Harry felt the space around him shift as the stargate plucked him out of Elysium. Space warped around him, and he could feel a rush of the unique space-time energy signature wash over his senses. In the blink of an eye, he found himself stepping through the stargate he installed on the moon base of the planet Svoriin.
Once he was out of the event horizon, he came face to face with the newly appointed Director of the newly furnished moon base.
"Marshal Potter. Welcome to Zoria." Director Langarm greeted him with a nod.
"Good day, Director Langarm." Harry nodded and looked around the renewed interior of the base with appreciation. "How goes the base?"
Harry fell in step with the Director of Zoria, overseeing the moon base, which was now turned into a construction yard and housed some of the orbital defence systems protecting the planet Svoriin. The base's strategic location warranted a good warrior to be in charge with a tactical mind. This led Harry to reach out to Alastor Moody. The old auror might've been a Dumbledore loyalist to the bone, but the man was also responsible for training a bunch of good aurors.
Cerberus Langarm was Alastor Moody's recommendation, and Harry stuck with the man once he had the opportunity to work closely with him.
So, Harry had no reservations in giving the man the task of overseeing the operations from Zoria.
"As you know, the base was inoperational for too long. Cut off from the natural resources of Svoriin, the base was all but falling apart. Our construction crew were quite thorough in restoring the life support systems and the overall structure of the base." Director Langarm said as they walked side by side through a long hallway with some of the base personnel passing by.
Harry looked around the base while travelling in an elevator and went down through a see-through glass shaft below the base. Zoria was reclaimed and modified into a construction shipyard for the fleet. It was also the centre coordinating their strategy on Svoriin, clearing out the bugs infesting the planet.
"Update me on the status of the Avalonian."
"It's coming along quite nicely. The elves have been enthusiastic about finishing the dreadnought before the set timeline."
"Uh-huh." Harry snorted. "Their enthusiasm for constructing our ships faster is a problem that has brought me right to your doorstep, Director."
"So, you are here to see the Hammerhead. I gathered that was the case, Marshal Potter." Director Langarm nodded towards the glass section of the elevator shaft, which offered a view of the shipyard beneath the moon base. "There she is – the Hammerhead."
Harry stared out of the glass as the elevator went down and enjoyed the view. The Hammerhead was breathtaking as it was the heaviest armoured dreadnought in the Merlin class ships with the same technical spec as the Spitfire.
The only difference was that the Hammerhead was designed to function as a cargo ship with limited firepower capabilities. Diverting the range and power of the primary cannons into the shield and hyperdrive made it a faster beast despite the heavy armour plating on the ship. It also had fewer fighters in its belly, but it hosted a stargate within the hull, making it capable of sending the crew and the cargo to any stargate across the galaxy.
"Is the Hammerhead mission ready?" Harry asked, never taking his eyes off the armoured beast.
"She is Marshal." Director Langarm admitted. "But we have not run live tests yet because the crew has not yet clocked the minimum time in their training."
"I see." Harry said absently.
"You have something in mind, sir?" Director Langarm asked after casting a long look at Harry.
"There is a diplomatic mission coming in a few days. I was hoping to take the Hammerhead for the mission as we have ruled out any risk of a hostile engagement." said Harry.
"Hmm… I suppose the ship could be properly supplied and ready for its maiden flight in three days. But the crew has not been trained to handle the ship, sir." Director Langarm said after a moment of consideration.
"That's unfortunate. Now, show me the Hammerhead and the Avalonian."
Harry got an in-person tour of the fully built Hammerhead and the currently building Avalonian. Both were Merlin-class dreadnoughts with the same technical specs as the Spitfire, save for the design. He had the opportunity to see the crew working on the construction of the Avalonian up close.
While most of the workers were elves and dwarves, a slew of automation was involved in the shipyard. As he walked along the length of the Hammerhead, Harry found a metal plating with the fleet's sigil getting installed.
The Elysian High Council only recently approved a standard sigil for the fleet.
Suddenly, a familiar sound came from behind.
"The golden Phoenix. That's a nice touch."
Harry turned ever so slightly to see Alastor Moody standing behind him.
"I gathered I might find you here." Harry said, seeing the old auror wobble his way to his side.
Harry noticed Moody's wooden leg was under a silencing charm, keeping it quiet.
"Madam Bones had me look into this facility and the planet Svoriin to see whether there is a viable space for gaining real experience for our new auror recruits."
"Really! Was there no other place? You know the nature of the bugs infesting the planet, right?" Harry shook his head.
"They need some kind of situational awareness training. If they can't handle some wee bugs, what good is an auror?" Alastor said with a scoff.
"Hmm."
Harry didn't agree, as the plan was to create a separate military infrastructure independent of the aurors. The Auror force was supposed to be the policing force within Elysium. They were not supposed to be used as an army. Not only did this overextend the Aurors' duties, but war also demanded instincts that were not conducive to civilian policing.
Moreover, the army had already been formed under his command within the fleet personnel to deal with any hostile enemy ground forces. But this group was not exclusive to wizards. There were muggles and other magical creatures enlisted in the Elysian army, which served as a subdivision under the Elysian fleet.
"Still, the phoenix… brings back some good memories." Alastor said, once again pinning his large, swivelling eye on the golden phoenix etched on the metal plating of the Hammerhead. "Too bad we didn't do much of anything this time around."
"You should've thought of that when your group jumped through hoops set by Dumbledore like brainless monkeys." Harry shot for the jugular, not mincing words in the slightest.
"So, that hit piece delivered by Skeeter… that was your doing." Alastor said after a deep breath. "I thought as much."
Harry merely raised an eyebrow, slightly puzzled, before he realised Rita Skeeter might've gone ahead with publishing the dirty laundry sometime after his departure from Britain.
"The hit piece, as you said, exposed Dumbledore's hidden past while he preached on and on about second chances, releasing murderers, rapists and mad bigots in the society. All of this was paid for by the blood of the innocent and those who trusted the man."
"In war, there'll be casualties on both sides. That is the nature of war, son." Alastor growled.
"Yeah, but the victors will have less blood spilt than the defeated. Was that the case with Dumbledore?" Harry shot back, only to receive silence as his answer.
"I didn't think so." Harry scoffed before walking away from the old auror.
As he left the shipyard, he immediately contacted the Spitfire bridge.
"Marshal Potter."
"Is the ship and the crew ready for the mission?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. I'm on my way."
******
The stars shifted like dust beyond the sleek, shimmering hull of the Spitfire as the ship exited hyperspace.
"Raise the spectrometers and sweep the area for any anomalies and open channels of communication. Let's see whether we pick up something." Harry ordered.
Harry stood on the bridge, arms crossed over his dark coat. The hem brushed against the polished deck as he stared out into the planet below. Magic hummed within him, quiet yet alert. This was a diplomatic mission, the first one in Elysian history with an advanced civilisation if luck was on their side.
Behind him, Officer Parks tapped at a console, bringing up a holographic representation of their destination: Cimmeria, a life-sustaining world protected by the Asgard and long off-limits to the Goa'uld Empire until very recently.
"This will be our first direct contact with the Cimmerians since our deep space probe picked up on a communication signal which led us here." Officer Parks said.
Commander Henri Dumas took over by pulling a chart which showed the energy readings and some long-range photographs taken from their probes of the planet.
"We sent some long-range drones to observe the planet and found the people on the planet living in a medieval culture. And the Asgard—well, they rarely show themselves, but we picked strong energy signatures near the planet, which means they've been here recently."
"And we know the reason why." Officer Parks said before the projected image shifted to show some of the craters left by plasma bolts the size of large meteor strikes on some parts of the planet.
"Cimmeria was under a brief occupation by Goa'uld forces." Commander Henri said. "Our current surveillance indicates this is not the case any longer, and we detected an Asgard ship keeping a watch over this planet. It's our hope to not only make contact with the native population but also establish diplomatic relations with Asgard."
"Now that everyone knows why we're here, let's begin." said Harry.
Harry formed a small team to meet the Cimmerians, and he led it. They took a jumper from the Spitfire's bay and descended into the planet's atmosphere. The planet was rich with nature and almost looked untouched. The skies were clear, and the land was painted with an overwhelming shade of green.
"Sir, our scanners have picked up the presence of an ion cannon near the stargate of this world. It has detected our jumper's entry into the planet's atmosphere." Officer Parks informed them.
"I see. It must be an Asgardian orbital defence weapon. Keep scanning the weapon and find anything we can learn from it." Harry ordered.
"Yes, sir."
The jumper glided through wisps of cloud into the highlands. Morning fog swirled gently around them as they set down in a narrow valley flanked by ancient stone pillars. A few rugged figures in wolf-skin cloaks were already waiting, long spears and axes in hand.
Harry stepped forward, wand secured at his side but not drawn. He gave a slight bow to the people gathering before the jumper.
"My name is Harry Potter from the planet Elysium. We come in peace seeking friendship and trade."
For a moment, the Cimmerians observed silence and engaged in a silent conversation between themselves.
The lead Cimmerian, a broad-shouldered man with grey braids and a fur-lined cloak, regarded him coolly.
"Come. You'll meet the council, and they'll decide what to do."
Harry nodded, a bit grateful that the medieval Viking society here on the planet was not swinging swords and throwing spears before a word was out. He let the crew stay back while he met with Cimmeria's government.
It turns out it was not much of a government or a council; for that matter, it was just two women who supposedly represented the entire planet. One woman had auburn hair and deep blue eyes, while the other was a blonde with brown eyes. He met them inside a cave, of all places. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he saw a couple of rats scurrying off into a cavity in the stone.
"I'm Gairwyn," the blue-eyed woman introduced herself. "…and this is Naereya. We are part of the council that governs our planet."
"My name is Harry Potter, Marshal of the Elysian Fleet. I have come representing the High Council of Elysium in the prospects of establishing diplomatic relations and trade."
"Elysium… We have never heard of it." Gairwyn said with a curious look.
"I'd be surprised if you did." Harry said honestly.
"We have learned in the last few days that we are not the only people among the stars, and many more life-giving worlds exist in the Yggdrasil. The knowledge of the wise ones has shown us many great things." Naereya said almost dreamily.
"The wise ones?" Harry poked.
"You might know them as the Asgard. Thor, the greatest and mightiest of them all, saved us from…"
"Naereya!" Gairwyn hissed.
A bright red colour adorned Naereya's cheeks.
"I apologise… I … I'm not used to all of this…" Naereya stuttered, mortified that she had blurted out what was most likely information not reserved for outsiders to hear.
Gairwyn shook her head and took a deep breath.
"Look, we're not in a position to really trade anything or share anything with outsiders. We have suffered a most devastating attack on our people most recently by…"
"The Goa'uld." Harry guessed. "We gathered that when we saw the giant craters from the sky. We have also run into the Goa'uld in the past and fought against them. Your people are not alone in this, Councilwoman Gairwyn."
"You are enemies of the Goa'uld?" Gairwyn asked hopefully.
"Yes. We have fought against the Goa'uld in the past." Harry said shortly, not expanding on the fact that this particular fighting was very recent and was only confined to a single mining world.
"You… you have?" Naereya asked with wide eyes. "How did you survive?"
"Of course, they must've won because they have the magical chariots of Asgard." Gairwyn said as if that explained everything.
Harry was momentarily confused before he understood what Gairwyn meant.
"We have known of the Asgard, but we have never had the pleasure of meeting them. The Elysian High Council would be most grateful if Cimmeria's ruling council finds it in their good hearts to facilitate such a meeting." Harry made the request, and he could see that his request made the two women uneasy.
"Well, you see, we have only recently been acquainted with the Asgard ourselves. They come and go as they please, and we have no idea when they will return." Gairwyn admitted somewhat warily.
"That's alright. We can instead discuss trade and future cooperation between our two worlds." Harry offered, and from such talks, he hoped to extract some concessions and build trust for the long run.
*******
The trade negotiations were some of the easiest parts of the mission in Cimmeria. The Cimmerians had nothing of value, considering they were an offshoot of early Viking society. They still used a rudimentary barter system for local trade in their markets and barely developed naval transportation to reach further inland or increase their trade volume.
Harry had seen their longships, and they were nothing to be proud of. But he did find some value in buying one to preserve as a museum piece back in Elysium.
The more he interacted with the Cimmerians, Harry realised they had barely even left their continent. But somehow, by luck or misfortune, they met the Tau'ri, Goa'uld and Asgardians.
While the Cimmerians had little to offer or a standard currency to trade for goods, Harry already saw many things of interest in Cimmeria. The natural resources were the first to attract his attention, thanks to the deep, penetrating scans done by jumpers around the planet. The planet had some substantial Naquadah deposits spread out in its western hemisphere. There were other massive metal deposits like Iron, Gold, and Silver in many parts of the planet waiting to be extracted.
Harry formulated an agreement which allowed Elysium to take a lease of the lands where deposits of vital natural resources were found in return for payment in grians, the newly adopted currency of Elysium. Using Elysian grians, essentially a gold currency, the Cimmerians could buy anything Elysium offered to sell.
This was the primary deal they mutually agreed upon.
Since the Cimmerians were about to experience winter and their crops were destroyed in the Goa'ud invasion, they were interested in restocking their food supply. To this effect, Gairwyn offered to lease two silver and iron mines for three decades as a first step in their new trade pact.
In return, Harry offered to pay the Cimmerians the sum total of a hundred thousand grians. The Cimmerians were quite offended when he could only cough up less than half the promised coin. However, he explained to them the concept of debt, and he had a couple of things the Cimmerians wanted in hand.
Harry supplied them with a limited amount of wheat, rice, powdered spices, and some fruits to tide them over any urgent food crisis felt among the populace. He had the foresight to already arrange for some extra supplies just in case.
"I can have the rest of the promised goods transported within two days. We have a surplus of food supplies back home." Harry promised, just as the last units of food stocks were being transported to Cimmeria from the storage hangar of the Spitfire.
"We shall eagerly await your return from the heavens, Harry Potter." Gairwyn said with a beaming smile.
Harry nodded with a smile while casting one last look at the people gathered by the jumper. Children were actively held back by their elderly from approaching the jumper, but their awe and excitement were clear as day on their faces.
There were many other needs that the Cimmerians needed to regain their bearings. Some of the people were highly superstitious. Some were rightfully wary of any outsiders, especially after the devastating attack from Goa'uld forces. It also didn't go unnoticed that a large portion of Cimmeria's population was malnourished. This was no great find as it was expected of a medieval Viking society.
He made a mental note to bring more medicinal supplies and maybe a better trade delegation to ensnare Cimmeria into a satellite state. Their trade policy was aimed at forcing the Cimmerians to adopt Elysian currency and trade using it for all goods and services. Harry envisioned it wouldn't be long before the Cimmerians adopted the Grian as the official currency of Cimmeria out of sheer practicality.
"Once again, I must thank you for the hospitality you have shown us today. We shall meet again soon with much better prospects and the rest of the promised goods. Till then, I wish you good health." Harry said just before he climbed into the jumper.
But before the doorway sealed itself shut, Harry summoned a condensed ball of magic into the palm of his hand. He took a deep breath and blew into his palm. Flecks of twinkling gold flew out of his palm and showered on the Cimmeria populace. The children were immediately chasing after the storm of glitter while the adults were left mesmerised as their settlement shone like a clear night sky.
Harry settled into his seat only to receive incredulous stares from his subordinates.
"Some theatre is complementary to successful diplomatic relations." Harry said. "Now, let's go."
The jumper's engine hummed with power and took off into the evening sky of the planet, leaving behind an awed audience.
AN:
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