Chapter 16
There was an inquisition. Of course, there was. There had to be. From where came the power to summon emerald lighting?
Once more Ravensong found herself standing before the Council, this time the entire council had been in attendance with half of them being represented by holographic interfaces, which included: Atris, Kavar, Zez-Kai Ell and Lonna Vash
"You expect us to believe you came to the summoning of lighting because of your droid?" Vrook snarled. "You play the Council for fools."
"If you think I'm playing you false then you are the fool." Ravensong returned. "I saw Tee-Three using electric attacks against our foes when we were in Sith base. They were particularly useful against other droids. Energy is energy. T'is just a matter of how it's expended. Organic bodies are stores houses of electrical current; it's why we give of static charges…"
"We didn't summon you here to give us lessons in elementary physics!" Vrook snapped.
"Then why ask silly questions?" the scout challenged. "You bade me learn the way of the Jedi. I was instructed to study from history and sent to the archives- well I have studied. I have learned. I learned the ancient masters had this power; they used their sense of justice to call it forward. I learned it is not as taxing against the body and soul of the user as its dark equivalent. 'What greater weapon is there than to turn the enemy's own power against them?'"
"You court the dark side too regularly." The human challenged.
"Take a look in the mirror old man."
"You dare!?" Vrook raged.
Ravensong only grinned as if proving her point. It was then that Lonna Vash spoke up.
"You have a particular wit and a quick tongue young one. And you inspire swift anger in those who should have absolute control of it. Perhaps it is time for you to face the trials to become a full Padawan, as Master Zhar believes."
"She is nowhere near ready!" Vrook spat.
"Then you have nothing to lose see to see me fail." Ravensong said out of the side of her mouth. "I will see these tests Masters and I will pass them."
"You have skills, no one denies that. Let us see if your abilities are a match for your bravado." Atris's austere voice challenged. "Let her face the trials. The longer the procrastination the longer Malak had to muster greater power. The keys of that tomb must be unlocked."
"Master Atris has a clear point." Vandar said. "Skye, it is time. The first test to leave the rank of Initiate to become a Padawan is to recite the Code of the Jedi. Not only to recite it but to understand it. Demonstrate this now."
Skye met the gaze of each master in turn before adopting a soldier's parade rest. "There is no emotion… there is peace." She looked pointedly at Vrook. "Meaning a Jedi must repress their emotions and calm their centre until the storm of feelings is silenced by inner peace. This principle guides all meditations and interactions with all others. It reaffirms the Jedi ideal to act without recklessness, and to view the actions of others through the pure lens of the unifying Force."
She turned to Vandar and added, "If the living Force engenders compassion eventually even love- I do not feel these are a detriment, despite the precepts of the Code."
"You do not need your interoperation of the Code." Atris swiftly intervened. "You will continue or you will not. Either you understand the Code or you do not."
Skye shook her head arguing, "But what about what the Upper Manderon and Draggulch transcriptions add…"
"You will continue or you will not. Either you understand the Code or you do not." Atris repeated.
"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge." Skye responded. "Those that don't understand this are quick to fear and fear is the path to the dark side. Knowledge is the greatest weapon the greatest tool anyone can posses.
"There is no passion, there is serenity. The subtle extrapolation of the first precept, this reminder to act dispassionately in every deliberation extends to personal obsessions and is a reminder not to elevate the self above the mission."
Atris looked at her expecting the young to speak out on this but the Nagai kept her tongue. It was however evidently clear that the scout did not believe it, even if she were parroting the words.
"There is no chaos, there is harmony. It means those who cannot see the threads uniting all life view existence as random and without purpose. The Jedi perceive the structure and the will of the many galaxies." Again, in her eyes it was clear that Ravensong did not completely believe this.
"There is no death, there is the Force. All things die, but the Force lives on. As beings who exist as shades of the Force, the end of our existence in this form is not overly mourned. We are part of an energy larger than ourselves, and we play roles in a cosmic fabric that outstrip our incarnate understanding."
Of this the Nagai fully believed, the Force was capable of profound and extraordinary things. The transcendence of death was one of them.
"You have an excellent grasp of the Code, even if added your own interpretations of them." Zhar smiled indulgently. "Your second trial is the construction of your own lightsaber. The act of constructing a lightsaber forever marks you as a member of the Jedi Order. The construction of a lightsaber is more than an act of loyalty to the organization that has stood for a thousand generations it is an opportunity to make a saber of ones' own. The Jedi strive for consistency in manner of dress but we do not make rules for this most personal of weapons."
"A Padawan must know themselves before you are able to build a unique lightsaber." Vandar added to Zhar's words. "The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined. The crystal, the blade, the Jedi. We are one."
"I understand Master." Skye dipped her head in respect.
"After your vision quest you will." Said the eldest of the Masters.
This time it was Zhar who spoke. "Typically, all initiates are sent into the crystals caves of Illum. This Jedi planet is the source of crystals that emit bright green, brilliant blue and shimmering gold blades. But our circumstances are very unusual; you will not be sent to Illum. However, here on Dantooine there is a similar cave, though far smaller.
"It is home to the kinrath in the due south-east end of the Khoonda plains. Within you will find several Adegan crystal formations. Mediate upon the words of the mantra Master Vandar has spoken to you within the greater chamber until one of them calls to you through the Force. During your meditation, you may experience flashes of your future or insights into the structure of the universe.
"The final step requires absolute concentration, and it is the reason behind the forced focus of the isolation of the crystal caverns. The pieces of the lightsaber hilt must be fused together through precise application of the Force. Fail to align them properly and the saber may explode upon activation. More painful than the loss of your hand will be the sting of your failure."
Skye remained mute, but the answering declaration that she wasn't going to fail was loud and very clear within her eyes. Reflecting for all to see.
"It will be done, Master." Skye gave a small bow feeling dismissed so she turned 180 degrees on her heel and strode out of the Council Chambers. After a brief moment's pause, Master Zhar followed her.
KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~
As Skye strode across the grassy plains of Khoonda, she noticed the sun rising quickly above the horizon. She'd been walking for hours beneath the cool rays of the moon; the warmth of the sun was welcome. The small development around the Enclave and the hillocks that surrounded were far behind her. If she cared to look behind her, she would have just been able to make then out in the growing light.
There were no backward glances, her feet marched doggedly onward. The near freezing temperatures hadn't stopped her, nor would the sticky humid temperatures of the day. A Jedi was trained to ignore physical discomfort and make them insignificant—cold, heat, thirst, hunger, fatigue all were overcome by sheer power of the Force alone.
It had not been so long ago that she had first set foot on this world. She sensed the power of the world: Dantooine was alive with the power of the Force neither dark nor light. There was a balance here. At the time of her arrival Skye only felt the strings of its power in faint stirrings like a distant hum. She had grown accustomed to its presence; it became so familiar to her like the beating of her own heart that she barely noticed it any more. But the closer the scout got to the caves the louder that hum became.
Skye paused before the threshold, closed her eyes and drew in the air of ancient secrets that surrounded the entrance to the cavern. She made her way down the long throat of the tunnel, moving cautiously through the gloom allowing her eyes to adjust to the different depths of shadows. Five meters in, the gloom gave way to an eerie faint shimmer of purple luminescence.
That's when they attacked; no doubt they had sensed Skye's approached even before she entered the cave. Her command over the Force drawing them in. The first one set upon her attempting to strike with its stinger. Using the power of the Force she seized hold of it and hurled it away, smashing into jaws of stalagmites. The second beast jumped her, with a third and fourth. She drew her training saber and vibroblade, slicing through sinew, muscle and bone. At her feet lay five dead kinrath.
Their stingers plunged past the cloth of her uniform biting deep into her flesh. Toxin spread rapidly, burning her blood—quickening a path into her heart. Using the Force the newly-awakened Jedi was able to stave off the poisonous effects for a while but not for long.
The third attack descended hot on the heels of the second. This one lead by the kinrath matriarch. Her drones and mates dead, she became enraged- her attacks powerful and frenzied. Skye took desperate measures to stay dominant; the Force fuelled her blood and muscles. Emerald lightening burst from her fingertips gripping the queen spider in a dozen different tendrils of energy. Her howls of rage became death knells as her body was ripped in twine, each half a smouldering ruin.
After that the kinrath left her alone, which was fortunate, because Ravensong was no longer positive she possessed the strength to hold them off and battle the poisons already coursing throughout her bloodstream. She stumbled past the strewn corpses of dozen arachnids over to the far wall of the cave, her back pressed against its cold craggy surface, her lungs taking in greedy gulps of air.
Desperate fingers went to a pouch on her utility belt hunting for a med-pack epi or more specifically one filled with antitoxin. She snatched the pen and stabled it in to the meaty side of her thigh and waited as the antidote battled the spider's venom.
After a moment, the toxin has worked its way out of her system, and Skye looked up and saw for the first time the true arena of the battle ground. All around her were spires of crystal formations, in and amongst them dozens more kinrath eggs. The Nagai fell to her knees as she drew in the beauty of the crystals. She swore she could almost hear them sing.
As Master Zhar had instructed, the young Jedi began to meditate. She sat cross-legged in the dirt allowing the Force to fill her, center her mind and soul until it was all she could feel. She centred her mind, her will, on the words: 'The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined. The crystal, the blade, the Jedi. We are one.'
The heart of the blade, the heart of the Jedi, the heart of the Force.
KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~
The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined. The crystal, the blade, the Jedi. We are one...
Haze black and foul as aged ink coiled around the figure. Her body a broken shell, bones shattered, coupled with too much blood loss; it was unlikely she'd survive. She felt her body being dragged from the wreckage, her eyes opened and she saw her. Gray eyes, beautiful auburn hair fell about a pale face.
The heart is the crystal of the Jedi...
"You will not die here." The voice said. Bastila's voice. The voice of her Angel.
The Jedi is the crystal of the Force...
Skye blinked, this wasn't right, Bastila wasn't the one to pull her from the wreckage of her ship… it was another human-her Angel. The smoke of destruction gave birth to another figure. One in red and black armour, feminine in appearance. Skye tried to focus but blood was leaking into her eyes. She tried to wipe it away but her hand hit something solid, hard and metallic.
It was a mask. The cloaked figure came into focus. The Nagai gasped when she saw herself staring down at her body not… not her body… Revan's body!
The Force is the blade of the heart...
NO!
No no no no no no….
They lied to her.
All of them.
They lied!
But she couldn't be Revan. She had memories, she remembered her mother, her father. She remembered Deralia playing in the Vastmark forest. She remembered the Temple of the Night Mother; being an acolyte and the intense training, she remembered midnight vespers.
Revan was trained as a Jedi since she was three; Skye only started her training three months ago,.
She remembered feeling the rush of the Force flooding through her for the first time. It was not three months ago.
Revan.
"What if we take this one in and the Dark Lord returns?"
"What greater power is there but to turn the enemy's own weapon against them?
"They say the Force can do terrible things to a mind. It can wipe away your memories -destroy your very identity!"
I AM REVAN!
KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~
Skye snapped her eyes open. She felt numb. She fell hard against crystal formations. Their jagged surfaces cutting into her back, the air in her lungs torn out, blood pounded in her skull.
She didn't know how long she sat there trying to process the truth. There was no way to tell within the cave just how many hours had passed, not that it mattered. It could have been days though the Nagai knew that not to be true. It seemed the truth was a great rarity of late.
Bastila lied to her. She lied! They all had, the entire Council was in on the pantomime. Her mind raced with a dozen different questions, anger flooded her heart. Until it was all she felt.
What kind of game is it that everyone playing is moving the same pawn? Suddenly the hate Vrook held for her was clear, Bastila's nervousness, her ambiguous attitude towards their connection, how the bond must gnaw at her. Did Carth know as well? It would certainly explain his disdain for her, his complete mistrust? Was he quizzing her, probing her to see if she recalled being the Dark Lord? Or was he just that paranoid?
Pfft… the lies... the denials and misinformation. It explained Bastila's strange reaction when Skye had told the story to Davik Kang's slaves and how she was so scared. How she paled and very nearly panicked and the tears in her eyes when Skye revealed she loved her Angel. How the guilt must have taken root in the Princess's heart to hear that proclamation of affection.
"I will not be so moved." Skye nee Revan muttered under breath. "I will be no pawn to be sacrificed." The young Jedi rose to her feet. "But I will play the game. I am a scout…and have played many roles…" The Nagai paused in mid rant. No, she wasn't a scout; she had not assumed the roles of anyone in order to ferret out information. That was what the Masters had programmed her mind with. False identities, false memories. "So be it. If they want me to play the role, so be it."
Ravensong drew in a deep stilling breath; the revelation was sealed away in part of her mind, locked away from Bastila and their bond. The Nagai was resolved to continue to play the ruse. She knew what they wanted form her, but even if she wanted to, Skye could not give the Masters the knowledge of how Revan… 'humph she' had amassed so much power in such a short time.
And then there was Malak- the bastard had to pay, that was clear enough, he deserved to die. She was only too happy to step up and oblige.
Still… there other matters now at hand.
The creation of a new lightsaber. The former dark lord smiled wondering how closely this new blade resembled that of the one she used to wield. Ones. Ravensong corrected herself. Revan held two blades just was Ravensong did now. She had come here to harvest crystals for her sabres, it was time to collect.
The crystals she found within the formations were rubat and bondar as well as a handful of blue and green coloured ones. But there was another one, one unique to any other. Nearly as unlike as the untouchable one within the center mass, only this one the Nagai could touch. Removing the crystal from the formation the Nagai smiled. How deliciously ironic! The crystal was black.
With all the components at hand, Skye resumed her seated meditative position.
KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~
It had been hours since Skye left for the Khoonda plans and the kinrath cavern. In the wake of her absence Bastila felt a fog washing over her, she felt something rising within the Force, an awakening. The human could not help but wonder what visions Ravensong had uncovered during her meditations.
So, concentrated on what she could gleam from the Bond which was not but a whisper, the human scarcely noticed the plate of food before her. She continued to prod at the casserole with the prongs with a fork. She felt the presence of two souls enter the mess hall and sit next to one. One at her side the other across from her.
"Hey Bastila." Mission's ever cheerful voice greeted warmly. "Any news of Skye?"
The young knight shook her head. "No. Though I think she has reached her destination. I can feel her deep in meditation."
"Must be handy to be able to communicate with each other like that without a comm-link."
Bastila shrugged. "It is all very new. I had never felt anything like it before." She lifted a fork-full of chicken parmesan to her lips but put the utensil down and sighed. The food had grown cold and started to taste of ash within her mouth.
For the most part she tuned out the sounds of the others' conversations. Apparently Zaalbar had gone in the plans hunting, Ordo had gone with him or seemed to have been invited, Bastila didn't know which. Her mind circled around and around Skye's Padawan trials. Apparently, she had caused a stir within the council due to her answers to the Code of the Jedi. The young knight couldn't help but ponder how closely related were the views of Revan to those of Ravensong.
Now she was off constructing her first lightsaber, part of her test to demonstrate self-discipline through meditation and lightsaber combat. Of course, the caves would prove plenty of that. The kinrath would be attracted to the raw energy of the Force during Skye's meditations. Even after killing a few during when first entering the cave more would soon return.
The next trial was to prove the Force flows through her and not a rock that stubbornly blocks its current. This trial was redundant as far as Bastila was concerned. The Force flowed through the Nagai like none she had ever seen. The Masters must realize this too, would they devise another variant on the test then?
The kath hounds on the lower plains were stirred up by the dark side. Perhaps Skye would be sent to investigate why. A test of Skye's spirit, her determination to stand against the dark side, a test normally reserved for the Knight trials. But then Skye was no ordinary Initiate.
"Bastila did you ever think about joining all the Jedi who were ruining off to follow Revan and Malak when they went to fight the Mandalorians?" Carth suddenly piped up around a mouthful of salmon stake which he shoved into the pocket of his cheek.
Bastila lifted her head, looking at the other human. "That was nearly five years ago,. I was still a Padawan. My Battle Meditation hadn't even manifested itself. Yet even then I had the wisdom to obey the will of the Council, unlike Revan." Her eyes drifted to one of the large bay windows on the south-east side of the cantina. The view before her was of a lush garden but beyond it and the hillocks lay the Khoonda plans.
"I guess. Still do you ever wonder if things could have been different? Would Revan and Malak still have been corrupted if the Council supported them instead of dragging their feet?"
"Do not blame Revan's corruption on the Council!" The Jedi snapped, slamming her fist on the table top with enough force that it nearly toppled over several beverage glasses as well as knocking over the salt shaker Mission had just set down. "Your Republic saw only the threat of the Mandalorians. But the wisdom the Masters saw beyond the immediate threat."
Carth was about to retort but he was cut off by another. "What did they see exactly?" Mission pressed.
"There was something lurking out there, something that deluded Revan and Malak and so many other Jedi. Had the Council sent us all into the unknown, how many more would have fallen?" The Jedi's voice became wistful, drained and yet filled with so much palpable sorrow.
Carth's face contorted into an ugly angry sneer. "So, you're saying we should have done nothing? Just let the Mandalorians conquer us unopposed? I mean the Republic was under attack and the Order abandoned us!"
Just as angrily Bastila shot back. "We did not abandon you! But the Council were not about to throw lives away foolishly. In time, we would have aided you against the Mandalorians. But you couldn't wait. Revan and Malak offered a quicker answer and the Republic chose to walk the easy path rather than the path of wisdom. Now you see the results all around us. You asked me if I think things could have been different. I know they could have! If Revan had only listened to the Council, millions of innocent people would still be alive."
"Yeah right and every single one of them would be speaking Mandalorian! I think we're done here."
"Wow Carth, either you have a real set on you or are you just that stupid?" Mission piped up. "When Skye finds out you were in Bastila's face again about Council not acting and about Revan going to war for your Republic she'll gut you for sure."
Ordo who had been lurking in the door way of the mess hall sat down with a tray leaden with food. "You have real issues Onasi, always looking to blame anyone for the wars. You get answers that don't coincide with your desired fantasy and you rant and rave. I thought you already learned that lesson." The Mandalorian pointed to the scar on the other man's neck. "Of course, Ravensong not being here to shut that pie-hole of yours makes you feel like a real man, doesn't it?"
Carth growled. "No one was talking to you, Mandalorian."
"If you want tea-cosy responses then don't ask kriffing questions you can't take the hard answers to. In words, you may comprehend better: frack off, you son of a two-bit-whore."
"My mother was no whore!" Carth snarled back.
"Then stop acting like a bastard." Mission mumbled.
Bastila to her amazement found herself giggling.
Carth snorted rose up and stomped out of the room.
"So when do we lose the dead weight?" Canderous asked. "Way past time to ship his sorry ass back to his precious Republic front lines."
"He tried." Bastila responded. "Apparently, they don't want him back. He's been assigned to Ravensong's detail to see to this issue with the crypt and our efforts to uncover the secrets of Revan's power."
"Aint that just fracking peachy. You mean we're stuck with that sleemo?"
"Unfortunately, he is the Republic military's representative on this joint venture." The jedi answered Ordo's question.
"Skye's really not going to like that." Quipped Mission.
"It isn't up to her." Bastila silently rose up. 'I'm not too keen on it either.' "The Council and military brass have deemed it necessary." She too left the room, leaving her tray of half-eaten supper behind.
KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~
The hilt of the saber floated before her at the level of her blue eyes. Emitter, power cell, the black primary crystal at the heart of the blade, both rubat and bondar focusing crystals, and the sleek silver hilt- itself already containing the mechanics and electronics. It was now only a matter of aligning it all.
The pieces came together, how perfectly was yet to be determined by its activation. Skye hit the activation switch. The familiar snap-hiss echoed within the cavern, the glow of black-purple light.
A smile spread across the Jedi's lips.
Now for her off-hand saber—a shoto. She would have preferred purple but viridian would have to do.
KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~ KOTOR~KOTOR~
"You have shown an impressive mastery of the Force." Master Zhar complemented as he held both Ravensong's blades. His eyes were completely hypnotized by the black-purple blade. "I have to admit I have never seen a crystal of that colour before."
"It awakened to me." Skye said watching the man carefully. "There was another within the cavern—very powerful and far more unique but meant for another." Skye gave no more hint of what she saw or felt within the cavern.
"Indeed?" Zhar deactivated the lightsabers and handed them back to the young woman. "You have made remarkable progress so far."
Skye kept silent for a moment before speaking. There was a burning need to know about her past, everything she couldn't remember, she wanted to know if the Masters blocked it out, took it away or if the incident on her former flagship had done greater damage to her than the healers and physicians could repair. If it was buried, then perhaps shifting through the muck and detritus of the Masters' verbal obfuscation could reveal a bit of golden knowledge. After all, there is no ignorance there is knowledge. And the Masters had it.
"Master. I have questions about Revan and Malak; I was hoping you can clear some things up." Skye scratched the side of her face studying the man's body language though she doubted he'd given anything up in such a manner.
"Few speak those names around here anymore." There was a sadness to the Twi'lek's voice. "But I suppose it is just as dangerous to deny that they were ever a part of the Order." He sighed. "When I was still on Coruscant, Revan and Malak often came to me for additional training. In particular Revan's hunger seemed insatiable. I should have recognized this as a warning sign. But I perceived the young Padawan's thirst for knowledge as simple exuberance and eagerness. Revan was my most promising pupil. One I felt sure would become a champion of the Jedi Order." The weariness in his voice had not abated.
"How did she fall?" Skye crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned her back causally against the wall of the dojo. The spot where the crystal had grazed her made her wince a bit but she shoved the pain aside for the need to know.
"The Jedi Order moved too slowly for Revan and Malak, we were too cautious in their eyes. They always sought to learn far quicker than their Masters felt was prudent. It is one thing to understand a lesson, but to truly comprehend it takes a wisdom that only comes with time.
"Several years ago, when the Mandalorian threat first arose, Revan and Malak were eager to journey to the Outer Rim to defeat the enemies of the Republic. But the Council felt that we should move with care and caution. The true threat the Council felt had not yet revealed itself. But Revan would not be dissuaded.
"Charismatic and powerful, it was inevitable that many of the Order would flock to Revan's seemingly noble cause. Malak was the first to join his closest friend, others soon followed. Many of our youngest and brightest became intent on saving the galaxy from the Mandalorian threat."
"Others like Meetra Surik, the one they call the Exile." Ravensong titled her head slightly to the right as if to give off an innocent vibe.
Zhar's mouth opened on its own volition before he snapped it closed. "You know her name then. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Yes. Meetra joined. She was the second to do so. She was nearly as close of a friend to Revan as Malak was." Zhar shook his head. "It was speculated they were something more. They were foolish to disregard the Council's wishes. I do not know what happened to Revan, Malak and their followers including Meetra in the farthest reaches of the Outer Rim. But something corrupted them.
"Their ideals became twisted, tainted and they fell to the Dark Side. There is a lesson in this; you would do well to take to heart. The Dark Side can corrupt the most noble of Jedi."
"I will master. In fact, you have given me much to contemplate." The Nagai surprised herself that she was sincere in her words.
"You have learned much but there is still much more for you to understand."
'Like the truth of what really happened to me' the woman known as Skye thought to herself.
"The way of the Jedi must be entered into with a clear and focused mind."
'Or in my case one fogged and amnesiac' again the thought was spoken only to herself
Zhar placed a warm hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Go now. Soon it will be time for your final trial to become a full Padawan. You will need your full strength to face it."