Chapter Six – Training
Harry learned how true it was to need the Force to avoid the incredibly swift physical attacks by his Jedi trainers. While he learned their physical techniques quick enough, minus the use of the Force, he found it impossible to keep up with the Jedi just as Master Lamar had said. However, he was doing better than they expected.
Harry had already figured out he could make things feather light and not long after that he discovered that he could make his own body feather light as well. This enabled him to move at incredible speeds since his muscles remained just as strong. He could also jump higher than thought possible using this technique. Teleporting would take him further but it was nice having another way to move about quickly.
A problem still remained though, he was still not as fast as the Jedi, and a strong wind could easily take him out. He went back to the drawing board to see what else he could do. Harry continued to work at night on his magic to get it to speed him up so he could go at the same speed as his new Jedi friends. It was not something he was able to make happen very quickly but he somehow knew that it had to be possible. He just needed to keep working at it. He thought about Jedi precognition as well but that was a separate issue all together. One problem at a time, he thought.
His Jedi trainers decided to teach him without the Force so he could at least learn all the physical techniques. So, Harry learned how to punch, kick, and grapple with the Jedi while he worked on the magic on his own. Of course, he could always use magic on them if they got rougher than he wanted them to. Stunning them or stopping time when they used the Force on him during one of their training exercises always reminded the Jedi that Harry was not helpless against them.
They noticed when they grappled with Harry that he could stun them easily at any time and they could not prevent it. They needed a bit more space between them to successfully avoid his stunner. They all developed a great deal of respect for each other while they trained together.
The Jedi also taught him some meditation techniques that helped him tremendously with identifying more of what he could do with his magic. He made a significant breakthrough a few months after his training started. It was during Harry's nighttime rituals, before going to sleep, that he discovered that he could magically super-charge his body.
Once again, Harry noted how much his magic was intent-based. He wondered if he could do just about anything magically if he wanted to bad enough? He would have to test that at some point, he thought.
This new power he discovered, significantly increased his strength and sped him up tremendously to speeds just like the Jedi achieved, if not a little faster. The drawback was the spell only lasted about fifteen minutes before it dissipated. It also left him feeling a bit sluggish afterwards. However, that feeling went away after a couple of minutes.
On his own, he developed this ability for about three weeks before he decided to introduce his new technique during training. While practicing he discovered that doing it twice in a row left him sluggish for even longer after a second time using it. He tried to resolve the time limit and the feeling of sluggishness but didn't make any headway with that. He supposed that if he had to, while in a sticky situation for instance, he could stop time for a couple of minutes until the sluggish feeling went away.
His Jedi trainers, including Jesop and Alek, were shocked to say the least when Harry was now easily keeping up with them during their sparring. They wondered aloud if Harry could now handle a light saber given his new ability.
Harry quickly squashed that idea saying that he would rather hang on to all of his limbs, thank you very much. He didn't fancy the idea of accidentally cutting his leg off trying to use one of those blasted things. His Jedi companions thought this rather humorous.
oOo
Jesop and Alek were sent out on missions together a few months after they were knighted. Alek was knighted just a few weeks after Jesop and they received missions right after that, travelling together. Harry continued in the temple being taught physical combat fighting while researching magic that was recorded in the archives.
At first Jesop had taught him and Alek helped as well. Harry had a good handle on it now with his new ability but still needed more practice when Jesop and Alek were sent off on missions. Harry completed his training several months later and built up some good muscle to help him out. He continued to work on it and stay fit but also spent a good bit of time researching in the archives.
Harry had come to know the Jedi quite well so had shared more with them of what he could do. They were very fascinated and many of the older Jedi would spend time with Harry just talking. Some of the older ones were familiar with the magic users Harry was reading about and shared with him what they knew.
The most well-known were the Witches of Dathomir but they were still not quite the same as Harry, he noted. He supposed at some point he was going to have to return back to earth to check out the other magic users there and learn what he had been missing. Of course, he was going to have to figure out how to do that first.
He arrived here on accident and the exact way to go back was not known to him. Plus, being able to travel between planets was not exactly clear either, much less manipulating the time as well. For now, it would just have to wait.
During one of his sparring sessions with his Jedi trainers, Harry discovered that he could do more with time than he originally thought. Up to this point, he was only aware of his ability to stop and start it, but he hesitated once when he went to start it again because he was distracted. That's when he discovered he could make them move in slow motion. Now with his ability to slow the Jedi down even just a little bit, Harry was then able to easily move faster than them. He was sure he would find even more interesting uses for that ability in the future.
Harry continued to discover more of what he could do and even expanded on his abilities to manipulate time. He discovered that along with time he had the ability to manipulate space as well. It finally occurred to him after he thought it over carefully that they basically went hand in hand together.
With his manipulation of time and space, one ability he developed and found interesting was a spell he could cast out of his hand that used space distortion on a single person. If hit with it you would experience a distortion of the space your body inhabited. It was very confusing and a bit painful. Harry promised himself to work on that more and see what else he could do with it.
Another time spell he worked out appeared to ripple through the air straight at his target when he cast it. Harry called it a Time Ripple spell. He could shoot them like time-missiles one after another until he stopped. They disoriented the person greatly who was hit by them. The interesting thing was the spell had no effect whatsoever on inanimate objects.
In addition, Harry discovered that he could direct his time manipulation, such as stopping it completely, just at a single person instead of an entire area. Of course since he could slow time down he had to see if he could speed time up. He discovered that he could. The interesting part was he could cause a person to age right before his eyes. He could also reverse it and cause them to de-age. The effects were not long term however; the spell only lasted for about an hour.
Harry also found out that the shields he had created previously when he was younger were effective against all types of range attacks and even melee attacks such as with a light saber. This became interesting when he started having the Jedi attack him with their light sabers. They started with practice mode at first but he did eventually test his shields with a light saber on full power. He was amazed at how well his shields held up. So were the Jedi.
Given his ability with time and space, Harry decided it would be a good idea to research the subject using the archives. He hoped he could understand it better and thereby be able to use his ability to its full potential. He began a study of the universe, galaxies, stars, and planets. He read up on space travel, light speed, etc. He increased his knowledge on how planets revolved around a star, their rotation, the periods of each rotation, and their complete circuit around the star.
The more he studied about time and space the better he understood how to use his power. Eventually, he believed he would be able to purposefully do what he did accidentally at the age of six. When he finally figures that out, he promised himself that he would use it to go back to visit earth so he could learn more about his magical roots.
In addition to all the physical and magical training Harry was going through, he was surprised when they told him he needed to learn how to fly a space ship. He spent a good bit of time on the simulators where he quite enjoyed the smaller fighter ships. It wasn't too long working with one of those that he was doing aerial acrobatics. The Jedi trainers immediately recognized his natural ability.
They also had him train with larger craft, making sure he understood all the controls and the differences on how they were piloted. He had to learn how to jump to light speed and about what is necessary to be in place before that can happen. They put him through all the simulations before finally taking him out for practice with real live situations.
He had to work hard on maneuvering the crafts carefully around on the landing pads. Landing and taking off smoothly was covered and he was able to get lots of practice in before they decided he was cleared as a good pilot.
After that, they had him study the mechanics of spacecraft just in case he didn't have an engineer or droid with him to take care of mechanical problems while off world. As a test, they would break something on purpose and then have Harry try to fix it. Most of the time he was able to diagnose the problem and fix it normally but if the issue was too far above his ability he would just use his magic and repair it that way. His trainers finally concluded that he could manage all right given his abilities.
oOo
Harry, Jesop, and Alek were just coming back from a mission. They had reported in already to the council and were on their way to their rooms when they ran into some younger padawans who always wanted to hear about the missions the older Jedi went on.
"So, what happened this time?" a young Mirialan padawan asked.
"You know we can't tell you the details of our missions," replied Jesop.
"But you can tell us about some of the fights you were in," another padawan spoke up.
"And they always end the same so why do you ask?" asked Harry.
"What do you mean they always end the same?" asked Alek.
"Simple, you, and Jesop run headlong into trouble then I show up and save both of you."
"Wait, wait, wait. What's this about us running headlong into trouble? Who was it that sat us down in the middle of a whole nest of gundarks?" asked Jesop.
"I was told to put us down as close to our objective as possible," replied Harry, "but far enough away so we would not be detected. That clearing was the best spot. How was I to know a bunch of gundarks would be there?"
"You fought some gundarks?" asked another young padawan incredulously.
"Not some, a lot kid. Jesop and Alek jumped in the middle of them swinging their lightsabers and slicing off gundark limbs as fast as they could go. There were too many of them though and we had landed in their territory. I thought it best to not kill so many and once again save my friends from being overrun, so I stopped them all."
"You mean you stopped time again," the padawan replied.
"Yes, I stopped time, grabbed these two, and found a new place to park our ship. I released the time once we were in the air and I'm sure the gundarks were wondering where we went."
"It wasn't just you saving us," added Jesop. "Remember when Alek pulled that gundark away from you when he was about to attack you from behind?"
"Yes, I'll give you that one. Thanks Alek."
Alek smiled.
"What happened next?" asked another padawan.
"That's all you get," replied Alek. "The rest is mission related."
"Oh, alright. Wow! Gundarks and Harry stopped time again." The kids continued to talk excitedly as they walked off. The three friends smiled at each other then parted to go to their separate rooms.
Alek's full name was Alek Squinquargesimus but he had a nickname given to him by his fellow Jedi. They called him Squint. Alek and Jesop had been padawan learners together and had become fast friends from a very early age when they met at the Jedi Temple. While Jesop was always considered the most talented padawan, his friend Alek was no slouch.
oOo
After three days, the trio was sent out again on another mission. The Jedi Council noted how well the two young knights and Harry worked together so generally sent them out as a team. There was very little the three were incapable of accomplishing when they worked together. This time they were being sent to the Outer Rim where the Galactic Republic had recently engaged in a conflict with some warriors called Mandalorians.
Their instructions were not to engage, just scout out to ascertain the real cause of the conflict and report back. From reports received from the Senate, the council was told that the Mandalorians had attacked some of the Galactic Republic's territories in the Outer Rim for no apparent reason.
The three decided that their first stop would be the planet Florrum, well known for its criminal element. They hoped to gather some information from the locals there. Jesop was piloting this time and guided them into the South Dock, which was one of the larger space docks on Florrum.
After checking in, they continued into the spaceport and looked for the port authority offices to question the officers and what they might know about the conflict. They eventually found the offices and spoke to the officers.
The officers were wondering why Jedi were on Florrum and were a little excited about meeting them. They explained that out here you rarely ever saw one, much less two. That led them to ask who Harry was since he was obviously not a Jedi but they could tell by the way he presented himself that he likely would be just as much trouble as the Jedi in a fight.
Alek and Jesop explained that Harry was the really dangerous one. Harry had been looking around checking the place out and didn't hear what was spoken about him. As if on cue, he turned around and gave them all a big smile right after that, when they were all staring at him.
The officers thought he looked too young and pleasant to be much of a threat but decided to take the Jedi at their word and not question it.
What information the officers did share with them was nothing official. It was only what they had picked up from the conversations they had heard or shared with some of the travelers. Everyone seemed to think though that the Mandalorians had attacked out of nowhere and was not provoked at all.
Completing their questioning of the officers the trio walked through the spaceport and then went out the main gate, which opened straight into the city of Girba. Girba was a small town near the south pole of Florrum. The area was a little more pleasant than the extremely hot main regions of the planet. From their vantage point exiting the port they could see the surrounding region, full of canyons and desert in a canopy of yellow sky.
Immediately they were met with a cacophony of noise due to the city streets filled with all manner of vendors selling goods, most of which appeared to be illegal. The further they moved away from the port the less noisy it became. Coming to a fork in the road the left indicated the path to Ordloc's Cantina while the right went toward the transport to the underground lakes on the edge of town.
Deciding the cantina would be the best spot for information they chose to veer left. It didn't take them very long to arrive at the cantina. When they walked in all noise stopped for a second as the patrons all turned toward them for a look before going back to normal. The place was filled with criminals and all sorts of tough looking space travelers so naturally the two Jedi and Harry felt right at home since they could easily take care of themselves.
It was obvious Jesop and Alek were Jedi due to the robes they wore and the light sabers hanging from their hips. Harry on the other hand had developed his own style. He had plenty of credits so he spent some time figuring out what he wanted to look like before they left on missions. Being an older teenager of 17 might have influenced that decision as well.
Harry wore sturdy brown leather boots that came up to his knees and the legs of his dark brown pants were tucked inside them. He had on a cream colored, button-up, long sleeve shirt of light but sturdy material, which was partially covered by a knee-length reddish-brown leather jacket that he wore open in the front. He also had a similar outfit in black.
He was obviously younger than his two Jedi friends, and he never carried any weapons on him that anyone could see. While Harry was muscular he was not an overly large person or very tall. He was about medium height and had more of a trim, wiry look to him. Often times this made some people mistake him as a pushover, especially if they didn't know him or had never heard of him. Of course, no one ever made that mistake twice.
Usually hanging out with two Jedi discouraged any trouble for Harry but alas most of the criminal element were not well known for their sparkling intellect and they often exposed their propensity for making grave errors in judgement. Today would likely be no exception. Harry pretty much expected that the moment they entered the cantina, but then again he was used to it by now since it happened often enough in these kinds of places.
After having a drink, the trio split up and canvassed the cantina to talk to the patrons and gather whatever information they could about the Mandalorians attack on the settlements. Sure enough, just when they were about to finish up a rather large blue creature, perhaps a T'surr Harry thought, rose to his feet, grabbed Harry and slung him across the room.
All activity in the cantina had stopped to watch the show. Jesop and Alek just shook their heads. When will these people ever learn, they thought.
The creature was laughing with a deep resonating sound as he looked at his friends, proud of what he had just done. However, he turned back toward Harry when he realized he didn't hear the boy hit anything. When he looked, he saw the scrawny little human standing there across the room with a smile on his face.
That didn't seem right.
When Harry was picked up and slung across the room, he was not expecting it so suddenly but he quickly put out his hand and did a push against the wall to slow down his flight. He stopped a few feet from the wall, landed on his feet and turned back to the overgrown monolith that had thrown him so easily across the room. A smile suddenly came across Harry's face. He did very much enjoy taking down bullies.
With speed the T'surr could not even register, the little human was suddenly right in front of him and he found himself being slung toward that same wall across the room. When he hit there was a loud crack. He slid down the wall and fell to the floor. Thankfully, the crack was not any of his bones but the wall was not so lucky. It had a nice crack now running from floor to ceiling and a pretty good indention that was a mold of part of his body.
He slowly stood back up and looked for the scrawny kid he mistakenly picked a fight with. The boy was just standing there in the same spot he had just been thrown from and he had that same smile on his face.
This was definitely not good. He would never hear the end of it though if he didn't stand up to this kid and show him he had a few tricks up his sleeve. Renewing his confidence the T'surr walked slowly back toward Harry with a fierce snarl on his lips.
"You're a lot stronger than you look kid but I'm afraid you're going to need more than that," he spoke in Galactic Basic. "I'm not so easily beaten."
"You're not very bright are you?" asked Harry still with that smile on his face.
"I do alright," the T'surr replied slowly.
"If you attempt to continue this fight I am going to embarrass you greatly in front of your friends."
"How exactly do you figure on accomplishing that?"
"Simple, I will knock you out cold with just a touch of my finger."
"Sorry kid but I'm not falling for that one."
The T'surr suddenly reached for Harry so he could grab him but Harry easily moved inside his reach and touched the T'surr with his finger right on his chest. Harry also added a light push after the stun he cast when he touched him. This caused the T'surr to fall back away from Harry and land on his back out cold.
Harry turned toward the T'surr's friends at their table and shrugged his shoulders.
"I warned him."
The trio wrapped up and started to leave after that. The T'surr was still laid out on the floor.
"Are you going to wake him before we leave Harry?" Alek asked gesturing at the T'surr.
"Nah, it'll wear off in a few hours which will help make my point better."
"Once again, Harry, you have made a lasting impression," added Jesop gesturing toward the damaged wall.
The three friends laughed and exited the cantina, the patrons just staring at them. Well, more at Harry really.
"We've gathered about as much info as I think we are going to get on this planet. We can compare notes on the ship and plan our next stop," Jesop offered. "That sound good to you guys?"
With a nod from both Alek and Harry, the three headed back toward South Dock and their ship.