Disclaimer: After the first one, you'd think I wouldn't have to declare to everybody that I don't own Harry Potter or Star Wars, but then again, I don't.
Chapter One
Tantive IV
Harry Potter, age forty-seven, father of two, husband to Ginerva Potter, Wizard and Jedi of the Phoenix, watched his eldest, Sirius Potter, as he ducked, slashed and weaved spells against his opponent with his lightsaber and wand. Across from him was Luke Skywalker, a sandy brown haired boy not even a year younger, but just as powerful in both their spells and talents in the Force.
They were nearly even against each other, but fighting together they were virtually invincible. That was until either Harry or Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker dueled them. Despite their talent, both were still green. They had never been though the heat of battle that would have been life threatening to either.
Harry prayed that day would never come, but they were fugitives of the Empire and Sirius was now eighteen and Luke seventeen and the excuse of them being too young would no longer apply.
A surprised cry of pain drew Harry's attention back to the duel where Luke was standing over a now bound and stunned Sirius, a blue bladed lightsaber inches from Sirius' throat.
"Brilliant duel, Luke!"
Anakin nudged Harry with a grin, "You owe me a drink, this time."
Harry chuckled, remembering the standing bet that whoever's boy won, the other would buy that night. They entered the arena and Harry revived Sirius, "What's that, seventy-five to eighty-three?" Luke helped his friend up, vanishing the ropes, "Almost had me with those animated wires from the wall, Si."
"Yeah, but you still conjured that Rancor to distract me."
"You all right, son?" Harry asked.
Sirius nodded, "Yeah, nothing mum can't fix."
"You two get cleaned up for dinner. Mum can heal you then."
The eighteen year old grinned at his dad, "You know if Leia is back from Aldaraan?"
Anakin frowned, "What are you asking about my daughter for?"
Sirius flushed red, though the sparkle in his eyes did not die as Harry laughed, "Anakin, they've been dating for nearly a year. You're acting worse than Ginny's brothers did."
Luke slapped Sirius on the back, dragging him from his dad's interrogation, "Come on, Potter, let's try to make you a little more respectable for my sister."
"But she likes it when I'm like this." Sirius grinned as he followed Luke, "Says it makes me look roguish."
Anakin shook his head and looked at Harry, "You know I love to mess with him."
"Yeah, I know." Harry and Anakin left the dueling arena, "They're still getting stronger. The magic they both wield, and their Force powers...incredible."
Anakin agreed and then sighed, "Luke asked me again about going on more missions. It's one of the reasons I sent Leia with Padme this time. It's time."
"I know." Harry nodded, "Lily is already asking Ginny about missions too. By the Force, is that girl powerful."
"And she's only fifteen."
"She almost beat Leia in a magic duel. And your daughter's gifted in dueling transfiguration, not to mention the speed of her spell casting."
Anakin nodded, "How is the academy at Safehaven doing? I haven't had a chance to visit it in about a year."
"There's a class of twenty graduating this year. Most are ready for Knighthood, but there are some who are willing to continue their studies under a Master out in the galaxy."
"Your ideas of how a Jedi's education certainly is unique."
"Eight years of schooling in classes together until they reach eighteen is something that I'm familiar with teaching and I believe that it's something that will work in the longer run for the Order." Harry grinned, "The unity within our Order has grown stronger with each graduating class. Our Masters from the old Order could probably have never imagined seeing so many taught in my magic before the war ended."
"Even I can hardly imagine it." Anakin sighed, "Still, I agree that knowing magic is a benefit for the Order and when we renew this war against the Empire, it will prove to the doubters that the Jedi are stronger because of it."
"What news from Coruscant on the Emperor? Has Kenobi checked in yet?" Harry asked.
"Not yet, it's early and he and his garrison only recently established the outpost. Amazing that with nearly a hundred Knights and four Jedi that the Emperor is blind to their presence."
"It's a good thing we never took down the Fidelus of my apartment."
Anakin shook his head, "I'm surprised that Palpatine wasn't more aggressive in hunting us down. We have lost more than thirty Jedi and a battalion's worth of Knights to the Empire though, so it's not like he's ignoring us."
"It's more because he doesn't have a trained apprentice leading the Stormtroopers and his Imperial military. I think he was surprised with the numbers of clones who had remained loyal to us during the purge. Jedi he thought were going to be easy targets to the clones suddenly had allies within their ranks. I'm sorry that we weren't able to save more during Order Sixty-six."
"I understand." Anakin paused with a moment of rememberence for the fallen and the ones who had never been accounted for officially, before Harry changed the subject, "Is it your squad of Knights on patrol this week?"
"Yeah. Luke's on the roster now." Anakin glanced at his friend, "I was going to tell him if he beat Sirius today."
Harry laughed, "Next week, I'll put Sirius on the roster with Barriss and Luminara."
"He'll think they're babysitting him."
"If he thinks that, then I'll keep him off the roster until it's my patrol week. And that's almost a month from now." Harry answered, "I'll tell him when you break the news to Luke."
"Have we receive word on the status of the Death Star?"
"Completed. Bail Organa has already requested a team to steal the plans now that he's discovered its location." Harry stepped through the door into the dining hall where a dozen Knights were seated and eating, along with several dozen more rebel volunteers, pilots mostly.
Harry saw that Ginny was already there and eating at a table with three Jedi, Barriss Offee, Luminara Ulundi and Ahsoka Tano. Along with them sat the most recognizable senators from the old Senate, Mon Mothma of Chandrilla and Garm Bel Iblis of Corellia.
Anakin and Harry grabbed their own food and found seats with the group, making sure that three more seats were open for their children.
"You boys done playing for the day?" Ginny asked, giving Harry a very welcoming kiss on the lips.
"Luke nailed Sirius and wrapped him up with some ropes." Anakin grinned, "He might be able to even the score by the end of the month."
"Sirius will need to get a quick patchup after dinner." Harry began.
"What?" Ginny glared at her husband, but kept her voice down, a tactic she knew scared her husband more than when she raised her voice, "What happened?"
"He took a banisher to the chest and...was nicked by a lightsaber twice..." Harry's head sunk lower as he trailed off, knowing Ginny was slightly mad about it and might hex him for letting their son get hurt while he was watching.
"Luke never gets him with a lightsaber." she frowned, "Something was distracting him then."
"Probably because Leia is out on a mission?"
"She went with Padme yesterday?" Ginny frowned.
"Leia went where?" a young female voice asked from behind them.
They turned to see a red headed, green eyed fifteen year old, Lily Potter, staring at her parents, hands firmly panted on her hips in a very striking resemblance of her own mother at that age.
Ginny sighed, she did not really want to have this argument again, especially in the cafeteria, "Never mind about it, Lily."
Lily knew the answer already and recognized the dodge, "I already know, mother. Leia went on that 'diplomatic mission' with Aunt Padme. She told me before she left. I was going to try and go with them, but you put that monitoring charm on me that I don't know the counter to."
"Well, I'm glad I did, young lady..."
Harry headed off the argument before it could gain steam, "Lily! Ginny! Not here and not again."
They both fell quiet and Lily disappeared to find a table elsewhere while waiting for her brother and Luke to come in.
"As I was saying, Ginny," Mon Mothma broke the awkward silence, "We need to establish a more public base for the Alliance. Safehaven and Yavin IV are well protected from the Empire, but we won't be able to recruit more people if we don't have a place for them to go."
"Our operatives are able to find the people, Senator, we can't afford to remain stationary. Especially with that Death Star now operational."
"And you believe your fleet is capable of protecting our Alliance?"
"We have ten capital ships with seven more that will be done this year. We have the personnel, Senator, we don't have the ships." Ginny explained, keeping control of her temper as she reigned in her emotions again, "Garm has also been squiring a fleet of ships in his own sector, though I don't know how many he has yet."
She was about to answer when a klaxon rang out a voice from the control room, which echoed through the halls, "General Skywalker, your presense is required in the control room. All reactionary pilots are to assemble for immediate departure. General Skywalker..." the message repeated and Anakin hurried out of the cafe. Ginny and Harry quickly excused themselves and followed the departing Jedi.
"What is it?" Anakin asked the second the door of the control room opened.
"We just picked up a distress signal from the Tantive IV, sir. They were ambushed. There was an Imperial Star Destroyer waiting for them at Tatooine. We lost contact after their initial report two minutes ago."
Anakin paled by the end of the report, "Padme! Leia!"
A hand found his shoulder and Harry said, "Gin and I will go with you." he turned to the control room officer, "Prepare a brief for us to go over en route. Time is short."
"Yes, sir."
The three rushed from the room and hurried to the main hangers. Already a squadron of twelve x-wings were being warmed up and R2-D2 was snug within Anakin's fighter. Harry was moving towards the Marauder with Ginny, both pausing as they realized several others were coming down the ramp, "No!"
"Ginny..." Harry started.
"They aren't going, Harry!" Ginny glared at her husband and then back to her two children that had already begun warming up the freighter.
"We don't have time for this." Harry frowned and listened as the engines of the ship roar to life.
"Master Luminara and Barriss are on board too." Sirius reported, "All of our armor's up there."
Harry nodded, "Get aboard, son. It's time for you and Luke to join the Alliance."
Sirius nodded, risking a glance at his mother who was glaring daggers at his father. Lily was still there and was about to follow Sirius when Ginny stopped her, "Where do you think you're going?"
"Not now, Gin. Lily, get on board."
"You can't be serious about letting Lily come too!"
Harry sighed, "We can talk about this on the way. She is ready, Gin."
Ginny figured he was talking about Lily instead of the ship and followed both aboard the Marauder in a daze. Harry went immediately to the cockpit and took the pilot's chair, "Skywalker, you there?"
"Got you, Potter. My squad's already in the air."
"Team leaders?"
"Luke, Lieutenant Darklighter and Knight Sid."
"Darklighter? Good pilot." Harry directed the freighter towards the squadron of x-wings as Ginny sat in the chair next to him. He spotted the red and gold colored x-wing, a large gryffon painted on the foreground of the rebel symbol, "Gin, did we get the briefing yet?"
She nodded and took the comm, "Anakin, we just got the update from Control."
"I'm broadcasting, go ahead."
"Along with the report, we intercepted a review of the battle from the Imperials on its way to Coruscant. They're saying that all aboard were killed when a reactor went critical and the Star Destroyer arrived to investigate a distress still."
"That means they're trying to cover it up." Anakin's voice was broken but still strong, "I can still feel them. They're alive."
"So can I." Luke cut in, "What's the plan?"
"Odds are that Destroyers's still there." Anakin began, "We head to Tatooine and my squad will fly distraction. Potter, get your team aboard and get our people out of there."
"Coordinates are locked. See you there, Anakin. May the Force be with you."
x x x
It was a single Star Destroyer. Sixtreen hundred meters long with turbolasers that could destroy an entire city in hours. That was the sight that met the twelve x-wing fighters and the cloaked freighter as they entered the system of Tatooine.
The arriving vessels did not have a chance to orientate themselves before the Star Destroyer engaged in its own hyperdrive and vanished. At the controls of the lead x-wing, Anakin Skywalker stared in disbelief at the void which had been occupied by the large vessel.
"Anakin?" Harry's voice broke the spell of disbelief where the Tantive IV exploded. "We're picking up one escape pod down there. But nothing else. You know that Leia's capable in cloaking herself in the Force. She might have made it down there."
"Leia wouldn't have abandoned Padme." Anakin's voice was hollow but there was a little hope there in his voice, "First Flight, escort the Marauder to the escape pod. Luke, I want you and Darklighter to stay on patrol up here. Sid, get to Mos Espa and make contact with Operative Bloodstripe. I'm transmitting recognition codes now."
The x-wings broke formation, four following the freighter as they entered the atmosphere and headed for the given coordinates. Harry uncloaked the ship as it set down, their escorts touching down moments later.
Anakin was running to the pod before the ramp touched, "Padme!"
"Is she alive?" Harry looked at the face and saw grief and relief.
"Just 3PO. Padme and Leia were captured and they ordered him into the escape pod."
"Why?"
Anakin chuckled, "Leia gave him a data pad with instructions to find our operative. Good thing the Jawas didn't get here first. Or worse, the Tuskans."
Harry grinned, "Can you imagine him with the Jawas?"
His friend smirked and looked back into the pod where his protocol droid still was sitting, "Come on 3PO, get aboard the Marauder."
"Lily can fix him up." he glanced to the freighter where Sirius and Lily were looking around the dunes, "Have you..."
"No." Anakin shook his head, "It's been almost twenty years since...since the sand people took and we got her back. She doesn't know that she has grandchildren either." Harry followed 3PO back to the ship, Anakin pausing.
"There's no time right now. We have to get Padme and Leia back first."
"And we will. Get your squad to Espa and meet with..."
"I'll send the squad back to base with the data. Luke and I will remain as escorts."
Harry hesitated before nodding, "All right. Meet you at Espa."
x x x
Han Solo was having a bad day. The battle in space had not gone unnoticed by the locals and the smugglers and other nefarious individuals were getting very jumpy. Also, Jabba the Hutt just cancelled a contract with him and he was now stuck on Tatooine without a job.
This all happened before he learned the identity of the ship, the Tantive IV. A diplomatic ship that he knew was used by the rebellion against the Empire. It was also a ship that he knew was used by Ambassador Skywalker and he knew that because he was an operative and informant for the Alliance. His main purpose was to help deliver supplies to them, passing on any rumors he might have heard. This however, needed to be passed on to the alliance immediately.
His initial report had been vague and then after the Tantive had been blown up, he had passed that on as well, but nothing about what the Imperials had said made sense. He knew that they had boarded, but he was not sure if they had taken prisoners or not. It had been less than an hour later when a squadron of X-wings entered the system and the Star Destroyer had left. With the Rebels responding so quickly, it meant that the ambassador had been on board and they were there to rescue her.
"Chewie, we need to get out of here." Han mumbled to his Wookie friend, Chewbacca.
The large near eight foot Wookie growled a low agreement and stood to leave. They both stopped when two spacers entered, looking completely out of place in the dim lit bar. Fighter pilots and judging by their weapons and light armor, Knights of the Phoenix.
One was a blonde female, petite under five and a half foot, while the other dwarfed her, with his six three, athletic build. Both were intimidating and went straight to the bar for a drink, ignoring the stares they had brought with them.
"Solo?" a male voice turned his attention to two men sitting next to him and Chewie. It took everything in his power to remain seated but could not keep the surprise off his face.
"Who wants to know?"
"We don't ahve time for twenty questions, Bloodstripes. You're our witness of what happened."
Han closed his eyes to regain control, "Look, all I did was put out that something went down. I can't be seen with you."
"Only you and Chewbacca can see us. Besides, Lieutenant Sid and Darrien are very distracting."
"And you are?" Han lounged back in his chair.
"Only concerned for your well being. Master Skywalker will be here shortly. We needed to make contact."
"Skywalker? Anakin Skywalker? That guy's a ledgend! And he's coming here?" Han was not one to gush, but hearing that the legend of the Clone Wars and rumored leader of the Alliance was coming to Tatooine, he was simply not expecting it.
"With some others. We need a safe place to talk." the man said.
"I can take you to the Falcon...looks like the local garrison is taking notice of your two friends, Jedi."
The man shook his head, "We're Knights of the Phoenix. We're just a little different than Jedi."
Han was about to ask when the Stormtroopers finished asking questions with Sid and Darrien and raised their rifles. One green lightsaber snapped to life and before they could react, two were cut in half. Darrien had drawn a wooden stick and shot two colored beams into the other two, knocking them to the ground. Another flick of his wrist and the damage to the tables was repaired and all four Stormtroopers turned into what Han believed to be human bones. A coin was tossed to the barkeeper and without another word, they both vanished with a pop.
He turned to the others and saw they were gone, "Come on, Chewie, get back to the ship and get her warmed up." his day still had not improved, "Bunch of crazy old wizards."
