November 20th

2000

9:00 pm Gaia Time

Cornwall County Beach

Southwestern England, Europe

Gaia


3rd Person POV:


Silence.

While the nine members of the Republic advance team just stare at the dozen robed men and women, ready to pull out their lightsabers to defend themselves at a moment's notice, the only sound being made is that of the waves continuing to crash against the beach they are standing on.

After a long moment, Hailey lowers her wand and a smirk forms on her face. "Well, you have certainly mastered making a dramatic entrance." She then lowers her wand. "Put them down. They're on our side."

"How can we be sure it's them?" One of the members of the group asks angrily, not dropping his hand an inch. "Shouldn't we break into their minds or at least test them to see they are who they say they are?"

Hailey glares at her companion before letting out a sigh. "As much as I despise the idea of torture, Cedric, I do agree that we should test them." She then turns to Karel. "So, Karel Allusis, what was the name of the centaur you met during your training at Hogwarts and what did he tell you the night before you became a Maven?"

Karel stares back at Hailey for a long moment, his companions looking at each other in confusion, before responding. "His name was Firenze and he told me, 'Mars is unusually bright tonight. All we can do now is hope.'"

Another long moment of silence passes before the group lower their wands to their sides. "All right. Welcome to Shell Cottage. Dumbledore will be greatly pleased to finally meet you." Cedric says, then turns around and starts walking back towards the small cottage, with four decently-sized wooden shacks sitting on the grassy tops of the sand dunes, rickety doors facing the ocean.

The group continues to walk up the larger and more established house. Along the way, the Republic allies feel a strange tingling snakes its way across every inch of their skin before the sensation suddenly stops. Once the group reaches the front door, Hailey knocks on the door three times.

The door opens a crack. "How many feathers did Albus Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, donate to Mr. Ollivander?" A male voice asks from the other side, a nasally tone in his voice.

"Two." Hailey replies instantly.

The door swings inward instantly, revealing to the Jedi a hunched over man wearing a moldy, painfully shabby overcoat over a green vest, and brown pants covered in patches and smells suspiciously like mothballs. He has a pasty face with greasy grey hair and bulging, pale eyes. His eyes settle on the Jedi who are looking at the man incredulously. His face twists into a sneer, and his face lands on Ahsoka for a second longer than the others. "Oh, you're the Jedi I've heard about. You don't look very impressive, if you ask me. Are they who they say they are?"

"Yes, they are. Now let us in, Filch. This ocean air is too cold for my liking." Hailey says, shivering a little.

"Tell me all about it." Sander mutters, looking around at the beach.

"Fine. Get in here." Filch states sharply, stepping aside to allow the nine Jedi to walk past. They look at each other hesitantly before walking in one at a time while the dozen Order members walk away from the Jedi, disappearing with an audible pop. Once Obi-Wan walks through the doorway, followed by the dozen Order members, Filch closes the door and walks in the back. "You should have pushed them harder. I miss the old ways, when I would hang disobedient students on the wall by their thumbs. Oh, how I miss their pitiful screams."

Unfortunately for Filch, Sander and Obi-Wan couldn't help but overhear Filch's mumbling, and both of them blanch considerably as a result. Before they can say anything, they reach a small dining room where a single long table is in the center, with an old couch and two leather chairs facing a fireplace, with numerous cooking pans hanging above. Sitting at the table are three men.

One of whom has greasy black hair, cold black eyes, and wearing long black robes. Another man, sitting across from his companion, is a man with neatly combed black hair, the same circular glasses and brown eyes as Hailey, and has some muscle on him. The final man is sitting at the head of the table, wearing long grey robes over a grey suit and black tie, with a long-brimmed hat on his head and his sharp blue eyes shine brightly behind his half-moon spectacles.

The trio stop talking instantly and look up at the nine Jedi, who are staring inquisitively back. The eldest man manages a weak smile. "Hello, Karel. It has been a while since we met."

"It has." Karel says, a little stiffly. "Anyway, I would like you to meet the Jedi I told Hailey would be coming. This is Depa Billaba, Caleb Dume, Mace Windu, Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Leia Haggar, and Sander Blanco. They are leading a Republic fleet who will help us liberate Gaia from Emperor Kadabra once and for all."

The three men look at each other, relief showing on their faces. "Well, this is the first good news I've heard in too long." The man on the left says, looking at the table as if it is the most disgusting thing in the galaxy.

"Indeed, Severus. Indeed."

"Wait, what happened, Dumbledore? I heard from Hailey that something happened, but I was never given details." Karel says, looking concerned.

The trio look at each other once more before Dumbledore sighs. "We had a breach in security. Somehow, the Empire managed to find the location of our old base and attacked it. All of the children we were protecting are either dead or in the Empire's hands. We lost many fighters in the ambush, including Alastor Moody. In reality, only 10 of us managed to survive the massacre, while all of our agents have been recalled until we can figure out how best to proceed next. In total, only 20 of us remain." He says, looking at the table with a forelorn look that makes his already aged face look decades older. The Jedi look at each other, the solemnness hanging in the air like a thick fog. "Ah, but how rude of me. My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I lead what's left of the Order of the Phoenix, an organization dedicated to restoring order to our planet. This here is Severus Snape, and James Potter, one of our best fighters. I assume you must be starving. Please, make yourselves comfortable. I will have our cooks make you something during your stay."

"Thank you, Mr. Dumbledore." Obi-Wan says, bowing in respect, before seating himself at the table. Many of the other members sit down at the table, except Sander and Caleb are still standing.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Sander asks, gesturing to the couch. Dumbledore nods and Sander nods in gratitude, sitting down on the middle of the couch while Caleb seats himself on the chair on the right.

Suddenly, the front door crashes inward and a man who stands 11 feet tall walks in, his back rubbing against the ceiling despite being slightly crouched. The Jedi just stare in shock at the man with grisly black hair that stretches into a shaggy beard, black eyes glinting from behind wearing a large black jacket and brown pants, and holding a large pink umbrella. "Ah, Hagrid. I'm so glad you could make it. Jedi, may I introduce you to one of our senior members, Rubeus Hagrid."

"'Ello." Hagrid says, waving slightly at the Jedi at the table. Anakin just stares with an open mouth at Hagrid, barely comprehending how tall he is. Even Windu is surprised by Hagrid for a brief moment before he returns to his stoic expression. Hagrid then walks towards the couch, where Sander is staring up at Hagrid with wide eyes. "Budge up yer great lump." He says, then plops himself in the couch, making it groan loudly and sick to the ground a little.

Sander's eyes widen even more and gulps a little. "You know what? I think I'm just going to sit in the chair, if you don't mind, Mr. Hagrid." Sander says, then gets up and walks towards the other chair and getting himself seated.

Karel chuckles slightly at Sander's predicament, but manages to notice the plates of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and a Caesar salad fly directly in front of him, as well as every other Jedi in the room. "I must thank you for your hospitality and allowing us to stay in your base." Obi-Wan says, as he continues eating through his dinner. Hagrid, meanwhile, points his umbrella at the fireplace, resulting in a blazing fire filling the fireplace, and Hagrid warms up several hot dogs before eating them off the pitchfork.

"If you are truly here to help us reclaim our home, you are welcome to stay with us as long as you desire." Dumbledore says, eyeing the Jedi slowly.

"Yes, but we will not be here for long. The Republic fleet will be here on Gaia in three days. We need to complete our primary objective if the invasion is to succeed." Windu says, once he has stopped eating and looks at the Jedi's hosts.

"And what, do tell, is your objective?" James asks, quirking an eyebrow at Windu.

Windu just stares back for a long moment before responding. "We need to find Emperor Kadabra and Empress Kione, and eliminate him. Without their leadership or someone old enough to take their place, the Republic will be able to dissolve the Sith Empire."

The trio look at each other, skepticism on their faces. "And how do you plan to do this?" Snape asks, "Kadabra is a great duelist, only a fool would deny it. He and his family have layers of protection and his mastery of magic only makes him worse. Not even the Mafia have managed to assassinate the Imperial family, and they have come closer than anyone else in years."

"I've heard a lot about this 'Mafia' everyone talks about. Will they be willing to help us?" Depa asks, sounding intrigued.

"No." Ahsoka replies, catching everyone's attention. "I heard a lot about them during my exile. The Mafia is the largest and most dangerous rebel cell perhaps in the whole galaxy, and they are proud of it. They are a coordinated union of all the crime families across Gaia and their most trusted allies. Over half of all the murders and robberies that occur across Imperial Space are directly linked to them. Only the Hutt clan can match the Mafia's efficiency of organized crime."

"We have had dealings with them in the past." Karel adds, a sour look on his face. "They are overly proud of what they have achieved, and their arrogance has cost them considerably. But I can't deny that they do provide good business; over half of our weapons were imported from the Irish branch of the Mafia, and enhanced to be better."

"Isn't it obvious?" Caleb speaks up, gaining everyone's attention. "Why don't we just find a way to weaken him before killing him? Is there any way to weaken the Emperor that much?"

A long moment of silence passes before Dumbledore's eyes light up. "Why did I never think of this before? Yes, I believe you are right, Mr. Dume. But I will need Mr. Weasley's opinion if my theory is possible, but there's something else. Something I heard about on that day four years ago; the day Earth became the first victim of Harry and his forces. He mentioned how the planet was home to the Jedi for centuries before they were forgotten."

"All right, hold up." Anakin interrupts, making a 'T' shape with his hands. "You said the Jedi had a presence here?"

"Indeed." Snape replies. "We spent months raiding Imperial libraries, trying to find anything on what our manipulative Emperor was talking about. Apparently, thousands of Jedi crash-landed on Earth and created our society. Overtime, their ways became forgotten and the new branch of Force use, what we call magic, was born."

The Jedi listen to this short story with rapt attention, awe on their faces. "A Temple." Depa mutters, then looks up. "If Jedi have lived on this planet as long as you say, then they must have built a Jedi Temple somewhere on this planet. If we can find it and spread the dormant light inside the Temple, then we could already hold an advantage against the Emperor."

Suddenly, both Caleb and Sander let out loud yawns, only for them to suddenly suppress them and blush heavily in response. "You know what? If you don't mind, could we use the rooms upstairs and get some rest? It's too late to talk about these kinds of plans." Karel asks, fighting to keep his eyes open at this moment.

The wizards take notice of the Jedi's exhaustion. "Of course. You may use the bedrooms upstairs. In the morning, we shall discuss how best to proceed with your plans."

"Yea. I better get goin'." Hagrid says, standing up and starts walking towards the doorway before swinging it open and accidentally ripping the door off its hinge, making it crash to the ground. "Sorry." Hagrid says, then walks out of the door.

James just sighs a little, shaking his head while a small smile forms on his face. "I'm glad to see some things never change. Wingadium Leviosa!" He shouts after pulling out his wand and swishing it. The door lifts off the ground and slips into the doorway. "Reparo!" The nails slide back into place, sealing the door like the damage was never done.

The Jedi just stare at James, looks of amazement and bafflement on their faces. Eventually, they stand up and walk towards the wooden staircase and climb up to the top, which leads to numerous bedrooms. The Jedi fan out, entering three of the rooms with open doors. They are simple, with a single bed, a single wooden desk slide against the far wall in each room along with a wardrobe tucked into the corners, and a window that provides a vast view of the ocean, and the moonlight glinting off the waves.

"Get as much rest as you can." Windu says, looking out at the ocean in one such bedroom. "I am of the belief that we will not have many opportunities in the days to come."

His companions just shrug and begin spreading out to the open rooms, Leia taking first dibs and on the bed on the left before pulling the thick covers over her and immediately falling asleep. "That was fast." Karel remarks, staring at her incredulously.

"Yeah, you kind of get used to it." Sander says, as he lays himself on the ground and stares up at the ceiling. "But everything we've been through has made her a light sleeper." He then lays his head down on the ground and closes his eyes.

Karel just sighs and sits in the chair in front of the desk, turns it around and gets himself settled. After a few long moments of listening to the roaring waves, he too closes his eyes.


November 21st

6:30 am Gaia Time

Shell Cottage, Second Floor


Sander Blanco lets out a large yawn and sits up, the wooden boards underneath him creaking slightly. Slowly, he stands up and looks around. Leia is not sleeping in the bed and Karel is nowhere to be found. Frowning slightly, the 7-year-old walks out of the doorway and back down the staircase.

Once he walks back down the staircase, he notices that most of the advance team is already awake and eating breakfast that is laid out on the table. "Morning, Sander." Anakin says, before digging into the sausages on the plate, sitting next to some scrambled eggs and French toast. "This is really good."

"Well, thank you, sir. The pork sausage is my specialty." A feminine voice replies from the nearby kitchen before chuckling slightly.

Sander looks around and notices something. "Morning. Hey, where is Karel?"

"Mr. Allusis is off to take care of some business and fetch some personal items before your mission may begin, Mr. Blanco. To answer your question, Ms. Haggar, my allies have discovered a means of transporting you across the Atlantic Ocean yesterday and are currently securing it." Dumbledore answers from the head of the table before returning his attention to Windu while Sander walks down, takes a plate of breakfast and begins eating. "As I was going to say, I have heard rumors that Emperor Kadabra is staying in New York, the capitol of Gaia, to holding a major meeting with his Senators across the galaxy tomorrow at noon. This is your only chance you have at taking him down before your fleet arrives."

"Of course. I believe that our best course of action is to divide our numbers. Some of us will distract the Emperor long enough until we can find a way to locate where the Jedi Temple on this planet is and activate it."

"And how exactly do you plan on finding it?" Snape asks, also sitting at the table. A young man with fire red hair that reaches his shoulders, crystal blue eyes, pale skin and a long scar stretching across his cheek, who is also listening intently.

"I plan on following the Force's guidance to where I need to go." Windu calmly answers.

"So, you are just going to blindly follow a powerful entity that knows all, assuming it's going to all work out for you in the end. Pardon me for thinking that sounds completely absurd.*" The red-haired man says with a deadpan tone in his voice after swallowing a particularly large bite of toast.

While Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow at the blunt comment for a second, before going back to eating. "Now, Mr. Weasley. Do you believe that a Effusio rune would work at all?"

The man shrugs. "I dunno. I'm not my brother when it comes to runes, but it should work just fine."

Sander looks at the conversation with confusion, but before he can speak up, Leia beats him to it. "What do you mean?"

The man looks at her, taking a large bite out of his sausage before swallowing. "Dumbledore believes that we should help you in the final fight. I am going to create some new runes we invented after Hogwarts became a major Imperial facility. Put it this way; the runes can act like a jar, in that if one of us uses our magic to open the rune, then we could absorb the Emperor's powers and weaken him even further, allowing us to strike the final blow."

"These 'runes' can do that?" Caleb asks, surprised. "I must say, you wizards have some pretty impressive techniques at your disposal."

The rest of breakfast passes in silence, afterwhich they give the plates to the cook. As Anakin is about to walk outside, the door swings open and Karel walks in. He is wearing the same golden Agent Pennsylvania armor he wore the other day, his crossguard lightsaber hanging at his side; his shoulders are slightly slumped and on his back is a large camouflage-colored backpack. "Oh hey, Karel. How was your trip?" The red-haired man asks.

"Hello to you too, Ron." Karel replies, slightly coldly. "I had a good trip. Managed to fetch everything I want before things go south, and I come bearing good news and bad news. The good news is that there are many Force-sensitive Imperial agents who wish to see Kadabra's reign end. But there are many others who are unwavering in their loyalty. Now, they're in a civil war that we could get caught in the middle of. What's really bad is that there are hundreds of wanted signs for many who are known to oppose the Sith's rule. I'm sorry to say that all of us, even me, are now public enemies."

The Jedi look at each other, while Dumbledore lets out a sigh. "I guess, deep down, I knew this was going to happen. I can only hope we can figure out how to address this new problem."

Before the conversation can progress any further, the door swings open again and Hailey Potter walks in, red robes billowing around her and Cedric on her immediate right, also wearing red robes. "Jedi, I come bearing good news." Hailey says, a small smile making its way onto her face. "We managed to secure the ship."

For the first time in years, Dumbledore also smiles at hearing that. "Very good." Then, standing up as one, they walk out of Shell Cottage. As they leave the house, they all freeze and stare in surprise. Standing much farther out on the beach, Hagrid holding a large crossbow in his hands standing out among the small crowd, is the enormous black ship, stylized like a 16th century Spanish galleon, with a dragon-shaped figurehead, white sails with the symbol of a red eagle on the largest sail, and topped off with red and yellow pennants.

"Blimey. I haven't seen that ship in years." Ron says, his eyes wide and a smile also forming his lips.

"You expect us to take that…thing across an ocean?" Anakin asks, skepticism practically dripping from his voice.

"It may not look like much." Hailey replies. "But this ship was one of Durmstrang Institute's most prized possessions. It really was a miracle we found it shipwrecked off the coast of Norway with only corpses on board. What makes this ship special is that it is enchanted by the Force to travel faster than any other ship of its kind. It can travel across the Atlantic in half a day at most, whereas even Imperial Navy carriers would take three days to make the journey. But most importantly, this ship has little to no metal on it, is capable of turning invisible to those who can't use magic like we can**, and with the powerful magic coming from it, this ship will be invisible to all Imperial scanners."

Ahsoka raises an eyebrow whistle at hearing about the ship's capabilities. "Well, you people are full of surprises. But you don't have to come with us."

"You will need all of the help you can get. Like it or not, we will help you. Most of us have got nothing left to lose anymore." Cedric says, as he walks up to them. "Besides, Karel was right. Your images are all over the cities. You would be recognized instantly."

"So, we will find a way prevent ourselves from being recognized." Depa states flatly.

"That won't be necessary for all of us." Windu replies. "Some of us will need to find the Jedi Temple, avoiding any major settlements. I suggest we split up, and form two groups. One will seek out the Temple and find a way to re-activate it, the other will keep the Emperor distracted long enough for the real battle to begin."

"Mate, you really are pushing your luck." Ron states, an anxious look on his face.

"I don't believe in luck. I have the Force at my side." While nobody notices it, Sander's hand twitches and a single curl of smoke rises into the air.

"I agree with Master Windu." Kenobi says, stepping forward. "Both missions are vital. I think that I will take charge of the team who will take on the Emperor."

"I'm coming with you." Anakin says, stepping forward. "The Emperor used to be my friend. I think it's time he paid for playing us for so long."

"I will join as well." Leia states, crossing her arms and giving a small smile.

"Well, since you're my mentor, I would rather stick with you guys." Sander says, raising his hand.

"I think that it would be best if I came as well." Karel adds, also lifting up his hand.

"Very well, but no more. If too many of you go, then you will only raise unwanted attention." Windu speaks up.

The wizards begin trekking up the hill, making their way towards the rather large group. "Well, since you five will most likely be traveling through Imperial cities, it would be wise to wear some kind of disguises." Snape states, looking at the sea-soaked Jedi robes with a hint of distaste.

"Oh. Oh, yeah. I have an idea." Hailey says, her brown eyes glinting mischievously from behind her glasses.

James smiles widely at seeing this side of his daughter again, with Ron smirking. "This outta be good."

"I suggest that certain members of your party wear different disguises so as to make yourselves look different. In order for them to work, they have to be the so absurd, no one would ever think you were Jedi. While you're out, can you please come up with new names and how you will act with those disguises on? That will make your cover that much believable." Hailey states, the gleam in her eyes never flickering.

Meanwhile, twin redheads who are standing directly behind Hailey hear the conversation and they look at each other, their eyes gleaming slightly. "Do I hear that these stiffs need crazy disguises?" The redhead on the left asks.

"If so, we can take them shopping and show them what craziness really is." The redhead on the right states.

The Jedi just stare at the twins, once again bewildered. "Who are you?" Caleb asks, his instincts telling him to stay on guard.

"I'm Fred." The redhead on the left says.

"No, I'm Fred. You're George." The man on the right states.

"Oh, yeah." Fred states.

"So, when do we leave to get ourselves…under the Imperial radar?" Leia asks, anxious to get going.

"Immediately." Dumbledore says. "While you are gone with a single member of the Order as escort, the rest of my people will load the ship with enough supplies for us all to make the journey."

"Well, then we best be on our way." Kenobi says. Cedric then walks towards Obi-Wan.

"Hold on tight. This could get rough." With those last words, Cedric takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. Then, Obi-Wan suddenly feels like he is being pulled through a tight pathway by his nasal passageways. Then, as suddenly as the pain came, it just as suddenly ceased. The next thing Obi-Wan can see as he tries to keep his breakfast down is that the duo are now in the middle of a dark alleyway.

"What was that?" Kenobi asks.

"Apparition. Great for traveling long distances in short periods of time, but it is also places an extra stress on your body to use it constantly." Cedric replies, then walks out of the alleyway and into the street. Obi-Wan follows close behind and suddenly, his breath stops.

The duo is standing in the middle of the empty sidewalk of a vast street, and across from them is a massive building. Metal bars are bolted into place above the glass windows, with dozens of locks keeping the glass doors shut. "There it is. Harrod's; the most famous store in Western Europe. I try to avoid places like this, but it's necessary. Follow me."

They then walk towards the front entrance. Even from outside, Obi-Wan can see the miniscule red lights on the inside of the doorway. "Alohamora." Cedric mutters. The lights instantly go out and the doors click open. Cedric opens the door, and they walk in, between the panels of glowing green lights. "Alright. Until this place opens in the next few hours, everything around you is fair game. But make it quick; I don't want to be here long."

Obi-Wan nods and closes his eyes. He concentrates on the Force and embraces it. He opens his eyes and follows its guidance, shifting through shelves upon shelves of products he had never seen in his life before eventually coming to a stop. Kenobi just stares at the contents of the massive glass box in the center of an enormous display hall, feeling a little baffled.

Inside the massive box are a row of seven suits of armor unlike any Obi-Wan has seen before, and while each of them are a different color, they all have the same rectangular-shaped visor which is so clean, Kenobi can see his own reflection in it. The middle suit is a deep forest green, while the three suits on its left are red, maroon, and orange; meanwhile, the suits on the suit's left are deep blue, cobalt, and aqua. On either side of the massive display are large posters of a man wearing the same green armor as the one in the center, seemingly running towards Kenobi while holding a primitive-looking battle rifle. On the armored soldier's right is another man, a foot-soldier judging by his armor, firing his own rifle, and a land-based vehicle firing a mounted turret at two purple, alien-looking vessels. On top of the colorful image is the name Halo: Combat Evolved, with another phrase on the bottom, stating Coming on November 25th, 2000***. Pre-Order now, and you may qualify to win a MJOLNIR battle-suit to amaze your friends!

"Well, it looks like somebody's going to be disappointed." Kenobi mutters, shaking his head, before lifting his head and waving his right hand at the glass case. The security systems he sensed along the glass case disarm themselves, allowing Kenobi enough time to thrust his right arm back. The cobalt-colored armor instantly flies out of the case, the glass being smashed and the shards instantly littering the tiled floors. Kenobi grabs the metal suit by the chestplate and immediately makes a mad dash towards the changing room.

Several minutes later, Obi-Wan shakily steps out, wearing the cobalt armor. He looks down at his armored arms, then rotates them around. To the Jedi's surprise, his movements aren't hindered by the heavy-looking armor. "What the hell! Jedi!" Someone shouts behind him. Obi-Wan whirls around, noticing a security guard staring at him in surprise. The Jedi Master then lifts his hand up. The guard goes flying into the far wall before crashing into the far wall. "Son of a bitch!" He shouts, before being knocked out by the impact and slides down the wall.

Kenobi walks towards the unconscious guard, then notices the long plasma rifle in his hands. Shrugging slightly, Kenobi reaches down and picks up the plasma rifle. "Well, I best be on my way before the guard wakes up." Kenobi mutters then runs through the long aisles, jumping down the stairs to reach the ground level before seeing Cedric in the distance.

"I was beginning to worry you had gotten yourself captured." Cedric says, raising an eyebrow at the armor Kenobi is wearing. "And you couldn't have picked a worse thing to steal, could you? Come on, let's get you back to base."

They run across the street, avoiding a car that passes by them, and run back into the alleyway. Cedric grabs onto Obi-Wan and apparates them back to Shell Cottage. When Kenobi can see straight again, he notices the long and winding beach, with the sun beginning to turn the sky orange. "Well, that look certainly suits you." Ahsoka Tano comments, staring at Obi-Wan with a smirk.

"Thanks. Though my beard is starting to rub against this helmet a lot." Kenobi replies.

"I can only imagine. So, what is your cover name going to be?"

Kenobi is in deep thought, then remembers some of the things he saw at Harrod's. "I think I will be…Leonard…Church. Leonard Church."

Cedric, Hailey, the nearby Dumbledore, and the other four Jedi raise an eyebrow at the name. "Well, Mr. Church. It certainly is a certainly unique name. I believe that the others should be arriving soon." Dumbledore says, then stares down at the beach.

Sure enough, within minutes, James Potter apparates a few feet farther down the beach, with Karel Allusis standing at his side. Except that he still has his backpack on his back, and looks much different than anyone has ever seen. Karel is now wearing brown sandals, long black jeans, and a grey T-shirt with a blue and white tag stating Hello, my name is Wade above his left breast. But the most prominent difference is that instead of his usual blue hair, he dyed his hair light blonde and had shaken it out so now it's much unrulier than before. "Well, you certainly picked a more modest disguise, Karel." Kenobi states.

Karel turns towards Kenobi and raises an eyebrow at the armor. "You're one to talk. By the way, dude, I think you should know that my name isn't Karel. It is Durnt. Wade Durnt."

"Well, then, Mr. Durnt. Let us board the ship. We need to get underway." Hailey says, then the trio begin to walk towards the massive Spanish Galleon sitting in the middle of the ocean.

As they walk down the beach, Hagrid apparates onto the beach, Leia Haggar at his side. There is only one difference; instead of her modest Jedi robes, Leia is now wear a much more…revealing disguise. She is wearing a yellow crop top underneath a tan jacket which reveals her stomach area, both of which reveal a small amount of cleavage, and flashy golden bracelets on her wrists coupled with black, fingerless gloves. She is also wearing black short shorts with a brown skirt over it, and it is all topped off with brown, knee-high boots. "Well, you have always like showing off to everyone." Kenobi states sarcastically.

Leia blushes slightly at the statement. "Gee, thanks."

"Well, I best be off. Good luck to 'ye on yer mission." Hagrid says, patting her on the back and making her nearly fall face-first into the ground before the giant of a man begins walking towards the shacks.

"So, what will be your cover name be?" Kenobi asks, curious as to what the maverick Jedi has in mind.

"I think I will be Harriet Hart." Leia replies, then pulls out a box of cigarettes along with a lighter. She then uses the Force to open the box in a pocket at her hip, grabs one of the cigarettes before grabbing the lighter, flicking it open and lighting the tip with the small fire. "By the way, you guys make some wicked cigarettes. This stuff is way better than any cigarra ever. Good job." She flashes a thumbs up before pulling the cigarrete out of her mouth, blowing out a puff of smoke.

"Um… thanks?" Ron asks from the ship, looking a little surprised by her habit.

Leia then looks around, a frown on her face. "Where are Anakin and Sander?"

Before anyone could respond, two more pops can be heard. Fred and George appear on the beach, identical grins on their faces. "Bugger." Hailey mutters, somewhat dreading what they had in mind. Ron can only nod in agreement with the sentiment as they stare at them from the edge of the beach.

"Hey, guys! Don't forget us!" Fred says, his grin only widening.

"We helped create the best disguises of them all." George adds, then the duo simultaneously step in opposite directions, revealing their Jedi companions, both of whom are smirking widely. All it took was one look at them to leave everyone present flabbergasted. Leia gags in the middle of a smoke, Windu's eyes are wide with surprise, and even Karel's mouth is hanging open slightly.

"...Sander? What in the name of the Force are you wearing?" Leia asks hesitantly.

Anakin and Sander are dressed in easily the strangest disguises of them all. Anakin is wearing long pants of varying shades of black, sleek black shoes, a zipped-up long dark brown jacket with sleeves rolled up to the arms over a black tank top, and a bright red bandana wrapped around his right arm. His hair is tied back into a small ponytail and his face is smeared with charcoal, and a pair of thick tinted goggles are resting on his forehead.

Sander, however, is a completely different story. He is wearing a dark green business suit over a white undershirt, with a purple badge on his left side and a black bow tie in the center. The part of his new outfit that stands out from the rest is his knee-high white socks, fancy black shoes, a brown plaid skirt with a yellow 'R' emblazoned in the center, and the dark gold crown on his messy hair, with a jagged cut across the left.

"Um, I… kind of have to agree with Leia on this one. Why are you wearing a skirt, Sander?" Karel asks, a little weirded out.

"This is no skirt, you fools. It's a kilt. Also, until this mission is done, you shall call me Ryan Haywood Jr." Sander answers, a smug tone in his voice. Windu can't help but feel like the boy is going to milk this for all it's worth.

"What he zaid. And you can call me Jamez Wilhelm, and I will turn the Emperzor's lives into nein livez." Anakin adds, pointing his hand at Sander and speaking quickly in an outrageously fake German accent.

"Well, you certainly make quite a team." Dumbledore states, a twinkle of amusement in his aged blue eyes. "But I suppose it is time for us to part ways for now. May be meet again soon."

With that, Ryan Haywood Jr. and Jamez Wilhelm step onto the wooden platform and onto the ship. Anakin is already at work with his alternate personality, placing his hands on his hips and swaying his shoulders slightly as he walks up the gangplank. Instantly, the ship pulls away from the beach and sails into the sunrise, Dumbledore, the eighteen Order members who aren't joining the voyage, and the four Jedi stare at the ship as it sails away before walking towards the mainland, the Jedi following the Force's guidance.

The ship continues sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, traveling at high speeds, and the crew is wandering around on the deck, talking with each other or the Jedi to try and make the long journey more bearable.

Sander, however, wanders below the deck and towards the back side of the ship, past the many rows of hammocks swaying around him. He then unclips his lightsaber from his kilt and sets it down on a wooden desk next to the hammock before hoisting himself onto the hammock and hanging his head. "Well, you certainly look down." A voice comments.

Sander looks up immediately, alarm on his face. Then it softens when he realizes it is Karel walking in with his backpack. "Hey, Karel." Sander then notices that his friend has an irritated look on his face. "What's wrong? You don't look happy."

"No, I'm really pissed right now. Back when I was a Maven, we had bets on where the Order of the Phoenix is hiding out, and where their alternate base would be. I was betting that the Order had an alternate base in Antarctica. Now that I know that we are in England, we would fork over the pile of Imperial credits we contributed to."

"Go on. How much did you lose?"

"In total, my friends and I lost 4 million credits to that jerk, Daniel Cadmus."

Sander stares at Karel for a long moment before letting out a sigh and looking back down. "Yeah? Sucks to me you. I'm just happy that Windu isn't coming with us."

Karel stares at Sander for a long moment. "You know, I've been meaning to ask. Why do you hate Windu so much?"

Sander then curls up into a ball on the hammock, staring down at the wooden floor boards with a distant and sad look on his face. "Do you know who took you?"

Karel blinks, a confused look on his face. "What do you mean?"

"You were once with of the bad guys. That means you were taken from your family, enslaved by the Sith Masters, and taught how to be a tool for another's benefit. Do you know who took you from your parents?"

Karel stares at Sander, confused on where this was coming from. He thinks about it for a long moment before answering. "No. Knowledge of who recruited us into the Sith Order is directly forbidden. Seriously, though, why are you asking me this?"

Sander's gaze becomes far more distant, and tears begin forming in his eyes. "Because I do. For me, it was Windu. A year before the war started, I overheard Shaak Ti and Luminara talk about me and how I was brought in by that bald man. They even mentioned how Windu learned that my parents originally named me Alexander, but really, I prefer Sander much more. Alex is a bit clichéd, don't you think?" His head then lowers towards the ground. "How can I like or even have any respect for a jerk who kidnapped me, would probably lie to me about it if I ever bring it up, and be expected to fight a war for him?" By now, the tears were rolling down his cheeks and dropping to the floorboards. "My greatest wish is to have a family that I can be a part of, to be the son I never got to be. My mentor is great, but I do not know her enough to truly consider her family."

Karel just stares at the younger boy, stunned by his statement and moved by what heard. "I'm sorry to hear that. But I can assure you of this. If you remain to who you are, then you will have what you desire, and more one day." With that, Karel sets down his backpack down on the ground and pulls out a silver boom box.

"I hope you're right." Sander says, wiping the tears away from his face. "Thanks for listening to me. Hey, what else have you got in that bag?"

"Just a bunch of random stuff. My armor, a movie from this planet, a bunch of other stuff. Honestly, it's hard to keep track of everything I have." Karel replies off-handedly, then begins rummaging through his bag. Sander, however, notices the boom box. He gets out of his hammock and walks towards it before flipping a nob in the center. "What does this do?" He asks, then twists the nob on the right. To his surprise, a multitude of voices come out of the speakers before he stops at one such voice.

"Hello, my dear listeners. I'm Casey Kasem, back to present to you the American top 40 from coast to coast in 1983. Stay tuned for more classic hits!"

"Number 15." A series of voices chorus before music began playing. For the first few seconds, all that can be heard is a form of metallic music, carrying a beat that Sander found himself tapping his foot to. Then the song started.

"I'm out a luck, out a love. Gotta photograph, picture of… Passion killer… you're too much. You're the only one I want to touch. I see your face every time I dream. On every page, every magazine, so wild and free, so far from me. You're all I want, my fantasy. Oh, look what you've done to this rock n' roll clown. Oh! oh, look what you've done. Photograph! I don't want your… Photograph! I don't need your… Photograph!"

For the next few minutes, Karel and Sander stare at the radio, listening to the music for a long while. Eventually, the song ends, introduces the song as Photograph by Def Leppard, and the commercial break started. Sander just stares at the radio for a long moment before turning towards Karel, a star-struck look on his face. "That. Was. Absolutely. Amazing." He says, a wistful tone in his voice and a wide smile on his face.

Karel smiles slightly, happy to see Sander not depressed for the time being. "Well, I'm glad to see someone likes that old music. Let's get above deck."

"Thanks, but I'd rather stay here. I want to listen to more of this Casey's music." Sander says then gives his undivided attention to the radio as the commercials end and the next song begins. Karel walks up the wooden staircase and back into the sunlight. He smiles as he watches Kenobi talking with James Potter as the latter steers the ship straight. Their other wizard companion, Argus Filch, is in the corner of the ship, muttering about how his job sucks and how he misses Umbridge's authority.

Karel ignores the hunchbacked man and walks towards Leia as she is sitting at the base of the main mast. "Hey there." He says, sitting next to her.

"Hello." Leia replies, a somewhat giddy tone in her voice. "How is Sander holding up?"

"He's doing good. A little anxious about this war finally being done, and he is listening to my radio."

Leia laughs a little at the remark. "Now that's interesting. He really doesn't like a lot of the music he has heard in his life. It's good to hear that."

Once Leia walks down the steps to fetch Sander for lunch two hours later, the whole group sits on the deck of the ship, eating sandwiches of various kinds, bags of chips, baked potato slices and drinking lemonade. "Well zhen." Anakin says, still practicing his fake accent, "I really like zhe food you have on zis planet."

"Thanks. It's no feast, but it's the best we have." James replies as he bites into a ham and cheese sandwich. Filch is off in the corner, shakily chomping into a large sandwich stuffed with roast beef.

"So, how long will it be until we arrive in America?" Sander asks, his eyes gleaming slightly as the music he listened to played in his mind.

"It will be another half hour or so until we reach Long Island. Considering how remote the island is, I wouldn't be surprised if we encounter an Imperial Army base. So, we will need to be ready for anything they throw at us." James says, a grim expression on his face.

"Hey. I've been meaning to ask. You guys are trained to use the Force to literally rip a hole in reality and teleport long distances. Why couldn't we do the same and go to America?" Kenobi asks.

James sighs. "I wish I could. But the thing about Apparition is that we need to be able to picture where we go in our minds. None of the members of the Order of the Phoenix have ever risked stepping onto American soil, since that is the Mafia's territory. If I tried apparating us there without being able to picture a subtle place to apparate to, I would risk splinching myself and all of you."

"Uh… splinching?" Sander asks, the word sounding foreign on his tongue.

"That is when an apparition goes wrong, and you leave a piece of yourself behind. I heard a story a few years ago that two wizards tried apparating without proper training or imagining where they were going. Let's just say… they were half the men they used to be."

The rest of the meal passes in silence after that. Once everyone has stopped eating the delicious food, the group stands back up and going their separate ways. Kenobi lays his plasma rifle near the steering wheel and stares out at the roaring ocean around them while the others tighten down supplies or fetch their weapons to fight at a moment's notice. Sander goes back down the stairs and fetches his lightsaber. As he grabs his simple silver lightsaber, he looks down at his slender hand and long fingers. The sadness of learning about Windu floods through his mind and he concentrates on his hand. A ball of fire erupts in his palm, but to his great surprise, the fire is a deep blue. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind about what could be included in his ability. Sander closes his eyes and concentrates on his yearning for being somewhere he belongs. He opens his eyes and as he suspected, the fire slowly changes from a deep blue to a deep yellow. "How did you do that?" Sander jumps, hiding the fire behind his back, and whirls around to notice Karel, staring back with a surprised face. "I have never seen such a bright yellow fire before."

"Um… I don't know how it happens, I just can." Sander replies. "I have no idea how I got this ability. What I do know is that I can produce fire on a large scale and manipulate it. And that this ability is a part of me; it can change colors depending on how I feel." He then snorts. "Ironic, considering that I am a Jedi."

"That's an understatement, man." Karel replies, then walks towards his backpack and pulls out a long lightsaber. Sander looks at it and his eyes widen. It is not Karel's crossguard lightsaber, but one of an even older make, with a long shaft and a piece of metal jutting up at the top.

Before Sander can inquire as to why Karel has a second lightsaber, the sounds of stomping can be heard and Filch runs down. "Get your lazy bums up here. We need you up here." He says, jabbing his thumb upward before running with a limp up the stairs.

Sander then looks at Karel. "You've been with them a while."

"Well, I didn't meet all of the Order. I certainly didn't meet him before yesterday." Karel answers, then they start running up the staircases and onto the deck. The Jedi and Filch are leaning against the railings and staring straight ahead, and James steering the ship. The duo rush to the front to see what caught their companions' attention.

Before them is the beach of a vast island, with grey concrete walls standing over 20 feet tall that separate the Imperial base from the sandy beach and the ocean, and a massive rectangular tower is in the center of the wall, with a giant grey canopy covering the top level and a shut gate on the tower's right. Then they notice something that is really wrong; there is a small boat floating in the water, with two older-looking men wandering around frantically. Most of the crew could feel the terror radiating from the ship as the men start sticking harpoons into the water, trying to fend off something.

At first, nothing happens. Then, the back of the boat is suddenly pulled under the water, leaving the screaming men to fall into it. They stop screaming, but the water where they fell in starts to turn red. "Son of a bitch!" Kenobi shouts in surprise, disturbed by what he is seeing.

For several long moments, everybody stares at the sinking boat they are rapidly approaching before the ship lurches to the side. The crew is knocked off their feet instantly. Filch has the unfortunate luck of having a crate full of supplies smash into his back. He screams as he flies across the tilting deck, the crate falling into the water. The aging man manages to hold onto the railing for dear life, his feet dangling above the rushing water.

Before anyone can save him, the water parts ways to reveal a monstrous creature with the most soulless black eyes, the grayest of skin with a white underbelly, coupled with a massive metal ring around its neck with a mounted gun on top. The monster opens its mouth, revealing its many rows of jagged teeth, before biting into Filch's legs.

He screams even louder than before as he is pulled under the water, which also begins turning red. "Distract those sharks! I need to run this ship aground if any of us are going to survive." James shouts, then stares ahead at the island that is getting ever closer.

"I have an idea!" Leia shouts. "Jamez, use the Force to lift those… sharks out of the water. The rest of us will take care of them."

"Right avay." Anakin replies, then lifts his hands into the air. Seconds later, a grey shark with a head shaped like a hammer appears in all its 20-feet glory. Instantly, the ship levels out and everyone is able to stand up straight again.

"I got this!" Kenobi shouts, then runs up to James and grabs the plasma rifle and begins firing on the shark. Unfortunately, because of the ship's constant shaking and how much the shark is flailing around, firing plasma shots from the mounted gun on its head, all six of Kenobi's attempts to shoot the shark miss. "Damn it! This is why I don't use sniper rifles!"

Before the shark can have a chance to break the hold Anakin has on it or the plasma blasts flying in all directions, severely burning any part of the ship it comes in contact with, Karel runs at it. The Jedi can only stare as Karel whips out his second lightsaber. Kenobi stares at the hilt with shock, thinking that Karel had stolen the Darksaber from Supreme Admiral Vizsla. But he is proven wrong when Karel pushes a button on the side and a burnt orange blade shaped exactly like the Darksaber emerges from the hilt, and Karel slashes downward to cut off the plasma cannon before proceeding to stab the blade deep into the shark's head.

It shakes around a little before going still. Karel uses the shark as a springboard to land feet first onto the damaged deck as Anakin releases his Force grip, allowing the shark corpse to splash back into the ocean. "Keep it up. We will stay down here to keep the plasma from hurting the ship too much." Karel shouts up.

The other Jedi nod and begin using the Force to lift any other sharks into the air while Sander runs up the steps. "Mind if I have a turn with that?" He asks.

"If you do, mind if I listen to that music I've heard you've fallen in love with?" Kenobi replies with a sarcastic tone.

"Done." Sander says quickly, the grabs the plasma rifle and begins firing plasma shot after plasma shot. The war-hardened Jedi has to admit that Sander has really improved in firearms use, being able to hit sharks dead-on and knocking out the plasma cannons before the Jedi use their lightsabers to lop off heads. "You know, I have one simple question; why do we have to deal with sharks with freaking laser beams attached to their heads on top of an evil empire? Honestly, I wish I had come with the idea; would have made life easier for all of us." He adds in-between shots, each shot hitting home and severely burning the impacted spot.

This chaos lasts for several long minutes before the ship below them suddenly shakes again and starts lowering. "No, no, no, no." James mutters, his eyes widening in panic and horror. "This can't be happening. One of those stupid sharks must have done more damage to this ship than I expected." He looks up and notices that Long Island is now within a few feet and they are still approaching at break-neck speeds. "Bugger."

The ship instantly crashes against the sandy beach, rubbing against the sand as it dramatically slows the ship's velocity before coming to a stop. "Is everyone okay?" Anakin asks, dropping his fake accent and looking around.

"Ugh. Give me five minutes." Leia mutters as she hauls herself back onto her feet.

"You know, Anakin. This wasn't that bad compared to your crashes." Kenobi comments in a joking manner.

"Zhanks, old man." Anakin replies, reclaiming his fake German accent.

After several minutes, the crew is able to stand up again, fetch what supplies they need, and they jump off the side of the ship. Once they get their first good look at it now, they are suddenly grateful that they made it at all. A large bite had been taken out of the side of the ship, with numerous scorch marks along the hull and a massive dent in the side of the ship is noticeable, with the pieces of the hull sticking into the ship. "Well, there's no going back now." Leia comments.

"Nope." Karel answers, his right hand holding onto a tan strap of his backpack. They stare at the ship for a long moment, noticing that the sun is already setting on the horizon. Then they turn around and begin walking towards the wall.

As they approach it, walking past a massive concrete tunnel that leads under the wall, they notice two men standing at the top of a massive tower that is overlooking the beach. "Man, this blows!" One of the guards shout as the Jedi walk to the tower's base. Silently, Karel activates his lightsaber and uses it to create holes in the wall big enough for him to scale up the wall, using the shade of the base as cover.

"While I do not complain as much as you do, I do share your sentiments." Another male voice, this one deeper and holding a much calmer tone to it, replies.

"Yeah; we're stuck doing this patrol duty since I loaned my flamethrower to the new guy because he thought it looked cool and wanted to use one. How was I supposed to know that he would try using it at the barbecue our superiors held? But hey, at least I got patrol duty with you, buddy."

"And I'm grateful that we don't have to deal with the new guy either." By now, Karel has reached the top of the tower and peaks upward, noticing two fit men wearing standard Imperial Navy chestplates in their early twenties sitting in two chairs as they stare at the sunset.

"Oh my God, I couldn't agree with you more. That Cronut fellow is a fucking weirdo. And don't even get me started on the fact he called me the gas-mask guy. I only wear a gas mask when I'm in training."

Karel smirks slightly, then waves his hand at them. The two soldiers look at each other. "Hey."

"Yeah?" The deeper voiced man replies.

"You…wanna watch some new porn that came out?"

"You read my mind. Let's go steal the Lieutenant's IPad." The duo then stand up and begin to walk away.

"Also, if we meet Cronut, I'm going to tell him that when in the middle of a battle field, I prefer to be called Bravo."

Karel then jumps up onto the top of the wall. He flashes a thumbs up at the Jedi still at the base of the tower. They nod, with them using the Force to extend their jumps, all the while using their lightsabers to bounce from the side of the tower to the smooth wall, making it up the wall in record time. "Well, that could have been worse." Sander says.

Suddenly, James jumps up next to them his robes billowing around him. "Don't say that. It only brings bad luck." He then stares at the sunset. "I can only hope Hailey is okay, helping to protect your fellow Jedi."

"Oh, I'm sure they're fine, dude." Karel answers. "If anything, they will be protecting Hailey and the Order." Deciding to get moving, they run along the top of the wall towards the service ladder that leads into the Imperial training facility.

"Although that does make me wonder." Leia comments. "How are they coming along?"


AN: Okay, this is easily my favorite chapter in the whole story! Loved writing every minute of it! And take that for being such a jerk in the books, Filch. Also, some may cry BS because Hagrid can apparate. So let me explain that briefly; Hagrid was already a student at Hogwarts and has proven to be adept that basic charms (except Transfiguration, hehe). I wouldn't be surprised if Hagrid showed the potential on how to apparate.

I hope you liked my tribute to Casey into this story. Rest in peace, friend. May we never forget you or Monty Oum. And the clip of the lyrics of the song in this belong to Def Leppard.

By the way, please don't expect other chapters to come out nearly as quickly as this one did; I just really got into writing it.

*I don't know why, but I just find Ron's statement very funny.

**I added this ability since I still do not know of the full capabilities of Durmstrang's old ship used during the TriWizard Tournament. But hey, if Arthur Weasley could make a flying car that can turn invisible alone, why can't a whole Institution create a ship that can turn invisible?

**Yeah, I updated when the game actually came out to fit this story's timeline.

Anyway, see you all next time when we look at things from the second team's viewpoint.