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The New Rebels
By: Tellemicus Sundance
#05: Little Projects and New Training

July 10, 3273 LY
Early morning
Wraith, cargo hold

The steady thrum of the engines sent a faint vibration through the floor panels and wall. So faint that it was barely noticeable. But because he was seated in the cargo bay, the noise wasn't even able to reach him. Instead, it was the sensation of movement that drew his attention more than anything. The feeling that the ship was moving in a spinning manner as it hovered a few meters in the air on its repulsorlifts. If he concentrated too hard on it, Dudley was sure that he'd get motion sickness from the sensation. Thankfully for his pride, he was much more enraptured by the project that was laid out before him on the makeshift workbench that he'd built into this section of the cargo bay wall.

Lying on the bench before him were two weapons that he'd found in the captain's quarters while they'd been searching and cleaning the ship of its previous nefarious owners' effects. One such weapon was a beaten and battered electrostaff, one he recognized from the Clone Wars TV show. The other weapon was an old DC-15A blaster from the Clone Wars as well. However out of date these weapons seemed to be, to Dudley they could be the start of a new weapon idea he'd conceived in a dream last night.

With a hissing noise, the door to the cargo bay whisked open and a familiar scent wafted inside. Hard as it was to believe, Dudley had found that Ezra had been correct those weeks ago when he claimed that a person really could become used to it. Most assuredly not like it, but used to it enough that you no longer gagged on reflex when the large Lasat passed by. Of course, if you stuck in tight spaces with him for too long, it was another matter entirely.

"Alright, I'm here, kid," Zeb said, sounding both curious and annoyed at the same time. "What's so important that you interrupted my fun time? You do know what Kanan's making those Loth-rats do right now, right?"

"Yup," Dudley acknowledged, grinning at Zeb's pouting.

As if to accentuate his point, a thudding skid and a faint cry of pain could be heard through the hull's ceiling as either Harry or Ezra landed upon it unsteadily and lost their footing. Today, the two Jedi Padawans were learning how to augment their physical strength and speed with the Force. And to heighten the difficulty a bit, Kanan had made a little game of having them jump between the two hovering and slowly moving starships. Sabine, Chopper, and Zeb had seen what they were doing and had decided to 'help out' by taking potshots at them with stunbolts to 'simulate combat conditions' and for their own amusements.

So, knowing just what kind of fun he was stealing Zeb away from, Dudley did feel a bit guilty as he beckoned the Lasat over to the workbench. "But trust me, with what I wanna do here, I think you'll forgive me since it could be a pretty interesting little project."

Looking down at the two weapons, Zeb raised his brow as he asked, "What's all this for?"

"I want to make a new weapon for myself," Dudley explained. "I want to combine these two to make something that I can use in a melee."

"Why not just use the electrostaff for that?" Zeb asked, eyeing the weapon pointedly. "And why are you asking me? Sabine knows a lot more about mechanics than I do."

"That she does," Dudley nodded in agreement. "But she's got her own projects to work on. Besides, what I've got in mind is something that I think you'd have more experience in than she does. As for why I don't use the electrostaff, I just don't think it'd fit me that much. It's too big, too heavy. And I like to get in close."

"Okay, I can agree with most of that," Zeb said, nodding. "But you still haven't said what you have in mind."

Grinning, Dudley dug into his cargo pants pocket and pulled out a datapad. Powering it up, he quickly brought up his poorly-drawn illustrations of the weapon he'd dreamed of before he handed it over to Zeb for review. Unlike Harry, who only put in the minimum amount of effort needed, Dudley had thrown himself into learning and memorizing the symbols of Aurebesh so he could more easily read galactic writing. He still had trouble with it due to how new he was to it, but he was making remarkable progress nonetheless.

"Some kind of…electro-baton?" Zeb asked as he reviewed the images.

"A transformable blaster rifle that can also become an electro-baton and coated with the lightsaber-resistant materials of the electrostaff," Dudley clarified easily. "That way I can fight in close and long-range, and not have to worry about that damn Inquisitor if I get caught with him."

"A very interesting idea indeed," Zeb said, grinning slightly as he saw the merits of it. Handing the datapad back to the boy, he turned to the weapons they had available. "Okay, you've definitely gotten my attention now. Let's see what we can make of these things."

He was…dreaming. In his dream, he was a Wizard who was feeling unusually excited. Seated at the head of a grand table within his most useful but annoying underling's manor, he gazed around the table at the dozen other Wizards who were gathered here on this lovely dark night. The atmosphere was one of repressed eagerness and dark desire. Coiled lovingly around his ankles was his dearly beloved, enjoying the warmth of his body and skin as only she was allowed to feel. The source of his present and unexpected joy was the blonde Wizard he easily recognized seated nearby him.

"—convinced Fudge to send her to Hogwarts so she could usurp it from Dumbledore," the man was saying, a look of repressed satisfaction on his face. "I apologize for not informing you sooner, my Lord, but the fool has been unusually tight-lipped about this scheme of his."

"Indeed," he purred out in agreement. "Clearly, he was fearful of others learning of the full extent of his schemes and telling Dumbledore. Now that she's there, there's nothing the old fool can do about it."

"I have already informed my son to support her endeavors in whatever manner he can," the man continued. "He has assured me that he will get all of Slytherin House to aid him as well."

"See to it, Lucius," he ordered in a rather pleasant voice, for once pleased with his underling's forethought. "I want Dumbledore out of Hogwarts and away from his last remaining position of power. Also, encourage Fudge to begin providing her with increasing power over the staff, faculty, and students. The woman is vile and vain, she will quickly be able to expose any and all of the supporters Dumbledore and Potter might still have remaining among them."

"It will be done, my Lord," Lucius Malfoy said, sending him a deep nod in substitute for a bow.

"Now, tell me," he said, his good mood quickly turning dark as he forced his expression into cold neutrality. "What of the boy? Has Dumbledore found Potter? Has the boy resurfaced to attend school?"

There was a long, stressful silence as the various Wizards looked amongst each other, clearly waiting for someone to say something. Just as his short span of patience was about to expire, Greengrass spoke up, "There has been no word, my Lord. Whatever has happened to him or wherever he has gone, the Potter boy continues to elude all detection. The last I have heard, Dumbledore, the Ministry, the Unspeakables, and the Goblins all could find no trace of him. It is like the boy has vanished off the face of the world, completely."

Conflicting emotions surged through him at this news. Unbridled joy that his most hated enemy was nowhere to be found. This hinted at the possibility that the boy truly had managed to get himself killed somehow. Yet also a fury so hot, it nearly caused him to slip and allow a burst of accidental magic to escape. But he clamped down on his wrath at the thought that he wouldn't be the one responsible for killing the boy at long last. No, the boy was still alive. He was sure of it. The boy was tenacious and arrogant, like his parents. He was still out there, somewhere.

Thinking logically, he guessed that the boy was somewhere far beyond the detection range of the spells that had been used to locate him. The Americas, the Far East, and even southern Africa were strong probabilities for where he could be hiding, if indeed he had struck out on his own. He wouldn't put it past the boy, he had an ambitious drive and power identical to his own. With his own triumphant rebirth and the humiliation he'd forced the boy to endure, it would make sense that he'd run off to find new magic and better instructors than what was available in Great Britain or even Wizarding Europe.

"I want the boy found," he hissed out, lowly, dangerously.

"I already have the best of the Unspeakables on the case, my Lord," Lucius quickly said, trying to assuage his master's growing ire. "I believe they are presently working on some new magic or spell that will increase their Trace range substantially. It is only a matter of time."

Eyes glowing with repressed fury, he didn't speak for several long moments as he gazed around the room and at each of his underlings. Finally, he closed his eyes and took a long, slow breath, his anger slowly dissipating. "Very well. Keep me updated on the matter. Now, tell me, what progress has been made with the Giants…" Words started to get muffled, colors bled, darkness started creeping across his vision, and a burning pain in his forehead became noticeable.

Eyes opening, Harry Potter stared blankly up at the dark interior of the room he now called his own. The warmth that was seeping down his brow and into his eye told him what he already knew, that his scar was bleeding. Thankfully, the pain was already starting to leave, leaving nothing but a fresh wound and burning warmth within it.

Haven, Lothal
July 18, 3273 LY

It was a dark, restless surge that awoke him. At first, he wasn't entirely sure whether he'd dreamed or imagined it. He had tried to return to sleep, but it was close enough to dawn and his mind was now awake, so he found himself just lying on his bunk futilely for several long minutes, waiting for sleep to reclaim him. Sadly, it was for naught. Sighing, Kanan slid himself out of his bunk and pulled on a fresh pair of pants and boots. After quickly strapping his gun and belt on, he quietly made his way out of his cabin and toward the exit.

Stepping out into the cool night air, Kanan let out a sigh of contentment as he gazed around the landscape. They were presently hidden within a large region of rock spires and jagged canyons in the deep south of the planet, notably on the opposite side of the planet from where Capital City was located. Hidden among the spires was a small village of simple huts and small businesses, most of which were only visible because of moonlight. This place was called Haven, which he, the crew, and the inhabitants that they'd saved from Imperial oppression and persecution had built in the last few months. A small shard of paradise for people who wanted to live free. But such freedom came with a strong dose of paranoia, forcing the inhabitants to hide all sources of light during the night, which could attract Imperial gazes.

Looking over to the side, he spotted the now-familiar hulk of the Wraith nestled up against the Ghost's flank, their two nearest airlocks conjoined to provide easy access between the two ships. Even in the dark of night, the new paintjob the Wraith now sported was quite noticeable. When the kids had brought it home, it had been an ugly combination of black and rusty gray with a prominent cracked heart in black. But now, all of the rusted panels had been replaced or treated. Bad wiring and shoddy repairs were upgraded and the new installations had been made to bring the ship closer to the Ghost in terms of combat effectiveness.

Despite all that, the part that the kids had all greatly enjoyed was watching or helping Sabine repaint it. The original black was replaced by a simple gray. Along the entire cockpit and the bow sections of the ship was a large, stylized rendition of what Sabine claimed (and Ezra supported) was a snarling orange loth-wolf. Upon the cargo compartment on the portside of the ship, there was also an even more stylized rendition of the starbird that Sabine loved to paint. She had painted that symbol in such a clever way that unless you knew what you were seeing, you wouldn't know what it was.

As he was turning to go and find a secluded spot for some early morning meditation, movement under the Wraith caught his attention. Focusing on it as he moved silently towards, Kanan soon recognized the huddled form to be that of young Harry, slumped down under the Wraith with his back against one of the landing struts. He was holding his head in his heads, soft trembling in his shoulders and the strong reverberations he was emitting through the Force told Kanan all he needed to know.

"Hey," he called out softly. The boy flinched slightly in surprise before he turned his gaze up towards the elder man. Moving in front of the boy, he knelt down as he gazed calmly into suspiciously red and wet eyes. "You okay, Harry?"

The boy remained silent for a moment before he shook his head and buried his face into his hands again. Knowing that the boy wasn't willing to be the first one to speak, Kanan sat down full and reached to rest a hand gently on Harry's shoulder. "You can talk to me, Harry. You know that, right? You can talk to all of us. We'll listen and help as much as we can, as much as you'll let us. You just have to open up, just a little."

Harry glanced up at him again before he let out a low sigh. "I had a…nightmare. It was about…that Dark Lord I told you about."

Sensing Harry's erratic emotions, Kanan had a good idea of what this 'nightmare' actually was. But instead, he asked, "What happened in it?"

"I saw him, speaking to his inner circle," Harry said gently, hesitantly, as though he were ready to stop talk at even the slightest sign of disbelief or negativity. "He was making plans about how to attack my school's Headmaster, the one of the few Wizards he's ever feared. He also spoke of the Minister of Magic as though he were aiding them in bringing down the Headmaster."

"…That wasn't all there was to it, was there?" Kanan probed gently.

"That's all that mattered," Harry said stiffly, hiding his face again.

The two of them were silent for a long moment, caught up in their own thoughts. Harry's mind was filled with horrible possibilities of 'what ifs' and what he'd find if he didn't get home quickly. Kanan was thinking much more logically, trying to puzzle out this mysterious Dark Lord's motives and what actions might be taken by him. Much to his great dismay, he was finding himself comparing this Dark Lord to Palpatine on a number of similarities.

"It's frustrating, isn't it?" Kanan asked rhetorically, earning Harry's attention quickly. "Knowing something's bad is going on, or about to happen to, to people you care about, but being unable to do anything to stop it." His eyes glazed over slightly as bad memories from fifteen years earlier started resurfacing from where he'd buried them. "Hearing about how people you've known and cared for like family are suddenly being hunted down or imprisoned and tortured for crimes they weren't even guilty of committing. You hear about it everywhere, but are either too far away, too weak, or too young to be able to do anything to help." Shaking the memories from his mind and forcefully returning himself back to the present, he found Harry's undivided attention focused on him. "Times like those are the absolute worst, where you realize just how weak, inexperienced, or ignorant you truly are. Where your mind will constantly conjure up horrible images and 'what if' scenarios, which only adds to the stress, anger, and fear you feel."

With obvious reluctance and some clear surprise on his expression, Harry nodded in agreement to Kanan's statement. After a moment, his expression darkened again as he lowered his gaze. "…I feel so…useless… I try and try to work on your training, to learn what you have to teach me, but…I don't think I'm cut out for Jedi training anymore… Lightsaber training with Ezra and you is fun, but not Force training. But Voldemort knows far more magic than I do, so I really need something that will throw him off. Lightsabers would surprise him, but only briefly… I'm sorry for wasting your time, Kanan."

"Harry, there's still so much you haven't learned and you've made remarkable progress for as little time in your training as you've already had," Kanan said reassuringly.

"I know, but…" Harry uttered, clearly still weighed down. "I keeping trying, but…"

"That's your first mistake, Harry," Kanan interrupted, earning a confused look from the boy. "There's an old Jedi saying for times like that. 'Do or do not. There is no try.'"

"…I think I've heard that somewhere before," Harry said, looking thoughtful. And it was an entirely honest expression. He had heard it from somewhere, but he didn't remember where or how, especially since he wasn't a Star Wars fanatic like Dudley. Returning his attention to Kanan, he asked, "Sorry, but what's it mean anyway?"

"Don't worry, until recently I didn't understand it fully either," the Jedi said grinning slightly. "It means that as long as you don't believe you can succeed, then you won't succeed. But if you stop doubting yourself and just do it, it will happen. It's all about the power of belief."

Seeing Harry's thoughtful look, he added, "Belief is a powerful concept, Harry. For example, I'm betting that when you first started learning how to use your magic at your school, you weren't all that good at it. And the magic you did perform, either came in chaotic bursts or substandard to the average. But once you became more comfortable with how it worked and saw some credible results, your magic probably started improving in leaps and bounds, right?" At Harry's surprised nod, he finished with, "That is the power of belief, Harry. You started out not truly believing you could succeed. But once you saw that it was possible and started believing more in yourself, things started getting better and easier for you. Do or do not. There is no try."

"I…understand…I think," Harry said, looking back down as his thoughts surged, mind racing at lightspeed.

After giving a moment for his student to think, Kanan stood up and stretched slightly, relieving tension within his muscles that had tensed up during the conversation. His movement attracted Harry's attention, who he beckoned to accompany him. "Come on, Harry. Let's get a bit of meditation in before the others start waking up." With a much more thoughtful and less anxious air about him, Harry nodded in agreement, rising to follow his master.

Noon

With his hands holding steady on the controls, Harry gently guided the Wraith through the air, eyes closed as he reached out into the Force, searching. Beside him, Kanan sat in the copilot seat, his attention bouncing between helping the boy pilot through the winding canyon they were in and studying his pupil as he trained.

This little exercise they were on was something that Hera had actually come up with this morning. Somehow, over the course of breakfast, Kanan had let it slip that Harry wasn't as open and trusting in the Force as he could be. Which was why the boy's sensory abilities weren't all that good. Upon hearing this, Hera had immediately come up with the idea of a little game of hide 'n seek between him and Ezra. The idle suggestion had quickly sparked an inspiration in Kanan, which was how they got here. Ezra had gone ahead, piloting the Phantom as he let out small bursts of his Force presence at random times and places, while Kanan stayed with Harry to help coach him.

Sensing his student starting to withdraw, Kanan spoke up, "You're doing it again, Harry. You're closing yourself to the Force again. You have to be open, trusting. Have faith that it'll lead you right."

Opening his eyes in annoyance, Harry shot the man a slight glare, "Hey, I bet even you had trouble with this when you were younger! Get off my back!"

Quirking an eyebrow at the boy's temper, Kanan didn't answer, just letting the boy fume in silence for a few moments before he returned his attention back to flying. "You're impatient and hot-tempered today. Relax, calm down. You won't make a meaningful connection if you keep your anger and fear bottled up like that."

"I know!" the boy growled out. "I know! I'm just…" he stalled for a moment as he guided the Wraith slowly around a sharp corner. Breathing a heavy sigh, he continued, "I'm sorry. That dream I had…That nightmare, it's just bugging me all day. I can't stop thinking about it."

"Well, I can't do anything about that," Kanan admitted softly, frowning. "But I strongly recommend you learn to keep yourself focused in the present, here and now. Because, in case you haven't noticed, there's a dead end ahead of us."

Blinking, Harry looked up and frantically pulled back on the controls, pulling the Wraith into a sharp climb. While he managed to avoid crashing into the cliff, the entire ship shuddered as the lower engines armor scraped the passing rocks. After gaining some altitude, Harry leveled out and brought the ship into a hover.

Seeing Harry struggling to get his emotions under control again, Kanan reached and flicked on the comm. "Ezra, rendezvous with us. We're gonna take a short break."

"Sure thing, Master," Ezra drawled out, sounding a little put-out. He'd been enjoying himself a fair bit during this exercise, leading Harry in circles and into a bunch of dead-ends.

Near Kothar, Lothal
July 21, 3273 LY

"One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six!" Kanan barked, accenting each word with a strike of his blade.

Ezra backpedaled as he followed the kata, blocking each of his master's strikes with some difficulty. No matter how much training he's been put through, Ezra just couldn't quite get over the strange feel of the lightsaber blades pulling each other towards itself. To pull his blade away required almost as much strength as the amount needed to swing it in the first place. Needless to say, after only a few minutes of these exercises, his arms were already burning, and he was panting from exertion. His only consolation was that he was apparently doing a better job at this then his fellow student.

Off to the side, Harry was undergoing the same exercise with Dudley for a partner. The only real difference there was that instead of a lightsaber, Dudley was wielding that bizarre new transforming baton-rifle of his. With the lightsaber-resistant metals and electrical discharges it could emit on contact, the baton-rifle was proving itself to be a formidable weapon indeed. As was demonstrated yet again when Dudley managed to power through Harry's failing defenses and strike him with the conductor vanes. Harry let out a pained cry as he was repelled backwards from the near-explosive discharge.

His fall was accompanied by raucous laughter from Zeb and C1-10P who were standing in the shade of the Ghost, watching the training session from a safe distance. "That's it, boy! Use your body to block the hits! Bwahahahaha!"

Harry sent the large Lasat an angry glare, which was went completely ignored. Climbing to his feet, Harry shifted his glare back to his smirking cousin. He could already guess just how much Dudley was enjoying this. Being able to use his newly-built weapon to beat down on Harry, which he would no doubt brag about for months (if not years) to come.

"What's the matter, Harry?" Dudley asked in an almost innocent voice, though his grin did not waver in the least. "Is the ZD-1 too much for you handle?"

Growling angrily, Harry hefted up and twirled his lightsaber for a moment before igniting the second blade. Seeing the obvious seriousness of Harry's unspoken challenge, Dudley hefted up the ZD-1 in a defensive posture as he prepared to receive the assault. He certainly didn't have to wait long as Harry immediately charged forward, twirling and spinning the saberstaff in a blue of energy to try and confuse Dudley. However, Dudley managed to block one of the blades, which brought his speedy assault to a halt.

Pressing forward with all his strength, Harry tried to overpower Dudley. But Dudley had always been larger and stronger than him, which he now used to his advantage here. Pushing back, he forced Harry backward, with Harry digging slight trails in the dirt under his boots as he tried to fight back.

Frowning at what he was seeing, Zeb crossed his arms as he called out, "You've got two blades, Harry! Use them!"

But Harry ignored the Lasat, finally backing away and swinging his saberstaff towards Dudley. Dudley had been caught by momentary surprise at Harry's fast retreat, stumbling forward awkwardly and just barely fumbling to get his weapon up in defense. Though he managed to block the saber blade, the same blow knocked his weapon to the side and had him stumbling backwards in retreat. Unwilling to let his cousin get away, Harry pressed forward, swinging and hammering at Dudley's weapon, constantly knocking it aside as he sought to create an opening long enough for him to deliver a decisive strike.

"Two blades, Harry!" Zeb was yelling angrily. "Do you even know how to use them?!"

Again, Harry ignored Zeb as he finally managed to knock Dudley completely off his feet. Stalking forward, Harry brought his saberstaff up to deal the final blow. But the split second before he could, Dudley managed to roll onto his side closest to Harry, bringing the ZD-1 up into a jab. Yet again, the electrical baton repelled him, sending jolts and sparks through his body as he came to a skidding halt at Zeb's feet as his saberstaff deactivated and rolled from his hands.

"This wouldn't have happened if you'd listened to me, boy!" Zeb growled, glaring down at him with obvious disappointment.

"What would you know about training or fighting with lightsabers?" Harry demanded challengingly, as he rolled over and pushed himself back to his feet.

"I don't need to know about lightsabers to know how to fight with staff weapons," Zeb rebuked, grabbing his bo-rifle and extending it into its staff configuration.

"That's a great idea, Zeb!" Kanan called, earning the trio's attention. Kanan and Ezra both stood to the side, their lightsabers down, having clearly witnessed a large portion of the impromptu fight between the cousins.

"What is, Kanan?" Zeb asked as he retracted and holstered his bo-rifle.

"Why don't you give Harry here some lessons in staff fighting?" Kanan clarified, earning surprised gazes from everyone. "I don't know anything beyond the mere basics and Harry's going to need all the help he can get to learn how to master that weapon."

"What?! Are you serious, Kanan?!" Zeb immediately complained. While he didn't necessarily have a problem with Harry, he certainly hadn't gone out of his way to get close to the boy just yet. The boy was just too quiet and closed off, a lot like Sabine in that regard. And if the boy's budding temper was anything to go on, teaching him proper bo-staff techniques would be as fun as scrubbing carbon waste from the ships' engines! "Teaching this little pipsqueak will be like trying to disarm a mine!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, quirking an eyebrow dangerously at Zeb.

"See what I mean?!" Zeb said, gesturing towards him meaningfully, which only increased the glare Harry was giving him.

"Then you best hope he's a fast learner, Zeb," Kanan said seriously. "Because we can't afford to have any of us have such obvious weaknesses like that to be exploited while on a mission. So, best get to it. Dudley, I think you're training here is finished. Why don't you go see if Hera has any time to spare for some extra flying lessons?"

"Yes sir!" Dudley chirped, grinning a little perversely at the thought of spending time with Hera as he spun around and raced off to board the Ghost.

"You do realize what you just did to Hera, right?" Ezra asked lowly, watching Dudley run off.

"She'll handle it," Kanan said, though there was a definite note of something resembling amused pity in his voice when he did. Turning back to his student, Kanan held up his lightsaber again, earning Ezra's attention. "Let's go again, Ezra. One!"

And so, training continued.

(Author's Note) It's short I know, and little more than filler at that. But this chapter turned out to be a major burden for me. The reason for this is because this was the last chance I had to introduce some new weapons, conflicts, and whatnot for the Rebels to deal with.

I wanted to show a bit of character growth and time passing. Because the next episode to take place in Rebels is essentially the end of the beginning for the show and their time on Lothal. And I didn't want to jump straight into that mess without at least trying to show how much training and experience the boys have been getting beforehand, so that they suddenly possessing new powers, weapons, and equipment wouldn't just conveniently come out of nowhere. Such as Dudley's new ZD-1 baton-rifle. I was inspired by the Z-6 riot control baton of the First Order for this one. So consider the ZD-1 as a somewhat slapped-together first attempt at creating that weapon by Zeb and Dudley.

Sadly, as you might've guessed, when I tried to create some new training scenes or character development, my mind just came to a screeching halt. This is the best I could come up with. I hope you all can at least try to enjoy and appreciate my attempts at it.

Also, for those of you who are curious, here's a list of the weapons and equipment that the boys will be using.

Dudley's weapons and equipment: Clone Trooper Phase 1 helmet, ZD-1 electro-baton/blaster rifle, DL-18 blaster pistol, and a whipcord launcher gauntlet (left hand) (zipline for scaling heights or capturing prisoners)

Harry's weapons: double-bladed lightsaber, DL-44 heavy blaster pistol