Chapter 9: Jedi The First

Star Wars + Harry Potter Crossover

Chapter 9: Jedi The First

769 BBY

2,884 ATC

Coruscant

Harry Potter (alias William Potter) meditated on his past twenty years in the Jedi Temple and his time as a Padawan which, as of one week ago, was over.

In terms of Galactic history Industrial Automaton was now bankrupt and it's equipment had been bought wholesale by Potter Industries. The Potter family was now one of the wealthiest and most respected in the Core and the nature of the death of it's founder, serving the Republic and uncovering corruption, only enhanced the family's reputation.

Two out of every three droids in the Republic these days (outside the military) were of Potter make and business was so good in that regard that Cadi 2 (a uninhabitable barren rock) had become an automated factory world and almost all actual, legitimate, construction had been moved there. Any work by the Forge was still done on Cadi 1 (or just Cadi) but as most of that was military in nature (and therefore being both secret and illegal) it was done underground allowing the many building droids above to turn the planet into a virtual paradise of parks, soaring towers and beautiful buildings.

The whereabouts of Siverere Mannesh were still a mystery and even Harry himself did not know whether his former teacher was alive or dead, though given the nature of the Sith, he assumed dead by now.

As for Harry, he had originally come to the Jedi Temple for three simple reasons, the first of which was to try and simply clear his head. The uncertainty of his past ate at him and, due to the insidious nature of any compulsion charm, he had felt like he did not know anything for certain when he entered the Temple all those years ago. The Jedi offered a peace and clarity, especially in the early years that were less training intensive, that he had been desperate to find.

Though he had issues with the ideological changes that the so called progressives were slowly seeping throughout the Jedi Order joining the tenacious Dragon Clan as a Jedi Initiate had helped provide a truly immersive support network that Harry, for most of his life, had lacked.

Still, though he knew when the Force based manipulation from Darth Corrious had begun, he still had to wonder just how many decisions were his own since then and more than that, Corrious was nothing if not a forward thinker. Harry firmly believed that he had only succeeded as much as he had against Corrious because he had moved so quickly and that his former master, like most deep planners, did not do well with surprises.

That forward planning however made it highly unlikely, Harry thought, for Corrious to choose him and begin to use Force based compulsion on him out of the blue. How many decisions in his life then, how many actions were manipulated from afar to become only the choices that Corrious allowed?

It was also that line of thought which had originally driven Harry to seek, not only revenge on his master but also, the peace of the Jedi as the harsh truth was that he would probably never know for certain.

More than that, he was changed, the experiences of the few years under Sith tutelage had marked him deeply.

Those changes were the second reason that he had ended up with the Jedi for now. Regardless of the manipulations, regardless of how he got to this point he was the young brash Harry Potter no more. Ironically his rush to learn, the very rush that had allowed these changes, was all in a naive effort to gain enough skills and find a way home before he changed too much.

Needless to say that did not work out too well and his pace had slowed dramatically as he realised now that it was less about not changing and more about preserving as much of the old Harry as he could (if there was anything left was another question).

The third and final reason that Harry was there, serving a Republic that he had negligible ties to at best, was much simpler to understand.

Guilt.

The female Jedi Master had been right he had weeped for her, as he had all of them at one point or another, and it only seemed fair that (regardless of how culpable he was) as he had removed Jedi he should take up their cause in his own way.

How long he was going to do this for not even Harry was sure but, he did know that it was what he was doing for the foreseeable future. It also gave his holodroids a workout in making and pretending to be the highly fictitious younger brother of his, one Arthur Potter, who now 'ran' Potter Industries.

The door to Harry's quarters opened without a word of warning and in walked Jedi Padawan Arstonia Evon walked in, the Falleen girl was literally red with anger today, with a horrible scowl on her face.

She was quickly followed in by another friend and Jedi Padawan Hakk Fry (whose master was Harry's old friend was Varlya Tarvam). Harry had enjoyed getting to know his friend all over again as well as Orion, if in a brand new dynamic.

Harry sighed and, without a word, gestured and telekinetically floated the spare chair from his bedroom into his spartan living quarters so that everyone could sit in a rough circle.

"Tell me" came the weary command from Harry as he sat down.

"Will, it was the old prissies, they are just moaning again" said Hakk Fry referring to the progressive movement, the followers of Odan-Urrs refinements to the code, amongst the Jedi.

"What about this time?" He paused, with an amused twinkle in his eye, before he continued "or should I ask what are they saying I've done wrong this time?"

"Nothing new...just the old rant about your ship" came the response from Arstonia.

"The Patience? Let me guess they are saying something along the lines that the Jedi no longer need personal starships. Nevermind the fact that it costs the Republic massive amounts of credits to fund the Order every year and my personal drain is nil, not even fuel". His voice turned cheerily pompous as he struck a ridiculous pose "Jedi of course should not think of such things any sort of attachments or possessions, let alone starships or anything useful".

"Pretty much. I wouldn't worry though as Grand Master Coven just rolled her eyes and patiently explained to the prissies that the Jedi had better things to do than bicker about one another. She also pointed out that there was nothing wrong with the old Jedi code and that, if there suddenly was, could someone please tell her what exactly she had been doing wrong for the past few hundred years" Hakk replied with a smile.

"I love that woman" said Arstonia.

"Don't we all" replied Harry " she is basically every Jedi's benevolent Nan by this point.."

"Not to mention basically the only reason the prissies aren't running rough shod over us 'less enlightened' is because of her" added Hakk.

"That too. Who led the charge this time?" Harry asked

"Master Myec did it this time...I'm sorry Will" Arstonia said even as her skin changed to a deep sorrowful blue.

"That's okay my former master and I never really got along all that much. I mean he is a fine teacher but still, he is not my favorite person nor am I his".

"Then why" began Hakk curious "did he choose you as his padawan in the first place?"

"Most likely because Master Yoda asked him to" responded Arstonia then she added cheekily "or to stop Grand Master Coven choosing her favourite as a padawan".

"She hasn't taken a padawan in over fifty years. I doubt she'd ever start with me".

"I don't" came the twin voices of both his friends at the same time.

Hakk then added quietly under his breath "my master would have.. If she'd got there first...". The other two didn't hear him however.

"Besides" continued Arstonia "it's not all bad Myec did introduce you to me after all".

"Oh yes he did. He was so disappointed in me when, not only did you fail to convert me, but I corrupted you to the old code".

"If only you would corrupt me properly!" She teased.

"Still" Harry said ignoring the offer as he always did "It's fun to rile up the prissies" then he smiled at his friends.

"So is that why your brother gave you a defender class ship that looks like it has not been touched since the Cold War? I mean apart from updating some systems and the blue and bronze paint job?" she continued.

"It's one reason yes. It's also the reason why both my tunic and undertunic are made of the best wool Dantooine can offer in the way of cotton, why my boots and belt are made of rancor leather and why my tabards, obi and cloak are made of tomuon wool. The expense rankles them and the fact that my brother supplies both my clothing as well as all the training droids for the academy at no cost annoys them all the more" was Harry's swift reply.

"You do this to annoy them?" Hakk asked incredulous.

"It's funny...to watch their faces... besides, they will get over it and it's not like other wealthy families of Jedi have not donated to the Jedi on the provision that their own relation gets full use of the gift first".

"But the progressives don't like it" was Hakk's reply.

"I thought we'd covered this" said Arstonia "they don't like anything".

"Besides they'll have to get used to it now as I have been offered the role of a junior assistant archivist. I will report directly to the Council of First Knowledge they offered, so they said, due to my interest in obscure uses of the Force. That would be the reason I have Anstasian patterns on the cuffs of my sleeves and edges of my tabards".

"Really?" Arstonia said even as, in the background, Hakk's face flushed slightly "That's very impressive". She leaned forward and winked "we will have to celebrate soon" Hakk's grey/green human eyes darted to the Falleen's breasts and then away narrowing seemingly at the thought of what such a celebration might entail.

Harry merely smiled, in his own way brushing that comment aside, before he continued.

"That will have to wait I'm afraid, the post is deferred for a couple of years, as I'm off to see the Galaxy and let the Force be my guide without any master for awhile. Don't worry Hakk I'm still going to practice my Niman, after all I'm still only about half way through mastering it".

"William Potter sans leash what mayhem" said his male friend, an amused tilt to his lips, his earlier jealousy apparently forgotten. "I am actually slightly worried that you might blow up your star system due to the fact that it wouldn't listen to the reasons why it should move".

The two long running amusements for his friends was that Harry was not (and never would) make a good diplomat and that when he would use his power to the fullest big things tended to move or be crumpled. Hakk was joking however.

Harry did use his powers for a lot of trivial things, like lifting plates, levitation or juggling. Most thought that he did this to either test his limits (his aura, now unrestrained, was like a small mountain rivalled only by Master Yoda and Grand Master Coven) or to annoy the progressives.

While Harry could admit that they were both good bonuses the main reason was that he was truly enjoying the depth and breadth of his power. He couldn't really explain to others that the main reason he enjoyed it so was that he remembered, far too well, what it was like to work only with a trickle by comparison.

Harry smiled deeply as the conversation turned to more trivial things and relaxed with a good drink in his friend's company.

Later in the day he heard the voice that he was least wanting to hear.

"So I hear you are leaving for a while" said Master Tuspin Myec in his usual cold and clinical tone.

"Why my old master" Harry responded with false cheer. "Are you here to complain about the way I do things again?"

"Why must you always be like this?" Tuspin said sharply "so disagreeable".

"I am not being disagreeable at all" came the response.

"You throw away our teachings". Tuspin accused.

"What teachings did I throw away exactly?" Harry asked curious if his old master had a new thought on his mind.

"There is no emotion, there is peace. That code defines the Jedi."

"Odan-Urr's refinements" Harry said, the cynicism strongly threaded throughout his voice.

"It is an easier code..." began his former master, only to be interrupted by Harry.

"But not the only one… Emotion, yet peace". Harry gathered his thoughts and continued "You say that your code makes for easier and therefore more efficient training. I say that the older code, accepting emotion and letting it flow through and out of you to find peace on the other side, though it is harder to learn, makes for stronger Jedi. That and it makes for more well adjusted people and the argument between the two is as old as the revisions themselves".

"I can see that there is no talking to you" said Tuspin said dismissively.

Harry studied his former master for a moment with all his senses. Yes he was a wise and yes Tuspin Myec was rooted firmly in the light (as befitted a Jedi Master) to Harry it was a very shallow one.

While the Sith actively fostered negative emotion and used that to fuel their powers the original Jedi Code taught that you should allow emotion to flow through you, to understand them, accept them as part of life (a much harder job than simply trying to deny them) and find peace and serenity on the other side.

To his former masters view (as well as the other progressives including Master Yoda) the old code was too flexible when it came to emotion and, more importantly, also both too subjective and personal making it very difficult to teach effectively. They also believed, without conclusive proof, that it lead to more Dark Jedi. This then was the reason for the refinements present in the new code and why the progressives were so wary of those that followed the traditional code.

Harry and the other slowly dwindling number of traditional Jedi were dismissive of the idea as they were uncomfortable with trying to divorce all emotion from a Jedi's life and replace it with the, admittedly captivating, serenity of the light side. There was little balance in the new Jedi from the traditionalists viewpoint.

Harry personally thought that it made for oddly emotionally scarred individuals, individuals that constantly attempted to remove emotion from the equation, even though it was a part of life, and yet were strangely full of pride in their self inflicted scarring. He also thought, as did many traditionalists, that they were less versatile and less able to adapt as Jedi because of it.

"On the contrary I understand your point of view but, it seems, you will never accept mine." Harry said sadly. Unlike most Master and Padawan relationships their bond had never developed beyond its most basic form and a passable working relationship because, fundamentally at their core, they could never agree on this basic premise.

With a sigh and without another word the Falleen left once again despondent at his former pupils stubbornness and completely oblivious to his own.

Harry wanted to sigh too.

As he finished packing his bag his hand reached up to clip his Jedi lightsaber to his belt. It was more intrinsically his than his previous one ever could have been.

Like his previous one it was only slightly longer than standard (to accommodate his hands for better two handed strikes) and the emitter was still buried in the hilt. Where it differed however was in the fact that this blade, though able to kill, did not have causing death as its sole function. Instead of being matte black it had the silver sheen of highly polished metal inlaid with holly, yew, and oak all throughout the handle with a carved and padded piece in the centre for a grip.

It felt to Harry like this saber was the one that he was always meant to have rather than one bound only to the darker and most negative parts of his life. Where the other screamed only his hatred for those that hurt him this one encapsulated his desire for knowledge and his hope for the future.

Just above the grip and below the activation switch (the power adjustor was turn and lockable dial at the very bottom of the hilt) was the symbol of a crescent moon carved delicately and deliberately into the wood.

In short it was not only functional and a beautiful work of art but, every time he turned on the pale viridian blade, he would be reminded of Luna and hopefully do her proud.

He knew that he had to get home eventually and he also knew that it could take centuries in his time (if not longer) and hopefully only be seconds to her but, however long it did take, he wanted to honestly tell her that though he may not always do the right thing he had always tried his best. As for where they stood as a couple, whether she would accept him or not, whether they would survive his changes...he did not know.

Life however, he thought, was not life without risk.

His current need to travel stemmed from three things.

One as much as he enjoyed annoying the progressives, and he did though he didn't show it, they annoyed him just as much. He had heard similar platitudes and speeches that they espoused before, mostly from Dumbledore, ideas that were fine in the found that the world did not work that way and he had to get away from that grating condescension.

The second reason was simply that it allowed him to fulfill his duties as a wandering Jedi Knight and finally, perhaps for the first time in over twenty years, he would be seeing the universe without being encumbered with someone else's attitudes or ideas.

The final thing was not finding his homeland (his droids were still being produced and sent on that task) but instead it was the Sith. Though in his previous body he had been unable to destroy them he had been able to liberate over fifty Holocrons. Who knew how much knowledge that would keep out of Sith hands.

Added to that he was stronger now, where before the Force moved around him like an angry river (or a soft breeze without the amulet), now it was like being in the heart of a great mountain. At the moment no one was sure who was naturally stronger in the Force Harry or Master Yoda but what was known were that these two were the strongest of all the current Jedi by a very large margin (except perhaps Grand Master Coven) and Harry's power was still growing.

He knew however that the Sith were not gone and that (due to magic based compulsions) the Sith Lord, whoever that may be, would always pass down and wear 'Bane's Amulet'. The tracking magic only really helped Harry when they were on the same planet. If they were here however he would have felt it already.

Picking up his bag and having clipped his lightsaber to his belt Harry headed towards the Patience even as he casually waved his finger in the air and the door opened and he left.

Like most Jedi, he mused, I am letting the Force guide me towards my goals.

Fondor

During Harry's meditations he found that he was slowly but surely tugged towards the shipbuilding world of Fondor.

Though well known as a rival to Kuat it hadn't developed the massive industrial ring around the planet that Kuat had in an attempt to keep its natural beauty. Instead the majority of rich natives had, by and large, left for greener pastures and Fondor had become home to more droids than people. They had embraced the idea (automation) as progress. Beyond that Harry personally knew nothing, he had never before visited the planet.

Harry landed the Patience on the northern most continents spaceport of Kowen. Swiftly Harry left his ship and pulled his cloak tighter both around his face and around his body, concealing his Jedi Robes, as he began to wonder around the city.

Wandering around Kowen listening for the Force was a deeply peaceful experience for Harry. He enjoyed the surety of knowing what to do, he thought, as well as the gentle joy that came from connecting deeply with the light side.

Almost predictably the Force led him into the nearest cantina, called the Starburst, filled not with menial workers (due to the droid infrastructure) but middle management, a few designers and supervisors. So instead of the stereotypical catina with dancers, particular music and darkened rooms this cantina was more like a sophisticated gentlemen's club, complete with tastefully dressed dancers that would perform in the back rooms. This was clearly not a place for workmen but rather the upper middle management.

Harry sat on a stool and waved over a waitress, ordering his favourite red tea, scanning the room for anything out of the ordinary. Unsurprisingly a few people were giving him odd looks but he let them fade to the background, simply patiently staying in the moment and mindful of the Living Force.

Of all the things that Harry enjoyed about being a Jedi he knew that it was the quiet contemplative moments that he had come to love the most.

As Harry Potter he hadn't had these quiet moments often as something always seemed to get in the way. First what stopped him was the Dursleys, then it became the sudden need to adapt to the wizarding world in general, to learning at Hogwarts and then it was his Sith training. In contrast he enjoyed the peace of the Temple and the quiet reflection that it had encouraged.

The Force flared to his senses as in to the Starburst walked a man in perfectly tailored clothes, average height and dark black hair that was styled in the latest fashion. On his arm was a striking woman in a skin tight dark jumpsuit that, given the obvious similarities in features and ages, were most likely siblings or cousins.

"Get me a drink Zarandro" came the cold voice of the woman while moving towards a table at the far back end of the Starburst.. The slick black jumpsuit that the woman was wearing drew the gaze of many men, all of whom she looked at cruelly and disdainfully, it did not draw Harry's gaze however as he was more focused on her hands.

Seeing the pilot's goggles carefully looped in her right fist caused Harry to realise who these two people were. Zarandro and Zardra Vykas were rich and entitled. They were also well known thieves that were famous for dodging Republic Security Forces convictions and exploring the known Galaxy at their leisure doing only what they pleased and stealing what they wanted.

She was also famous for her temper her preference for, both for the modifying and the company of, droids and suspected murders. While he was most famous for his numerous drug habits (most notably Spice) and his disturbing skill in hand to hand combat.

They had yet to tangle with a Jedi though as theft such as theirs was generally unlikely to be assigned a Jedi to work the case. Unless of course the Jedi in question happened to be the first upon the scene of a crime or, as in this case, the first to identify the perpetrators. However when coupled with his warning from the Force Harry thought that their might be more to them now than just a simple robbery.

So that was why when Zarandro got both his sister and himself a drink from the bartender (his with a small packet of drugs underneath) Harry merely raised his eyebrows. As he did so he did make a mental note to to tell Republic Security Forces about the drug dealing and possibly that the twins were on the planet.

The Force however nudged Harry's senses, seemingly wanting more, so he focused all of his senses on the couple that had robbed so many even as he waited to see what the Force would reveal. Using his abilities to became almost like he was sitting next to the pair. Harry slowly closed his eyes both to avoid the appearance of staring and to better focus on what they were saying.

"I don't like this Zardra" came the voice of Zarando, her brother, which sounded unsure and slightly intoxicated. "This is not our usual entertainment" his voice lowered and sharpened as if to accentuate his misgivings " I just don't get the appeal."

"The appeal dear brother" came her voice reminding Harry of rich dark honey "is in the challenge, like all robberies, not in anything else."

"But working for some else? We are not commoners working for pay" he almost whined.

"No" came the scathing retort "we are travelling for your drug habit".

"Please" came the disbelieving response " if it wasn't for my habit you'd just search for another way to get rid of your boredom….you're as much of an addict as I am".

"By getting rid of my boredom you mean robbing H'ratth?" came Zardra's amused reply.

It was only Harry's great self control that stopped him from falling out of his chair. H'ratth was a lush planet with deep forests and small beautiful deserts and had a population of over three billion but, most importantly, it had a small Jedi Academy.

"I don't like working for someone else" Zarando paused "especially someone I don't know".

"Think about all those credits and what you could do with them" Zardra's voice, though seductive, had a more than faintly mocking edge while speaking to her brother. He did not notice having taken his 'special pakage' moments before. As such the nuances of human speech were rapidly becoming lost to him due to the newest party drug.

"So weak" she muttered while Harry opened his eyes and glimpsed, if only for a moment, the naked disdain that she had for her brother and his habit on her face.

Harry sat confused. He wondered if this robbery was orchestrated by his previous master or it was another group that held the Jedi in disdain. It seemed that every generation there was another group that did so. Force knows we have enough enemies, he thought, mildly amused by the fact that he now thought of himself as a Jedi.

The strange part of this whole affair was not so much that someone would test an academies defences from time to time. Sometimes they tested for curiosity, sometimes for money and sometimes for robbery. The strange part then was why this particular academy.

H'ratth academy was the oldest small academy currently still in use and, for as long as anyone could remember, was both run by and famous for producing the a succession of gifted Jedi Healers (the current head of the academy was a Master Posar). It did not store any large amount of wealth or great works. The only Holocrons it stored were those that focused on practical healing using the Force and more than that the locals almost fanatically loved their Jedi Healers for all the help they routinely, not to mention freely, gave to them.

In short for Sith, Dark Jedi and everything in between Harry could think of much better targets.

After a long night of on her part and being almost comatose on the part of her brothers the pair began to stumble back towards the YT-1300 Firebrand. As they moved drunkenly through the dimly lit streets and made enough noise for six people Harry followed.

Feeling a faint warning from the Force and not being an utter fool Harry vaulted up the side of the nearest building, in the tightly wound streets it wasn't hard for him to move upward, almost bouncing from one wall to another until he was at top of the nearest building and perched on its flat roof.

Blaster shots screamed out into the early morning. Clearly the pair had not been as intoxicated as they had been letting on and were also, just as clearly, a suspicious pair.

If Harry could have gotten away with it he would have shot, from his custom and hidden launcher, a tracking dart into one of their shins. However they were both too hyped up right now (even if the launcher was concealed as part of his communications and hidden Sith tracking bracer).

Added to that the girl gave the impression of being hyper vigilant, Harry mused, even as he watched them look for a tail in the street below and her brother would react strongly to being hit. All Spice junkies tended to react that way the illegal drug just made their skin too sensitive.

After they had searched around for him for a while they seemingly gave up and moved towards where their ship was docked. All traces of drunkenness was gone from their limbs as their movement were swift and sure. Some might have called them paranoid but, as Harry was actually following them, it actually wasn't. That did not mean that Harry wanted them to know that however.

When the targets did finally reach their ship Harry found that the ship was protected by two HP-20's (commercial edition) that had clearly been recently tinkered with by Zardra. There was also a third tucked just inside the ship, thankfully, it was deactivated.

Harry had created the base model so he easily recognized the changes. The protocepters were different, which to Harry's mind, meant improved sensors. He also noted that the standard bodyguard armour was replaced by a versatile variant ( not as slow as heavy but more than the standard light that was included in the modular pack). One was armed with a sniper rifle and the other, much more annoyingly, had a heavy repeating blaster.

Between the two of them they also had all of the entrances covered and there was even a good three hundred yards of open space between the last building (where Harry was currently perched) and the Firebrand

Harry could charge, lightsaber blazing, and destroy the two droids. He knew that if he did that however that even with his force enhanced speed not only would the ship have more than enough time to leave but his quarry would be alerted to his presence.

His best choice at the moment then was to wait and see if the droids were leaving with the ship or not.

After many tense minutes it became clear that they were not as the ship was beginning to enter the final stages of preflight. Ordinarily he would have had to risk everything on a foolhardy maneuver at that point however Zardra's tinkering had given Harry an idea as it looked as if it had been done within the last day and therefore was, hopefully, untested.

The reason Harry had never tweaked the sensor package and the protoceptors in the HP-20's had nothing to do with the cost. The truth was that if you did so (at least in the commercial model) it tended to cause a very minor malfunction in their processors that, while harmless, did impair their ability to function.

They became able to focus on the smallest of sounds at a far larger distance and (because the HP-20's progenitor the HP-12 was a repurposed failed attempt at improving explorer droids and there was some left over subroutines that activated with that level of perception) they were compelled to investigate.

Hoping that she had not had time to find and solve the error yet Harry frowned and lifted a small piece of rock from near him and using the Force caused it to smack at great speed as far away from him, yet as close to the droids, as he could manage.

Sinking into the Force he empowered his limbs, moving so fast that he was almost a blur and he managed to throw a camouflaged tracking beacon onto the YT-1300 before disappearing into the night.

On Board the Patience

Later, while tracking their ship with his own, he was involved in a serious debate with Grand Master Coven

"...we still need to warn the Academy…" The Grand Master's face, even through the blue tint of projection, was as always serene and calm.

"Master please listen to my reasoning before you decide" Harry pleaded.

"Very well. Why should we not inform the H'ratth Academy that they are the likely target?"

"To put it simply master...we do not know what they are taking or why…"

"All the more reason to warn them.." she interrupted.

"Then the thieves, in turn, may notice and change their own plans. We still do not know who this is being stolen for assuming of course that it is a tomb rather than an artifact".

"So your plan is to let two irresponsible children break into an Academy instead?" she enquired "To find this mysterious buyer?"

"Yes master. It is a risk I admit however letting the theft happen without interference maybe our only chance of finding the buyer. If that does not succeed then we can still arrest the Vykas's but if we succeed we could have both them and their buyer".

"What do your senses tell you?" she queried.

"That I should let this play out" Harry was however willing to give up the decision in deference to the Grand Master and his tone said as much. Her reply, full of genuine affection, both comforted him and shocked him.

"Your senses are as strong as mine, if not as refined, my dear William" she smiled continuing with "besides you are a Knight in the field. It is your call".

Harry thought about his response for a long moment before answering

"Then the robbery goes ahead".

As the image of the Grand Master disappeared, his decision made, Harry spoke to the empty room "No risk..no reward… besides I always preferred to ask forgiveness rather than permission...though this time if it fails I suppose I will be doing both".

H'ratth System

H'ratth only had a single moon around a single planet and it was from behind that moon, hiding in it's shadow, that Harry meditated with his ships sensors and all of his Force ability focused on the Firebrand. Harry felt the barest ripple in the Force as the thieves succeed without the Jedi Healers below being any the wiser.

He was surprised when only a few minutes later the Firebrand took the nearest Hyperspace lane towards the core. He moved the Patience quickly to follow. Soon enough the pair of ships returned to real space and both were greeted by the unmistakeable sight of the Coruscant.

It wasn't the bright and shining upper city that the senate praised nor was it the Republic Capital that the tourists from all over the Galaxy enjoyed. Rather than the entrancing surface the Firebrand headed towards the undercity of the great sprawling metropolis. Again the Patience followed.

They moved further and further down the levels of the artificial cesspit until the Firebrand settled on Floor 900. Most of the floors of the undercity were not well known to either the Jedi or Senate, it wasn't necessarily that they did not care rather, there were simply far too many levels to keep track.

Floor 900 however was different. To the average citizen of the Republic, if they knew anything about the slum of the undercity beyond rumors, it was a rare oasis among the floors of misery and filth. Strangely enough the whole floor wouldn't have looked out of place next to the Senate Building with clean streets and generally happy people.

The Jedi and the Republic however had strong concerns due to some very dark rumors. The rumors revolved around the floor being owned and operated by several crime lords jointly as a haven for pirates and thieves. Jedi and other security forces were not welcome here and they, as well as unsanctioned crime, were rumored to be punished with death.

No matter how many times the Republic or occasionally the Jedi sent exploratory teams down into the floor they were never able to ascertain who was in charge or the true extent of the network involved so they kept returning empty handed. It happened so often that eventually an uneasy (and completely unofficial) truce had fallen.

The criminal elite (ironically called the Council by the locals and also known as 'The 900') never left the floor and paid a substantial 'donation' to certain Senators. They in turn kept the Jedi from truly exploring the floor in force and finding out anything substantial about either the floor itself or The 900.

Standing on a rooftop overlooking the Vykas twins (with Zarandro currently carrying a suspicious briefcase) Harry knew that this peace might soon end. Not because of anything that he had done or the Vykas siblings themselves but more because of who they were meeting.

"Well fuck me". Harry whispered. Through his binoculars he saw a male Cerean approach the siblings. The man was at least ten years older than Harry's body currently was moving towards the pair with a distinctive limp coming from his right leg and holding a cane. He was also wearing an expensive looking (possibly Zeyd-cloth) pure black version of Jedi robes.

"Ter-Idi, the Jedi's most wanted... now what the fuck do I do?"

A/N I have reuploaded all previous chapters on as I have (mostly) gotten round the fact that it removes formatting like underline and italics by uploading each chapter separately in odf format… mostly for my own peace of mind and any new readers but...still… if anyone knows a better way please pm me...