Hey all. Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving. This chapter will have Revan access a power that will be a BIG thing very soon.
The question that had gone through Sally's mind was 'what was Revan up to?'.
He was up to quite a lot right now. After the negotiations, many had assumed he had gone back to his throne to continue the war. They were wrong. Revan had the fleet that had come with him head back to the Star Forge, but the ship they were on had doubled back, hiding behind the Mobius' moon, keeping them hidden from the satellites that GUN had.
Both he and Traya returned to the planet using the cloaking device the Slikenth had. They flew through the air, Traya looking out the window at the grasslands below.
"What is it that you are seeking, my lord?" Traya asked, turning to look at Revan.
"Do you recall the celebration of your ascension?"
Traya nodded, smiling fondly. Revan had told her that he was taking them to a location that the tiny blue being had shown him. However, given their recent fiasco, discretion was the better part of valor this time. Hence the cloak.
The Force guided Revan's hands, taking him far to the south. There, he and Traya sensed it. A great but slumbering power. Landing the Hawk in the clearing, the pair watched as the ramp lowered. A sparkling blue river greeted their eyes, wild flowers all around. As the pair descended, they saw a black marble structure built into a mountain. Revan stared at it, feeling the Force urging him to walk toward it.
Traya's gasp broke the spell. He looked at what had made her gasp and saw them. Hundreds of tiny blue creatures just like the one he had met.
"Chao!" Traya squealed, delighted.
"Chao?" Revan repeated, confused.
Traya explained. The Chao were a fairy like race, believed to be born from the Water God of Destruction, Chaos, hence the name. No one knows their actual purpose or what they can do.
"We must be in a chao garden! These places are exceedingly rare!"Three of the Chao came over, a white one with a blue halo on its top, a blue one, and finally a black one with a large grin.
"Greetings, chosen of the Mother." The three said, making Traya start.
"What? That was...Rakata?!"
Revan nodded, looking at the three.
"I think there is more to this story then we believed. They called us Chosen of the Mother..."
"What or who is the Mother?" Traya asked, the pair becoming surrounded by the Chao.
"More then likely The Force..." Revan muttered, staring.
"Yes, Mother Force. Maker of all, destroyer of all. Savior of life, Damner of life." The three chao intoned, their eyes glowing. "Go, go. Seek her, seek out your destiny, Lord Revan, Master of Sith, Chosen of Mother. Ascend further then what you have."
Confused, the pair walked to the black marble temple. All of the Chao stood there, staring, watching. The aged doors groaned open, dust collapsing in a cloud. Once the aged doors fully opened, there was a yawning darkness before the two Sith. Traya's eyes were full of uncertainty, but held firm. Revan took the step, the vixen following right behind him. The doors closed behind them, but Revan ignited his Lightsaber, bathing the darkness with a soft blue glow. They walked down the steps. Deeper, deeper, darker, darker, colder and colder. Finally, they soon came to a corridor that straightened out. They followed it, seeing the old glyphs on the wall. Mobian and...something else. Chao? Possible.
The Sith lords came upon another set of doors, smaller then the entrance. Revan looked at the doors, the mask hiding his thoughtful expression. Slowly, the doors creaked open. They felt the air as they entered.
Warm and cold.
Orderly yet chaotic.
Peaceful but at war.
Full of light, however, steeped in darkness.
Traya and Revan walked further in, seeing it. A large lake, a multitude of colors making it up. Traya stared, shocked.
"The source of all?" Traya whispered, making Revan turn to look at her, his saber no longer active.
"Source of what?" Revan demanded.
The Source of All. A wellspring that could show events yet to be. The Acorns had used it to solidify their rule and used it to see into their futures not unlike the Sith. However, rather then change or alter the fates, the Acorns went along with it, like the Jedi. Only Sally had rejected the fate given to her. Revan chuckled bitterly, turning to the lake.
"I see. But no, this is something more. Something...bigger. Much bigger." Revan said, walking toward the lake.
Traya trailed after him, the pair of them walking into the waters. Cold, but warm met their feet. It swallowed their feet, the legs, waist, chest...and finally the head.
With a soft splash, the pair disappeared under the waters.
STHSW
Falling.
That was the best feeling that Traya could describe. Free falling through the skies. She felt herself sinking, seeing the last battle of Revan and the Republic, the cruisers being destroyed.
It shifted, a large spherical station orbiting a planet not unlike Mobius. From the center came a pyramid of green energy, a beam lancing out. The beam touched the planet and it exploded, a million voices calling out before deathly quiet echoed in her mind.
She saw the Star Forge, the Rakatans having been taught how to use the Force by another race. Gateways that helped in building their empire. The First Jedi wielding steel swords, called Mad Dog Steel against the Empire.
She saw the birth and death of the universe. Saw the countless conflicts across the Galaxy.
She was screaming.
Was she screaming?
Was she falling?
Falling, deeper, deeper, further and further.
Traya felt and saw everything.
She felt and saw nothing.
Cold and warm.
A hand grabbing her. Holding her close. Saying her name.
What was her name?
She is Traya.
She was Fiona.
Both yet neither.
A traitor.
Always a traitor.
Betrayal.
Traya.
She would always betray.
Like the Jedi.
"No...I am...SITH!" She screamed out.
All around her, the images and visions turned to golden dust, flying all around. Panting, she held tightly to Revan.
"What was that? It...was intense." Traya whimpered out.
"Agreed." Revan said, breathing heavily himself. "I think...it was the Past and the Future we just saw, here in the present.
The pair looked around, seeing planets, stars, galaxies and nebula. Confused as to where they were, Traya asked the question that was on their minds.
Where were they?
"The Force." Revan said, making her start. "Open your mind, Traya...hear it."
She closed her eyes, meditating. She felt it. The hum. The song. Darkness. Light. She felt Revan's connection and was amazed. She matched him, nearly. Their connection was much more powerful here. The planets crumbled away, the stars burning away. Darkness and light merging.
A figure stood before them, gaining form. The form was that of a woman. The nebula was her hair, the dust of the planets her skin, the darkness and light becoming a toga, covering her. But it was her eyes that drew the pair in. One eye was a sky blue eye, showing kindness, compassion, burning with passion. The other was the same hellish yellow Traya had. Once she was fully formed, she sat down on a throne of galaxies.
"The Force?" Traya asked, shocked.
A wordless nod.
"But...I thought you hated physical forms!"
"The Force isn't using a physical form. It has taken on this form so that we can better comprehend it." Revan said, the woman smiling broadly, nodding again.
"So...why are we here?" Traya asked, as humbly as she could.
The Force looked at her, not with disdain, but annoyance. It looked to Revan, smiling broadly. Traya's eyes went wide.
"No...not we...why is Lord Revan here?" Traya asked again, the Force's smile becoming even wider.
The field of stars shifted, showing Mobius. Several Mobians in royal purple robes were battling against a mammoth. Traya looked down, frowning. She had seen such an image before...on the caves of Downunda.
"The IXIS order?"
Revan looked at her, as did The Force. The Force knew who they were, but beckoned for the vixen to explain. Explain Traya did.
The IXIS order was a group of warlocks who had found the means to harness the latent energy of the Chaos Emeralds ages ago. They had attempted to take over the world, but had been bested by the Chaos Masters of old.
"The Chaos Masters could use the energy of the Emeralds naturally, not like the IXIS order. Many of them were revered as Gods of that time. See there?"
Traya pointed out a Fox.
"That is Freed. He and several others had been trained by a mysterious Fox that had hailed from the Floating Island over four hundred years ago. No one knows where the fox came from, but one thing is certain. The fox was not mobian."
"Probably a Jedi..." Revan snarled, his fist clenching.
The Force looked both sad and enraged at the same time. Though why was only known to the Force.
Continuing, the Chaos Master bested the IXIS order...but it came with a high cost. The Chaos Masters were wiped out in a suicide move of the Order. Nothing of the Masters survived, only tales and myth.
"Something you seem to know, Traya."
Traya nodded, blushing a bit.
"Before the Freedom Fighters and...my mistake...I robbed graves for a living alongside another. I found a lot of history that way."
Revan placed a hand on Traya's shoulder.
"You did what you needed to survive, Traya. Even I had to do such things."
The Force showed her an vision of the Past. Revan was in a battle. Here, Revan sighed. Malachor V. One of the last Strongholds of the Mandalorians. He continued to watch, his mask hiding his stony expression. Traya watched several ships orbit the planet, the fighting fierce and fast. The battle dragged on for hours. When the Republic was about to fall, Revan ordered something.
On the planet below, there was a flash...and then...white. When the white faded, all Traya saw was the ships of both Republic and Mandalorian floating, destroyed beyond recognition.
"What?" She gasped.
"I did something for us all to survive back then, Traya..." Revan said, staring at the planet, bolts of green energy lancing across its surface.
Revan had seen that they were about to lose. So...he had used a backup plan of his. On the planet, several ships had landed in secret. When it went badly...he ordered their dark matter engines to activate.
"They...tore the planet apart." Revan said sadly. "It was the only way we could win against the Mandalorians...I had thousands of my own people die at my hands."
Traya saw a side of Revan that he kept hidden. A softer side. He sighed, placing his hands on his mask.
"I heard them all out in the Force...they were praising me even with their deaths...and that frightened me."
The Force stared at Revan, knowing that these were fears and doubts that the Dark Lord kept only to himself. To reveal it to Traya...it showed how deep their bond truly was. The Force had a ghost of a smile on its make-shift face. The two were fated...but they had a lot of obstacles to overcome. The past faded, Revan looking at the Force.
"I know you have brought me here, but viewing the past is not it. No...you want the Chaos Masters back."
The Force clapped its hands in delight, smiling widely. Yes, it did want to bring back the Chaos Masters or rather, Chaos Master. Revan would be the first and only of them. It alone trusted him with that immense power.
Still, its face frowned. There was one final test it had to give.
"What must Lord Revan do to gain the training needed?" Traya asked, the Force looking at her.
Both Tray and Revan were shocked into silence when the Force...spoke.
"Dear Revan...to gain this power...he must give up me."
Traya and Revan stared at the manifestation of The Force. Did they just hear it correctly? Revan would gain this new power, become a literal god barring the immortal aspect, with abilities that could rend all of the laws of physics...but only if he severed his connection to The Force?
Traya seethed; The Force acted like it cared for Revan, but to ask him of that! What was the Force thinking!? The only reason she did not lash out at the Force was two things; the first being that she did not speak for Revan, he was his own person and thus this was his own choice.
The second was her own self-preservation. She was in the realm of The Force, its power was absolute here. One wrong word, one wrong look and she'd be erased.
She turned to Revan, the Sith Lord quiet. The Force stared, expecting an answer.
Finally, Revan looked up at The Force.
"My answer is-"
The Force leaned in, curiosity on its face.
"No."
Traya looked at her lord in shock. He was rejecting the power of the Gods themselves?! Even the Force looked a bit taken aback. Revan began to pace on the 'floor' of the realm.
"I am who I am, not because of my power in you, but how I was shaped. By the Jedi, by the Republic, by the Wars, by the Sith...but through it all, I had my connection to you. It is part of me just as all of my life experiences have been part of me." Revan said, arms behind his back. "I have everything I desire and want."
He had a young Empire. He had loyal followers and friends. He already had enough power; as an Emperor, as a Sith Lord, as a Leader. He didn't need more of it.
"Power corrupts...and absolute power, which you are offering me, corrupts absolutely. I will not throw all that I have gained, all that I have achieved, all that I have sacrificed, just to gain a sliver of power that I now wield. You are part of me...just as I am part of you. Not now or ever will I give up my connection to you. So take your offering of power...and shove it down a black hole!"
Traya swelled with pride at hearing her Lord speak. The Force stared at Revan...before breaking out into a big smile. Traya, upon seeing the smile, gasped.
"A test?!"
The Force nodded. That was a test, a test to see if Revan would stay true to his convictions.
He did and passed. Not once did the Force sense any kind of deception from him.
"Dear Revan...you are worthy of the power of Chaos. Now...embrace its power!"
Revan saw Traya being sent away, looking at her. The Force smiled.
"Your student is simply being sent back to the shore. She does not have the means to access this power and survive...only you do."
"Very well...Traya! Learn from the library if you can." Revan said, Traya nodding.
STHSW
Traya snapped awake, sitting up and seeing that she was on the shore once more. The lake before her was calm. Standing up, she looked around, frowning.
"How do I get-?" Traya began only to hear the calls of the Chao.
Looking back, she saw the entire garden had come down, staring at the lake, all in excitement and joy. The three approached her, smiling.
"The Blessed One has passed Mother's test. Revan shall ascend to even greater heights."
"How...long will that take?"
The three looked at one another, conversing. Finally, the neutral spoke to her.
"We are not sure when he will emerge. Time passes differently in the Mother. But we will care for you, Chosen Lady."
Traya thanked the three, asking where the library was at. The chao escorted her there, informing the ones in the temple to attend to her needs.
Not much else to say. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!