Chapter 21: We Will Rock You:

Dae read the papers and nodded to himself. He expected a lot from his students, and they never failed to deliver, and impress him. The final test he came up with for his Ethics and Basic Warfare classes, were much harder than one would have expected. No "True/False" crap for his kids, hell no.

All the questions, were essay questions.

He knew it would upset the Dozen, but there were only four questions for each student, customized to each person's strengths and weaknesses. Everybody got one warfare question, minimum. It was the ethical questions that would show who had opened their minds... show who could think outside the box, and who was not able to place themselves in the position to send another to their deaths.

That was the essence of war.

Killing.

He didn't want to turn his kids into mindless murderers, there were tons of them about. Flark, they made the best cannon fodder and shock troops. He needed his kids to be able to see that sometimes, there are points where you have to sacrifice things precious to you. He hated that he had to teach them this, but it was necessary... like going to a butcher shop to get meat. Someone turns the crank for the sausage, and it's better to turn the crank, than to be the meat.

They had switched into their training clothes, and everybody had their favorite weapon held in their fists. They were going down the stairs whistling the theme from "The Magnificent Seven", and slamming the wooden and bamboo weapon tips against the flagstone stairs as they descended. He was so glad Ro had showed him that movie. She bought the thing from a vendor at the Con, and had presented it to him as a thank you for all he had done.

Someone, probably that old jerk Dumbledore, had let it slip to her that he had personally intervened in her application to the Wizarding school in Tokyo. That wasn't so bad, but after telling her NOT to try to go, it made him look like a softy. Oh well, he would have helped any of his Dozen if they needed him.

He led them to the circle at the front of the school where they did their barefoot running. A little over 100 feet across, soft green grass surrounded by a 12 foot wide circle of hot sharp gravel. Dae looked his kids over. Lean, mean and eager... they nearly trembled in anticipation.

"Ok, my little Goldfish, first thing is push-ups, weapons on the backs of your hands. They better not touch the grass. As many as you can do in two minutes, go," he barked out. The Dozen dropped and started banging out the push-ups, as soon as someone hit 68, Dae called their name and they stopped, quickly rising to their feet. After 97 seconds everybody had done them and Dae called for a stop. "Outstanding! Next Sit-ups, weapons in your laps, you know the rest, GO!" Again as the magic number of 68 was hit he called out names, and the kids rose a little slower to their feet. It took 117 seconds for them all to get there.

Dae smiled and walked around, patting shoulders, looking at faces, and feeling the students through the Force, seeing if anybody had hurt themselves. Rika was talking quietly to a small elf to one side, and their conversation was rapid and hushed. Beside her was a long tarped object, but everybody knew it had to be the speeder bike.

"Two tests to go, my little Goldfish, who can guess what they are?" Dae asked happily.

'Toes', actually Anthony, from Ravenclaw, and 'Hey-You', Henry Ulderman, also from Ravenclaw, screamed out the answers over one another... "Running!" "Combat!"

Everybody else looked at the two eager young men and then laughed happily. 'Toes' LIVED to run. He picked up some weird style of exercise in France called Parkour over the breaks, and had been getting Dae and a few others to try it.

'Hey-You' loved the armed combat training. While others always went to their wands for solutions in attack and defense exercises, he lived to break out a staff and try to go one on one with Dae. While young, he was large for his age and strong as an ox. And fast. The only person Dae had seen who was faster, was his own half brother, the Jedi Randell.

Dae shook his head and pushed that thought aside. "You're both right, and wrong. We'll start with a fight, full contact, no holds barred. Then we run. Two and a quarter miles, to the door of The Three Broomsticks, and back. Rika has set out markers, for those of you who can't run in a straight line." Everyone chuckled softly and shifted their grips on their weapons. Dae was leaning on a oak quarter staff, a little over six feet in length and nodded. "After our little melee, I'll have Winni give you all a small healing tonic, and Madame Pomfrey will be on hand in a few seconds to heal any major injuries. You'll have five minutes to get your brains together, then the clock starts. You'll have 16 and a half minutes to run the distance. Any questions?"

"I have one. Who the blazes do you think you are taking a stick to the students of this school, Mr. Amadaeus?" Madame Pomfrey shouted loudly. "Teacher indeed! Do you have any idea what kind of damage you could inflict on these children?"

Dae smiled and cocked his head to one side, "less than they could get in a quidditch match?"

Madame Pomfrey froze and glared at Dae, she knew he was right, but ... hitting students, that was forbidden.

Little Poppy interrupted the conversation with her cute voice. "Dae, how long is the melee?"

Dae turned his head and answered quickly, "three minutes from start to finish, everybody has to get a solid hit on me, or you fail."

Little Poppy nodded and turned to Madame Pomfrey, "can you set bones in under five minutes?"

Madame Pomfrey looked shocked and nodded, and jumped back in fear as Poppy slashed out with the Ironwood fighting stick the size shape and weight of a katana. The tip smashed Dae's nose loudly, and everybody stared in open mouthed wonder. Poppy's second strike hit Dae's shin, just as Neville's bamboo sword clipped him in the kidney.

Rika howled with laughter and started screaming, "2:57, 2:56, 2:55," counting down the minutes and seconds of the melee.

Dae started spinning his staff and retreating back across the manicured lawn. The kids had done exactly as he had taught them: strike first, strike fast, and follow up ruthlessly. If he could see, or breath, he would have smiled, as it was, he was actually stunned for a second. He almost drew on the Force to clear the students from around him, dull his pain, and see where they were located. Instead he fought himself, and went old school. He felt the blows on his staff as 'Hey-You' moved in and fully engaged him. Under normal circumstances he would have lasted maybe 10 seconds, but Dae couldn't see, he was gasping, and the rain of blows on his back and thighs was breaking his rhythm. Then he felt it... the concentrated aggression, and controlled motions... Mariko was close, at his back. She was the truest danger. She could truly fight, and was a master swords-woman.

Dae let the other students take their shots, and knew that all had scored at least one blow on him as Henry and Mariko held his concentration. The pain flashed through his hands as he locked staves with Henry. The boy had got them in a high block, then slid his staff across Dae's fingers. The pain was exquisite, and Dae barked out. He broke from the lock, and blinking rapidly became locked in combat with Mariko. Henry moved to the side to strike with a spearing blow. Mariko nodded, and as Henry lunged in, smashed her sword directly onto Dae's wounded hand. His staff fell, and Mariko's back swing, along with Henry's thrust, hit Dae square in the chest, cracking ribs.

"HOLD!" Rika commanded, and everybody backed up. Dae wiped his eyes, and stared at the shocked look on Madame Pomfrey's face.

"What?" he asked breathlessly.

She pointed, and Dae looked around. Broken noses, split ears, bent (obviously broken) arms, and little Mazbeth stretched out over Neville's lap, out cold, and he had a broken leg. Dae looked at his right hand, "damn, I liked those two fingers. Extra credit to whoever finds them before the seagulls do." He smiled and showed off the loose bloody teeth in his mouth. "THAT is how you fight! That is how you WIN! Excellent tactic Poppy, extra points to you. Neville, careful with her neck, wait till Madame P. gets to her before you get your leg fixed. Ok, everybody, clock is ticking. Those that can, heal the others, those that can't, pick up your missing teeth and wait for Madame P. to get to you. The clock is ticking."

Rika walked over with Winni and handed Dae a cool drink. "They rock your world, my love?" Dae sipped and hissed, the pain in his face matched only by the pain of his mangled hand. He nodded. "Told you not to underestimate them. Tonks and Ro were strategizing all night. Looks like they rocked your world real good."

"Yeah, these kids," Dae shook his head as Madame P. and a few of the older students started the healing. "I wish I was 30 years younger. THIS, is who we should have been, babe." He pulled the woman into a hug, and gave her a swat on the butt. "Ok, Stage 3, love, go get our surprise. The clock's ticking."

Everybody paused as the windows that could open, did open, and students from every class and year cheered the 'Dirty Dozen'. The school outcasts waved and kept right on getting healed up, watching the sun, knowing they only had five minutes to heal. Rika tore off the tarp on the speeder bike, everyone gasped as the complicated machine howled to life on the grounds of Hogwarts, and screamed off down the path to Hogsmeade.

Dae walked over to Winni as the little elf handed him his missing fingers. "So, the healing draft, it works as advertised?" he asked softly.

"Oh, yes, Master, everyone will be 100% better in about 18 minutes, but they will hurt like," the small elf shrugged, "like nothing is doing the job fully. Isn't that a bit cruel? I can help take their pain away."

Dae shook his head. "No, they need to fight through it. They've come so far. That's the true test. To keep going when you're so hurt, with nothing left. To struggle, embrace the pain, and conquer it." He sighed deeply, he had taken the same potion, and his fingers were already sticking to the mangled hand.

Everybody was up and moving, some limping, some stretching, looking at the sun, and knowing Dae would not tell them when the clock would start. The little known or suspected truth was, Dae would start the clock as soon as the first student took off. Hell, even he couldn't tell five minutes from 20 by looking at the sun, but the kids all thought he could. Madame Pomfrey looked at Dae and nodded ruefully. Everybody was healed, teeth put back in mouths, bones set and braced, and the kids were getting that antsy jittery, gotta go-go-go look on their faces.

Dae frowned, looked up at the sky, then at his thumb, then at the students, and they were off. He barely swiveled his head towards them, and they sprinted for the path. He chuckled.

"Damn, I'm good."

Coming soon, Chapter 22: Be free, with music.