Antumbral: of or pertaining to the antumbra, the subtle tertiary shadow only noticeable when the light source is considerably larger than the occluding object, the lighter shadow within the darkness.
~penumbral~
GrS 13:5:17, Coruscant.
The Jedi, unlike some Harry could name - though that was a story for another time -, were quite civilized. That was to be expected, what with them representing, to some effect, the largest, one of the oldest, and the most respected governing body in the galaxy. The Hutts were older, but smaller and certainly not more respected, unless respect was measured in credits.
He was only handcuffed, not blindfolded or knocked out or what-have-you. The ride towards the Jedi Temple, while no long affair, was quite the sight sitting across from a stern Jedi and two men with thick guns.
Besides, for once there was no traffic, but that was one of the perks of riding in a government vehicle. The only perk, really.
Harry shook his hands, trying to rid himself of an itch which formed right where the handcuffs scraped uncomfortably against his skin. Then he resumed his appreciation of the sights of Coruscant - 500 Republica, the Galactic Senate building, and, finally, the Jedi Temple soaring grandly ahead.
Harry had seen pictures, of course, and had even reviewed the few building plans that remained public throughout the years.
That is to say, he had reviewed plans of the building's exterior in great depth. Even past the front doors, though, was a complete mystery. Well, that was not completely true - pictures floated around on the HoloNet of this schoolchild's trip to the Jedi Temple or that politician's official visit. Virtual tours existed on the organization's propaganda holosite.
But those all conveniently strayed from the more interesting areas of the Jedi Temple - and rightly so. If Harry owned a building complex populated by badass magic-wielding warriors, he'd make the floor plans secret, or better yet, have them change constantly. That is to say, he'd make Hogwarts.
Of course, the Jedi couldn't use magic in the same sense that he could, so they couldn't use that particular trick, although he was sure that with the proper application of whatever technological gizmos they had here, they could make it work.
Luckily for him, they didn't.
Obi-Wan coughed roughly.
Harry, lost in his musings, suddenly looked up. "Yes?"
"I was saying, perhaps we should conduct some preliminary questions."
"Oh, of course. Bring it on."
"Name?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
The Jedi Master was unfazed. "Age?"
"What is this, a government form you're reading from?"
"Do you have an answer?"
"No."
"Level of education?"
"Now you've got to be kidding me."
"I assure you I am very serious, Mr. Black," said Kenobi.
"Your sources finally got back to you? Took you long enough. The speeder purchase was with an account obviously tied back to the bounty hunter Mortem. My armor and weapons are indicative of his preferred style."
"Your face, too, Mr. Black, but you are diverting my inquiries." Obi-Wan leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "Let me get straight to the point. Who hired you to attack Padmé Amidala, and what poison did you use to incapacitate her?"
"Can I get my holocall?"
"Your holocall?"
"A prisoner always gets one phone call, or is the Republic too barbaric for due process of law?"
"You only get one?" asked Kenobi.
Harry sighed. "Let me, as well, get to the point. The person who hired me is the same person who hired the bounty hunter before me. As for the poison, I don't think you'll find it anywhere anytime soon. As in, quite possibly nowhere in the known galaxy."
"The Kaminoan hired you."
"The who?"
"The one who fired this dart." Kenobi held up the dart which had killed the changeling bounty hunter. "We first suspected that you were one and the same, but this is, as I mentioned, a Kaminoan saberdart. Yours is Corellian standard."
"Where exactly is Kamino?"
"Outer Rim. Beyond that I'm not at the liberty to say."
"Of course."
"You know the man," stated Kenobi. It was not a question.
It was obviously Fett he was looking for, but Harry wasn't about to tell him that. That is, not without a little monetary compensation - or information. Besides, this little information game was quite fun.
"A thousand credits." Harry didn't think the man would accept - he obviously had a lead which he was already pursuing -, but just to gauge how interested Kenobi was, he offered anyway.
"No, I think I have what I need already." Obi-Wan spared a glance at the two Coruscant Security Force officers besides him. "Besides, I think our friends over here might object."
Just then, the ship landed in a hangar of the Jedi Temple. Harry stood and descended alongside the Jedi Master, and the ship rose and flew away. "You know, Kenobi, if you're ever in need of some... extracurricular help, I'm always available. Like right now. A piece of advice, if you will, for a credit?"
"You're quite the opportunist," said Kenobi. The Jedi pursed his lips, then flipped Harry a single credit chit, who awkwardly caught it in his manacled hands and clasped them together to prevent it from falling.
"Be extremely cautious, and leave no loose ends open. You don't know what you're getting yourself into, and there are far more dangerous men in the galaxy than a mere bounty hunter. You cannot afford a single mistake."
"Says the man who allowed himself to be caught in the act of assassinating a Galactic Senator."
"Allowed himself indeed. And I did not mean to kill anyone! I only meant to maim,... or seriously injure!"
Obi-Wan grimaced and led him away.
~penumbral~
Harry found the journey to the Temple's holding cells quite enlightening, as it passed right by the Archives and through a decent portion of the secured area of the Temple. The part behind the doors which say Authorized Personnel Only, but in Aurebesh.
The journey had been mostly silent, punctuated by Harry asking about this or that section of the Temple. Kenobi had, intelligently, chosen not to answer.
Right before the Jedi deposited him in a cell, though, the two were intercepted by Mace Windu.
"Interrogation will start immediately," said Mace. "And you might want to put a temporary hold on your investigation, Obi-Wan, until you hear what this man has to say."
Windu practically dragged Harry into the cell and dumped him in a chair, before taking a seat on the opposite side of a small table.
The man, Harry could tell, exuded seriousness - which he could respect. But every once in awhile, he felt, it was good to rattle authority figures a little. Bureaucrats like Fudge and Umbridge, Ministry workers like Percy, and even Headmasters like Dumbledore.
Not to mention Snape.
Windu seemed more the Snape type of serious, but without the a priori dislike which had defined Harry's relationship with the man.
Actually, from the way Windu was glaring at him, perhaps the dislike was there. But at least it was for something Harry did, rather than his father's sins.
Obi-Wan entered a minute later, bearing a stack of holodevices which he tossed onto the table.
"You're wanted in seven systems. You've killed people, kidnapped others, and destroyed families for money. Does the Bothawui Escapade ring a bell? Then there are the rumors -" Windu picked up a holo and slid it towards Harry. "- that you played a role in the extortion of famed antiques dealer Shrack Tunce. And -" Mace Windu stopped reading, uncertain. He looked up at Obi-Wan, then back down at the holo.
Harry smiled, and watched the Jedi Master internally debate whether to say what he was about to say.
"And you've been indicted for twenty counts of plagiarism?" This was more of a question than a statement.
"Do I get to plead, or are you going to assume I'm guilty from the start?"
"This, coming from a man who incapacitated a Galactic Senator? Let me make it clear. You will never see the outside of a jail cell in your life, Black. But if you cooperate, it doesn't have to be an unpleasant experience."
"You do not need to be quite so harsh, Mace," said Obi-Wan. "Perhaps we can come to an agreement with Mr. Black here."
Harry yawned. "Don't bore me with a good cop, bad cop routine. Just get to the point."
"What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Well, the seven systems are all not part of the Republic and noted for their savagery. The killing, kidnapping, and destroying families - the only people to which I've done this were, I assure you, far more terrible people than you or I, and also conveniently the targets of several legitimate bounties, which I collected. The rumors about this Tunce figure will remain rumors until substantiated by evidence, which you seem to lack.
"And the plagiarism, well. All I wanted was to make a little money on the side, you know, as my bounty hunter career began to start up. Work was slow, I hadn't quite made a name for myself yet. And Wanderings with Werewolves was a completely original fictional work, let me tell you - I almost made a sequel. Young protagonist Gilderoy Lockhart was extremely popular, especially with children of the Kuati elite. I remember the cute little notes they used to send me -"
"Get to the point, Black."
Harry flashed the Jedi Masters a grin. "Anyway, apparently the concept of a man transforming into a pack animal was copyrighted on Kuat by some uncultured snob who'd never put stylus to holopad in his life. You know, a patent troll."
Mace Windu did know, but the Jedi Order had the convenient position of winning any copyright or patent suit that was brought against them. Not that there had been such an incident in the past ten years, but a little before the Naboo incident some angry arms dealer or the other had tried to patent the lightsaber. On Corellia. He was promptly decimated by the court system and the Order, and the Corellian Jedi hadn't taken to kindly to the man's presence in the system, either.
"So sue me for writing a story that brought hope to sad children in need of -"
"We get the idea," said Obi-Wan. "And we must note, for the record, that you were, in fact, sued for writing that story."
Harry ground his teeth at the terrible joke - if it was one. He wasn't sure if Kenobi was the joking type.
"We're not here about the rest of your crimes, though, Black," said Windu. "We're here for the serious crime of assaulting an elected member of the Galactic Senate. There is no way that you can escape the law."
"Well, if I may. The Senator was not actually acting in her position as Senator at the time of this attack. So, if I had performed the crime - and I'm not saying that I did -, then I'd be innocent of that charge, at least, and only guilty of incapacitating a private citizen and, I suppose, of endangering the lives of a hundred more. And I would be liable for some amount of damages to whatever company's ship they were on."
Mace narrowed his eyes. "You knew of the transfer of power from Senator Amidala to Acting Senator Binks - before it was officially announced."
"I have my sources."
Windu folded his arms. "Regardless -"
Obi-Wan tapped Mace Windu's arm urgently, and showed him something.
"It seems that Anakin has a report to give," said Mace after a moment, "and it's not particularly favorable for you."
Harry shrugged. "Of course." That was when he played his trump card.
"But I have diplomatic immunity. I represent the Pelior System, which is considering entering the Galactic Republic." He paused. "Or the Confederacy."
Mace groaned and Obi-Wan folded his arms. "I don't believe it," said Kenobi.
"I do," said Windu, studying a holopad. "Wanted on seven systems, five of which happen to be enemies of the Pelior System, a repeating blaster marked with the insignia of the Pelior royalty, the Senator incapacitated in the back of a car, Black's car, bought with Pelior funds - not that they particularly matter in the large scheme of things, but laws are laws, and contravening diplomatic immunity -"
"Could very well upset Pelior, causing a fuss and most likely lead to more systems leaving the Republic and joining the Confederacy, yes. And since I didn't actually assault a Senator serving in their capacity, only a private citizen, and since nobody actually died, I'm safe."
"An admission of guilt, Sirius Black? Remember, we can still hold you up to a day for further interrogation."
Harry gestured with his clasped hands. "Be my guest. Do keep in mind, though, that nothing short of fifteen thousand credits and a free pass out of jail - and a tour of the Jedi Temple, to boot - will get me to talk. And I won't name my employer, or what poison is in that dart. It's bad for long-term business relationships, you know, if a bounty hunter has a reputation for disloyalty."
~penumbral~
Windu and Kenobi were unable to glean any more information from him, and eventually departed, no doubt to return with more information or different interrogators.
They would not succeed. Harry idly clasped and unclasped his fingers, careful not to drop the lone credit Obi-Wan had given him. He waved at the camera a couple of times - an awkward affair with the handcuffs - and put his legs up on the table.
By now Dooku would know of his capture - and probably the bastard hadn't paid him yet, waiting to see if he'd get out of a jail sentence before depositing the money.
Now, the only question was whether Harry cared to waste his time sitting around in the Jedi's cell. The alternative was certainly attractive, but he resolved to submit to another round of questioning. After that, if the Jedi didn't turn him loose, he'd do it himself.
Two hours and twenty botched hummings of "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs" later, Windu finally arrived again, this time with Yoda. The old Jedi Grandmaster was intimidating due to his impressive reputation, though the Jedi didn't particularly look stern or forbidding. That was Windu's job.
Mace stood in a corner of the room and folded his arms.
Harry knew that they were trying to get him to speak first, so he remained silent. After a minute of staring, Yoda closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply.
Harry could feel the peaceful power emanating from the Jedi, and recoiled slightly at first. The calmness was powerful, and almost rejuvenating.
Eventually, Harry decided to stop wasting his time. "I don't have any more answers for you."
"Hide from the light, the shadows cannot. Given information to us, you already have."
"You're Force sensitive," said Mace Windu calmly. "You reacted to Master Yoda's meditation."
"I'm a what?" asked Harry in as calm a voice as he could, trying to imitate his eleven-year-old self - incredulous at the thought that he was anything special.
Windu eyed him suspiciously, but didn't comment.
"Unusual to go unnoticed for so long, it is, yes."
"I'm new to these parts, shall we say."
Windu looked up sharply at that. "Outer Rim? I would've guessed Coruscant or Talravin from your accent."
Harry shrugged. "Maybe it's a coincidence. Maybe I picked it up recently. It's all a mystery to you."
"More than sensitivity, see in you I do not." Yoda stood up. "Nothing more here I have to discuss."
"I'll take it from here," said Windu. He sat down as Yoda walked out the door, leaning on his cane.
"I suppose that explains part of your unnatural aptitude," said Mace as the door clanged shut. "Force sensitive. Makes you harder to kill, and more able to pierce through Force-based illusions and trickery. It's how you tracked Anakin, I assume."
Harry leaned back, tipping the chair and balancing on the back two legs. Then he let himself fall forward with a clatter. "What?" he asked, when he saw the Jedi Master's stare. "Waiting for me to say yes?"
"But perhaps you are more than meets the eye." Mace paused, considering. Then he continued. "We have a Sith Lord hiding in the shadows and we have you, a Force-sensitive bounty hunter who assaulted a Galactic Senator -" Harry coughed.
Windu rolled his eyes. "A Senator who, granted, was temporarily inactive, but one who happens to have ties to the Naboo incident around a decade ago, when a mysterious Sith assassin killed a Jedi Master. And the incident after which we inducted Anakin into the Jedi Order, the same Jedi who you recently outsmarted."
"I got lucky," said Harry, making a humble nod.
"It couldn't have just been luck to get the better of Anakin Skywalker, Mr. Black."
"So you think I'm this oh-so-mysterious Sith Lord hiding in the shadows?" asked Harry. "Because it would be quite stupid of me to let myself within ten meters of Yoda. He'd figure me out in an instant."
"That's the thing," said Mace. "A darkness clouds the Sith Lord and his person. We would not be able to divine his identity, even if he were right in front of us - only suspect." He rose and leaned in towards Harry.
"Still, even if I were this super secret Dark Lord figure, I probably wouldn't be wasting my time here."
"Yes. We left you alone to see what you would do, but you displayed behavior which, if I know anything about Sith Lords, is highly uncharacteristic of the Sith Order."
"So you finally realized I'm actually innocent?" Harry shook his cuffs.
"No. You still attacked Amidala, and if I am correct, you did it on the orders of the Sith."
"The Sith. I'm not even sure what they are, still. Some sort of counter-Jedi?"
"That is accurate enough. But they are dedicated to the destruction of the Republic and for the increase in their own power - not anyone else's well being."
"They do have a lot of money," mused Harry.
Windu smiled. "So you have been in contact with them."
"No, just rumors. Hints of something - though not by that name, Sith - with an agenda and a plan for the future. Employing criminals, bounty hunters, and worse for the Confederacy."
"We've known the Confederacy was tied to the Sith for a long time. The question is whether Count Dooku is still on the right side of things."
Harry remained nonchalant. "I wouldn't know." And indeed, he did not - but he had his suspicions.
Mace Windu sighed. "We'll be keeping you a little longer, Black. I don't think you've told us even half of the truth."
The man rose and exited the room.
~penumbral~
After an artistic rendition of the Magical Britain Ministerial Anthem - he didn't believe that existed until he had heard it, either - by banging his feet against the table, Harry decided it was time to leave.
The Jedi had learned he was Force-sensitive, but that was no loss as they suspected nothing further. And in return, they gave him a wonderful tour - in handcuffs - of the Jedi Temple.
And if he had his way, he might just revisit a bit of it. He could get a decent sum of money out of accurate plans - though it wasn't as if schematics of the Temple would help prospective criminals any.
He began to hum and concentrated on his clasped hands and the credit within. Slowly but surely it began to heat up as he pushed magic into it, and then it began to vibrate. Eventually, the camera in the corner fizzled and sparked as the magic interfered with its electronics. Excellent.
Now unworried about being caught on tape, Harry bent his head over and bit the top of his invisible mokeskin pouch, before muttering, "Wand."
His wand appeared, and he bit down on it to stop it from falling to the floor.
"Relashio." The handcuffs clicked open, and Harry twisted his wrists and sighed in satisfaction.
Then he blasted open the door, causing alarms to blare loudly from the ceiling, and casually strolled out of his cell.
~penumbral~
The Jedi Temple was surprisingly devoid of mechanical defenses, as it seemed they relied on the ability of individual Jedi to detect and neutralize threats more than security turrets and the like. Unfortunately for them, he wasn't half bad at hiding his intentions from detection - basic Occlumency trick. Still, he was sure that Jedi were on the way, tracking him through the camera system. So far none of the Jedi he passed seemed to care that he was here, likely uninformed of the escape and, for that matter, of his capture.
He passed a pair of younglings playing tag, and began to commit the location of another grand hall into memory.
Near-perfect recall was a skill that a fully fledged Occlumens could attain.
Unfortunately for Harry, he hadn't even fully mastered Occlumency, never having set aside the time to meditate long enough to establish inner peace or whatever it was.
In his defense, he could protect his mind perfectly well against Legilimency without the full skill range of Occlumency, and it didn't look like Snape had exactly achieved this inner peace, either, so it clearly wasn't necessary for competency in the mental arts.
Instead, it took conscious effort and a whole deal of concentration to memorize things. That was why he was more than slightly displeased when a trio of Jedi, led by Mace Windu himself, rushed through the opposite door and drew their lightsabers, and, obviously, breaking his focus.
"Black! Surrender peacefully, or face the consequences."
"Honestly, Mace, I swear - the camera shorted out and the door blew open. I was afraid something else in the room was going to explode, so I decided to leave. And you said you were releasing me soon, anyways." He sniffed. "A diplomat from the Pelior system should not be subjected to such indignities."
Windu apparently did not appreciate being referred to by his first name, and raised his blade threateningly.
"How could I have blown the door from the inside? I don't have any weapons, see?"
Harry threw up his hands, tossing a packet of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder into the air. The room turned black, the lightsabers barely casting a dull glow, and Harry ran.
Luckily, he was relatively close to the entrance, and by the time someone had the bright idea of stopping the suspicious guy who was running away to ask him what he was doing, he simply sidestepped and shot out through the front doors of the temple.
He pushed past two Jedi and came face-to-face with none other than a dirtied Skywalker, who had apparently not enjoyed his jaunt into Lower Coruscant. The man's face contorted in anger as he recognized Harry, who quickly skipped past the Jedi and, for the second time in as much as hours, jumped off the ledge.
Skywalker made to follow, but was stopped by the firm hand of Mace Windu. "No. We've wasted enough time on him as it is. The Jedi Council has decided to reassign you."
"I'm with Obi-Wan, then?"
"No. Obi-Wan will find our mystery bounty hunter alone - he is more than capable."
"Why are you jumping at shadows when the guy you want is right there?" Anakin gestured angrily towards the ledge.
"We interrogated Sirius Black for multiple hours, and he turned out to be a dead end."
Anakin looked straight into Mace Windu's eyes. "What do you mean by that? You just let him go?"
"He was going to be released within twelve hours regardless," said Mace. "He had diplomatic immunity. From the Pelior system, on the Outer Rim."
"Never heard of it."
"And to the Pelior system is where you will go, to get to the bottom of this. The Council suspects that Pelior has active Confederacy agents, possibly tied to the Sith. Keep your eyes open for any links to the name Sirius Black, or the bounty hunter Mortem."
"I assume that this Mortem character, this Sirius Black - he is the man who, within a day, has jumped into the Coruscant Undercity not once but twice? And who assaulted a Galactic Senator?"
"Yes. We have Senator Amidala at the nearest hospital, by the way, and under heavy guard. Until we can revive her, she will remain protected.
"Good luck, Anakin, and may the Force be with you."
The young Jedi smiled. Sirius Black may be good, but nobody yet had managed to hide secrets from Anakin Skywalker.
~penumbral~
Deep below, a dark figure dropped neatly into a hovering red car. On the side was a clean, black mark which, despite its color, seemed to glow. The form of a triangle and inscribed circle, bisected by a vertical line, cut itself into the night for a few seconds longer before the figure positioned his hands on the controls, and shot off into the night.
~penumbral~
A/N: Perhaps a little less action-packed, but I hope you enjoyed the verbal sparring.
I will say, I loved the enthusiastic response. Any and all advice- by PM or review - is correlated to a story with better style and pacing. The overall plot, though, is not much subject to change. So don't whine when Harry dies. (Wait, what? Just kidding.)