AN: I do not own Star Wars or Star Wars the Old Republic. I own only the OC and plot. General trigger warnings just in case!

"aaaa"-talking out loud. "aaaa" (bold and italics)-talking through a holo or com. 'aaaaa'-inner thoughts. "aaaaa" -talking through a Bond or talking during a Force Vision. aaaa -Force Vision. "aaaa" (bold)-talking in another language. ("aaa") (bold, italics, and parentheses) - talking through a holo or com in another language

AN: Another update just in time for Christmas! Just one more chapter to go and this story of Light and Shadows will be finished!

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Chapter Seven: Legacy of Blood

Theron had never been more grateful to be on Corellia.

There were no Jedi talking about Tython and the new Jedi Grandmaster. There were no Jedi watching him as they talked, some wearing smirks and some shaking their heads in pity as they did so. There was no laughter and no scornful whispers as he struggled with a Force concept or ability that he should have already mastered. He could always hear them asking how he could be so weak when his family, his blood, had always been so strong. Sometimes Theron thought the watchers seemed happy when he failed.

The fifteen-year-old slammed a fist into the ground to vent his frustration. He was so tired of the looks and sneers and whispers. The Green Jedi weren't like that because their main concern was Corellia and they cared little for the politics of Jedi in the galaxy beyond. If Theron was a part of the Green Jedi, they would be training him, setting up as a liaison maybe with Cor-Sec or a branch of the military. They wouldn't keep trying to force him into a role that he wasn't sure he could even hold anymore.

Theron still tried though. He tried his hardest because he didn't want to let Master Zho down and the Jedi needed every being they could get and train to bolster their still small ranks. So he kept trying.

But it was like Master Zho knew something or was figuring something out. When they were on Corellia, Theron's only lessons in the Force had to do with the bond and what little abilities he had. The rest of his lessons were taught by tutors from whom he learned about slicing, combat, military tactics, and even espionage. All skills for which he didn't necessarily need the Force.

And all subjects he liked and was amazing at.

Theron knew why the Jedi at the enclave watched him. Why they looked, whispered, laughed, and sneered. They watched him because he was a Shan. Outside of the Jedi, some Republic political and military leaders, his family name was just another name. It had no power, was not recognizable except as perhaps being an almost common name. But for those who did know, who did recognize his name and know the history it was almost like a prison sentence hanging over his head. A burden he did not want or ask for. And yet he was judged for it. Judged by those who know where his family came from.

How it all started with two Jedi who fell, who were in love, and returned to the Light. Two Jedi from whom came a long line of military leaders, politicians, and Jedi.

Jedi like his Mom.

His Mom who was the warrior of warriors, a beacon of light for the Republic and Jedi. The unofficial commander who had led Jedi and troops to victory in so many battles. Her triumphs had won her hate and grudging respect from her enemies, endless praise and devotion from her allies. Now she had once again done the impossible. His Mom had rediscovered the ancient Jedi homeworld of Tython long thought lost to them. The planet strong in the Light would once again serve as the main base of operations for the Jedi Order. And it was for this along with her other accolades, that she had been named Jedi Grandmaster. Now she would hold final say in all matters concerning the Jedi and the Order that were brought before the Council.

Since the announcement, since her ceremony, the looks and whispers had gotten worse. Theron wanted to scream at them to stop. To just stop! He wasn't some experiment, some test subject. He wasn't Revan and he wasn't his Mom.

His mom. The woman who got pregnant and might have kept him. If it wasn't for the fact that she was wholly devoted and loyal to the Jedi and Republic. Her duty was to them and must always come first. Out of duty and devotion she had kept her pregnancy secret, trusting only her former teacher. Out of duty and devotion she had given birth to him in a cave alone save for the teacher. Out of duty and devotion she had been quick to pass him into the care of the teacher when he was barely an hour old, not even wanting to give him a name. Out of duty and devotion naming him when Master Zho had pushed her to.

She had given her entire life to the Jedi and Republic.

She had given Theron just a name.

"I happen to like your name," Esther remarked as she flopped onto the ground next to him. Her lessons for the day must have just finished. Freed from the classroom she had headed right for the old tree in the Children's Garden. It was their spot after all even as they grew up. The Jedi student rolled over onto his stomach, lifting his head to watch her as she unhooked her mask and pulled it free from her face; she never wore it when it was just her and him. Esther tilted her head up to the hazy sun, enjoying the warmth on her face. "You were projecting a lot," she finally answered his silent question. She didn't mention the bond, but Theron knew what she meant. "We can always work on shielding later. What's wrong?"

"Just Mom being Mom again. The stares and whispers are getting worse." Theron yanked at some of the grass on the ground, pulling it up. "It's like they can't decide if I really could be the next Master Shan or if I am just Darth Revan reborn and biding my time to attack." He smiled a little as Esther tossed her hair and gave a sharp little sniff.

"There will never be another Revan!" she hotly declared, not caring if she was overheard.

To those in the Jedi Order, Revan and Bastlia Shan and the Jedi Exile were all cautionary tales. All three had started out as loyal Jedi before falling and serving the Dark Side. All three had returned to the Light and saved the Republic. While the Jedi Exile had vanished, never to return, Revan and Bastlia had returned to the Jedi. They broke the rules with their marriage and child which combined with their time as Sith meant that they weren't supposed to be heroes to the Jedi. They were supposed to be warnings about what not to do, what attachments could cost a Jedi.

But the Jedi opinion didn't matter to Esther and Theron. Since the first time the pair had heard about the trio, they had worshiped them. Especially Revan and Bastlia. As children Revan and Bastlia along with the Jedi Exile had been the main characters in the games they had played and the imaginary battles they had waged. It was their adventures they wanted to hear about at day or night.

Because they had been rebels. Rebels who found their own path and served the Force in their own way. They had forged a path for themselves and didn't care what others thought of them.

"You're not Revan. You're just Theron," Esther gave a little nod. For her it was the truth. Theron was just Theron and he always would be. "I see you and you see me. You don't see the Imperial spy alien unworthy of being a Bakarn." Theron frowned. He had thought that the teasing had stopped.

"Did some punks say something?" he demanded.

"No, but I get stares and whispers too." Theron winced before nodding. He had forgotten. Esther was surrounded by love and support, but she too had those who judged her. Those who saw an adopted alien and scoffed about whether she could truly be a Bakarn. Those who sneered and called her an Imperial spy, a slave because her parents had been Imperial slaves and only her mother had escaped. "It's not fair."

"It's not fair…" Theron agreed, because it really wasn't. But Master Zho had always made sure that Theron knew that life in general wasn't fair. It was filled with beings who would look and judge, never stopping to think with reasoning or use proven information. "They're all stupid and we don't need them," he stated and reached out to gently poke Esther. "We don't need them or their rules or expectations at all. We'll make our own way and leave them all in the dust."