Three years later.
Mordivai flourished at the Jedi Academy, and Gatten's only regret was that he hadn't brought the boy here earlier. Not a boy any longer, Gatten reminded himself. Mordivai was nineteen now, a young man. He had sprouted up in height, but his weight had never caught up with him. He was wiry and painfully thin, the pale shadow of his childhood freckles still faintly visible through his ruddy complexion. His boyish appearance had already caused more than one opponent to underestimate him, and Gatten had encouraged Mordivai to use this to his advantage.
Mordivai had also thrived under the tutelage of Master Praven, a former Sith lord who had defected to the Republic. Gatten had set up their mentorship and knew immediately that it had been an inspired choice. Gatten still continued to guide Mordivai in his understanding and utilization of the Force, while Praven took over in combat instruction. In Praven, Mordivai had found a confidant and someone he could relate to. They became a fixture around the Academy; the Pureblood Jedi and his half-Pureblood protege, living proof to the other initiates that anyone, even a Sith, had the power conquer the dark that lurked within. Gatten suspected that when the time came, Praven would take Mordivai as his Padawan.
It had been a mistake to isolate Mordivai on the EduCorps campus, away from other students of his skill level. Gatten could see that now. In attempting to protect the initiates from possible Sith influence, Gatten had given Mordivai a lonely existence, and one that had only furthered his sense of being the "other." Once around other Jedi hopefuls and Padawans however, Mordivai had been eager to fit in and embrace Jedi ways. He still questioned everything he was taught, often making thoughtful comparisons between the Jedi and Sith codes, but Gatten had come to see these questions as signs of an inquisitive mind and not a concern. It was better for Mordivai to willingly become a Jedi after thoughtful deliberation, than for him to be convinced through purposeful lecturing.
Mordivai's skill in the practice arena grew, quickly surpassing many of his peers. He demonstrated agility with a lightsaber and a head for tactics. He also could have been a keen scholar. Selfishly, Gatten would have preferred to have seen him use his talents to further intellectual pursuits, but either way, Gatten was confident that Mordivai would make an exceptional Jedi.
The time to initiate him into the Order had come at last. He was older than most students facing their Initiate Trials, and so Gatten had devised a test that was more suited to Mordivai's age and skill level, a trial that in some ways mimicked the more challenging Jedi Trials.
"Do you think I made a mistake," Gatten wondered aloud, "sending him to Kaleth as part of his Trial?" The Jedi Academy bustled around them as Gatten strolled with Praven through the halls.
"Don't second guess yourself," Praven said. He paused to nod politely to a Jedi colleague passing by before continuing. "He needs to be exposed to temptation if he is to learn the boundaries of his own strength."
That morning, Mordivai had left with a small survival pack, his newly forged lightsaber, and a map to the ancient Jedi sanctuary. In the distant past, the first battle between light and dark had been fought in Kaleth, and even now, tens of thousands of years hence, dark side power still lingered in the unmapped pockets of the ruin. These days, since its discovery only twenty years ago, it had become a hotspot for Jedi historians, geologists, and biologists, anyone eager to uncover the past. The place was no tourist attraction however. It was filled with hazards both mundane and supernatural, from ancient guardian droids still programmed to defend their turf to Force ghosts of dubious intent.
"He is curious…and I sent him in there, knowing he'd be tempted."
"Every Jedi must confront his weakness if he is to conquer it. His enemies will not coddle his weaknesses and neither can we."
Praven had always been the counterweight to Gatten's teachings. Whereas Gatten sought to introduce troublesome concepts with care, Praven was a proponent of thrusting his student into challenging situations in order to force his hand and "foster growth", as he so often put it.
"You say Jedi words, but sometimes you still sound like a Sith." Gatten's tone was affectionate. They'd had this conversation so many times.
"I know only too well the dangers he will face. Hiding him from the truth only does him a disservice."
Gatten sighed. "I only want him to succeed."
"As do I. But you cannot protect him from himself, Gatten."
They reached the wide entry doors and stepped out into the sunlight. Gatten paused at a railing, looking out the pathway that Mordivai had followed into the forest that morning.
"You are right, of course."
"He will find his place in the world, wherever it may be. The Force will guide him," Praven said.
00o00
Mordivai sheathed his new lightsaber and stepped past the smoking wreckage of two ancient demolition droids. Ahead of him was a crumbling stone arch which led into a quiet, overgrown glade. Why the droids had been tasked with guarding this glade was anyone's guess, but in the center was natural spring pool teeming with some unfamiliar bioluminescent lifeform. A cohort of xenobiologists had discovered this spot recently and were interested in getting water samples for study. When they had been unable to get past the droids, they had enlisted the Jedi Order's help, and thus the final stage of Mordivai's trial was born. He suspected that there was more to this trial than a test of combat and some community service, however.
It had taken him all day to reach this spot up in the hills of Kaleth, and it would take him another day to return. He had come prepared to spend the night, and now that dusk was here, he decided it would be best if he started looking for a suitable spot to bed down. He didn't want to be wandering through the ruins of Kaleth in the dark.
He filled three small vials with the glowing water and tucked them away in his bag. The sun was dropping behind the mountains at a swift pace, creating shadows that creeped like fingers across the ground. Mordivai left through the archway and walked to an overlook with a wide view of most of the ruins. The complex was vast, but even more of it lay hidden among winding subterranean corridors and cave networks. Mordivai wanted to find a spot that was sheltered from the sky and relatively enclosed. He scanned the ruins, finally deciding to visit an area nearby that looked to be in acceptable condition and even had a few unbroken ceilings.
By the time he reached the area, it was already dark enough that he needed to pull out a glowrod. He found a grassy expanse within four walls, containing a small overhang and fairly even ground. Once he ducked under the overhang, he realized that there was actually a narrow open doorway here as well, but the space beyond it was shrouded in darkness and there was no telling how far back it extended. It appeared to lead straight into the side of a hill.
Mordivai stepped through the doorway and held out the glowrod. Inside was a semicircular room that ended with another doorway in the far wall. This one was even blacker than the first, and contained a set of stairs leading down. The ground here was mostly hard-packed earth, pebbled and pock-marked and definitely not comfortable for sleeping. Mordivai went back outside and laid out his bed roll on a spot of thin grass just under the edge of the overhang.
He ate a quick meal and then, having nothing better to do, settled down for the night. The night was blacker and deeper beyond the ring of light provided by the glowrod, and not liking the sight disadvantage that put him at, Mordivai chose to extinguish it. He was plunged into momentary darkness but eventually his eyes adjusted. He lay there, listening to the sounds of night insects, and quickly fell into an exhausted sleep.
He was jerked awake by something sudden and intrusive, like a lingering echo of sound, yet he couldn't place what exactly had awoken him. From just beyond his overhang, the red moon Bogan blotted the sky like a blood stain, casting the landscape into a harsh contrast of light and shadow. Mordivai eased himself back down onto his bedroll and tried to get comfortable again.
A faint breeze skittered across the ground, tickling Mordivai's face, and he blinked awake again, confused, since the air felt like it was coming from the open doorway in the hillside. He stared at door's black rectangle, unease passing through him. It was possible that some creature was using that room as a den, and Mordivai did not want to be sleeping on some nocturnal predator's doorstep. Reluctantly, he rose and bundled up his things. Walking around Kaleth in the dark was exactly the scenario he'd intended to avoid, but perhaps there was a safer, if less sheltered place, somewhere else.
Beyond the crumbled walls of his enclosure he was met by a chill wind that tugged at his robes. He stopped, dismayed. The area here was a maze of broken walls, pillars, and tumbled boulders, looking more like a graveyard of giant, chipped headstones than the picturesque ruin that he remembered from the day before. He hesitated, uncertainty creating circles of doubt in his head, and at last he decided that venturing into the unexplored darkness was not wise. He turned, mustering a bit of extra courage - he was a Jedi for goodness sake! - and stepped into the dark room underneath the overhang.
He reached out with all his senses, searching for signs of life. He felt nothing, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Had he really considered abandoning his chosen sleeping place all because a light breeze had spooked him? It seemed silly now.
His bedroll was almost laid out again when the breeze kicked up once more, stronger this time, swirling in little eddies around his feet and hands. He straightened, eyeing the doorway and slowly reaching for the lightsaber at his belt. Perhaps, he decided, there was simply a tunnel here, traversing the length of the hill and emerging out the other side. It was a logical explanation. He realized that he could continue to tell himself likely and reasonable stories all night, but the doubt would remain for as long as he remained ignorant. Knowledge is a powerful weapon.
He pulled out the glowrod and entered the room, forcing his legs to stride towards the far doorway. The stairway beyond it spiraled downward and out of sight, and yes, there was definitely a breeze wafting up from here, tinged with damp, musty smells. Mordivai followed it to the bottom and stepped into a high ceilinged room. He raised the glowrod and gasped aloud.
A network of deteriorating metal catwalks extended across the floor, spanning over a second, even deeper room beneath, which was lined with shelves of ancient databanks, long since gone lightless and silent. Mordivai pressed his foot against the floor of the nearest catwalk and it groaned and swayed. He pulled back, surveying the vast room, noticing this time that there was another room further in, on the other side of the catwalk. From there, Mordivai was startled to see some faint lights blinking like miniature stars, flashing in an uneven rhythmn and nearly covered the the wall.
Mordivai longed to run his fingers over such ancient databanks, wanting to feel their thrum beneath his hand. Could any of them still be accessed? He recalled Master Gatten explaining that many areas of Kaleth were still unexplored, and Mordivai wondered what new secrets possibly lay hidden here, what history the ancient Jedi order had sought to preserve.
He felt the breeze again, lifting the hem of his robe, whispering with chill fingers along his legs. The lights beckoned from ahead, creating flickering patterns, almost as if transmitting a meaningful code. Something plucked at the edges of his mind, like a memory long forgotten, and Mordivai felt a familiar, yet painful yearning come over him. Claim what is rightfully yours, an unspoken voice said into his mind, your legacy, your history, your blood. Take it and soar.
There was power in this place. Darkness caressed him, curling around him like tendrils of smoke, and Mordivai felt faintly dizzy. He reached out. The lights were brighter, almost close enough to touch, warming the air, pulsing as if alive. The breeze ruffled his hair, danced along his scalp like the fingers of a lover, and he was lifted, no pushed, forward. His palms tingled with anticipation. Would the ancient metal still be warm?
The dizziness became a swoon, and Mordivai felt the floor tilting. He stumbled, the wall of databanks crashing into his outstretched hands. The lights blinked out.
Mordivai jerked back, startled and horrified. He had crossed the rickety catwalk without even being aware of it and had been swallowed into the dark room beyond. He realized he'd blundered into the very thing he'd been warned of. The dark side was here, lingering still, a testament to its strength. Mordivai spun around, disturbed to see that his glowrod lay abandoned on the floor on the other side of the room, only a few paces away from the staircase where he'd first entered.
He spoke into the darkness.
"I am a defender of the light. There is no passion, there is serenity." He repeated the words, louder, as he took careful steps across the catwalk once more. It shook and groaned.
I didn't succumb. I will leave this place. It has not claimed me.
He was close, only a few paces now. He began to breathe easier. Pale light eased down the staircase; the white moon Ashla guiding his way.
A metal shriek pierced the air and the catwalk buckled under Mordivai's feet. With a scream that echoed obscenely loud in the quiet night, the catwalk broke free of its moorings and dropped away. The darkness flew up to devour him.
Mordivai hit the ground hard, all the air driven out of his lungs. Above, the catwalk swung unevenly in the air. It let out another agonized groan and snapped off its final hinge. Mordivai rolled aside as it flew towards his face, barely missing being squashed as it slammed into the dust, kicking up a cloud of decay.
Mordivai sat up. His breathing was loud in the silence. The urge to put this place far behind him was overwhelming. Out. Where was the way out now?
Mordivai walked slowly across the room, reaching out with the Force, trying to make sense of the layout of this place. Somewhere there was a way that lead back out to the moonlit night, back to fresh air and growing things.
He entered a hallway with a low ceiling. The tight walls left no breathing room and cobwebs swiped against his face. His hand struck emptiness along one wall.
A beam of red light blinded him and a mechanical voice began to mutter. Mordivai backed away, drawing his lightsaber, just as a massive droid rumbled out of an alcove, two arms like blasters aimed straight at him. It fired, and the bursts of light from its guns left glowing spots across Mordivai's vision. He blocked the bolts in a spray of sparks and thrust the end of his lightsaber deep into the droids wiry innards. Countless times he stabbed it, until it finally grumbled into silence.
Mordivai leaned back against a wall. He took a long moment to catch his breath. Then he continued on.
He'd entered a subterranean maze, or if not a maze in truth, it sure felt like one. He passed doorways, crissed-crossed hallways, entered rooms. All the while, he had the terrible sensation that he was only venturing further into the bowels of the hillside, moving farther away from freedom.
Panic was eating away at the edges of his mind when he saw a light up ahead. He bolted into a run, only wanting to feel the moonlight on his face. The walls fell open and Mordivai entered a room with a domed ceiling. Indeed, it was moonlight that fell from an opening far above, illuminating a statue in the center of the room. The statue was a faceless, robed figure. If it had once had features, they had long since been erased by the rain coming through the skylight above. Mordivai stepped up onto the dais where the statue rested, pressing his chin against the clammy stone and staring up at his only exit.
He saw no way out.
Was it raining? There was a dampness in the air, a delicate blanket of dew that covered the statue with traces of green moss. Mordivai turned to survey the room and saw that a mist was creeping across the floor. Had that been there when he had entered? It was growing thicker, almost obscuring the tessellated stones. Mordivai held his blade out before him. The mist boiled around his ankles, obscuring his feet. The green light from Mordivai's lightsaber barely pierced the darkness.
A boot scraped on gravel and a figure stepped into the room.
Hair gone stark white, a crisp uniform, that sharp, confident step.
"Father?"
Admiral Quinn stopped a few paces away.
"Mordivai, my son," he said quietly. His voice was as real as Mordivai remembered it. Had something happened to him? Was he dead? A lump twisted in Mordivai's throat.
"There's something I want to tell you."
He spoke gently, like a parent would instruct a young child, and Mordivai wondered if this was a forgotten memory or a vision of things to come.
"Be kind," he said, his words deliberate and slow, "to the common citizens of the Empire. You will be Sith, and far above them in station. But they live and die at your whim, and have little recourse against being wronged."
"I am a Jedi now, father," Mordivai whispered, wanting to speak, yet afraid just the same that his words might actually be heard.
His father stared at him, his face stern. Mordivai felt fear creeping into his heart. The breeze kicked up then, roiling about Admiral Quinn's feet. Mordivai watched as his father slowly turned and walked away.
As soon as he disappeared around the edge of the doorway there was a chilling laugh and the familiar buzz of a lightsaber being drawn. Mordivai lunged forward, fearing for his father's safety, even as he also knew that was surely impossible.
The doorway darkened and a Sith entered. He was tall and barrel chested, with a smooth, faceless mask and a suit of armor adorned with spikes.
"Come meet your match," the Sith rumbled, his voice like the rasp of the ancient earth.
The blade of the Sith's lightsaber was a blur moving towards Mordivai's head. He threw up his own blade and jolted in surprise when it clashed in a way that was very real against the Sith's. Mordivai quick-stepped around the room, blocking and slashing, suddenly fearing for his life. The Sith was nearly twice his size and Mordivai's arms rattled with the force of their traded blows.
Then his lightsaber met empty air and Mordivai almost lost his balance. The Sith fell to the floor in a shadowy heap, without even making a sound. The shape hunched over and then held out his hand in a gesture of surrender. Mordivai watched, mesmerized, as the Sith removed his mask.
Master Gatten's face looked back at him.
"How far you have fallen, Padawan." The pain and disappointment in his voice was unbearable.
"No! You are wrong!" Mordivai said.
"I have nothing…" The shape was dwindling now as Master Gatten folded into himself, collapsing like a deck of cards. "...left to give."
He faded into the floor and Mordivai dropped to his knees.
"No, please, no." His head fell into his hands.
He was startled to feel cold stone against his cheek. He blinked and saw the floor at a tilt against his face, clear of mist now. The base of the statue was nearby and on it Mordivai could read ancient writing, whole and unmarred.
Balance in all things.
He sat up slowly. Far above, the sun cast rays of yellow light into the room. For the first time, Mordivai noticed that the statue's arms were outstretched, its palms facing upwards as if creating a perch for something to land. One hand was bathed in the sunlight coming from the ceiling, while the other still remained in shadow. He wondered if the same effect was present with the two moons at night. How different things might have been if this order of ancient Force users had never suffered the dramatic schism between light and dark.
On the other side of the statue, he saw an open doorway and a steep stone stairway leading upwards. He could have sworn that wall had been solid rock the night before. How could he have missed the doorway? Mordivai jumped to his feet and ran towards it.
Within moments he found himself outside, sucking in the sweet, green air and reveling in the feel of the sunlight against his skin. He hurried through the ruins, dodging around boulders and skipping over fallen debris until at last his feet hit the familiar trail leading back to the Academy. He did not slow his pace until he arrived hours later.
00o00
"Master Praven?"
Mordivai waited respectfully in the doorway. Praven was kneeling on the rug, eyes closed, deep in meditation. For a moment, Mordivai thought that he would not rouse, but then he raised his head and smiled.
"Come in, Padawan."
Mordivai went and knelt in front of Praven. He had felt a thrill of delight at Praven calling him his Padawan, and he was proud to now call himself a Jedi. He took his time to arrange himself comfortably while he thought of how to best address his concerns.
"What troubles you?"
"Master, I was wondering if I could ask you about Korriban."
As he expected, Praven looked surprised, but Mordivai saw only curiosity in his face and not reprimand.
"What do you want to know?"
"The Sith have trials of their own...but different from ours here. What are they like?"
Praven grew serious, his eyebrow ridges folding together. His red skin and stern face, marked with the bony striations common to his race, looked incongruent against the soft brown of his Jedi robes. For many of the students here, Praven was their first real glimpse of what the enemy looked like. To Mordivai though, Praven reminded him of his mother.
"For the Jedi, the trials are about triumphing over oneself. For the Sith, they are about triumphing over others."
Mordivai thought about the trouble he had had in Kaleth. He had been lured deep into a zone steeped in dark side power, but he had gotten free, hadn't he? He had chosen to pursue the light.
"I saw some disturbing things while I was in Kaleth," he said at last. "Visions. Was I shown the future?"
"Most visions are not to be taken literally."
"But I don't understand what they meant."
"Visions rarely explain themselves. In time, their meaning often comes clear. And," Praven added, giving Mordivai a careful look, "the dark side cannot be trusted."
Mordivai felt a twinge of alarm at Praven's mention of the dark side. Did Praven suspect that he had touched the dark side in Kaleth? Mordivai had already been told that he had passed the trials, but he feared he would not have if the truth were known. He was ashamed of how easily he had succumbed to the promise of dark side knowledge, and guilt had been eating away at him that he might not deserve to be a Jedi after all.
"Master, I felt the dark side in Kaleth. I left that place, but...I got lost for a time."
Praven nodded. "Every Jedi is tempted in his lifetime, perhaps even many times. Your strength is measured not in avoiding temptation, but in conquering it. Which you did in Kaleth. You are a Jedi, Mordivai. Do not doubt our judgement in naming you one."
Mordivai nodded, feeling relieved. "Thank you, Master. I...I was worried."
Praven's smile was compassionate, like a father toward a son. "I know."
"I have one more question about Korriban."
"Ask," Praven said.
"They say that Korriban is lawless and corrupt. But you went there and you are not like that."
Praven nodded. "Not all Sith lack honor. What binds the Sith together is their belief that passion is strength. I will tell you a secret." Praven leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with something that might have even been mischief. "I embrace the light, and I am fervent in my convictions. You could say...even passionate...about them." He sat back, watching Mordivai's reaction, assessing him, Mordivai guessed, to see if he understood. Praven folded his hands in his lap, looking once more the image of the disciplined Jedi. "The difference is that I know now how to temper my ardor with wisdom."
Mordivai was quiet. His mother had been teaching him to embrace his passions, to seek them as a source of power. Yet it was his father who had often tried to rein him in, reminding him to value rational thinking over snap judgements. Praven's words made sense, and Mordivai felt a peace settle over him, like the world falling into place. Would his father be ashamed of him as a Jedi? I've become more like you than you know, father.
"You have that passion in you, Mordivai, the passion of our race. You can be a Jedi and not lose who you are," Praven said.
"I won't let it rule me."
"Exactly." Praven nodded and smiled.