A/N 1: I do not own Harry Potter nor do I own Star Wars.
A/N 2: I appreciate all the reviews and they are very motivating.
Spells or Force Powers
------- Perspective change
Chapter 19: Hunters and Prey
November 1st, 2007
Elsewhere in the Galaxy
Malak's ship was approaching the planet. With only minimal input from him, it proceeded along the preset route to the coordinates given to him by his would be assassin. Just the thought of the assassin was enough to stoke the fires of his anger. Whoever had requested this meeting would pay if their information was inaccurate regarding his 'brother.'
The ship rocked softly as he entered the atmosphere and approached the landing sight. Retrorockets fired to further slow the descent of his ship as it descended the final thousand feet coming to a rest on the cracked bed rock. After securing the ship, Malak checked his light saber and blaster. Secure in the knowledge that there were few if any that could challenge him; he lowered the landing ramp and exited the ship.
Malak scanned the surrounding area for any signs of threats. All he saw were cracked boulders and barren landscape. A mechanical growl could be heard emanating from him as he waited for his mystery information to make their appearance.
Fortunately, his patience was not tested for long. Only a few minutes had passed before he noticed a figure approaching him. There was little he could tell other than basic height since the figure was wearing a black cloak with the hood up. Briefly he considered meeting the figure halfway but quickly dismissed the idea preferring to meet on his own terms.
Despite the bright sunlight of the day, the temperature was cool. His metallic jaw reflecting the light, Malak said as soon as the figure was close enough that he did not need to raise his voice "If you have any hopes of leaving here alive, your information better be valuable. I have little patience for fool's errands." His hand was resting on the hilt of his light saber as he finished his threat.
A soft laugh could be heard coming from the cloaked figure. Pale thin hands emerged from the sleeves of the cloak and reached up to push the hood back. "Is that any way to greet one of your former teachers?" The voice asked with a chuckle.
Malak was taken aback by the grey hair and gold eyes of the woman that had been teacher and master to his brother turned enemy. Kreia always had a secret agenda, but he refused to blindly go along with her schemes. What could she be doing here? There had been no contact with the woman for some time. He had hoped she had retreated to some world never to be seen again.
"Why would you betray your former Padawan?" Malak asked coldly.
"Who says I am betraying my Padawan? I have seen a great many things through the force and your confrontation with Revan is just one of those things, important though it may be."
Malak scoffed "If you are not betraying him, then why would I believe anything you have to say? Why would I confront Revan? Any resources that he still commands could be overwhelmed easily with the forces loyal to me."
Kreia asked mockingly "Ahh, are they truly loyal to you or are they biding their time until someone stronger comes along, a true Sith lord?"
"I am the Sith Lord now, there is no other!"
Kreia laughed and it was a cruel sound that almost made Malak take a step back. "You think so do you? You are still the apprentice, Revan yet lives and grows even stronger in the force. The only way for you to solidify your position as a Sith Lord is to face Revan and defeat him."
If he could, Malak would be gritting his teeth in frustration. "Why not simply kill him from afar? Why face him in battle?" Malak asked. There was a reason, he had chosen to betray Revan to the Jedi a battle between him and Revan was by no means an assured victory.
"Stupid child, it clear why Revan was the master and you the apprentice. If you do not face him in battle, then those dark Jedi that follow you will rise up and bring your empire crashing down. Your only hope is to show them that you are worthy of the title Sith Lord."
"How am I to find him? Unless..." Malak's eyes narrowed "You know where he is don't you?"
"Of course I do, I was the one who set him on this path. You too would know where he is if you would only recognize what you deny."
Malak was never one for riddles or mysteries and he hated her taunting. "What are you talking about Kreia? I have no way of knowing where Revan is. He has remained hidden from me ever since he escaped from the trap I had set for him."
"Are you sure of that, are you sure that you have truly severed all your ties to him?" She asked. She watched him, waiting for the realization to come.
Malak's eyes shot wide open when he figured out what she was referring to. But it wasn't possible; he had severed his bond with Revan long ago. Almost fearfully, he began searching his mind, he found it, there it was a mere shadow of what it once was, but it was there.
"I see you have recognized that your link with Revan still exists. Apparently, you did not truly want to sever all ties with him otherwise it would be gone. Yet it remains, weak and tenuous but there none the less."
Hatred radiated off of Malak, hatred for Revan and for Kreia. But there was a small spark of hope too. That piece of him that still thought of Revan as a brother, that preserved a remnant of their link felt hope that the brothers could come together again. "I will kill him and solidify my position as Sith Lord!" He said forcefully while ruthlessly crushing that piece of hope within him.
Kreia teased him "You will try but it will be a simple matter for Revan to destroy you with the power at his command. Now, more than ever Revan has become an instrument of the force. You would do well to learn that before you make a move that can't be taken back. Search your bond for his location and you will find him."
Kreia raised her hood once again and began walking back the way she came. Softly she said to herself "Go, take your place at his side Malak. You have had your time to play; it is time to walk the path set before you once again."
Malak glared at her retreating figure before he stalked back to his ship. "I will find you brother and prove my place to all who would question my authority and power."
Somewhere in the UK
Kael was working through the force blade forms that came to him instinctually now after long years of practice. Slowly, he lost himself to the flow of the blade and his anger and frustration bled away. He continued in this vein for more than two hours until he was broken from his practice by an incoming communication.
Walking over to the communications terminal, Kael activated the readout and reviewed the message. It was short and to the point. More importantly, it promised punishment for those responsible for threatening the plans of the Sith Empire. The message simply read "The Massassi have been dispatched. There will be a reckoning."
For the first time in days, Kael smiled. Not many people would have found comfort in his expression for it was one that promised pain and torture to any who stood against him. Now, he could focus on that fool Voldemort. Perhaps the worst part of his apprentice's death was the necessity for Kael to work more closely with Voldemort. The man truly had no idea of his place in the grand scheme of things. Once the Jedi were dispatched, he would show Voldemort who was in charge. Until that time, or at least until the Massassi arrived in force, he needed the resources the man had in order to continue his offensive.
Voldemort's Mansion, Little Hangleton UK
Later that same day, Kael arrived at Voldemort's mansion. As ever, he found the location to be faintly nauseating. It was all designed as a pitiful exhibition of power. It was obvious that Voldemort had no true idea of what power was or he would have realized that the display was unnecessary and only served to undermine his authority with those intelligent enough to see it.
As usual, Kael did not greet any of the Death Eaters and went straight towards Voldemort's throne room. A simple glare at the handful of Death Eaters in the room with Voldemort sent them scurrying for the exit. "We need to discuss this attack of yours on the Ministry of Magic." He said with a tone of command clear in his voice.
"My Death Eaters will be prepared. They will never suspect that we would dare to strike them directly. In one blow, we will cripple the Ministry." Voldemort responded with confidence.
Scornfully Kael said "How will you deal with Revan Potter and his whore? They seem to be more than able to turn your attacks back?" The man's attacks had been pathetic with little strategy other than the all out attack. It was no wonder that the Jedi had been able to thwart so many of the attacks.
"No one can survive the Killing Curse; he will fall just like everyone before him."
"Yes, because that has been so effective before. If your magic was so effective, they would have been dead already. So tell me, why will this attack be any different from your previous attempts?"
Embarrassed, Voldemort asserted trying to defend himself "I'm attending this attack personally. No one has ever been able to stand before my power."
"Obviously, that explains why you needed us to restore you to power following your defeat by a child. Before you continue this farce tell me what spells have been effective against the Unspeakables and Revan Potter?"
Voldemort had to force himself to not snap at the man. Kael's power was greater than his own. "They are able to deflect virtually every spell thrown at them, including the Unforgivables. Maybe if you could give me some of those blades that you apprentice used we could match Potter."
A cold laugh erupted from Kael. "Those blades are not meant for the likes of you. Someone like you would not be able to use them effectively without years of training. There are no spells that are effective against him?"
Voldemort finally gave some thought to what the man was truly asking. If he was honest with himself, he knew that Kael had a valid point. It was obvious that the typical attacks were no longer effective. "There is one possibility." Voldemort admitted reluctantly. "I dismissed the report because only one of my Death Eater's reported it. He saw an exploding hex impact against Potter's weapon and detonate rather than be deflected."
It wasn't much, but it made sense. "Ok this is what you are going to do. You and your Death Eaters will not use any Unforgivables in the attack on the Ministry. Exploding hexes and similar spells will be your primary weapons. Anything that can have an area effect should be used." Before Voldemort could protest or agree, Kael finished "I will be there to make sure you follow my orders."
"I expect to see you and your Death Eaters practicing this assault. For too long, I let my apprentice deal with you. Your failures will no longer reflect on me. You and your men will follow my instructions or I will kill you all myself."
"Why now?" Voldemort asked almost despite himself. His body tensed in preparation for punishment of some kind. He had learned quickly that his ally did not like to be questioned and could react harshly when he was.
"Revan Potter must be drawn out. It is unlikely, even if you attack using something of a strategy for once that you will be able to defeat him. The pleasure of killing him will fall to me. I will have my vengeance on him. He embarrassed me by defeating my apprentice and for that he will suffer." Kael's eyes had taken on an unnatural glow as he instinctively reached for the dark side of the force to feed his anger and hate.
"Of course, and with Potter's death, the people will cower before me." Voldemort asserted.
He did not notice the scornful glance sent his way by Kael. The Massassi were on their way. Once the Jedi were eliminated, he could finally dispense with this fool and begin to actively bring this planet into the Sith Empire.
Potter Manor, Godric's Hollow UK
"James, whatever happened to your other friend from school?" Revan asked curiously. In the past week, he had learned more about his family and their time growing up than the months he had spent with them previously. He suspected it had something to do with his torture of the Sith Apprentice. Though he couldn't quite fathom the end goal.
A little life left James' eyes as he thought about Revan's question. It had been a long time since he had thought about Moony. Lily put a hand on his back and rubbed it soothingly even as her own face showed great sadness.
"He was killed a few years after you disappeared." James said softly.
Bastila asked "Was it retaliation from the Death Eaters?" She was no stranger to loss. Dealing with it never became any easier, the pain was just less raw over time.
James just shook his head. "No I don't think so. After Voldemort's defeat, there was a backlash against the many so-called dark creatures. Remus had always been an outspoken critic of the Ministry's position on the rights of werewolves in our society for obvious reasons. He was found one morning near Sirius' home stabbed with a silver dagger. They never found who did it."
"Did anything change after that? Was there any indication of who did it?" This from Revan.
Lily answered for James "There was never any investigation, since he was a werewolf, the Ministry didn't care."
Bastila was mystified by the idiocy of this world. "And they wonder why these people join Voldemort? The better question would be why they wouldn't. If anything, the best you can really hope for is neutrality given their treatment in the past."
"Not everyone feels that way, but I think you have seen enough of the wizarding world to know that change does not come easily and prejudice in prevalent in many forms." Lily said simply, not trying to justify anything.
"There is part of me that thinks this world deserves the Sith but then I remember that the wizarding world is but a small part of the overall population. That and no one really deserves what the Sith would do to this world. I mean seriously, you still use candles and owls when the rest of the world is hundreds of years more advanced. What is the point in not embracing the opportunities offered by the new technologies being developed every day?"
Though Revan had had little interaction directly with the non-wizarding world, his ships had been monitoring the planet in general and he was pleasantly surprised at their level of technology compared to the wizards. It would fit his plans nicely. He would need a base of operations to strike out at Malak and the Sith. This system was loaded with resources and he could make use of the population to man ships or to swell his forces. Perhaps that would be a task for the General, he needed to determine the best way to bring this planet under his control without wide scale destruction or death, it would defeat the purpose if he had to start over from scratch and rebuild the entire infrastructure of the planet instead of just enhancing it.
Lily changed the topic to something more pleasant. "Your sister suggested that we all meet for lunch during her next Hogsmeade weekend. With everything going on, she is worried about you and your father."
Revan shrugged his shoulders, still somewhat distracted by his thoughts and plans. "That would be nice; we haven't had a chance to really get to know each other." He answered absently.
James glanced at Lily and smiled. Since their discussion the prior week with Sirius and Martin, they had been trying to give Revan a better sense of their world and help him form some emotional attachments in order to keep him grounded.
"She'll be thrilled maybe a few of her friends will join us. From what she says, you are the talk of the school despite Dumbledore's efforts to the contrary." That last part was said bitterly. Neither James nor Lily was very happy with the man and they had been seriously tempted to pull Hailey out of school and send her elsewhere to get her away from his influence.
Lily was interrupted by the now familiar chirp of Revan's communicator. Even as Revan was removing the communicator from his pocket James said "You still haven't given us a tour of your flagship like you promised."
Revan smiled and nodded at James while saying "This is Revan, go ahead."
Commander Halcyon's voice was clear through the communicator. "Sir, I have dispatched a shuttle to pick you up per your instructions. The enemy fleet is an estimated 8 hours away."
"I will be waiting. Have a status report ready for me on my arrival Commander." Revan ordered before clicking off the communicator.
He stood up and was ready to leave and meet the shuttle when he noticed the stares aimed in his direction. "There is an incoming fleet, most likely from Malak. I am going up to lead the battle." He explained simply.
Bastila started to rise from her seat to join him but he said "You're staying here. The attacking fleet is not that large but should something happen, someone hast to stop the Sith. If we are both lost, the only option left would be to scorch the planet."
It took a couple of seconds for James and Lily to realize what Revan meant. They paled dramatically while Bastila prepared to argue with Revan. The look he gave all of them was that of a general ordering his troops. It was obvious, he expected them to comply, and there was no question in his mind. After seeing that his message had been delivered, he left the manor to await the shuttle.
Decimator, High Earth Orbit
Revan was greeted by Commander Halcyon as soon as he landed. "Lord Revan, General Kalia is waiting for us on the bridge."
"What is the situation?" Revan asked as they crossed the landing bay towards the elevators.
"The enemy fleet should be dropping out of hyperspace in approximately 7 hours. We have deployed the majority of our forces just inside the asteroid belt and behind our defensive perimeter. The Decimator will break orbit shortly to join the rest of our forces."
"Fighter screens?"
"Given the size of the enemy fleet, we hope to avoid using the fighters. The asteroid miners and factories are not yet operational so any forces we lose will not be replaced for some time." Halcyon replied. He and General Kalia were prepared to argue with Revan on this point if he pushed for the use of fighters.
"That is reasonable; I assume that you expect that the laser batteries in the asteroid belt will provide sufficient cover fire to minimize the impact of any enemy fighters?"
The elevator doors opened onto the bridge and both men stepped out. "You are correct Lord Revan. The defensive batteries will primarily target the fighters while we focus on the capital ships."
General Kalia was alerted of their presence and moved to join the two men. She approached Revan and said "We are ready to break orbit on your word."
Revan waved his hand negligently. While he expected discipline and respect from his subordinates, he had little patience for useless decisions. "Link us up with the fleet General."
After she issued the order, the ship vibrated slightly as the mighty engines fired breaking them away from their orbit. Kalia had another topic to bring up with Revan. "Lord Revan, earlier today we intercepted a coded transmission to Earth. The encryption bears no resemblance to anything that the Republic has used or anything that you or Malak has ever used."
"Sith?" Revan asked.
Kalia responded professionally "Presumably. It is probably a response to the death of the Sith Apprentice you told me about. The computer is currently analyzing the message to break the code, but it is slow going."
"Let me know when you have something. I think it is safe to assume that they are sending additional forces. We will need to get our asteroid factories and miners on line if we are to have any hope of holding against a prolonged assault."
Halcyon tried to bring the discussion back around to the upcoming battle "We have broken the fleet into 4 primary groups. Each group consists of 5 battleship class capital ships. The capitals ships are supported by small flotillas of destroyers and cruisers to provide support against fighters and fasting moving ships."
"Have one of the groups move behind the largest moon of the gas giant. Once the other three groups engage with the enemy they can emerge and strike from the rear to cut off any retreat." Revan ordered after a moment's thought. No doubt Kalia and Halcyon had similar thoughts.
Halcyon moved away to issue the order. "Gamma group is under way and will be in the moon's shadow shortly. The gravity well generators are fully charged and are awaiting activation. Once the enemy nears the asteroid belt, they will be activated."
Kalia turned to return to her station when Revan called out to her in a cold tone. "General, don't withhold information from me again. I expect to be notified immediately the next time we intercept any transmissions." The threat was clear in his voice.
"I apologize Lord Revan; I only thought to wait until we had something more concrete." She said respectfully.
Decimator, High Earth Orbit
7 hours later
Revan rejoined Kalia and Halcyon on the bridge shortly before the enemy fleet was expected to arrive. Already, he felt the adrenalin coursing through his veins and his nerves were on fire with anticipation for the coming battle. "Is the fleet deployed?"
Kalia answered "Yes all ships are in place."
Alarm klaxons started to sound in the ship. A bridge officer announced "Enemy fleet has dropped out of hyperspace. Estimated time to reach the asteroid belt is 5 minutes."
Revan ordered "Don't start firing until they are within range of the defense batteries in the asteroid belt. We don't want the rabbit running before the trap can close."
The crew waited silently as the enemy moved ever closer. Their ships were arrayed in a triangle formation. Destroyers were arrayed in the front with the cruisers completing the shell around the four capital ships.
The destroyers were flat vessels with 6 engines to provide speed and maneuverability. At only 150 meters in length, they were the smallest capital ship and lacked any fighters but their 6 quad laser batteries were deadly in anti-fighter fire and could provide covering fire to the other larger capital ships.
The cruisers were shaped like a hammerhead shark with the forward section perpendicular to the main body of the ship. It measured over 500 meters in length and was armed with a mixture of defensive laser batteries, proton torpedo launchers, and turbo lasers. Unlike the destroyers, the cruisers carried a small complement of fighters for additional defense and attack power.
The largest capital ship were the battleships measuring just short of 1,000 meters. The ships were triangular in shape and mounted a large main cannon in the bow of the ship. Anti-capital ship torpedo launchers and turbo lasers provided additional firepower. Like the cruiser, multiple squadrons of fighters could be launched within minutes.
"Enemy ships will enter firing range in 10 seconds." A bridge officer announced.
Revan responded in a calm voice "Activate the gravity well generators and open fire as soon as they are within range. Signal the Gamma group to begin their approach in 2 minutes."
------
"What do you have for me?" The commander of the enemy fleet asked as soon as they dropped out of hyperspace.
"Sir, we are getting intermittent power readings from the asteroid belt but the asteroids are masking any ship signatures."
"Take us in, the traitors can't have many ships and they are probably in disrepair which would account for your intermittent readings. Launch all fighters." The commander finished.
Small one man fighters began pouring out of the fleet. Each fighter was armed with a pair of proton torpedoes and a pair of laser cannons mounted on the end of forward sweeping wings. A secondary set of wings rotated up from the main wings and also carried a pair of laser cannons. With the wings deployed into the cross like formation, the fighter was slower but more maneuverable.
The fighters formed up into squadrons and moved ahead of the fleet on their approach to the asteroid belt.
------
"Fighters have been deployed and the enemy fleet is now in firing range."
Immediately red laser bolts began shooting out from the asteroid mounted defense batteries. The initial barrage caught a number of fighters by surprise. Silent explosions of fire and debris were all that marked the fighters as they flashed out of existence.
The fighters broke formation and began targeting the defensive batteries. Silver-blue torpedoes launched from multiple fighters and began homing in on their targets. Moving at incredible speed, the torpedoes impacted against 4 of the asteroids housing defensive batteries. The explosions destabilized the asteroids and they shattered into thousands of tiny pieces, the batteries themselves were destroyed in the resulting detonations.
At the same time, Beta and Delta groups powered up their weapons and targeted the enemy destroyers and cruisers as the approached from above the plane of the asteroid belt. Alpha group which included the Decimator was approaching from below the asteroid plane and focusing on the four capital ships.
Beta and Delta groups moved forward. The destroyers' defensive fire was decimating the enemy fighter formations. The cruisers began launching torpedoes at the closest ships before following up with intense turbo laser fire.
The battleships added in their own fire. Massive cannons mounted on the bows of the ship opened up and golden red beams began arcing out towards the enemy cruisers and destroyers. Each battleship targeted a different ship. Their main cannons sheared through shields and armor vaporizing everything in their wake. Secondary explosions destroyed many of the cruisers as fuel and ammunition was destroyed.
The remaining enemy fighters had managed to destroy or disable the defensive turrets in the immediate area but only a fifth of the fighters had survived the assault. The remaining torpedoes were launched at two destroyers in the Beta group. The remaining 30 fighters followed in the wake of the torpedoes firing their laser canons as soon as they were in range.
4 of the 10 torpedoes made it through the defensive fire. Three of the torpedoes slammed into the same destroyer. Massive holes were blown in the armor opening up sections of the ship to space. The third torpedo impacted the bridge shattering the armor and crippling the ship. Bodies were sucked out into space before emergency hatches slid into place leaving the charred sections exposed to the vacuum of space. All weapons fire coming from the ship ceased and it hung dead in space.
The last torpedo hit a second destroyer near its hanger bay. Defense shields and armor took a portion of the blast; the remainder was translated to the hanger bay doors which flew into the ship crushing several shuttles and crew in the process.
The fighters focused on the disabled destroyer, raking it with laser fire. Small red blasts tore into the armor and burrowed deeper into the ship. Escape pods began to launch as the surviving crew fled.
Another destroyer and two cruisers moved in while the fighters were finishing their strafing run against the destroyer. They were able to catch the fighters in a cross fire with the remaining destroyer. Small flashes of fire signaled the end of the fighter threat.
While this was going on, Gamma group began approaching the enemy fleet from the rear. At the same time, Alpha group opened fire on the enemy battleships. The destroyers and cruisers bracketed the enemy battleships with laser and turbo laser fire, preventing them from maneuvering away. The Decimator and the three other battleships in his group opened fire with anti-capital ship torpedoes and the bow mounted cannons. The torrent of fire ripped two of the battleships apart before they could respond. The other two were severely damaged but still in the fight.
The enemy battleships opened fire on Alpha Group. Explosions devastated two cruisers when the anti-capital ship torpedoes blew holes through the entire ship. The cruisers hung in space dead for a few seconds before they were destroyed by the main cannons.
The flare of the explosions so close their own ships halted Revan's firing pattern. Gamma group had moved into position and finished off the remaining two battleships from behind. Engines were destroyed by concentrated laser blasts and torpedoes impacted the rear of the ships tearing them open and leaving them adrift.
The remaining two enemy cruisers tried to retreat only to find their hyperspace engines disabled by the gravity well generators. Before they could even get a message off, they were destroyed by the fire from the remaining vessels in all four groups.
Before leaving the bridge of the Decimator Revan ordered "Send shuttles out to pick up any life pods and prepare any prisoners for interrogation."
November 5th, 2007
Elsewhere in the Galaxy
Malak had rejoined a small task force and was currently heading towards the last known position of the fleet he had dispatched to follow up on sensor readings from one of the scouts. He knew with a certainty that surprised him that this was Revan's location. The only other information he had was flashes of a blue and green world filled with force sensitives and Revan standing in front of a large army.
His task force was small, to reduce the chance of detection. It would still be necessary to approach the system in his personal ship to maximize stealth. Not that he trusted Kreia, but the old Jedi Master was correct, he would never solidify his position until he had personally bested Revan.
With a sigh of annoyance, he sank to the floor in his personal quarters. It was still another 12 days until they reached the nearest system to Revan's location. Nothing else was pressing at the moment; the war with the Republic had ground to stalemate. So he decided to explore the remains of his bond with Revan, he may be able to get some insight into Revan's current disposition and activities. Any extra information could give him the advantage needed to finally destroy his brother once and for all.
His eyes closed, Malak slipped into a meditative state and reached through the bond to lightly touch Revan's mind.
Decimator, High Earth Orbit
Revan was still on board following the destruction of Malak's fleet. Revan remained to work on plans for the subjugation of the Earth with the General and Commander Halcyon. The fragment of the Sith message they had been able to decode so far gave every indication that their military forces were on their way. Revan knew that the Sith would not give up the world without a fight, even if he killed the remaining master. Now though, they were in danger of fighting a war on two fronts, one against Malak and the other against the Sith and Massassi.
It was while he was contemplating this that he felt the touches of a presence he had not felt for a long time. Recognition was not long in coming; Malak had finally discovered that their bond was not fully severed after all. Ruefully Revan shook his head, Malak had never been as subtle as he believed himself to be. Revan's mind relaxed slightly to follow the path of Malak's search in order to discover his goals.
A smile formed as he realized that Malak was looking for. Like Bastila, Malak would be a useful ally if he could bring him around once again. The resources of the Star Forge alone would be invaluable in fighting the Sith. The smile turned predatory as Revan prepared a carefully constructed set of memories for Malak to find. It was only a matter of time before he was confronted by Malak personally and he needed to lay the groundwork now so that Malak would be in the correct mindset. Yes, it would be good to see his brother once again; they had much to catch up on.