When visitors saw the planet Kuat for the first time they often assumed it had a dark ring wrapped around its equator. Upon closer inspection it soon became clear this wasn't the case. What at a distance looked like a natural feature was in reality a circle of linked space stations that stretched for thousands of kilometers.

For millennia the fabled Kuat Drive Orbital Shipyard Array had produced an endless variety of star ships for the galaxy, but during the past twenty years their most important customer had been the Imperial Navy. Over half of the Star Destroyers in the fleet came from this one magnificent shipyard, which is why Grand Admiral Thrawn knew it was about to be destroyed by the Rebel Alliance.

"The Holonet is still malfunctioning," said the holographic projection of Onara Kuat, the female aristocrat who currently ruled this star system. Her family was so old and so powerful they had taken the name of the planet for themselves. "If your fleet is isolated from the rest of the galaxy, then how can you possible know that the Rebels have captured the Death Star?"

It was a logical question, but one Thrawn could not answer. The Emperor was using his Force-sensitive field agents—the Emperor's Hands, they were called—to send telepathic messages across the galaxy, and one of these agents was on his flagship, the Admonitor. Jeng Droga insisted that the Rebels had seized control of the Death Star, and Thrawn had no choice but to believe him. However sharing knowledge of the Emperor's secret Force abilities with an outsider was not permissible.

"I have received my orders from the Emperor himself. That is all you need know. Is your Sector Fleet going to cooperate with me or not?"

Onara Kuat was one of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in the galaxy. She had also been one first leaders to declare her support for the New Order. That meant she wasn't going to be intimidated by anyone, not even a Grand Admiral. On the other hand she was also a brilliant woman, and she knew that a threat of this importance could not be ignored.

"For the sake of argument let's assume your right. If the Rebels did somehow infiltrate the Death Star, they still would been facing thousands of the Emperor's elite Stormtroopers. A conflict like that would have caused a tremendous amount of damage, so the Death Star would be in no condition to launch any attack, let alone one against a heavily defended star system like Kuat."

"Normally you would be correct," Thrawn allowed. "However in this case the Rebels were being led by Master Yoda."

"Yoda is still alive?" an astonished Onara Kuat asked. Her reaction wasn't surprising—that particular name had inspired terror in the enemies of the Old Republic for centuries. "The Emperor told the Imperial Senate that all the Jedi Masters were dead."

"Apparently Master Yoda and a few others escaped at the end of the Clone Wars. Now they are working with the Rebel Alliance."

"Alright, if the Rebels have captured the Death Star and if they were planning on attacking Kuat, how would they do it?"

Thrawn did not hesitate, not even for a second. "The Rebels will use the gravity well of your planet to force the Death Star out of hyperspace at a point directly below your southern pole. Once they are in normal space they will immediately fire the superlaser. Not at planet itself, but rather at the Orbital Shipyard Array. The massive explosion will rip the Array out of its current obit, and destroy it without harming the civilian population on the surface of Kuat. The Death Star will then jump to hyperspace. I estimate that from beginning to end the attack will last no more than ten minutes."

"If that is their plan, then how do we go about stopping it?"

"We can not stop it. The Orbital Shipyard Array is a lost cause. All we can do is avenge its destruction by recapturing the Death Star."

"No, I refuse to accept that outcome," Onara Kuat sputtered. "Admiral, you are commanding a fleet of twenty modern Star Destroyers. This planet is guarded by twelve Golan III orbital platforms. The Kuat Sector Fleet consists of thirty Mandator-class dreadnoughts and forty Lancer-class frigates. Are you going to tell me all that combined firepower is useless against one space station in the hands of an inexperienced crew of Rebel scum?"

"Nothing can stop the superlaser," Thrawn replied. "Nothing."

"My plan is to prevent the Death Star from escaping back into hyperspace by using all our Interdictor cruisers in concert," he continued. "Once their artificial gravity wells have trapped the Death Star here in normal space, we can send several legions of Stormtroopers aboard to retake command of the Overbridge. The Emperor has provided me with security codes that will deactivate the external shields and the internal security systems, so the mission should take less than twenty-four hours. It takes the Death Star that long to recharge its superlaser, so none of our capital ships will be in danger as long as we keep a safe distance. In the meantime I suggest you begin evacuating the Orbital Shipyard Array."

Onara Kuat said nothing at first, and the hologram's lack of visual resolution made it difficult to read her body language. That is why Thrawn always preferred face-to-face meetings. Regrettably there had not been enough time to take a shuttle down to planet. After a minute the old aristocrat finally came to a decision, and it was a poor one.

"I had no idea they were promoting cowards to the rank of Grand Admiral. It's a pity your fleet isn't being lead by a human."

Thrawn's face betrayed nothing, but his heart sank. The Emperor's hatred for "aliens" was one of his greatest flaws, and now it was going to cause a major military disaster. Onara Kuat knew she would never be punished for ignoring the advice of an "alien", no matter how sensible that advice was. The humancentric racists that dominated the New Order would never allow it.

And trying to force the issue would only lead to a greater disaster. Thrawn's Star Destroyers would end up fighting the Sector Fleet, which would do nothing to stop the Rebels. Without the assistance of Kuat's eight Interdictor cruisers, there was no possibility that his four Interdictor cruisers working alone could prevent the Death Star from escaping back into hyperspace.

"If you are refusing to cooperate with me, then what do you intend to do about the Rebel attack?"

"Our ships will maintain their current defensive perimeter. If the Rebels are foolish enough to bring the Death Star to Kuat, it will be destroyed before they have a chance to fire this so-called superlaser."

"You want to fight a conventional battle against the Death Star with dreadnoughts and frigates?" Thrawn asked.

"And with twenty Star Destroyers," Onara Kuat sneered. "I expect you to defend Kuat at all costs, Grand Admiral. If you fail to do so, my allies on Coruscant will make sure that you are executed for cowardice in the face of the enemy."

With that the holographic projection disappeared. It was a good thing too, since the red-faced Captain Parck could no longer hold his tongue. "Sir, that inbreed cretin is going to get us all killed."

Thrawn looked over at his trusted Flag Captain. "I have no intention of dying today. Do you?"

"No, but that vindictive bitch will demand that our Star Destroyers be placed in the vanguard of the battle. And the Death Star was specifically designed to destroy capital ships by the dozen."

"Which is why our assault shuttles would have slipped right past its crude defenses. Trust me Captain Parck, we will not be fighting a battle today. The Rebels are about to give the Empire a severe thrashing. All we can do is sit here and watch."

Truer words were never spoken.

Just nine hours later the Death Star appeared over the southern pole of Kuat, just were Thrawn had predicted it would. The space station fired the superlaser before any ships could reach it. A second later the giant circle of the Orbital Shipyard Array was ripped apart by a tremendous explosion. More and more pieces began to break-up as the wreckage flew away from the planet. The Kuat Sector Fleet immediately began firing at the Death Star, but they were in no position to do any real damage.

"Sir, do you really think the Jedi are in command over there?" Captain Parck whispered as the bridge crew quietly watched the disaster unfold right in front of them.

"This attack has some of their trademarks, but I believe it was spearheaded by the mysterious Harry Potter who fought against Darth Vader on the Devastator," Thrawn replied.

"The "wizard" from the Unknown Regions? How could he assume a leadership position within the Rebel Alliance so quickly?"

"I have studied the artwork we looted from his native planet. Potter is actually a focal point in his people's religion."

Parck was impressed. "A living-and-breathing god? That would be useful attribute for any politician."

Before the Death Star could enter hyperspace again it had to be a certain distance away from the gravity well of Kuat. As it sped away from the planet the Rebels began to release hundred and then thousands of small metal objects into space. Thrawn knew exactly what these objects were, even before the sensors of the Admonitor provided him with a positive identification.

"Open a channel to Kuat!"

The bridge crew had been quiet before, but now there was absolute silence. No one could remember the Grand Admiral raising his voice, especially in the middle of combat operations. Onara Kuat's image soon appeared. As first the aristocrat seemed to be in a state of shock, but a look of rage came over her face when she saw who she was speaking to.

"What do you want, alien?"

"Order your Sector Fleet to cease-fire," Thrawn snapped.

"Never. The Rebels must pay for what they have done to..."

"You had your chance to capture them, but now it is too late. As we speak thousands of escape pods are being launched from the Death Star, and they are carrying over a million members of the Imperial Navy. If any of those men are killed by your ships during this futile pursuit, I will turn the surface of your planet into a sheet of molten glass."

"You wouldn't dare." Onara Kuat said.

"I would dare anything to protect the lives of the men who serve under my command. Captain Parck, trace this transmission to its point of origin, and prepare to open fire with the Admonitor's main turbolaser batteries."

"With pleasure, Sir."

"Wait! I'm giving the order to cease-fire now."

"Thank you," Thrawn said calmly. It had taken him a moment, but he had finally regained his composure. Obstinate stupidity enraged him. "Once we have retrieved the escape pods we will transport the men to the surface of your planet. They are to be treated as honor guests until suitable transportation to the nearest Imperial base can be arranged."

"Grand Admiral, we're right in the middle of a major planetary crisis..."

"Shut up. An hour ago you may have been one of the most powerful individuals in the galaxy. Now you are nothing more than a walking corpse. Obey my orders, or your people will suffer the consequences."

15 November 2114

"Thank you all for doing such brilliant work," Harry said as the Death Star gracefully exited from hyperspace at the rendezvous point. The Overbridge was being staffed by three dozen Wookiees, and according to Captain Solo they liked to have their egos stroked. It seem to work, since he got a lot of happy roars in response.

"Please send a message to the dignitaries on the Salvation. Tell them that we are eagerly awaiting their presence here on the Rebel Alliance's newest and largest starship. And while you're at it send them a few images of our brilliant attack on Kuat."

"Also inform them that the Chief Warlock is eager to see the Jedi Grandmaster, so they should get their arses moving," Luna added. Thanks to the Neo-Polyjuice Potion she still looked like Wilhuff Tarkin, but the witch claimed that she didn't mind. According to her, the Grand Moff had a lovely singing voice.

"We did steal the bloody Death Star, and we did just blow-up the Empire's biggest shipyard without getting a scratch on the paint," Harry whined. "Excuse me if I want to brag a little."

Garm Bel Iblis shook his head, which was disturbing since he still looked like Emperor Palpatine. "We almost walked into a trap back there at Kuat. In addition to the regular Sector Fleet there were twenty extra Star Destroyers present. Somebody in the Imperial Navy knew we were coming."

"Agree, I do," Yoda added. "Faced a great danger at Kuat, we did. Lucky to escape, we were."

Unlike the other two, the Jedi Master still looked a green house-elf. Luna had thoughtfully provided him with a magic carpet, since he couldn't spend all his time traveling around inside that hollow astromech droid. Harry had a nagging feeling that his Admiral had acquired a new eight-hundred year-old familiar.

"I doubt we could have beaten that many capital ships, not with a skeleton crew of less than twenty thousand," Bel Iblis said. "We should consider postponing the attack on the Maw Installation."

"That's not going to happen. Admiral Lovegood, would you please tell the Senator about the loo problem."

"Harry, in Basic they are called refreshers."

"Whatever. Just tell him."

"As you may or may not know, the Death Star has almost eighty-thousand refreshers. According to my latest estimates, fourteen percent of them are no longer functioning."

"That happened to them?" a puzzled Bel Iblis asked.

"We ejected the maintenance workers into outer space, that's what happened," Luna replied. "Over a third of the Death Star's crew was needed just to keep the basic environmental systems up-and-running on a daily basis."

"Which means we can't afford any delays, or even more critical systems will start to break down," Harry explained. "First we are going to steal everything of value on the Death Star. Then we are going to send it off into the heart of a black hole."

"We should discuss this with the other members of the Alliance before we make any rash decisions," Bel Iblis argued.

"Fine, let's go greet our guests. They should be here soon."

The Chief Warlock, the Admiral, the Senator, and the Jedi Master left the happy Wookiees in charge of the Overbridge and flew down to the docking bay. The Salvation was too large to enter the Death Star, so Hermione and George decided to bring everyone over in the Hedwig. During the past few months the starship had undergone yet another overhaul: it now had an ion engine and a hyperdrive. However the lack of a hypermatter generator meant it could only make short-range trips using a rechargeable power core.

This deep space rendezvous with the Salvation had been arranged some time ago, so the flagship was surrounded by the entire Rebel Fleet in case Harry's mission had failed. Compared to these modern ships the Hedwig looked slightly ridiculous, but old bird still provoked a flood of emotions in Harry. There were so many memories lurking inside that small metal ball. Some of those memories were wonderful, but most were awful. A few were truly horrific.

Still, it would always be his starship.

Harry wanted to give Mon Mothma and Bail Organa (and Bel Iblis and Yoda) a proper spectacle, so he used the Elder Wand to transfigure the plain docking bay into something a bit more elaborate. Out of nowhere a long red carpet appeared. It was lined with forty burning torches set on golden pedestals. And as the Hedwig came in for a landing it was surrounded by an honor guard consisting of a ten Welsh Green dragons, which were his personal favorites.

"Sometimes you are such a little boy," Luna grumbled as she drew her wand and went to work.

Soon exotic trees and flowers began to sprout everywhere. Next came a herd of unicorns, a flock of pixies, and a single naked sphinx. Luna then gave all the dragons bottle cork necklaces and radish earrings. As a final touch a dozen banners unfurled from the ceiling: most showed the crest of the Rebel Alliance, but the four houses of Hogwarts were also represented.

"Is that really a Slytherin banner up there?" Harry asked.

"They weren't all bad. In fact I kind of liked Daphne."

"That's because she keep Ron out your wife's bed for all those decades. Speaking of the little she-devil..."

Hermione had emerged from the Hedwig, and was inspecting their magical handiwork. Apparently it didn't meet her exacting standards. The plain red carpet was reworked with gold and silver thread. Harry's pedestals were replaced with multicolored glass chandeliers that floated in the air, each one with a burning flame at its center. The dragons were joined by an army of transfigured Glf warriors in their finest armor, and a dozen more banners representing the Old Republic unfurled from the ceiling.

George added a brass band full of trolls. In his defense they were all excellent musicians.

"Abuse the Force, you do," Yoda complained. "Wrong, it is."

"No wonder the Emperor wanted to get rid of the Jedi. You're all such party poopers," Harry shot back.

"Not all of us," Ahsoka said as she marched down the red and gold and silver carpet. "I believe these belong to you."

In her slim orange hands were his two other wands. Harry reached out and took them. As he did Ahsoka's fingers gently brushed against his fingers. It was a tame gesture, but he couldn't remember the last time he had been so aroused.

Unfortunately they were not alone, and Mon Mothma attempted to take charge of the situation. Harry glanced over at the woman with her pristine white robes and dignified manner. There was talk of medals being awarded, but he had gone through too much to be bought-off with trinkets. No, he wasn't going to step aside for a bunch of preening politicians. There was too much at sake.

"We don't have time for a stupid award ceremony."

"You had time to fill this docking bay with a magical menagerie," Mon Mothma said in that condescending tone of hers.

Harry held the Elder Wand in the air for everyone to see. Then with a single flick of his wrist all the transfigurations vanished. "Admiral Lovegood has prepared an inventory of high-value goods. I want them packed and off this space station in less than ten hours.

Bail Organa stepped forward to play the peacekeeper. Unlike the arrogant Mon Mothma, it was hard for Harry to dislike the genial Viceroy of Alderaan. "Perhaps you can explain to us what you intend to do with the Death Star after you leave?"

Bel Iblis could also sense the tension in the air. "Potter was been... questioning Grand Moff Tarkin for the past few days. It appears the old snake has a secret research laboratory hidden inside the Maw Cluster. That's where the Empire designed and built the first Death Star prototype. Tarkin has told us about other weapon systems being developed and tested at this laboratory, which is officially called the Maw Installation. Some of them sound even worse than the Death Star."

"If memory serves, the Maw Cluster consists of several tightly packed black holes and is almost impossible for ships to navigate," Bail Organa remarked. "Is the Death Star really suited for the kind of precision flying that will be required?"

"The Maw Installation is guarded by four Star Destroyers, and main complex was built deep inside several large asteroids," Harry explained. "Only the Death Star was the firepower needed to deal with the small fleet of Star Destroyers, and the superlaser is the only weapon that can destroy the research laboratory itself. Once the attack is over we can use the Death Star's tractor beam to grab hold of the original prototype. Then we dump them both in one of the nearby black holes, and Bob's your uncle."

George raised his hand. "I was always curious: who's Bob?"

"I will explain it to you later," Hermione hissed.

"Mr Potter, you have no right to make a decision of this importance without consulting the other members of the Alliance," Mon Mothma said. "In my opinion the attack on Kuat was also a reckless gamble on your part. The slightest miscalculation could have caused untold civilian causalities."

Harry felt the Elder Wand in his hand. It was calling to him over and over again. Punish the insolent muggle. Punish the insolent muggle. Punish the insolent muggle. With a great deal of willpower he managed to push those thoughts aside. Then he created a conference table right there in the middle of the docking bay.

"Very well. Let's sit down and discuss our next move."

As Harry had suspected, Mon Mothma loved giving orders. But coming up with a workable plan of action on her own? That really didn't interest her—or most politicians for that matter—so she left the tedious details to her underlings. After a few minutes of pointless discussion, one of the Rebel officers suggested they keep the Death Star.

"We didn't want to destroy any planets, but it would be useful in a fight against the Imperial Fleet," was how the man put it.

"Admiral Lovegood, would you please tell our good friends about the refresher problem."

Luna proceed to explain how the basic systems on the Death Star was already starting to breakdown due to a lack of proper maintenance. She then pointed out that the Rebel Alliance had neither the manpower nor the material wealth needed to keep the station working for any length of time. And even if they did, it wouldn't matter. Most of the Death Stars critical systems—like the giant hypermatter reactor and the superlaser and the complex network of hyperdrive motivators—were all unique. Even if they could afford the one-of-a-kind replacement parts, they only place that could buy them from were factories under the direct control of the Empire.

"We dealt with this situation before when we hijacked the Devastator," Harry explained. "We should get as much use out of the Death Star as we can, and then we should destroy it."

"We could shut down all the main systems, and hide it in some barren star system," another one of the Rebel officers suggested. "After a few years of research we might be able to get it running again on a more permanent basis."

Harry shook his head. "Admiral Lovegood, tell them about the nasty surprises we found hidden in the computers."

"According to the Wookiee slicers, there are backdoors hardwired into the every single computer system," Luna explained. "Imperial agents could easily take control of the Death Star if they managed to get onboard. As long as the this station exist, there will always be a chance that the Empire could regain control of it."

"We didn't steal the bloody thing just to hand it back to Palpatine," Harry added. "We must destroy it—preferable within the next few days. However before we do that, I suggest we pay a surprise visit to the Maw Installation."

"I trust that Harry has made his point," Ahsoka said. The Jedi Grandmaster had been silent during the entire meeting, and her words caused an uneasy stir.

"And what point is that?" Mon Mothma asked.

"That you have no military experience, and therefore are not qualified to be one of our leaders. If you and your two allies don't step down, the Jedi Order will withdrawn its support from the Alliance."

"As will my wizards and witches," Harry added. "I'm curious, are you ready to turn your back on the man who just captured the Death Star and destroyed the Shipyards of Kuat?"

"This is a coup d'état," Mon Mothma hissed.

"Call it what you will," Ahsoka said dismissively.

"I think they're right," Bel Iblis said. "We should step aside."

"How can you possibly believe that Garm?" a shocked Bail Organa asked. "We choose to call ourselves the Alliance to Restore the Republic. I want no part in installing a new Emperor or Empresses on the throne Palpatine has foisted upon the galaxy."

The Corellian Senator got out of his chair and began pacing around the table. "While I was impersonating Palpatine, I learned a few bitter truths. The first is that even the Emperor's most loyal supporters fear the man. They don't just fear his Star Destroyers, his Stormtroopers, and his spies. They fear him personally. And you know what? So do I. Every time I look in the mirror and see his face, I flinch like a scared little boy."

"The second truth is that even though his supporters fear the Emperor, they also respect him. No, they actually love him. Palpatine may be a monster, but he's an extraordinary monster. We simply aren't in his league, but Tano and Potter are. The fact that we are having this argument on the Death Star only proves that point."

"We all hate the New Order, but there is no denying that its political critique of the Old Republic was essentially correct," Ahsoka said. "The old Senate was inefficient and corrupt to boot. If we want to maintain a galaxy-wide central government, we need a strong executive. An elected monarchy in the style of Naboo—answerable to a reformed Senate—would be a reasonable compromise."

"Maybe a dual monarchy would be better," Harry suggested. "One human and one non-human... for the sake of balance."

Mon Mothma shook her head, slowly at first but then with more speed. "No, I will not be party to any of this."

"Then I'm afraid this is where we part ways," Bel Iblis said. "I will take my people—who represent the bulk of our military units—while you and Bail can continue to fight against the Empire with your more idealistic methods. We will see which side has more success."

"The Mon Calamari..."

Ahsoka cut the older woman off. "Thanks to our friendship King Lee-Char will side with me, which means Admiral Ackbar and the Mon Calamari Fleet with also side with me. And one more thing: I insist that Leia Skywalker continue with her Jedi training."

Mon Mothma and Bail Organa were both furious at being ambushed like this, and that worried Harry. Having a unified chain of command was important, but so was political legitimacy. How was the Rebel Alliance going to react when two of its most important leaders resigned in protest? He had no idea, but Ahsoka didn't seem to care. She insisted they had to make their play for leadership now while public opinion in the Rebel Fleet was behind them.

Harry watched the bitter argument continue for a few minutes before burying his head in his hands. Why couldn't he do the easy thing, and fall in love with a sweet homemaker? Why did he always fall for the crazy and ambitious ones?

Darth Vader watched as Grand Admiral Thrawn gave his verbal report on the recent Battle of Kuat. Or the "Massacre at Kuat", as the reporters on the newly restored Holonet were calling it. The lengthy and detailed report also included information about the capture of the Death Star. Vader was expecting the Emperor to lash out, either with some biting comment or with Force Lightning. To his surprise neither happened. Instead Thrawn was dismissed from the Throne Room with a casual gesture.

"What is your bidding, my Master?" he finally asked after the silence had stretched on for several minutes.

"According to the latest intelligence reports the Rebels have already destroyed the Maw Installation. They are using my greatest weapon against me," the Emperor said in a flat voice. "Enemies of the New Order—both inside and outside the Empire—will sense weakness when word of this disaster spreads. Instead of locating and destroying these wizards, we must first deal with the politicians."

"Will you disband the Imperial Senate?"

"No, of course not. Instead I will announce plans for a constitutional convention here on Coruscant. There will be whispers of great reforms—even a possible return to the Republic. Everyone with take this as another sign of weakness on my part. They will smell the blood in the water, and come out into the open. Even my beloved Moffs will return to Coruscant in hopes of gaining more power and independence."

"Shall I prepare the detonation charges under the Senate Chamber, or will you see to it personally?" Vader asked.

The Emperor smiled. "Good, my apprentice. It seems you remember that there are tasks which a true Sith Lord must do for himself. Like slaughtering your enemies, for example."

"This political purge is long overdue. However even if we blame everything on the Rebel Alliance, the deaths of this many prominent leaders will still provoke several armed revolts here in the Core."

"Yes, I know. That is why you and Grand Admiral Thrawn will position your fleets in key sectors before we finish-off the Senate. You are to attack any planet that moves against the Empire. I want enough carnage to terrorize the galaxy into submission for the next hundred years."

"What of the wizards?" Vader asked. It was a dangerous question, but his Master seemed to be in a good mood. That was usually the case when the prospect of mass bloodshed loomed on the horizon.

"They will pay dearly for every insult they have offered me. But we must be patient for the time being. First we will consolidate our power base here in the Empire. But once that is accomplished..."

The Throne Room was soon filled with sadistic laughter, and the sound sickened Darth Vader.