Chapter 6
Xandrix's eyes fluttered open and he took a deep breath in. Light flooded into his eyes and the familiar hum a ship's engine filled his ears. Xandrix struggled to stand up but realized his body was frozen. His breath quickened as he realized he couldn't move any of his body parts except for his face. He managed to let free a muffled cry- even his vocal cords were not working correctly.
A soft voice drew Xandrix's attention away from his current plight, "Relax Xandrix. You're safe for now. I'm not going to hurt you."
The voice sounded reassuring to his ears, but Xandrix did not know who the words belonged to. He strained to turn his head to the voice but was unable.
"Ah, the cortosis weave is still in effect. You'll be able to move again in moments."
Xandrix heard the noise of footsteps walking away from the table he was apparently bound to. With the soft click of a switch, Xandrix felt the invisible restraints on his body slacken and release. He quickly sat up and turned to his captor. In front of him stood a medium sized man in a grey tunic; a scar ran down from his nose to his cheek to his neck. His grey hair gave him the image of a fatherly figure, one who Xandrix could confide in. Xandrix recognized the man, his savior- Rickin.
Xandrix was bursting with questions. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a raspy wheezing sound.
"Ah yes, you're esophagus is damaged from the Sith's choke hold. Don't try and over exert yourself. I placed you in the cortosis weave to induce paralysis in order to keep your body from any further harm. I imagine you have many questions though."
Tears sprung to Xandrix's eyes as the word Sith brought him back to the present. His mother and father were gone. Taken from him without remorse. The tears in his eyes flooded down his face and a garbled whimper escaped his lips. Seeing his tears, Rickin's eyes lowered and his face burned red.
"I'm sorry Xandrix. I couldn't save them. I tried my hardest... and I too feel for your loss. You may not know me but your parents were my friends as well. I'm sorry," Rickin softly lamented. He placed his arm on Xandrix's shoulder. A warmth began to flow through Xandrix, comforting him, and lessened the flow of tears on his face.
"I understand what you feel may be crippling, that you don't want to go on, that you are done fighting. But listen to me; you are strong. You have survived from what most would have cowered from. You are more powerful in the force than you can comprehend. You have the potential to be great; but it is only potential. If you give up now, if you let your grief overtake you, you will wallow in your own self-pity for the rest of your life. You need to rise above your emotions. Understand your feelings, but don't let them control you."

Xandrix raised his head to meet Rickin's gaze. Around Xandrix were two pilot chairs, a control panel, two small beds, and the medical table he was laying on. The ship he was flying on was sparse in space, meant only for speed and non-detection. But all Xandrix could focus on was the staunch gaze that seemingly pierced his soul. He opened his mouth and began to wheeze out noises that began to resemble words.
"Urghhh...ahsh...huhhhh" Xandrix sighed and concentrated on channeling energy through his throat, "I...want to... to learn... to be strong."
A smile decorated Rickin's face and pride beamed from him like the rays of a star in supernova. He squeezed Xandrix's shoulder, relaying his approval. He turned from Xandrix and looked towards the main viewing port. The ship was in hyperspace. Space and time melded together in this mysterious form of travel. Thousands of lightyears could be traversed within days or hours depending upon the ship, and from what Xandrix could infer, this ship was a fast ship.
Rickin's voice echoed softly within the small confines of the ship, "You likely have many questions, so I'll start from the beginning of what you remember yesterday."
Yesterday? Have I really been out for a full day? Xandrix wondered almost out loud.
Rickin continued, "The Sith Hegemony attacked Nar Shaddaa yesterday at 0900 Coruscant time. They leveled the city's defenses and began to land troops. I imagine it is because they wish to use the city as a garrison for a later attack on Nal Hutta. They've overplayed their hand hopefully, which will allow Hutt forces to fight back within different sectors of space. But a strong resistance is unlikely."
Xandrix sat motionless. He was stunned. It was said to be impossible by traders and merchants alike that the Hutt sector could be overtaken. They were far too vital to the war efforts on either the Republic or Sith sides. An overly aggressive move, exemplified by the attack yesterday, would force the Hutt syndicate to cut off trade with their attackers and shift trade efforts to the other battling force. But nobody expected that the Nal Hutta, the base of all Hutt operations, and the core of the Hutt empire could be attacked. All hyperspace routes to the planet would be monitored heavily. For the Sith to have gone unnoticed through the hyperspace lanes meant that they had either employed a Sith ritual that none had seen or heard of before, or that they had managed to infiltrate the core circle of the Hutts. Either hypothesis seemed highly improbable.
Rickin saw Xandrix's astonishment and went on, "Yes, it may seem foolhardy for the Sith to overextend their hand. With the Empire at the backs of the Hegemony and the Hutt's and Republic in front, this would appear to be a last desperate move by the Sith to control vital trade routes," Rickin's face darkened and he pursed his lips, "But... I have been given new information that would dispel the notion that the Sith are weak. This is a preemptive strike to showcase their new power. War has changed and the galaxy is no longer safe."
Xandrix tried to climb off the med table but was unable to do so. Instead he only managed to open his mouth and croak out one word:
"W...w...why?"
Rickin whirled around to face Xandrix. Gone were the soft features that defined his face; gone was the sympathetic smile that garnered his face; gone was his confidence. Only a brittle hardness remained. He opened his mouth to answer Xandrix but abruptly closed it. His eyes softened and he spoke with a newfound tenderness.
"Xandrix, you don't know the whole truth about your parents. And I'm sorry the truth could not have been told to you earlier. Your father was not a simple smuggler, and your mother was not a waitress at a cafe. They were..." Rickin paused to lessen the effect of his news, "...they were agents of peace that were charged with keeping the peace of independent systems."
Xandrix gasped. His throat began to roar in pain as he stifled a cry of surprise. A pit formed in his stomach. How...how could they lie? How could they lie to me? And agents of what? Why couldn't they tell me anything? A pathetically throaty cry caught itself in Xandrix's throat like a Shyrma worm too large to escape its burrow.
Rickin again placed his hand on Xandrix's shoulder and attempted to comfort the shivering boy. Xandrix rejected the comforting energy that flowed through Rickin's hands. The emotions poured from Xandrix like an Alderaanian waterfall. Rickin stepped away Xandrix and covered his face. He raised his hands and a shield of energy pooled around Xandrix's body. And in the knick of time too; inside the vortex of invisible energy, the seat Xandrix sat in shivered and vibrated and the air surrounding Xandrix began to glow a dull orange.

"Xandrix! You must control your emotions! Don't repress them, but embrace them for what they are! If you don't you will destroy the ship! Xandrix... please," Rickin pleaded desperately. He had taken a chance in telling Xandrix the truth about his parents, and his instincts had gone awry. Xandrix was far more powerful than he had anticipated, and his energy shield began to weaken.
Within the orb of energy, Xandrix's eyes snapped open, reflecting a shimmering blue corona. The confines of the ship faded away as he was transported to an infinite black plane. Darkness stretched from every direction. He was alone.
"Xandrix, I'm here for you."
Xandrix flipped around to identify the voice that seemed to come from all directions in his black prison.
"Who are you?!" Xandrix throatily yelled out, hoping to for a person to appear before him. He was met with silence. This isn't real. This is no reality of mine. But I feel that I have been here, many, many times. He scrunched his face up in concentration. His mind felt blurry; a haze seemed to fill the vast expanse of his mind. I must be dreaming, I feel... no, I know that I am on the ship with Rickin. Yes! This must be a dream, I just need to wake up.
The voice began to resonate within the plane of the darkness again, but converged into one small point. Xandrix looked on in wonder as the small point burst into an aura of white light. The light began to take form into the shape of a humanoid. A sonorous voice floated across the abyss of darkness and penetrated Xandrix's senses.
"Xandrix, I have always been with you. And so too has your father. You have a great journey ahead of you."
I recognize that voice... MOM!?
"Mom! How are you still alive?! Where are we?"
The bright figure stood motionless but began to recede.
"I have little time left Xandrix. You must accept your heritage within the force. But now you must control your emotions! Do not attempt to manipulate them like the Sith or shunt them like the Jedi, but understand your emotions, and within them find serenity! Your father and I love you, but we must now leave you now. Our legacy falls to you."
The bright figure dimmed and faded away.
"Mom? Wait... stay! Please don't leave me!" Xandrix said desperately.
One final whisper echoed within the black planes of space before the light burned out:
"I never will..."
The black space that surrounded Xandrix began to dissolve. Xandrix opened his eyes and saw he was still on Rickin's ship, surrounding him was an energy barrier and a tired Rickin concentrating one maintaining the field. The emotion drained from Xandrix and the vibrations stopped. The energy shield disappeared and Rickin fell to the floor panting. Rickin looked up at Xandrix; his eyes glimmering with patience and awe.

"Truly you are his descendent. Truly you are..." Rickin said to himself quietly.

Xandrix jumped from the med table and ran to Rickin, trying to pick the middle aged man off the floor.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't know what I was doing!" Xandrix tried to explain.
Rickin waved away Xandrix's apology.
"Do not apologize, you simply don't know how to control your power."
"Wha... what powers do I have?"
Rickin stared at the little boy standing in front of him and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Why my boy, you can use the force!"
Xandrix stood still, trying to comprehend what he had just heard. Of course, this revelation was no real surprise to Xandrix. For his entire life visions had plagued him cyclically. When angry or sad, he had been able to move small objects just by focusing his emotions on the image of the object. And his father too had demonstrated use in the force on multiple occasions. Whenever riots had occurred in the streets of Nar Shaddaa, his father had been able to find the safest places in the city where no one would find them. His aim with a blaster was uncanny and had always confused Xandrix as to how his father could shoot so well. And it always seemed as if Shardin's piloting ability was supernatural; his success in smuggling could not have been due to pure luck.
"I'm actually not too surprised," Xandrix replied calmly. Rickin seemed taken aback by that statement. Any normal eleven year old would have begun to pester Rickin with questions endlessly. Xandrix just stood still, taking in the information and processing it at a rapid rate. He truly is a special boy, Rickin thought.
"Rickin, before we talk about myself, can you tell me more about my parents?" Xandrix asked inquisitively. In that moment Rickin remembered he was talking with a mere child, and not a potentially powerful force user.
"Ah, I'm sorry for getting off track. Anyways sit down," Rickin motioned to the two pilots chairs and sat down in front of the command console, "You're father and mother were agents of my organization as I said earlier." The elder man stroked his rough stubble wondering where to go next with his story.
"The Sith invaded Nar Shaddaa for two reasons: first, to gain a garrison moon that will allow for the invasion of Nal Hutta. Of course, with civil war and a Republic counter attack, it wouldn't make sense for the Sith to make such a bold attack. But they did not invade Nar Shaddaa for just one reason," he paused and stared at Xandrix unintentionally creating a dramatic effect, "they came to the moon to find and kill your father."
Xandrix lowered his eyes and felt a fresh wave of tears begin to fall down his face. Just the thought of his parents still stung.
"Your father carried with him vital information that will change the war. His 'smuggling run' was an intel operation to remove Coline spice from outer rim territories in order to prevent widespread Imperial use of the drug. While on his intel sweep, he came across a revelation that would change the war," Rickin sighed and continued, "Your father ventured further into Sith space than any operative has in the past five years. Your father learned that the Sith hegemony and Empire have reunited through the creation of a Sith Imperial council. The Hegemony has been united into a ruling council that has brought together all sectors of Sith controlled space. The tide of the war has changed."

Rickin looked out of the view ports as the hypnotic colors of hyperspace whipped past the ship. Xandrix opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the clunking machinery of Rickin's ship exiting hyperspace. In front of the ship was a lush green world filled with lakes and large oceans. Xandrix's worries were forgotten as he marveled at the beauty of this untouched planet. Outside of holodramas and local net news, Xandrix had never seen widespread foliage before, or large bodies of water either.

This must be heaven, or as close to it as I can get, Xandrix thought.
Rickin's gruff voice interrupted Xandrix's train of thought:"This, Xandrix, is Naboo. Home to my organization- home to my people," Rickin scratched at his beard and turned to Xandrix, a crease formed upon his forehead, "I haven't told you yet why I have taken you here yet I realize. Your parents, myself, and hundreds of other force users and specialists have joined forces to protect the independence of free worlds from the hands of the Republic and the Sith," Rickin paused and continued, "We call ourselves the Revanites. We are those that seek to protect the freedom and choice of those who are unable to protect themselves."
Xandrix sat back in his chair, clearly overwhelmed with the immensity of knowledge he was receiving at the moment.
"Well... what does Revanite mean? And why are you telling me all of this?" Xandrix asked, the information he received clearly more than he could take in all at once. Rickin chuckled and went on.
"I am a Revanite. I fight for the continual independence of sovereign worlds who don't wish to join any larger government entity for fear of corruption or destruction. As to why we call ourselves Revanites pertains to a man that existed around two thousand five hundred years ago named Revan. A Jedi turned Sith turned wanderer, Revan was a powerful force user that was found true harmony within the force. Instead of being plagued by notions of light and dark, Revan found balance where previously there was believed none. And through this balance, peace can be found. While his methods for engineering peace within the galaxy were flawed, the ideals he stood by were pure and noble by the end of his life. This dogma, the quest to find balance within the force, within government, and within emotion, is the mantra that drives our organization. It is through seeing both sides of conflict that a balance point can be attained. Are you beginning to understand?"
Xandrix nodded hesitantly, "Yes... but you still haven't answered my question. Why tell me all of this?"
Rickin leaned back in his chair and admired the untouched beauty of Naboo as he input codes for landing. The sub space ion engines flaring, Rickin and Xandrix descended towards the surface of Naboo, towards the speck of an isolated island within the vast ocean expanse.
"Well Xandrix... I'm telling you this because your father and I hoped that one day this order would be your home- with your permission of course. Your father had always hated the way that the Jedi and Sith forcefully took children from their parents. While the Jedi made this transaction seem noble and honorable, your father hated their hollow chivalry. He wanted to give you a choice in accepting your heritage within the force. Whether you choose to follow your parents footsteps is up to you. So, what do you say?"
The older man looked upon Xandrix with a hopeful stare. He hadn't seen a child with the potential Xandrix had shown in ages. The boy, if he chose to follow the force, could become one of the most promising force candidates on Naboo, if not the entire mid rim sector. Xandrix closed his eyes and attempted to clear his mind. Becoming a Revanite could offer me a life, a chance to redeem the memory of my parents. This... this is the only option I can take.
"Rickin, I want to learn about the force. I want... no, I must become a Revanite. If this was my parents legacy, then I want to keep it going."
Rickin smiled at the small boy that sat in front of him. Though he was just eleven years old, Xandrix showed a maturity that reflected an individual far older than just a mere boy. Shardin and Karliah truly raised him right, Rickin reflected. The ship drew closer to the island and a large complex could be seen above the lush green foliage that decorated the island.
"Well, then welcome to your new home, Xandrix."
The two sat in silence as the ship began landing protocol.
The images of his mangled mother and father began to fade and the beauty of the planet overwhelmed his senses.
Finally, I'm home.