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Sirius Black – The Ebon Hawk – Hephaestus System.

"Emerging from hyperspace, Master," said the mechanical voice of his old friend, as the endless void Sirius had grown so accustomed to vanished completely, giving way to the imposing and colossal shipyard Harry had built in this system.

"It seems my dear godson has been busy," Sirius said with amusement and pride, admiring the imposing station, as well as the colossal fleet stationed around it.

"Station Control is requesting that we identify ourselves, Master. Your orders?" HK asked, and Sirius hurried to answer before his old friend did something stupid.

"Transmit the codes Harry shared with us," Sirius ordered calmly, still lost in the sensation the station radiated.

The Force... the Force dominated this place. Every bolt, every corridor, every corner. Sirius knew the Potters were masters of Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, but it was obvious that Harry was a Savant if he was capable of creating such monstrous Wards as the ones he was sensing.

Somehow, it reminded him of the twisted and cursed Star Forge. Both stations used the Force, but like all magic... Intent was what truly mattered.

Hephaestus Primus, this station... was the industrial heart of Gaia Prime. Sirius could see at least thirty capital ships being constructed simultaneously in the major shipyards, while frigates and cruisers were being assembled in the middle ring, leaving the construction of starfighters and transport vessels to the lower ring.

Like everything else in this galaxy, most things were being assembled or built by droids, millions of them, entire swarms moving throughout the station, giving life to the Emerald Fleet.

"Our ship's records identify this place as Zygerria, not Hephaestus Prime. Should we update the records?" HK asked with something close to curiosity as he looked at Sirius.

The black-haired Force Master simply nodded and answered distractedly.

"Yes. The Zygerrians were conquered, and Harry forced them into evolutionary regression as punishment. They now live as a protected species on a prison world under the Empire's control," Sirius replied, still incredulous at that piece of information.

Oh, it wasn't as though he had any sympathy for them. The conflicts throughout his life had taught him that showing mercy to your enemies was a double-edged sword. It might work out, but it could also come back to bite you later. And judging by his godson's ruthless actions, Harry had no intention of taking any risks.

Something Sirius could understand and even respect, to be honest.

"This is Hephaestus Primus Flight Control. You are cleared to land, Ebon Hawk. An Alpha Priority dock has been assigned to you in the Core. Transmitting coordinates," a female voice said, and HK simply followed the flight path, giving them a front-row tour through the immense station.

"Look at all that firepower, Master..." the droid said with longing and solemnity, watching as one of the capital ships was having an enormous cannon of unknown manufacture installed. Judging by its size alone, its firepower had to be considerable, to say the least.

Sirius looked at the droid with amusement and replied,

"You don't even know what it does, HK," the black-haired wizard answered, making the droid perform a gesture similar to a shrug before replying,

"A metal cylinder with some kind of transparent crystal, being assembled into the spine of a warship... I may not be an engineering or protocol droid, Master, but I recognize a big, powerful weapon when I see one."

And Sirius nodded gracefully, conceding his friend's point, just as they arrived at the Core dock, where a welcoming committee awaited them.

The hangar was enormous, and there was a great deal of activity. Transport ships landed and departed constantly, while Sirius's ship touched down smoothly at the priority dock.

"Well, it's time," Sirius said, prompting HK to nod as the two of them descended from the ship at an unhurried pace. They were in a safe place, after all.

And the moment Sirius set foot on the station... Merlin, it struck him with a wave of nostalgia unlike anything he had ever experienced. The Force and Magic were, in essence, the same thing, but when Sirius had arrived in this place...to feel magic against his skin once more, powerful and alive, Light and Darkness...

For a brief instant, Sirius's weary soul felt... at home. For that moment, he was no longer aboard a Space Station in the middle of an unknown galaxy, in the midst of a political conflict on a galactic scale.

Instead, he was standing in the dusty, primitive streets of Diagon Alley, surrounded by that exquisite scent of butterbeer and old parchment, about to receive his wand...

When everything had been simpler, when everything had been happy.

Merlin, seeing Harry again had been... a stroke of luck and nostalgia.

Sirius's intrusive thoughts were interrupted by a mechanical voice belonging to an Imperial command droid, but what truly caught Sirius's attention was that... spark of magic within her.

"Greetings, Lord Black. I am B1T-CH, commander of the Imperial Intelligence Division in service to His Majesty Emperor Harold, who is awaiting you and your companion in the War Room," the droid said in a mechanical voice, unmistakably feminine, elegant yet deadly.

"Just Sirius, please," he said with a grimace of discomfort at the way the droid had addressed him, but he said nothing more and simply followed her through the hangar.

"Follow me," the droid ordered, turning around and beginning to walk across the landing platform, directly toward the interior of the station.

Along the way, Sirius could do nothing but look around in amazement. The Gothic influence of the magical world was unmistakable, yet everything had been adapted to the galaxy's technological level, an elegant and sophisticated combination in his opinion.

The black columns rose decent of meters into the air, blending Gothic arches from Earth's architecture, but instead of stone, Harry had used polished metal and long bands of green light. Everything gleamed with restrained luxury, without excess, yet every detail had been designed to remind anyone who entered exactly who ruled this place.

It was a... peculiar combination, in his opinion. But one that succeeded in reflecting his godson's power throughout the galaxy.

The former Lord Black looked toward the immense openings overlooking space. Beyond the green energy shield, hundreds of ships entered and departed the shipyard like a perfectly organized swarm, of different sizes, classes, and designs. Some were colossal and massive, loaded with asteroids to feed the enormous shipyard, while others were smaller and highly specialized.

In the end, every single one of them had a designated place within this station and served a specific purpose.

In less time than he would have liked, Sirius reached the central elevator of the landing docks and began his long ascent through the colossal station. The black-haired wizard assumed it would be a silent ride, but apparently Harry's droid had other plans.

"So... you're Sirius," she said in a tone filled with curiosity and disappointment as she looked him up and down, clearly unimpressed.

Sirius looked at her with amusement before nodding slightly.

"I am. I'm surprised Harry has talked about me, to be honest," he said honestly, causing the droid's optical receptors to glow in a variety of colors for a few moments.

"My father tells me everything! I know all about his past! He talks a lot about Hogwarts and about his godson Ted, and also about Holy Terra, his Homeworld!" the droid said in a voice... far too expressive to belong to a machine.

"Holy Terra? As far as I know, our homeworld is called Earth," Sirius said calmly, curious to learn why his home was spoken of with such reverence.

"Oh, our Father also insisted on calling the Sacred World Earth, but after realizing that everyone simply ignored him and kept calling it Holy Terra, he eventually gave up."

Sirius snorted at the notion, preparing to ask another question, when the elevator doors opened once more, revealing the station's famous War Room.

"Bloody hell," HK said as his optical sensors widened and contracted rapidly, as stunned as it was possible for a droid to be, while he and Sirius stared at the sheer immensity of the place.

He had seen command bridges before. He had served aboard cruisers, commercial stations, and orbital fortresses. But this... this was something else. This place had been built for one purpose alone.

To project Power.

The hall was immense. The ceiling disappeared among enormous pillars of metal as black as deep space itself, rising like the columns of an ancient cathedral, while long lines of green light flowed through the dark metal with an almost hypnotic elegance. Everything gleamed with restrained luxury. There were no unnecessary ornaments. Every single piece seemed to be exactly where it was meant to be.

"You've learned well, pup," Sirius whispered to himself as he took his first steps into the imposing hall, focusing his attention on the center of the chamber.

Before him rested an enormous circular command table, metallic and technological, yet the runes glowing softly across its surface were perfectly visible to Sirius, revealing the true nature of the object.

Above it, several holographic planets surrounded by navigation routes floated, military symbols, and thousands of luminous points representing entire fleets. The images rotated slowly, bathing the chamber in a green radiance, while one particular name stood out at the center of the planetary chaos.

"Nul Hutta," he murmured to himself, noticing that every vector converged upon the homeworld of the giant slugs.

Surrounding the holo-table were several chairs, elegant, cold, and uncomfortable, designed so that whoever sat in them would have to remain attentive at all times, a common tactic in England, and one that, apparently, Harry had begun using throughout the galaxy. They were perfectly aligned, awaiting the Fleet Commanders and Field Marshals who would oversee the invasion. At the far end, upon an elevated platform of black marble and metal, rested a single throne. It was neither excessive nor ostentatious. It was elegant, solid, and commanding. Merely looking at it was enough to understand who made the decisions in that place.

Harry's Seat, Sirius thought to himself, with a mixture of pride at his godson's accomplishments and resignation that he had not been at his side while he achieved them.

The enormous arched windows offered an impossible view. To the left, a planet occupied nearly the entire horizon. Hephaestus Prime in all its glory. The deserts that had once dominated the world had vanished completely, and now vast oceans, forests, and grasslands covered much of the planet, one of the Empire's most important worlds.

And one of its most heavily defended as well, Sirius thought, looking toward the right side of the chamber, where a formation of Imperial battleships maintained position in perfect order.

That place imposed a suffocating silence. There was no need for anyone to raise their voice. The walls, the immensity of the hall, and the view of space spoke for themselves.

It was impossible to enter that room without feeling respect.

It was impossible to behold it without having the breath stolen from your lungs.

And Sirius knew that was precisely the purpose of the place.

Harry's Throne was guarded by Eva and Lilith, both clad in their respective suits of armor, powerful and silent, while Harry himself leaned over the war table, and beside him...

"Well... it isn't common to find Chiss in this part of the galaxy," HK remarked as they reached the table and overheard the conversation.

"B1T's intelligence reports indicate that the slugs have been driven practically into bankruptcy and have installed powerful fleet-killer cannons both on the surface of Nul Hutta and on orbital platforms surrounding the planet, twelve in total, and that's not even counting the entire fleet stationed around the world," his godson said as he moved his plans aside and digital projections of the platforms appeared across the table.

The young Chiss clasped his hands behind his back, his cold gaze fixed upon the projection displayed on the table.

"How many ships are we talking about?" he asked.

The Emperor simply shrugged before replying,

"Commander Dariana and Director B1T stopped counting after eight hundred ships, although the overwhelming majority are nothing more than pirate corvettes, little more than target practice for our frigates. The only real threats are the Vagaari Fleet with their battleship, and the Orbital Defense Platforms."

The Chiss nodded calmly, just as Harry raised his head, smiled, and walked toward where Sirius was standing.

"It's good to see you again, mutt," his beloved godson said with a relieved laugh as he pulled him into a firm embrace, a gesture that Lord Black immediately returned.

"The pleasure is mine, godson. I see you've been busy. What's the situation?" he asked as they walked toward the table, taking his place beside his nephew.

Harry sighed and rubbed his face with one hand, the exhaustion on his features more than evident, before replying.

"It won't be as easy as I imagined. The Hutts are expecting us. They've abandoned the rest of their territory to its fate and concentrated their entire species and fleets on Nul Hutta. Intelligence reports indicate that the planet's defenses have been heavily fortified, interestingly enough, with Class-0 planetary technology, produced only in the Inner Ring and accessible solely to the great Oligarchs and Merchants of the galaxy."

Sirius frowned at those numbers. Apparently, the Hutts would not fall nearly as easily as he had thought.

"Then it's obvious that someone within the Republic is interested in keeping Hutt Space well supplied," Sirius said calmly. However, Harry simply shook his head and replied,

"No... this is something else. This technology, the ships, and the mercenaries the Hutts' sponsors have paid for... it makes no sense to waste so many resources on a lost cause..." the Emperor began, only to be interrupted by the young Chiss.

"I believe we are approaching this from the wrong perspective, Emperor Harold. We are efficient, skilled, and intelligent people who seek to optimize resources as much as possible, but the rest of the galaxy does not think the way we do. The Empire sees millions of credits that could be invested in different aspects of the government, whereas the Republic... sees them as credits invested for a single purpose: obtaining information," the blue-skinned young man said, making both Sirius and Harry look at him with intrigue.

Lord Black nodded slightly at those words and replied,

"It's... a very real possibility, to be honest," before looking at Harry and waiting for his response.

His godson remained lost in thought, his gaze entirely fixed upon the projection of the enemy planet. Harry had always been remarkably gifted when it came to planning and scheming, and apparently, today would be no exception.

In complete silence, the Emperor made an elegant gesture with his hand, causing the four Imperial Fleets to move toward four different points around Nul Hutta, at the perfect distance to engage the enemy fleet while remaining completely outside the attack range of the orbital platforms.

"The Imperial Fleets, along with those of our Chiss allies, will advance on Nul Hutta and attack from five different vectors. Thrawn, I want you and Sarina to coordinate an offensive that also serves as a feint. You'll buy us time while I lead a specialized team to infiltrate the enemy stations. If the Hutts are so eager to fight, we'll give them a battle they will never forget," the Emperor declared firmly.

Sirius nodded to himself. It was a solid plan, one that... if successful, would give them control of twelve Imperial platforms, prepared and ready for whatever might be required.

"And now... we come to the most important point of our meeting: our plan," the Emperor said with a heavy sigh.

Sirius frowned, understanding the problem immediately.

"You're worried... that we're underestimating the Hutts' capacity for evil, aren't you, godson?" Sirius asked with extreme caution, making Harry nod gently.

"I am. We'll achieve orbital superiority, of that we have no doubt. Our fleet is infinitely superior. But things on the ground... there are millions of slaves, and B1T wasn't able to gather any information about the surface beyond this image," his godson said tensely, the burden of ruling plainly visible upon his shoulders, just as a particular image appeared in the projection.

It had been taken from the perspective of an astromech droid. It showed what appeared to be... a landing platform, where hundreds of... soldiers stood in formation. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but... the longer one stared at the image, the more... anomalies began to emerge.

Every single soldier appeared... identical, more like droids than sentient beings. They all shared the same height, the same build, and the same posture, and Sirius began to develop a bad feeling.

The Chiss frowned and asked,

"I must admit this image is... unsettling, to say the least. I wasn't aware the Hutts possessed an army of their own. Do you believe they're planning something? Something hidden beneath the dense mists of Nul Hutta?"

"I don't believe it. I'm certain of it, and that's precisely why we must be prepared for whatever we have to do."

Without giving them time to respond, Harry looked directly at the Chiss and ordered,

"Sirius and I will be responsible for disabling and taking control of the orbital platforms. We'll use them to destroy the enemy capital ships before launching an orbital bombardment against the planet's surface. Every Imperial Chapter will then be deployed across the planet in lightning assaults to seize as much territory as possible," the Emperor said solemnly.

Sirius shook his head and interjected.

"It won't be enough, Harry. Nul Hutta isn't Kintan. It's a Fortress World. We can seize control of the wastelands and the smaller settlements, but the great cities and the capital that houses the Council will be fortified to the teeth. We should expect planetary shields and heavy resistance," the old warrior said with complete sincerity.

The Emperor simply nodded solemnly before replying,

"I know, but we can't afford to let the siege drag on for too long... so the moment we lose momentum in our conquest, the Marauder will enter the board, and I'll personally see to it that the Hutt capital is glassed from orbit," the Emperor said, astonishing both the Chiss and Sirius, who could not help but warn him.

"There will be millions of slaves in those cities, Harry... are you truly prepared to give such an order?" Sirius asked solemnly.

"No, I'm not. But the Hutts intend to use them as meat shields against us. Do you really think they'll let them live? Ion charges capable of disabling the slave collars won't penetrate a planetary shield. We both know that," the Emperor replied, and Sirius could not help but acknowledge that he was right.

"I understand your reasoning, but we're planning based on assumptions. I believe we should hold a second meeting during the siege, after we've captured the platforms and have real information about what we're facing," Sirius said, offering his advice with elegance.

Thrawn nodded at Sirius's words and joined the discussion.

"Both perspectives are valid and well founded, but we need more information before making the proper decision."

Harry nodded gently before replying,

"Then let's not waste any time. Thrawn, you're dismissed. I've assigned additional resources to your Fleet, along with a transport for Lady Ar'alani to Gaia Prime so she may begin her duties as the Chiss ambassador to the Empire."

The alien nodded gracefully before leaving the room, leaving Sirius and Harry alone for the first time in decades.

Potter and Black, reunited once again, prepared and ready to wreak havoc upon the Hutts.

"Sirius, I..." the Emperor tried to speak, but Sirius silenced him with a long, warm embrace, one that took his godson completely by surprise.

"You're not alone anymore, son." The older man's words were filled with conviction, determined to give Harry the certainty and reassurance he needed in this moment.

"I appreciate your words, Sirius, but... we need to talk. The Hutts... are searching for the Star Forge, the one you hid together with Master Jedi Bastilla. We have to stop them. I... cannot allow a single ship to escape that planet, and if that means I have to burn away Nul Hutta's atmosphere and everyone in it... I'll give the order without hesitation," his godson said solemnly, silencing and shocking Sirius on the spot.

Who could think of only one thing...

That this mission... had become far more important and far more dangerous than he had expected.