Author's Note: IMPORTANT. There is a reference to one of the most hated characters in the HP fandom below. Snape. DO NOT PANIC and please read through the whole chapter before deciding to A) quit reading or B) berate me. Okay, now that's out of the way...SURPRISE! It's a New Years Eve Chapter. The last post of the dreaded 2017. Here's to a hopefully somewhat better 2018! Thank you all for reading and hope you enjoy.

Middle of Nowhere

Just Off the Perlemian Trade Route

Near Lantillies

Harry found Hermione in the tent which they'd set up in one of the secondary cargo holds. When he happened across her she was in the process of collating some of her notes into something more cohesive than the bullet points she'd taken thus far.

He knocked on one of the tent poles to gather her attention. "Hey Hermione, hate to interrupt your work, but could you come upstairs with me? Barriss is willing to tell us a bit about herself, but says she'd rather only tell the story once."

Harry noticed the way Juno perked up at the mention of Barriss' name. Juno really had taken a shine to her it seemed. "Yes, you can come along too Juno." He assured his familiar with rolling eyes before turning back to his nodding human friend.

"Sure, just let me put this away." She said indicating her pile of notes. He indicated he'd wait and a minute later she had her notes tidied away and was ready to go.

It was only a short while later that the three of them, Juno indeed having come along, exited the lift onto the command deck and walked into the crew lounge. Aayla had apparently finished her meditation session and was now leaning up against the far wall.

Barriss looked more uncertain than ever, though some of that stress melted away from her face when Juno, whole body wagging excitedly, trotted up to her and placed her head on the woman's lap. Barriss smiled slightly, gazing down at the dog as she began to scratch behind Juno's ears.

Harry and Hermione took the opportunity to get themselves seated across the table from the woman. Finally Barriss looked back up at them, chewing her lip nervously, before sighing. "I suppose I'd better just get on with it. It will get no easier with time."

Harry smiled gently at her, "If you would really rather not talk about it, that's fine. You don't need to feel pressured."

That produced a small twitch of the lips from the woman, which may have been the shadow of a grateful smile. "No, it is best not to keep secrets I find. Bottling these things up won't do me any good, and keeping the specifics about myself from you might breed resentment in time. Particularly if you meet someone who tells you the whole story in my stead." She asserted.

Barriss leaned back in her seat, her eyes darting this way and that, thinking. Her hands idly rubbing Juno as the dog secured a spot on the seat next to her, head still firmly in the woman's lap. "I suppose the beginning is as good a place as any. In case it wasn't obvious, I was once a Knight in the Jedi Order."

She grimaced, "I am a Mirialan, and I'm told I was born on a starliner which ran between Mirial and Coruscant on a regular basis. I was tested for Force Sensitivity by the hospital near the starport which the liner docked at on Coruscant. Standard procedure for such a facility. They found I indeed had a connection to the Force and my parents agreed to give me up to the Order for training."

Harry saw something in that had caught Hermione's attention, but at a small look from himself she exercised admirable restraint and didn't question Barriss as the woman fell into her recitation.

"I was part of a group of younglings called the 'Monkey Lizard Clan' don't ask—" She instructed firmly, her face disapproving. Harry noticed the small smiles quirking Aayla and Shaak Ti's lips, and assumed there must have been a running joke in there somewhere he wasn't aware of.

"I was raised in the creche alongside the others and underwent the basic education necessary to become a Jedi until I was twelve, at which time I was taken as a Padawan by Master Luminara Unduli."

There was a curious note in her voice at her 'Master's' name which Harry could not decipher. "I was trained by her for a number of years, and went on many missions and began to study as a Healer, something which I have—had, a talent for." She continued. "During this time I made friends with a Jedi named Tutso Mara, he actually is—was, the one who taught me how to hold a lightsaber…"

She paused considering, "I was eighteen when the Clone Wars began; which in case you were curious makes me twenty one now. I was present alongside my master for the first battle of Geonosis, the opening conflict of the war. One of the two hundred twelve Jedi to take part in that battle, and one of the only one hundred or so to survive the battle."

Harry blinked. He'd seen how deadly a Jedi could be in battle, both when observing Aayla in that initial battle she had led against the Separatists and in the battle against the clones and Sith when fleeing Felucia. That this battle Barriss was speaking of had exacted such heavy casualties spoke volumes about the scale and severity of the battle.

"I took part in several battles in the subsequent year or so, and during this time I made my second true friend, Ahsoka Tano a fellow Jedi Padawan. She saved my life shortly after the second battle of Geonosis. It wasn't long after I earned the rank of Jedi Knight and began my first deployments on my own. I took part in the Battle of Umbara, where General Krell, a respected Jedi Master betrayed us to the Separatists. Though most of my efforts were spent in one Republic Medical Unit or another trying to patch up clones and Jedi alike." She related quietly, her eyes going distant as she thought back.

"If I had to say where things began to go wrong for me though, I'd have to say it started on Drongar. A particularly unpleasant planet, its only redeeming feature, if such it can be called, was that it wasn't swarming with beasts as vicious as those commonly found on Felucia." Her tone had turned bitter, and Harry saw the two Jedi in the room shift uncomfortably. "That was an ugly battle. The environment killed nearly as many soldiers as the enemy…."

She frowned. "Drongar has precisely one resource of any worth. Bota, a plant with powerful medicinal effects for many species. Though due to both the conflict on the planet to secure its utility in the war, and other environmental factors, the plant was mutating and becoming useless for that purpose. Thus both sides struggled to secure as much of it as possible before it all became unusable."

"The conflict there went poorly for both sides, attacks on the base where I was stationed were common, I lost a close acquaintance during one of the battles…" She sighed. "During one of these struggles I was accidentally exposed to a dose of Bota, and found to my astonishment that it had powerful Force bolstering properties, opening me to it in ways I'd never have credited as possible…I also found out that Bota is highly addictive."

Shifting in her seat she sighed tiredly. "That much power was…unsettling, something I wasn't used to and because of my unsteady control of my connection to the Force, that is the first time I brushed the dark side."

Harry felt himself lean forward to prop himself on the edge of the table in front of him, his curiosity piqued. Aayla had spoken of the dark side in vague terms. Barriss' tone was very different from hers when she spoke the name.

"I managed to regain control and shook the addictive effects of the Bota. The battle ended and I was shifted to a new theatre, and I thought that was the end of it." She chuckled bitterly. "How wrong I was…"

She drew in a deep breath, and clenched one of her hands on the table in front of her, the other bunching in Juno's hair. "Has Aay—Has Knight Secura spoken of the dark side to you?" She asked abruptly looking to them.

"Some, though I think she was beating around the bush about the issue somewhat." Harry admitted, shooting the woman in question a small smile and earning an embarrassed look in return, before Aayla nodded agreement.

Barriss didn't even blink at the odd turn of phrase, "I will enlighten you a little then." She murmured, her eyes going vacant again, "The dark side is…power, raw and unadulterated. Ready and eager to serve anyone willing to pay the price of using it. And it is oh so easy to use too," She muttered.

"All that one needs do in order to utilize its power is to reach for their connection to the Force in anger, fear, hatred or grief. It's right there when you need it, no focusing, and barely any meditation required." Here she paused, and Harry considered the woman before him. There was something in her voice as she spoke of it, something he'd not thought to find there from his experience with her thus far.

Her tone was gentle, almost wistful at times, while at others, filled with bitterness and regret. It was a tone he was familiar with, the sound of addiction, he'd heard it in the voices of criminals he'd dragged into the office as an Auror. She both loved and hated the dark side.

"What is the dark side?" Barriss asked, her tone once again hard. "It is a trap. It draws you in with easy power when you need it, the ability to do and be anything you need to be upon demand. It's only later that you learn the cost."

She paused, "The second time I brushed the dark side, it was willingly, though without any real thought put into it. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to hear its call." She recalled. "I was in a field hospital on yet another mission, the Jedi I was assigned as a partner was critically wounded and was dying, I was tired and so…Sick of seeing those in my care die on my watch."

Barriss hurriedly rubbed at the bridge of her nose, before returning to her tale. "I reached for the Force in desperation, I needed the power to heal his wounds, and it was there. He healed, he lived."

She smirked at herself, "The dark side is tricky that way, it convinces you that there's no real harm in its use. That if you have enough control and are careful enough or only use it for good, it doesn't do any harm. After all, how can something I used to heal another be evil? At least that's what I told myself."

"More and more over the following months in moments of desperation I would reach for its power, to heal an injured soldier, to protect myself from harm…to slay my enemies." She recalled. "And more and more over the following months I found myself thinking about how weary I was, of the war, of having to heal soldiers who in all likelihood would die in the next skirmish despite my efforts to save their life. And as I thought about it; The angrier I got."

Harry had not really noticed it until now, but he now had a distinctive sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "The war is—such a waste. Millions, billions of sentients killed both military and civilian in a pointless conflict. Or so I thought, I was even right. To a degree anyways. I began to ponder the causes of the war and everything that was wrong with the conflict. And in time my eyes came to rest on the Jedi Order."

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the headrest of the bench. "Jedi are not soldiers, not traditionally." She asserted, and Shaak Ti and Aayla both nodded agreement. "We've taken part in wars, though almost always as peacekeepers. We were never supposed to lead warriors into battle. Though it happened once or twice in the past. Usually with awful consequences. The policy against it changed once again with the Clone Wars."

"Suddenly we found ourselves at the head of a massive slave army, a slave army commissioned by a Jedi, a slave army bred and trained to follow Jedi." She murmured, though her voice was still loud enough for all present to hear. "We had influence with the Senate and experience as diplomats, why then were no significant efforts being made to sue for peace, why was it that more and more clone soldiers were being commissioned by the Republic? It was then that I came to believe that the Jedi were at the heart of the problem."

There was silence for a few moments as they digested that declaration, finally she resumed speaking, her voice rough. "You see how it starts don't you? You use the dark side in the hope of preventing suffering, but soon you find yourself forgetting that, and find yourself focusing on how much you hate those who you believe caused that suffering. In the end the suffering doesn't even matter, only avenging it does, only making those who caused it pay matters. You don't realize the way it's slowly warping your thinking away from rationality until too late."

"I began to meet in secret with those who believed as I did, that the war was wrong, that the Jedi were wrong, that something needed to be done to stop it. More and more I met with people who believed it would take drastic action to stop the war—Those months really were a blur to me. I was so focused on my new mission…" She said trailing off for a moment before speaking again. "You know it's odd, in some ways I remember those times with crystal clarity and at other times it's almost a fog. I barely remember why I was in those situations, or why I felt the way I did…"

Finally she straightened, her eyes opening as she sat up again and Harry saw there were tears in her eyes. "In the end I armed and provided a group of militants the means to attack the Jedi Temple itself,"

Harry felt Hermione stiffen next to him, and blew out a gusty breath himself shaking his head in sorrow. Barriss pressed on regardless, "The bomb, which I manipulated them into using, it destroyed the hangar they targeted and killed almost everyone inside. You recall Tutso Mara, my friend, the Jedi who first taught me how to use a lightsaber?" She asked, the tears now coursing down her cheeks, "He was killed in the blast. And, you know what? I barely felt anything, a modicum of regret, nothing more. Even after that I wouldn't have done anything different."

She paused, drawing in a shuddering breath. "The Jedi Council called in my other friend, Ahsoka, to investigate. I remember trying to get her to see things my way, subtly of course…when she wouldn't, and was actually closing in on the truth in her investigations, I was all too happy to manipulate matters so that blame fell on her instead. She was arrested, and charged with treason."

Gulping she shook her head, "I would have gotten away with it, you know that? The Jedi Order threw Ahsoka to the akks and let the Republic courts try her unaided. They would have executed her…had her Master, Anakin Skywalker, not investigated himself. Refusing to believe Ahsoka was guilty. I don't know how he did it, but he figured out I was the guilty party. He confronted me. And that's when it happened, when I realized what had happened to me."

Here, a small smile, equal parts bitter and rueful quirked her lips. "I reached for the dark side, its power flooded me, I was stronger than I had ever been before. I fought Anakin, and you know what? He, defeated me. Despite all my strength, all my power I lost. And I felt the dark side exult in my failure as he brought me down. It was done with me, I had served my purpose, it didn't need me anymore." She sighed, then chuckled. "I lost, he dragged me before the courts and exonerated Ahsoka. I admitted everything I had done. They let her go, and threw me back to the council to judge. Ironic considering how badly they had wanted to prosecute her for the same thing…"

Shaking her head she met his eyes, "Ahsoka left the Order, she felt betrayed by the way they had abandoned her in her hour of need. I was stripped of my rank and handed over to the mind healers, imprisoned in the asylum in the deepest part of the Jedi Temple's prison block. It was then they started trying to piece me back together. And you know what? Sometimes I wish they had just killed me."

At the hiss of indrawn breath from beside Harry, he saw Barriss' eyes dart challengingly to Shaak Ti. "No, it's true. I turned my back on everything I believed, I betrayed my ideals, the Order and my friends. I conspired to try and destroy that same Order and ultimately killed someone very dear to me, then framed another just as important to me for my crimes. Over two dozen people dead, a good Jedi, one of the best, left the Order because of me, and countless other people lost their faith in the Jedi because of my actions. Tell me honestly Master Ti, can you say that my life is not fair recompense for those crimes?" She demanded, eyes boring into the Jedi Master.

To her obvious surprise it was not the Jedi who responded, but Hermione. "Life is seldom about fairness." She murmured, catching everyone's attention. Her own eyes locking onto Barriss' when she turned to regard her. "Perhaps, it would have been fair that you pay with your life for what you did. But, clearly the council did not feel the same. I know, speaking for myself, I am not sure what to think of everything you have just told me. However I will say this. If what you say is true, the dark side used you. Oh you may have reached out to it willingly at first, but soon enough it wasn't you calling the shots, at least not entirely."

Barriss looked set to protest, but Hermione overrode her. "You may have been in charge, but your emotions were clouded, as was your thinking. You weren't making decisions with a clear head, nor with accurate information. You let the darkness in and it used the opportunity to warp the way you saw the world. You were both you, and not at the same time. If I were to guess, I'd bet it was the recognition of this that saw the council sparing your life."

Shaak Ti nodded, stepping forward. "It was, at least in part. You see we knew you Barriss, as you once were. And one way or the other we failed you, just as we failed Ahsoka, whether that meant spotting the signs something was wrong, or our part in the war." She said firmly.

"We saw what you had become and knew that the woman we'd once known would never have done such a thing had she been herself. We checked and found that your spirit, your being in the Force was twisted and sick, infested with the dark side. You were defeated, and confined, no danger to anyone while contained so, we could not justify killing you when you might be returned to who you once were. Had your testimony not been crucial to exonerating Ahsoka, Anakin likely would have killed you for the danger you represented at that time. Instead, you got lucky, and circumstances dictated that our response change with them."

"I wish you had felt the same when my friend was before the Council's judgement." Aayla muttered discontentedly, and Shaak Ti nodded solemnly.

"It was a grave error on our parts." The Togruta Jedi agreed, her tone mournful.

Barriss stared at the Jedi Master quietly, and sighed, bowing her head. "I can never make up for what I did. I can never undo the damage I've done…"

Harry leaned back, considering the woman across from him seriously. "Maybe, maybe not. The fact you seem to wish that you could is promising…" he mused, scratching at his stubble a bit. He'd not shaved that day and a bit of stubble was showing. "If you'll let me tell you a story, I think you'll understand why I bring it up once we're done."

Barriss nodded cautiously, and he smiled thinly at her. "Alright then, let me tell you the rather sad story of Severus Snape—"

A good half hour later, as the story wound down, Harry explained his purpose. "Snape—Severus, may have been a cast iron pain in the neck, and was honestly not a great human being, in fact he was a rather pathetic excuse for one in general. That said, he also went to extraordinary lengths to bring about the downfall of the one who had killed his one time friend. He hated himself pretty much his entire life as near as can be told. And I can tell you that any that know his true story tend to feel somewhat conflicted when it comes to him."

Harry considered. "I admit he is not perhaps a good example of atoning for one's sins. But he is perhaps a relevant one nonetheless. He went to great lengths in his quest."

Barris was staring at him, "You knew this man didn't you? You haven't said as much, but there's a familiarity in the way you've told this story."

Harry nodded. "His childhood friend was my mother,"

Shaak Ti and Barriss sat up a little straighter and considered him in a new light. "But that would make you the one spoken of in the prophecy he overheard…"

The human sighed and nodded, "Yes, yes I am. And as you can imagine I have more reason than most to hate him because of that. Yet I sometime struggle with that. If he were still alive…I think I'd be content never seeing him again. I'd let him go his own way."

The pair considered him. "I think I see what you mean, it's not so much what you did as to whether or not you try to make up for it that affect how you will be seen in times to come…" Barriss mused.

"In essence yes." Harry agreed. "And if it is any encouragement, you seem a great deal more repentant than Snape ever did. If you really will put in the effort to make up for what you did…Well?" He trailed off, letting her draw the conclusions on her own.

She eyed him cautiously before nodding. "Thank you. I will think on what you've said."

"For my own part," Hermione began, "I will say that so long as you continue to live up to your professed desire to make up for what you've done I'll have no problem with you. Just keep in mind, those who get second chances rarely get a third."

Barriss bobbed her head, accepting the subtly implied warning "My thanks."

It was a couple minutes later as Harry saw to distributing refreshments from the crew galley that Hermione smiled and blushed sheepishly. "Now, I don't want you to think I'm diminishing the importance of what we just discussed, but there is a somewhat…tangential point I'd like to go back to. Something that intrigued me, and I confess I'd like to follow up on before I forget."

The mirialan smiled wanly, but indicated she understood she meant no insult. "Go ahead."

"You mentioned you were tested for Force sensitivity as an infant?" Hermione ventured. "How was that possible? Did they have a Jedi at the hospital who could sense it?"

Shaak Ti shook her head, unintentionally gathering their attention. When she saw their eyes on her she explained. "I do not know if such a thing is possible among your people, but we can determine Force sensitivity via a blood test which is done with the intent of discovering midichlorian density within a host body."

"Midichlorians being what exactly?" Hermione asked, pulling out her notepad and writing a couple points down.

"Microscopic organisms. It is believed they help facilitate a connection to the Force. As they are only common in any numbers within those who can connect to it. The more midichlorians the more…Force, I guess you could say, a person can wield. It's more complicated than that of course, and 'power' does not equate automatically to skill per se. And the exact details of the relationship are debated to this day." Shaak Ti explained patiently.

"Such as?" Hermione probed.

"Are the midichlorians the source of our connection to the Force, or are they a result of it? Is a large population of them prerequisite to Force ability or merely a symptom? Perhaps they are generated by the Force itself among those it chooses to gift with it's touch? No one knows for certain. All that is truly known is that there is some correlation between their numbers and how successfully a being connects with the Force." Shaak Ti explained. "It is known that meddling with them is generally a bad idea. And has unpredictable effects on the host and Force phenomena around them." She shrugged. "I confess we Jedi are reluctant to delve more deeply into the matter. There's an almost superstitious dread surrounding such experimentation."

Hermione nodded thoughtfully as she finished jotting down her notes. "I don't suppose you have the ability to run such a test here? Just for curiosity's sake? I wonder if Harry and I have midichlorians too."

Shaak Ti looked intrigued by that question, "Actually, we do indeed have the ability to run such a test. It is a fairly standard blood test, the medical equipment here on the ship would be more than sufficient. In fact—" She started fiddling with pouch at her belt and withdrew a small syringe. Notably lacking a needle of any kind. "If you wish we could run such a test right now."

Harry saw his friend's eager expression and sighed, rolling his eyes fondly. "What is it about people, and always being after my blood?" He joked. Before turning serious. "I'll let you take a look at it sure, but I'll be making sure to destroy the sample after you're done." He warned. This produced quizzical expressions from the Jedi but he didn't elaborate.

Hermione rolled up her sleeve, and presented her arm to the Jedi at her request. The syringe pressed against the skin of her elbow and Shaak Ti drew back the 'plunger' causing the reservoir to fill with blood.

At this point Shaak Ti had to leave, returning a couple minutes later with what appeared remarkably similar to a medical crash cart one might see in a hospital on earth from the med-bay. She inserted the vial of blood into the machine and linked it into a nearby wall monitor which lit up with a readout.

"Now, while it works, I suppose I had better explain a little of what you will see from the readouts. A midichlorian test determines the average number of the microorganisms per cell. An average non-Force Sensitive human will have around 2,500 per cell. Myself I have around 10,300* per cell which is considered largely respectable if not necessarily impressive. Grand Master Yoda has around 17,000 and until recently was the highest on record."

Hermione latched onto the qualifier there. "What is the highest recorded number now?"

Shaak Ti appeared uncomfortable but apparently decided to answer regardless. "That would be Anakin Skywalker, who's exact number is unknown as it falls somewhere over 20,000 per cell. If a more sensitive test has been run to determine his exact count I am unaware of it."

As if on cue, the machine emitted a tone and a readout appeared. Shaak Ti nodded apparently impressed, though exactly what it was that impressed her about the images displayed was unclear until she spoke. "15,000 per cell. Very respectable Miss Granger."

Hermione appeared satisfied with that result, and happily took back the vial from the Jedi when it was offered, before banishing the blood into non-existence with a spell and handing it back. Shaak Ti eyed the vial in her hand somewhat skeptically for a moment. "I think—I'll sterilize this just in case…"

It was around five minutes later that she finally got around to withdrawing a blood sample from Harry and the test neared completion. Harry had been considering what had been learned thus far. "Uh—just a warning, my blood test might read a bit…odd." He eventually suggested.

Shaak Ti merely gave him a curious look at that, though that look shifted to outright vexation when the results finally came in. "Strange, very strange…" She murmured.

"What, is strange?" Aayla asked, speaking for the first time in the proceedings.

"Had Harry not warned me the results might be odd I'd suspect the sample was contaminated somehow…" Shaak Ti explained, she pointed to three separate readouts on the screen. "The test is having difficulty pinning down a number, and there are three separate species' DNA showing in this blood, as well as several toxic contaminants. The first is certainly Harry's, reading as human. The other the computer speculates is some kind of reptile? And the last as an avian…It's attempting to isolate the samples now."

Harry gave Hermione a significant look, which she answered with an amused snort and rolled eyes. Shaak Ti frowned as a new readout came up. "This can't be right…"

Harry raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed before explaining. "According to this you should be very, very dead. There is a powerful poison in your blood, one which could drop a full grown Rancor with ease…" She grimaced looking over the other readouts. "The midichlorian counts are still unclear and I have difficulty crediting them as possible. The reptilian cells read anywhere between 20 and 25 thousand per cell." She said indicating the first DNA strain. "the avian reads as closer to 50 thousand…and the human…somewhere between 16 and 22. That's the best reading a can get with this equipment."

At Harry's amused expression she sighed. "Care to explain? You clearly know something I don't."

He smiled ruefully, "Sorry, I'm not laughing at you, so much as at the absurdity of my own situation. I was bitten when I was fairly young by a magical breed of snake known as a basilisk, it is one of the most deadly creatures known to exist where we're from. I almost certainly would have died were it not for a magical bird known as a phoenix shedding it's tears into the wound. The tears have pretty much unmatched healing properties. It's one of the few things that can overpower a Basilisk's venom."

She blinked at him. "Force sensitive creatures are not unheard of though I must admit these breeds sound stranger than usual…"

Harry nodded. "There are a wide variety of magical creatures where we're from. Some are benign, some less so…"

Barriss leaned forward, surprising them with her apparent interest. "Can you tell us about some of them?"

Harry nodded, "Sure, it'd be easier to give you a book, but I'd bet none of you read English at present…Hermione, you want to explain? You'll do a better job of it I'm sure."

His friend bobbed her head eagerly, "We can start with the two species we've mentioned thus far. Basilisks, are a five X species, under Ministry classification. Meaning they're an untameable apex predator with a penchant for killing even skilled witches and wizards. They're created via a very strange ritual, which we won't go into." She started, clearly excited to share some information with new people. "They are a snake, and start out as small as any common breed, they are effectively immortal however and do not stop growing throughout their life. They kill primarily by sight, if you see their eyes, you die. Simple as that."

This produced a startled look from the Jedi, but Hermione pressed on heedless. "They possess a secondary method of killing which is their venom. It is among the most potent magical toxins in existence and only grows more so with the snake's age. While the Basilisk which bit Harry was blinded, it was nevertheless very deadly. It was over a thousand years old we believe."

"Ruddy big sucker too," Harry grumbled. "Nearly sixty feet long by that point and around five feet between the eyes."

The Jedi gaped at them, "Were such creatures common where you come from?" Barriss eventually asked weakly.

Hermione shook her head. "No, basilisks are exterminated if they're ever found. And they have to be intentionally created by a dark witch or wizard."

"Such a beast must have been a mighty foe…" Aayla noted.

Harry nodded emphatically, "I maintain to this day I survived killing it more by luck than by skill. No child my age has any right to be bringing down a beast like that."

"How old were you?" She asked.

"Twelve." This understandably produced more staring.

"What about the other creature, was it as much of a horror story as that snake?" Barriss asked, somewhat acerbically.

Harry shook his head, smiling slightly. "No, Phoenixes are very different from Basilisks. Firebirds. They can effectively teleport by bursting into flame and disappearing before reappearing in a fireball somewhere else. They are also very strong, able to carry loads ten times their weight, strangest life cycle of any creature I've ever heard of. Once they're too old, they burst into flame one last time and crumble to ashes. Then are reborn as a chick from the remains."

Again more staring. "Such a thing should not be possible." Shaak Ti noted.

"I'd tend to agree, but I've actually witnessed a Phoenix's burning day, startled the life out of me I must say." Harry confided. "Fawkes, was a good friend. I wish I knew where he'd gone in the end."

The Togrutan Jedi was now rubbing tiredly at the bridge of her nose. "I would say you were in jest, were it not for the fact I have witnessed several things I would have considered impossible from you."

Harry considered that, "How about this, it may be a little easier to stomach it all if you read it from a book rather than hearing it from us. I'm sure if we work together on it we can teach each other to read one another's languages."

Hermione perked up, "Yes! Please, it'll make my job so much easier if I can read pre-existing records."

The two Jedi were nodding thoughtfully now. "That should be doable," Aayla ventured. "And I admit I'd be interested to learn your language as well. A trade then? Your language for ours?" She suggested.

Hermione leapt to her feet when this met with general approval. "There will be so much science!" She crowed, before rushing from the room.

The others looked to Harry, who sighed fondly. "I think she's excited," He deadpanned before moving to follow her, only to stop in the doorway and reach out a hand summoning his own vial of blood back to him and banishing it and the vial both from existence. "Better safe than sorry." He said shortly before exiting the room.

The Jedi stared at each other. "And here I was thinking things couldn't get any weirder." Barriss grumped.

Aayla watched the retreating backs of their new friends, before turning her attention to Shaak Ti and Barriss. Shaak Ti arched an eyebrow at her before looking to the former healer seated behind the table, still idly rubbing the animal's head. "Barriss, I'd recommend taking some time to regain your equilibrium." She suggested calmly, getting a small nod in acknowledgement, before turning to the Twi'lek Jedi beside her, "Aayla, I'd like to discuss something with you should you have a moment."

Aayla bobbed her head, she'd suspected Shaak Ti would wish to talk after those discussions and followed the Togruta as she crooked a finger towards the cockpit.

Once there, Shaak Ti pointedly sealed the door and turned to her friend, again cocking an eyebrow at her. "You knew some of that already I take it? That our new friend is the subject of a prophecy?"

Aayla shifted uncomfortably, but grudgingly nodded, feeling uneasy, "Yes, I knew. Harry and Hermione mentioned it before."

Shaak Ti considered her, "It is odd timing, is it not, that just as our 'Chosen One' turns against the Republic and the Jedi, a boy appears, seemingly from nowhere with a history of defeating dark lords and powers the Jedi and Sith have barely dreamed of?" She sighed, and cursed rather colourfully in mando'a, "He's practically a chosen one himself…"

Unfortunately Aayla wasn't quite quick enough to conceal her grimace at that turn of phrase and Shaak Ti caught it. "What?"

Aayla couldn't see a way forward without being forced to admit what she knew. "They called him that, 'Chosen One'. Harry's people I mean."

The other Jedi rubbed tiredly at her eyes in exasperation, "And you don't feel it's relevant? That it's important in some way?" Shaak Ti asked skeptically.

Aayla shook her head, "I do actually, but I'd recommend against pressing the issue with them."

"Why?" Shaak Ti asked carefully, realizing she was pushing on something important.

"Because Harry hates that title, what's more being the subject of a prophecy has done nothing but cost him throughout his life." Aayla explained baldly. Remembering a few of the things he'd let slip in her time with them. "It would not be just of us, after they have saved us from destruction, to lay the burden of our conflicts upon him."

Shaak Ti considered that before settling, nodding. "You are correct, it would not be right to place that burden upon them. It is not their war. And leaning so heavily on prophecy has led us to this point in many ways I fear. Still, I cannot help but wonder if he'll be playing a part in things anyways."

Aayla smiled sadly, thinking of how true that was, "I fear you may be right, but they will not be forced into this while I have anything to say about it. If they get tangled up in this further, it will be because they chose it…"

It was a couple hours before, once again they found themselves gathering in the crew lounge. This time it was as a result of a surprisingly excited Barriss announcing that her datapad had come online and started updating. What the significance of this was, was largely lost on the two humans, until Aayla had patiently explained that it meant the holonet was back online.

What the holonet was, and why it was offline required a bit of explanation, but they soon figured it out. The holo-net was a galaxy spanning information network, similar to the internet back home. The network had largely been shut down except for militarily encrypted channels during the war. A necessity to choke off the worst of the holo-net espionage that would have taken place.

It took a minute to figure out why it was coming online again, but they soon discovered the truth of it. While all Imperial and Separatist worlds were still cut off, the Republic loyalists had reactivated a handful of services using the hubs under their control. Updates to what the Jedi referred to as 'holo-ware' from manufacturers and such came first. That had taken a good half hour while the various connected devices synced.

The Jedi had been careful to double and triple check their devices were still secure despite the updates before accessing any further features. When they did eventually get around to it they discovered that the only major service currently available were various news networks.

"Really? The first article up on the Corellian Holo-net is that Akk Stygies won another gambling tournament on Nar Shaddaa." Barriss griped, much to the amusement of the other two Jedi.

"What do you expect, they're Corellians." Aayla teased, and Barriss had to concede this was true.

"I take it Corellians are big into gambling?" Harry asked.

This earned an amused snort from Shaak Ti. "The Corellians are a headstrong and independent people," She explained patiently, "While they are certainly not anarchistic they tend to be a little…roguish in general. If you run into a smuggler or gambler, there's a good chance they're Corellian. Most of the ships that come out of Corellian shipyards come equipped with hidden compartments."

Barriss had apparently started looking for more news as she waved to gain their attention again. "Apparently the Jedi's efforts to get the word out were more effective than expected…"

"Oh?" Aayla asked, sounding curious. Justifiably interested in just what her and Shaak Ti's efforts had achieved.

"The Kuat sector, Pantora, Chandrilla, Alderaan, Corellia, Onderon Rendili, Kashyyyk and about two hundred others seceded from the Empire, declaring themselves Republic Loyalists." Barriss reported reading off the list.

The pair of Jedi blinked owlishly at her, "Really? Kuat and Rendili stayed loyal?" Shaak Ti asked surprised.

"That's significant I assume?" Hermione chirped, once again taking notes.

Aayla nodded, "Kuat and Rendili are major shipyards. Kuat is actually the largest in the galaxy, until now it provided the majority of the Republic warships for the Clone Wars. I would have assumed Palpatine would have them firmly under his thumb…What about Fondor?" She asked turning her attention back to Barriss who shook her head sadly.

"No, they're still with the Empire as are most of the other minor shipyards. Still, it's got to be a major blow to lose those sectors." She noted, scrolling down. "Uh-oh…"

The Jedi looked to her sharply.

"They've posted a list of all Jedi the Empire is hunting for, so that the Jedi might watch their backs. There's a two million credit bounty on any Jedi of Knight Rank. There are a number of high profile Jedi with even larger bounties…" Barriss explained.

"Sort of a double edged gift, while any Jedi who see the warning will be on the lookout, you can be sure the more criminal elements out there will be interested to hear there's money on our heads…" Aayla grumbled. "Do I want to know if I'm on the lists?"

Barriss grimaced. "Fifteen Million for you…and Twenty for Master Ti, apparently both are wanted for crimes against the Empire and its people, terrorism and treason." She continued to look the article over. "Huh…There's a bounty for 'an unknown Force Sensitive' who matches the description of Harry here."

Harry sat up sharply at that, "What?"

She nodded, "Apparently they have a rather grainy picture of you from a security cam on Felucia…wanted for aiding and abetting the Jedi and for theft of Imperial Property. Only two million credits at present."

Hermione shook her head wearily, "Only you Harry; you've been here less than a week and you're already on the Galaxy's most wanted list."

Harry gaped like a landed fish at her for a minute before nodding sadly, "Yeah, that seems to be in keeping with my luck doesn't it? Anything else interesting?" He asked looking to Barriss.

She frowned, "Only a couple, the Emperor declared the Clone Wars over. There are rumours the Separatist Council are dead on Mustafar, they mention Skywalker as well, but that's all unconfirmed for the moment…"

Aayla shook her head, "I'm not sure if I want any of that to be true or not, if the Council is dead, the Separatists will be without a united leadership. It would make them easy pickings for the Empire."

Harry could see the sense in that, "It would certainly be better to have the Empire fighting a war on two fronts. Though I find it mighty convenient that the Separatist Council turn up dead the moment their side is inconvenient to this new Empire."

Barriss was muttering to herself, and they turned to look at her. "Rumours from Rendili as well, it sounds bad, Imperial scouts have been spotted on system's edge."

"Let's hope the Force is with them then, the last thing the Republic needs is for the Empire to gain another shipyard." Aayla murmured.

Author's End Note: See, the world didn't end because I mentioned Snape! Ahem...I mean...Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please Rate, Review, Comment and such, it really helps to have feedback from you guys. See you in the new year!

Author's Notes: Forgot this, so here I am to add it in a few days later. My Thanks to my Betas. HowInMadHowie and Temporal Knight. They've been really great, so I'm really sorry that I forgot this segment when I first posted the chapter.