Chapter Five: Crossing The Desert

Star Wars + Harry Potter Crossover

A/N: Chap 4 review responses are in my forums like normal.

Chapter Five: Crossing The Desert

The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of Kyle Katarn.

Two weeks after the completion of her lightsaber, in which time she recovered sufficiently to be deemed ready, Ansaki went on her first mission with Master Skywalker to broker a renewal of the Zanoma Sekot Accords between the Galactic Alliance and the Youzhan Vong remnant on the living planet. It was a politically sensitive mission that required the Grand Master of the Jedi, and promised to take several weeks if not months of negotiations since representatives of the Empire would be there as well.

Harry found himself profoundly depressed by Ansaki's absence, which even to him seemed strange since she was gone for forty days during her trial. Of course, the difference now was that during her trials she was still on the planet, and only a quick trip by speeder if necessary. Now she was off planet on an official mission, and he wasn't sure when he would see her again.

Still, he continued his studies and exercises as best he could, always pushing himself as hard as he could because Kyle demanded nothing less. A month after Ansaki's departure, however, a new padawan arrived at the Academy for training. Or, to be more precise, an old padawan returned.

Harry's first impression of Anakol Skywalker was that he was a bully. At thirteen, Anakol was not particularly tall, but he was strong both physically and in the Force, and had a chiseled handsomeness that made the female padawans look longingly at him. The fact that he was the son of the current grand master and grandson of the founder of the New Jedi Order made him royalty in the eyes of the other students.

And while out of the presence of his master, Jedi Master Bandy Geffen, he appeared to expect to be treated as Jedi royalty.

He did not understand at all, upon meeting Harry the first time, why Harry did not immediately bow to his greater skills in the Force. "Do you know who I am?" Anakol demanded when Harry introduced himself politely, but without the obsequiousness he'd see in the other students.

"You're a padawan like me," Harry said.

Anakol snorted. "Like you? I don't think so. I'm a fourth-generation Jedi; my grandfather founded the New Order. From what I've heard of you, your people haven't even discovered hyperspace yet."

Harry felt his cheeks warm, but knew that if he gave into anger his punishment from Kyle would be worse than anything this padawan could dish out. "So you're a stronger Jedi than, say, Nomi Sunrider? Or Mace Windu?"

Anakol blinked in surprise. "I didn't say that."

"You're acting like you are," Harry pointed out. "The feats and accomplishments of your ancestors are something to be proud of, I suppose, but the feats of others don't make you a better person."

Anakol jutted out his chin. "That goes both ways, Potter. Having Kyle Katarn as a master doesn't make you better either."

"I know," Harry said.

"Duel!" one of the older padawans said. "That'll settle it."

Harry blinked at the older boy. "I wasn't aware anything was unsettled."

"You're just scared!" Anakol said.

"You're right," Harry said. "If I duel without Kyle's permission, I'll be sorry."

Just then, as if summoned by his name, Kyle Katarn stepped into the classroom. It was supposed to be a lecture about Luke Skywalker's early feats and how he essentially trained himself. However, the old Jedi knew something was up the moment he stepped in and saw his padawan and Anakol facing each other.

"Oh, good," he said to the now silent room. "I was hoping you two could get this taken care of early."

"I'm sorry, Master Katarn," Anakol said with perfect decorum, "I don't understand what you mean."

Kyle snorted and walked toward them. "Your father and Bandy have told me about you, boy. You have the potential to be everything your father and grandfather would want. Problem is, you already know it. While Harry here has dueled and defeated every padawan in this room but you. You're the two biggest rancors in the academy, and it was only a matter of time before you butted heads. This way, we can get it done with early. Let's go find Bandy and get a salle."

"Really?" Harry said. "Just like that?"

"Why not?" Kyle said.

None of the padawans could even think of sitting in class with the promise of a duel in the air. Master Geffen proved to be a friendly, older man with thinning gray hair and laugh wrinkles around his eyes. He spoke respectfully to Kyle, but seemed eager as well for Harry and Anakol to duel.

With half the Academy watching from the many balconies around the room, the two padawans squared off. Almost immediately Anakol saw that Harry was still using an Academy training saber and sneered. "You haven't even built your own, yet?" he said. "This should be quick."

Harry said nothing and braced himself for the duel. Even Ansaki told him that Anakol was the best dueler in the academy, and had received training almost since infancy from both his father, and his Sith-trained mother.

His first onslaught confirmed every rumor—he really was good. He charged forward with a powerful Force-push to knock Harry out of position before swinging wide. His saber was on its training-setting, but it still would have been a painful blow to the head had it connected. Fortunately, Harry absorbed the Force push and used the energy to strength his arms.

He needed it; Anakol was strong. Even worse, he was fast. Because Harry braced himself for the first blow, he was not in position to move fast enough when Anakol followed up with a side-kick to his stomach.

Rather than resist the blow, Harry flowed with it, letting it push him back to separate from the attack and regain his feet. However, Anakol knew the technique from his own training and pushed on to deny Harry a chance to regain his equilibrium.

The other padawan's scintillating blue sword came right toward Harry's head, and even with the Force he was so out of position he could not block it with his sword.

So he didn't even try. Sinking even further into the Force, Harry reached up with his bare hand and blocked the blow, absorbing the energy of both the blow and the blade itself, and while Anakol's eyes widened in surprise Harry Force-pushed with his other hand to send the taller, stronger boy stumbling back.

Knowing he had few windows with his opponent, Harry switched from defense to offence in the blink of an eye, just as he switched from Form I to Form II. Anakol responded with the Makashi Riposte, and they quickly broke to take another assessment of each other.

"Not bad," Anakol admitted with a deep breath. Harry could virtually feel the other boy calling the Force to himself.

Rather than respond, Harry resumed a fighting stand, once more falling into a Form I position. Anakol grinned and attacked once more, switching to the aggressive Form V famously preferred by many Skywalkers over the generations.

Harry raised his saber to block the powerful over-hand blow, only to deactivate his blade at the last second, swirl around in a sudden shift to a Form IX Trakata and glanced his blade off Anakol's back, to the shock of everyone in the room.

"First point of three to Potter," Kyle announced.

Anakol flushed angrily, and then suddenly exploded into a Form VII Vaapad strike, aggressively slashing at Harry and forcing him back against the wall. Rather than allow himself to be caught, Harry somersaulted over his opponent, which was exactly what Anakol was hoping for. The red-headed padwan reached up and blasted Harry with a powerful Force-push that sent the smaller boy flying uncontrolled through the air. Anakol rushed after him on the ground, and scored a point as Harry slammed into the padding with a painful swipe to the ribs.

"Point to Skywalker," Master Geffin said. "Next point takes match."

Anakol did not let up after that, realizing perhaps that he could not afford to play with Harry. Harry for his part fought with everything he had. The two Force-pushed or pulled each other relentlessly. They leapt, somersaulted, flipped or dove like acrobats while constantly slashing at each other in a variety of forms, some of which they knew better than others. Most lightsaber duels lasted only minutes, given the destructive nature of the blades.

The two padawans were going on twenty five minutes when at last Anakol landed a kick to Harry's temple that broke his defense enough to score the third and winning point of the duel. When the duel finished, Harry sank down into a meditating pose to replenish himself, while Anakol walked over to a few other padawans to share in their congratulations.

Finally, though, the red-head walked back to Harry and sank down opposite him. "You fought well," he said with an easy smile. "I've been up against padawans twice my age who didn't fight as well as you."

"Thank you. You fought very well also."

"That was a neat trick with deactivating the blade. Trakata, right?"

Harry nodded. "Master Kyle told me it came in handy when facing a stronger opponent who was sure of an easy victory."

Rather than be upset, Anakol actually blushed and ducked his head. "I suppose I was expecting an easy victory. It's easy to become arrogant, I suppose. Dad's warned me about it before, though mother tells me it's only right."

"I suppose it depends on if you want to be a Jedi, or a Sith," Harry said.

Anakol blinked, and then laughed. "That's exactly what Master Geffen says!" He stood up easily, and then offered a hand to Harry, who accepted the help up. "Anakol Skywalker, nice to meet you."

"Harry Potter, nice to meet you as well."

~~Katarn~~

Harry was not expecting to be friends with Anakol, but after their duel, it became almost inevitable. After all, they were almost of an age, and though Anakol had already gone through his first test and made his blade, he was actually quite young to do so. An aspect of his parentage, he admitted. What missions he undertook with Master Geffen were generally low-risk because of the simple reality that he was the Grandmaster's weakness.

Academically, he was not that far ahead of Harry, and in some areas such as history, lagged behind due to a lack of interest. But in the Force, Harry had to admit Anakol truly was more powerful than he was. Rather than mind, he accepted the older boy's help in meditating and dueling, augmenting what Master Kyle was already reaching him.

But what truly sealed their friendship was the day that Anakol introduced Harry to the art of swoop racing.

Given his age and friendship with Ansaki, Harry knew little about the small but active Ossus racing circuit, which was comprised almost entirely of older padawans. Anakol, Harry and a group of Anakol's friends walked to the back of the Academy structure, past the fountains and garden levels, to a narrow ravine between the mountains that protected the back of the ziggurat itself.

On a platform of permacrete were a dozen swoops—modified, overpowered speeder bikes with half the control and five times the power. In the middle of the bikes stood the resident Wookiee padawan, Graagi. Though the Wookiee was twenty-five years old, by the standards of his people he was still considered a youngling and served as a padawan to another Wookiee Jedi master.

"Graagi!" Anakol called out. "Are they ready?"

The Wookiee growled out an affirmative and pointed to a device that looked like Dudley's bicycle strapped to the engines of a RAF Tornado.

Harry stared at the swoop in fascination. "I've been here for two years now—why haven't I seen this?"

"Because you hung out with Miss 'I-Can't-Do-Anything-Fun' Ansaki Taan," a new voice answered. Harry turned to see another padawan—a Zabrak this time—fiddling with another swoop. He knew her as Danda Barris, an older padawan back from a mission with her master. Rather than the traditional robes, she wore a tight, form-fitting bodice that left her pale navel exposed, and a pair of black leather riding pants that hugged her tight enough to make Harry blush. "We all figured Master Katarn didn't let you have fun either," she finished.

"I just didn't know about it," Harry said. "And Ansaki is my friend. It's not her fault her first master was so mean."

"Yeah, Shonsu was a krayt dragon, that one," Anakol said with a shake of his head. "If any master could make a padwan feel bad, it was her. I heard that Master Katarn kicked her in the head."

Harry shrugged. "I think it's how he communicates."

The other padawans laughed. "So, you want to give one a try?" Anakol said.

"Kol, he's not been on one before," Danda warned.

"He lasted twenty five minutes in a duel with me and scored first point," Anakol pointed out. "If the Force isn't with him, it isn't with anyone. Besides, just put him on the old Bespin swoop. It's not as fast."

"Come on, then, Noob," Danda said. She led him to the end of the swoops, while Anakol climbed onto the bike Graagi had been working on.

Harry listened attentively as the very pretty girl with the crown of horns sprouting from her head and the very tight clothing showed him how to operate the basic swoop bike. "Go slow at first," she finally warned. "These things are crazy-fast and they rely as much on your own body for control as any flaps."

"Got it," Harry said. He grinned with a surge of excitement as he climbed aboard and thumbed on the repulsors. The bike rose up off the permacrete with a hum that sent chills up and down his spine. With a last grin at Danda, he gripped the handlebars, leaned forward, and floored it.

Danda stood with a puzzled look as Harry shot off the platform right after Anakol and Graage, flying as if he'd been operating a swoop bike for years. She almost jumped when a grizzle old voice said, "About time."

She turned and said, "Master Katarn! I didn't sense you."

He raised a brow, and Danda realized how ridiculous that statement was. "How may I serve, master?" she said quickly to cover herself.

"By doing what you're doing," Kyle said. He walked past her and stood on the edge of the platform, arms crossed and eyes distant, as his padawan raced through the mountain ravine, now behind Anakol. "Go, Harry. Fly fast and hard."

~~Katarn~~

Ansaki did not return that year at all; the negotiations were interrupted by an assassination attempt on Ben Skywalker himself. Rather than return to the safety of the Academy, the Grand Master and his padawan travelled into Imperial Space with the Empress Regent's blessing to hunt down the failed assassin. The operation was time-consuming at the very least.

Harry found himself thinking about her less and less. Her absence at first was painful, but regardless of how dearly he liked her, he was still a twelve-year-old boy, and he simply could not dwell on her absence for very long, most especially not with Anakol as a friend.

His fellow Padawan was always moving; always smiling. Harry began to realize that what he saw earlier as arrogance on Skywalker's part and fawning on the student's part was in actuality just a deep friendship. Everyone at the Academy liked Anakol (Kol to his friends), and he in turn liked them. He was impossible to stay angry with, no matter how outrageous his behavior was. Whether he used telekinesis to launch water balloons at his fellow padawans, or when he dyed his master's robes pink, it was just difficult not to be affected by his happy, infectious humor.

And stang, swoop racing was awesome!

Soon, another year had passed, and he rarely even thought about Ansaki, other than to check the news dispatches to make sure she and her master were well. They had stayed in the Empire as guests of the Regent to coordinate training between the Imperial Knights and the Jedi, ensuring jurisdictions and functions were honored among both groups.

It was just after Harry's thirteenth birthday when he realized, with a start, that he was done with his lightsaber except for the focusing crystal. That night, while doing their evening meditations, he considering telling Kyle, but not surprisingly his master already knew. "It's time for you to take your first trial."

Harry took a deep, shuddering breath, but nodded. "Yes, Kyle."

"Then you leave tomorrow," the grizzled old Jedi said. "Sleep well tonight. It is a challenging trial."

"Yes, Kyle."

~~Katarn~~

Kyle walked with Harry early the next morning to the east wing of the Academy. They emerged in the East Gardens, which were shielded only by a screen dome to shelter the plants from the worst of the sun, but was otherwise open to the arid air. Beyond them ran the junction of plains and mountains.

Kyle rested a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Remember your survival training, but most importantly trust in the Force. This is as much a test of faith as it is a test of skill. Only by surrendering completely to the will of the Force can you succeed."

"Yes, Kyle."

"Your pack has ten days' worth of food and water. You will have to find more to survive."

"Yes, Kyle."

"Most important, though, is that you not doubt. You can do this, Harry. You will do this. Of all my padawans, you I think most highly of. I am proud of you."

Harry restrained an urge to hug the old man; Kyle despised open displays of affection. Instead, Harry turned to face his master and bowed deeply from the waist. "Thank you, Master."

"You'd better go, then," Kyle said thickly.

Harry nodded, stepped from the permacrete of the Academy to the hard, packed soil of the Ossus surface, and started walking.

~~Katarn~~

Four thousand years ago, during the height of the Great Sith War, the Sith Sorceress Aleema Keto, using means that not even Luke Skywalker ever fully discovered, somehow caused a cluster of ten stars called the Cron Cluster to explode in a supernova of unimaginable power. The resulting explosion almost destroyed the whole sector.

Many Jedi were able to evacuate Ossus, but not all. The radiation shockwave of the vast supernova ripped away most of the planet's atmosphere, and the whole of its biosphere, leaving it a desolate, dry skeleton of a world.

Harry walked steadily during that first day, pulling off his Jedi cloak to fashion a shaded headpiece like a turban to keep off the worst of the sun. Still, rather than rest that first night, he sank himself into the Force and continued walking on through the night. He did not stop until an hour after the sun rose, when the heat first started to become oppressive. He stopped in a small valley at the foot of the mountains and used the Force to position rocks to hold his cloak in such a way as to create a shade for himself.

He slept profoundly despite the heat of the day after drinking his precious water and eating just enough to maintain his energy.

That was the schedule he kept—waking in the early evening before the sun set and walking through the night until morning. He drank only enough to keep himself from becoming sick from dehydration, and ate lightly to stretch his food stores. After the second day, he sank so deeply into the Force to ease the pain from the blisters on his feet and the ache in his muscles, it felt almost as if he were flying. He walked under the bluish light of Ossus' twin moons, one of which dominated the sky so brightly Harry could see as plainly as if it were day.

By the tenth day, he started to have visions. He could not tell if they were genuine Force visions or just his imagination, since one of them was a vision of Ansaki naked. He was fairly certain that that was just his teenage imagination, since he knew that as much as he liked her, she was already sixteen and unlikely to even remember him when she returned.

Some of his visions, though, he could not make sense of at all. He had a vision of a girl with large teeth and untamed bushels of auburn hair screaming in front of a monster with green skin and a large club. That particular vision came so strongly he actually shouted at her to run. As if she could hear him, she did just that, only to have the monster club her in the back.

Harry winced for her as she fell, and stayed with her in his vision while she recovered. He was astounded to see the old wizard Dumbledore in the same vision, speaking to someone in front of the girl. He wondered if this was happening on Earth, or if it had already happened.

Another dark, horrible vision had a little girl with red hair like the Empress's kneeling down in a dark, abandoned cavern as a shadow of Dark Side energy sucked out her very soul. Harry wept openly when the girl fell lifelessly to the cavern, while the shadow smiled down at her in triumph. Again, the old wizard came and they fought, demon and wizard, shadow and light, in a duel that made Harry wonder if the Jedi really were as powerful as they thought. Could Kyle have survived such a duel?

Dumbledore won the duel, but when the fighting was over the old wizard fell to his knees beside the little girl and openly wept. Harry realized that for all Kyle's mistrust of Dumbledore when he was younger, the wizard at least truly was of the light to weep so at a lost, innocent victim. Harry wept right alongside him.

Another vision was of a tall, beautiful woman with long dark hair cloaked in a nimbus of silver, kneeling in a primeval forest with a beautifully wrought silver crown in one hand, while the other clutched a knife protruding from her stomach. Mother, forgive me, she whispered.

Harry hardly noticed when he ran out of water on the eleventh day. He drifted so thoroughly with the Force he felt hardly anything at all, save the currents of energy pushing at him like an invisible wind, taking him where it willed. It came as a surprise when the currents eased enough for him to blink into full awareness of his hurts, his thirst, and the smell of moisture in the air. He discovered he had climbed into the foothills until he came to a formation of red stone, and the smell was coming from a natural cistern of spring water.

There, he discovered a small field of tubers growing in the shallow, wet sand around the spring. Harry tried one—it did not taste good, per say, but from his training he could detect carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals in the plant. He filled his canteens and rested at the spring for one whole day and night, using the Force to heal himself as much as he could, while eating only tubers. He gathered more, but made sure to leave at least half there so that others that came after him would have them available as well. He threw the inedible parts back as well to help feed future growths.

Within hours of that next night, he once more sank into the Force so deeply he moved as if in a fugue state, completely surrendering to the will of the Force. Almost immediately he had another vision—this one of himself standing before a shadow with glowing red eyes like out of his earliest nightmares. In the center of the shadow, he saw a lightning bolt, identical to his scar, and a sibilant voice whispering, "With this you are my equal. With this you are my opposite. I am within you; and you are within me."

With the vision came pain in his scar itself, pain so unexpected and alien that it actually pulled him out of the Force for a brief moment. It took several moments of meditation and breathing to recover himself so that he could continue.

He could not say how many days it was when he realized a Force Ghost walked beside him. "Good day, Master Jedi," he wheezed out.

"Good day, Padawan," the Force Ghost said. His voice sounded hollow and distant. In the pale blue moonlight, the figure glowed gently with ethereal light.

"Am I getting close, do you think?"

"I don't know," the ghost said. "It is difficult to judge distance from my perspective. However, I believe you will complete your task. You've done very well so far, especially given how little training you've received.'

"Thank you, Master."

Harry trudged on tiredly as the ghost floated beside him. "You look familiar, but your name escapes me.'

"You can call me Luke, if you wish."

"Luke? Oh, right. Kol's grandfather. You're famous."

The ghost of Luke Skywalker smiled at him. "You are too, among your own kind. You've had visions of your home, yes?"

Thinking of the red-headed girl, Harry nodded sadly. "I wonder if things would be better if I were there, where I belong."

"You belong wherever you are, Harry. Surely Kyle taught you that much."

Harry bowed his head, stumbled, and regained his footing. "Yes, sir."

Luke laughed; the sound was like wind blowing through rock formations. "Destiny is a hard and fickle thing, Harry. This girl you saw, she might have survived if you were there, or more may have died. It is impossible to say what effect you would have, for your presence would affect so many things no one mind could grasp them. But it is impossible to say for sure it would have been better. Surely, it is better to return when you are ready to fulfill your destiny, than before then."

"Were you ready, Master Skywalker, when your destiny called?"

"I did not think so, Harry, and yet fate and the Force decided otherwise, and they were right. Somehow, I succeeded in my fight and helped free the Galaxy from true evil. I am grateful I had the opportunity to help so many, even though I also deeply regret the loss of so many friends in the process. One of my very best friends, Biggs Darklighter, died in the very battle that began my path in the Force."

Harry accepted that with a nod of his head. He actually felt quite light-headed, and so took a sip of his once-again dwindling water. "I think that girl in the vision was important, Master. I think …I think in another world we would have been meant for each other. The Force is telling me that her loss was terrible for more reasons than just the loss of innocence."

"One must listen to the Force," Luke agreed solemnly. "She was a part of the destiny you had before. But just as destiny can shift, so too can one's future. You might have been happy with this girl, but at the same time, you would also suffer terribly. And so I sent you Kyle, my oldest, last living friend, and as Kyle always does, he changed you destiny with a kick to someone's head. And yet, as much as he has done for you, my young friend, you have done the same for him. In training you—his last, greatest padawan—Kyle has at last found peace with himself. This is a gift only you could give him, and it is why the Force led you to be together."

Harry giggled drunkenly from exhaustion, stumbled and then fell, his knees no longer strong enough to carry him. "He kicked my Uncle in the head. It was awesome."

"Kyle is awesome," Luke agreed with a fond smile, "and because of that, he has changed your destiny, and your life. What was to be is no longer, and what could never have been is not only possible, but probable. You will be a great Jedi Knight, Harry Potter. But more than that, you will be a great leader. Remember that, in the days to come."

"I will, Master." The Force Ghost was gone, though. Harry blinked around tiredly, and realized in a moment of clarity that he had been walking for forty days and forty nights. His exhaustion was more than bone-deep, it was down to his very soul, and he wasn't sure he could get up again.

"You've done well, Harry." Harry, expecting another Force ghost, looked up in surprise to see Kyle standing in front of him on the stones. Only then was Harry able to focus on the ancient, eons-old stepped-pyramid rising out from the rocks behind the old Jedi. "You've made it."

"I made it?" Harry asked stupidly.

Kyle smiled, bent down, and somehow scooped Harry into his arms as if he weighed nothing. "You made it. You've passed your first trial, Harry. Now, let's go find your crystal."

Thanks for reading.

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