Rating:
PG-13
House:
The Dark Arts
Ships:
Ginny Weasley/Harry Potter
Characters:
Harry and Hermione and Ron
Genres:
Crossover Alternate Universe
Era:
The Harry Potter at Hogwarts Years
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix Half-Blood Prince
Stats:
Published: 05/24/2006
Updated: 06/04/2007
Words: 91,458
Chapters: 67
Hits: 75,013

Harry Potter and the Dark Lord of the Sith

LunaIsCool

Story Summary:
On Christmas morning in their seventh year, a flying accident causes the Trio to vanish. They reappear in a galaxy far, far away... where a war against the Galactic Empire rages.

Chapter 09

Posted:
07/29/2006
Hits:
1,626


Chapter 9.

The briefing room was full of people, many in orange uniforms, like Antilles'. At the front, near a display screen, stood Leia, who was talking to an old man. Harry looked around and saw Han standing in the back of the room. They sat down next to Wedge in the front row. Leia gave them a quick smile before the old man stepped up to address the chamber.

"That's General Jan Dodonna," Wedge whispered to them.

General Dodonna cleared his throat, motioned a technician with his hand, and a display of the Death Star appeared on the screen. Some in the audience gasped.

"The battle station," he began without any introduction, "is heavily shielded and carries the firepower greater than half of Starfleet. Its defenses are designed against a direct, large-scale assault. A small, one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defenses."

Harry heard Hermione snort to herself, and he was pretty sure that had to do with the expression "one-man" that Dodonna used. Hermione was the only female pilot in the room.

Wedge raised his hand and said, "Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good are our snub fighters gonna be against THAT?"

"Well, the Empire doesn't consider a one-man fighter to be any threat," Dodonna answered, "or they'd have a tighter defense. An analysis of he plans provided by Princess Leia has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station. But the approach will not be easy."

He paused and looked at the screen. It was now focused on the interior of a small trench on the station's surface, and moving along it.

"You are to maneuver straight down this trench," the general resumed, "and skim the surface to this point." The screen showed an end of the trench and a small opening in the wall. "The target area is only two meters wide. It is a small thermal exhaust port right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system." The screen now showed the whole station and a dotted line, representing the shaft, running into its center. "A precise hit," the general continued, "should set off a chain reaction that should destroy the station." The screen displaced white streaks coming out of the center, and then blanked out. "Only a precise hit will set off a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes," Dodonna concluded and looked at his audience.

The room was full of murmurs, then Wedge spoke up.

"That's impossible even for a computer!" he protested.

"It's not impossible," Luke corrected him. "I used to bulls-eye womp-rats in my T-16 back home; they're not much bigger than two meters."

"Then man your ships," General Dodonna ordered. "And may the Force be with you." Everyone filed out of the room.

XXX

They were already suited up and heading to the hangar when Luke stopped and motioned in another direction. Harry saw Han and Chewbacca loading boxes into the Falcon. They approached the smugglers.

"So, you got your reward and you're just leaving, huh?" Luke sneered.

"That's right," Han said. "I've got some old debts to pay off, and even if I didn't, you don't think I'd be fool enough to stick around here, do you?" He looked at Luke, then at the wizards. "Why don't you come with us? You're pretty good in a fight. We could use you."

Harry was about to protest, but Luke did it for him. "Come on," he said. "Why don't you look around? You know what's about to happen, what they're up against. They could use a good pilot like you. You're turning your back on them."

"What good is a reward if you ain't around to use it? Besides, attacking that battle station ain't my idea of courage. It's more like... suicide."

"Maybe we should use the Imperius curse on him," Ron whispered to Hermione.

"Uhm..." she began.

"Hermione, don't tell me you know how to do the Imperius curse?" Harry was shocked.

"Well... yes," she admitted. "I once encountered an owl that didn't like me and wouldn't deliver my letter, so I tried it out of frustration and... it worked."

"What's the Imperius curse?" Han asked, suddenly curious.

"A spell to make someone else do what you want them to do," Harry explained.

Han's mouth flew open. "Oh, no." He gave them an assured look. "I'm leaving right now, before you try any of your tricks."

"All right," Luke said angrily, meaning that it wasn't all right. "Well, take care of yourself, Han. I guess that's what you're best at." With that, he strolled of. Harry and his friends followed, but then Han suddenly turned back towards them. "Hey, Luke," the smuggler called.

Luke turned, looking hopefully.

"May the Force be with you," Han said. "With all of you."

Luke smiled for a moment, then shook his head and headed to the hangar.

XXX

The princess was waiting near the ships. She looked them over and frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked Luke.

"Ah, it's Han," he sighed. "I really thought he'd change his mind."

"He's got to follow his own path, no one can choose it for him," Leia said philosophically. Harry was reminded at what he told Ron just a little while ago about choices. He had to agree with the principle, but no one told him he couldn't disagree with the choice Han made.

Leia gave Luke a quick kiss and headed away. At the hangar door, she turned and gave Harry and Hermione a long and thoughtful look.

"May the Force be with you," she said.

"Good luck," Ron said as he stood up to leave.

Harry shook his hand. Hermione gave him a hug. At the door he turned and gave his pilot friends a smile of encouragement.

"What if this is the last time we see each other?" Hermione's question was chilling, doubly so because Harry was thinking it as well. Probably everyone on this base is thinking the same thing right now,Harry thought.

"Don't say that," he said aloud. "It won't happen."

"Harry, Hermione,"--Luke came up to them-- "this is my friend Biggs Darklighter," he introduced a young man with unruly black hair and weathered face like Luke's.

"Nice to meet you," Harry said and shook the man's hand.

An older man they knew as Red Leader approached them.

"You sure you can handle this?" he asked.

"Sir," Biggs admonished him, "Luke's the best bush-pilot in the Outer Rim territories."

"You'll do all right," he said. "And what about you two?" He turned to the wizards. "Harry Potter and Hermione Granger..." He stared in thought. Harry saw Wedge Antilles leave his fighter and approach their group. "Don't worry, Wedge," Red Leader said. "I'm not going to throw them out. It's not like they'd let me if I wanted to. Get to your ships," he ordered. "I've just received a message from Dodonna. The Death Star is in this system."

Harry smiled at Hermione, who suddenly embraced him. "As they say here," she whispered, "may the Force be with you."

"You, too," was all Harry could reply before she headed to her fighter. Harry took a deep breath and left for his.

Harry got into his X-Wing, and a small astromech droid--R5-Q7, as he was told when he got it assigned to him--was lowered into the back. It beeped confidently. Harry chuckled. The technician smiled at him, and closed the cockpit. Harry, on his side, hermetically sealed it with a push of a button.

"Red Squadron, you are clear for departure," a voice in his helmet headphones announced.

Harry saw X-Wings with red markings take off one after another. He activated his own repulsorlifts, which gently raised his fighter into the air. He flew through the hangar door and turned upward, following the rest of the squadron. He looked around. Hermione was slightly behind and to the left, close enough for him to see her face and wave as she accelerated her craft to fly past him. She waved back. Harry closed his eyes and relaxed to prepare himself for the battle.