The Descendant – Prologue

Outer-Rim Territories – Thanium Sector

Planet Felucia – Approximately two years before the Battle of Yavin

Exhausted and weak from the battle she had just lost, Maris Brood staggered back to her hut amidst the fungal-like jungle of the planet. Collapsing back first against the exterior wall, she slid to the ground. She looked around the clearing at nothing in particular, her mind forcing her to relive the seemingly endless supply of mistakes she'd made over the past year. Mistakes driven by fear, depression and desperation that had led her to become corrupted by the dark side.

She heard the distinct whine of a star ship's engine and Maris looked up to see a space transport with Imperial markings depart for space. No doubt Senator Organa was on the ship along with Starkiller, that Sith apprentice or Jedi apprentice or whatever he was that had defeated her. She had nothing now. No master, no bargaining chip and no way to defend herself if Darth Vader ever found her. As the ship faded from view, she pulled her knees against her chest, lowered her head in shame and started crying profusely.

A Zabrak from the world of Iridonia, Maris had been found by the Jedi Order as a toddler and taken to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant where she'd showed tremendous promise. A fellow Jedi youngling had once told her that he'd foreseen her becoming a great master of the Force. Yeah, right. None of that mattered to her now as she sat on the ground bawling her eyes out. She wasn't a Jedi. She wasn't a master of the Force, light or dark. She was just a washed-up, messed-up, defeated has-been. And in Palpatine's "glorious Empire" a hunted has-been as that.

As Maris cried, she thought about Shaak Ti, her fallen master. Actually Shaak Ti had been her second master, but nevertheless, the master she'd spent the most time with. A year ago, the same man who'd just defeated her, had come to Felucia seeking to destroy Jedi in hiding. Though Maris had wanted to join her master in battle, Shaak Ti had sent her away saying she wasn't ready to fight someone like him. That she needed to survive to ensure the Jedi Order survived. Though Maris had protested vehemently, she eventually complied with Shaak Ti's wishes because, try as she might, she had never been able to say no to her.

She'd waited for… well she wasn't sure how long… for Shaak Ti to return. But she didn't. And when she saw the assassin's shuttle taking off, Maris feared the worst. Frantically, she searched for her master, despite instinctively knowing she wouldn't. But she didn't want to believe it. She wanted to believe that Shaak Ti was just lying on the ground wounded somewhere. But when she reached the sarlacc pit, the "Ancient Abyss" as the native Felucians called it, Maris deduced what had happened. And for a few seconds, she considered casting herself into the pit, joining her in oblivion. But loneliness, fear and depression set in. Anger at losing Shaak Ti, her original master and a good friend she'd had as a young child. Rage at seeing how the Jedi Order had been so mercilessly hunted and exterminated in the years since. And in those black moments a far worse fate than oblivion occurred… Maris gave in to the tempting allure of the dark side.

She'd wasted no time in building walls around herself, consisting mainly of an entire tribe of Felucians she'd enslaved along with a bull rancor who's mind she'd scrambled and bent to serve as her personal protector and mount. And for a year, that's how she'd lived… surviving by instilling fear in all those around her including the rancor.

Weeping in her hands, she realized just what a fool she'd been. Shaak Ti had sent her away believing that Maris' survival would ensure the Jedi Order lived on. And what had she done? She'd figuratively thumbed her nose right in Shaak Ti's face. That hurt more than perhaps anything else. Though she'd believed that she had achieved tremendous power, now Maris realized that she had never been more alone than when the dark side had ensnared her. There was nothing in the dark side. Nothing at all. Just an empty, cold, miserable dead zone where nothing thrived except anguish, fear, sadness and insanity. And yet, she'd believed that she had achieved mastery when all she'd truly done was sell herself into slavery.

Then, less than a week ago, Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan had come to Felucia looking for Shaak Ti, not knowing she was already dead. Maris had captured the senator, intent on using him as a bargaining chip for her own life should Darth Vader ever discover her location. Bail had tried to reason with her, even told her about a rebellion he and few of his cohorts were instigating. He even had offered her a place in his rebellion. Maris had barely listened to any of it. All she'd cared about was her own survival.

But then less than an hour ago Starkiller, the assassin who had murdered Shaak Ti a year ago, suddenly returned to Felucia. Only this time she hadn't sensed the dark presence that she had sensed the first time. It was more or less gone. He'd been looking for Senator Organa. Maris wasn't about to give up her bargaining chip and believing that her knowledge of the dark side would see her to victory, she'd marched confidently into battle.

A little too confident as it turned out. Maris learned the hard way what so many other dark side practitioners often learned at the point of death: It demanded more than it gave and it often failed to respond in its time of greatest need. Starkiller had effortlessly cut down every Felucian she'd enslaved as well as her bull rancor before engaging her in battle. He'd soundly bested her and nearly fried her to death with Force Lightning. The pain of that blast she'd sustained still made her body tingle uncomfortably all over.

In desperation to save her own life, she'd begged Starkiller to spare her, promising that she would renounce the dark side if he did. And much to her surprise, he had spared her resulting in her current status of crying hysterically on the ground. She could hear the dark side whispering to her that if the Felucians and the rancor she'd enslaved had been killed, then it was their fault. They were too weak. They deserved to die for their failure.

"Shut up!" she screamed at the jungle. "Just leave me alone!" She cried even harder as she felt the call of the dark side fade away. It wasn't the fault of the Felucians and it wasn't the fault of the rancor. Everything that had happened was her doing. It was her fault. Those poor Felucians and that rancor she'd warped. They hadn't deserved the fate she'd given them. Now their blood was on her hands and it would be for the rest of her life. If this was the kind of Jedi she was supposed to be, she might as well turn her lightsaber on herself.

Oh yeah. She couldn't even do that. Maris looked down at the guard shoto she still clutched in her right hand. It was broken, cut neatly through the focusing module by another lightsaber. Useless junk. She threw it away in frustration. Less than an hour ago, she's possessed two guard shotos but Starkiller had destroyed them both with ease. Maris considered herself lucky then that Starkiller had just destroyed her weapons and not her hands as well.

Why did the Order ever accept me? She wondered as she buried her face in her hands again. I'm a terrible Jedi. I never should've been accepted by them. I never belonged in the Order to start with.

"When you doubt yourself, that is when you most susceptible to the dark side," a voice said.

Maris looked up but didn't see anything right away. It was only then that a shimmering blue figure stepped out from behind a nearby tree as if he'd been standing there all along. He wore the rust colored robes of a Jedi Master and had shoulder length dark hair with a faint hint of a mustache and beard. "You've already learned this lesson once," the man told her. "It's imperative you don't learn it twice."

Maris sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Who… who are you?"

The figure folded his arms in front of his chest. "You really have to ask that? Maybe you should've paid more attention to your studies of the history of your own people when you were in the Jedi Temple."

As he spoke it dawned on Maris who the man was. He was a legend among her species. A hero and a villain. A savior and a conqueror. A man so complex, history books still weren't sure whether to laud him as champion of the Republic or vilify him as the worst scoundrel ever the ply the space lanes. "Lord Revan."

"Good," Revan's spirit said. "Glad to see that you did study your history."

Maris dried her eyes more. "Why… why are you here? What do you want from me?"

Revan jerked his head towards the sky in the direction that Starkiller's ship had departed. "That man spared your life. Spared you when every fiber in his being said to destroy you for what you'd done. Said he'd been doing the galaxy a favor by ending your life. He was probably right in that assessment."

Maris's eyes narrowed. "Are you here to just lecture me or berate me? Make me feel like some kind vile monstrosity that doesn't deserve to live? Tell me that I'm a hopeless failure and that I'll never be a Jedi?"

"You're doing a good job of that yourself," Revan said. "And if I thought there was no hope for you, I wouldn't be here." He waved off Maris's next question, knowing what it would be. "You swore to him that if he spared your life, you'd renounce the dark side. I'm here to make sure you keep that promise. You've been given a second chance. I'm here to make sure you don't screw it up."

That was actually the first bit of news that had actually caused Maris to smile in quite a long time. "What must I do Revan? Please… any guidance you have for me would be appreciated."

Revan nodded once. "Okay… I have a question for you. Why have you done this?"

It was a question Maris dreaded hearing, and she didn't really want to talk about it. She swallowed heavily. "Done what?" she asked.

Revan shook his head. "Uh-uh. If you want to play games Maris, I will take my leave of you. Your future will last about three weeks if that happens. I said I was here to make sure you didn't squander your second chance. But at the same time, I'm not here to waste time, because time is a luxury that you do not have right now." He paused for a moment to make sure his words sunk in before continuing. "Now… you corrupted an entire tribe of Felucians. Turned them into bloodthirsty warriors. Your warped the mind of a rancor, an otherwise innocent beast. You even corrupted the plants themselves. Now those natives are dead, the rancor is dead and the plants grow out of control. Why? Why did you do it?"

Maris started crying all over again. "I was scared," she wailed. "I was terrified of being found. Of being killed." She spread her arms wide. "And I've been so lonely. Ever since Shaak Ti was killed, I've never felt more alone! I… I wanted the pain to stop!" She buried her face in her hands once more.

Revan knelt next to her and spoke in a more comforting, almost fatherly tone. "And yet, the pain only got worse, didn't it? Your anger, your fear and your loneliness blocked your heart and soul from everything, didn't it?"

Maris almost said no, but forced herself not to. She knew he was right and slowly nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry, Revan."

"I know you are, Maris," Revan said. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And that's why I'm here. The mere fact that you've admitted that you made mistakes is but the first step towards redemption. Admitting why you made those mistakes is the second step."

"What's the third step?"

"Learning something from your mistakes and taking steps to ensure you don't repeat them." He gently rubbed her back and Maris was surprised by how warm and reassuring it felt despite being a spirit. "But now you must learn the lesson every Jedi must endure. You must learn to let go of your fear."

"But…"

Revan cut her off. "Uh-uh. Like I said, do not waste time. Fear is what caused your fall and made you into a puppet of the dark side. It's what blocked your feelings from everything else around you. It was your fear of being alone, of being abandoned. Now you must learn to let that go."

"That's easier said than done, Lord Revan." Maris rebuked.

"I won't deny that Maris," Revan told her. "Letting go is always one of the most difficult things to do. It was for me. But if you are to survive the trials you have yet to face, both physically and spiritually, you must learn to let go of your fear. I know you can Maris. And I know someone who can help you. Someone who will stand by your side as you go forward in your adventures that are yet to come."

Maris was confused and blinked several times. "Someone? Adventures? What do you mean?"

"I am talking about my living descendant."

Maris was dumbfounded. "You have a descendant that lives?"

Revan stood up and looked down at her. "Well of course. You didn't think I was going to let all those stuffy and misguided clowns who ran the Order over the past four millennia dictate whether or not my bloodline was going to survive that same time period, did you?"

Maris smiled thinly. Revan always had been a bit of a maverick and she'd studied quite a bit about him as a youngling. "No," she said quietly. "I can't think if anyone who would've defied the Order for just that reason other than you. So who is he? How do I find him?"

"Believe it or not Maris, you already know him," Revan said.

Her eyes widened. "I do?"

"Mm hm," Revan nodded. "You met him many years ago in the Jedi Temple. He was your best friend and you spent a lot of time together. He even stirred your heart."

Maris gasped loudly and she covered her mouth. Her eyes began filling with tears again. Only these were not tears of frustration, shame or sadness. They were tears of joy and hope. With trembling hands, she reached towards Revan. "Please Revan, I beg you not to toy with me."

"I would never do that to you or to anyone else Maris," he said.

Maris almost fainted and she covered her mouth again. She almost couldn't believe it. Seventeen years she'd thought he was dead. "He's alive? Dahlgen Luzard is alive?!"

Revan knew this would make Maris happy and at the moment, some good news was something she needed right now. "Yes Maris. He's alive and well. And he is my descendant."

Maris sobbed in joy and tried to speak, but she couldn't. She was too overjoyed.

Planet Coruscant – The Jedi Temple

Twenty-two Years earlier

Where was he? He was always coming up with new and inventive places to hide from her. She'd already searched the Room of a Thousand Fountains, the Jedi Archives and the chamber where the Council of First Knowledge met. And so far, nothing.

Five year old Maris Brood enjoyed playing hide and seek with Dahlgen. He was her best friend. Come to think of it, he was her only real friend in the Temple. Ever since she'd arrived at the Temple two years ago, she'd noticed that many of the other younglings of Clawmouse Clan went out of their way to avoid her. Something having to with her cranial horns.

She didn't see what the big deal was. They hadn't fully developed yet and they wouldn't for several years. When they did, they would be the same red coloration as the small horn buds she now had were. It was the result of a rare genetic mutation among her people. But for some weird reason, a lot of Jedi felt that having red horns like she did made her predisposed to the dark side.

Maris had no idea what they were talking about and she didn't really care. All she wanted to do was study her lessons and play with her best friend. Dahlgen had never shown her any contempt or mean words since she'd arrived and in fact, was very accepting of her. They'd become friends very quickly and were now basically inseparable. They played together, shared most of their classes together, ate meals together and slept on cots that were side by side.

None of that mattered to young Maris at the moment as she was getting mildly frustrated at her inability to find Dahlgen at the moment. She'd been looking for him for twenty minutes and if she didn't find him in the next ten, he'd win this round. "All right," she told herself. "If I was Dahlgen where would I be?" She paced back and forth for a couple minutes before snapping her fingers. "I know!"

She headed for the nearest turbolift and headed to sublevel ten… an unarmed combat dojo. It was an area where Dahlgen had one of his few classes that he did not share with Maris. Despite being only a couple years older than her, he was already a very well trained martial artist. Arriving at sublevel ten, Maris looked around at the small handful of Jedi who practiced their unarmed combat skills. She didn't expect to find Dahlgen actively involved in sparring, but one never knew.

She crossed a couple of the otherwise empty training mats and looked around some more. He had to be in here someplace. She didn't sense him hiding under any of the numerous benches in the training room. And he wouldn't have gone into either of the changing rooms. Oh no. After a particularly embarrassing incident six months ago playing this same game, Dahlgen wasn't likely to do that again. She didn't sense anything over by the wall of weapons either.

Then she caught it. A faint tremor in the Force. He was close. Following her instincts, Maris moved to an area where there were several training dummies. She looked to her left and then to her right. And she started to laugh. Running around a dummy to her left she pointed to an area that seemed to be nothing but empty space. "I found you!"

A second later a person appeared in the area where Maris was pointing, the power of Force Camouflage dropped. A young boy with short, black hair appeared. "Awwww," he groaned. "Time was almost up too."

Maris giggled. "I'll always find you Dahlgen."

"So I guess you're going to go hide now?" Dahlgen asked.

"Nuh-uh," Maris said shaking her head. "I want to play something else."

Dahlgen was up for it. "All right. What?"

"Chase the Smuggler," Maris said. "And I'm the smuggler first."

Dahlgen tried to reach and tag her quickly but Maris had anticipated this and quickly ducked away from it. Laughing, she moved quickly around the dummy and evaded two more tags from Dahlgen. He tried running around the dummy's right side, but Maris was a little too quick and she darted the other way. Still laughing she challenged, "Catch me if you can Dahlgen!"

With Force assisted speed, she ran out of the training dojo and into the corridor with Dahlgen hot on her heels. She came to an intersection and made a fast left, laughing as she did. Dahlgen hadn't expected it and he kept going forward for a few steps, allowing her to increase the distance between them. "Oh ho," Dahlgen said. "Slick Maris."

Maris kept running past another corridor intersection and weaved her way around a pair of Jedi walking towards the turbo lift. "Excuse me," she said as she whizzed by them. This was what Maris loved the most about being in the Temple… the games she played with Dahlgen. Sure, she took her studies of the Force and lightsaber seriously and she always paid close attention to what her masters asked of her. But the same things day after day after day started to bore her after awhile. And when they did, she could always count on the games she played with Dahlgen to cheer her up and refocus her attention.

Some of the other, more stuffy masters however, were not so understanding about the games they played. Both her and Dahlgen had been reprimanded for conduct unbecoming of a Jedi numerous times. But Maris didn't really care. The distraction of playing with Dahlgen was always welcome, and if the masters didn't like it that was their problem.

Maris got to another corridor intersection, stopped and spun around to see how far back Dahlgen was, knowing he was some distance back. He was, but gaining on her quick. Maris made a face at him and playfully blew him a raspberry. Laughing again, she took off down the right corridor branch and nearly ran squarely into padawan Anakin Skywalker walking the other the other way. Maris barely saw who it was. "Sorry master Jedi," she called back over her shoulder.

Anakin watched Maris recede in the distance in stunned surprise. A few seconds later, he had to scoot out of the way as Dahlgen zoomed by him and repeated Maris's apology as he did. He smiled and shook his head at their antics before going on about his business.

Maris ended up in one of the Temple's many Meditation Gardens. There were many of these gardens throughout the temple. At least one was on each level and there was one within each of the four Council Spires. They were generally cool, sun-drenched chambers filled with dense foliage and moist grottoes. Dirt and stone paths cut and wound their way through the jungle-like chambers. They were open at all hours where Jedi could go to meditate amidst the abundant foliage and trickling streams.

This particular one also had a fish-filled pond connected to a sandy beach with butterflies fluttering over the gently lapping waters. But Maris didn't care about that right now, as she was still trying to get away from Dahlgen. She ran down one of the stone paths and around several trees before stopping again to look for Dahlgen.

Uh-oh. She'd lost track of him. Maris didn't see Dahlgen anywhere. Her eyes darted a few different directions looking for him, but to no avail. Hmmmm. This wasn't good. If she couldn't see him, then he could easily sneak up on her.

And that exactly what he did. While she was pondering her next move, Dahlgen flew at her from behind and tackled her. She yelped in surprise as Dahlgen pulled her to the ground. They rolled around for a few second, both of them laughing as they did before they came to rest in a large patch of grass and Dahlgen pinned her to it. "Gotcha," he said. "I'll always catch you Maris."

She laughed as Dahlgen rolled of her. "I'm tired Dahlgen. Let's just rest here for a little while."

"Okay Maris," he replied and they sat down to rest and listen to the gentle waters of the stream and pond.

"Did you mean what you said Dahlgen?" she asked him.

"About what?"

"About you always catching me?"

Dahlgen smiled at his Zabrak friend. "You know I did Maris. I'll always be there for you. And I'll always catch you when you fall."

Maris's smile was large and bright. "Me too Dahlgen. I'll always find you."

Planet Felucia – Present Day

Maris smiled as she recalled that precious moment, along with many others, that she'd had with Dahlgen as a child. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she recited a verse from a Sarkhai play she'd read about as a child. "On broken feet I walk, crushed and alone. The lies they have told me have turned the world gray. But oh… that you still breathe and live is a song in this void that gives me life again." For several more minutes Maris cried in happiness. When she finally did compose herself enough to speak to Revan again, she asked, "Will he come here?"

Revan shook his head. "No. While it is true that Dahlgen wanders the galaxy with a rag-tag band of misfits as he often called them, a stopover here is not in his immediate future. You therefore, must go to him."

Maris didn't know how that was going to be possible. "But how? I have no transport."

Revan gestured to her right. "What about that B7 class freighter you arrived here on?"

Well there was that. Even so, as Maris looked at where it rested a short distance away, it was completely overgrown with jungle vines and foliage, the result of having never been moved in the seventeen years since she'd landed it. "That?" she asked in surprise.

"True, you'll spend the next few days cleaning it off and a few additional days cleaning it out," Revan admitted. "But I think you'll be surprised as to just how mechanically sound that ship still is."

Maris glanced over at the tangled web of foliage that now covered her ship. Okay, she thought. If that's my only way out of here, I guess it'll have to do. Instinctively, she knew that the Empire would be back soon to take full control of Felucia and she wanted to be long gone by the time they got here. "How long do I have before the Empire returns?"

"I can say with reasonable certainty that Empire will not return for at least three weeks," Revan said. "After that, I can guarantee nothing so you must be well on your way by then."

Maris nodded. "I'll be off this planet in two weeks," she said confidently. "But where do I go from there? Where do I find him?"

"Has the Force not already answered that question for you?"

Maris smiled and looked down at the ground ahead of her. "Nar Shaddaa. I need to go to Nar Shaddaa don't I?"

Revan smiled. "And that is where you shall find him. He will complete your training."

Maris's eyebrows furrowed. "But how? He has to have been in hiding like me."

"You're right," Revan said. "But where he hid was rather unique. And it was in this location that he was able to further his own training through some rather unusual masters, myself among them. He emerged from hiding years ago. And you too will receive some training from those same masters." Revan smiled at the Zabrak. "Maris, the Jedi Order is entering a new era where many of the rules and guidelines that were once observed will be closely re-evaluated. Some of those rules are directly responsible for what has happened to Jedi Order now. In order to survive the coming years, the Jedi Order will have to adapt to, and embrace, some truths that they have long fought against in their stupidity. You and Dahlgen will help lead the way."

"We will?"

Revan nodded. "Yes. You and Dahlgen face some tough challenges together that are yet to come. But you will help lead the Jedi Order to a new era of prosperity."

"But what about my fall to the darkness?" she asked.

"Who better to educate future Jedi about the dangers of falling to the dark side than someone who has been down that path?" Revan asked in return. "My darling Bastila was the Order's chief educator on that very subject for decades." He waved off any further discussion. "Now enough of this. Every minute you spend talking to me is a minute you could've spent working to get off this planet. And as I've already said more than once, time is not your friend at the moment."

Maris knew Revan was right. She couldn't waste time quizzing him or doubting herself. She'd been given a path and she needed to start walking down it. She stood up, dried the last of her tears and smiled at Revan. "Thank you Revan," she said. "You've given me hope."

Revan returned the smile. "Thanks are not necessary but they are appreciated. As for giving you hope… I merely gave you a path. You found the hope on your own. Now go on, get to work. Time is of the essence."

Revan was gone after that, leaving Maris alone... again. No, she thought. I'm not alone. I can feel Revan's presence. And I… I can feel Dahlgen's presence too! Why couldn't I sense it before? Fah, who cared? She had a mission and it was time she got started. Staring at the tangled overgrowth of her freighter, she wondered what she could make to start cutting all those vines down.

Wait a second. Maybe she didn't have to make anything. With a deep breath, Maris entered Shaak Ti's former hut. It was the first time she'd done so since her master's death. Everything was just as Shaak Ti had left it before setting out to confront Starkiller a year ago. Well, almost. A thick layer of dust and several spider webs were now prevalent throughout the hut.

Walking back towards the mat Shaak Ti had used as a bed, Maris found the small, hand-made wooden three drawer nightstand she'd crafted for herself. The first drawer was empty and the second contained a large, poisonous spider that Maris Force flung out the doorway into the jungle. The third contained the object of her search… a portable fusion cutter that had belonged to Shaak Ti. Maris was excited with her discovery, but a moment later she was crestfallen. It didn't work. Now what did she do?

Hold on. What about her broken guard shoto? A lightsaber and a portable fusion cutter weren't all that dissimilar in terms of how they worked. Maybe, just maybe there were a few usable parts in the otherwise useless weapon that she could salvage. It was her only chance of avoiding the arduous process of crafting a makeshift axe.

Going back outside, she retrieved her discarded, ruined weapon. She then returned to her own hut with both items and got to work. A couple hours and a few salvaged parts later, Maris was ready to test her handiwork. Believing in the Force, Revan's message and that she would see her friend again soon, she flipped the activation switch. Her efforts were rewarded by the mini snap-hiss as the cutter's blade extended a couple inches outward. "Yes!" Maris cried out in joy. "Okay. Here we go."

She ran outside the short distance to her vine covered ship and began furiously cutting them away, exposing the first small portion of the ship's hull in short order. As she worked, she pondered where her new adventure would take her. Well for the immediate future it would take her to Nar Shaddaa and to Dahlgen Luzard. When she'd last seen him, they were just kids caught in a horrible war. He was a man now as she was now a woman. Maris couldn't help but wonder how else he had changed in the intervening years. And the anticipation of finding out brought a smile to her face.

Find your friend Maris, she once more heard Revan's voice. And when you do, reach out and grab hold with both hands. Don't let go of him Maris. Don't ever let him go.

I will Revan, she thought. I promise. I said I'd always find you Dahlgen. I'm coming Dahlgen. I'm coming. And wherever you are Shaak Ti, I'll make you proud of me. I swear it.