Prologue. Innocence.
She wasn't sure what made her distinguish this particular student from the rest. They were all talented, otherwise they wouldn't be here. This one had some skill with a lightsaber, but nothing too exceptional, not yet at least. Perhaps, it was the sharp, vigilant mind that made her stand out. This girl evaluated, questioned and scrutinized everything the Masters taught her. It was hard to tell at first, was it a genuine interest and passion to comprehend the nature of things, or was she just rebellious? Master Arren Kae was willing to bet it wasn't the latter. The young Jedi apprentice was persistent, yet careful and almost exquisitely polite. She never let the argument get out of hand, but always made sure her point was heard and at least taken into consideration. Arren couldn't help but smile at the memory of how the girl stood up to this old fool Vrook. She was only sixteen then.
"To know the Jedi Code is not enough. To be one of our Order, to bring its legacy into the future, and to resist the ever-strong lure of the Dark Side, you must understand it, absorb it and make it your own," the aging Master lectured in his usual, monotonic voice. "Let us reside it together and try to look through simple words, to see its true meaning." He made a significance pause. "There is no emotion..."
"There is peace," a chorus of voices sounded as all the students quoted in union.
"But what does this line mean? Is anyone ready to…" His eyes searched the room until he spotted a raised hand. Master Vrook sighed deeply. "…Yes, apprentice Revan?"
"I believe, that this line of the Jedi code instructs, that in order to convey one's duty of upholding peace and stability in the galaxy, one must do so with one's mind clear of any motives based on emotions such as anger, fear or agitation," she said in an even, so un-child-like voice. "It also teaches that other feelings, like joy, friendship and love, as positive as they might be, can hold even more danger to one's soul, for they often open a channel for other, darker impulses."
There was a moment's pause, while other students reflected on that. Even Master Vrook couldn't conceal a hint of surprise in his voice. "Indeed, there is… some degree of truth in your words, young one," he said, puzzled with how reasonable, how orthodox Revan sounded this time. "Maybe, she's not such a hopeless case after all."
"I only said what I believe the code implies, Master. I never said I agree with all of it," she continued, unbiased.
"Oh, here it comes again," Vrook thought with more irritation than he intended to show. "And what exactly do you find so questionable now, apprentice?"
"I mean no disrespect, Master," she appeased. "I recognize wisdom of this statement. My only intention was to point out the overall generalization of it. Isn't it true that sometimes it is as dangerous to oversimplify or dismiss certain concepts as succumbing into them might be? How can one expect to resist the lure of something one has never experienced and thus had no chance to understand?" Revan asked with genuine, or expertly faked, interest in her eyes. "Besides, doesn't the ability to feel something beyond simple biological urges considered the very thing that separates humans, and other sentient species, from animals?"
Her questions echoed in the silent chamber, and into the thoughts of everyone present. There was a soft murmur of whispers. "This makes sense," other students said. "Wonder how he's getting out of this one."
Discontent was written across Master Vrooks's face, though he was by no means taken aback by Revan's challenge. "The questions you pose might seem clever and sophisticated to you, young one, or to your peers, but, surprising as it may sound, I find myself unimpressed," he said in a stern voice. "Always eager to speculate, Revan. Not good, not good at all."
As he continued to press on, he started pacing across the auditorium, looking his students in the eyes, searching their faces, pounding his own arguments into their ears like hails into wood. "This tenet of Jedi philosophy might prove to be hard to comprehend. It does not say that emotions are explicitly forbidden for us. After all, like your fellow apprentice here suggested, emotions are a vitally important part of human nature." He eyed Revan intently. "Instead of ignoring emotions entirely, you must learn to process them. Instead of denying them, you have to set them aside." Master Vrook stopped at the center of the room. "Remember, analyze your feelings, understand them, deal with them, but do not act on them. Your sense of duty and good judgment must always prevail, lest your rash and instinctive actions lead you to the path of darkness."
Master Vrook felt quite pleased with his speech. Revan's expression, as it was the usual case with her, was carefully neutral and held a hint of polite interest, which apparently was her own version of a "blank" face. Other students though seemed thoughtful. They were talking softly to each other, considering Master's words. One of them was sitting right behind Revan. This Alek, cursed with a last name no-one-can-spell.
He bent forward slightly and whispered right into her ear, sending shivers across her neck. "Psst." That appeared to startle her. She jumped and turned her head, only to see his wicked grin. "Looks like we've gotten ourselves into a little zombie academy. Do this, don't do that, may the Force be with you. Next! " His version of Master Vrook was both amusing and incredibly accurate. "And when you finally get out, you're like a droid with a lightsaber," he finished with a laugh.
For a moment Revan just looked at him with a confused expression, but then her lips twitched into a small smile. "Good point… Alek, right? The one with a weird last name?"
"The one and only. I'm from Quelii, see? We don't have surnames there, just names of our home village, and I happened to live in one called named Squinquargesimus." He chuckled.
"I'll try to remember that," Revan said. "Thanks for the "droid" hint, by the way. It gave me perspective."
"On what?" Alek asked, but she already turned back to Master Vrook with a raised hand.
"Can I ask you one more question, Master?" Revan innocently inquired. "I would be honored to hear you opinion on a certain hypothetical situation."
"Certainly." Vrook nodded and even smiled to her, if somewhat dryly.
"Thank you. I shall posit a scenario for you to consider. Let us assume that you find yourself on the bank of a river," she began. "You notice two people drowning, a child that you have never seen before, and an adult whom you know to be, say, a respectable and very talented doctor. You don't have time to rescue them both. Given the choice, who would you pick?"
"Capable medics are greatly valued, and the loss of one would be unfortunate, but I would of course save the child," he said seriously. "The life of someone so young and innocent is sacred, as I hope you all understand. It is the responsibility of every Jedi knight to make sure the little ones are cherished and protected. "
Master Vrook was perfectly satisfied with his answer, until he read the look on the girl's face. He has seen it before and knew what it meant. She's caught a scent. "I see," Revan drawled. "Indeed, Master, I understand and admire your choice and I'm grateful for your reply. However I couldn't help but notice it's inconsistence with what you've said before."
Vrook quirked his eyebrow. "Is that a fact? I'm afraid I see none of that. Make your point, Revan," he said almost angrily.
"My point, Master Vrook, is as follows. You would prefer to rescue the child." Vrook nodded curtly and she continued. "You have also said, that we should never act on our feelings, that our sense of duty and good judgment must always prevail. With all due respect, Master, in the hypothesis presented, a display of good judgment would be to save the doctor." Master Vrook opened his mouth to object, but apparently the young apprentice was far from finished. Revan continued unabashedly, with the same conviction. "You would abandon a valuable specialist, a great asset to any community, one that could save dozens, maybe hundreds of lives, for someone of unknown origins, personality and potential. You would choose a seed over a full-grown tree, a tabula rasa over a tome of great wisdom. A raw crystal over a finely crafted lightsaber. This child could grow to become anything – a mechanic, a soldier – or a thief, a murdered, even Sith. Yet you gave your answer without a moment's hesitation."
The room fell silent. Everyone was waiting, shifting in their seats uncomfortably, anxious to see the outcome of this "battle". All the eyes were turning from their fellow apprentice to Master Vrook and back. Except for Alek. He was looking only at Revan.
"You're walking on very thin ice here, apprentice." Vrook was frowning, his voice hard, almost intimidating.
Much to everyone's surprise, Revan smiled at him as she spoke, but her eyes were sad. "Forgive me. I never meant to imply anything demeaning. Quite the contrary, actually, what I said was intended as a compliment. By choosing the child's life over that of an adult, you also chose feelings over reason. You chose compassion and love." She lowered her head and finished almost in a whisper. "It was very hobble, very humane of you. A choice like this deserves every kind of respect."
The rest of the lecture was a chaos, by Master Vrook's standards at least. The class was in commotion, discussing his argument with Revan. He was desperately trying to continue his lecture on the Code but knew it was all in vain now. The stubborn girl was triumphant, again, and Master Vrook was torn between vexation, something bordering respect, but mostly it was concern that he felt. Revan was too smart for her own good.
Other students were all over her now, some scolding, most – praising, and she just sat there with that small smile of hers, reluctantly accepting both compliments and criticism, like she didn't even care if she won or not. "In a way it would have been better had she been arrogant, marveling at her success," Vrook thought. "Arrogance I know, and can deal with. What she's after – I have no idea whatsoever." It bothered him, that her motives were so obscured. It left him, as her mentor, very little room for maneuver. How could he possibly teach the girl, when between the two of them he was the one confused?
Master Vrook found himself looking forward for the Trial of Lightsaber that was set in eight months, when advanced students will construct their weapons, and some of the more fortunate ones shall be chosen to continue their education directly under one of the Masters. Vrook was positive that a prodigy apprentice like Revan will receive a lot of attention there. Master Zhar Lestin himself, who's never even met the girl, was coming all the way from Coruscant to take a closer look at her.
Vrook saw this as a mixed blessing. On one hand he felt almost relieved that in less than a year Revan will probably be gone from Dantooine, out of his sight and his carefully planned lectures that she has ruined so many times. On the other hand, thought… What kind of a teacher he was to just toss her away like this? Her presence, her subtle influence over her peers was proving to be too much even for the experienced and respectable Master. He recognized the danger in her thirst for knowledge and almost indomitable determination to get answers, but, as Vrook bitterly admitted, he was just too old and too tired to struggle with her anymore. "Let some other, younger Master take her. With time, Lestin might even put some sense into her head. He has patience and flexibility for that kind of thing."
A little relieved at the thought, Master Vrook dismissed the class. Revan expected a detention for her behavior, but apparently Master decided to let her loose this time. "Poor old man, he looks exhausted," she thought with sympathy. She felt almost guilty for wearing him out so much, but that was just her way. With a sigh, she gathered her notes and headed for the door, only to be intercepted by a handsome guy with a flashing smile and an awfully long last name.
"Nice job there," he drawled, catching up with her. Alek had never dared to speak to Revan before, not directly anyway. She was a lonely type. It's not like she didn't talk to anyone or dramatically shunned all company. She just kept to herself and apparently liked it that way. It didn't stop her from being quite popular amongst other students though, including Alek. He tried not to step on her toes and respect her privacy, but he couldn't keep from watching her from a distance. The girl intrigued him almost to the point of fascination, and tonight it just got the better of him.
Ironically, Revan was more than a little puzzled herself. She noticed Alek before, the way he looked at her, how focused and careful he was around her, how his eyes brightened with anticipation when she started one of those arguments with Master Vrook… "His salty jokes that drive all the Masters insane, the way he smiles when we look at each other, his warm brown eyes, so open and inviting… How come I remember all this?" Revan wondered, as she and Alek walked into the empty atrium side by side. "When did it happen that I've became so aware of him?"
She snapped out of her thoughts with his hand waving in front of her face. "Hey, Rev, you there?" he said with amusement. "How can you be so smart and so absentminded at the same time, I have no idea."
"Rev?" she repeated, ignoring his last comment.
"Yeah. You don't like?"
"No, no…" she stammered, studying the floor like there was something incredibly interesting there. "Rev is fine."
The way she sounded made Alek stop abruptly and take her small hand in his, giving in the magic of this moment. It seemed impossible, but he could swear Revan looked almost insecure like this. "Is it possible that this amazing girl feels shy? With me?" She didn't take her hand away, like he expected. "Why won't you look at me?" He asked softly, dumbfounded by her reaction. "Am I overstepping my bounds?" he added after a few seconds of silence. "Just say the word and I'll back off."
"Why does it feel like this?" She suddenly raised her head, meeting his gaze. "Like you know me, and I – you."
"Don't know, Rev. But I like it."
And just like this, with this first spark of affection began a relationship that would eventually change the face of the galaxy. They couldn't know that at the time. Two brilliant, but lonely people, barely adults – they were just happy to find each other. The encounter itself, however, hasn't gone completely unnoticed. Master Arren Kae knew the mesmerized look on the boy's face all too well. "Poor kid," she thought, as she watched them. "He never knew what hit him. Now he's stuck with her for life. She might as well put a collar around his neck."
Of course, it was never intentional. Arren was positive that all the wonder, all the quiet joy on the girl's face were genuine, that she was as surprised at their sudden discovery as Alek seemed to be. It made the tired, cynical Master smile tenderly. She would make sure that fool Zhar doesn't get them. Not until they're old enough to think with their own heads at least. Besides, even he and Vrook were not short-sighted enough to overlook the "inappropriate" connection between Revan and Alek forever, and those two would do everything in their power to separate the young couple. Arren could never do that, Jedi and the Order's rules be damned.
As if hearing her thoughts, Revan looked the Master right in the eyes, immediately realizing two things. One, there were just the three of them in the room – Kae, Alek and herself. Two, the boy was still holding her hand. If it was Master Vrook watching, he would have already been lecturing them on the dangers of intimacy, making sure it never went any further.
"Alek," Revan said, alarmed. Now both were looking at Master Kae standing on the other side of the atrium, waiting for her reaction. "No point in tormenting the sensitive youth," Arren thought and gave the pair a nearly invisible nod. "Everything's going to be fine," it promised. "Your secret is safe with me." Alek's smile returned and widened, while Revan's face showed gratitude with a fine hint of doubt. She bowed to Master Kae still keeping an eye contact, like they bow to a duel opponent, respectfully, but with reasonable caution.
Arren watched them as they disappeared around the corner. "Life will break them apart," she thought sadly, hearing Revan laugh at some obscene joke Alek has just made. Master Kae has never heard her laugh like this before. So artless, so innocent. "Hold on to it, girl. It won't last."