Kayla blinked a couple of times, before doing a doubletake.
"Um… I'm still pretty new to this part of the galaxy," said Kayla, "what is the 'Black Hand War'?"
Kasiya pondered for a moment.
"From what I've been told, it was said to have been a really brutal war between an unknown group of soldiers and the Black Hand Empire," Kasiya said as he kept walking to get in line.
"Black Hand Empire?" Kayla asked as she followed.
"Aye," said Kasiya, "the most powerful empire in this galaxy. I don't know much about them, but from what I heard, the Sith within this empire were really dangerous and their emperor was claimed to have been a god walking among men."
Kasiya pointed to some of the initiates.
"A few of the Sith from the Black Hand Empire actually joined the Knights of Revan after their empire had fallen and their emperor was slain," he said.
Kayla looked at some of the refugees.
"These refugees… Are they Force Sensitive?" asked Kayla.
"If they weren't, they wouldn't be here," Kasiya said with a wink.
Kayla and Kasiya got their food and went to go sit down. As Kasiya started eating, he looked up and saw that Kayla was… Cautiously looking around.
"…Something wrong?" he asked.
"…You say there are former Sith here… I'm just… Being mindful is all," she said slowly.
Kasiya laughed.
"Kayla relax, no one's going to attack you," he said.
"…That's what the last person said before one of the 'allies' came up behind me and tried to strike me in the back of the head with their tray," said Kayla.
Kasiya sighed and reached forward, grabbing Kayla's hand, and holding it.
"You're not a part of the empire anymore, you're safe. Here. With us," said Kasiya, "there's no need to watch your back."
Kayla looked at Kasiya's hand, she let out a sigh.
"Well… I suppose, I could stand to lower my guard," she said.
Kasiya smiled and went back to eating his food.
"…Can I ask you a question?" asked Kayla.
"Hmm?" asked Kasiya.
"How do these guys know so much about the Galactic Empire? What do they have agents within their ranks? Do they have spies?" asked Kayla.
Kasiya looked up at Kayla, then he looked down and went back to eating.
"…I was kidding, they actually have spies!?" she sputtered.
"Hey, I just listen to the rumors," said Kasiya.
"Rumors, my ass!" snapped Kayla.
She sighed and facepalmed.
"No wonder they know so much about me," she muttered, "they must think I hate aliens too."
"Well, judging by how you react whenever you see an alien kind of says you do," teased Kasiya.
"I don't hate aliens, you idiot," muttered Kayla, "for the love of everything, I have alien blood too."
Kasiya looked up after shoving a forkful of food in his mouth.
"Really? You don't look like it," he said.
"It's my hair," Kayla said, casually running her fingers through the strands.
"But… It's black," said Kasiya.
"It wasn't always black," said Kayla.
"Hmm?" asked Kasiya.
"Believe it or not… It was white," said Kayla, "courtesy of my father."
"If it was white… Why did you make it black?" asked Kasiya.
Kayla looked at Kasiya like he was stupid.
"…Right," he said.
Kayla finally started eating her food.
"Well, don't worry, you won't find any discrimination here friend," said Kasiya.
"…I don't have to," Kayla said slowly.
/\/\/\/\/\
The next day, Kayla went to speak with Kudo.
"…I'm ready to have that walk, now master," she said.
The Togruta Revanite Master looked up from his datapad.
"…Very well," he said.
And with that, Kudo led the way, with Kayla following behind him. Just like before, Kudo led Kayla to the main floor, where he popped the same question.
"…Tell me… Why do you think Revan trained aliens during his time as a Sith? Why do you think he offered power to all seekers?" asked Kudo.
Kayla took a deep breath and exhaled.
"He believed everyone should have a chance to aspire to power. He believed that aliens had just as many rights to be Sith as humans," she said.
Kudo stopped and looked at Kayla.
"…Your answer is not… My answer… Nor is it something that an imperial would say… But… It is much better than what you gave me before," he said.
Kudo kept walking; Kayla let out a long, quiet breath as she followed.
"Now… Revan did not just face the armies of the dark side, he also fought Mandalorians," said Kudo, "during his time, a clan of Mandalorians fought against Revan when they and the rest of the clans invaded the Republic."
Kayla allowed herself a small grin of satisfaction.
"A man after my own heart," she thought.
"The Mandalorians lost the war over Malachor Five… However, where others would see it as a crushing defeat, the Mandalorians saw it as a privilege. It was out of respect for Revan that the same clan that fought Revan would join the first chapter of our secret order," said Kudo.
Kudo and Kayla walked through the training wing, the sounds of lightsabers clashing, blasters firing echoed through the training wing; Kayla could make out the sound of grunts and yelps, which she could only assume were students practicing unarmed combat.
"Why would this Mandalorian clan join your order after taking such a loss?" asked Kayla.
"A good question, initiate. You see, Mandalorians honor their foes. They respect a hard-earned victory," said Kudo, "Revan was seen as a warrior, a leader, and they felt he deserved to be remembered."
Kudo stopped when he reached the end of the training wing.
"Since you were from the Galactic Empire, you are not bound by honor. So, I ask you… How do I know you won't sully Revan's memory?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder, "what can you do for our newly reformed order in Revan's name? In our name?"
An easy one.
"I'll learn all I can about Revan's past. I'll learn about the order and help to ensure that this new chapter does not repeat what happened in the past," said Kayla.
Kudo turned and looked at Kayla.
"…Ahhh, and here I thought you were just another fighter," he said, "we have plenty of good warriors, but only so few are worthy of being made into a Knight of Revan."
Kudo kept walking; Kayla followed. This time, the two of them made their way to the third floor of the temple.
"Now… In the past, there were a few initiates-young officers, acolytes-believed our 'secret society' would help them become Moffs or Dark Lords," said Kudo.
"…Why tell me this?" asked Kayla.
"Because it's to my understanding that you sought to use our knowledge and power to try and defeat your master… Is that still your goal?" Kudo asked as he and Kayla walked past a few training halls.
Kayla shivered as she remembered her… Initiation process.
"…No," she said slowly.
"I had hoped not," said Kudo, "not every initiate realizes that advancement in our order does not guarantee advancement in their respective faction, nor how dangerous being a member of our order really is."
Kudo and Kayla stopped as they were approaching the entrance to a dining hall.
"Years ago, when our order was first formed, the only major threat we had to deal with was the Sith Empire's dreaded Dark Council, and now the only thing we have to worry about is that bothersome Galactic Sith Emperor, Darth Sidious," said Kudo, "if he were to discover us… How do we respond to his accusations of heresy?"
Kayla thought for a minute. A good, long minute. She thought about what she's been told so far… About what she knew so far: This order was formed during the time of the Sith Empire and they sought to change it from within. The first chapter was being rooted out by this 'Dark Council' and now, there's the trouble with the emperor and Darth Vader.
Kayla didn't know much about the emperor, nor had she seen him. Which begged the question… How would they respond?
"…We fight," Kayla said slowly.
Kudo turned and looked at Kayla, the poor girl squeaked and jumped back. Was she going to get yelled at again?
"That's right," said Kudo, "the first chapter of our order sought to change the Sith Empire from within. We are not apart of this new Galactic Empire, therefor, we are not associated with this emperor or his empire."
Kayla's eyes widened as she blinked in confusion.
"Wait, wha?" she thought.
Kudo turned and walked past Kayla.
"You may go now, initiate," he said.
"Huh?" asked Kayla.
Kudo looked over his shoulder.
"Your initiation is over," he said, as he walked away.
Kayla was confused, but otherwise, she shrugged and went back to the initiates wing, but not before stopping and heading to the temple library.
"Whoa, this library is huge," thought Kayla, "they must have a lot of records that they collected over the years."
Kayla looked through the rows of shelves and found a holobook that caught her eyes.
"Aliens and other species from Vela Eusebeia," she thought as she pulled out the holobook and went to go find a table to sit down and read.
Kayla headed up to the second floor of the library and found and empty table to sit down and activate her holobook.
"Kayla?" asked a voice.
"Eep-" she squeaked, clapping a hand over her mouth.
Kayla whirled around and saw a familiar face, who appeared to be deep in a holobook himself.
"Oh… Daralec, it's just you," she said, "I uh… I didn't see you."
"There's no need to be formalities. I'm an apprentice, not a master," said Daralec, "so what brings you by?"
"Me? Uh… I'm just… I just like to read in my spare time," she said, shyly.
"Really?" asked Daralec, "I didn't take you as an avid reader."
"Well, when I was in the Empire, I would often read in my spare time whenever I wasn't sent out into the field to hunt Jedi-"
Kayla stopped, catching what Daralec said.
"…Hey," she said firmly.
"Oh, you know what I meant," said Daralec.
"Oh, okay," said Kayla, "well as I was saying-"
Kayla stopped again.
"Hey," she said firmly.
Daralec chuckled.
As the initiate and the apprentice talked, Kudo was having a word with Malakam in the Master Dining Hall.
"The child seems to be fitting in well with our order," said Kudo.
"So, it seems," said Malakam, "so how did she do on her trials."
"She slipped up on the first question, and she went to her quarters," said Kayla, "when she returned, she managed to pass the trials without a problem… Well… She did seem to hesitate on the third trial."
"Mm…" murmured Malakam.
"I sensed the girl's emotions while we walked through the temple," said Kudo, "she showed no signs of… Craving the power the other knights possessed, nor did she seem to entertain any thoughts of wanting to use our power and resources to achieve her goal."
"She's changing," said Malakam.
"Indeed," chuckled Kudo.
The Togruta Revanite slurped up some noodles.
"I will say this much… I did sense a hint of… Satisfaction… When she heard me mention Revan and his battle with the Mandalorians," said Kudo.
Malakam raised an eyebrow after eating a spoonful of soup.
"Satisfaction?" asked Malakam, "why?"
"I don't know… I dared not to pry," said Kudo.
"Mm…" murmured Malakam.
Kudo raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"You don't trust her," he said, sensing his mix of skepticism and doubt.
"I don't trust anyone who walks into our citadel all for the purpose of personal gain," said Malakam, "call me old fashioned."
Kudo laughed.
"Be careful Malakam, you're starting to sound like a tired old man," he teased.
As the Revanite Master and High Master ate their food, they were approached by a woman, with blonde hair, green eyes, a silver combat vest with crimson accents, a black combat skirt, silver gauntlets, boots, and black leggings; clipped to her belt, was a pair of lightsabers, one standard and one shoto.
"Gentlemen!" she chirped.
"Karechl Wimbel," said Kudo.
"Master Wimbel," said Malakam, "what brings you here?"
/\/\/\/\/\
"You're also an alien?" asked Daralec.
"Close, I'm a half-blood," said Kayla, "my mother was human, and my father was a Miraluka. When the Purge happened, I changed my hair in order to hide my true color."
"True color?" asked Daralec.
Kayla nodded.
"You don't have black hair?" asked Daralec.
Kayla shook her head.
"It's actually white," she said.
"Ah, there you are, my apprentice," said a voice.
Kayla looked and saw Daralec's master approach.
"Ah, Kayla, you remember Ersanan? My master?" asked Daralec.
"Oh yeah, you were there when I… Well, after I finished my initiation," said Kayla.
"Yes, indeed," said Ersanan, "you see to be doing well, young one."
"Well, for the most part yes," Kayla said with a small smile, "I'm still trying to get used to… You know, not feeling like I have to watch my back."
Ersanan chuckled before turning his attention back to his apprentice.
"Daralec, go and pack a bag," said the Zabrak, "we have a very important mission."
"A mission?" asked Daralec.
Ersanan nodded.
"We're going to the planet Mandalore," said Ersanan, "we got a tip, saying there is a nomadic clan of warriors who've been building their own society within their own populace. The Grandmaster wishes for us to go there and discuss a possibility of an alliance."
"Oof… Mandalore," said Kayla, "last I heard that place was under the control of the empire. Good luck, pal."
Ersanan looked at Kayla.
"And just what makes you think that it will be the two of us? You're coming too," said Ersanan.
An awkward silence filled the library, then Kayla felt a smile creep across her face.
"~Pfft~, hee, hee… Ah-haha… Ah-ha… Ha-ha… Ah-hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" cackled Kayla, "bah-hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Daralec opened his mouth to speak, but Ersanan held up a finger.
"Let her have her fun," he said.
"Ah-hahahahahahahahahahahahaha ~wheeze~ ah-hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" cackled Kayla, "f-forgive me, Master, it's just that ~wheeze~ hoo! That was a good one, I didn't think that the Knights of Revan actually had a sense of humor."
Kayla let out a long breath as she wiped tears from her eyes and looked up at the Revanite Master, who was giving her a deadpan expression.
"…That… That was a joke, right?" asked Kayla.
"Quite the opposite actually," said Ersanan.
This time, Kayla's expression changed, and she jumped up from her seat.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Why am I coming!?" she demanded, "I practically turned my back on the empire, you can't possibly expect me to go with you to one of their controlled planets! Especially a planet that's controlled by Mandalorians."
"Need I remind you, child, that many years ago, there was a clan of these fierce warriors who served with the first chapter of our secret order," said Ersanan, "and these nomadic Mandalorians have no allegiance with the empire; and since they have no allegiance, that makes them enemies of the empire… The very same empire that you left. And since they have no allegiance to the empire, this is opportunity to bring them into our order."
"I missed the part where that's my problem," Kayla said as she sat down and went back to reading.
"…Well… I didn't think you were so afraid of running into your former friends," said Ersanan.
Kayla looked up and looked back at the Revanite Master.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing, nothing… I'm just saying that I completely understand what's probably going through your head right now," said Ersanan.
"…I'm not afraid of going with you guys into imperial territory-"
"I'm sure that we'll be completely fine during our meeting with these Mandalorians," interrupted Ersanan, "I mean… It's not like we'll run into any of your inquisitor friends… Or even your former master…"
"Now hold on-"
"I'll just go back to High Master Malakam and tell him that you're too scared to go," Ersanan said as he turned to leave.
Suddenly, Ersanan heard a lightsaber active and he stopped when he saw a familiar crimson blade at his neck.
"NOW YOU LISTEN!" she snapped, "I'm not scared of going with you guys into imperial territory dammit! And I'll prove it to you! In fact, I'll go and pack my things right now!"
Ersanan looked over his shoulder and grinned.
"Great, make sure you put your book back where you found it before you leave," the Revanite Master said before he left.
Kayla suddenly felt a bell go off in her head, she deactivated her lightsaber and let her arm drop down to her side as she managed to piece together what happened.
"…Your master used Reverse Psychology on me, didn't he?" she asked slowly.
"Mm-hmm," said Daralec.
"Excuse me," said a voice.
Kayla and Daralec turned and saw a woman in her mid to late forties, with brown hair, brown eyes, and wearing scholar's robes, approach them.
"I understand that you're new here Miss Abaven, but could you please keep it down?" asked the woman.
"Forgive her, Kelalia," said Daralec, "she just got finished getting indirectly convinced into going with my master and I on a mission."
Kayla let her head drop.
"…Damn," she muttered.