(Seven days later)
Kayla woke up in her room. She still felt like hell… Though not as much as she did before. The young Revanite looked down and saw that she was bandaged up. Kayla started to climb out of bed, but she felt a sharp stab of pain in her ribs and hunched over. Suki, who was sent to check on her condition, let out a gasp and went to her side.
"Hey, hey, hey…" she said, helping to sit her up, "slowly…"
"Suki?" Kayla said wearily, "ugh… What are you doing here?"
"I had orders from your master to come and check in on you… See if you were open eyed, from my understanding, you got pretty banged up from your final trial," said the Mirialan Revanite.
"…How long was I out?" asked Kayla.
"Seven days," said Suki.
"Seven!?" exclaimed Kayla.
"Relax, that's just the bare minimum, most of the apprentices who challenge those dragons are usually out for at least two weeks to a month," said Suki.
"A MONTH!?" exclaimed Kayla.
"The Erusian Dragons are not to be taken lightly," Suki said with a shake of her head.
Kayla didn't respond, she just thought back to how she lost one of lightsabers in the battle and shivered. The fact that she was able to survive, was nothing short of a miracle. Suki looked over her shoulder.
"What?" asked Kayla.
"It looks like your boyfriend is here," said Suki.
Kayla had a confused look on her face.
"Boyfriend?" she asked.
"Don't let it get to you kiddo," said a voice.
Kayla gasped, seeing Orthus round the corner.
"They've been hitting me with the same assumption," he said with a shrug.
Kayla blushed.
"O-O-Orthus!" she exclaimed, trying to cover her bandaged body.
"He and Daralec heard about how banged up you got when you returned to the citadel and passed out during the ride back," said Suki, "imagine the surprise of some of the others when Orthus seemed to stop by almost every day to see if you had come to yet."
"I know what it's like to tangle with fierce beasts, so when I was told about how you encountered a Force Beast; something that we Mandalorians had never heard about, I asked Suki if I could accompany her whenever she checked to see how your recovery was going," said Orthus.
"Orthus, I appreciate you being concerned about my recovery and well-being, but could you kindly exit my quarters?" Kayla asked shyly.
"Why? Are you afraid of showing me your battle scars?" teased Orthus.
Kayla turned red.
"Because if so, I just thought you should know there's no shame," he said with a shrug.
"GIT OUTTA HEEYAH!" Kayla cried out, throwing a pillow at Orthus.
The Force Sensitive Mandalorian leaned to the right, letting the pillow right past him. Orthus snorted and walked away, laughing.
"Why does he feel the need to do that?" muttered Kayla.
Suki giggled.
"What?" asked Kayla.
"Your thoughts betray you Kayla," she said, "you're fond of that boy."
Kayla turned red again.
"…See yourself out," she said, pointing to the door.
Suki threw her hands up and saw herself out. Kayla held her covers close to her body, her face felt warm… Hot almost, like she holding her own lightsaber right up to her face. Kayla slowly looked down at herself and pulled her covers down a bit.
Since she had officially made her home on Erus, her body seemed to have been… Cleansed of the effects of the dark side degradation. Her eyes were no longer sporting the haunting yellow glow, and her skin had gone from pale and lifeless, to lightly tanned and full of life.
"…I don't know much about this planet and the kind of power that rests deep inside of it," she murmured, "but… I am glad that I'm back to being my old self."
Kayla looked over her shoulder.
"I mean… Even if I have some new battle scars now," she murmured.
Kayla looked down.
"…Come to think of it… When I was a part of the Inquisition, Lord Vader always warned me about forming attachments with people, whether if it was a sibling bond or a romantic bond," she said under her breath, "I wonder… Now that I'm a Revanite… Would I be able to handle… To handle…"
Kayla's mind began to drift as she imagined the thought of her and Orthus being in a romantic relationship. The thought of them fighting side-by-side, watching each other's backs, the thought of them going on private trips to some of the most romantic spots in some of the known systems, like Naboo, the thought of them sharing a romantic evening together, the thought of them-
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH! WHAT AM I THINKING!?" Kayla thought as she buried herself under the covers and squirmed.
Finally, after she got finished tormenting herself, Kayla climbed out of bed, threw on some clothes, and got ready to walk out of the door when… She ran into her master.
"M-Master Ersanan?" she asked in confusion.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
Kayla looked at her left arm.
"…A little stiff," she said as she rolled her shoulder, "but I think I'll be fine."
"Good," he said with a smile.
Kayla stiffened as Ersanan pat her head.
"You did well, my apprentice," he said, "and here I thought you wouldn't be able to move past this… Block that had been placed in front of you."
Kayla had a shocked look on her face.
"Huh?" she asked.
Ersanan gave her a pat on the shoulder.
"Come, let's take a walk," he said.
Kayla was confused at first, but otherwise she followed him.
"How did you know that something was keeping me from completing my trial?" she asked.
"Everyone has something that keeps them from stepping out of their comfort zone and trying something they're not familiar with," said Ersanan, "for Jedi, it's learning to tap into the dark side, for the Sith it's tapping into the light; and then we have cases like you, where it's something of the psychological variety."
Kayla didn't say anything. Ersanan continued.
"Do you remember what you learned about Revan and how the Jedi returned him to the light?" he asked.
"His memory ended up shattered," said Kayla.
"Correct," said Ersanan, "however, over time, his memories slowly returned to him, and he became a Jedi again."
"Why tell me this?" asked Kayla.
"Let me ask you something, if you were in Revan's position, what would you do if your memories started to come back to you after they were shattered?" asked Ersanan.
"…Um… Ignore them, likely?" Kayla admitted.
"And at the risk of those memories driving you to the brink of madness?" asked Ersanan.
Kayla went silent.
"…Mulch hides a multitude of sins," said Ersanan.
"Huh?" asked Kayla.
"Everyone has their demons Kayla, some are more powerful than others," said Ersanan, "sure you can bury the lesser demons, keep them locked away in the farthest corners of your mind. But there are some that are so large, that they're known to crack through the surface, trying to reveal themselves… Whether to those closest to you or even your enemies."
Kayla didn't say anything. Ersanan continued.
"I'm sure Revan could've buried his memories, I'm sure he could've lived the calm and quiet life that he earned after fighting one war after another, after saving the Republic twice, after nearly destroying it, after battling Mandalorians and the Forces of the dark side," said Ersanan, "…but the question is… How long would it have lasted?"
Kayla didn't say anything, she looked down.
"Like I said Kayla… Everyone has their sins, their demons… But it's how we choose to deal with them that matters," said Ersanan, "and it is the result itself, that determines how we grow."
Kayla and Ersanan stopped.
"And I think it's time for the final step in your growth," he said.
"Eh?" asked Kayla.
Kayla jumped, seeing a door open in front of them. The duo walked inside.
"…Why's it so dark in here?" she asked.
Suddenly, the room was filled with a circle of graduated knights, who had ignited their lightsabers. Kayla's eyes went wide as she looked around at everyone.
"Wh-What?" she asked in confusion.
Kayla looked and saw Daralec among the graduated knights, with his hood on and a smile on his face.
"Kayla," said Ersanan.
Kayla whirled around and saw her master step forward.
"Kneel," he said.
Kayla knelt.
"Do you swear to embrace all aspects of the Force and not just the light or the dark?" asked Ersanan.
"I do," she said.
"Do you swear to help uphold order and chaos in equal measure?" asked Ersanan.
"I do," said Kayla.
"And do you swear to use this knowledge you've acquired to act… Should you be called upon to do so?" asked Ersanan.
"I do," said Kayla.
Ersanan drew and ignited his lightsaber.
"Then by the power granted to me by The Grandmaster. By the will of the Force," Ersanan said as he knighted Kayla, "no longer are you Kayla Abaven, Revanite Apprentice. You are now, Kayla Abaven, Knight of Revan."
Kayla rose to her feet and smiled.
"Thank you, master," she said.
With the ceremony complete, Ersanan led Kayla out of the chamber.
"You're a knight now, a full-fledged Revanite," he said, "you are now free to go anywhere on the planet, however, you must not leave the system without my permission."
"I understand," said Kayla.
"However, you will be given your own skip for whenever our soldiers need support in battle," said Ersanan, "you will also have permission to use the most powerful device here in the citadel, the Infinity Forge."
"Infinity Forge?" asked Kayla.
"A fragment of the Star Forge, once a powerful shipyard that could create powerful armies, it was destroyed during the Battle of Rakata prime," said Ersanan, "we know not how a fragment ended up here in this galaxy, or even this planet; what we do know is that through the nexus of Force Energy within this planet, the fragment had grown into a machine of immense power, allowing us to create anything from almost… Nothing."
"Like… Weapons?" asked Kayla.
"Weapons, body armor, droids, ships, armored vehicles even," said Ersanan.
Kayla put a hand to her chest, imagining the thought of being able to make anything from a machine that she didn't even know about.
"And the best perk of all… Is you'll be able to advance your training," said Ersanan.
"Advance my training?" asked Kayla.
"Yes," he said as he led her to the other side of the temple.
Kayla looked up and gasped, seeing four distinct statues of different Revanites. The first one was a Revanite adorned in heavy battle armor, complete for a full helmet, an armored coat, chest plate, greaves, boots, and gauntlets. The statue stood stoically, with a lightsaber in their right hand.
The second one was a Revanite adorned in, what Kayla could guess was, medium battle armor, complete with a full helmet, a hooded armor woven coat, chest plate, greaves, boots, and gauntlets. The statue stood in a ready position, with a pair of lightsabers in each hand.
The third one was a Revanite adorned in light battle armor, complete with a full battle mask, armor woven under armor, a light armored chest plate, greaves, boots, and gloves. The statue stood in a ready stance as well, however, the saberstaff they were holding was held behind them and they had their left hand held up as if they were about to use a Force Attack.
And finally, there was the fourth statue. This statue seemed to be adorned in a full set of padded robes and had little to no armor, aside from likely their face mask. Instead of holding a lightsaber, this statue appeared to be standing in place and… Looked like it was in the process of charging up a torrent of Force Lightning… Or something.
"We have many classes for you to choose from," said Ersanan, "Revanite Champions best suited for the frontlines. They serve as field commanders and stalwart defenders, leading battalions of troops in battle."
Kayla didn't say anything. Ersanan continued.
"Revanite Pursuers are best suited as elite strike team support. They often serve as scouts and field agents, often being dropped in the hottest battle zones in times of war," said Ersanan, "what they lack in their command over the Force, they make up for in their mastery in lightsaber combat."
Kayla looked at her main hand lightsaber.
"Revanite Hunters… They are the deadliest class for a Force Sensitive," said Ersanan, "unlike Pursuers, they are assigned either on solo missions or in teams of four to hunt down and assassinate high-valued targets that may pose a threat to our order. They are trained to wield the dark side of the Force in the most insidious ways, whether to vanish and strike from the shadows, or even dominate the minds of their enemies."
Kayla's eyes went wide.
"Finally, there's the Revanite Shaman. Often underestimated since they're trained in Form VI, they supplement their limited skill with a blade for their overwhelming power in the Force," said Ersanan, "only the shamans are granted permission to learn abilities that both the Jedi and Sith claim to be… Unnatural."
Kayla felt a chill go up her spine. Unnatural abilities that both the Jedi and Sith claim to be unnatural? She didn't know what kind of abilities that the Revanite Shamans had, and she didn't want to know.
"Then of course there are the extra classes, but they're meant for our special divisions," said Ersanan, "but I will say this… Those who don't know which path to take, often undergo special training to become Guardsmen, Force Sensitive warriors who are sent to protect key bases and factories."
Ersanan gave Kayla a grin.
"So, tell me, to what class would you like to pick, young knight?" he asked.
Kayla looked at each of the statues before her. Never in her life did she think she would get the chance to further hone her skill set in order to become a much more formidable warrior, instead of just a bloodhound that goes wherever she was told, often being pitted against adversaries who were much stronger than her and who's skill in battle eclipsed her own.
"…Okay that's a lie, the only person who I actually really struggled with was some of the other inquisitors and Vaukel," she thought, scolding herself.
Kayla looked at Ersanan.
"I want…" she started to say.
/\/\/\/\/\
The Grandmaster sat in his chambers, deep in meditation as always… Or so one would think. No… The Grandmaster was not meditating but keeping watch… Keeping watch over some… High-valued adversaries.
"I told you to wait on the command ship."
"A small rebel force has penetrated the shield and landed on Endor."
"Yes, I know."
"…My son is with them."
The Grandmaster lifted his head slightly.
"Are you sure?"
"I have felt him my master."
"Strange that I have not… I wonder if your feelings on this matter are clear Lord Vader."
"They are clear, my master."
"Then you must go to the centenary moon and wait for him."
"He will come to me?"
"I have foreseen it. His compassion for you will be his undoing. He will come to you and you will bring him before me."
"As you wish, my master."
The Grandmaster raised his head.
"…It is almost… Time," he thought.
Author's note: The crusade is near...