o.O.o

Diligence

o.O.o

In the morning, the choice was taken away from her.

She had dreamed again, this time of two people who she knew by appearance only. The smaller, slender figure that had been struck by the bolts of energy in her previous vision, cloaked from head to toe, could only be one person. And its companion, so painfully young, with innocence etched in every line of his features, save for his eyes, which seemed to have seen the farthest reaches of suffering, was also unmistakable.

But somehow, the figure of Revan was far more imposing, far more frightening, far more memorable. She remembered that sentiment even when she woke up with a start, sweat pouring down her face. Though Malak's eyes had passed once or twice the spot where her vision was coming from, it was the silent and masked and dead Sith Lord that seemed more real to her.

Perhaps it was because she had more respect for the deceased conqueror. No matter how much anyone would want to insult the former Sith master, no one could deny that Revan had been a genius in every sense of the word. She couldn't help but admire such a person, even if they stood against her own side.

But no, that wasn't the reason. It was the silence. It was the fact that Revan hadn't spoken a word throughout the vision, ignoring Malak, focused on something thoroughly different.

The Council already knew when she rushed to them – Carth had told her that much when she had emerged from the ship, pale and shaking, before seeing if she was all right. Of course she wasn't; no one would be after experiencing such a sight.

But when she was told that this was a sure sign that she had to be trained, she reeled back somewhat. There was something going on, something they weren't telling her. These visions… something was wrong with them. She didn't know much about active usage of the Force, but somehow, she didn't believe that the events on Taris had been intense enough for a… a bond of any kind to form between her and Bastila.

Yet they were so confident, telling her how important this was… and Jedi weren't supposed to lie, were they? Perhaps she was simply shaken, overwhelmed by the information and the sudden change in her usually calm and organized life…

She silenced her own doubts by asking a single question she needed answered: if she complied, if she trained hard and became a Jedi… would these visions vanish? They were helpful, yes, but they were frightening her and they were only vague flashes that didn't seem to point anywhere save for the past.

They avoided the answer in silence, but eventually Zhar spoke up. They couldn't be certain, as the Force acted according to its own will. Trying to mute the visions was nonsense, but she could learn to control them.

It was enough for her. She agreed.

The next few weeks would have been hell itself without the comfort of that news. She received no further visions of the past; most evenings, she collapsed into dreamless sleep, exhausted.

Weapons training was harsh and not even Zhar with his soft-spoken guidance could dull the blow entirely. Bastila was assigned as her sparring partner, which she didn't necessarily consider a good thing. It would only boost the Padawan's already unnecessary ego. However, she had no choice in the matter.

Since Bastila was unused to swords with an actual weigh, they were more or less evenly matched, though the Force always managed to tip the balance in the end. However, loss was a part of learning, as Zhar would say, and in several weeks, Bastila was having great trouble avoiding getting hit at least once or twice during a battle.

Meditation was her strong suit. Once she learned to tone out the distractions of the world, she could focus her will into the Force and bend it to her whim. At first, her power had been erratic, but powerful, and slowly, surely, it began to obey. It frightened even her, how the Force swirled into being around her and how quickly she had forgotten how things had been without it. It was almost like returning into the arms of a long-abandoned lover who had been waiting patiently, lovingly, for this moment.

In a month, she could easily challenge any Padawan in the enclave with her power. Again, she produced awe and jealousy. Vrook was the first among her critics, always. Nothing good would come of this, he would always say, especially when she was around to hear it. The Force had to be earned through training and hard work and here, this child, without any kind of devotion to the Order thus far, was progressing rather like a highly efficient expert thief in a luxurious mansion.

Her companions had various explanations at hand, but Carth remained obviously distrustful of the Council and these convenient coincidences. He also lost part of the trust he had managed to build up towards the enclave's newest apprentice, as she was known. Somehow, the will of the Force simply wasn't explanation enough for him.

Mission thought it was weird, but cool. The others were mostly indifferent to the notion. It changed nothing, as far as they were concerned.

In seven weeks, she had constructed her lightsaber, examining the marvelous object with apparent glee. She had always wished to see how these magnificent weapons worked and the ability to construct one and take it apart at her leisure was exciting. She managed to get it right on the first try and was likely the only Jedi around who could claim to know exactly what was for what even after finishing this task.

She was accepted as a Padawan once she had redeemed a fallen Jedi, Juhani. She didn't really understand the purpose of this test; personally, the Dark Side struck her as a slightly blind ideology. She knew well that the Force had a will of its own and to claim to control it fully was utter folly.

Then, believing that this was proof enough of her abilities, they finally allowed her to investigate the place in her vision, an ancient ruin. A Jedi had already been sent to investigate, one she had bet before in the courtyard and talked with for a while. Bastila was to go with her and Carth, who was getting thoroughly irritated by sitting around and waiting for the Jedi, decided to tag along as well.

Where a full-fledged Jedi had failed, she succeeded, without any kind of vision this time, even upon touching the ancient star map within the ruins. She brought back news that the Jedi thought were vital for the war effort, based on her vision.

But to send her and Bastila to search for the rest of the chart was a confusing move. Raw talent was no substitute for experience, yet she had no chance to question the decision.

All that she hoped for was that in the end, she would understand the significance of her visions, because she knew there was some. She would work tirelessly, hunting the maps throughout the galaxy, if need be, simply to discover her answer.