Way of the Force

It was a beautiful sight, to see the blossoms flying as if they were violet flakes of snow in the clear blue sky. He found himself sitting under the shade, his back to the large tree that kept him at peace. He smiled as the gentle breeze sought his face, cooling him and reminding him of all the times he had under this very same tree.

"Dante," she called to him. He looked up to see two figures: a human with skin as bronze and seemingly like a nimbus into itself and another one, a blue skinned Twi'lek who stood beside the other woman, arm in arm.

He rose as he saw them both and he was astonished with them. "Jade and Rin," he whispered in awe as they smiled and came towards him. "I thought you were both…," he looked down at the ground as he remembered their deaths. Jade died at his hands and Rin had died at the hands of Lotus.

"Dead?" Jade asked. She nodded solemnly. "We're both sorry that you have to be on your own, but know that we are here with you. As one in the Force."

He looked at Rin and looked at Jade once more. "I don't know—can you?" He couldn't even find the words he was looking for. Surely it must have been awkward for them both—a past love and a current one—to be near one another.

"We were over a long time ago, Dante. It was time you had moved on. I died when I left the Order to join the war. I died when I broke your heart all those years ago. I died before the first stroke of that blade came at me."

"And I am sorry that I wasn't strong enough," he said. "To save the both of you." He dropped to his knees and lowered his head, feeling the hot burst of tears come streaming down his face as he was forced to relive those horrible moments. Moments he had buried deep within him.

"Dante," Rin said as she came to him, to lift his chin up. "It was not your fault that we had become one with the Force. It was our time—it was the will of the Force. But you must be strong; you must know that the Galaxy still needs you. The time of the Jedi may be coming to its end, and you are one of the few who will be responsible for the survival of the Jedi."

"But how? How can I live on when I know that I've lost everything once more?"

"The same way you lived on once you lost me," came another voice, behind Dante. It was the voice of Alec Ness.

"Alec?"

"Yes, Dante. We've all come—your brothers included."

Dante was surprised. Could that have meant Xavier? Before he could even ask the question, two forms appeared behind Alec—both were identical in every way.

They both smiled and the three of them hugged each other. Dante felt the warmth of his brothers and knew that in the end, Xavier had found the Light.

"Dante," Alec spoke. "Time is growing short. You must continue living. For us, for the Force and most of all, for those who will need your guidance and help in the years to come."

"But how can I live on?"

"You are strong Dante. You will find a way. The Force guides us all on different paths. In time, you shall come to join us. But for now, you must live. The Galaxy is changing, and the future is always in motion. You must remember pass on what you have learned. You are the first of a new breed of Jedi. And in time, we shall truly be at one with the Force when the Galaxy has found its peace. For now," Alec continued, his voice drifting farther and farther, "you must live one and awaken…"

"To be alone forever?" Dante murmured as he felt himself floating away, into darkness.

"Never," their voices spoke as one. "You will never be alone—for as long as you have the Force, we shall always be with you."

"Dante?" A familiar voice echoed in his head. "Dante? Are you awake?"

Dante moaned as he opened his eyes, to see the concerned looks of Sirry and Sekula. "I'm fine," he mustered as he gathered a bearing on his surroundings. "Where are we?" He asked a moment later.

"On board the Guardian," came a familiar growl.

Dante rose and got up from the medical cot and noticed a golden-furred wookiee. "Frreral!" He exclaimed as soon as he realized the wookiee had survived the ordeal at Gateway.

Frreral rushed towards Dante, giving the small human a wookiee-like hug. After a few more moments, Dante looked at his companions and couldn't help but smile at the fact that at least they had made it out. "What happened?" He asked Frreral and Sirry.

Both of them went into great detail about their encounters, about the destruction of the Inferno and the arrival of the Republic task force. Frreral had even told them about the Guardian picking him and Flin from the station and were en route to a major strike operation on a battlestation known as the 'Starforge.' It was there that they had defeated Malak, thanks to the help of Carth Onasi, a group of Jedi, including one Bastila Shan and another familiar figure; one who was on board the Guardian at that moment.

"You're telling me Revan is on board?" Dante asked his companion, as Frreral chuckled at the tone of disbelief.

"Yes," the wookiee started. "In fact, he's looking forward to meeting you."

"He?" Sirry asked in confusion. "I thought Revan was a 'she.'"

"Well, no one really knew who Revan really was. Now Revan no longer wears the cape and mask. Revan has been redeemed to the Light Side."

This caused a slight groan from Dante. "We failed in the mission," he murmured. "But the war is over, yet I failed all those lives that were still counting on us." He sighed as he realized that Alec and the others had been sorely mistaken in putting their faith in the Jedi Knight.

"Dante," the commando said, waking the Jedi from his reverie. "I found something you might find useful." With that, he tossed a familiar cube-sized object towards the Jedi, who caught it deftly.

"Stars' end," Dante whispered in awe as a blue-hued image appeared. The figure was obviously old, small in stature and had two long elfin ears. It was a humanoid that happened to be the exact same species as Master Vandar.

"The Force," it began to say, "is a mysterious thing. A river it can be known as or a path along the mountain. The Force, will bridge all and separate into its own paths. The Force is as sentient as you or I, young Padawan. It encompasses us all into its plans, pushing us on ahead as if we were a raft in a stream, sailing towards the unknown.

"We may fear this unknown, and there are those who do not like the idea of being controlled by this unseen entity. There are those who wish to harm it. They are known for the Dark Side.

"There are those who wish to embrace the Force and seek to do its bidding. They are known for the Light.

"But Light and Dark are nothing more than perceptions. The Force is all embracing and if you embrace it by losing these perceptions, then it will guide you towards perfect harmony. This is the way of the Force—the Unifying Force…"