Healing from Betrayal

Sharpknife paused. He then asked Anakin and Ahsoka, "While we wait, would you mind demonstrating your weapons and their use? As a warrior culture, we respect demonstrated skill with one's teachings. It would be appreciated by Gringotts so that next time we might encounter one of your Order we can recognize them."

Anakin and Ahsoka looked at each other. After a moment, the two grinned. Anakin said to Sharpknife, "I believe that will be no problem."

With a smile, Sharpknife nodded. "What kind of area do you need to demonstrate?"

"Any large area. If there are obstacles or different rocks or levels, it will allow a greater demonstration," Anakin replied.

Sharpknife stood. "Follow me please."

The group followed Sharpknife off to the area he was taking them. As they exited his office, he told a guard and that goblin ran off to gather others.

Very soon, they arrived to a large underground cavern which contained seating around an arena of sorts. Within the arena were several outcroppings of stone. The floor was packed sand or dirt.

Sharpknife led them to the middle of the area. As they waited, a surprising number of Goblins started pouring in. Harry grinned to himself. Apparently all it took to create a show for Goblins was a demonstration of martial skill.

After fifteen minutes, there were several hundred Goblins seated. One particular one was dressed much more extravagantly than others – Harry recognized the local version of Ragnok. Harry and Padme were seated closely to the leader of Gringotts. As the room settled, Ragnok motioned for Sharpknife to continue.

He turned to Anakin. "Would you draw your weapon and explain it?"

Anakin nodded. Pulling his lightsaber, he turned it on. The Goblins were impressed when a blade of light appeared from the base. He spoke to the audience. "This is a lightsaber. It is the weapon of a Jedi Knight, a member of the Order which I am a part of. Note that my lightsaber is blue. Ahsoka's are both green." He nodded to her and, having taken them from her belt, she turned both on. "There are also a few other colors. At the heart of a lightsaber is a crystal or gem used to focus the power behind it. In the past, colorless crystals were used and the color it became were indicative of the nature of the user. Blue indicated a Jedi Guardian who uses the Force more physically. Green indicates a Jedi Consular who prefers to reflect on the nature of the force and fight the heart of the Dark side. Yellow is a Jedi Sentinal, a balance of scholar and fighter. Other colors indicated specific natures of people. One Master of our order has a purple lightsaber – it is fairly unique. In more recent times, crystals that already were colored have become more common. Opposed to the Jedi are the Sith. They use synthetic crystals and their lightsabers take on a red hue, imbued with their Dark energy. White crystals indicate a Force user who is neither Jedi nor Sith in their leanings."

He looked around and said, "There are several forms of lightsaber fighting. Form 1 is Shii-Cho. This is the most rudimentary form, the form first taught. It also is the one we return to when other forms fail to succeed. Form 2 is Makashi, a dueling form which is more graceful. This is the form of choice when a Jedi faces a Sith in a duel. Form 3 is Soresu, which is better for smaller spaces and closer-quarter fighting. Form 4 is Ataru. It include more acrobatic moves and is effective at deflecting projectile attacks. Form 5 is Shien or Djem So. It is designed for lightsaber to lighsaber fighting and is also effective at stopping blaster attacks. Form 6 is Niman, which is used by those that have double-bladed lightsabers. It also combines with Force moves such as push and lift. And Form 7 is Vaapad. It is the most unpredictable and it is the most aggressive. Ahsoka, my student, also practices Jar'Kai which is a style employing two lightsabers. There are techniques which are used in particular circumstances as well such as the Whirlwind of Destiny which uses a spinning move to deflect all attacks. Such techniques are often invented by a particular user when they find something that isn't included in a recognized form. Today, you will see myself and my Padawan in a training duel. While we both tend to retreat to certain forms, we will try to vary them to show different techniques."

He turned to Ahsoka. With a grin he asked, "Ready, Snips?"

Ahsoka answered with a grin of her own. "Bring it, Skyguy!"

What followed was a dazzling demonstration of form and skill. While the watching Goblins were rather stoic when the demonstration started, they became more animated at each new move, at each jump and twirl. When Anakin, who had greater experience, finally forced Ahsoka to concede, there was riotous applause by the Goblins as they stamped there feet in approval and cheered.

Both Anakin and Ahsoka bowed to the audience in response. They then moved to bow specifically to the obvious leader.

Ragnok looked at these two approvingly. "I bid you welcome to Gringotts. I am Ragnok and I am the Director of this bank. I recognize you as brother warriors … or at least brother and sister warriors." With that he had a toothy smile.

"Thank you," Anakin said. "We recognize the value of this recognition and keep it with honor." Ahsoka nodded in agreement.

"Should you ever require service of us, pray introduce yourself as Warrior Skywalker and Warrioress Ahsoka – we shall always provide you with our best rates. Should you ever need assistance where we are able to provide, ask it of us."

Anakin nodded in agreement.

"May your enemies' fall give you great profit," Ragnok said.

"And may your enemies feel your wrath unto their end." Anakin was being extemporaneous – he had never met these beings but they were respectful and so he tried.

Ragnok nodded approvingly and withdrew. The two rejoined their party.

Sharpknife said as they withdrew back to his office, "That was well done. We have no experience with your Order, but look forward to any future relations should we encounter them anon."

Soon, their business with Gringotts was completed and Harry was ready to take them to the next place. He concentrated on finding a dimension where he had already been but at a later point … and suddenly he and his companions were in a familiar space station.

Babylon 5 Security Guard Rex Grossman (named after an ancestor who was a famous sportsman) was calmly walking his beat, patrolling Green Sector. While much had changed in the world around him, some things stayed the same.

It didn't matter that Captain Sheridan was now President Sheridan, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds was now the Interstellar Alliance, and that an Earthforce Captain who was not part of B5 during the civil war ran the place – security still had to walk a beat, making certain no threats were unaccounted for and that the people around him were safe.

Suddenly, right in front of him, four people just appeared in a ball of light. As he put his hand on his PPG in case there was a threat while waiting to see what the hell this was, he considered that it business as usual: Babylon 5 was the center of the Universe when it came to weird shit happening.

Harry looked around at the new location they had appeared at. He immediately saw a security guard. The man, with his hand on weapon, said, "Who are you and where did you come from?"

Harry withheld his grin. "My name is Harry Potter – I have been to Babylon 5 before. These are Anakin Skywalker, Padme Amidala, and Ahsoka Tano, who are with me. As to where I come from – that's a long story. We came here to have an audience with Ambassador Delenn of the Minbari if that is at all possible."

The man paused for a moment. "Oh yeah! I heard of you! You stopped that Shadow attack against Kosh before the Vorlons went off to the Rim."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, that was me. Is Garibaldi still running things?"

The man replied, "No. Some crap came up before the end of the war and he quit. We thought he had turned traitor too but the word is that he was being controlled by that Psy-Cop Bestor. Now he's Head of Covert Intelligence for the Alliance."

Harry snorted. "I imagine that is the perfect post for that paranoid bastard." His affection for Garibaldi was obvious by his expression.

The man grinned. "Yeah. Zak is the Security Chief now. He's the one who's going to have to help you."

"No problem – I know him too. We'll wait here or go where you tell us."

The man nodded and pressed his link, calling in to the office. Anakin asked quietly, "What's that?"

Harry replied, "It's a comm-link. It's a small radio and receiver which allows the staff on the space station to communicate with each other. The computer receives the call and routes it. It makes instant communication throughout the station possible – quite necessary with a quarter of a million people that are usually on station at any one time. In an emergency, it also acts as a locator. It has a genetic bonding that attached to the back of the hand."

Anakin's and Ahsoka's eyes widened. "Wow. I wonder why we've never thought of that at the temple or on large ships. A comm terminal isn't always accessible and regular comms have to be taken out from a pocket or something."

Harry shrugged. "Different places, different tools."

The man had waited until their conversation was finished. "I'll take you to Zak – he's looking forward to seeing you again."

Harry nodded and the group made their way to the Security Office.

As they entered the Security Office, the current chief of Security called out, "Harry Potter of the Extremely Strange History File! Long-time no see!" Zak was grinning.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Hello Zak Allen. I've come to introduce more weirdness to the world."

Zak nodded. "Who are these?" he asked.

Harry considered how to answer that. "Well, for expedience sake, this is Queen Padme Amidala of the Planet Naboo – which you have never heard of I'm sure. This is her husband Anakin and this is Ashoka Tano. She's a Togruta – which I believe you've also never heard of. They are for all intents and purposes her guards."

Zak bowed respectfully to Padme. "Welcome, Your Highness."

Padme rolled her eyes. "You can just call me Padme. Besides, I've given up being Queen and am now a Galactic Senator. I don't know why he insists on repeating that."

With a smile Harry said, "Once a Queen, always a Queen. And it gives you diplomatic status, which allows your 'guards' to keep their weapons. Otherwise they'd have to turn them over until they left the station."

At that Zak became alert. "Weapons? What kind of weapons?"

Harry motioned to the two and said, "Show him."

Ahsoka and Anakin looked at each other and Ahsoka shrugged. The two withdrew their lightsabers (Ahsoka only took out one) and they lit them. Zak's eyes widened.

"Woah! Swords of light! You see something new everyday. How dangerous are they?" he asked.

Anakin replied, "In the proper hands, very dangerous: They can cut through almost anything. But we give promise to keep them put away unless we are threatened by outside forces."

Zak appeared to consider that. "If it was just some random stranger, I'd be more leery. But I know you're a good guy and trustworthy. Still, I'll have to consult Captain Lochley and maybe Garibaldi or even the President."

Harry shrugged. "As I've come to see Ambassador Delenn, I figure she'll be pretty close to wherever Sheridan is."

Zak grinned. "Yeah, you could assume that, especially considering they're married now."

Harry was delighted. "Really? That's a welcome surprise. The sexual tension between them was nauseating."

"Oh yeah. We threw them a big bash when they came back from Earth at the end of the civil war. You shoulda' been there."

"I'd love to have seen it."

"I guess I can just call them – it'll be faster." Zak went over to the wall and pulled up a screen on four different monitors. "Fill these applications out and I'll give you temporary identicards. If Sheridan gives the okay, I'll make them permanent."

Harry concentrated and remade the identicard that had been created for him on his previous visit. He pulled it out of his back pocket. "I already have one – it that will make it easier." He concentrated and magically created documents from thin air for his companions and pulled them from the inside pocket of his jacket. "And these are their papers even if you don't recognize their planets of origin – they are accurate."

It was very convenient being a God of Knowledge.

Zak quickly accepted the documents which showed their origins, current residence, current positions, and other personal info. "These will work." He handed each visitor the papers which Harry had handed him. "These are for you, Padme Amidala of," he glanced at the papers to make certain, "Naboo. Species Human." He pulled the next. "Ahsoka Tano of … Shili? Species Togruta." Ahsoka took these and looked at them curiously. She immediately noted that they had more information about her origins than even she was aware of. "And Anakin Skywalker, Species Human, of Tatooine." He pronounced it wrong.

"That's pronounced Tatoo-een," he said with as a smile as he took the papers.

Zak nodded. "Fill out those applications, make sure the information matches and we'll be all set." He took Harry's card and entered it into the system as him being present on the station and then handed it back.

After the three started entering in their information, Zak asked Harry, "Anything to declare?"

"Like what?"

Zak shrugged. "Off-world foodstuffs, items of extreme value in case they get stolen, anything like that."

Harry nodded and pulled out his shrunken case from Gringotts. "Don't freak out." He tapped it and it expanded out.

Zak's eyes were wide. "Damn! How'd you do that?"

Harry replied, "Er. Advanced Tech?"

Zak shook his head. "No way that was tech – if there was tech like that we'd never be able to control smuggling."

Harry chuckled. "True. It's really magic. But if anyone asks – proprietary technology. Just don't tell anyone."

"Are you kidding?" Zak asked with some disdain. "If word got out that someone could move thing by making them really tiny you'd get tagged by every perp who saw you. My lips are sealed."

Harry nodded appreciatively. He opened his case and turned it. Zak's eyes widened. "How much is that?"

"5 Kilos or 160.75 Troy ounces of gold, 5 Kilos of silver, 20 diamonds of various carats, 20 rubies, 20 emeralds, and 20 sapphires, all flawless or nearly flawless, all at least 1 carat each. I'll be setting these folks up to live in this world for a few years and brought things that could be converted to currency quite easily." Harry had, after consideration, added a gem order to his order for gold and silver. Goblins sold them, compared to most humans, quiet cheaply and they sold only the highest qualities. It had cost a chunk of his account, but not enough to deplete the principle in any way.

Zak was still entranced. "Yeah – I know people who would kill whole groups of people to get their hands on stuff like this. I'll list them as unspecified numbers and make it eyes-only. You really don't need the extra attention."

"I appreciate that," Harry replied. He quickly shrunk the case and returned it to his pocket.

After his fellow travelers had finished Zak reviewed the applications, matched them with documents, copied them digitally and then presented each with identicards. Once everything was set, Zak hit his link. "President Sheridan."

"Yes, Zak? What is it?" the group heard the voice through the small device.

"I have a group of people here at security and … well, they're diplomatic visitors rather than anything else. I need to get your input as they came to see Ambassador Delenn," he calmly explained.

The question came back, "Do I know them?"

Zak's amusement was obvious, "You'll recognize one of them – someone who helped us a bit in the past. The others are new."

After a pause the voice came through, "Well, bring to my office."

"Roger wilco. Link Off."

Ahsoka asked, "Who is Roger Wilco?"

As the group followed Zak, Harry said, "It's an old-style system from the early days of radio on our home planet. Roger was used for 'R', short for received. Wilco meant 'I will comply'. Back then, short messages made air communication much easier as long as they were clear over any noise in the background."

The two looked dubious but accepted the random explanation.

Zak led the group all the way to an area he hadn't seen before, which he was told was the new office for the President of the Alliance. As they passed into the door, the man Harry recognized looked up. As he saw Harry, after a pause, his face lit up in recognition as he stood. "Harry Potter! Wow! We haven't seen you in two years. How have you been?" Sheridan put out his hand as Harry approached the desk.

"President Sheridan. It's good to see you as well. I'm fine – it's been a bit longer than a couple of years for me. How are you and how is your new wife?"

"We're well," he replied with a smile as he returned to his seat. "What brings you back to B5?"

"Well, I wanted to request something of Delenn in her role as head of the Rangers. She still is in charge of the Rangers, right?"

Sheridan nodded. "They're now a part of the Alliance. They work with the different governments to help combat piracy, troubleshoot problem areas, help humanitarian efforts, and as needed help protect or defend those that are deemed under immediate threat when the Alliance determines there is sufficient need."

Harry nodded. "And are they still all Minbari or Human?"

"We've recently opened membership to all races. That's still getting underway."

Harry sighed in relief. It was as other universes were. "Good." He hadn't run into too many "post-civil war" universes but he had a vague understanding and this reflected it.

"Anyway, I've brought these here because at least two of them, I believe, would find true value in training and operating as Rangers for a few years. I want to sponsor them. I'll have to take them back to their own universe after a while, but it will be after certain issues are resolved. They have experience as part of a group that is similar in role but far different in philosophy. I think them learning a different way might be useful."

Sheridan said, "Hello. My name is John Sheridan and I am the elected President of the recently created Interstellar Alliance. Welcome to Babylon 5."

Padme too the lead and said, "Thank you. Would you like introductions or should we wait for your wife?"

Sheridan chuckled. "We can wait for her – I'll call her." He turned to Zak. "I'll take it from here. I'll get them to someone who can get them settled when we're done."

Zak nodded. "Just let me know if you need help, Mr. President." Zak quickly left.

The President called for Delenn. She would be there in 1 few minutes.

He could use divine power to gather intelligence but preferred to act as a regular wizard where possible. "A question." And Harry became serious. "What about Susan Ivanova and Marcus Cole?"

Sheridan was curious. "Why do you ask?"

"Because in a few universes one or the other die during the civil war."

"They had a close call or two. During the fight with Clark's Shadow Omegas they were hit by debris but somehow they kept their heads and she ordered a thruster push which minimized the damage. That was the closest. They did get together – they got together …," Sheridan paused and then finished, "they got together last year early in the year. She was going to ignore his interest," and at this Sheridan's voice became more intense, "but something you said when you visited clicker with her and she decided to give it a try."

Harry grinned. "Susan was always a favorite in any universe I met her. She survives in most universes but often because of some heroic, fatal sacrifice from Cole which ends up pissing her off and turning her off of romance. I'm glad it worked."

"She's still quite the dragon but she's been pretty happy," Sheridan said.

Harry paused. "Wait. If she's survived and is happy, why isn't she running the station since you got your new position?"

"At the end of the war, during the negotiations we worked it out that the Alliance would center here but still be run by Earthforce. Susan didn't want to work under a new Commanding Officer. Even though I promoted her to Captain, she might have had to work for someone who would try to punish her for her role in the war. So Delenn asked her to be the run the operational side of the Rangers. Her new rank is Commodore."

"Less than an admiral but more than a Captain. That works."

"She refused any rank which would keep her from actually going out with the fleet," Sheridan said ruefully. "Admirals and Generals are desk positions really, even if they occasionally see action. Even then they usually lead from behind – not her style."

"You're talking to the country which created the Commodore rank – I understand."

At that, Delenn walked into the room. Everyone stood up. She lit up at seeing Harry. "Mr. Potter! Welcome back!"

Harry nodded. "Thank you." He half turned and said, "Ambassador Delenn and President Sheridan, I would like to introduce," Padme rolled her eyes pre-empively, "Padme Amidala, former Queen of Naboo and currently Senator of Naboo to the Galactic Republic from her home galaxy," Padme nodded thankfully, "her husband Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight of the Jedi Order, and, Ashoka Tano, former apprentice to Anakin."

Delenn gave formal greeting even as Anakin and Ahsoka bowed. Anakin commented, "The Force sings with your presence."

Delenn asked curiously, "The Force?"

"The Jedi Order is an order which studies and employs the Force. It is the energy which surrounds all living things, binds them together. As a member of the Jedi Order, I can feel the flows of the Force around me. Your presence shows strongly within the Force."

Delenn replied with some warmth, "Thank you."

Anakin shrugged. "While it is complimentary, my comment was not intended as a compliment – it was an observation."

Delenn nodded briefly with a small smile.

"Padme, Anakin, Ahsoka, I would like to introduce you to President John Sheridan, former Captain of this space station and apparently now President of the Interstellar Alliance, and his wife, Delenn of the House of Mir, former member of the Gray Council, which leads the Minbari people, and current Ambassador to the Interstellar Alliance. She is also En'til'zha – the appointed leader of the Anla-Shok, known in English as the Rangers."