know, side benefit.

The advantage was if the people intended Harry harm they wouldn't be able to cross the ward line before the signing station.

The planets that were uninhabitable still got wards because droids could work on them no matter what. Those with no oxygen sometimes still had carbon dioxide so plants would grow. Sometimes explosively. With every tillable surface covered in crops and the lakes, rivers and oceans seeded with useful algae it would take surprisingly few years to have breathable atmosphere. After the surveys Daphne wanted for any possible new potions ingredients. Droids could farm until the atmosphere was breathable.

Methane or ammonia atmospheres were just for droid mining. Unless of course there were species the recruiters found enough of to make the genetically diverse enough base for a colony. The methane and ammonia was useful too, and ice, including frozen carbon dioxide could be summoned from space. Those planets might take a thousand years to become habitable or they might eventually be colonized.

All of the mining was planned with sentient occupation later in mind. Like the sponge basalt world.

All in all a pretty good life leading up to the confrontation in the Senate and on the ground over slavery. Ah well into each life a little rain must fall. "So it's me that makes you broody." Hermione wormed under an arm. Harry was standing in the Master stateroom staring out the transparisteel window.

"Who, me, broody, what?" Harry was caught off guard

Ahsoka called from the bed "Use your words."

Hermione giggled "Those are his words."

Harry pouted standing in front of the floor to ceiling wall of transparisteel looking out at the last system they were visiting before Ilum. "I'm going to have to do something about Juvex/Senex."

Luna snorted "Duh. Even over and above the freaking slavery, thing they are just doing whatever they want, and the people who live there are like serfs. It's the pure blood thing again. We'll drive down there. I'll figure out the lynch pins, we'll whack them, and it will fix it. Not like we aren't going to have to give people reminders every couple of hundred years. Even if we do bugger off and cruise the Universe.

If you hadn't turned Ro into a sex toy she would be down there fomenting rebellion, after spending years as a Hand of the emperor, which sounds really pervy by the way. Anything you want to tell us Arden?"

"Hey! Nobody asked your sexual history Luna! And no by the way. Harry got the cherry, all of them. My first love got killed before we got around to more than making out. I wasn't going to let that happen again so when I knew for sure it was Harry I climbed on." Arden crawled over and pulled Luna down. "Some of those Hands do things like that but not with him. I don't think he does that. He is fixated on Vader though. Oh and Tarkin."

Roganda was sitting up and her mouth was opening and closing but no sound was coming out. Luna looked at her by turning her head upside down lifting her shoulders off the bed. "Its fine sweetie, it won't happen now. There are some others we have to hunt down and either watch, or have Harry inject some sense into. I'll make a list. Plus Harry turning most of the galaxy into a meritocracy, and supplying basic needs, changed the paths so it is way fewer than before. Mara Jade, Lukes wife, Sabine Wren, who we can make into the leader of Mandalore, Drayeen, but she wants to be a prostitute dominatrix. Not sure what to do with her. Maybe Daphne can sort her out."

Hermione chuckled and snuggled her head in the crook of Harrys neck "See all handled. You just vaporize who we point you at. Daphne and Apailana can handle the Senate. I'll work the science and Force side Gabrielle will sniff out trouble and make most of them disappear, Celeste will help her. Luna will steer us all in the right direction, Aayla and Shaak will keep the Jedi honest and Arden will keep law enforcement straight. The Knights and Padawans will help. Everyone will help."

Harry smiled "It's good to have the band back together. Uh Luna? I am not injecting sense into anyone, especially not Luke's future wife, who is probably not even born yet."

Ro finally managed "And I am not a sex toy. I'm a-"

"Sex fiend, succubus, sex addict?" Tis'wedu smiled and then shrieked as Ro tackled her.

It turned into a general riot and they were late for exercise in the morning, pitching the protocol droids, who managed the schedule, into a tizzy. They were all smiles and all the way on though. Breha shook her head. Clynda rolled her eyes at her "Don't be jelly."

The group fell out laughing at Breha's shocked offended face, and her tossing a sticky bun at Clynda.

SSDV

Hermione stood on the floor of the cave at Ilum after watching the Padawans doing the gathering ceremonies and looked at Harry who shrugged "I just landed the ship and we all ran here like wild Indians. You know, Jedi, so everything has 'deep meaning'. Amazed they don't have the stations of the cross on that trail up here, three pillars, a well. You know, something like that."

Hermione snorted and opened herself to the Force. She started walking and Harry and the others followed. It was another blank wall of course, but Hermione cut out a section and made a passage hardly breaking stride, and they entered a cave covered and piled in crystals. Daphne arrowed to a set and Arden stopped her and called Harry over. Harry put his hand on her shoulder Daphne touched her biggest crystal and huffed out a breath "Oh my! Ladies you have to try that! Nice Harry. Thank you, now go do the others."

Harry smiled, kissed her, and the new wives looked disappointed. Daphne chuckled "I've been his wife for over thirty years. Do you think that's the first orgasm he has ever given me in public?"

Luna stood over a set of crystals "Yay! Harry come do me."

Hermione sighed "Silencing charm Luna. You know how loud you get in public. Remember the awards ball?"

Gabrielle grinned "The minister was white for a week. You were too Hermione. Even Ronald knew what was happening."

By the time they got back to the main cave Luna had named and animated her crystals and they gamboled around her feet. Mace scowled, then blinked when Yoda smiled and animated the loose ones laying around in the chamber and they started trotting around sniffing people. Luna's took up defensive positions around her and fended off all the curious ones.

"Potter do you have to turn everything into a circus?" Mace asked.

Yoda looked at him "Good outlet for emotion, play is."

Mace looked back at him "Quoting parenting books?"

"Study a lifetime and learn new things one can." Yoda shrugged.

Mon, here to finally see the caves, turned to look at Yaddie and Obi wan hugged her and gave her a look. She smiled widely.

A two week in hyperspace, one week stopped, cruise around the unknown regions headed generally south followed. Roganda and Tis'wedu brought Padawans back to the apartment one day, and the Togrutan Padawan Maar Li and Zeltron Padawan Nomis were settled in the Padawan rooms. The girls looked a little shell shocked. So did Roganda and Tis'wedu.

The Empire holo net picked up on them a month later and Hermione taught them how to make a howler. All the women helped with powering the portkey charms to several gossip columnist and Op Ed writers and a wave of 'terrorist bombings' swept the empire.

Mon looked up from her padd at breakfast when the news broke "You wonder how Hermione ended up in this and then something like this reminds you."

Obi wan nodded "Always the quiet ones."

Mon arched a brow "And you would know that how exactly?" The others at the table smiled and watched the negotiator be taken under fire.

Out in the edges of the galaxy past all the systems, mine manufacturing ships the size of small moons plied their trade dropping a mine every parsec while maintaining sensor sweeps of intergalactic space with one hemispheric ring of sensor emitters surrounding a parabolic dish a hundred and fifty miles in diameter, and the other hemisphere, exactly a mirror image, watched the galaxy though normally passively. The new mines included sponges, medium quad canons, a mass driver and squad of battle droids in case someone tried to board one. The battle droids were loaded with astromech cores as well. The mines had very advanced very powerful sensors pointed both in and out, and holonet connections as well as being holo net hotspots. They had reactors with fuel producing rune driven caps and reaction mass tankage with the same type caps. They dumped waste heat into the reaction mass tanks and were essentially holes in space. The Potters had figured out how to draw the Force from the reaction to power the runes so even if the ambient Force in the area wasn't enough the fuel caps would run and the sponges runes charge and then activate. That was a new string one of the Padawans had suggested and they all worked on. Republic battle control holo tanks gained more and more fidelity and capability every day. The mine production ships also cleaned space along their path and used that material to supplement what they had been loaded with. Resupply ships cleaned their way to them and back in to their points of origin.

Lucrehulk garbage barges used the data being sent in to find and police up trash, wrecks, asteroids, ice, dust and anything else that could affect navigation or be sold on or used in any of the operations of the Potter Hegemony. Scouts and exploitation Lucrehulks used it to find and occupy planets. Bars really didn't even have control of it anymore the droids were doing it in a kind of hive mind arrangement with the AI's linked in. Republic One was a harsh task mistress and brooked no nonsense. She could pop your circuit breakers from anywhere in known space, and would. No droid or computer was safe. Well no Republic ones. The empire had learned a few harsh lessons early in her career. She had time though. They would slip up again, and then she was going to pop all their processors off their motherboards. Try to attack her Master would they? She carried a grudge like, well, a stone really.

Salvage was presorted and processed on the lucrehulks, historic items, and items of value saved out, metals smelted, cast into ingots and stored, plastics separated and reprocessed into giant blocks and stored, and what little was unusable trash, even as reaction mass, ejected into the gravity well of the nearest star on a non orbital trajectory. They also had powerful passive sensors feeding the holo tanks and AIs.

SSDV

An Imperial accounting analyst on Coruscant noticed one day that the food delivery, garbage, passenger ships never left empty and he could see from his window, in shaft twenty seven sixty six, they loaded what looked like construction debris and recycling every load. He did some quick research and calculations and was terrified. He fired off a memo.

In Imperial intelligence analyst looked at it and snorted "And he wants us to drown in shit and garbage? Obviously slipped his cogs. Let me get an investigation going on this idiot. Senior analyst, no telling what damage he could do. Hmmm Spinks, just the girl for the job. She wants to be a Hand. She can go give Senior Analyst Cripke a hand job. Hahaha!"

An Imperial navy analyst looked at the flow of the new lucrehulk super freighters and frowned. All headed to the galactic west. What was the Republic up too? One of those things had been observed unloading with a thousand loader droids and it still took a month to unload. They were so heavy loaded they couldn't deorbit. If they managed it they wouldn't fit in the shafts. Lucrehulk lighters went back and forth between them and the surface. Agents reported they looked normal as did the cargo flats that went in and out for days. One every five seconds both ways on average, a hundred tons apiece. It was a puzzle. Fifty one million eight hundred forty thousand tons. They weren't the fastest ships in the galaxy but they got the job done, day after day, month after month, year after year. First it had been the Lucrehulks doing it, now it was them being lighters for these Super Lucrehulks. The last day of runs the cargo load got lighter and it was passenger modules already loaded with passengers if there were any. The main puzzle was what that much material could be being used for. Well outside the core worlds. It was obviously economies of scale inside the core.

There were thousands, tens of thousands of occupied worlds in the Republic. They weren't at the level of population of the Core worlds but they weren't sitting on their hands. If their pattern remained the same and the Super Lucrehulk freighters had a Battleship, Droid Assault, and Droid Control ship sisters, then they were a match for anything he knew of on the ways or in development much less out in the fleet. That was not even discussing those gun moon abominations. Or the rumored super Subjugators.

Where were they getting the fuel? The metals were easy, the damn garbage scows were everywhere, vacuuming up everything with tractor beams.

One of the agents had bought an older freighter in Hutt space, and was in cover as a smuggler. They had stopped at a planet and the sensors on their ship had seen a whole planet made of recycle. Most of it read like material from the Yuuzhan Vong war and then that abortive attempt on the Dread Lords marriage to Naboo. Just out there past the system the agent was in, no guards or anything. Of course, the stuff was not worth the fuel to haul it but still.

If he was a competing Darth that would explain the Emperors interest, but he wasn't. He sat out there happily building an empire of his own and ignoring the Empire, fucking little girls and alien slaves. Making half alien abominations, the Republic press followed around all the time. It didn't make any sense. They could just wait until he died and then take over from the inside.

He tapped his padd. And now this. Jedi teams moving around in the Empire pulling Force sensitives out. Mostly before the Empire knew they were Force sensitive. How were they doing that?

SSDV

Jocasta looked at the book of names where names and addresses were constantly appearing one after the other in English. The book was tied to the force through a ley line interstice on Dagobah, an apparent Force nexus. According to Hermione, and Yoda. Of course Jocasta was looking at the book in a secure holofeed. The droids in the air and watertight sphere sunk in a swamp sent the holofeed of the book out to the Jedi.

The Jedi and Republic law enforcement took the names from there and researched them, then sent recruiters. Recruiters who were essentially snatch teams went to the empire. They snatched the candidate and their entire family. Those were put on Potter Hegemony worlds and given a fresh start. With the Shadows or Aurors watching over them. Not that they knew about that.

Jocasta sighed. There was so much to learn. Hermione seemed very understanding about her wanting to learn it all and so needing Harry, but could she be that mercenary with her affections?"

Daphne appeared as if by magic "You don't like the way he looks?"

Jocasta blinked "No, he is handsome."

"His power is not enough for you?" Jocasta just looked at her. "He is a very talented, and giving lover."

"I would be using him!"

Daphne smiled "And he would be using you. The deaging potion works once. As soon as you don't have your dose a day you can never take it again. Deage to say eighteen, then see what will be. You might find a handsome young scholar and be happy with two lifetimes. No rush, you have fifteen or twenty years to decide. Unless of course you get used to the pain and we up the dose."

Jocasta blushed "I already have doubled it. I was going to ask you."

Daphne looked at her impressed "Take it up as high as you can tolerate. One extra drop at a time would be my advice. Oh and don't worry, if he doesn't love you he won't have sex with you. I should know, I have tried and tried to get him to shag some girls for fun." Jocasta gaped and Daphne gave a throaty chuckle and disappeared. That little habit was very unnerving. Especially in Daphne. You never knew quite what she was thinking. Jocasta sighed. She had never set off her precognition though. She might be considered a librarian, but she was still a Jedi Master, she had the skills necessary to make it to her Mastery.

SSDV

Harry looked at the holo tank while Hermione and the girls worked. They were conducting what amounted to a series of experiments in cracking planetary defenses. Without resorting to sponges. They knew those worked. Harry's ships were out rounding up every ship in the two sectors while every planet was invested.

He turned back to the virtual Senate as this proceeded in the background of his holo image "We are in fact doing as little damage as we can. If they would just surrender we would send down peacekeeping forces and then transition them to representative governments as soon as possible."

"But you are still attacking them?" The Senator from D'Alegoth insisted.

Harry blinked and scrolled through a padd "Yep. Slavery, profits from, actions in support of, still illegal in the Republic. They refused to stop. Talk to them not me, I'm just doing my job."

"You are increasing your hegemony! Using our fleet and armies." Senator Kharrus replied hotly.

Harry sighed "I am establishing the Republic in that sector, those sectors. We cannot afford a nest of insurrection and lawlessness deep in our own space when there is the chance we will have to confront an implacable foe at any moment. We are using non-lethal means and doing as little damage as we can, when I could just crack all those planets like eggs, harvest the debris and move on. Diplomacy has failed, including your own efforts Senator.

We all knew this was coming. This is not the old Republic, where things are tolerated or a blind eye is turned, if there are enough credits involved.

How many Senators have been arrested, prosecuted and jailed for corruption? That should have been your first clue things were different.

Pardon me, your first clue should have been when we pared the laws down and took out all the ambiguity leaving very little room for interpretation and making them much easier to enforce. Then when people started being held accountable should have confirmed it all for you.

If the planetary governments capitulate I will establish law and order and hand it back to the Jedi. If they force me to kill them, the alleged noble family heads, ruling them, well, then they are mine, by right of conquest.

Now if you don't mind we are gathering up the alleged nobles and I will be offering them duels or they can submit to the will of the Republic." He turned away and his holo faded.

Bail looked out "So, any more questions?"

Mon leaned back, muted her pickup and snorted. Garm was already muted "So now they know. This will be fun."

Garm looked thoughtful "I don't understand Kharrus. The humans I get, they are terrified of the former slave races. With those rumors leaking out about the Dread Lord having been a slave they see fire and death in their future. Well if they aren't females."

"Kharrus is used to the old Republic and is trying to build a base of those sector Senators near him. Juvex and Senex are wealthy. That is how power used to be measured. Now it's measured in educated, content population and output.

Let's hope the idiots capitulate, If not Harry will own their estates outright when he wins the duels. If they do something stupid he will add to his Hegemony. Of course he will still turn it all over to the people who live there. Did you notice no one brought up none of these worlds having wards, or the modernity of their Empire tech based planetary defenses?" Mon looked at Garm.

Garm nodded "We were going to have to do something about them. Slavery got Harry looking at them, and all kinds of things tumbled out. It's a nest of Imperial loyalist."

Mon nodded "We are going to have to look at everyone closely."

Breha added "Before Daphne, Gabrielle, Celeste and Arden get a chance."

The Bothan senator sitting nearby shrugged "Or not perhaps. I find the Dread Lords hegemony sectors and worlds easy to deal with, honest to a fault really."

Breha chuckled "One day you are going to make a mistake and Lady Greengrass is going to pay you a visit."

The Bothan smiled "My heirs will enjoy the holo of it. I already have a wall picked out for my pelt."

Breha inclined her head "As long as you realize."

SSDV

Maar Li looked at Nomis a bit nervously. Harry, erh, Master Potter, sat in a plain straight chair behind a plain desk and another Noble was brought in. Harry shook their hand, had a short conversation demonstrating what he knew about them, and then asked if they would take an oath of loyalty to the Republic, or if they would like a duel. They prevaricated and blustered, he pressed, they decided, and were led out by a Knight or one of the Masters to either a dueling area, or another plain stone walled office to take the oath. Roganda and Tis'wedu watched them like hawks the whole time they were in the office, with hands never far from saber hilts. They watched Maar Li and Nomis too.

After the last had made their decision Harry stood up, stretched, talked and joked with them as he led them to the dueling arena. There were nine who had decided to duel. They stopped at the ward line and Harry walked into the dueling area. "You have all selected to duel. It will continue until you are dead or unable to continue."

A large muscular Lord snarled "Or you are dead and I take your whores."

Harry smiled "When you are ready."

The Lord drew a blaster and dropped it screaming as his skin was peeled off. He was hoisted in the air by an ankle and a fire appeared under his slowly rotating skinless body. The screaming was unbelievable. Harry flicked a silencing charm on him and looked at the others "Next?"

The other eight attacked simultaneously. Harry had seven down in seconds and was looking at the eighth who held a red bladed light saber. Maar Li hissed "Sith!"

Harry looked at the Sith and nodded "Ah so a good workout perhaps. The Emperor send you?"

"Trained specifically to kill you."

Harry laughed "Well that would be a first, well, if you could make me stay dead."

Hermione scowled "Holo's Harry, and stop playing around. Oh and don't kill it, I want to strip its mind."

Harry turned and looked at her and parried seven strikes "Any more request?"

Daphne perked up "Let my apprentice have a go?"

Harry continued parrying and looked at Arden "Want a go Hun?"

Arden huffed "It's not very well trained. You are much harder as a sparring partner."

Harry turned his saber down and hit the Sith eight times "Hmmm. I could train it up. Make it into something worth keeping?"

Gabrielle snorted "It is crying in pain now and just has a few burns. Hit it with a Cruciatus, let's see if it has any potential."

"Forbidden this curse is." Yoda spoke up.

Gabrielle spun to him "It's a Sith?"

"In no danger is the Dread Lord. Handle it your Knight's padawans could. Forbidden this curse is, as well as experimenting on sentient beings." Yoda said firmly.

Maar Li and Nomis looked at each other nervously. Gabrielle huffed "It's a Sith, I think I need proof it's sentient. You, creature, can you pilot a, no our droids do that better than empire trained humans. Hmmm Oh! Do you have a family?"

"My Emperor is my lord."

Harry sighed "That's as bad as there is no god but god. We know that dumbass. At least from your limited perspective."

Gabrielle frowned prettily "Does that count?"

Luna shrugged "Debatable. It speaks, it sort of thinks, it makes and executes short and long range plans and it uses tools. I think we have to call it sentient. Hermione?"

"I never liked that tool use requirement, dolphins being a prime example, but yes. Knock it out Harry and let's get on with our day. Oh and that one you are torturing for being an insulting boor, fix him and kill him. Let's not leave a mess. We have nine new systems to see to."

"Yes dear."

Harry flicked his hand and the Sith crumpled.

Mace, in the Jedi council watching the live feed, put his head in his hands "Fracking Dread Lord."

In the Senate watching live, Bail sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Breha reached over from her chair to his in real space and patted him on the back. While the Holo nets went ballistic, and the Senate went from silence, to terror, then to a riot the Potters stripped the Sith of every memory he had and reviewed them in a pensieve.

SSDV

The Jedi High council was stunned. A Sith academy. Force sensitives put in training, and it being an immensely steep pyramid, with few surviving every level to move up to the next. Those who could be saved being sent to other academies, Intelligence, Inquisitus, Military.

Harry shrugged "Kind of a parallel to ours, but we find their place through testing, not trying to kill them, then finding work for the survivors. I wonder where they are and if we have a sponge there. It didn't seem truly evil, just people misunderstanding the dark and how to use it."

Daphne nodded "Exactly. They still think emotion is the power. A couple of those were Riddle or Bellatrix level though. If there is a sponge and they are like that they will be tough. It will take senior Masters or us to take them out. Well if they learn magic. I didn't see anything beyond the normal Force skills the Jedi were using or had in their histories. That lightning looks like that thing Plo does. Can you work with me on that Master Koon? If I see yours I might be able to do the Sith one then we can take it apart and see what makes it tick, arithmetically that is."

Hermione shrugged "Hugely inefficient cruciatus from the descriptions. Not an immediate killer, cause's pain then death. Like someone tried to make an area effect cruciatus combined with a core drain. Master Koon's is driven by righteous anger. Like Harry did to Bellatrix."

Daphne nodded "Harry never could do that right."

"Hey! I popped Lucius bollocks thank you very much. Arden can do the dark one."

"But he wasn't anymore insane after than he was before, and Narcissa, the skank, tried to thank you remember? Said it mellowed him. Arden hasn't done it since you got the Kashi Mer piece disconnected from her. We will check it out." Daphne replied.

"Stories of the past enlightening are. Dangerous present deal with we must." Yoda brought them back.

The Potters in unison said "Your Pardon Master."

Obi wan shuddered "It's so creepy when they do that." The Potters chuckled. Mace glared.

Harry shrugged "We are snatching Force sensitives from empire worlds as fast as we can. We are preventing the kidnappings of force sensitives on Republic worlds. Unless you want to invade the Chiss Ascendancy, Hapes Cluster and Hutt space I don't see much we can do about it. Lot of blue folks running around that academy."

Obi wan broke in "We are making progress in the Hapes cluster. Master Greengrass Potters people especially."

Daphne pouted at him "I thought we were going with Dark Lady Greengrass Potter."

Depa rolled her eyes "You are married, stop flirting. I concur we are succeeding diplomatically in Hapes. Hutt space is a free fire zone, nothing new there, and the Chiss Ascendency has delusions of grandeur, and will probably be the Dread Lords next target after the Empire, but they are no threat now or then really. They will find themselves surrounded by the Potter Hegemony, and warded out of the rest of the galaxy. Only open space is still a lawless frontier and that will not last as the MLE, Aurors and Hit Force grow and the Hegemony takes more and more bodies out there. The recycle fleet pulling in entire gas clouds and asteroid fields is reducing their hiding places as well.

The problem is still the Emperor and Empire. We should have expected this from Palpatine, he has always been fascinated by the Force. Somehow we missed him falling to the dark side decades ago. He did not suddenly become a Sith Lord since the Invasion of Naboo.

That is for the historians. We must deal with the now. We are countering his current moves. What will his next move be?"

Harry shrugged "Once he rebuilds his fleet and armies he will attack the Hutts or the Chiss. He needs a success, and Hapes, well we would have to defend that, to close to our manufacturing and money. The Hutts are more his kind of scumbag. He probably has agents in there manipulating them now. We need to keep up on R&D and decide whether we need more agents in there or not. I have no idea how to get humint in Chiss space other than what we are already doing. Paid informants, traders, and probes watching them and their networks. Not many blue folks on our worlds that don't have lekku."

Celeste shrugged "And we need to kill these acolytes who are really dark Jedi."

Mace looked at her sharply "Or capture."

Celeste nodded "If it does not risk our people."

Luna decided it was time for a curve ball "So I can have money for my Avada Kedavera cannon?"

Hermione blinked "Your what?"

Luna passed her a padd. Hermione looked at it and her expression grew horrified "Luna this could really work."

"Duh."

"Luna!"

Mace slumped in his seat "Fracking Dread Lord."

"Hey, wasn't me!" Harry looked around innocently.

SSDV

Hermione looked at the street full of bowing men and curtseying women and sighed "What now?"

Luxa chuckled "The holo's of the Dread Lords duel."

"Oh, for heaven's sake." Hermione huffed.

Luxa laughed "Better get used to it."

Hermione grunted "I can't wait to see what the Empire nets say this time."

Luxa smiled "Not a peep, behavior expected of a dark lord yada yada."

Gabrielle "We should show them the light."

Daphne sighed "We want some alive Gabrielle."

"What for."

"Our sons will need wives and our daughter's husbands." Daphne stated firmly.

Gabrielle nodded "So we need a big pool to sort the worthy from. OK. Then once they have children we can show them the light."

Arden blinked "I'm not raising millions of yowling brats, erh mistress."

Gabrielle sighed. Luxa covered her mouth, she was sure that was a puddle of urine under that casino owner.

Hermione brightened "There it is! I knew I saw those boots on this world!"

Harry sighed. They were cute boots, but this was the eighth or ninth world today. It was a dinner party, not the emperor's funeral. That would need cute boots. Black ones to go with the red dresses they all wore dancing on the fucks grave. Harry led the boys in a junk shop, maybe a droid parts dealer, it was a bit hard to tell, these were always the best though. The Padawans stuck with him. They were still working on armor and were still growing. Plus they had other things to worry about than clothes. Like speeders, ships and blasters. Arithmancy, astrogation, physics, transfiguration, charms, potions, runes, all of that. Jedi robes were fine for them. Simple, no decisions, you know?

Aayla smiled and followed them. Things were settling nicely again. Hermione was a dream too. Genius level intellect, sweet as cream, and happy to be co first. Hard as cold iron when needed. She needed a co with all of these too. Plus she had been first first and for years so knew Luna, Daphne and Gabrielle the best. Luna needed a keeper sometimes, Daphne well she just needed watched, always some scheme with her. Like Bars really, and there was always the chance Gabrielle would fly apart and skin someone alive before she incinerated them. Hermione and her three had gotten worked into the group and it gave her time for the children. She sighed. Hermione was bound to be pregnant again soon and then she would have to take over more again. They had worked out an alternating schedule for babies. Half of them carrying quints all the time. Well the masters. The Knights would once they were Masters she was sure. Probably earlier. The way they found Padawans it was a bit hit or miss on becoming masters. Yes, they should go ahead if they reached the appropriate age. She would have to talk to Hermione.

SSDV

Palpatine watched the holo again. Yes definitely a Sith Lord. What had happened to the rule of two? He was clearly the elder? No wonder he was having so much trouble with Darth Dread. Maybe something had freed him from an artifact like Celeste Morne or Arden Lyn. So much history was hidden. Perhaps he came from a time before the rule of two. Would that make him the elder? Palpatine sighed, He was not going back to being the junior Darth again! He had a full Darth as an apprentice!

So he would turn his attention to reorganizing, rebuilding, then expansion not confrontation. The Hapes were out. His Dark Lady, or one of them, had somehow gotten the Queen mothers attention. Probably by promising Darth Dread would come breed her. That was a failing of Dread, all these females. Needy things. How he managed to breed them was the question. Maybe this Potter clone was doing the breeding? The females seemed to love him.

SSDV

Luke whined "But dad, Sa' and Siri!"

Bail laughed "Will still be there in ten minutes after you wash your hands and face."

Leia poked her tongue out at her twin and scampered through the portal, Mina and Theel were waiting. They were going to get to talk to Nomis and Maar about being Padawans. She sighed. Not like she could ever be a Padawan but a girl could dream. Apailana had done it. Of course the Dread Lord didn't take Padawans anymore. Uncle Harry was so busy. All the Potters were. Maybe though. Her youngling studies were up in the same grade levels as Aunts Aayla, Shaak, Maris and Ahsoka, all of the Potter Masters. And there were the Knights Potter without Padawans.

They were in the Dread Lords court though. They could have a princess as a Padawan. She rolled her eyes, a prince too. Luke was as good a youngling as her.

Sabine Wren looked around the exercise area. She was part of an advanced class here to get instruction from Master Ahsoka Potter, the Master of Jar'Kai. Rumors were all the Potter Masters and Knights had been trained by the Dread Lord in all forms including unarmed combat.

It was hard to tell what was true about the Dread Lord. He was sat right there looking like he was mid-twenties. She had looked at holos of him when he first became known ten years and more ago. He looked the same.

At the table with a babe in arms strapped to his breastplate, and him using a pink brush on a blond child's hair, he looked like a harassed uncle who was enjoying the harassment. Nothing like the being who had skinned a Lord alive, killed seven more in the wink of an eye and then played with a Sith like it was a youngling. Or made a cloak from the skin of a transdoshian who was running a racket charging people for access to the public ration station on some world she couldn't remember. Freed all of Jabba the Hutts slaves and turned that monastery into some kind of fountain that wept water from its walls in an inch thick layer. Water on Tatooine! Taken every orphan he or they could locate in the Republic and brought them to homes and schools. Or done any of the other things shocking or heartwarming that he had done.

The Republic was a not a paradise. But if something was wrong and the MLE then Aurors didn't get a handle on it, the Hit Force or Shadows and Sentinels showed up and if you fought them the Dread Lord paid a visit. Things happened then. Normally not good things for those people not wanting to follow the law.

You could live your whole life doing nothing. Ration bars and water, clothing and shoes, basic medical care and education. All provided free. Of course, ration bars were nearly tasteless. Like shipping flimsy. Water was boring, the shoes were functional and the clothes were gray and formless. It was all made of recycle too, it was grey as that was what the different colors of plastics turned to when they were reprocessed. A shirt, pants, underwear and cold or wet weather gear, grey and serviceable and that was all. A bunk and trunk in a ten person room. If you wanted better you had to make credits some way and make your life better than just the basics but you could live by doing nothing other than obeying the law, or at least not be dead.

Potter Industries tested and employed everyone and anyone though. Blind beings, all kinds of disabilities and differences were accommodated, no questions asked. Give them an honest day's work and you got an honest day's pay and below a certain level no tax. Male, female, indeterminate, none of that mattered. Whatever religion you wanted. Vote in local, planetary and sector politics how you felt. Go to classes when not working and you could move up. More credits, a padd, a place of your own, better clothes, medical care that wasn't life limb or eyesight. So not paradise, but better than some planet destroyed by combat and dodging slavers.

Sabine saw the beautiful blond and just knew. The blond looked at her and sighed. She knew too. She had a Master. "Gabrielle."

"Eeep! Dread Lord!" Sabine panted.

Harry smiled "Her name is Gabrielle Potter Delacour, you will be her first Padawan. Try to take it easy on her."

Gabrielle walked over "So let's find out what you know, my Padawan." She led Sabine away. Roganda looked at Harry and followed them. Harry nodded and Ahsoka and Maris got on with their class. Leia watched and nodded. So the way was open after all. That girl was exceptional in an exceptional class.

Luna hummed and nodded "So no Hand for you Palpy. Now Luke's wife and we're good. Well Drayeen but we will run into her, or rather Arden and Daphne will. Little slutty. Daphne will find her something useful."

Harry sat down and worked on his project some more around kids and people asking him questions.

SSDV

"Mom!"

Breha sighed "Leia don't tease your brother. You will find masters when you are supposed to find Masters. You both have good records and excellent marks in your classes."

Leia crossed her arms over her chest "Knowing Sa and Siri won't help him like he says. The Dread Lord has never taken a Padawan. He has however taken a princess."

"Well he is due then." Bail came in sprinkling kisses "Don't push Luke. It will happen if it happens. So Leia, you were there when Lady Gabrielle took a Padawan?"

Leia nodded "The girls and I watched all afternoon. Sabine Wren, Mandalorian, good with her sabers, magic, and mind. Powerful in the Force."

"What did Uncle Harry say?"

Leia sighed "He started on her armor."

Luke snorted "Girls and clothes."

Harry lay in the bed later with a quiet Gabrielle. "Unexpected."

Gabrielle nodded "Not unwelcome though. I'm ready."