Edit:Sunday 18th September 2005Made one or two slight changes, as even to me the first part sounded a bit confusing. I'll change more when i can see where else in the beginning needs a remake. Added last chapter/s as well. Enjoy!
3,996 BBY – The Sith War
A small Republic ship had landed upon the jungle moon of Yavin 4, while the remaining Mandalorian and Sith fleet's battled it out with the Republic armada in the space above the planet. Debris from spaceships, having survived the re-entry, was smashing down upon the planets surface. Meanwhiletwo Jedi were making their way through the jungle to the Massassi temples in the search for the problem behind The Sith War, Exar Kun.
"I can't sense anything here Nomi. Besides the wildlife"
"I know what you mean Kreia. It feels...quiet, perhaps too quiet. I don't feel anything, no Massassi Warriors, no Mandalorians, no fallen Jedi, no Exar Kun" replied Nomi Sunrider, slicing through the foliage with her lightsaber, "It's like...life doesn't exist on this planet. But whether Kun is here or not is what were here to find out"
"I know, I know. It – it justfeels – drained. I don't know. I've got a bad feeling about this" muttered Kreia, the green hue of the jungle and her lightsaber wasn't doing wonders for her pale complexion, but at the moment it was the furthest thought from her mind.
As the two slowly moved forward, the only sound that accompanied them came from the hum of their lightsabers, creatures in the undergrowth already scattering from the sound. As the two finally stumbled from the jungle upon a large clearing occupied solely by four Massassi temples every where they turned, Massassi bodies were strewn across the ground. No carbon scorching from blasters, no sign of the use of Vibroblades or lightsabers. Yet they all wore the same vacant expression of shock. Women and children lay amongst the dead men. Nomi and Kreia didn't utter a word as they moved amongst the bodies, they didn't need to, they both knew what the other was thinking. As they begunthe grim task of searching the dead, the same thought crossed both their minds - what in the Force happened here.As they continued to search they found no trace of Kun's body, even inside the temples.
"I don't believe it. His not here" said Nomi, crestfallen
"Perhaps we should check outside once more" suggested Kreia
"Alright, I guess we can't really return to the Council or the Senate without the body. Where could he have gone?".
Nomi shuffled towards the door of the Massassi temple, she had so deeply and utterly hoped Kun was still alive so she could repay him for every thing he had done to her and to the man she had once loved, repaid him with the tip of her lightsaber. She sighed deeply when the suns rays hit her face, it was not meant to be, Nomi thought. Suddenly she started crying, she had promised herself that she would find this monster and destroy him with her bare hands if necessary for what he did to Ulic Qel-Droma.
Deep in her own thoughts she had forgotten about Kreia, who in fact was deep in her own thoughts too.She had felt a shudder in the Force, a ripple, nothing more. It was close, so very close. It couldn't be Kun otherwise Nomi would have felt it too. No it was something else. Kreia came slowly after Nomi, and making sure she was preoccupied searching amongst the dead for Kun, Kreia slipped away in search of the ripple.
Luckly she didn't have to wander far from the clearing. A body, that of a woman's, was strewn next to a rock, but Kreia could hear breathing, not from the woman but underneath. As she tenderly moved the woman's body aside, she found the most startling thing, of all the Massassi who had been drained of their life force, a single child remained.
"Oh my…", Kreia bent down to pick the child up, its breathing was shallow, "Nomi!"
Nomi Sunrider, upon hearing the cry had suddenly realised Kreia wasn't with her, and went off in a hurry to look for her, thinking Kreia was in danger she drew out her lightsaber. Butas she burst into the clearing she found Kreia to be nestling something in her arms.
"What the…Where did you get the child?" asked Nomi, startledand placing her saber back on her belt
"It's been here the whole time, Nomi, asleep. I felt it through the Force, just a ripple" Kreia through the use of the Force hadhealed the child and its breathing had become regular, the child was even sucking its thumb merrily when Nomi arrived.
"Hmph, well that's one lucky baby; it could have been eaten by the wildlife or been left here for a very long time".
As the baby gurgled, Nomi smiled inwardly, this sure wasn't what the Jedi Council or the Senate would want back from Yavin IV, and they were expecting at the most the body of Exar Kun, not a child.
3,972 BBY - 24 yrs later
A small oval shaped facility protruded from the side of a small hill, the glass exterior allowed one to view the rolling green plains of the planet. To those with knowledge of ancient times knew that the appearance was but a veil that now covers the scorched and cratered earth. Many a battle and war had been fought on this planet, such as what, to the indigenous people helped to build honour amongst the clans.
A man stood, covered from head to foot in some of the finest crafted armour, gazed out upon the plains, his back turned to the only other occupant of the room, shrouded in a cloak.
"You have yet to convince me of the honour in fighting the Republic"
The man hooded and cloaked, chuckled, "Honour? No my dear Mandalore, there is little honour in fighting the Republic", the stranger chuckled again, "No, the fight my Mandalorian friend is with the Jedi. The Republic is weak and corrupt, they are nothing more than the shell which covers the Jedi, gives them a place to call home"
Mandalore looked out across the green-plains of the Mandalorian homeworld, children riding speeders, fighting in the grass, using sticks as weapons. He sighed heavily, contemplating the possible future. Mandalore felt that during his reign, many of the clans on his planet were lacking in the prowess for war as those of old and honour amongst his people was diminishing.
"Hm, Jedi. Even here on the Outer Rim we have heard tales of their deeds" muttered Mandalore
"Indeed, the Jedi are formidable opponents"
"There is no need to remind me of that. I was there during The Sith War, battling along Exar Kun until that day when -"
"My friend, Exar Kun was no Sith. A fallen Jedi perhaps, but no Sith, nothing more than a follower of an ideal. Hm, the Sith War indeed."
Mandalore turned from the window to face the stranger, staring into his eyes Mandalore smiled. "Very well, if you provide the additional ships, droids and extra men…I will provide the War"
"Excellent" exclaimed the hooded stranger, and turned briskly, his cloak sweeping the floor as he moved towards the door. Mandalore had turned back around to face the window.
"Before you go, tell me. After all these years why now?" inquired Mandalore
"For reasons which are no concern of yours, be happy we give you a chance to return honour to your people Mandalorian" replied the cloaked figure, stopping before the door, but not turning to face the inquistor.
"So be it, Sith".
A child in his late teens was slumped against a desk; books were littered around the room. His hair was long, curly black, his eyes the deepest brown. As he yawned in his sleep, he laid his head upon the open book he had been reading, The Rise and Fall of the Sith'ari. Amongst the papers scattered across the desk his arm covered a sheet, notes scribbled out of a book he had brought from the library unknowingly. The notes were from a text, few had deciphered and no records had been kept, he had worked for the better part of a week to decipher it unbeknownst to all. This is what he had found so far:
When the galaxy has fallen beneath a shadow
A light from the shadow shall spring
A Revenant comes now to deliver
That which it feels is best
Peace or War
Life or Death
Unknown the path shall the Revenant tread
Into and out of Darkness
Further down the page, but of less interest to the teenager as it seemed to deal with a different age was the following:
When all appears not to be so
The Force that is tilted shall be balanced
In the end the Sith'ari will be defeated
'And perhaps theJedi too'-------------------- 'And perhaps theJedi too' - perhaps? gdluck mate
All will come to rest
On the choice of the Lover
From he that walks from the sky
Powerful will he be
"Revan", a knock at the bedroom door
"Hm?"
"Its time to get up, there's no point Kreia giving you lessons if you ain't even going to show up"
Revan suddenly leapt up from his desk. He was bleary eyed, a result of the lack of sleep he had been having recently, and his hair was a mess.
"C'me in" mumbled Revan
The door to his dormitory slid open, and another teenager walked in, took one look at Revan and shook his head.
"I'm going Malak, I'm going" muttered Revan, heading for the bedroom door rather slowly.
"Yeah – um – Revan, you might actually want to put on your robes" said Malak, hard pressed not to smile
"Oh right" Revan chuckled realising what a mess he was in.
After hurriedly getting dressed and with a quick goodbye to his friend Malak, Revan raced off down the hallway of the Jedi Academy on Dantooine. Revan always tried never to be late for his lessons with his Master, Kreia. She was like a mother to him, something Revan had grown up without as far as he could remember. According to Kreia his parents had been killed on his homeplanet, somewhere on the Outer Rim and left him as an orphan, which is why on his second day at the Academy he had got on so well with Malak. He too was an orphan after his family had been killed due to a planet-wide plague, and all he had to show for his survival was his baldness. It was this point that Revan admired Malak, the fact that he could stand up to incessant bullying due to baldness at such a young age.
"Sorry I'm late Master" gasped Revan, entering the training area where Padawans were learning the various techniques used in lightsaber combat.
"No need to apologise young Padawan, though I do recommend you get more sleep. Your thirst for knowledge is not doing your physical health any good" Kreia smiled as she approached Revan
Revan returned the smile, "Sorry Master, its just that – well – the Jedi and the Galaxy in general has such fascinating history"
"Yes, well today put the books away. I am going to a meeting with the Council here on Dantooine, to request permission for your special training"
Revan's eyes lit up at the sound of 'special training' and suddenly he wasn't so tired anymore, "Do you think they'll allow me?"
Kreia shrugged her shoulders in response, "Most probably, after I've had a word or two. For now I want you to practice with the training droid until I return. You have still to beat Master Vandar's record of holding off twenty-four."
"Well Master, last time I was only two off. I daresay I can hold off more than Master Vandar's total today"
"Oh really? I think that's what you told me last time, before several of them stung you all at once" said Kreia, jokingly
"Oh ha ha ha…"
Kreia laughed. The two were always teasing one another and she loved him for it, as a mother would love a son, he always brought a smile to her face, though it pained her that the Council would not permit her to tell him about his real past, afraid possibly that he would turn against the Order and the Republic out of hatred and anger.
As Kreia left the Training Room to the adjacent chamber, in the open air, she found three members of the Jedi Council to be already present, one was not.
"Ah, Master Kreia, you are right on time" announced Master Zhar
Kreia bowed low before the Jedi Masters.
"What is the matter, which you call us all together to discuss?" asked Master Vandar
"It is no more than a simple request Masters. My young Padawan wishes to take the more advanced lightsaber training that is usually reserved for those who have passed the Trials"
"Does he indeed? And what do you make of this Master Kreia?" asked Zhar, resting back into his chair
"Well, Revan has shown incredible skill in his ability to wield a lightsaber. As Master Vandar so rightly knows, he has been the closest of the Jedi to breaking his record against the Training droids"
"Hm, I can concur with that too. I have been watching his performances of late" agreed Zhar, nodding
"Also he has shown exemplary use in the Force, the top of his class" continued Kreia, "Also his thirst for knowledge has allowed him to know the entire history of the Republic, the Jedi and the Sith'ari. Revan is probably one of the most promising students to have passed through this Academy since the time of Exar Kun."
The very mention of Kun brought a hush amongst the Council as they contemplated in silence. Master Vrook was the first to speak up, "Then I say he cannot be allowed to take the advanced training. The idea of power might go to his head if he believes he can master two lightsabers at such an early stage, and we all know that with knowledge comes power"
"Scared are you? Of another Exar Kun"inquired Vandar
Vrook turned to Vandar and returned his inquisitive look with a stern one, "It depends on your point of view of knowledge Vandar"
"It does indeed Vrook. Knowledge may allow Revan to comprehend past mistakes and not repeat them"
"Perhaps Vandar, perhaps…"
At this point Kreia decided she had to say something, as she couldn't bear to listen to two Council members argue about her Padawan, her son. "I do not believe Revan will ever face the same fate as that of Exar Kun my Masters. Revan is strong in the Force, so much so that …I didn't want to bring this up till now but…the Force seems to be sustaining his life far beyond what is normally expected of a Jedi. He should be at least thirty years of age, and yet he has both the physical attributes and health of a man in his late teens, and yet also he shows the wisdom of a thirty year old- "
Vrook who had been listening intently, suddenly leapt up again, "Ah ha, there is your proof. Revan is much too powerful, and therefore subjective to the Darkside. He did after all descend from the Massassi Warriors"
"Interesting choice of words you have Vrook" exclaimed Vandar, "Being 'strong' in the Force is not the same as being 'powerful'. Nomi Sunrider was 'strong' in the Force and corrupt to the Darkside did she? No, she did not"
Vrook sat back down, a look of contempt on his face.
"Besides Masters, I do not think Revan will fall to the Darkside as easily as Kun. Revan has control of his emotions to such a degree that …he can possibly change them at a whim, when necessary he may be able to use the Darkside if needed in combat and change back to the Lightside when finished. I do not fully understand half of what he can do, and I believe neither does he. Revan has great potential."
There was a silence amongst the Council members again as they digested the news.
"Well I say, giving the benefit of the doubt that Revan may be allowed to take the advanced training. I instructed Revanwhen he was a young boy and he showed potential even then, and he was a charming young human. So you have my agreement, granted you watch over him, Master Kreia" commented Zhar.
"I agree" said Vandar
Vrook gave Kreia a piercing stare as if trying tosearch deep withinher thoughts, "So be it…he can take the training"
"Oh, thank you Masters. You will not believe how delighted young Revan will be" said Kreia, a smile etched on her face as she turned and left the Council chamber
When she had left Vrook looked over to Vandar, "She is right. Revan shows the greatest potential since Exar Kun. If Revan grows stronger I do not believe Master Kreia will be able to handle the responsibility"
Vandar did not return the gaze.