Chapter 17
Karel and his group have finally arrived at Gaia. When they landed, they meet with Hailey Potter and the remaining wizards of the order of the phoenix
No one said anything. I look at the others and their pointing their wands at us.
"These are your friends?" Ashoka asked.
"Yeah."
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 me. "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?"
I don't remember a centaur…
Then it came back. I used a time turner late at night to seem like I was in my bed at knight. If anyone saw me, I would have an alibi, and it would look bad on anyone who saw me.
I ran towards the forest and met the contact. I was surprised at first, but not threatened. I thought they sent me a cow for a second.
"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
"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.
I'll never get these people. If we were imperials, we would have broken down the door and killed each one of them.
The door swings inward instantly, revealing to the us 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."
"Fine. Get in here." Filch states sharply, stepping aside to allowing us to walk past. We 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."
I try to ignore him. I'm hoping that he's not going to be coming with us. I think he would like Daniel before he would be gutted.
We went to 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 us. The eldest man manages a weak smile. "Hello, Karel. It has been a while since we met."
"It has." I say. "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." I ask
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 the children we were protecting are either dead or in the Empire's hands. We lost many fighters in the ambush, including Alastor Moody. Only 10 of us managed to survive the massacre, while all our agents have been recalled until we can figure out how best to proceed next. In total, only 20 of us remain." I look down in shame.
"I failed them."
"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. Everyone sits down at the table, except Sander and Caleb who 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. He's a giant.
Everyone, except for me, 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 us. Anakin just stares with an open mouth at Hagrid, barely comprehending how tall he is. Even Windu is surprised by Hagrid for a 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 sink 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.
I smirk at this. Reminds me of when I first met him. That was a surprise.
Food comes flying towards us and sets down. Cups come too. I smell the drink. Butter beer.
"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 our hosts.
"And what, do tell, is your objective?" James asks, quirking an eyebrow at Windu.
Yeah, I never got to that.
Ashoka looks at me "You didn't tell them?"
"Look, I forgot to tell the council about six Darths. Do you really think I'd remember this?"
"Yes" She said
"Well I didn't"
She just shook her head at me.
Windu just stares back for a long moment before responding. "We need to find Emperor Kadabra and Empress Khione 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." I say. They killed many of Siren's men. Even hit Siren once or twice. She none of them who were in a mile radius of her lived. They didn't have a chance. It would be worse than if someone cut off Yang's hair.
"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." But they also don't check who they are selling to if there's enough money involved. Siren even hired them to kill an imperial who angered her when he said something about her looks. She's scary.
"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?" I'm pretty sure they thought of that.
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."
And I stand corrected. Wait did they say Jedi?
"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 like 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." I say. I forgot that they're still Padawans.
"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. I never liked Spells. It seemed wrong to me. I could feel it.
The others just stare at James, looks of amazement and bafflement on their faces. Eventually, we stand up and walk towards the wooden staircase and climb up to the top, which leads to numerous bedrooms. We 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.
Great, I get to sleep on the floor. I shake my head.
"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."
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." I say. That's the fastest I've ever seen someone go to sleep.
"Yeah, you kind of get used to it." Sander said, as he laid himself on the ground and stared up at the ceiling. "But everything we've been through has made her a light sleeper." He then laid his head down on the ground and closed his eyes.
I just sigh and sit in the chair. I get myself comfortable, or as comfortable as I can. After a few long moments of listening to the roaring waves, I close my eyes.
I can't have one good night's sleep.
I awake on Siren's ship in my room. With Hawaii and Ninalex looking over me.
"You're awake!" Ninalex said. I shake my head.
"What was all that?"
"Nothing but a dream." Hawaii said
"What happened?"
"We went back to Gaia to defend against the republic's attack. It was a fierce battle. Many Maven's died. Including Illinois. He died to protect you from certain death."
"What about Skywalker?"
"You must have hit your head. You killed him.
"I don't remember killing him."
"I doubt you would. You fell out of a ship in orbit." Ninalex said.
"You almost died as you were falling back to Earth, but Illinois jumped out of his ship. He grabbed hold of you and took all the damage from the crash. He died to protect you.
I hold my head down. Daniel and I may have had our differences, but we were still friends.
"They… killed the Emperor."
"What!" I shot up. I couldn't believe what they were saying.
"All the Darth, except for Siren were killed. She's now the empress."
"I see…" I couldn't believe it.
"Don't trust this." I heard from somewhere.
"What was that?" I asked.
"It's nothing. You must be hearing something."
"No, quiet."
"This isn't real." I heard. I couldn't recognize the voice, but I could tell that it was a woman.
"Who is that?"
"You're just hearing things. We're here."
Ninalex stood up and left my room.
"Karel, we're few. More than half of us were killed."
I put my head down. Lily grabbed my face. "But we're here."
Something felt off.
"I love you" That didn't sound right. Lily kissed me, but I realized that it wasn't right.
"It's a dream" The voice said, clearer. I recognized the voice.
"Master?" I asked. Lily looked at me confused.
"Wake up, it's a dream!" She said.
"NO He's ours" Lily said, her voice becoming demonic.
"This isn't real."
"You will stay!"
Master Yadder came down in a metaphysical form. She used the force to move Lily away. I opened my eyes and saw that it was still night.
It was just a dream. Why did I dream it though?
I close my eyes, and I see home.
Remnant. I was sitting next to Bora in the emerald forest. I took in a deep breath and let it out.
It was like this until I woke up again.
The sun would rise in about two hours. I decide I need to exercise. I wasn't the only one. Obi-Wan was up to.
"Hello there." I said. He turned around.
"Hello Karel. What is your purpose in joining us?"
"To repent."
"I feel like there's more."
I don't say anything for a few seconds. "…And to go home." I say
"I see. Where is your home?"
"I don't fully understand it, but it's very far away, and the only way to get back there is this something on this planet."
"What is it?"
"A machine. That's all I can tell you."
He rubbed his beard.
"I see. This is very unusual. I have no wisdom I can give you."
"I can give you some. What Dooku told you is true."
He looked at me for a time
"Do you know who it is behind the hood."
"I couldn't tell you. The force is telling me that if I do then we'll be utterly destroyed."
"Then please don't tell us anything." Kenobi said
I smiled.
"I have a few other things to get to, but I have enough time to spar." I say. I hope he says yes. I've always wanted to.
"I think it would be best to conserve our energies." He said. It killed my hopes.
"Well then. I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Sander. One day I might disappear. If I do, then I've gone home."
"I'll remember that."
"I'll try to come back. I know what's going to happen, but I can't say."
"I understand. Why don't you go do what you were going to do?"
"Alright master." I say, then leave the house. I didn't realize what I said until I was out of the house.
I'm going to get everything that I could only find on this planet. I was able to take out a small amount of the account that Khione gave me, sixty-eight million euros and make it untraceable.
No one noticed the money was gone. That's how rich the emperor is.
Hailey came out before I left the island. She handed me a potion.
"Drink this so no one will try to kill you."
"Thanks." I say. I feel my face changing into… a random person.
"It's no one special. Trust me."
"I guess I should be going then."
Hailey says a chant, then I'm gone. I'm in a market place. This is going to be good. My mouth waters at the smells of the restaurants.
I'm a bit ashamed to say it, but I almost filled a second bag just full of foods and cookbooks. I may have also bought enough Coke to make a junkie ask me about my addiction. I bought seeds too, then placed the second bag inside the first one. Ninalex looked at me. She opened the bag and shook her head. I just look back. She laughs at me, then I close the bag.
I don't need to be mocked.
After getting everything, I wanted I stop by a game store.
I see something called a GameCube sitting in the window, and a few games for it. I have a TV in my bag, so I though about getting it.
I walk in and they I buy… four. They look at me.
"I'm just getting stuff for a tournament."
"Melee?"
"Yeah." What's Melee?"
"Then you might want to get the game."
"Oh, did I forget that?" I also forgot to buy games for it. And memory cards. And controllers. I'm bad at this.
I buy the games, memory cards, controllers and everything else I would need. I tell them to take it to my car, but I would put it all away from there.
I put the everything in the bag, and Hawaii just looks at me.
I close the bag. They need to stop judging me.
When I got back to the island, everyone was up.
I put the bag down and get inside it.
"Really?" Lily said
"What?"
"Four?"
"Yeah."
She just shakes her head.
"Did you forget everything else after buying these things?"
I didn't answer.
Lily started laughing. Jade was already done setting it up and started playing the game.
"Hey, I'm trying to save the galaxy here, so I forget a few details."
Lily didn't stop laughing. I leave the bag. Hailey's standing there.
"Those are dangerous."
"They danger my pride, that's for sure."
"What?"
"I brought a few people with me, and they were just mocking me."
"How many people do you have?"
"Three. Two are able to fight, and their good fighters."
"How good?"
"One of them is Agent Hawaii."
"We have another Maven on our side?"
"Yes."
"Great. Let's just go inside."
"Oh hey, Karel. How was your trip?" Ron asked me. I hadn't seen him since we kind of attacked rebels. That was so long ago.
"Hello to you too, Ron. 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 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."
As I was out, there was a Maven who recognized me, through the force. He dragged me into an Alley.
"Pennsylvania. You have allies who are following your example."
"How do you know who I am?"
"We fought together before."
"Who are you?" I asked. The alley was dark. The man stepped forward. I recognized him. He was "Virginia?"
"East Virginia. Jorge Rodriguez" I remember him now. He wants to be better than the Big 5. Well, it's not the Bug 5 anymore.
Someone jumped behind me, and I pulled out my lightsaber. I didn't turn it on.
"And West Virginia. Antonia Rodriguez." The twins.
"Were you followed?"
"No."
"How many of the Big 5 are criminals?"
"You, Cecilia, and Murphy" Thank the force they're on my side.
"Where are they?"
"Lancelot lost Murphy, but Murphy is on the planet. No one knows where Cecilia is. Agent Georgia's dead."
"Was he on our side?"
"No. He was killed with a jetpack malfunction."
"Sucks to be him. Anything else you've got to tell me?"
"We want to know. Is the Republic coming?"
"Yes. One of the places that's going to be hit is your home town, in two days. Go there and defend your home." I told them.
"Thanks for the info."
They were gone. I had to be more careful.
My mind returned to the present
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, We walk out of Shell Cottage. As We 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.
Yeah, I'm not entirely comfortable going in anything that could burn if the air's too dry.
"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, can turn 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." I said. I knew this fight was going to happen for so long. I'm not sure that we could win, but we must have faith that it will.
"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 to make yourselves look different. 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.
Obi-Wan was gone.
James takes me to the city, teleporting of course. He moves me to an empty house then walks in. He flicks his wand, and the run-down house becomes lively again. He takes me to a closet and hands me clothes. He gave me sandals. And socks.
"This is hideous"
"Most of this is my clothes." James said.
All I was missing was the orange vest to be a radar technician. James handed me a nametag with the name Matt on it. He flicked his wand and it changed to Wade. I but it all on, and instantly become two decades older.
Then he come with a bottle of hair dye.
"NO!"
"COME HERE!"
He used a spell to get me to stop moving. He used a spell to grow my hair a little, then he dyed my hair.
My blue hair's gone. It hurt me a lot.
"Get over it."
He unfroze me. I hated this. We went back, and everyone going to fight the emperor was in disguises. Ashoka saw me first. She snickered, then gave me a thumbs up.
I don't like it. Caleb laughed, then Depa tapped him on the shoulder.
"I blame you" I tell James.
Obi-Wan comes back… in… something. It looks like my armor.
"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. "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.
I was 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 my left breast. I looked like an idiot, but Kenobi dressed like one.
"Well, you certainly picked a more modest disguise, Karel." Kenobi states.
"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 wearing 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
"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 cigarette 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 my 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.
The only though that ran thought my head was that Skywalker tried too hard.
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?" I ask. I know it's a kilt, but still.
Please be wearing underwear under that, or he's going last if we clime up something
"This is no skirt, you fool. 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.
"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.
I really wanted to slap him.
I look at Ashoka and smirk. "That used to be your master."
"Yeah, yeah." She says.
"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.
"You have no idea how much you deserve to be hurt acting like that"
"What are you talking about?" Skywalker said
I shake my head.
The ship starts crossing the Atlantic. I see Sander walking down to below deck.
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." I say
He shoots up and sees me. He calms down.
"Hey, Karel." I was a bit mad after thinking about the Order. I had an irritated look on my 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 6 million euros to that jerk, Daniel Cadmus."
"Yeah? Sucks to me you. I'm just happy that Windu isn't coming with us." He says. I feel some darkness coming from him. I know I'm a hypocrite.
"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?"
I blink. "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?" He's as right as he's going to be without me telling him. For a second, I thought he knew I was in the Order
I stare at Sander, confused on where this was coming from. I think 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."
I know all about this. I never met the Jedi who brought me to the order, but If I did, I don't know how I would see them. I've seen my mother before, on accident of course, but she was a woman of high stature in Alderaanian society. I was her fourth son. I had brother, all but one who stayed on the planet. I have a twin, who joined the Republic Navy, or the Imperial Navy.
I met her when I was running away. It wasn't a long time, but it was long enough for her image to never leave my mind. She had golden blond hair.
My father must have had the dark black hair.
I hope nothing bad happens to my twin. Or any of my family. I might have a superficial connection to them, but I still would never want any harm to come to them. Master Yadder showed me my mother.
"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. I do have a memory of my mother. She had golden hair, and fair skin like mine. I only have one memory of her, Jade Yadder, she was a mother to me. Family isn't just blood." I open my bag and pull 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. People, video games… a second bag full of food."
He looks at me.
"What"
"Just ignore that last part."
Sander 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!"
Gaia music isn't bad.
I think Sander gets hooked on it. He can have this. I don't need it. That gives me an idea. I get out disk full of music from the 80's. After the song ends Sander has a wide smile on his face.
"That. Was. Absolutely. Amazing." He says, a wistful tone in his voice and a wide smile on his face.
I smile. "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
"You can keep it. I've got no need for it. And here's more songs from this era." I hand him the CD.
I go back to top deck. I smile as I see 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.
I ignore him and move towards Leia as she is sitting at the base of the main mast. "Hey there." I say, 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."
"He blames Windu."
"What?" She asked me
"He blames Windu for not having a family. He thinks blood is what makes a family"
"Well, Jedi don't have families."
"Yes, they do. Each other"
Leia didn't say anything to that
"Do you remember anything about your parents?"
"I remember my Father was a strong man, and an honorable one. What about you"
"Just what my mother looks like."
Leia and I don't say anything for a few minutes
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." I still want to slap him
"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."
After our lunch, Sander starts breathing heavily. I watch him. A ball of fire erupts in his palm. The fire is a deep blue. Sander closes his eyes, then opens them after thinking of something. 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. He tried to hide the flame from me.
"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."
I know what this is. I know why it is. What I don't know is how this is happening?
"That's an understatement, man." I say, then walks towards his backpack and pulls out a long lightsaber. Sander looks at it and his eyes widen. It is not my cross-guard lightsaber, but one of an even older make, with a long shaft and a piece of metal jutting up at the top. It is his, but he's going to have to earn it.
Before Sander can inquire as to why I have a second lightsaber, not to mention my third, 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.
"You've been with them a while."
"Well, I didn't meet all of the Order. I certainly didn't meet him before yesterday." I say, then we 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. We 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 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 b-!" I cover Sander's ears. Come one Obi-Wan, there are kids here.
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. "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 encounters, I run at it. I pull out the blade. I turn on the blade and slash downward to cut off the plasma cannon before I proceeding to stab the blade deep into the shark's head.
It shakes around a little before going still. I use 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." I shout 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. I really want to hurt him.
After several minutes, we can stand up again, fetch what supplies we need, and then jump off the side of the ship. Once we get their first good look at it now, I are suddenly grateful that we 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." I say
My right hand holding onto a tan strap of his backpack. We stare at the ship for a long moment, noticing that the sun is already setting on the horizon. Then We turn around and begin walking towards the wall.
As we approach it, walking past a massive concrete tunnel that leads under the wall, we 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 we walk to the tower's base. Silently, I activate My lightsaber and use it to create holes in the wall big enough for me 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."
Wait, we gave flamethrowers out? Why have I never heard about this?
"And I'm grateful that we don't have to deal with the new guy either." By now, I have reached the top of the tower, so peak upward, noticing two fit men wearing standard Imperial Navy chest plates 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 bloody 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."
I smirk slightly, then I wave my 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?"
I had nothing to do with that I swear. I just needed a distraction. These creeps were the ones who wanted to watch it.
"You read my mind. Let's go steal the Lieutenant's IPad." The duo stand up and begin to walk away.
Who… never mind. They may be more then just 'Buddies'
"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."
I then jump up onto the top of the wall. I flash 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." I answer. "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?"
"Well, it's not like we're going to watch what they do. Come on" I say.
Those creeps put the volume all the way up, and I put my hands-on Sander's ears faster than a bullet getting shot. He doesn't need to hear that sort of thing.
"Let's move quickly." I say, as everyone realizes what that sound is. They all agree with me.
Author's Notes: Almost done with this story. So how was Thanksgiving? Was it good? I had a hard time going to classes today.
So, for all Kingdom Hearts Fans, Amazon trolled us.
It's almost time for the new Smash Bros!
Be good people
Leave a follow, favorite, and review, not only on this story, but on the original.
May the Force Be With You
-DragonZlayerx12