"Unidentified ship, this Ruusan Central Academy control, state your intentions or be fired upon," came over the ship's comms.
Erea looked over at Leon expectantly. He nodded and placed his hand on the communications array. "This is Corporal Leon F. Reht of the Jagged Fel's Sith Special Forces unit. We have vital information from the Fel's central computers that we were tasked with returning to the Empire."
"Can you verify your identity?"
"Special Forces ID Resh – Forn – Esk – Leth – 1311."
"Verifying. Cleared. Send your ship's and your crew's information."
Leon smiled at the rest of the group. This guy's day was about to be a lot more exciting. "Okay. Can you send a medical team to our hangar, we have someone in critical condition. Chiss. Okay, sending information."
"Sithspit!" the Ruusan command shouted. There was the noise of feet rushing around in surprise. They heard the hissing of the ship's name over and over again. "Okay. Crimson Eagle, report to hangar bay three. Sending coordinates."
Leon grinned over his shoulder. Deranis glared unamused at the proceedings. Erea was chuckling lightly to herself as she imagined the actions of the soldiers on the world below. Leon's grin stopped as his vision crossed Mari, who was tossing and turning in pain as the last of the painkillers in her system started to lose effect. "Hang on, we'll be there soon."
SWSWSWSWSW
The Gray Council on Ruusan was, save the Emperor himself, the ultimate word of law in the Empire. The Council had been created by Lord Revan shortly after his consolidation of power over both the Sith and the Imperial Knights as a means to unite the two and their disparate belief systems. The council itself was comprised of nine individuals across the spectrum of the Force, each objectively one of the greatest warriors in the galaxy since the death of their first Emperor.
The Gray Lord was the center of the council, one whose vote would be the deciding factor in many decisions had his significant power not been limited by Revan's foresight – his say on matters was hidden completely from his peers unless the council was in true deadlock. The council's say on matters was rarely sought unless the decision had ramifications that would reach far into the Force. Usually, their decisions were limited to the day to day of the Central Academy; as such, the council's true power lay with shaping and organizing the future of the Empire's leadership.
The current Gray Lord, the first to hold the chair, was meditating in his chambers after a... difficult conversation with Emperor Nernyn. The current Sith Emperor was vastly different from his predecessor, attempting even still to enforce his strict adherence to the Dark Side upon the Council, a clear departure from the very idea of the Council.
Then the Gray Lord felt it. He collapsed forward, the various holocrons he had been levitating tumbling towards the floor as his concentration was broken by the sudden appearance of a massive Force signature in the system. He struggled against the oppressive weight of its strength in the air, struggling to breathe as it neared. When he finally regained his composure, he could only heave heavy breaths . It was as if he was meeting Lord Revan for the first time once again.
"Sir," came a voice from the door. The Gray Lord turned his gaze towards the worried looking guard who had been stationed. "Lord Var, we have news."
"Yes. I assume the entire body of the academy has collapsed," Var stated as he struggled to his feet. He breathed heavily from the exertion of merely doing that. "Are we under attack by the Triumvirates? I find that surprising."
"No, sir," the guard said. He grinned widely. "Lord Var, the Crimson Eagle is en route to hangar bay three."
Var felt like he had been slammed in the chest with a hammer. "Th... the Crimson Eagle?" he asked quietly. The smiling guard nodded. Var suddenly felt awake, more so than he had in months. Electricity shot through his nervous system, awakening the man and bringing a boisterous laugh erupting from his lungs. He strapped his lightsaber to his hip and noted that he was no longer crushed by the new Force signature, rather he found that he was strengthened by it. "Take me there at once. We have very important guests."
SWSWSWSWSW
Leon and Deranis carried Marien out of the ship on their shoulders, trying not to jostle the poor woman's unnaturally bent arm. "Come on, there's a medical station right here. They're going to fix you right up!" Leon told the Chiss woman, who was struggling to keep it together. He clutched at her side to steady her as she started to fall limp. "Stop! Just keep it together for a few minutes!"
Leon shook his head at Deranis and hefted the woman up into his grip alone, holding her against his chest. He hurried down the ramp, right past the outstretched hand of some dignitary dressed in gray. "This is her. Her bones in her left arm, they're fused incorrectly," Leon told the medical team that made their way towards him, a white hover-stretcher between the doctors and their droid assistants. Leon placed the woman down on the stretcher, hesitantly letting her go. He clutched at her good hand for a moment. "I... Take good care of her. See you soon, Mari." With that, the medical team was gone.
Leon sighed in relief and turned around. He was greeted by the surprised, horrified looks of all present. The VIP dressed in gray stared at the young soldier for a while. The man was a human, maybe in his mid sixties. His hair was a pitch black that flowed down to his shoulders with a warrior's braid running down to his left clavicle. A streak of gray twisted around and around in the braid. Finally, the man smiled. "So, it's you," he said, staring at the young man. "Leon Reht."
Leon nodded and bowed slightly. The man had a lightsaber at his hip, marking him as one of the soldier's superiors. The man shook his head. "Please, no," he said. He looked over at his bodyguard. "Please, lead the other two to their rooms. I will take Corporal Reht to meet privately, then lead him to his room." He looked over at Leon. "Come with me." He began to walk out of the hangar and Leon watched him walk away. The gray man looked over his shoulder. "Come along."
Leon glanced around. "Me?"
"Yes," the man replied. He looked around the hangar. "Carry on, everyone."
The hangar immediately burst into activity, with the different individuals running off to fulfill their duties. Leon looked down, then ran off to follow the gray man. The two walked in silence for some time. "What do you want to talk about?" Leon asked as they walked.
"I'll tell you soon," the gray man replied. He glanced back. "Sorry, I'm – well, everyone will call me Lord Var. I fill the Gray Seat on the Gray Council, and as such am one of the highest masters within the Imperial power structure."
"I'm -"
"Leon Reht. Yes, I heard the communication."
"Why did you want to see me? I'm not even the commanding officer," Leon explained, embarrassed.
"Indeed," Var replied with a smile. He stopped suddenly. "These are my offices. Please, come inside. I wish to speak with you." The door hissed open and Leon was directed in by the Gray Lord.
The office of the Gray Lord was simultaneously ornate and simple. The few furnishings that adorned the walls were expensive, powerful artifacts of varying age. Each one seemed to give Leon a severe headache if he stared at them too long. Another began to glow with red fire if he stood too close to it for too long. "So, it is you," the Gray Lord whispered. Leon turned to the man and saw the Gray Lord was studying him with intent eyes. Var's eyes quickly became transfixed on the lightsaber at Leon's hip. "You're the one who I felt entering the system."
"Excuse me?" Leon asked as Var sat down behind his desk. The older man gestured at the seat across from him. Leon nodded and quietly sat across from Lord Var. "I... here is the information from the Jagged Fel, Sir."
Lord Var ignored the drive that Leon placed on the table and instead pulled up a file on his holocomputer. Leon's file. "Leon... Farnassus? Leon Farnassus Reht?"
"Middle name was my mom's idea," Leon whispered quietly.
"Yes, your file says that as well," Var replied, scrolling further through the information. "Top of your class. It seems you were handpicked for Special Forces testing despite never having applied. They just took note of you. That denotes impressive natural marshal talent."
"Yes? And?"
"You distinguished yourself impressively in your first four engagements. Hm... says here that your CO had a recommendation put in for you to be promoted," Var told the soldier. He paged through more of the information. "It was scheduled to be approved."
Leon's face fell. "I... I didn't know that," he muttered. The memories of his dead friends and allies, still a fresh wound, flashed before his eyes. "Captain... They, all died, sir."
"Ah, yes I heard that. I'm sorry. Tarava was a great soldier, a good man, " Var responded comfortingly. He frowned and moved on. "How did you escape the destruction of the Fel?"
"I fought my way through those invading the ship. The... The rest of my unit was killed early on. A Jedi attacked, made short work of us," Leon explained. He clenched his fist as the memories ran through his head.
"And yet you thrived," Var noted.
Leon took it as an accusation. "By the skin of my teeth, so don't insinuate anything," he spat angrily.
"I meant no offense. I was implying nothing," Var replied. He smiled at the young man's fire.
"Good. The only reason I even survived is because I was saved by Commander Naga. I held the Jedi off and she was able to knock him out. We took the last escape pod and were dragged in the Triral's hyperspace wake."
"Then what happened?" Vark inquired.
Leon growled. "What are you trying to find out?"
"The Chiss you brought in – the injured woman – is incredibly strong in the Force. I assume that she stumbled into your mission as if by fate. Pure Pazaak, hm?" Var asked, a glimmer in his eye. He laughed when he saw Leon's face. "Of course it was. The Force has an interesting way of placing all the players exactly where they need to be. Lord Revan's entire life was more than sufficient evidence for that."
"So you were saying she had to meet us?" Leon inquired. "Why?"
"Not all of you. You, specifically," Var explained. He sighed. "The Chiss and yourself are powerful in the Force and, as such, were called to each other."
"Like how she met Revan, back before he was Revan?" Leon asked.
Var's eyes widened. "She... not to sound as if I did not find her interesting before, but such an event in her past makes her quite the curiosity indeed. Impressive," the Gray Lord muttered. He locked gazes with Leon. "And by extension, it makes you more interesting as well. For her to meet Lord Revan as a boy and to then meet you..."
"Why am I so impressive?" Leon asked. He fidgeted. "What are you talking about?"
"Continue your story," Var commanded.
Leon glared at the Gray Lord for a while. "We lost the data when we crashed, but recovered it with Mari's aid."
"Mari is the Chiss?"
"Yes. And with Deranis – the Echani – with his aid we recovered the Eagle."
"Did anything happen then?" Var asked.
Leon narrowed his eyes. "You already know, don't you?" he asked.
"Not quite. I have some ideas, perhaps," Var responded. He smiled softly. "Please, tell me."
Leon sighed. "Someone keeps showing up. Twice on Coruscant this... I don't know. This person showed up and tried to teach me how to... I think he wanted me to use the Force. I'd apparently been doing it on accident before."
"Yes, the Force often displays itself in ways both quiet and obvious to those who do not know they wield its power," Var explained calmly. "Something you could learn to do on your own terms, were you trained. Who was this man that you encountered?"
"I don't know. He wore black robes, didn't seem to like the Triumvirate. I mean, he helped me beat a Jedi in a one on one fight! We assumed he was one of yours."
Var frowned and glanced at his desk. "I see... No, no he was not. But any who would ally with ours against the Triumvirs would be welcomed with open arms," Var explained. The man sighed and moved on. "Is there anything else?"
Leon bit his lip. He didn't know if the dreams of Revan even meant anything, but this indecision only served to draw the Councilor's attention. "What is it?"
Leon frowned. "I keep having these dreams. Different ones, sometimes even when I'm awake. I... they're of Revan."
Var's eyes widened in surprise. He struggled to catch his breath. Finally: "I have a meeting quite soon, but I will have someone lead you to your room. I will be glad to speak with you again soon."
SWSWSWSWSW
"It is not often you are even allowed to bring matters to this council's attention," one of the Sith Lords hissed, a Sith Lord named Darth Stauen. He was the newest member of the council, chosen by his predecessor who had become Darth Nernyn's new apprentice.
Lord Var shook his head. He sat at the top of a semi-circle of the council with the Light to his right and the Dark to his left. "I am well aware of that, boy. But you felt the Force power as clearly as I, and that was across a star system! Leon Reht could very well be more powerful than any of us, and he has not even been trained!" The council quieted at that, all fidgeting anxiously.
"You do not find it odd that he escaped our notice for so long?" the Lord posted opposite Stauen, the most Light of any present.
"What is it you mean, Master Braun?" one of the other Sith asked.
"He was a soldier within our own military, a Special Forces warrior none the less. He should have encountered Imperial Knights or Sith many times during his deployments, and yet we were never alerted to his existence?" Braun pointed out. "The odds of this are..."
"Never tell me the odds," Var demanded. "This boy... This will change all of your views, and I take it as a sign that we must train him."
"What could possibly motivate us to do such?" Stauen asked, drawing similar thoughts from the rest of the council. "I think that you wish to make up for your prior failure. Training the girl who killed Revan so long ago... You want to make a Revan, all so you can erase that putrid odor."
Var furrowed his brow angrily, then took a deep breath to steady himself. He was going to love the reactions that this would get from those pompous schuttas. "The boy has been having visions of Revan."
The council was silent. Stauen fidgeted uncomfortably. Finally: "Do you have any proof?" Braun asked, breaking the silence. The tension in the room lessened, somewhat, as he spoke. "What you are insinuating is far beyond a belief that he is as powerful as we suspect."
Var chuckled. "Indeed I am," he replied. He leaned back into his seat and sighed. "I believe him."
"It matters little," a Sith woman to Stauen's right stated. "We can see for ourselves if that is true. Later. For now, we must ask ourselves if it worth the risk of training one so powerful when there are questions left regarding his existence. All in favor?" She started the vote. She, the Imperial Knight immediately to her left, a born Sith on the other side of the room, and Braun raised their hands. That Braun and this woman agreed surprised Var, so he knew that favors would be called in soon.
Stauen scoffed. "You would threaten everything we are creating, our evolution, on a boy who reminds you of Revan? Of the past?" he asked. "Revan died. He is not the future."
"Regardless, Darth Stauen," Vars began, "it is now out of your hands."
"Of course. I should have known it would end like this," Stauen scoffed. "You decide the fate of the boy you brought to our attention. As if you planned it."
"And you would urge I leave him in the galaxy, no training, no direction? You want us to leave him to the Jedi?" the Gray Lord snapped. "Would you fear for your own power so much? Fear for a betrayal from one I would train? I thought the power of the Darkness was infallible, Stauen."
The Dark Lord silently glowered at Var. "Well then, I suppose the next class begins," the Gray Lord said, condescendingly grinning at Stauen. He looked towards the Sith to Stauen's right. Var stood up. "We are adjourned."
The Sith woman caught up to Var as he left the room. Var sighed and turned to her. They stood silent as the rest of the council passed. "I aided you," the woman whispered as Stauen left, leaving only a dirty look behind him. "There is another that interests me. You have not met them, they are unnoticeable next to the boy, in the way that a star is unnoticeable next to a Sun."
"You want the girl?" Var asked. He sighed. "I did not expect to repay your favor so soon. Though, what would be the fun in just me angering Stauen?"
The Sith woman did not respond, no smile, no emotion. "You wish create an unstoppable Force. Any Sith could respect that. But those Forces often meet immovable objects, and we have seen they are not as unstoppable as believed. I believe –"
"Evolution," Var said, smiling interestedly. Var nodded approvingly, amused by the way the woman thought. He turned and began to walk away into the dimness of the hall he approached. "Do as you will, Horn."
"Darth Vallen," the woman replied. She turned and walked into the darkness.
SWSWSWSWSW
Leon lay awake in the room assigned to him a few days after coming to the Central Academy, wondering silently on what was going on. He was a soldier, and a good one at that. He was definitely glad to spend more time in the academy, but he wasn't learning anything about the Force as of yet. In fact, he and his crew were confined entirely to their rooms and the cafeteria while Mari underwent her recovery from the surgery; they'd had to remove her arm from just above the elbow and was, as of yet, not allowed visitors. So, why were they keeping Deranis, Erea, and him there when they could be elsewhere doing... anything. It was already obvious they were a good team, and could likely be out in the galaxy fighting while they waited on Mari's arm. But no, they were still stuck on Ruusan.
Leon tossed on the thin bed until he was on his side and staring at the wall. The air hissed in from the vents, cooling the equator-bound academy. Leon yawned and felt himself beginning to drift off to sleep. However, when the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up as he laid there, adrenaline shot through his system. Something was going on. He shot out of bed and ran to the door, slamming into the automatic durasteel. They had trapped him in there.
Leon snarled and pounded his shoulder uselessly against the door. "Kriff," he said as he noticed the smell in the air. Knockout gas. He took a shallow breath and stopped breathing, holding as little of the poison in his lungs as he could. He tried to think of a quick way out of the room and smiled to himself. Stealing that lightsaber from the Jedi was becoming more and more of a contender for his best decision ever.
Leon rushed to his locker, quickly unlocking it. He exhaled and took another shallow breath, causing his head to go woozy. He had to get out of there. He ignited the blade and, instead of its usual brilliant blue, it was a dim green. The gas, he told himself. Leon walked over to the door, hoping this would work, and plunged the blade into the door. There was a curse of surprise from the other side of the barrier as he cut through and began to cut a small hole through the door, just large enough for him to jump through. He took another shallow breath as his lungs began to burn and fell forward just as the hole fell open before him.
"Well, well," a voice above him said as he crawled out of the room, gasping. Leon looked up, his vision blurry. "Not a bad start to training." Leon's vision cleared for a moment before he finally blacked out – Lord Var stood above him, looking down with a wry smile.
