Ok…. Good freaking (insert deity here), did this take forever! And these intervals where I just stop posting always seem to last for about a WHOLE YEAR or so. I could remember when I was able to post a new chapter at least every two or three months. Which, now that I'm in between jobs, (Don't ask) might actually become the norm again. But as of this moment, I'm REALLY glad I could pull through and get this one up. And since this is the first official crossover chapter of Out of the Blue and Fighting for the Future, I couldn't have possibly hoped to have do this without another awesome writer at the helm.
…
I said "Without another awesome writer at the helm."
…
"Without another aweso-" WILL YOU GET UP HERE, ALREADY?!
117Jorn: Oi! I have a VERY busy schedule right now, alright?! I'm working on Star Trek Odyssey with Ron and Takeshi, not to mention a Mobile Suit Gundam fic as well! I'M PACKED OVER HERE!
Oh, well pardon me for wanting to give credit to the one person who helped expand what was once a standard self-insert fic into a semi-expansive fan-universe that makes me feel like Kevin Feige.
117Jorn: Fair enough, though you ain't seen NOTHING yet, we've got plenty more where THAT came from people.
Quite. Once again, I apologize if the quality dips as it goes on. Though I think this one fared a little bit better than the last chapter. And at this point, I'd do a funny smart-ass disclaimer talking about how I don't own any copyrighted characters. But… I think I'm drained. I'm sorry, I've been doing this for going on SEVEN YEARS and I just can't think of any quips for this one… Jorn, you have any ideas?
117Jorn: All I really have to say is we'll be doing some work on FFTF in the future hopefully - as you can guess, we've got a LOT to "ketchup" on.
… Uh…. That was- I meant can yo- uggh… n-never mind.
DISCLAIMER
Maybe now that I'm looking for a new job, I could USE the royalties that come with owning Star Wars like Disney does, but I don't, so I can't. Oh! And the character of Jordan Tackett isn't mine either.
Enjoy!
Chapter 24
Worlds Collide
February 5th, 2011, 3:30 PM, South Carolina
"Ventress is there in Connecticut!" Said a man wearing a set of armor that looked like a hybrid between Mandalorian Super Commando armor and Jedi robes. "We have to take her out!"
"This isn't like our work in Africa or the Middle East, Boc." Kal Skirata said shaking his head, "This is on American soil, this needs to be dealt with very cautiously."
"According to intel, Savage Opress is with her..." Boc said, shaking his head "Yet another change to the timeline..."
"We've reached the point of no return long ago," Another figure said, this one coming from a man wearing black robes, and a black mask with steel engravings. "We cannot let Savage and Ventress destroy everything we have spent so hard to build… "
"Should we contact MiB about this?" A holographic figure asked, however the hooded figure shook his head.
"No… they have their hands full dealing with the cover story in the South China Sea when that Vong ship showed up." He said, "Normally I'd ask you to do this for me Ryu, but with your mission against the Vagaari that will be problematic… No, I will head over there myself, and deal with them both."
"Shouldn't you tell your master about this?" Kal asked.
"I already have," The man said, as he stood up, removing his helmet, revealing a young man with short crew-cut black hair and brown eyes with a slight glow of red to them. "He's on his way, but I will be there sooner… I'll take care of both Ventress, and Opress… and anyone who's hiding them from justice." He pulled out what looked like a double-bladed Lightsaber, before it separated into two separate blades, which ignited in a black and red flare of energy, the blades shaped more like a conventional blade like the Darksaber. "The old Sith and the Rule of Two must be exterminated… to make room for us… the Neo Sith Empire."
Boc shook his head "I hope you know what you're doing, Jordan..." he said, as Jordan chuckled a bit.
"I can handle a Sith Warrior and an Acolyte just fine, Boc." He said, "And remember… it's Darth Saren now."
February 6th, 2011, 9:00 AM, Connecticut
The young brown haired Jedi in-training headed out the back door of the house and into the backyard that served for the past four months as a makeshift landing area for the assortment of ships and transports that accumulated over time. It took some doing, but Adam and his family has sworn the family living upstairs above them to secrecy about what had transpired near their home.
Riyo, coming out in her human disguise, was followed by Asajj, Savage, Master Vos and the droids who walked up next to the teen.
"How do you even know he's in the same state anymore, much less the same city?" Riyo asked.
"I don't." Adam answered. "But it's the only lead I have, and the sooner we stop that guy that saw me access the Holocron from telling somebody what he saw, the sooner I can rest knowing that we aren't in danger of being exposed."
"This would be all the more easier if we just had my squad fan out and search the city you said you saw him in." Vos added. The Jedi Master had swapped out his usual robes in favor of a simplistic red sweatshirt underneath a black jacket with blue jeans.
"Yeah, I know. But I don't want to draw anymore attention by having a bunch of guys in Clone Trooper armor run around the city. And even if he had enough native clothes to give them, without their helmets on, they all look too identical to not draw a few suspicious stares." Adam said heading towards Asajj's escape pod.
"Kind of wish that we could go with you. You'd be able to cover more ground with five people as opposed to three." Asajj said gesturing towards Savage and herself.
"You know we can't do that." Adam said opening the door to the pod. "Until we get some spare Image Cloakers up and running, it's too much of a risk having you walk around the way you look. No offense."
"Honestly, it's no different than back at home." Asajj said. "I was wanted for war crimes practically everywhere in the known Galaxy, so showing my face in public was never a good option."
"Yeah, I'm only recently getting used to being considered a criminal." Savage added. "Hell, I wasn't even in my right mind when I did all the things I was convicted for. How do you think that makes me feel?"
"We'll work on getting you both exonerated as soon as we're done dealing with the genocidal maniac in the Chancellor's chair." Riyo said to the two as she pressed a three sequence code on a keypad on the outside of her ship. The door slid upwards with a loud hiss as the ramp meet the grassy lawn below. "In the meantime, we have to focus on making sure we don't end up on an operating table in a science lab."
"I think I have a little more faith in my own people than that, Riyo." Adam said getting into the chair in the middle of the pod.
"At least one of us is optimistic then." Riyo responded.
"We'll contact you guys as soon as we have something." Vos said as he and the Pantoran entered ship as the door slid closed.
"You two play nice while we're gone." Adam said with a wink of his eye before the door to the pod closed shut, eliciting surprised reactions from the two Dathomirians.
Soon enough, the two transports lifted up into the air before soaring above the roof of the house and into the cloudy winter sky.
Savage blinked a couple times before he turned towards Asajj and asked "What do you think he meant when he said play nice?"
"I- I- I don't know what he's talking about. He just says stuff like that. I'm going inside." Asajj said before doing just that and walking back through the back door.
Savage stood there in confusion as the two battle droids looked at him.
{Your horns getting red?} DK asked
"Shut up."
Jordan sighed as his modernized Fury-class Interceptor landed in a forest clearing in Connecticut, stepping out as he did so. "Maintain cloak until I give the word," he said, "I'll head into town and link up with Alpha, he'll guide me over to where these guys are."
"Roger that," Jessica Miller said, "Just hurry it up, I need to head home and do some fixes to my ship."
"Hopefully we'll have this whole situation rounded up by the end of the day, Jess." He said, as the Forthcoming Redemption flew away, reengaging its stealth system, vanishing from the naked eye.
Jordan sighed as he put his Sith robes, armor and weapons away inside the duffle bag he bought, and exchanged it for more casual clothes. "Once more into the breach..." he said, as he picked up his duffle and he proceeded out of the forest, ensuring his force signature was being as suppressed as possible.
The three enter into the large city of Middletown, the bustle and hustle of the people going about their business almost reminiscent of life on Coruscant.
"Well this certainly feels familiar." Riyo said nostalgically.
"It's also going to make this ten times as hard." Vos added.
"Like we have a choice." Adam said. "We'll fan out in three directions. If we find anything, a lead, a clue, anything at all," Adam pulled out the circular disk that was his comlink. "Don't hesitate to message."
"Well we're wasting time just standing around here talking." Vos said.
"Let's break then." Adam said.
(Suggested Track: Skyfall - Shanghai Drive)
The three headed off in separate directions: Adam west, Riyo south and Vos north.
Adam pulled out his blue Pantech phone to create the illusion that he was texting while walking, but in reality, his eyes were glued towards the backs of the heads walking in front of him, looking to see if any of them matched that of a man with crew cut black hair.
Riyo walked along in a busy crowd, careful to try and blend in so that nobody suspected anything more of her than a common passerbyer.
Along his path, Vos' eyes darted back and forth in his head, scanning the various people around and in front of him for the description, but yielding no results. He kept walking along to look for his intended target.
While texting, Adam's eyes dart back up at the crowd of people in front of him. Still no sign of the man, but he continued on anyways.
Riyo walked along the open street before she stopped to catch her bearings. Her head turned to the right and right there ahead of her was a man who fit the description of Adam's mental image presented through the Force right down to the letter. As the man continued to walk, Riyo picked up her pace.
Vos continued down his path, until he felt a MASSIVE surge in the Force with a power unlike anything he ever felt, including that of the supposed Chosen One.
He pulled out his comlink, careful to keep it hidden from the crowd around him, and turned it on. "Adam, Riyo."
"I just felt a very large fluctuation in the Force." Adam heard the Jedi Master say through his own comlink.
Riyo continued to follow the man she believed to be their target as she listened. "I don't know what it is, but I'm following it to find out."
"I have a lead on our friend. I'm in route." She said.
"Don't lose him." Adam said into his comlink. "If it's anybody that resembles the man from my memory,"
"You follow him to make sure." He said.
"Got it." Riyo said picking up the pace even further.
Vos darted through the crowds, careful not to run into anybody while also tracking the presence he felt with his own. Whoever or whatever this was, they certainly weren't trying to hide.
Riyo closed the gap from the man until they were less than two feet apart from one another.
"Excuse me." She said loudly.
The man stopped walking and turned around to face her. She saw that unlike the man in Adam's memory, this one had a scar right under his right eye.
"S-sorry. I thought you were someone else." She explained.
The man nodded before turning around and going on his way.
Riyo subtly pulled out her comlink. "Guys, my lead was a no-go."
"It was the wrong guy. My trail's gone cold." Adam's comlink said.
"It's fine, just keep looking. We'll turn up something worth mentioning." Adam said.
"Right." Riyo answered.
Adam walked past the park as he glanced at his phone, however he was so focused he didn't see someone walking towards him until the two crashed into one another. "Ah! Shit, sorry!" He said.
"Oh, nah, nah my bad dude." Came a reply as Adam looked and saw a young man, a bit older than he was with short black hair and brown eyes, wearing a simple pair of blue jeans and sneakers, though he also noticed he was wearing a Star Wars T-Shirt with a picture of Jango Fett shooting Mace Windu in the head. "Kinda in a hurry here."
"Same here..." Adam said, before he double-taked at the shirt. "Hey, where'd ya get that shirt?"
"Oh, this?" The man said, "Hah, A friend of mine on Deviantart made the picture, and I had someone else turn it into a shirt… seriously, I think Jango should've wiped the floors with Windu - remember, he's the same guy who fought and killed like five Jedi Knights with his bare hands, a Sith Acolyte, and armies of mercenaries, bounty hunters and all sorts of crazy things, and trained the entire GAR… I blame poor writing for that."
"Yeah, I agree that no bounty hunter that cool looking deserved to go out like such a punk. I'll be the first to say that George isn't perfect." Adam said to the man.
"Aha! Finally someone who agrees!" the man said with a smirk, "Yeah seriously, the Mandalorians don't get nearly as much love as they deserve in the SW canon - and don't get me started on how much I hate that pacifist leader Satine, its totally gonna bite her in the ass… from what I heard at least."
Adam blinked "What do you mean?" He asked.
The man smirked a bit, as he glanced around. "Let's say I know… someone who works for LucasFilms, and I got a sneak preview on what's gonna be happening in the Clone Wars series up till season 5." He said, "And I tell ya… shit is gonna go down. Ya want spoilers?"
"Hmm… Normally I try and avoid that kind of stuff, but recently, I've learned to take what I can get. What happens?" Adam asked.
"Two big things happen:" He said, raising two fingers. "Number One, Savage Opress and Darth Maul team up with Pre Vizla and the Death Watch, and they unite a whole bunch of criminal groups, and then they stage a takeover of Mandalore. However, the Death Watch pretends to be the heroes, fighting the criminals and defending Mandalore, effectively winning the entire population's support. Though Maul betrays Pre later on… it's so good to see the Mandalorians be Mandalorians again… and Satine dies, so extra plus there."
"Wait, she DIES?!" Adam asked in surprise.
"Yeah, Maul kills her right in front of Obi-wan who came to rescue her." He said shrugging, "I know people like her, and I admit I kinda liked her… but total pacifism is just asking to be invaded. I mean, what if some REAL criminals attacked Mandalore, and the Death Watch didn't protect them? THey would be FUBAR."
"Wait, FUBAR?" Adam asked.
"It's military slang - Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition, if you excuse my language." He said with a chuckle.
"Ah, I see." Adam said. "In all honesty, total pacifism isn't really an option. Even the Lurmen had to wise up and learn that. By the way, don't think I ever got your name. My name's Adam." The boy said extending his hand.
"Ah, Jordan, nice to meet ya." Jordan said, as they shook hands. "And yeah, that's that Arc… but the real jaw-dropper is the last four episodes of the season, all centered around Ahsoka."
This caught Adam's attention as he payed closer attention "What happens?" He asked.
"Well, after a terrorist bombing on the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka and Anakin try to figure out who caused the blast." Jordan explained, "They find out some woman fed Nano Droids into her husband's food - who worked at the Temple - and detonated them, turning him into a bomb."
Adam grimaced. "Jesus… what sort of sick monster would come up with a plan like that? Sidious?"
"Nope… a Jedi." Jordan said, causing him to blink.
"A… A Jedi did that?" He asked in shock.
"Yeah. Turns out the wife got the droids from a Jedi… but before she can tell who, someone force chokes her to death, and since Ahsoka was with her at the time, Tarkin thinks she killed her for payback for killing so many Jedi, Clones and workers. They lock her up, but Ahsoka escapes… but finds out someone had killed the Clone Guards, providing even further evidence that Ahsoka's a traitor, but she manages to escape to the lower city."
"So… the Jedi Traitor is trying to frame Ahsoka?" Adam asked for confirmation, and Jordan nodded.
"Bingo," he said, "After escaping, Ahsoka works out a deal with Asajj Ventress to help her clear her name, in exchange for getting Ventress exonerated by the Republic. Ahsoka contacts Barriss, who helps her ID a location where Nano Droids could be at. However, when she and Ventess go their separate ways, someone knocks Ventress out, and takes her mask and lightsabers and attacks Ahsoka, making her think she's being attacked by Ventress. But the whole thing ends with Ahsoka being recaptured by the Republic… looking even more incriminating than before, being at a storehouse filled with the same Nano Droids that blew up the temple hangar."
"I don't think I'm going to like where this is going." Adam said with displeasure.
"Oh it gets worse," Jordan said, "Ahsoka is first brought to the Jedi Council to seek their help… but then the entire council decides to throw her to the dogs and banish her from the Order."
"Wait, WHAT?! How could they do that?! Do years of service to them and practically raising her mean nothing to them? I thought the Jedi were a little more intelligent than that." Adam said with shock and anger.
"Remember, this is the same order that's all fine and dandy with abducting force-sensitive children, and saying romance and love are evil things." Jordan said rolling his eyes. "They did that obviously to protect their own damn image… fuck, everyone in the council agrees to this! Yoda, Obi-wan, even fucking Plo Koon agrees to let her go! The only Jedi who still supported her was Anakin!"
"So what happens after she gets drummed out of the Order?" Adam asked.
"Well, while Padme represents Ahsoka in the most sham court I've ever seen, Anakin tracks down Ventress thinking she's behind this, but she claims she was attacked and her sabers stolen. Anakin thinks they're at a dead end since no one else knew where Ahsoka was… except for one other person who just so happened to point it out in the first place..."
"No… It can't be. She.. she dies during Order 66. There's no way that-"
"Barriss Offee, yup." Jordan said nodding, "And yeah, pissed me off too, but then again it's not the only time Clone Wars clashed with the continuity of the comics, since Adi Gallia in the comics dies by Grievous's hands, but in the Clone Wars she is killed by Savage. So anyways Barris duels Anakin with Ventress's sabers, but he manages to capture her, and brings her to court just before Ahsoka's trial is concluded."
"And here is the part I both hate and love..." Jordan said, "After all of this, after all the trauma they put her through… the Jedi have the gaul to welcome Ahsoka back into the order now that she's not a wanted criminal… after kicking her out, and basically claiming she was expendable to them… Ahsoka, being the smart Jedi we knew her to be… basically says 'F-U' to the Jedi, and leaves, ending the season."
"Wow… that's…. just wow." Adam said in shock.
"I know! I can't wait till they actually animate the episodes," Jordan said, "Hoping though they don't end it with that season though… "
"No, I mean wow as in 'Why the Hell would all of this happen?' I know the Jedi aren't perfect by any definition, but this is just downright appalling what they did."
"Meh, I expected stuff like this to happen." Jordan said shrugging, "The hypocrisy of the Jedi has no boundaries, and they have too much free reign to begin with. You ever heard the story of the Baby Ludi case?"
"No, can't say I have." Adam replied.
"Basically, after an earthquake on a planet, Jedi relief forces found a force-sensitive child who survived." He said, "They just assumed she was orphaned, and brought her to the temple… only it turns out her mother was still alive, and when she demanded to have her daughter returned, the Jedi said no, citing it would be 'too dangerous now that her mind was opened to the Force'."
Adam could not believe his own ears. The Jedi that he grew up idolizing for years of his life being capable of such apathy and cold heartedness, it was just almost too much."I never knew that..." he said.
"Yeah, the show and movies don't cover the darker parts of the 'paladin' Jedi." Jordan said, "They've been sticking to that same old code for thousands of years, and they've been getting worse and worse as the years go by in SW canon… I have my own views on that matter though… a… fellow Star Wars enthusiast once told me 'If you go to close to the light, you will blind yourself, but if you go too deep into darkness, you will loose your path'. I wish the Jedi understood that… if they were real of course, maybe taking the words of Jolee Bindo more seriously… if Anakin was allowed to be open with his relationship with Padme, perhaps Order 66 could have been stopped… if not at least minimized in damage."
"Yeah, I'm with you on that. But at least the Order DID change eventually, Granted, it did take nearly the entire decimation of it to happen, but given what you just said about them, it sounded like the Order was too set in their ways to change. Anyways, I have to get going. I have someone I should be looking for. It was nice talking to you, Jordan."
"And you, Adam." He said nodding, "Just remember though… the future's never set in stone."
Adam blinked at that, before Jordan walked off into the park. 'The heck did he mean by that?' He thought, before he shook his head, as he began searching for the man once more.
Jordan sat at a bench in the local park, as he awaited Alpha's arrival. As he waited though, he thought about the young man he had just met earlier - Adam. 'He WAS force sensitive...' he thought, 'Which is odd… most people here on Earth have their connection muted… very curious...'
"Sir?" A voice said, as Darth Saren glanced to the side, and smiled as Alpha sat next to him, wearing a set of simple military fatigues.
"Alpha." Saren said nodding, "You have the info?"
"Yes sir." Alpha said as he handed him a small data chip. "Sorry I didn't give you this earlier, I had to confirm that the location I found them at was the same position they were actually living at."
"What's important is that we know where they are," He said, as he plugged in the chip into his datapad, as he read out its contents. "Got it. Anything else you can inform me?"
"Nothing new to report," He said shaking his head, "Ventress and Savage are accompanied by two Battle Droids and a Nexu pet. The B1 has been significantly upgraded, and the Droideka in and of itself is a force to reckon with… of course, not against you. And I'm pretty sure you can take out an oversized kitten."
Jordan chuckled a bit "Of course, but thanks for the info regardless." He said, "Try to lay low Alpha, once they're taken care of, we'll extract you and get you back into the real fight."
The Clone ARC Trooper chuckled a bit "I'll be honest, I'll miss being a private investigator." He said, as the two stood up. "Different than dealing with Clankers every waking day."
"You could use a change of scenery," Jordan said, "Might I recommend Altair? Fabulous place, cold as hell, but the scenery is positively amazing… once you get past the dire wolves, and the chance of a Hegemony Remnant cell raiding the Mando towns, but I'm pretty sure you'd love it."
Alpha chuckled "We'll see," he said, "Good luck sir, you're gonna need it."
Jordan nodded, before he looked up towards the sky, and in one great force-driven leap he flew out of the park towards his destination, leaving Alpha shaking his head. "Showoff..." he muttered, before he began to leave the park.
Meanwhile - With Vos
Vos continued to walk towards where the presence with a speed in his step. He senses told him that he was getting close. Part of him was prepared for a fight given how powerful it felt, but the rational Jedi Master side of him told him to remain calm in order to figure out just who or what it was.
Heading through a path, his eyes soon fixed on the center of the disturbance: a brown haired man with matching eyes in simplistic looking clothes throwing bird seed onto the ground for nearby pigeons to grab and gobble up.
Vos stared at the man for a second, contemplating on what his first move should be. Should he approach the man himself and ask who he was or should he simply keep his distance and wait for him to do something?
The choice was then taken out of his hands as the man turned to him looking him directly in the eyes and spoke. "Master Quinlan Vos, I presume?" He asked.
Vos simply nodded in stunned silence. "I.. I tracked a powerful presence in the Force to this spot. Just.. just who are you?"
The man sighed as he stood up "I've gone by many names in my long, long existence..." He said, "The Butcher, the Prodigal Knight, Hero of the Republic and Mandalorian Wars… but I believe most know me by a more simpler name… Revan."
To say Vos was surprised by this reveal was a massive understatement. He was truly and utterly floored. "Revan. The Prodigal Knight. Savior of the Republic. I… How are you even still alive?"
"Carbon Freezing." Revan answered, "Along with surviving over 300 years of torment at the hands of the Sith Emperor during the Great Galactic Wars… I was awakened when the people of this world finally began to awaken themselves to the Force… I have been helping my… new apprentice prepare not just this world, but also the entire galaxy for the greatest threat we may ever know."
"Yeah, I know. Sidious isn't going to be easy to bring down, but I'm helping train a group of young Force Sensitives to master the Force so that they might be powerful enough to defeat him and finally destroy the Sith."
Revan sighed as he shook his head "The Sith are not our true enemy." He said, causing Vos to blink. "There is a far greater threat, one that makes all of the Sith Lords in the past look pitiful in comparison..."
"If you're talking about a rip in the space-time continuum that could come from changing the future-"
"No… possibly much worse than that." Revan said, "You must be new to this world, and have yet to absorb all of the knowledge they have on our past, present and future… tell me… what have you heard of… the Yuuzhan Vong?"
Meanwhile - With Adam
Adam had searched the entire western block of the city and still found no sign of the man he was looking for. Cold and a little thirsty, he decided to stop by a local coffee shop for something warm to drink and he exited the shop with a warm cup of coffee in his hand.
"...He'll be there, don't worry Boc." He heard someone say as he walked by. Adam glanced at the figure walking by… before he froze and did a double take as he looked at his face. 'THAT'S HIM!' He thought to himself before stopping to face the man.
"Hey, didn't I see you a couple of days ago late at night? Outside Middlesex Hospital?" He asked.
The man froze as well, looking back at Adam in surprise… before he quickly regained his cool. "No." He said, before he began walking away at a quicker pace.
The brown haired teen quickly grabbed the man's shoulder. "You're lying." Adam said in a low and almost threatening tone.
"...I'd be very careful who you threaten, kid..." the man whispered back, before Adam felt something press against his side, glancing down as he saw a gun pointed at him… however what quickly caught his attention was the fact it wasn't an Earth-made weapon… it was a DC-17 hand blaster, used almost exclusively by...
"Clone… You're a Clone." Adam said.
The Clone dragged the teen into the middle of a secluded alleyway.
"And you're working with a Sith Acolyte working with Count Dooku, a wanted fugitive to the Republic." The Clone from the GAR said. "You don't seem to realize how much of a threat Ventress and that pet Zabrak of hers is… but don't worry, they'll be taken care of soon."
"What are you… Who did you send? TELL ME!" He demanded.
"You're not exactly in a position to be demanding information, kid," The Clone said, pressing the pistol further into him. "Now… you're coming with me, and when my superior takes care of your Sith friends, you are gonna have a long chat together..."
Adam reacted on instinct and pushed the Clone down with the Force, knocking him into the wall behind him while calling his blaster into his hands. With a loud snap hiss, his blade sliced the weapon into two parts which he promptly threw onto the ground before him. Deactivating his saber and running out of the alleyway, he pulled out his comlink as he ran. "Riyo! Master Vos!"
Riyo was in a mall looking up and down the aisles for the man when she received his call "I found the guy. He's a Clone."
Vos was standing by Revan as his informal apprentice spoke. "He sent some kind of… I don't know what he sent, but they're headed back towards Asajj and Savage. We have to get back there now! I'm on my way back."
Vos pulled out his comlink. "Ok, just be careful, we don't even know who this is that's heading for them. Riyo and I will meet back up at the ship and follow you. Vos out." He said as he hung up.
"It seems my apprentice has found his target." Revan said, sighing "I wish he consulted me before going after the Sith Acolytes… but they can't be allowed to return to Sidious and Dooku."
"They were never going to. They've turned their backs against the Dark Side and have been trying to make amends for their past deeds." Vos said.
"Hmm, is that so? Still, my apprentice doesn't know that." Revan said standing up. "Point me in the direction of your ship. We must get there before we are too late."
The two Force Sensitives then ran off at fast speeds into the city.
Meanwhile - Adam's House
"I hope Adam can handle this guy..." Asajj said as she sat on the couch. "He could be anything between some random pedestrian to one of those war vets..."
"He can handle himself," Savage said, "There's nothing on this Earth that he can't-" before he could finish, they heard a loud blaring sound of a car alarm going off.
"Someone out there?" Ventress asked as she headed for the door, Savage was right behind her as they left the house, and found the car in the driveway blaring out its alarm, seemingly for no reason. "There's no one here..."
Savage's eyes narrowed, he could feel… something, but he couldn't… suddenly his warning senses flashed up, as he looked up as a figure clad in a mixture of robes and armor leaped from the top of Adam's home, decending towards them, as he heard a loud Snap-Hiss from…
"DOWN!" He shouted as he pushed Ventress out of the way, just before the figure hit the dirt with his lightsabers where she once stood.
"What the-?" Ventress said, as they scrambled back to their feet, "Who in the…?"
The figure that just attacked them stood up at his full height, wielding two katana-shaped lightsabers similar to Pre Vizla's Darksaber, only each one was colored red with a black core. He turned around, and the eyes of the others widened as they saw the armor the figure was wearing was armor almost identical to Galen Marek's Sith Stalker/Dark Lord's armor from the Force Unleashed.
"Any idea what this is?' Savage asked.
"Off-hand? What it looks like shouldn't even be born yet." Asajj answered.
At that moment, the two droids followed by R2 and 3P0 came running out of the house as MK raised his upgraded blaster. "Get away from our friends, Sith scum!" He yelled firing two shock grenades towards the figure.
The figure raised his hand, as the two grenades stopped in mid-air, before he flung his wrist without even looking back at the Droids, "WHOA SHIT!" MK shouted as the Droids leaped out of the way, before the grenades detonated.
DK meanwhile prepared to fire, his shields protecting him from the blast… before several blaster bolts hit his shields, draining them considerably. {What the?!}
"Eager Threat: I've been wanting to test my assassination protocols on Separatist droids for a while now." A synthetic voice said, as appearing from a shimmer of light emerged a red painted humanoid droid, with glowing red eyes and bristling with weapons. "Query: Are you functional, master?"
The Sith sighed "HK, what are you doing here?" He asked, "I can handle this."
"Statement: Master, I am always eager to serve you when butchering Sith and Jedi alike! Rhetorical Query: How could I pass such an opportunity up? Query: may I kill something for you now?"
The Sith sighed "Just... Take care of the droids, but keep the 3P0 and R2 units functional." He said, before he looked back at Ventress and Savage. "How you got 3P0 and R2 I will figure out later... But for now… you two shall either surrender or die, your move."
Savage flung himself towards the figure with his blades unsheathed, locking them and his into a struggle for dominance. The Sith managed to hold the massive Zabrak off surprisingly well with both of his sabers, before he kicked Savage in the shin, bringing the Sith down.
However, then Ventress struck, but the man batted her away, firing a blast of force lightning that sent her sprawling into the house.
"ASAJJ!" MK shouted running towards her. His path was then blocked by the imposing assassin droid before him.
"Threatening Statement: I think you should be less concerned about your Sith friend and more concerned about yourselves." The Droid said raising his blaster. Before he could fire however, a large blue and white piece of metal that was R2 came flying straight into his head, knocking him over and flinging the blaster from his grasp. R2 kept attacking HK with his various tools and upgrades until he was literally flung off of him, but was then greeted to the sight of DK ready with his weapons aimed. MK, in the chaos of the attack, had also primed his blaster and was aiming it straight at the assassin Droid.
The two opened fire, dozens of blaster bolts striking HK as he moved to get up, however their attacks only hit his personal shields. He then ran towards the droids, sending a well aimed punch the way of MK, which caused a massive dent in the middle of his chest to be made. As the B1 battle droid fell to the ground, HK grabbed DK while standing in between the blind spots of his blaster cannons, raised him high above the ground and threw him straight down onto the concrete below. DK's head smashed into the hard concrete, the lights in his receptors beginning to dimmen as the assassin droid put his foot above the Droideka's head. Just as he raised it, a loud roar caused his head to turn back as an angry Fal'ec came barreling in and tackled HK to the ground.
"Confirmation: Nexu, meatbag. Threat: Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty cat!" HK kicked the Super-cat off of him.
Ventress stepped out of the house, a bit dazed from the attack before she saw the situation, smirking slightly as she saw Fal'ec. 'That's my boy,' she thought before she ignited her sabers again and charged into battle to help her pet.
However, the Sith kicked Savage in the chest, sending him flying back before he turned, seeing HK was getting into more trouble. "Son of a..." He muttered before he leaped over, locking blades with Ventress. Fal'ec saw his owner was in trouble, as he leaped up to bite the Sith.
However, he roundhouse kicked Ventress before he spun around and slashed his blades, slicing into the Nexu's right flank as it yelped in pain, landing next to the Sith.
"NOO!" Asajj yelled at the sight of the pet she had raised from infancy being hurt like this in front of her.
The Sith twirled his lightsabers above his head, ready to deliver the killing blow. He swung down, but found his direction blocked by another force preventing him from coming down. He looked and saw a brilliant blue blade blocking his path and an absolutely livid brown haired hazel eyed teenager holding the hilt it was attached to. The boy then thrusts his arm upward to disorientate the Sith's position before using a Force Blast to knock him back several feet, which also successfully knocked his sabers from his hand.
For a moment, the two just stood staring at each other, sizing the other up in an attempt to make heads or tails of their new foe. Finally, Adam broke the silence along with a lingering thought that had loomed inside his head since he saw the Sith's armor.
"You CANNOT be who I think you are." He said with certainty.
Jordan blinked from behind his helmet's visor 'Adam?' He thought, before his eyes narrowed back, as he activated his helmet's voice synthesizer and dusted himself off "Nice attack there," he said, as he cracked his neck, before he he looked up, his eyes narrowed. "You've got a LOT of nerve, to pull that off, kid... though now I am curious... who do I remind you of?"
"Ever hear of the name "Galen Marek?" Or maybe Starkiller? I know it's one of the two."
Jordan let out a short laugh, as he continued to pretend he did not know Adam. "I know there's a Kento Marek, but I don't think Galen will be born until about... ehh...two something years from now." He said, before his eyes narrowed behind his mask "Now, let me ask you, Jedi... how do you know that name to begin with?"
"How about instead I ask you a question. Like for starters, what gives you the right to randomly attack my friends and attempt to KILL one of their pets?" Adam countered angrily.
"You don't even know who they are, do you?" Jordan asked, his hands calling back his lightsabers, ready to reactivate them at a moment's notice, "They're two of the worst Sith in the galaxy. You have any idea how many people they've killed? You couldn't POSSIBLY know how many they will kill in the future if their not stopped! And that kriffing furball attacked ME, I defended myself."
"You are aware that they've turned away from the Dark Side, right? I know what they've done, but they're not the same people anymore. They've faced the demons of their past and decided to move on while trying to make up for them. You're telling me you still sense the Dark Side in either of them? Or how about Savage? Does he look different to you at all? Plus, what does a Sith care about all of this anyways? I can only assume you're one judging by the red lightsaber and.. that tribute to Starkiller you have on."
Jordan glanced at Ventress and Savage, he could tell they looked different, and he could sense most of the corrupted dark side taint was gone from their force presences. "You may be right," he said, "But that does not change what they had done in the past. They still need to answer for their crimes, and I will bring them in to pass their judgement." He then refocused his gaze towards Adam "And I may be a Sith... but I am different from any Sith before me. My goals are not those of power or conquest... I am doing this for the greater good of the galaxy."
"Then you're not Sith. And as for "bringing them in," that's NOT something that going to happen. You can either accept that... or this is going to get rough." Adam said with his hand around his saber gripped tightly.
Jordan's eyes narrowed "Don't get in the way of justice, kid." He said, as he activated his black-red lightsabers, and connected them into their double-bladed form, "And I AM a Sith, and I am the embodiment of what the Sith WILL become... unlike you, Jedi, who have followed a flawed code for far too long. We are willing to adapt... and change to the tides. While you remain blind to the true threat that lurks the galaxy."
"Are you talking about Sidious? We're actually working on making sure he's put out of the Galaxy's misery right now. And the Code is flawed, I'm not going to lie. But I know first hand that it can change. Now I'm going to say this one last time." Adam raised his saber pointed towards the Sith as he stood in front of an injured Fal'ec. "Stand. Down."
Jordan's eyes narrowed "So... you do know." He said, "Then, Jedi... I can't let you tell the rest of your Order... I'm sorry." And with that, he rose his blades, and dashed towards Adam, who raised his own lightsaber to defend as they collided, fighting for dominance.
(BGM: Deception, the Sith Warrior; Star Wars: The Old Republic OST)
Sparks flew as the Jedi and Sith battled one another, Jordan's unleashing a flurry of powerful strikes which pushed Adam back. However, Adam's defense was as strong as it's ever been, as he kept up with Jordan's strikes one after the other with his own lightsaber, almost as if they were taking part in a deadly dance as their lightsabers spun and flashed around. As they fought, Ventress, Savage and the others watch stopped whatever they were doing, as they became almost entranced by the deadly duel.
Adam cursed as he blocked another one of the Sith's powerful strikes. This was nothing like fighting Droids, PROXY, or Vos's training. The Sith was Strong, VERY strong at that, his defense and offense in perfect sync as he blocked any attacks he sends, and then forcing Adam back on the defensive moments later as he pushed him further and further back. And his lightsaber was confusing as well - as he switched between double-bladed mode, to using dual-wield mode which threw him off even more.
He made a downward swing aiming at his saber while it was in Double-blade mode, however Jordan detached them at the last minute, forcing Adam to overshoot as he spun around, and he kicked Adam in the back sending him sprawling to the ground. Adam rolled to the left to avoid being stabbed to the ground when the Sith jumped on him, and leaped back to his feet just in time to raise his saber in time to avoid being decapitated.
'He's fighting like he's been doing it his entire life...' He thought as he continued to deflect attack after attack. 'How do I beat someone who's leagues ahead of me?'
Riyo raced back to the ship, noticing that Master Vos had already made it back along with another, yet very familiar man.
"What's he doing here?" Riyo asked the Jedi.
"He happens to know who's attacking Asajj and Savage, and can maybe get him to stop."
Riyo took a moment to let the information sink in before nodding her head. She and the two men quickly boarded the ship before it took off once again into the sky.
The battle had continued to go on for roughly 30 minutes, and Adam was beginning to feel at his limit. His clothes were singed in several places from some dangerously close misses, and he was equally bruised on his face, arms and legs from the punches and kicks the Sith sent his way. Their fighting took them over to a small building that was being constructed near his house, thankfully there were no workers nearby, nor were any pedestrians around to witness their fight.
The Sith cracked his neck, as he sized Adam up again. The fight had entered a brief pause as they looked at one another. "Just surrender, Jedi." He said in his synthesized voice. "I would rather not kill an opponent with such potential… your skills would be much better served outside the hypocrisy of the Jedi Order you know."
"Right now.. if I had to choose between the Jedi or you.. I'd side with the Jedi." Adam spat.
Jordan sighed as he shook his head "Blissfully ignorant… and naive." he said, "The universe isn't compelled to be fair, kid. Your supposed 'friends' are all going to have a long chat with the interrogator before Ventress and Savage finally face the judgement that has been long overdue. There is nothing you can do to stop that, you're a rookie with the Force, I've been fighting in battlefields, and have trained under some of the most experienced force users ever known. How do you possibly hope to defeat me? With Love and Friendship?"
"Nah, that's for My Little Pony. I'm just going to do my damndest with what little self training I've had and see where that goes. " Adam retorted swinging his blade around before holding it across from his face. "Show me what you've got."
(Suggested Track: Enter the Void (Vanitas Remnant Boss Theme))
Jordan raised his sabers, crossing them over one another in a battle pose before lunging at the teen in incredible speed. He slashed and hacked at Adam's single blue blade, seeming to put every ounce of strength into his attacks, but still, Adam's defense held.
Jordan's two blades locked with Adam's in a saberlock, the Sith pushing harder and harder down upon him as his feet slightly buckled.
"Damn.. idealistic… Jedi." He grunted with fury.
Fury. He was angry, and Adam wanted to beat him. It might just work. Hopefully, it wouldn't fail him like last time.
With all of his strength, the teen pushed him off before raising his blade to deliver a series of parries and swipes. Adam moved with speed and agility etched into his attacks, even spinning in a circular motion once or twice with a flurry of his blade.
"Fuck… shit… Damnit!" Jordan shouted as he deflected the strikes, as he was forced onto the defensive by the Jedi's offensive strikes. "You're… just… making this… harder for… yourself! Delaying the inevitable!"
Adam then spun around in mid air, his blade twirling as he did, hitting Jordan's blade as it went. As he he came down, he thrusted his blade down, forcing back the Sith as he gave an excited looking grin.
The Pantoran ship sped through the sky as fast as it could.
Riyo stood at the main controls while Vos and Revan stood to the side.
"Damn it!" Riyo cursed. "We need to be going faster!"
"You can't speed it up?" Vos asked.
"I've already got it pushed to maximum."
Revan then walked forward towards the Pantoran teen. "I might have a solution."
He then placed his hands over the controls "You may want to hold onto something."
A burst of electricity sprung from his hands and into the controls. Within a few seconds, the inside of the ship lurched forwards with the occupants of it pushed back slightly by the force of it.
"You say you're so much stronger now,"Adam said. "But really… are you really all that different from Sidious? From Malak? Your so-called Empire's probably nothing more than a bunch of street thugs."
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Jordan shouted, as he unleashed a fury of lightning bolts at Adam, who deflected them with his Lightsaber. "You will NOT compare me to those ASSHOLES!"
Jordan then came running at the teen, lightsabers extended as he came at him with a speed that was nearly unmatchable to the untrained eye. Adam had only a split second to block the incoming assault, the crackle of the three blades sending strays sparks of light flying that lit the sweat forming upon his face. Whatever berserker state that his taunt had sent the Sith into, it was clear that more power was put into his strikes than before.
The Sith then pushed with the weight of his blade and sent the young teen flying towards an incomplete wall, hitting the slab of concrete with a grunt in pain. Picking himself up while fighting the aching in his back from the impact, he caught sight of Jordan leaping up with his lightsabers extended, ready to impale him and he soared down upon him.
Adam then rolled out of the way of the stabbing attack, the minute his feet touched back on the concrete, a powerful Force Blast was launched from his hand.
Jordan leapt off to the right to avoid the blast as it impacted with several steel bars implanted near the construction sight. Another was fired, and another, both dodged by the Sith's quick reflexes and superhuman agility. "You think that's going to-" Jordan began to say, before he heard a loud creaking sound as he looked up where a crane's load of steel beams fell down… right on top of him. "Oh shi-!" he began to say, before the steel beams collapsed on top of him, burying him under them, one beam bashing off his helmet.
Adam's eyes widened. "YOU!" He shouted.
Jordan blinked before he sighed "Yeah… me, Adam." He said, "Sorry buddy, but I can't let you up and warn-" He tried to get up, only to feel a piercing pain in his chest… and that was when he realized that one steel pipe had stuck itself right through him. "Oh… fuck..."
Adam took a hesitant step forward, part of him forgetting his anger towards the Sith and wanting to help him.
Jordan looked down at the wound, his own blood covering the pipe… 'I got cocky...' he thought, 'Revan'll… kill me... ' his vision began to blur a bit, 'That's it… this is how I… I die…?'
BGM: Revan's Theme (Occupation of Balmora) Star Wars: The Old Republic OST
"No..." Jordan growled, as his eyes flashed burning red, as he felt a surge of energy within the force. "Not… like….this!" He grabbed the pipe inside of him, as he began to slowly pull it out of him inch by inch, as the Force began to swirl around him like a hurricane.
Adam took a stunned step back. His Force energy… it was overwhelming! He hadn't felt anything close to this since he had fought Abeloth… no where near as strong as she was, but it was the closest comparison he could think of.
With Riyo, Revan and Voss
Revan was moving the Cruiser as quickly as they could… but then everyone onboard physically recoiled as they felt what seemed like a tidal wave of Force Energy hit them all.
"What. was that?" Riyo exclaimed, her breath hitching up in the shock she just felt.
"That… was my apprentice." Revan answered.
Both Riyo and Vos looked to Revan, each of them taking in the information that he had trained someone with that kind of raw power.
"This power… it's unlike anything I've ever encountered before." Vos said to Revan. "It almost dwarfs yours."
"It's like the Ones of Mortis came down themselves." Riyo also said.
"Actually," Revan added. "You're not that far off."
"...huh?"
Meanwhile - At Mortis
"Finally..." Mephiles said, as he stood with his family, "We can finally leave here, I've been wanting to-" what he was about to say was interrupted when the four Force Wielders felt a strong tremor within the Force, causing all of them to look up in surprise.
"Such power…" Equin said. "I've not felt anything this powerful since the Chosen One."
"Who is it?" Ashla asked. "Darth Sidious? The children on Earth?"
"No.." Abella said. "This power may yet even outmatch them."
Mephiles looked out to the stars above the world. That settled it. "I'm going."
"What?" Ashla said.
"My Son, think about this.." Equin said.
"I'm done thinking, Father. This power… I feel the Dark Side the same as it runs through my veins. Only I can match its strength. Mother can take my place while I'm gone for a short while. I have to face this."
Equin looked towards his son before shortly nodding. "Go with caution, Mephiles. I sense that although this power is benevolent, it is untamed and dangerous. Don't let it overwhelm you."
"I won't."
Elsewhere on Earth, an individual walked down the streets of a buzzling city, a woman with short blond hair and emerald green eyes walked past the figures, carrying a large object over her shoulder wrapped in bandages. She had an uncaring gaze upon her, as she continued to walk forward. However, rather abruptly she stopped, as she felt… something, something she hadn't felt in a very, very long time.
"Wait..." she said, as she glanced up, her expression changing from an uncaring one, to one filled with curiosity. "This presence… it couldn't be..."
Without another word, the woman took off running, blazing past anyone in her way from the London International Airport to find the next flight to the United States.
Jessica jerked her head up before a sharp pain cut through it, forcing her to grab at her hair. "AGH!" she cried. She screwed her eyes shut against the pain as the DAINASTI system within her fighter acted up, the screens flashing with readouts and warnings. She managed to pry open one eye, revealing her irises glowing blue green. She knew what was happening since it had happened before.
"Dammit…! Jordan… Not now!" she rasped, struggling to open her eyes. Her hands shakily moved to the controls of her ship as she grasped them, using her will to force the pain back. Even though she was able to grasp the controls, she was too focused on holding the pain back to do much else.
"GGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Jordan shouted out, as he yanked the pipe from out of him, as the remaining debris around him was rocketed away from the sheer force of the energy enveloping him, dust flying around as a crater formed beneath him, all while Adam covered his face to keep the dust from his eyes.
Adam's eyes widened upon viewing the creature that stood before him: it still resembled a human being, but around its body coursed lightning and electricity while the wind around it blew tremendously like a hurricane. All the while, his eyes glowed with the same sickening red hue that Mephiles had. And it's power was nothing short of absolutely terrifying.
Adam felt fear right down to his core just looking at him. It's power was almost on par with Abeloth.
Jordan - or whatever he was now - glanced around, before his eyes were set onto Adam. "Die." He said in an echoing voice, before he vanished in a blink of an eye, before Adam felt something grab his leg, before he was then lifted up into the air, and slammed into the ground repetitively.
Adam felt all the wind knocked out him with every strike the creature slammed into him. It's power too great for him to match beyond this point.
Asajj and Savage, looking to each other, drew their weapons with no words needed and jumped to attack Jordan. Their blows only served to irritate him, but it did the job and forced him to drop Adam onto the pavement.
He screamed into the air, sending a shockwave towards the two Dathomirians as they were sent hurdling back onto the ground. Not once had Jordan used his saber in this form. He didn't need it. He was all but unstoppable to them.
Above the construction site where the battle took place, the Pantoran cruiser hovered in the air as the door to the main hold of the ship opened. Revan then jumped out of the ship with a spin through the air just as the combatants below charged towards one another with their attacks ready to meet once again.
The warriors were stopped dead in their tracks when the former Dark Lord of the Sith landed right between their tracks, his body crouched down from the impact of the fall before he quickly stood up straight with an expression of seriousness etched into his face.
Adam, Ventress and Savage looked at the man with both awe and fear in their stances as he bellowed the words "That is ENOUGH."
Jordan seemed to pause for a moment, but only for a moment before he snarled out as he charged at Revan, who readied his own Lightsabers…
"Calm. DOWN!"
Suddenly, Jordan stopped as he seemed to hit an invisible wall. Everyone looked towards the source of the new voice, and to everyone's shock and surprise, it was none other than Mephiles, his hands raised as he restrained Jordan.
"You're letting it control you… you must control it." He said, "Embrace and control it!"
"The hell is going on here?!" Asajj shouted.
"Asajj, I have no idea anymore!" Savage admitted.
Jordan seemed to ignore everyone else, before he charged at Mephiles, however he once again hit an invisible wall. "Calm. Down." He said again, "Control it… tame it. Just listen to my voice, listen to the Force… no light, no dark… simply the living and unifying Force itself..."
Jordan snarled again, however he finally began to stop banging against the wall as he glared at Son, who stepped towards him as he put a hand on his forehead. "You… look like her..." He said, "It's very vague but… there are similarities… all you need to do… is calm down..."
Finally, Jordan's aggressive stance came to an end, as he loosened up. After a few blinks his eyes returned back to their normal brown, before he fell down to the ground on his knees. "Fuck… me..." he muttered. "My head… fuck my chest… what hit me?"
Adam cautiously raised his hand in the air. Riyo and Vos had just entered the area looking extremely worried.
"Is it over?" Riyo asked. "That surge in power just vanished."
"Yes, everything is at peace, Riyo Chuchi." Mephiles said. "And Adam, I never got the chance to say this in person… but thank you for helping my mother."
"Anytime." Adam said still a little bewildered at what happened.
"Huh? What's going-" Jordan began, before he noticed Mephiles standing there. "OH SON OF A SHIT SON! EAT LIGHT-ow!" Before he could so much as twitch, his arms felt very painful and numb as he fell to the ground. "Owowowowow… why does my… everything hurt…?"
"Hey, you're complaining about being hurt? You weren't the one that just got thrown around like a freaking rag doll just now!" Adam said to him.
"Yeah well you threw me into a building and got me IMPALED BY A STEEL GIRDER!" Jordan shouted, before looking back at Mephiles. "And what the hell is this asshole doing here? Shouldn't he be dead, or like… locked in Mortis?"
"I was… but then I sensed you awakening." Mephiles said. "My mother has taken over for me while I'm gone… this is something that requires my attention."
Jordan blinked before looking at Adam, then at Revan, then back to Mephiles, and then back to Revan. "Okay, what the fuck is going on here?" He asked, "This seems like the kind of stuff you'd know the answer to."
Revan sighed "Well, no sense in beating around the bush anymore, my Apprentice." He said, "Son - or Mephiles as he's truly known by - is your ancestor."
Jordan had a very owlish look as he blinked "...Wait, wha?" he asked.
"There's more." Revan continued. "As it turns out, occasionally, the Ones of Mortis are allowed free reign across the galaxy for at least a year where they can explore and interact with its inhabitants after fighting Abeloth. At some point in time, Mephiles visited Earth some thousand years ago, probably back when I was first born here, and fell in love with a woman who bore his child. This would eventually lead down generations until Jordan was born."
"Wait," Adam said. "You were born on Earth?"
"Yes. My father was a Jedi Master named Merlin. He stayed here after completing a mission for the Jedi Council and, like Mephiles, met a woman here on Earth. He then started a family with her, my younger brother Vaner and me."
"Wow… so.. does that technically make you my ancestor?"
"Sort of. While I certainly never went back to Earth until very recently, my brother Vaner never displayed any Force sensitivity and never left the planet. From what I can assume, you are a direct descendant of his lineage."
"So, that would technically make you my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great... ya know what, why don't I just call you my Uncle Revan?"
"That would sound a hell of a lot simpler." Revan said before he looked at Jordan. "I had hoped though that you would've informed me about this crusade you were going on for Ventress."
"I had to bring her in - it was kinda of a now or never thing." Jordan said, "I don't take chances on Sith Acolytes to Sidious's fake-ass pretenders to our Neo Sith Empire."
"She's not even serving Sidious anymore!" Adam shouted, "After the ordeal with Savage and Dooku and being experimented on at Boz Pity, she up and left the galaxy altogether wanting to get away from the war! She ended up here and has been living with Riyo and I ever since training to become a Jedi. And did I seriously just hear that right? A Neo Sith Empire?! You actually went and formed something that we are so desperately trying to prevent from happening?! How can anything connected to the Sith not lead to more death and destruction?"
"I am accepting the reality that the Sith can't be destroyed - but it can be transformed just as Revan wanted!" Jordan retorted, looking back at Adam. "I desire to turn the Sith into a force for good, and not evil. I'm sick and tired of people like the Jedi saying just because its Dark, its evil! I am forging a new Sith Empire with Revan to change from being conquers to liberators! And it's sure as hell better than working with Jedi! Or did you forget what I told you already?"
"Dude, the Jedi have their own set of issues, but they are already a force for good, and have been for thousands of years! You're really going to stand there and tell me that you want a galaxy where Order 66 happens and the galaxy's protectors are slaughtered by the millions? You're saying you want a future where the Republic has been turned into a power hungry Empire by a mad Sith Lord bent on controlling everybody in the galaxy?" Adam countered.
"I'M NOT WORKING FOR PALPATINE!" Jaden shouted, his eyes flashing red for a brief second. "HE'S A PARASITE TO THE FORCE! AN INSULT TO ALL FORCE USERS!"
Jordan paused for a moment, before he allowed himself to take a deep breath. "I… am trying to accept the reality of this situation, Adam." He said, "You continue to want to defend a Republic from becoming this… power hungry Empire… I think you need to wake up and smell the roses - it's already become that. The peaceful Republic under the stewardship of the Jedi has reached unprecedented levels of bureaucracy and corruption to the point where an independent entity could illegally blockade a world and the Republic did nothing to stop it. They sent some Jedi to negotiate. Period. It was a FUCKING BLOCKADE! Why didn't the Republic fleet, minimal though it may have been at the time, unleash unmitigated fury against such a blatant act? The Jedi were at the very least complicit if not out-right responsible for the Republic reaching this low. Is that not itself evil, even if it's a mild, passive form of it?"
"No, the Jedi aren't responsible for the Republic's decline. It's the Sith! They corrupted the Senators to their needs, they started a war to weaken the Republic's principles! The Jedi aren't the problem in the equation, THEY are!" Adam shouted. "And the fact that you have formed something that even remotely connects back to their history and activities in the galaxy makes me sick and outraged."
Jordan scoffed as he rolled his eyes "Oh yes of course!" He shouted, spreading his arms wide. "Side with the hypocrites! The ones who take in, abduct and train glorified child soldiers, teach them that love and compassion are evil things, and deny them the right to property, and the right to even see their own flesh and blood families again! Turn them all into light-worshiping drones!"
"It was the Jedi who thought disbanding the Republic's military was a Genius idea! And look what became of the Republic since!" He ranted, "Their senate allows corporations like the Trade Federation, and Techno Union the right to have VOTES in Government issues! When faced with a problem, they will either wait for too long like they would have during the Mandalorian Wars if not for the Revanchist, or act too quickly and arrogantly like at Galidraan where they massacred the True Mandalorians without any evidence to support the allegations, or how during the Huk War when they and the Republic blindly accepted the Yam'rii's tall tales of the Kaleesh starting the conflict, again with no evidence as they enforced harsh sanctions and reparations against the Kaleesh for their 'aggression', and Kalee descended into economic devastation! Leading to millions of men women and children to starve to death! Claiming EVERYTHING They did was for the 'Will of the Force'! How do you justify the deaths of innocent children? Of soldiers who were merely doing their duties to protect their families, and tricked so easily by corrupt kings and emperors, despite having the 'infinite wisdom' of the Force?! HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY THAT?!"
"And not only that, but I find your very CODE to be disgusting!" Jordan continued, "The Jedi encourage their Order to feel nothing - "no emotion." Feeling, emoting, being affected by what happens to us and others is at the heart of empathy. The Jedi caution against it. The Jedi believe they are not ignorant; that they have the knowledge. This isn't a question of promoting the acquisition of knowledge, it's a statement that they already have it. This is the height of hubris and this way lies naught but bigotry and arrogant presumption. No passion? No love? No stirring oneself to action while bearing witness to the suffering of others? No convictions? This is laudable? No chaos superficially seems good. Keep things stable, predictable... stagnant. Don't question. Don't rock the boat. Keep your head down. Do what you're told. Chaos is change. Change can be for the worse or for the better, but life is change. Without change - without chaos - nothing happens at all. And Death is everywhere. We face it often. Pretending it doesn't exist, turning a blind eye to death and its consequences, is utterly irresponsible."
Adam was actually a bit stunned into silence as Jordan continued his rant. "In stark contrast… this is the Sith Code." He said, "Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me."
"Your point?" Riyo asked.
"Peace is a lie, when contrasted with passion." Jordan continued, "Every single Jedi demonstrates a depth of feeling about something at some point. Consider Obi-Wan's anguished cries after he mutilated Anakin on Mustafar, Consider the fury in Mace Windu's eyes when he confronted then-Chancellor Palpatine. Consider the weary defeat in Yoda's retreat from his duel with Darth Sidious. Peace and conflict are one another's interregnums. They are both temporary, both impermanent. Seeking perpetual peace is a lie."
"The next several lines all connect to form a single sentiment." He said, lecturing them like they were in school. "Your passions fuel you to overcome the chains that bind you from acting and succeeding in those actions. Confidence emerges from this. Changing the world emerges from this. Achieving one's dreams emerges from this. MLK Jr. was passionate about Civil Rights here in the United States. His passion gave him the strength to protest the injustices he saw. His courage and conviction and oratory prowess attracted followers and gained him the power to effect change. And, despite his assassination, he helped bring about tremendous positive change - he achieved victory and broke chains. Nothing in the Jedi code correlates to these actions, these successes."
"Yes, but even he believed that true peace was possible." Adam responded.
"Believing in true peace is one thing - but actually having it is another." Jordan said with a tired sigh, "And even then, he didn't just march up to the President and demand his arrest… Take a look at Mace Windu and his entourage going to arrest Chancellor Palpatine without the authority of the Senate backing them. The Jedi staged a coup of the legal government of the Republic, entirely because Anakin identified Palpatine as a Sith Lord. How do we view countries where one religious group attacks another for control of the country, regardless of whatever history of conflict those religious groups have?"
"But Palpatine orchestrated the Clone Wars!" Riyo shouted, "He was behind all that death!"
"Oh? And the Jedi had what proof of that at the time they went to arrest him?" Jordan retorted, "None. They had Anakin telling them he thought Palpatine was a Sith Lord. Period. Everything else was speculative. They went to arrest an elected official without evidence and without legal authority to do so on the grounds that he was identified to have a different religion and may have been connected to an ongoing conflict - over which he had presided on their side to that point! It would've been like if the Catholic Church went up to the white house, and demanded to arrest the President 'cause they thought they was a Satanist after what some other member of their church said!"
"Yeah, I don't even think Satanists are as dangerous and evil as Sith are. They aren't just a religion, they're a force of darkness that needs to be wiped from the face of the galaxy before they destroy it!" Adam said.
"It goes on and on. And this all centers around one Sith Lord and the question of whether or not he was evil." Jordan said rolling his eyes, "There's nothing innate to the Sith that makes them evil. Indeed, the values they hold are all about self-empowerment to bring about change and throw off oppression in all its forms. The Jedi, by contrast, are about stagnancy and suppression of the self. Which of those sounds more evil to you?"
"Are there evil Sith? Yes. Malak, Exar Kun, Marka Ragnos, Naga Saddow… they were all evil, with nothing but evil intents across the galaxy… but are all Sith Evil? No. My Master, Revan, was a prime example that not all Sith seek death and destruction."
"Actually, I'd even argue that Malak wasn't all that evil, just mislead. Even he regretted his actions as he died." Adam countered.
"Be that as it may, you must understand my point." Jordan informed, "The Sith Cannot - nor should not - be destroyed. The way I see it… the Sith need to exist to ensure the Jedi exist…"
"What?" Adam asked, "What are you talking about? The Sith causes the Force to go out of-"
"-Balance?" Jordan finished, "Tell me Adam, when there are thousands - if not tens of thousands of light-side using Jedi… and only two Dark-side using Sith… which side needs to be re-balanced? Your error is the fact you think the Force has a concept of good and evil… it doesn't. The Force acts as an organism that strives for homeostasis, and thus encourages systematic purges every so often in order for balance to be had. "
"If I may be allowed to interject," Mephiles said. "I believe that there is some wisdom in your words, Jordan. The Dark Side is merely one side of the same coin. It can be just as constructive and destructive as the Light. That is why not only do I offer to help you control that transformation you displayed, but I also support your efforts in bringing the Force back into balance through your Neo Sith Empire."
Jordan blinked as he looked at Mephiles. "Uhh… oh, uhh… thanks?" He said unsure. "Don't you have like… non-interferance laws or something?"
"Usually," He said, "But as you well know by now, the universe is radically changing. If the force is to ever be brought back into balance… it will need you and Revan's Neo Sith Order."
Adam scoffs loudly. "Yeah, of course the Avatar of the Dark Side would find nothing at all wrong with strengthening it."
This one remark earns an irritated glare from Mephiles.
"Ok, that was a bit of a low blow and I'm sorry I said that, but still…" Adam said.
"Adam…" Riyo said to him "As crazy as it might sound… Maybe Jordan has a point. I mean think about it. We use a Dark Sided technique in Force Lightning and we haven't turned out all evil. That alone stands as good framework that if controlled properly, the Dark Side can be used for good."
"But he's talking about creating an entire Sith Empire!" Adam said. "Force techniques are one thing, but completely immersing yourself into the Dark Side is what causes problems like Sidious."
"I'm not completely immersing myself into the Dark Side you idiot!" Jordan growled, "I've got Revan as my master! My Sith Empire is practicing actual genuine BALANCE between the Dark and Light sides! The best of both! And we need both sides of the Force if we're actually going to prevent the deaths of over ten TRILLION people in the next 50 years!"
At that statement, Adam and everyone else - Minus Voss, Revan and Mephiles - looked at Jordan in shock. "T-Ten Trillion?" Riyo asked, "But… the Galactic Civil War-"
"-Is childsplay compared to the real threat." He said shaking his head, "Palpatine, Daala… every Imperial Warlord, Sith Lord pales in comparison to what's coming our way..." He looked at Adam with narrowed eyes. "You never told them, did you?" He asked, "What's coming to our galaxy?"
"What?" Adam asked in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the force that murders damned countless numbers of innocent species across the galaxy," Jordan said, "The Force that nearly brought the entire galaxy to ruin, the monsters that cannot be seen through the Force… the Far Outsiders… the Yuuzhan Vong."
"What are the Yuuzhan Vong?" Riyo asked. "Adam, what's he talking about?"
Adam looked at Riyo with apprehension on his face. "They are… a race of machine hating aliens from another galaxy that declare war on the New Republic sometime after it is formed."
"Wait, the New Republic?" Riyo asked confused. "What happened with the Alliance and the Empire? WHY didn't you choose to mention this to us before?"
"Because they aren't coming for another thirty years or so and they aren't the primary threat right now! That would be Sidious! Why don't we figure out how to stop him and THEN we can worry about the Vong?"
"They ARE the Goddamned primary threat!" Jordan shouted. "You think Sidious just made Super weapons that could smash planets just to deal with a Rebellion?! The Death Stars, the Sun Crusher, the Eye of Palpatine, the Sovereign and Eclipse-class Super Star Destroyers, the Conqueror, Every Super Weapon the Empire made was designed to combat the Vong! Palpatine knew well in advance that the Vong were out there! That's why he wanted to have the galaxy UNITED! Does that redeem him from being an Asshole? No! But he at least knew that we can't be squabbling like a bunch of children, when in order to defeat the Vong we must act as a single, unified force!"
"Despite the fact that Sidious had enough forethought to plan ahead against the Vong, he's still a power hungry genocidal madman that needs to go bye-bye!"
"What, you think I don't plan on killing that bastard?" Jordan asked with a raised eyebrow. "He's on the top of my Shit list once the Neo Sith is stabilized. We don't need a bastard like him to exist… of course we just need to make sure he can't fucking Respawn again… fucking Clones..."
"Wait, what?" Asajj asked.
"Transfer Essence," He said, "After he dies, he reincarnates himself into a Clone twice. I'll be ensuring he can't do that..." He then had a dark chuckle, "Oh and I have just the way to do that too..."
"And there's yet another thing you neglected to tell us." Riyo said to Adam with a frustrated looking scowl.
"I was going to save that for when we finish watching the movies." Adam retorted.
"Adam, screw the order of the movies! When information crucial to stopping him is at stake, it doesn't matter what order we find it out in! If it weren't for the fact that the droid's recorders last so long, I would have watched them all in one day! I still can't believe you're treating all of this like it's some kind of experience through films and TV!"
"Well, I'm sorry that I didn't want to lose the enjoyment I got out of watching these movies as a child."
"Oh! So he didn't tell you about the Zombies?" Jordan shouted, causing the others to look incredulously at him. "Death Troopers! Palpy and Vader weaponize an Ancient Sith virus to create a Zombie Plague!"
"OH! Well that's just GREAT!" Riyo shouted. "Is there anything else you'd like to not tell me that'd be vital information for the future of my galaxy?"
"You see what you're causing?" Adam said to Jordan. "We hardly ever argued before you came around!"
"Well A: you should've kept your friends more well-informed." Jordan said, "And B: …I'm really just trolling you now. You Mad, bro?"
"Ya know, I have a plan." Adam said with his finger pointed at the Sith's chest. "A plan that involves us taking care of Sidious, saving the Republic and Jedi and allowing us to live in a decent future."
"Yeah, well I have a plan too." Jordan retorted, crossing his arms. "Killing Sidious, kick the shit out of the Jedi and Republic/Galactic Empire to knock some damned sense and logic into them, and allowing a new Republic - or whatever - to rise up and not make the same mistakes as before, as we both prepare for the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, and hopefully minimize casualties while doing all of that. And if by some force-given miracle we survive all of that shit, we can finally have a galaxy where the Sith and Jedi can work as one. As we both practice real balance with the Force, and stop this Force-forsaken millennia-spanning feud between us that needs to end. Every major conflict in this galaxy has always been between the Jedi and the Sith ever since the Force Wars on Tython. The Great Hyperspace War, Mandalorian Wars, Jedi and SIth Civil Wars, the Great Galactic Wars, New Sith Wars, Clone Wars, Galactic Civil War, Second Galactic Civil War, Sith-Imperial War! It's never going to fucking end unless we STOP ACTING LIKE CHILDREN!"
"I'd just like to point out that even though I know NOTHING about what the Yuuzhan Vong are," Vos interjects. "What this young man is saying actually makes sense. In order for true balance to be attained, one must acknowledge the Dark as well as the Light. That's part of the philosophy that is the building blocks of Vapaad. I don't know if I'm ever going to feel comfortable enough joining a Sith Empire, but if you're going up against Sidious, I'm willing to teach you all that I know about the form so you can be ready to help face him."
Adam looked at Vos with pure disbelief. "I'm sorry, you're joking, right? You're not actually considering this!" He then turned back towards Jordan. "No, you know what, this is my house, and I say take your Sith ass and get the Hell off my property!"
"ADAM!" Riyo shouted.
"1. This isn't your property, nor is it even your parent's from what I understand, and 2. If you don't accept that I'll be training both of you in the ways of Vapaad, I'll elect to not train you at all." Vos said firmly
"You wouldn't."
"Yeah? Try me."
The two had a bit of a stare off before Adam finally relented. "He stays inside his own ship. I don't want him associating with my friends."
"Don't think that's your decision to make." Asajj said with Savage and Fal'ec behind them. "If we want to interact with him, that's our choice."
"Are you even listening to yourself, Asajj? He attacked you and Savage! He nearly killed your pet, and now you're just going to start over like nothing ever happened?!"
"He didn't know that we had turned away from the Dark Side. He was only doing what he thought was right at the time, although I AM still angry about you hurting Fal'ec and expect you to help heal his injuries."
Jordan sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before he opened them, looking at Savage and Ventress. "I admit… I jumped the shark with you two." He conceded, "But considering what you've done, I had every right to be cautious… I will keep tabs on you however… but consider yourselves off my shit list..." He then looked at the wounded Fal'ec. "As a show of good faith..."
He raised his hand towards the Nexu, Ventress wondered what he was doing… until she looked and saw her pet's Lightsaber wound slowly began to heal in front of them, shocking everyone else at how rapid it healed up. Fal'ec also looked a bit surprised, and after a minute… the wound was gone. No scars or marks of any kind.
"And… as another gift of good faith..." Jordan said as he turned to Adam, spreading his arms out wide. "First… Punch me."
"...excuse me?"
"Punch me." Jordan said shrugging, "I… did kinda throw you around like a rag doll earlier… so punch me if it makes ya feel any better, make us even… sorta… kinda… "
Adam stared at the Sith a moment before sighing in defeat. "You… weren't in control of yourself when you were throwing me around. Jedi don't strike others in anger, especially when they aren't to blame for their actions."
"Just fucking punch me." Jordan said rolling his eyes. "Stop thinking like a Jedi, and think like a human being. Fair is fair, I kicked your ass, now you need to kick mine."
"Learn to get that transformation under control and then we can punch each other all you want." Adam responded. "I'm worn out for the day, and I need something to wash down the pain, possibly alcohol, and I'm not normally a drinking person."
Jordan smirked slightly. "Ya know, I think I'm gonna like ya." He said. "What's your favorite Starship?"
"Uh… LAAT. Either that or the Ebon Hawk. Why?"
"Hmmm… just curious." He said, "Well… I need to make some calls, have some people take over while I'm here… I'm sure Patriot and Ryu can keep things together while I'm gone."
"I don't know who those are, but right now, I really don't care." Adam said tired walking back up the front porch. "I've got work tomorrow, and I need some freaking sleep."
"You and me both..." Jordan said sighing as he sat down. "Fuck me… I done fucked up..."
"Comforting Statement: Well Master, you proved more than capable of fighting these Meatbags," A voice said, as everyone once again turned at the red-colored Droid.
"Wait..." Adam said as his eyes widened. "Holy shit, is that-"
"Confirmation: Yes, Jedi Meatbag." The Assassin Droid said, "Hunter-Killer Droid Model Forty Seven, I operate within the service of Master Revan and Jordan."
Adam turned his head ever slightly to the left to meet Jordan's gaze. "Explain, Sith-stain."
"Well, someone never played Star Wars Galaxies," He chuckled, "HK was in a crashed Hammerhead on Mustafar, and was salvaged by the Seps there. We showed up, busted HK and his Chassis out, and kicked some CIS ass before leaving so they couldn't mass produce the HK-77's."
"You're right, I never played it, but I did read about it. I'm actually waiting to see how well The Old Republic does."
(The answer is "not well.")
"Hm, fair enough, I'm waiting for those guys to make SWG playable again, before the combat upgrades that really screwed over the whole game." Jaden shrugged, "Call me old-fashioned, just like the original more…"
"Mustafar is a CIS-held system," Asajj said, "How could you've possibly attacked the CIS Fleet guarding it?"
Jordan smirked slightly "Well… I could show you… " he said, "Any of you up for a trip to see what we've been working on?"
"Wait, speaking of droids," Adam chimed in. "Why haven't I heard fro-" A quick turn behind him immediately paled his entire face. "FUCKING..!" He swore before quickly kneeling down at the fallen droids before him. "Guys, you read?" He said to the motionless forms of MK and DK, the former now sporting a large dent on where a torso might be and the Droideka's photoreceptors bearing several small cracks around its glassy covers. "C'mon, C'MON! Please be ok!" He then turned back towards the one person he suspected was responsible for the maiming to his droid compatriots, his expression like an angry dog ready to leap forward and bite. "Did YOU do this?!" He shouted at the self-proclaimed Sith.
"No… He did," Jordan said, pointing at HK-47.
"Proud Statement: Separatist battle droids are so fragile," The Assassin Droid stated, "It was a simple task to disable them."
Seconds after the ancient assassin droid spoke, a blue blade ignited and was aimed right at its face. Its wielder scorning with a fury that anyone, Force-sensitive or not, could feel.
"Adam.." Asajj had spoken up. "You know it's what he does. He's built to-"
"THIS DIDN'T NEED TO HAPPEN! NONE OF THIS NEEDED TO HAPPEN!" His gaze then turned back towards Jordan. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
"Whoa! Hey now!" Jordan rose his hands in defense, "This is a big case of misinformation here! I admit I fucked up, okay?"
"Oh, well that's just great! Will THAT change the fact that you attacked my friends, tried to kill one of their pets, tried to kill ME, and now you possibly damaged my droids beyond repair?!" Adam shouted.
His then turned back to said droids, his mind becoming less consumed by anger and moreso by fear and concern. "I need to fix them. Somebody give me a hand with DK. Lifting him even with the Force gives me a strain, and I already feel like I may drop from exhaustion as it is."
"Look, if it helps make up for what I did, I can help-"
The livid Jedi in training turned back to face the Sith. "You are not going to lay a finger on them. You want to make up for what you've done? Keep away from my friends and keep away from me." He then looked to a coupled of said friends, still angry, but more controlled. "Riyo, R2, I think I'll need you guys on this."
"Of course."
{You got it.}
"Let me give you guys a hand carrying them." Vos interjected. "You said you were tired as it is, Adam. I, meanwhile have strength to spare."
Adam let out a strained sigh before giving a tired looking smile. "Thank you, Master."
"Not a problem, kid." The Jedi Master lifted the downed B-1 onto his shoulder whilst outstretching his free hand as Riyo lifted one of her own, raising DK off the ground. With that, the threesome and astromech began their walk past the house headed to where a ship was waiting in the backyard to aid them.
Jordan sighed, as the droids were carried off. "...I fucked up big time, Master… " he shook his head.
"You made a mistake, Jordan." Revan said, "At least you're willing to admit it, unlike many others… "
"HA! Mistake?" Savage scoffed. "I'm sorry, Master Revan, but did you even SEE or HEAR him just now? And I've only known this kid for a little over a month, but even I've learned that pissing him off, like your apprentice just did, is a little bit below a death sentence."
"Yeah, I'm not going to lie to you, Jordan was it?" Asajj said to him. "You've basically taken all current hopes of making nice with him right now and buried them. My advice? Let him cool down, don't do anything to make it worse, and there may be slim chance he may act civilly to you before one of you dies."
"...yeah… that's probably for the best… " Jordan sighed, as he turned around. "I should just… go then… "
Revan then placed a hand on his shoulder whilst facing the direction the three Jedi and droid went in. "Not just yet. Let me speak to him."
The fabled Force-user then took his leave down the ceramic stone path.
"Think he'll help him?"
"I don't know," Asajj said. "But he's got a better chance at this point than you do."
Jordan looked to the Dathomirian with a small scorn.
"I know, I know! Last one for today, I promise."
"The road ahead may be a difficult one, but never lose trust in Revan, Jordan, or in the Force…" The voice of Mephiles said.
The Sith just sighed "We'll see… though what do you-" He began to say, only to find the Force Wielder had vanished. "...who the hell does he think he is, Batman?"
"Well, technically," Savage starts. "He can turn himself int-"
"Savage…" Asajj said to him. "Just… just don't. It's been a long, long day."
The inner hatch to MK's internal circuitry opened as light was shed on the contents within. Riyo's eyes carefully looked over every wire and circuit board visible, not disregarding any detail, no matter how small.
Adam and R2 sat across from Riyo's work, one assessing the damage done to DK's external coating, whilst the other began welding new pieces back into place.
"How's he looking?" Adam asked as he pried a cracked and barely clinging piece of armor off the Droideka's right side.
"I don't see anything too vital damaged." She answered. "A few motor function based parts need repairing, and we may need time before he's ready to take on anything else, but I checked his memory banks and they're all in tact. I know he and DK have essentially evolved to experience true emotion, but you don't suppose they… felt what happened to them, do you?"
{I can certainly tell you that I feel something similar to pain.} R2 said as he wheeled himself towards the workbench to the right of Adam and him. With his now extended metal limb that came out from one of his many compartments, he reached for a crude piece of metal like material. {I can't tell if it's me actually experiencing it or not, but I certainly do get a feeling of dread welled up when it happens. Particularly when assaulted by electric based fields. Might just be a droid type of thing.} The astromech brought out a small welding tool and quickly went to work and heating the dark substance, watching it begin to morph and melt under the intense fire.
"All the more reason I think that droids should really be considered equal to organics. We may come into existence a little bit differently, but our differences are far outweighed by our similarities." Adam commented.
"Good luck convincing others to think that way." Riyo said. "Adam, mind handing me those goggles and welding rod? Kind of have my hands full here."
Adam got up from his work and retrieved said items from the workbench before handing them to his girlfriend.
"Ãsankteu." She said.
"Wait, wha?" Adam asked in a perplexed tone.
"Oh, right! Sorry. That was "thank you" in the ancient Pantoran language." She explained.
"...I… never knew of any other language that your people spoke besides Basic."
"Well, I wouldn't blame you. Since our world was annexed into the Republic, it just didn't seem as commonplace or needed as much, though I DO find myself slipping into it some days. It's basically on par with Latin here on Earth from what I understand." Riyo said slipping the goggles over her eyes.
"You're comparing the only dialect your people used since their inception for who knows how long to a assuredly dead language that even hardcore college grads don't even care to learn?" Adam commented.
"Well, I'm essentially on a college level seeing as being a senator requires an education above and beyond that of basic schooling." Riyo said as she carefully worked the sparking welding rod across a few damaged wires. "Learning different languages kind of comes with the territory." She turned back to face Adam lifting the goggles to show a set of eager looking golden-yellow eyes. "I'd be up to teaching you what I know if you would like. Fortis et venerabilis sis, habes multa discere." She said in a low yet sultry tone
"I'm definitely up to learning what you just said based on how you made it sound." He said with a wry grin. "What kind of partner would I be to not learn my beloved's own language?"
"Except that was essentially the Latin way of saying "Brave and adorable as you are, much to learn have you." A familiar male voice said from the entrance to the ship. Adam spun his head and saw Revan standing in the opening of the door.
"Yeeaaahh…. she's … completely right." Adam admitted. "I'm sometimes about as inclined academically as a stick is inclined to attending a bonfire."
Riyo giggled in an almost stereotypical girly manner at the remark. "He is funny more often than not.
Revan chuckled slightly "Fair… " he said, "So… how are you feeling, Adam?"
"Physically? Like I just got hit by an oncoming train… while being stabbed multiple times… by the train. Mentally? I'll feel a whole lot better when I fix these two." He said gesturing towards the droids.
"Understandable." Revan responded. "Would you maybe like some help with that?"
"First, let me answer your question with another question."
"Oookay then."
"Did you have ANYTHING to do with what your "apprentice" did today?" Adam asked with a certain disdain evident in his voice.
"Uh, no. While I myself didn't know about Asajj and Savage's current state of being anymore than he did, I can safely say that rushing in lightsaber blazing wouldn't have been my first option in dealing with individuals like they were. It's certainly not a reflection on what I tried to teach him and quite honestly, I'm a little upset at his behavior myself - then again, he was likely concerned about the wellbeing of the people of Earth, assuming Asajj and Savage were still dark siders. But the short answer: No, I DID NOT have anything to do with what he did."
"Oh… well, in that case, feel free to take a seat and help, Uncle Master Revan." Adam said graciously.
"The Uncle part I don't mind, but let's please just drop the "Master" and call me Revan." He assured, as he approached MK, using the force to lift up a hydrospanner. "...geez, HK did a number on you… I'm proud he can stand toe-to-toe against CIS Droids, but still… damn… "
"I wish I could say I was mostly angry at HK, but really, it's your apprentice that has that dubious honor right now." Adam commented.
Revan sighed "He admits he made a mistake, Adam." He said.
"Yeah, I get that, though most mistakes don't usually involve nearly getting my friends and me seriously injured or killed."
"I suppose you'd have to see things from his perspective." Revan shook his head, "He saw two dark side users whom from your Star Wars, were threats… he had no way of knowing they had turned, and he was concerned that they were using their affinity with the force to harm others… Jordan and his friends have grown to anticipate such things."
"Ok, but why didn't he just reach out to sense their thoughts or disposition in the Force? If he was trained by someone like YOU, I would kind of think that'd be one of his first lessons."
"Because usually when one force user does that, the one whom he is doing it on would notice, and expect them." Revan said, "Knowing him, he didn't want to run the risk of Asajj or Savage being alerted to his presence."
"And you're seriously telling me that in your one thousand plus years being alive, you yourself haven't found a way to read the thoughts and emotions of another Force-user WITHOUT them being aware? Sidious managed to do that, and he never cracked a hundred." Adam said incredulously.
"He is young, and has much I still need to teach him," Revan said, "Effecting and reading the will and minds of living beings is not an easy skill to learn and master." He sighed again, turning to Adam. "You need to understand something, Adam… the way Jordan and his friends think, their plans - our plans for the future… I suppose you could say they are more realists."
"I feel like this is going to be one of those "introspective" type of moments in a few seconds." Adam said.
Revan shook his head "All I am asking Adam… is that you ask and see things from his perspective," He said, "Jordan is not a Sith Lord like Sidious, Malak or any of them… he just wants to keep the galaxy and the people who inhabit it safe, just like you do."
"Yeah, I understand that part, but his way of going about doing that borderlines on psychotic! He's impulsive! He's opinionated, he's cocky and stubborn as all Hell, and-"
"He's you."
Adam slowly fixed his gaze on where said comment came from "Excuse me?" He asked Riyo in disbelief.
"Adam, you're an amazing and awesome person whom I love with everything I have in me, but all of those traits you just described, apart from maybe a few superficial details, that's essentially you down to to a T." She said firmly
"Were you not impulsive, and cocky when you began training?" Revan asked, "Were you not stubborn? Opinionated?"
Adam sighed for a moment before continuing. "Be that as it may, I wouldn't have just killed someone because I thought they posed a risk to planetary security. I would have thought things through a little bit more as opposed to just using brute strength to solve any problem." Adam argued. "Ya know who I had to thank for those lessons, aside from the many characters featured in the countless media entries the franchise had to offer? I'll give you a hint: he's standing in the fucking room with me."
"Why thank-"
"Well, you and R2." Adam quickly added. "You're awesome, but truth be told, I knew R2 far longer than I ever did you."
R2 let out a chuckle, as Revan's eye twitched.
"Out-fanned by a Droid… " He muttered, before shaking his head.
{Hey, do YOU see endless merchandise being made in your image?} R2 asked.
"I have action figure lines, and two games dedicated to me," Revan countered, "Plus a third in the works. You're just a side character used for comic relief with that pansy protocol droid!"
{Yeaah… but ya don't have a movie…. I got six.} R2 added. {By the way, only I get to call 3P0 that.}
"...if T3 were here, he'd kick your ass." Revan muttered. "At least he could wield a gun - and he outsmarted HK… you know, the assassin droid I built?"
{… but he isn't here, is he? And how nice of you to assume things based off of what I understand are essentially the Force equivalent to gossip tabloids. For all the series is aware, I could wield a gun and a lightsaber all while reprogramming a small security system.}
Revan looked like he was about to force-choke R2. "You are just intolerable."
"I THINK…" Riyo loudly interjected. "We're drifting from the subject. I think what Revan was suggesting towards, inadvertently or otherwise, is that we all carry those traits in us at some point of our lives, even if we don't always care to acknowledge them. I think if given time, you might be able to learn a few things from Jordan."
"You mean like how he appears to be an even bigger fan of Starkiller than I am?" Adam asks snarkingly.
Riyo simply sighed at her boyfriend's rather childish disposition. "Ok, I think I'm done with this for today. We both tried our best, Master, but it's clear that time is needed for him to fully understand what we're saying."
"Yeah, I suppose so. I guess he really is of my blood then. Father did always have that stubborn streak about him. Vaner never really picked that up, but perhaps dispositions are somewhat genetic after all." Revan said.
{From what I've heard, Anakin's kids get his and their mother's stubbornness by the shipload.} R2 added as he finished the welding of the piece of metal he held. Out from another one of his compartments came a small hose that dosed it with water, releasing a quick but spreading amount of steam in its wake. { I personally can't wait until they're born, it's gonna be fun watching them drive both Ob-Wan and 3P0 up the proverbial and quite possible the literal wall. Adam, you may want to grab this with the Force. I did everything I could to cool it down, but odds are it's still going to be pretty hot.}
"Dually noted." Adam said. His fingers flexed, causing the small piece of neatly formed metal to rise and slowly meet its place on DK's circular midsection.
"Ok, Riyo, as stylish and kind of hot as those goggles look on you, I'm going to need them in a few seconds when R2 starts welding this. And Revan, since my hands are going to be busy, you mind swapping out DK's photoreceptors?"
"No trouble at all, my distant nephew." The famed Force-user said. "Where.. Is that exactly?"
"Top drawer by the hydrospanners." Riyo said as her hands pulled the goggles from her head and carefully fitted them over Adam's eyes all while keeping contact with them. "We salvaged a few from the ones that attacked us a few months back. Another one of my boyfriend's moments of finkrãs."
Adam's eyebrows raised in slight confusion. To which Riyo responded with a small yet meaningful peck to his lips. "Which is Pantoran for "genius."
The brown-haired young man let out a small chuckle in response. "Oh yeah, I'm definitely learning Ancient Pantoran now."
Riyo smiled in earnest at this. "First lesson starts tomorrow. Don't be late."
"You saying I'll be punished otherwise?" Adam said with a knowing grin.
"Maybe…" Riyo answered in kind with one of her own.
{Ok, guys? You ARE aware there are other people in the same room as you right now.} R2 said with a tone of slight disgust.
"Don't care." Adam answered.
"Yeah, me neither." Riyo added. "You still adding pressure to that piece though, Adam?"
"Yeah, I never stopped."
"Not even when you… you know.."
{Had your guy's version of foreplay within earshot of the two of us?} R2 finished. Revan meanwhile was quickly at work replacing DK's damaged photoreceptors with fresh ones.
"He kind of has a point. Even Bastila and I had a little more tact than you two right now." He said as he began unscrewing the faulty parts. "But yeah, that's some talented focus you've got. Or perhaps…"
"Perhaps what?" Riyo asked.
"It's probably a Force Bond between you two." He replied as one of the broken photoreceptors fell from DK's eye socket and into his hand. "I'm sure you're already aware of the properties that come with them, if you've given the games I'm in a look."
"Uh, yeah." Adam answered. "They can boost the moral, strength and effectiveness of the Force for those in a bond. They can even share… their strengths with one another. That explains why I'm able to tap into the Force so easily and why I don't feel as bad as I was a few minutes ago."
"That does sound like the basic properties of a bond." Revan commented as he began to screw in an undamaged photoreceptor. "I'm pretty sure with ample practice, you both could easily master Battle Meditation. You already seem to be providing each other your strengths and energies without thinking. I can only imagine how much stronger you'll become when you're fully aware of it. "
"Maybe, but I'm still wondering when a bond like started forming." Adam said. Riyo had momentarily turned her gaze away as R2 began to weld the piece of metal in place.
"If I had to take a guess," Riyo began. "I would say it began to take root that day I shared your mind with mine, when I read your memories and unlocked your powers in the Force. From that day on, your skills in it grew alongside my own. At least, that's how I look at it."
"Not a bad assumption." Revan answered. "Although… given how quickly his powers have grown…"
Both of the teens looked to the famed Prodigal Knight with confused and curious expressions.
"N-never mind. Just me thinking out loud." Revan replied. "I just hope your efforts weren't in vain, Father."
{Ok.} R2 said as the welding torch died down. {That's finished. Anything else?}
"Nope. I think if we can't get their bodies back up and running again after all of this, nothing will." Riyo said, which unfortunately elicited a worried look from her boyfriend. "But I'm positive we can simply transfer their memory banks and main computers to newer bodies if that's the case. Who knows? DK might actually be thanking HK if what he did gets his mind put inside a more humanoid body."
"Let's not cross that bridge just yet." Revan replied. "You two want to do the honors?"
Riyo looked to the brown haired teen and saw him simply staring off into nothing, his expression almost unreadable, but his inner turmoil, fear and dread as clear as an open book. "Adam?" She said quietly with concern.
(Suggested Track: Captain America The Winter Soldier OST 17 End Of The Line)
After a few moments with no response, Adam sat up and placed his hand behind DK's neck, the spot where his power switch lay. He looked to Riyo and simply nodded.
The Pantoran teen stepped towards MK's form and similarly found his power switch on the left hand side of his midsection. She too gave a nod of confirmation.
Both flipped each of the switches, ready to see the lights within the droid's mechanical eyes light up once more.
But nothing happened.
Adam's eyes began to widen. He looked over each droid twice within the span of fifteen seconds. With each passing moment within them, his fear began to paralyze him. The fear that what had happened to them, the damage they had taken, could never be truly fixed. His eyes began to blink rapidly whilst his hands frantically ran through his brown locks and his breathing became shallower. Finally, the growing dread had overtaken his ability to stand with him falling to the metal floor below him.
They're weren't going to wake up. The damage was too much. They were gone.
Riyo, carefully kneeling down towards her boyfriend, whom was now huddling his knees to his chest and fighting back tears to no avail, placed her hands around both his shoulders to pull him into a tight hug. With his breathing becoming shallower than before and his teeth clenched hard, he cried into her.
R2, looking at what had to have been another truly heartbreaking moment before him, gave his own form of a sad moan in the form of a familiar low whine.
Revan too began to feel his heart break at what he saw. His thoughts drifted to the loyal astromech droid who had helped him survive countless untold dangers, a droid who like HK, could have been with him today had fate been a little kinder. Slowly, he began to kneel down as well and placed a single hand over his distant nephew's back.
The world seemed to drowned out to Adam. Everything that had happened today, being thrashed around, feeling angry at Jordan, even meeting Mephiles and Revan, it all meant nothing compared to the feeling of lose that welled up inside him.
With his eyes clenched shut, he failed to see two separate types of metal arms reaching forward to touch his shoulder and back. His eyes opened back up and he slowly turned to look up. MK and DK stood there, their eyes once again glowing as they stood with Adam at eye level.
Both droids however were caught off guard as their master- but more so, their friend tackled them both into a hug, continuing to cry softly, but no longer looking so forlorn and somber.
Slowly, both MK and DK extended their respective arms to complete the embrace.
What once resembled a pain grimace on Adam's face finally reformed into a closed, yet wide and relieved smile that opened slightly to let out a shuddering happy sigh.
Riyo, R2 and Revan looked on silently, none of them wanting to disrupt the moment playing before them. Unbeknownst to everyone except the older man, a small blue light was slowly blinking on his right gauntlet.
"Next time HK, when I tell you to stay on the ship, you stay on the bloody ship." Jordan said, sighing as he looked at the holographic projection of the two droids being reactivated.
The droid shut down the projector to face his master."Statement: Don't tell me you wouldn't have sliced them with your lightsaber, Master."
"Force user, I could've easily used the force to just disable the droids," Jordan groaned, "But you had to come along and complicate things… do that again, and I'll have Revan reprogram you into a sentient-loving care bear droid."
"Impressed Statement: If they were able to withstand a droid of my superior fighting skills, perhaps I should be glad I got off as easily as I did. Annoyed Answer: But very well, Master. If it will allow you to make peace with these Jedi meatbags, I shall restrain myself in the future. Statement: It might also be in our, including my, best interests not to anger someone who is of the same blood as Master Revan."
"Yeah," Jordan said with a sigh. "I think so." The self-proclaimed Sith Lord then turned on his heel and walked down the metal corridor of the ship they presided in.
HK simply stood there motionless before quickly turning his head where his master had walked off to. After a few moments, his hand tapped at the controls of the projector in his left wrist. The blue holo-images of Adam, MK and DK once again stood before him.
"I thought I lost you guys." The recording of Adam said to the two of them. "You really had me scared there."
"More scared than going up against an ancient assassin droid that could kill someone in more than a thousand different ways?" The B1 droid asked. "Because that ranked pretty high on my list."
{Let's just be glad we're going to still be around to talk about it.} DK commented. {And is ANYONE going to explain what freaking REVAN is doing here on the ship right now?}
A soft chuckle was heard from the young man. "Yeah, I guess that is something we should go over. When that Sith cam-"
The projector had suddenly been shut down as HK slowly pulled his hand away from the controls. Just then, out of the corner of his bright orange eye on the right side of his face fell a silver drop of liquid. His head jerking up almost in shock, he quickly dabbed two of his rust colored fingers to examine the liquid. If his memory banks still held, such an action only happened to organics when they felt….
This caused the usually bombastic droid to quietly, and somehow concerningly utter "Confused Query: What… is happening to me?"
End of Ch 24. This was certainly a fun one to write, especially seeing as it's probably the first in this series that I only wrote about HALF of. Once again, I have to give an ENORMOUS amount of credit to my co-writer and good friend 177Jorn. He helped take this fic and make it part of a bigger universe. And trust me folks, this is only the BEGINNING of the interactions between the idealist Jedi in training and the realist thinking Sith Lord. We're trying to set the stage to where these two characters don't really like each other all that much. Sure, they've got the same end goal in mind, but they've also RADICALLY different ways of approaching things. It also doesn't help that where Jorn's character (SPOILERS) has participated in active combat on other planets, I haven't even left Earth yet in the physical sense. So he's clearly going to have a bit of an edge over my character once training kicks back into full. But like I said, SPOILERS. I DO apologize if some of our writing styles differ from one another. I DO however think I'm over censoring curses.
I also decided to introduce a bit of world-building on Pantoran culture with the introduction of a native language for its people. The origins for it initially took root in the Swahili language, but then I soon discovered that it's not even a language primarily spoken in South Africa (The origin of the accent Riyo's people have. Though honestly, it sounded more Australian on my end.) So I ended up deciding to incorporate both Swahili and Zulu into Ancient Pantoran. Still working on actually CREATING a full existing language though, but at least I got the ball rolling.
And yes, I AM in fact distantly related to Revan, but honestly, that was hinted at for a while now. Keep in mind that he, along with Jorn, can still EASILY trounce me when at their best, so for those who are going to shout "Oh! Your OC's too over-powered," trust me, I'm carefully making sure that ISN'T the case. Incredibly gifted and lucky, yeah, I'll concede to that, but once again, my character wasn't going to last long against Abeloth in a straight up fight and once Jorn powered up in the Star Wars equivalent to a Dragon Ball Super Saiyan transformation, had Revan and Mephiles not stepped in, he most definitely would have killed him.
Next chapter, Master Vos keeps true to his word and puts Adam, as well as EVERYONE ELSE, through the works with his idea of training. Will he be able to keep up with the trials and tribulations of learning under a fully trained Jedi Master? Will he and Jorn continue to butt heads? Will I actually manage to get this chapter finished in UNDER a year this time around? All that and more will be revealed. And Jorn, thanks man. I couldn't have pulled through this without you.
JAC ^_^