AN: Two or three chapters left in this story. After that 'Son of the Moon' will be the one updated every post until it's completed.

Shadow of the Force

Chapter 37

-Palpatine-

Leaning back in his throne, Sheev Palpatine grinned, his yellow teeth standing out against white skin. His amused chuckles drew the attention of his 'apprentice' who looked over, "Is something amusing, my Master?" she asked, her eagerness in the force helping to mask the hatred he knew to be there.

"Just the amusement at the coming 'show'." He graced her with a true answer "I can feel it in the Force. The Rebel Scum will soon be here." With how he'd prepared those documents they'd stolen; he knew the only 'reasonable' plan they could make would be a stealth mission. One team down on Endor's Moon to disable the shield station while another ship flew into the 'unfinished' Death Star to destroy it from within. Given Captain Peverell's history of stealth missions he was sure that they'd stick to their history, the Force not giving him any indication otherwise.

"Yes, my Master." Dark Chrysalis chuckled, her own amusement at what she thought was a masterful scheme helping her sound genuine "This will indeed be a perfect ruse." She was far from subtle. Before he could respond, he felt a disturbance in the force. He turned to the viewing window just in time to see not a few small ships to be a distraction, or a stealth ship that most would overlook. No, what came out of light speed from the depths of space was a fully armed armada, the fleet of Mandalore, the ships bearing the sigil of he who had once been Vader, and even several Mercenary and Bounty Hunter Vessels.

"What?!" Chrysalis gaped, staggering back in shock at the armada that in truth neither of them had expected. A strike this bold when they wouldn't have known he was here was unprecedented. Slamming his fist on the arm of his throne, Sheev triggered the alarms, having all soldiers moving to battle stations as needed.

"It would seem, the Rebels have decided to be bold." Sheev scowled, "Fools to the end."

-Harry-

"Ground team, move!" Harry's voice roared over the coms, a pair of Anakin's ship peeling off towards the Moon of Endor where the control station for the Death Star's shields sat. With Anakin's apprentices, HK-50, and the others from the lord of Tatooine's forces going with him they'd be able to carve a path into the control bunker once they land nearby.

"Teams, get into position!" Harry's voice continued to carry even as he got into the Rogue Shadow with his entry team. His fleet was being divided into distinct duties for the current battle.

There was the small group that had already been sent down to deal with the control Bunker. It was the smallest, only consisting of two ships, but it had some of Anakin's best.

There was a team who was tasked with shooting down any enemy tie fighters that came out to defend the Death Star. This was the largest group in the fleet, with a few cruisers and all of the fighters they had to dogfight against the enemy forces.

There was a team whose task was to handle any reinforcements the Emperor might have on standby or call in. They couldn't rely on the Emperor not expecting an attack and not having anything prepared. That would be asking to have a Star Destroyer show up from behind to devastate their ranks.

Then there was the final major team. Each ship in this group had at least one force user onboard with the sole task of calling out any devastating attacks from the enemy. He didn't trust that the Death Star wasn't operational, in point of fact he was positive the damn thing could fire its planet destroying canon. So, this team was tasked to focus on the Force, sensing for impending attacks and fire the largest and densest ordinances possible into the beams trajectory to detonate the blast early before it could reach the fleet.

"Hang on!" Juno called out, bringing the Rogue Shadow into the air as they blasted out of the Citadel's hanger as it did a fly by of the Death Star.

"You all have the cord?" Harry demanded, moving to the open back dock an energy barrier keeping the vacuum while letting him see out.

"Yes!" the rest of his strike team all shouted, as he nodded, focusing on the Death Star where they could see a hanger opening to let out tie fighters.

Getting a clear view, Harry twisted, disappearing with a crack only to reappear in the hangar amidst the stunned Stormtroopers. Not given them a moment to get their bearings, Harry channeled magic into a rune inscribed on his armor, the symbol glowing before 'bonding' with the cord his team was holding back on the Rogue Shadow. The rune, acting as both trigger and beacon, sending a signal back to the cord his team was holding, triggering the portkey in the item to bring whoever held it directly to him.

In a flash his strike team appeared around him, the Stormtroopers panic growing. Oola, Leia, Luke, Maris, Anakin, Kal, Merrin, and Galen.

"Tear this hangar apart!" Harry roared, activating the Darksaber, throwing the blade like a buzzsaw as it flew through the air, boomeranging back to his palm through the force after cutting through a Tie Fighter trying to escape, "GIVE NO QUARTER!"

"NO MERCY!" his team roared out, lightsabers active as they tore through the Hangar and those inside, making sure to work quickly before anyone with higher control got word of their arrival and tried venting this hangar.

Leaving the room burning, they moved into the Death Star proper, Harry using his technopathy to download a copy of the map to the 'Throne Room' that was in the blueprints. That was where Palpatine would be.

-Marcus-

Sighing, Marcus sat with his girlfriend Susan and their friend Neville, the three of them currently safe under the Bone's Manor wards. Ever since he'd been saved from the Graveyard, the country had grown more and more afraid. Voldemort had clearly been smart enough to realize his escape meant that word would come out of his revival, so the Dark Lord had apparently taken the same Death Eater who'd revived him, Barty Crouch Junior, and gone to Azkaban via House Elf.

The survivors from the prison, what few were overlooked and thought dead amongst the rubble, had reported Voldemort had appeared and blasted his way into the prison. Some security runes had recorded that Voldemort freed all of his Death Eaters still there and had even gone to every other cell. Each prisoner was offered the chance to serve him, to swear an unbreakable vow to that effect. Those who refused were killed, shot down by Voldemort and his rapidly replenishing army of followers.

By the time Marcus had gotten back to Hogwarts and told them what happened, as well as Amelia scrambling to martial the Aurors back to where Voldemort had been and then trying to track him, it had been too late.

From the corpses that remained and the recording rune it turned out that roughly a fifth of the prisoners had refused to serve Voldemort while the rest had joined. Whether out of belief in Voldemort's ideology or from simple fear he wasn't sure, but Voldemort left with a massive force of trained witches and wizards along with the entirety of Azkaban's Dementors.

"Any word on the Ministry figuring out how he came back?" Neville broke the tense silence, the group spending each day wondering if their families would come home.

"They've had a few years to study that thing from the Chamber incident." Susan scowled "But Auntie won't tell me what exactly it was."

"Then I guess your Aunt will just have to keep kicking his ass till he's too scared to come back again." Marcus gave Susan a shaky grin, "She scares me easily enough."

"Yeah, well you're a pansy." Neville jabbed weakly. It was enough to have them laughing though, any source of humor precious now.

-Voldemort-

"How…interesting." Voldemort mused to himself, now once more back in his safehouse with the Loyal he had freed from Azkaban.

"Did something happen my Lord?" Bellatrix knelt down before him, clearly eager for him to reveal some way for her to attempt to further gain favor.

"I followed a hunch." Voldemort smirked "Your niece might have granted us quite the gift."

"The daughter of a blood traitor?" Bellatrix looked completely baffled at the idea of Nymphadora Tonks being of use in any way besides target practice.

"You are aware of the Potter's elder son I presume?" he leaned back in his throne, steepling his fingers and, when Bellatrix gave a slow nod, continued "Then you are aware that he is the true one who is Prophesied to be my greatest foe. The only one capable of killing me." And it made sense, he was the greatest wizard in history, it would take a prophecy for anyone to even have a chance at ending his immortal reign.

Bellatrix scowled, showing just what she thought of that notion "He isn't worthy of even being spoken of you in the same breath my lord!"

"I'm quite amused by the whole situation in all honesty." Voldemort silently relished the look of dismay and fear on Bellatrix's face at him disagreeing with her, but he chose to refrain from 'punishing' her…for now "But still, the point stands that prophecy dictates he would have a chance with whatever his mysterious 'power' is."

"A-and my niece?" Bellatrix gulped, treading cautiously around him.

"She is quite fixated on this 'Child of Prophecy'." He answered her, "And managed to uncover quite an old ritual." He turned a book around for Bellatrix to read.

"A…runaway betrothed recovery ritual?" Bellatrix looked utterly flabbergasted as she read what the page entailed, glancing up as if wondering if the pages had turned to the wrong ritual without her noticing.

"My spies informed me of the person hunting for ritual components." He enjoyed her confusion, the fact that she couldn't grasp her own niece's plan amusing "While their face was different their mannerisms matched enough to identify them. So, I went to Diagon under Polyjuice." It was the same way he had gotten his hands on the full prophecy. He preferred to use his true face whenever doing anything important, wanted to inspire fear where he went, but knew at times that stealth was necessary "Her mind was child's play to enter. She is determined to bring the Boy Who Lived back from wherever he disappeared to."

"And you wish for us to stop her?" Bellatrix straightened, a spark appearing in her eyes as she came to a conclusion.

"I wish for you to aid her." Voldemort's laugh was high and cold at Bellatrix stammering in confused shock, "Stop for a moment and try thinking woman." He finally snapped at her "If she uses this ritual then he will be brought from wherever he is. If we assist her, then we can be sure of exactly when the ritual will occur."

"We can ambush him!" Bellatrix finally got the idea.

"Exactly." Voldemort nodded to one of his most loyal "He will arrive and be given a choice. Swear an unbreakable oath to forever serve me…or perish."

"It will be done, my lord!" Bellatrix bowed before moving to quickly see it done.

"And Bellatrix," he called out before she could leave "do be subtle about it. It would defeat the purpose if word leaked out or if your niece realized who was assisting her."