Author's Notes: Mwahahahahaha! It's alive! It's alive!!!... Ahem, sorry, my bad...

Anyway, here's the first intermezzo... I thought I'd make this another KoTOR story, instead of crossing it with "From the Ashes", but for reasons I can't tell you yet, I needed these flashbacks. You'll see when we get to the good stuff...

Dark Lord Daishi – Glad you like it. Here's the update.

MilenaSkywalker – Um... I'll quote my Revan from the chapter after the revelation. "Depends on my mood." Maybe I'll do both, who knows? The Force works as it will. Either way, notice the word "romance", after action/adventure. That could change a lot... but you can bet your lightsaber she won't instantly fall for Carth... if she falls for Carth at all. grin

Intermezzo I – Birth of a Savior

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"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."

Lao-C'

XXX

Darkness. There was nothing else. Pain...suffering...death...

Another of the worlds struck by the Mandalorians. Raided and destroyed.

Jedi Master Esper Darai shook his head. There was nothing they could do, even if the Council would agree to send a taskforce to drive the beasts from the face of this planet. Still, it was no important world... or so the Senate would say. Deralia was not as important as, say, Coruscant or Manaan, or a strategic world on an important trade route like Ruuria or Telos. But the loss of so many innocent people was crushing. This world, though it had several larger cities, was quite similar to Dantooine or Alderaan – peaceful and relatively unprotected. There was nothing the inhabitants could do against the invaders. And since there were no important industrial or political areas here, the Mandalorians rather destroyed it than let the Republic have it. Since it was so remote and settlements were scarce, the Senate didn't view this attack as a threat. Not yet. But it was still just a matter of time before they would be on the brink of war. It was only a matter of time. Perhaps mere days separated them from a full-scale attack.

He sighed and shook his head once again, his green eyes scanning the landscape once more. Darai was a human man, wise beyond his years (as many commented, since he began training his second apprentice at 40, after receiving the Jedi Master title for training the first one), dark skinned and dark haired.

"Master?" a light female voice asked behind him. Darai didn't turn. Gavrilla Zene, his apprentice, took his silence as an approval to speak.

"We have sent teams to rescue whoever we can. Chances are that some civilians survived the attack."

"Look around you, Padawan." Darai told her distantly. "Death and destruction. Only someone strong in the Force could survive such an attack. We would have sensed such a presence. I don't believe the search will be of any use."

"You say it as if we should give up hope."

"Never give up hope. But do not stray into false dreams, either, my apprentice."

The young Zabrak nodded, joining her Master in observing the landscape. Chaos. Fire. Death. It was all she could see.

"Why does the Senate not interfere, Master?" Gavrilla asked, "Why don't they aid their own people? The Mandalorians could attack the Republic any day. With these resources..."

Darai's sigh made her stop. She sensed he wanted to speak.

"You speak the truth, Gavrilla. But intergalactic politics are not the concern of the Jedi. We are keepers of the peace, not politicians."

"Neither are we soldiers, Master."

Darai smiled at that. "True." He sighed. Young his apprentice might be, but she was a fine Jedi already... she would be a valuable member of the Order, one day. She had a rebellious streak to her, true, but she was capable. Capable to see past the incompetence of the Senate.

"How long until they finish the search?"

"Several more hours. So far, we found several civilians hiding... though not many. The Mandalorians sure know how to destroy a perfectly good planet." Gavrilla sighed.

Chaos and death. Emotion and passion. Ignorance. No wonder they suspected the Sith had something to do with this. The Mandalorians fought for honor, but would probably not attack the Republic, if no one would encourage them to do so. It was a shame... but the time for heroics had not yet come. Not yet.

Her communicator flashed a bright blue light.

"Gavrilla, we have found another survivor. Tell your Master he must come see this for himself!" a man's voice told her.

"Of course, Master Namir," she quickly replied. Even with her slightly rebellious nature, she knew better than talk back at a Jedi Master. Her life's ambition was to prove herself worthy of one day becoming a Master herself. And so far, she was doing most finely. The fact that she knew it only made her press on.

"You don't need to repeat what Master Namir said, Gavrilla." Darai said with a smile. "If he says it's important, it probably is."

The Zabrak nodded. They were actually quite close Master Namir's location, so she couldn't understand why the otherwise calm human would seem so stunned by something. Still, better safe than sorry, like she always said. A speeder was ready for them, almost immediately. The lightweight airspeeders the Jedi had with them were small, fast and safe – perfect means of transportation on a world like this. Gavrilla guided the vehicle through the plains. Even from afar, she could sense that the spot they were headed to was heavily damaged. It revealed itself to be a larger city. But for her and especially for Darai, locating Master Namir wasn't difficult. He was on the outskirts of the city, along with quite a few other Jedi – healers, mostly. There was no one left to fight here... it was rare to find a Guardian among the party. She was one. But she only came along because Darai was famous for his healing abilities and he thought she might learn something from a search-and-rescue mission.

Master Namir was waiting for them in front of the wreckage, obviously waiting for them. He was a tall mid-aged blonde haired human man. Like most of the other Jedi present there, he wore their traditional robes of an auburn color.

Gavrilla shifted slightly. Some of the Masters didn't like the unusual robes she favored. The long blood-red robe she wore was combined with dark brown leather, shielding her torso better than the usual robes would. Red, of course, meant darkness in people's auras. But the traditional robes weren't a uniform – every Padawan and Jedi could wear what they wished. Calming herself, she stuck a loose strand of her otherwise braided jet-black hair behind her ear. Like most Zabrak, her face bore several tattoos, reflecting her culture and beliefs. Darai, being familiar with the meaning of the markings and the fact that Zabrak, male and female alike liked to use them to express themselves, encouraged her to use them.

The speeder stopped and the two Jedi stepped out of it. Gavrilla bowed to Master Namir, but Darai only nodded slightly. Namir did the same.

"I apologize for interrupting your search, Gavrilla." He politely told the Zabrak woman.

"We were nearby, Master, and the others can search without us."

"So what's so fascinating here, Master Namir?" Darai asked, slightly formally.

"Ah, yes. I wouldn't have called you if it wasn't... intriguing, to say at least. We found a survivor among the wreckage here and... well, come see her for yourselves."

Namir led them through the 'camp', if it could be called that. Some tents were set out, providing shelter for those who were in need of healing. They entered one of them, to find a female human Jedi healing the aforementioned survivor. At least, that was how it seemed. The survivor in question shocked Gavrilla, to say at least. How could someone like that survive this kind of massacre?

It was a girl. She couldn't be older than five. Her hair was golden and the eyes that gazed around the room warily and friendly at the same time were cornflower blue. But the aura the Jedi sensed didn't match her appearance at all. It showed strength of will and energy... traits that were present, but yet undiscovered by the girl. Somehow, she sensed the newcomers and her eyes moved to them. The Jedi healer noticed the trio and bowed slightly.

"Masters, Padawan." She said simply.

"Thank you, Althea. Others need your assistance." The woman bowed once again and quietly left the room.

"So this is your surprise, Namir?" Darai asked, though there was no sarcasm in his voice. He sensed well enough that the girl was strong in the Force... perhaps even too strong. How could they have missed the presence of such a powerful Force adept?

Namir smiled. "Indeed. I think I can safely assume you are wondering how come you didn't sense her presence?" The pointed glance told him enough. "Ysalimiri, Esper. A small reptile with an amazing natural defense – it blocks out the Force." He explained when he saw Gavrilla's quizzical glance.

"Fascinating," she whispered.

"Who-who are you?" a young voice asked. It was the girl. Darai smiled and crouched next to the bed she was lying on. The only thing the girl had with her was a small bag of belongings, which she now hugged protectively.

"We're here to help you."

"Where is mom and dad?" the girl asked.

"My dear, they are probably one with the Force." Darai said, slightly sadly. "We will now be your family. You are strong in the Force. We will teach you to become a Jedi. Surely you have heard of the Jedi Order?"

The girl nodded, a slight smile finding its way to her face.

"Everyone has... but that means I'll never see mom and dad again, right?" Sadness crept into her voice.

Darai sighed. "Dear child, there is nothing for you here now... only death. I don't wish to lie to you, young one – your parents are probably dead," the girl gasped slightly, "But to become a Jedi means to break all ties with family. You will start a whole new life... and if you succeed, you shall uncover a whole new world within yourself."

Tears fell down the girl's cheeks, but she didn't sob. The grief in her aura was clearly visible.

"Then... then if I have nothing left here... I-I guess I could come with you." She said.

"Where... where will we go?"

"Coruscant." Namar answered. "To the High Council. They shall determine whether you are to be accepted into the Order or not. You will be accepted, I'm sure of that." He added when he saw the girl's eyes widen. The girl blinked, but didn't say anything at all. She nodded slightly. Gavrilla, who stood with Namar in the background, smiled. Despite all the horrors this girl went through, she was still strong. Remarkable, to say at least.

"I am Jedi Master Esper Darai. This is my apprentice Gavrilla Zene," Darai said, motioning to Gavrilla, "And Jedi Master Namar." Namar smiled at the girl, who also smiled slightly. "And what is your name, young one?"

The girl's smile widened when Darai offered her a hand to shake. Finally, a gesture she understood.

"Revan." She said simply. And she took the hand.