Chapter 14. Revelations of Nathema
Harry sat in the new throne room on Iokath. The world was slowly being rebuilt, so when he ordered construction of the Imperial Palace, no problems occured. It wasn't finished, but the throne room was ready for use. Harry tapped a number of buttons and a big hologram of Mandalore appeared before him.
"Why do you even bother with this little planet?" SCORPIO, who had just entered the hall, asked.
"Mandalore has influence over two thousand neutral systems." Harry commented. "If we win this planet, cotrolling their neighbours will be easier."
"Is this not irrelevant? You command the eternal armada." SCORPIO replied.
"Perhaps." Harry nodded. "But it is too early for us to show ourselves to the greater galaxy. We will wait for the Republic to tear itself apart first." he tapped his fingers against the armrest of the throne. "Besides, one cannot rule an empire or control the galaxy by force alone... A web of diplomatic relations could be just as useful as the Eternal Fleet."
"We have no intelligence on when the Sith will make their move." the droid remarked.
"Soon." Harry nodded. "Give them approximately five years. For now monitor the chancellor's communications. Let's find his apprentice."
"Very well." SCORPIO nodded. "I will have our satellites hack into the Senate tower communications."
"Oh, and have my shuttle prepared." Harry said. "I have business on Nathema."
xxx
Harry one again walked the surface of his true homeworld. The landscape was just as dead and boring as it was months ago. The planet was a wound in the force, its void wanted to devour every bit of life on the surface. Any other being would have gone mad already, but Harry was no ordinary man.
For the Immortal Emperor, this was the perfect place for what he was going to do. This place was free of any interfering elements, such as the Force. Hopefully, he will be able to find answers now. Harry sat cross-legged on the sand and meditated. He dived deep into his mind.
Familliar landscape met him. A rocky island, floating above Zakuul, its spires piercing the atmosphere and reaching open space. He looked around. Nothing was there, aside from the ususal throne. He grumbled. He would have to go deeper.
A ladder to the surface of the planet below constructed itself immediately. With a sigh Harry started his descend. He tried to sense the surface in the meantime. He was successful. There was a living signature, but he wasn't able to pinpoint it.
Finally he reached the surface of Zakuul, but just as he stepped on it, his appearance changed. He looked just like Valkorion now. He shrugged and tried to sense another living presence again. There it was, in the Royal Spire. Valkoriom's eye twitched.
"That little..." he murmured and stomped in the direction of the tallest spire on the planet.
xxx
"You've got some nerve." Valkorion commented as he stepped into the throne room. Now that there was no throne - it seemed so empty.. However, instead of the throne, a boy stood on the central platform. He was looking off into space, the emperor's voice startled him. He turned to face the intruder.
"I do not believe, that the word "intruder" describes me correctly." Valkorion commented dryly.
"Yes it does!" the boy shouted angrily. "You tricked me into giving up my body!" green eyes glared at the orange.
"Your body?" Valkorion's appearance shifted into Harry. "This is my body. You are just a mask I created to trick everyone around me into thinking I was but a toddler."
"You're lying!"
"Oh, I am not." Harry clasped his hands behind his back and started walking closer to the throne platform. "But you are resilient, I'll give you that."
"I will take my body back!" the boy snarled. His body was tense, ready to strike if needed. "You can't hold me here forever!"
"Yes I can." Harry raised his palm, the boy was lifted in the air in a crucified position. "You've made a nuisance of yourself already, having me actually care about Ron and Hermione or attack Snape. I will not allow it to continue." The boy growled and continued glaring at Harry defiantly. Harry chuckled. "Ah, defiant to the end... Relentless hero..." he chuckled again. "I think Carbonite should solve this little problem, don't you agree?"
"It won't hold me forever." the boy hissed.
"It won't." Harry nodded, and went to the lift, the boy floating behind him.
xxx
On Nathema, Harry opened his eyes. He sighed. Freezing the mask in carbonite was just a temporary solution, Harry knew that. Back in the summer, the mental manifestation of Valkorion managed to trick the mask into going through a certain ritual.
When this body was just a year old, it was put in mortal peril, courtesy of Voldemort and his annoying killing curse. Having two almost separate minds in one body was dangerous, it was a very delicate situation. The killing curse upset that fragile equilibrium, causing both consciousnesses go on a collision course. Add to this a small part of Voldemort's soul... And you get a mess.
Valkorion, however, was a master in everything, concerning one's essense, so he was able to prevent a total collapse of all minds within his new body, but it came with a price. He destroyed Voldemort's soul, yes, he also saved the body from dieing after taking the killing curse. All these activities drained him. He was unable to stop the mask from claiming the body and forcing Valkorion into the subconsciousness. Over the years he managed to weaken the mask (he had to thank the boy's relatives though, they were huge help, always upsetting the mask's emotional equilibrium, thus weakening its defenses)... And then a couple of months ago, he tricked the mask into perforing one good ritual.
Nathema was a unique planet in the whole galaxy. There was almost no Force here, but what little there was, was heavily stained with Tenebrae's presence and, well, Force signature that could be called. This allowed the ritual to latch onto the familliar presence within the body of Harry Potter and bring it to the forefront of his mind. From there Valkorion was able to cast the mask deep into subconsciousness and take control of the body... He had thought that it was all, that happened. Now he knew better.
The killing curse did not just drain Valkorion, it also melted him and the mask together. That's why he was able to send the mask glimpses of his memories and powers. That is why when Valkorion took control of his body, he still had some of the mask's habits and tendencies. To add to injury, the mask wasn't destroyed... It was still there, in his mind. For now he imprisoned it, preventing its influence from spreading, but this measure was temporary. Something had to be done soon.
xxx
"Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said as the class was leaving her classroom, "Stay behind, Please." Said teens turned around and approached her.
"Yes, Professor?" Hermione asked. She had a very good idea about why she and Ron were asked to stay behind.
"Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley, do either of you know where Mr. Potter is?" the old professor asked, her eyes flickering from Ron to Hermione.
"We don't really know, Professor..." Hermione replied, shifting from one leg to another. Ron stood behind her, not looking the teacher in the eye. "We haven't seen him for some time." Of course any anxiety the pair of teenagers felt, was purely histrionic. What Hermione said was a response, Harry had them remember if he were to miss any lessons. "I think I heard something about him preparing for the second task."
"Ah." McGonagall nodded. "That is quite logical..." she mused. "Very well, please, tell Mr. Potter to come to my office when you see him. I need to tell him some additional things about the ball."
"We will, Professor." Hermione nodded.
xxx
It was the following evening that Hermione and Ron inforrmed Harry of McGonagall's summons.
"Thank you." he smiled fainltly. Hermione noticed that her friend had huanted look in his eyes, but wisely decided to keep her mouth shut. Which was actually quite surprising. In the past she would have grilled Harry for all the answers, but she knew that her friend had changed. He was no longer rash and irresponsible, now Harry knew what he was doing and, well, Hermione was actually a little ashamed of this line of thought, but now Harry appearrd to actually think before rushing headfirst into trouble. The new Harry was responsible enough to have his own secrets, small or big. He would tell her everything when the time was right.
It was a short walk to McGonagall's office and very soon Harry found himself in the transfiguration classroom.
"You wanted to see me, Professor?" Harry asked neutraly.
"Ah, Mr. Potter." she looked up from many papers on her desk, her eyes narrowed. "Do, come in." As Harry approached her table, the professor saw fit to start the conversation. "Mr. Potter, why did you skip all of the lessons today?"
"I am a Triwizard Champion, Professor," Harry replied calmly, "I can skip whatever lessons I want, to prepare for the tournament."
McGonagall's lips pursed harder, and her eyebrows furrowed into a frown. Her disapproval was apparent, but absolutely irrelevant as Harry met her stare.
"Very well, Mr. Potter." the woman sighed. "But even despite your improvements this year, I do not approve of skipping lessons. But enough of that. I actually wanted to tell you about the Yule Ball." Harry blinked. "Yes, Potter, you will have to dance. As a champion you must participate in the opening waltz. Thus you need a partner and skills. If you don't know how to dance, the lessons will be on Sundays, at 3 pm."
"Thank you, professor." Harry nodded. "Is that all?"
"Yes, that's all." McGonagall turned to her papers again. "You may go, Mr. Potter."
"Good evening, Professor." Harry said as he left the classroom.
As Harry navigated the halls of Hogwarts, he was in thinking on this Yule Ball. This development was unpleasant. Oh, he wasn't afraid of being dateless, he just didn't know any Earth dances. He was proficient enough when it came to zakuulan dances... but this planet - it was new to him. Perhaps he could rip the knowledge out of someone's mind... Oh well, he pitted galactic superpowers against each other for the sake of his own convenience, a dance was nothing to him.
xxx
Master Yoda settled into a meditation. He spent previous two weeks lurking around the deepest and darkest corners of Corusant, searching for the mysterious "Sith". He caught faint whispers of the mysterious person's presense from the sight where Dr. Ko'ri Numiru was attacked. These whispers led him to.. nowhere.
This entire investigation was a rather humbling experience for the grandmaster of the Jedi order. He was supposed to be the wisest, the most proficient one with the force, yet even he was clueless about the goings on around him. One thing, however, was curoius... During one of the meditations Yoda could practically grasp the shroud of the dark side, he caught a glimpse, a faint whisper of it. It encompassed the entire planet, and the Jedi temple was the lone beacon of light in the eye of the raging storm of darkness that was Corusant. This led the old master to one conclusion - he needed to leave the planet, possibly the Corusant system if he wished to see clearly through the force.
With determination to rival the force of gravity and the controlled curiosity if a seven-year-old Yoda took his fighter and left for Alderaan.
The planet was just as beautiful as it had always been, the sea of green washing against the gleaming peaks of mountains and chrystaline spires of the cities. It was rather amazing how the same humans, that turned Corusnat into a huge metal sphere, were also able to live in harmony with nature and fit in it so casually and so naturally.
Yoda's fighter landed in the ruins of Elysyum - a collection of old abandoned vaults, owned in the ancient times by Aldaraanian nobility. It hasn't been in use for almost 3500 years, since the end of the Alderaanian Civil War. Ever since house Organa, with support of the Republic, took the throne of Alderaan, all big conflicts ceased. The last three thousand years have been peaceful for the planet. The nobles, now not afraid of their castles being destroyed, preferred to transfer their wealth into said catsles. Elysium became a distant memory and an artifact of old uneasy and restless times.
Force-wise Elysium was neutral, as light as it was dark, courtesy of many Jedi and Sith artifacts, stored there long ago. This was the sole reason Yoda chose this site instead of a Jedi enclave in House Organa territory. Light was too vibrant there, it would destroy his hold on the whisper of trails of the one he was searching for. Darkness would simply dissolve and consume the delicate thing. No, he needed something more subtle and calm, someplace balanced in the force. Therefore Elysium was perfect. Whoever that mysterious "Sith" was, Yoda will have to find him in the dusk.
As Yoda sat there, immersing himself in the force, he heard whispers, comming from Corusant, a web that hid everything from him in a gentle, yet unyielding embrace. Even the presence he was searching for was obscured by the web, those fragile threads, that fall apart the moment you look at them, entangled and lost in the void.
Yoda attempted to pierce the web, but the moment he did, the trails he was holding on to dissolved into nothingness. However there was some progress, he heard just one word before the shroud repaired itself, just one word that rang in the chorus of faint deceptive whispers... "Zakuul"
AN:
First of all, thanks to Thundramon for proofreading this chapter!
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