Author's Note: This is really an experiment for me. I've loved Star Wars since I was very, very young, and it's always been something of a goal of mine to write a story about it, that runs parallel. I probably will continue this, but I'd love some confirmation that people would actually want that. As the summary details, I do plan for this to expand, right up until Knightfall. So, if you guys want to see more of this, review and tell me, please!
Tharn growled deep in his throat, thrusting his hands into his oversized trousers, only keeping above his slender waist thanks to a tight and tatty old belt. Tharn hated wandering after dark, but he had to. His mother needed him to come and grab something. Then, when he had, she'd decided she hadn't needed him after all. Tharn grumbled under his breath, and took another look upwards. There, sitting serenely in his view, was the Jedi Temple. A gasp of awe left him, as it did every time he saw it. What he wouldn't give to be able to go there every night, rather than back to their hovel, even further into the slums. Tharn was so distracted by this, he barely had time to sense the teenager leaping for his stomach. After an agile side-step, the six year old looked fearfully at the teenager, a freakishly-tall sixteen year old named Jako. Jako was the leader of a gang of thugs, all with different defects. Jako was the tall one and, stepping out from behind a wall, Polan was the strong one, with muscles bulging prematurely from his forearms. Polan was fifteen. From behind Polan, stepped Kelkath, the son of a Mandalorian. Tharn gulped as he saw weapons being pulled. Jako pulled a vibroblade, humming almost tunefully; and Kelkath brought out a blaster. Polan needed no weapons to fight. He could crush Tharn with his bare hands. Tharn brought up his fists in a pathetic attempt at scare-tactics. The boys simply laughed. "Is the little boy gonna hit us?" Jako laughed, as did Polan, though Polan's came out more like an engine of a broken speeder, slow and boring. Kelkath's gaze never left Tharn, and no hint of humour entered his features. "Come on, Jenhawke. We know you've got some credits. Hand 'em over, and we might let you live." Jako shrugged, swirling the vibroblade around in his hand skilfully, "You've got ten seconds." Tharn gulped and shook his head.
"I don't have any credits. Let me go, please!" Tharn almost begged.
"Ten." Oh no...
"Nine." Please...
"Eight." Someone help!
"Seven." I don't have anything!
"Six." Why won't they believe me?
"Five." I don't want to die; not here!
"Four." Not like this...
"Three." I'm only a kid!
"Two," No...
"One." Several things happened at once. Tharn found himself staring at Jako's flying form, as Polan reacted slowly, opening his stupid mouth in confusion. Tharn found himself staring down the barrel of Kelath's blaster, above ten feet away. He saw the boy's finger tensing on the trigger. Nothing I can do to stop it now... Tharn closed his eyes and readied himself. He heard the shot and then... A humming noise. The vibroblade? No, it sounded different. The blaster bolt hadn't hit him. He was alive. When he opened his eyes, he saw a figure standing next to him. A tall, dark-haired man. That wasn't immediately obvious. What was obvious, however, was the glowing blue lightsaber the man held in his hands. It seemed to illuminate the alley, and the man's face. Kelkath's eyes widened in fear, as Tharn watched the blaster bolt sink harmlessly into the ground, leaving nought but a scorch mark near Kelkath's feet.
"Leave." The Jedi's voice seemed to reverberate around the alley, and Kelkath yanked Jako up and (surprisingly, giving the difference in size) pulled Polan out of the alley too, who had since simply been staring in confusion. Tharn finally jumped away from the Jedi and his lightsaber, eyes full of fear, rather than awe.
"I wasn't doing anything, I promise!" Tharn pleaded, looking at the glowing blade in terror. The Jedi smiled and retracted it, going back into the hilt with a satisfying shlum. Despite the blade no longer being visible, Tharn knew it was seconds away from returning, and could at any point.
"My name is Carli Revos. I think we need to go and see your parents, young one."
"Where's your father?" The Jedi asked, as they wandered back to the bar.
"My mum says he went away." Tharn said, clenching his teeth, "Far away. Can't remember him." Revos was silent for a while, though his face showed nothing. In fact, the Jedi was silent all the way to the bar, where Tharn stepped rather bravely in front of him. "It's a bad place, in there. The men all want to fight, and the women all want to dance, mum says. You don't want to go in."
"Step aside, young one. Your mother is the one at the bar, yes?" Revos knelt before him, smiling kindly. Tharn nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes, sir. Lorna Jenhawke. She's the pretty woman." Tharn said proudly, puffing out his chest. Revos smiled, and wandered aside. The youngster followed. Tharn had been right, the place was a desperately shabby place, seemingly on purpose. Paint and posters barely clung to the wall, and the music playing was torture to the ears. A young one should not be brought up in a place such as this. Revos had sensed the presence of the Force in Tharn. It seemed to flow through him when he was scared. Revos would never reveal it until much later, but it hadn't been him sending the tall boy through the air. Fear is a powerful thing, perhaps too powerful. The boy must learn to control it if he is to succeed. Revos thought to himself, watching the boy plod up to the bar and talk to his mother briefly. The woman was pretty, though her looks had been bruised and devalued by what looked like abuse. Revos frowned a tight frown, and strode over to the woman.
"Miss Lorna Jenhawke?" Revos asked in a small voice.
"Aye? What's it to a Jedi?" She almost spat the final word. Her voice was rough, and her body language seemed hostile.
"Would you mind if we talked somewhere more private?" Revos asked, glancing around at the other patrons, who seemed to have noticed the lightsaber hitched to his belt.
"I wish. Karnan won't give me a minute off, Master Jedi." Lorna's voice seemed resentful, and Revos sighed, glancing down the bar at the man, Karnan was tall, strong and heavily-built. With a discreet wave of his hand, he gave a very clear persuasion to him. He wandered over, and told Lorna: "Have a break, Lorna. Five minutes.", then wandered back to the bar. Lorna blinked and Revos smiled softly.
"Shall we, then?" Revos asked, motioning to the back-room.
"Tharn, stay out here. Mr. Darlmay'll watch ya." She said, before leading him in.
"What concern is of yours, Master Jedi, whether a slum kid gets mugged?" The woman's voice was rather harsh for talking about her own son, but Revos allowed it to pass without verbal judgement.
"It is always the Jedi's concern, when wrongdoing is afoot." Revos explained diplomatically. The woman's harsh gaze softened slightly, but only very slightly.
"Hmph. You'd think you sword-wielding zealots would have betters ways to spend your time, surely?" Lorna asked, eyebrows raised. Revos sensed the intention to infuriate him, but calmed the annoyance he felt at her words.
"I was actually on my way to escort a Senator from the landing pads, a few miles away. Unfortunately, I fear he will have to wait. Where is the boy's father, if I may ask?" Revos asked. Lorna seemed hesitant to answer, but frowned and bit her lip, breaking the hostile exterior.
"Dead, by all accounts." Lorna whispered, as if Tharn might hear somehow, over the racket of the bar, "He was a good man, mind you. Never put a foot wrong."
"What was the man's name?" Revos asked in a soft voice, eyes kind and hands on the table before them.
"Sankell. Sankell Jenhawke." Lorna nodded, lost in a deep, morose moment, "Came from Alderaan, you know?" She asked, looking up at the Jedi with a thoughtful smile. "Wonderful man, he was. Came here, married me... Then we had Tharn, and... Sankell had to find another job to support us. Apparently, that job got him some enemies... He died when Tharn was one year old."
"I am very sorry for the tragic turn of events." Revos said, sincerely.
"Thank you, Master Jedi." Lorna nodded, the harshness gone from her words.
"Your son is... Gifted." Revos finally moved onto the main point of this conversation.
"Gifted? You mean like... You lot? You Jedi?" Lorna asked, looking at him. Her eyes looked... Hopeful.
"Yes, I believe he could be a Jedi. He'd need training, and lots of it, but I believe he is gifted enough with the Force for us to consider admitting him to the Academy." Revos nodded, and watched her reactions. He could feel her hesitance, but also the overwhelming urge for a better life for him.
"Y-Yes. Alright. Take him." Lorna nodded, though she didn't look completely sold.
"I would have to take him in front of the High Council. The earliest that could be is tomorrow. But I can take him with me now, and keep him in my quarters overnight?" Lorna nodded silently, and Revos stood. "He will be safe, I promise."
"Will I ever see him again?" Lorna asked, in a voice that made it painfully obvious she knew the answer.
"It... Is unlikely, though not impossible." Revos watched her again, and she nodded, though her eyes were closed.
"A better life for him, then... Take him."
Master Revos did take Tharn. He was admitted to the Jedi Academy, and went through the various stages of initiation, until finally, he was apprenticed to Master Revos. Tharn had grown into a somewhat handsome boy of fifteen, though he was oblivious to this, of course. The boy had grown up purely, without a hint of temptation. As of now, Tharn was 'meditating' (as he called it) in a cruiser. In reality, the Padawan had fallen asleep after a particularly labouring session of practice. Revos sat in their joint quarters and allowed himself a fond smile, as he watched nothingness travel pass. Tharn had excelled marvellously, and had become better than Revos could ever have imagined. Revos himself wasn't all that tired, but closed his eyes nonetheless. Revos could read Tharn's dreams, see the beautiful image of the worlds they had seen. In just a few years, Tharn had travelled with Revos to several systems, and he'd loved every one of them. The boy had so much wonder inside of him, so much appreciation for every living thing. In truth, a good trait for a Jedi to have. Of course, Tharn had grown up in the slums, and so had a tendency for combat over diplomacy, but this was only of small worry to Revos. Jedi everywhere were the same, Revos reassured himself. Revos heard the doors open, and another, familiar Jedi peek in. With a small smile, Revos motioned for him to wait outside, and went out, so as not to wake the sleeping Tharn.
"Master Dooku." Revos bowed, despite their equality in rank. The only real difference was that Dooku was much older, at seventy-two years old.
"Master Revos. How is our resident learner?" Dooku asked, inclining a small nod to the door.
"I'd assume tired. His dreams are full, anyhow." Revos laughed quietly, "He is putting in a lot of effort."
"As you'd expect from one of his background." Dooku nodded again, in a thoughtful way. "Jenhawke may sleep, though we are needed on the bridge." Dooku told him, and walked with him.
"And how is your former Padawan, Master Dooku? Jinn, I think?" Revos asked, looking at the man.
"He is fine, as far as I know. Currently attempting to negotiate with the Trade Federation, over Naboo. We'll see shortly how his efforts yield."
"Hopefully well. I hear he has his own Padawan?" Revos looked ahead.
"Yes, a boy named Obi-Wan Kenobi. Determined boy, from what I've seen. He should go far." Dooku smiled softly. They walked in silence for a while, through the corridors of the frankly outdated Jedi Cruiser. As they entered the bridge, a smartly dressed officer saluted. Both Dooku and Revos nodded to the man, before speaking.
"This is our stop, I assume?" Revos asked, looking at the planet coming into view.
"Yes, sir." The man also turned, and all three walked towards the viewing window.
"Taris. Brought to the point of destruction thanks to Revan and his companions in the Jedi Civil War. Invaded by the Sith after the destruction of the Endar Spire, and the beginning of the end for Malak." Dooku recounted, looking at the planet, "I don't believe it's ever fully recovered. A dying city."
"And yet so full of hate. You can feel it from here." Revos frowned, and the officer looked at them, somewhat confused. "Then again, a small army of mercenaries will do that to a planet." Finally, Revos turned to the officer, "Prepare a small shuttle. Padawan Jenhawke and I will commute to the planet's surface, while Master Dooku will report our progress back to the Council. We will be unable to contact the ship more than once a day." Revos explained, and the officer nodded. He wandered off, and Dooku looked at Revos.
"Until the next time, old friend. May the Force be with you."
"And with you." Revos nodded to him, before wandering back to their quarters.
When Revos returned, he found Tharn sitting upright on the bed, legs crossed and eyes closed. Now the boy was meditating. Before him, Tharn's lightsaber hovered, de-constructing and reconstructing gracefully. Revos leant against the wall and watched, with a small sense of approval. The boy had mastered the art fairly quickly, and Revos was impressed with his efforts. Tharn snapped awake, and the lightsaber dropped from the air. Revos caught it out of the air, smirking at him. Revos ignited the blade, and looked along the length of the emerald blade. "A sometimes lesser used pigment, you picked for this. Blue is rather quickly becoming the norm, and it seems your choice is dying out. Unfortunate, really. I remember the old stories of black sabers, and yellow sabers. You don't see many of them anymore." Revos chuckled and threw the weapon to Tharn, carefully guiding it into his hand. Tharn smiled softly at the weapon, before clipping it to his belt.
"Is it time, Master?" Tharn asked, securing his various utilities to his belt as he did.
"Yes, it is. Ready yourself and grab your cloak. We don't want to cause a stir as soon as we arrive, you understand." Revos instructed him, as the teenager fixed his robes and braid. Tharn nodded and brought his cloak out from the cabinet by the bedside.
"We are expecting trouble, then?" Tharn asked, forgetting to place the appropriate address at the end. "Master." He hastily added.
"Yes, we are," Revos held back a chuckle, only shaking his head at the Padawan, "But not right away. These mercenaries could prove more dangerous than the Council would assume."
"You doubt their judgement, Master?" Tharn asked, looking at him confusedly.
"I doubt their confidence." Revos answered, attaching his own lightsaber to his belt, "Now, no more of this talk. We have a shuttle ride ahead of us, and I intend to meditate."
The trip to Taris' surface took just over four hours. There was not a word spoken throughout the entire trip, as both Padawan and Master meditated the whole way. When they finally touched down, both opened their eyes to face the darkness of Taris' twilight. Revos stepped out first, boot clinking on the metallic floor. The walkway was abandoned, and Tharn felt his instincts prick. "Something feels wrong, Master." He mumbled, as he stepped out too. Tharn's hand moved lower onto his belt, now brushing the hilt of the weapon with his fingers. Revos placed a hand on his arm.
"Not yet. I sense it too." The words were only a whisper. Revos' hand was also near his lightsaber, though not as close as Tharn's. The superior closed his eyes and tried to search for a clue of what to do next. He opened them just in time, and span around with Tharn, finding themselves facing several armour-clad men. A grim smile appeared on the leader's face.
"Evening, boys. What can we do for two..." The man's eyes roamed to Tharn's belt, "Jedi?" Tharn's hand was almost fully on the hilt now, but Revos gave an almost imperceptible shake of the head.
"We mean no harm. We're only here to investigate claims of a disturbance." Revos said, his voice calm. Both men saw several swords being drawn from scabbards.
"Cortosis-weave," Tharn mumbled, "Obviously this place never did leave the Old Ages." Tharn mumbled quietly to Revos, "But only the weave. It might block, but it won't short us out." Revos gave a small nod, before smiling at the leader.
"A disturbance, you say?" The leader asked, laughing quietly. "Might that be us, Master Jedi?" The man asked, looking as if ready to fight.
"It might be, I suppose. I would prefer to keep this purely diplomatic, if you don't mind." Revos stated, all pretence of a smile gone.
"And if I do mind?"
"Then I'm afraid what happens next is your own fault." Revos gave a quick nod to Tharn, and both men stepped away from each other quickly, igniting their respective lightsabers.
The skirmish began quickly, as both Jedi defended a strike each. Two swordsmen had approached quickly, and the leader had backed off, seemingly content to watch his men fight. Tharn ducked under another swipe, before catching the blade on his own, creating sparks that danced along the metallic floor. Another swordsman looked set to get involved, but Revos managed to prevent him from doing so, with a quick wave of his hand, sending the would-be assaulter flying backwards. Tharn made a mental note to thank him later, before resuming his focus. Tharn span around, striking the floor with his saber, making a glowing-hot mark there. The swordsman looked unsure for a moment, and that was all the Padawan needed. With a quick kick to the chest, the assailant stumbled backwards, and Tharn sliced his saber through the air, bringing the plasma down on the hilt of the sword, slicing it in two. A quick gasp was all that escaped the first swordsman, as Tharn brought a booted foot down on to the man's head, knocking him unconscious.
Revos was still fighting his swordsman at this point, though it wasn't very taxing. Predictable strikes, weak defence and bad footwork rendered the swordsman almost boring, in fact. Revos swept the legs of the man with one of his own, bringing the man to the floor, before stepping on the man's sword hand, forcing him to release the grip. With a flick of his wrist, Revos sent the sword flying into the distance, before swiftly moving his hand through the air. The man got up and ran away screaming. Revos flashed a quick smile, before turning and facing the other men, all of whom were now aiming blasters at them. "They never learn, do they?" Revos asked of his Padawan, who chuckled quietly. When the blaster fire started, the bolts either flew by harmlessly, or were deflected by the Jedi. Slowly but surely, the two Jedi moved closer to the assailants. Soon enough, they were within striking distance. "Tharn... Only kill if necessary." Revos instructed him, despite concentrating on deflecting the blaster fire. Tharn nodded and released his guard, a bolt narrowly missing him. He leapt quickly, landing behind the men. They turned to him, lowering their guard for an instant. Within another instant, two of their blasters had been sliced in half. The four men who remained a threat aimed their blasters once more, though one stopped and gaped in horror and pain as a lightsaber emerged through his midriff. As he fell, the figure of Revos was revealed behind him, looking morose. "I didn't want to do that." He mumbled, before staring down the barrels of three more guns. Quickly and with a brutal efficiency, Tharn sliced each of their torsos, leaving three more corpses laying at their feet. Both men turned at once to the leader, who had backed almost to the end of the walkway, behind him a drop of thousands of feet.
"You Jedi know the history of this place, I assume?" The leader asked, a cocky smirk entering his features, "How Revan crashed his escape pod on this very spot? How he walked these spots countless times on his pursuit of Bastila Shan? You boys know that history?"
"Yes, we do. Come with us." Tharn said, still holding his lightsaber ready.
"With you? A Jedi who hasn't his braid yet? No thanks." The leader chuckled.
"With me, then." Revos said sternly, approaching the man.
"I think I'll still pass." The man grinned, before stepping backwards off the platform. Both Jedi ran to the edge, only to watch the man fall and fall and fall and... Land on a passing speeder. Revos frowned and Tharn growled.
"Now what, Master?" Tharn asked, turning to him.
"Now... We find a place to rest." Revos said, before setting out into a nearby residential tower.
The place they found was a furnished, old apartment with one bed. After only a glance, it was silently agreed that Revos would take the bed, while Tharn slept on the uncomfortable couch. The two sat up for a while, however. They discussed the plans for the next day, and managed to establish a holo-link with the cruiser still in orbit. They informed Master Dooku of their progress (or lack, thereof), and then Revos disappeared to get some supplies for them, as they hadn't eaten yet. Tharn stretched for a while, considering what do with his rare down-time. Revos had said he'd be about an hour, and Tharn had no clue how to spend that time. He decided he'd spend it practising. Pushing all of the furniture to the side of the room using the Force, he reignited his lightsaber, and spend about half an hour twirling and leaping around the thankfully large room, though he gave the room several new scorch and burn marks, though nothing serious. After he was worn out, he moved the furniture back, and pondered on what to do. Biting his lip and running a hand through his brown locks, his eyes wandered across the room. Tharn frowned and plucked his comlink off his belt, before clicking the transmitter, knowing it was paired to Revos'. "Master, could you pick up the trunks before you come back?" Tharn waited a few seconds for the response.
"Yes, I suppose I can." The response came, with a small hint of annoyance. "But you're cooking, then."
"Fine." Tharn agreed, smiling softly. Tharn glanced in the kitchen and smiled softly. There seems to be all the necessary equipment to make a decent meal here. He thought to himself. Tharn decided to meditate until his Master returned.
Revos did return, with a container of supplies, and their trunks. The Jedi struggled to carry it all, but managed somehow. Putting the groceries on the table, he lay their trunks at the foot of the sofa. Inside the grocery containers, Tharn spied some Bantha steaks, non-alcoholic ardees, vegetables and various eating utensils. Tharn frowned, before carrying the container into the kitchen. "Food should be ready in... An hour." Tharn estimated. Revos seemed to approve this, wandering into the lounge, and sitting on the couch. Revos decided to have a night off from his Jedi duties to himself. He wouldn't usually be lax with his rituals, but something unsettled him about the events of the night. Revos felt incredible guilt for killing the man on the street, but he settled himself on the reassurance that the man would have killed Tharn if he hadn't. Still, it troubled the Jedi Master.
While they were eating, the conversation drifted onto the subject of the Jedi Civil War. "So Revan came here?" Tharn asked, looking at Revos.
"Yes. He accompanied one Carth Onasi here, after the Endar Spire was destroyed by the Sith. His objective here was to find and evacuate Jedi Knight Bastila Shan." Revos explained, swallowing a mouthful of Bantha Steak Stew.
"I thought Revan was a Sith?" Tharn asked, blinking.
"He was, until he turned back to the Light. He was a Jedi first, you know? Most are, to be truthful. Most Sith start as Jedi." Revos stated truthfully, then looked at Tharn, who looked somewhat scared. "Don't be scared. It only happens to those corrupt of heart. Plus, the Sith haven't been heard of in more than a millennia. We have nothing to fear, young one." Revos chuckled. The two sat in silence for some time, before they both retired to sleep, waiting for the day before them.