Prologue
Cathar
"Thank you for coming so soon." Bowed a Cathar female, the felliniesque woman's black lined fur and hair blending into the drab grass of the savannah.
"Of course." The dark grey robed Jedi bowed in return -in Catharese- his slightly tanned skin and grey hair shimmered in the sunlight, a white wrap around his head where his eyes should be. "Please, lead the way."
The Cathar woman led the Jedi inside the tree-city, climbing stairs, passing many families as litters ran about. The laughing of males echoed down some corridors while an Epic was being told to a crowd of children down another, gentle music floated by.
Higher, deeper, they went into the tree, and gradually a small following joined. The Jedi loved coming to Cathar, a beautiful planet with rich culture and powerful people. Jedi weren't uncommon on Cathar, and many came from here; although they could best be described as unorthodox.
They arrived in a larger room, surrounded by carvings of Cathar warriors during their hunts, the ancient combat against Mandalorians, and the successes of many Jedi Knights.
A young girl stood in the center, her parents on either side, three more Cathar children behind them. The girl had auburn hair, faint black markings on short russet fur, and piercing green emerald eyes.
"She's a little old." Noted the Jedi, furrowing his brow. The Force giving him the eyes to 'see'.
"Eight." Answered the girl's Father, a tall and strong Cathar, the tree's tribal leader.
The Jedi bowed before moving towards the girl. He knelt down in front of her. "What is your name, little one?"
"Ravash." She answered.
"Do you know what a Jedi is?"
She nodded. "They protect the Galaxy, fighting evil wherever it may be." She smiled, the Miralukan could feel it, and he grinned.
"How would you like to be a Jedi?"
Ch. 1
Ravash
'Jedi. What did he mean by me being a Jedi?' I wondered. This strange blind folded man in front of me was offering me the title of a Legend. Everyone knew about the Jedi, I had to take the chance, the possibility, for my family.
"Yes." I cheered.
I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked up to my father, he had a smile on his face. "You will make a great Jedi. Make our family proud."
My mother knelt down and wrapped me into a hug. "My little warrior, stay safe, and let the Force guide you."
My siblings ran out to me, and wrapped me in hugs.
"Don't go Ravash." Pouted Rimu, my twin brother.
"We want you to stay." Agreed Jivaz, one of my younger siblings.
"Don't leave." Echoed Isax.
"Don't worry guys." I cheered. "I'll be ok. I'm going to be a Jedi."
"You'll come back and see us, right?" Whined Isax.
"I'll come back. I promise."
"Ravash?" Asked the Jedi. "Are you ready to go?"
I nodded.
"Then let us go, it's a long journey to Coruscant."
The Jedi rose, his grey robes flowing as he made his way back down the tree, cutting through the small crowd.
"Bye bye, guys." I waved, chasing after the Jedi.
I felt the savannah grass under my feet, several meters away was a large ship, a cool looking ship with large engines.
I stepped up the ramp and into the ship.
It was cool, temperature wise and the machinery was interesting.
"You like the ship?" Asked the Jedi.
"Yeah." I looked down the corridor, towards the front of the spaceship.
"You want to go to the bridge?"
"Bridge?"
"The place where they pilot the ship." Explained the Jedi. "Do you want to see it?"
"Yeah." I nodded.
"Then follow me, little one."
I chased the heels of the man as we walked up the ship.
"Captain, are we ready for lift off?" Asked the Jedi.
"Aye sir." Said the human. "Everything is ready, course plotted to Coruscant."
"Then lift off. We have to get back as soon as possible."
"Right away."
"You ever been to space, Ravash?" Asked the Jedi.
"Nu-uh." I shook my head.
"Then you're in for a treat." The Jedi smiled.
Engines roared to life, feeling us rise upwards. I could see the tree, and many others across the plains, the highlands off in the distance. The blue sky grew black, little dots of light flashing into existence.
I let out a gasp. I was looking down at my home, then our moon, and star.
"Engaging hyperdrive." Announced the Co-pilot.
The stars stretched, dots becoming steaks, and streaks becoming a vortex of blue.
"Come, Ravash. I need to do something. We have a test to take."
"Test?" I tilted my head to one side as I followed the Jedi back down the hall.
He stepped into a small lounge-like area, a couple chairs scattered around.
He pulled something from his cloak, a little device.
"Hold out your finger for me. There's gonna be a little prick."
He took my hand, pressing the end against my finger tip, a tiny prick at the tip, making me wince.
"Sorry about that." He wiped the excess blood off my finger, before pulling out a second device, a little monitor. "I want you to tell me what's on this."
"How can I do that if I can't see it?"
He chuckled. "Just try." He flicked a switch. "Now, concentrate, and tell me what you see."
I glared at the back of the device, trying to see inside it.
"Don't try and melt it." Chuckled the Jedi. "Try to find another presence in the room."
I couldn't do it. I couldn't see anything. Just a metal backplate.
I grunted in frustration, trying to see what was on that pesky screen.
The Jedi hummed and put the screen away.
"Hey, I want to keep trying." I shouted, reaching for the screen.
He stood up and moved over to a chair in the lounge, I darted over and tried grabbing at the screen, it jostled forward and moved to the corner, but it went no further.
"Come here, Ravash." Commanded the Jedi, motioning to a chair.
I jumped into the chair, my legs dangling above the floor, reminding me of the tree branches of my now distant home.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"I am Erioh, Erioh De'is."
"How can you see? You have a blindfold on."
The Jedi chuckled. "I'm Miralukan." He answered. "All my people are blind."
"Woah." I gasped. "That sounds like it would make hunting hard."
"It does at times. But I manage."
"What is Coruscant like?"
"It's a wondrous planet, covered in cityscape as far as the eye can see. So many interesting people, all on one planet."
"What about the forests?"
"There haven't been forests of Coruscant for thousands of years. But don't worry, the Jedi Temple has many, many, arboretums around."
"Oh." I looked down at the cold metal below my feet. Was this what awaited me at the Temple?
"What color is your lightsaber?"
"I carry a purple saber." He answered. "Do you want to see it?"
I nodded my head vigorously, making him smile.
The Jedi lifted his hand up, the hilt flashing into his hand and igniting into a beautiful violet blade. It hummed and purred. The saber looked like one solid piece. The hilt was nocked with embedded grip lines, the switch embedded into the metal. Two small openings allowed purple light to spill out before a thick band of metal around the saber. The end was angled, with two prongs on the high side. The end had a dark navy blue strip of cloth tied around a metal loop.
"Will I get to build one? How do I get a color?" I asked, my legs swinging wildly.
"You'll learn many things about the Order once we reach Coruscant, and you begin your studies and training." Answered Erioh as he sat back down, the lightsaber now clipped to his belt.
"Will there be others?"
"Oh, there will be lots of other kids, some younger than you, going through training right alongside you."
"Jedi training sounds cool."
"Oh, little one, it is very cool, but demanding. You think you're up for that?"
"I've been running around savannahs and climbing trees and fighting with my family. I can do anything."
"That's the spirit." The Jedi ruffled my hair. "You'll make a Jedi yet."
"Are you ready?" Asked Master Erioh, leading me to the training room.
"Yes." I cheered. I was enjoying my new robes. Tan pants and shirt that seemed a little baggy, and a brown belt, my new training saber hitting my leg every now then.
We stepped into a small circular room that reminded me of back home, and my room carved into the tree, except here metal shimmered.
A group of younglings were sitting scattered around a short, green Jedi. His ears were long, receding black hair cascaded down his back in thick locks.
First in line was a boy, he looked human but something was off, his skin seemed a little too pale, while a wooden hair pin kept jet black hair tied back. Next to him was, I think a girl, with grey skin and red streaks below the eyes. After her was a dark green skinned girl with dark eyes, several tentacles replacing her hair. A lighter green skinned boy was grinning ear to ear, talking to a blue skinned and red eyed boy next to him, his longer hair a navy color. The last in line was a human-like girl, or were they a boy? I couldn't tell. They had light skin and short blond hair.
"Master Yoda." Called Master Erioh. "I hope I am not intruding."
The small Jedi turned to face us, a broad smile on his face. "Interrupting, you are not. Addition of a new youngling, never a disruption."
He turned his gaze to me. "Hmm. Eyes bright, your's are." Hummed the Jedi. "Name, what is yours?"
"Ravash Tor." I answered, my Cathar accent breaking through in my Basic.
"Pleased to meet you, Ravash." The Jedi nodded his head. "Take a seat, would you?"
I took a seat next to the boy with blue skin, making him jump a little.
"Hey, I'm Ravash." I said.
"Lore." He answered quietly.
"I'm Ceza." Cheered the green skinned boy, leaning past Lore so he could see me.
"Younglings." Called Master Yoda. "We must train. Get a helmet."
We all stood up and pulled a grey helmet from a rack before forming back up.
"You pull the helmet over your eyes once the training begins." Whispered Lore.
"Don't get hit by the lasers, they might be low power but they still hurt." Advised Ceza.
"Lasers?" I asked, confused.
"Younglings, lightsabers ready."
I pulled the training saber from my belt and thumbed it on for the first time. I let out a chuckle as the emerald blade hummed. I was here, at the Jedi Temple, all I could hope was that when I fell asleep tonight I would wake up at the next sunrise in the Temple.
I saw a smile tug at Master Yoda's lips before he began the exercise.
"Your helmets, lower them, cover your eyes. The Force, trust in it, let it guide you."
I pulled the helmet over my eyes, a gentle whooshing sound filled the room as something hovered in the air in front of me, I could smell the metal.
A sharp pain stabbed my leg, making me jump back, high into the air, claws out, scraping against the floor.
I readied myself again, saber humming to my side. The whooshing sound came towards me. I swung my saber towards the sound, and I was greeted by another pain to my back.
I let out a growl, thrusting my saber forward. I heard no sounds of impact. I missed it again. All around me I heard lasers hitting blades, and no furious movement, all calm, collected. It made me angry.
"The Force, feel it, let it flow through you." Instructed Yoda.
But I couldn't rest, I could sense the machine, drifting around me.
I swung, and swung, and swung, and I couldn't hit it. It kept moving. I was hit a couple more times, but I was getting better at dodging.
I began to lose track of time, my body was flowing, smooth, I was hunting, all that mattered was the humming of my blade and the whooshing of the machine.
Pain seared up my off hand through my arm, it didn't matter. Block it out, just like Father taught me. The hunt was more important than the pain.
"Ravash, stop now, you may." Commanded Yoda, his voice, while calm, snapped me back into reality like lightning.
I stood still, breathing heavily, the saber withdrew back into the hilt. With a huff I pulled the helmet off my face and stood before Yoda, saber in one hand, helmet in the other. The sun was low in the sky, the shadows long.
"Go now, you may." Instructed Yoda. "Dinner, for you to eat with the other younglings."
"Yes, Master." I bowed, setting my helmet on the rack and wiping sweat from my face, stepping out of the training room.
I found my way to the large mess, the youngling group was easy to spot, the large mix of aliens made it easy to find.
"'Bout time you got here." Quipped Ceza, stabbing a piece of meat.
"You were in the training room for quite a while." Added the tentacle haired girl. "Did you get in trouble or something?"
"On her first day? Looks like we won't be seeing her for much longer." Joked the black haired boy getting a laugh out of most of the table.
"So, what's the story?" Asked Lore.
"I was just training." I shrugged. "Swinging my saber trying to hit the thing."
"You're gonna be sore tomorrow." Added the tentacle haired girl.
"Not really." I fired back. "I'm used to that kind of movement."
"Then you'll have some pretty bad bruises." Added Ceza. "Those bolts might not hurt too much at first but you'll be paying the price later." He slid his plate over to me. "You can have the rest of mine. Not hungry."
I saw Lore give him a little glance before taking a sip from his soup bowl.
"Thanks." I licked my lips before my claws came out and began cutting the meat into pieces. I had some sense of table manners.
As I began eating, most of the table was just staring at me. I swallowed. "What?" I asked. "I'm just eating."
"It's just that most people use a fork." Answered the grey skinned girl, who was eating a salad.
"Don't mean to be rude, but this is more polite for a Cathar. I could eat like I was at home. After a hunt, my older siblings would just tear open a freshly killed mountain bison." I rapped my claws on the table.
I could see Ceza and Lore, along with the tentacle haired girl trying to stifle laughter.
"The taste of freshly killed beast. Alive mere seconds ago, meat perfectly tender before the body cools. So, just remember that before you judge the way someone eats." I finished, taking a bite and tearing it. The girl gave me a sour expression and left the table.
Ceza lost it, laughing his head off, holding his stomach, Lore was shaking his head right beside him, the green girl was side-eyeing both of them with a devious grin on her face.
After dinner ended I strolled out of the mess and was ready to explore this place.
"Hey, Ravash." Called the green skinned girl, getting me to turn, Ceza and Lore not too far behind her. "That was hilarious. I'm Erenu, Erenu Fe." She reached out for a handshake, which I gladly took.
"My stomach hurts." Sighed Lore. "I was laughing too hard."
"You had time to tour the Temple Complex?" Asked Ceza.
"Nuh-uh." I shook my head. "I got here today."
"Alright, first place, the Archives." Erenu grabbed my hand and began dragging me through the ornately carved walls. "I love the archives. I spend all the time I can there."
"How far away is it?" I asked, now running alongside her, Ceza and Lore trailing behind.
"Not too much farther, just down a couple levels."
"That's a little far." I retorted.
We barreled down the stairs of the Temple, passing Jedi Knights and Padawans, some laughing at the four of us.
"And here we are." Declared Erenu, barely out of breath.
The Archives were beautiful. Massive bookshelf-like structures glimmered with blue light. Tables with holographic keyboards and monitors were in use, while some Jedi roamed through the massive shelves for information.
"So much running." Groaned Ceza. "You know I'm bad at running."
"Oh shut up." Quipped Erenu. "Master Jin." She called to an older Twi'lek with glasses as she ran up to him. He looked up from his monitor as the green-skinned girl ran up to him. His smile widened a bit. "Ah." He trailed off in Twi'leki, which Erenu followed in suit.
She said something, causing the Jedi master to chuckle.
She turned back to us, motioning us to come forward.
"We got a new person." Cheered Erenu in Basic.
"Hi." I waved before Erenu whipped her head back, one of her tentacles catching me in the face. I cleared my throat. "It's nice to meet you, Master." I bowed in greeting. These new customs would take some getting used to. "I'm Ravash, Ravash Tor.
"Hmm." He cleared his throat. "Pleasure to meet you. Master Jin, Jedi librarian." He answered in near perfect Catharese.
I was stunned, not many aliens could speak my language, or so I heard from my Father. "Your Catharese is almost perfect." I praised in my native tongue. "When did you learn it?"
He chuckled, switching back to Basic. "I have had the time to study a great many languages.."
"Master Jin is really smart." Praised Erenu. "He even taught me Twi'leki."
"Teaching." Scolded the Librarian. "You still have much to learn."
"Yes, Master."
"Not to say that you aren't an exemplary student, but don't let that go to your head. Did you finish reading the book I gave you?"
"Yes. I actually finished the next one, too." Answered Erenu.
"Splendid. Let those mull over for a few days, reread, then come back and talk to me, alright?"
"Will do."
"Now it's my turn to show you my favorite spot." Ceza cheered before running off, back up the stairs, Lore trailing behind.
"Hey, wait for us." I called.
"I thought you hated running." Quipped Erenu.
"Now this, this is a cool spot." Sighed Ceza as he leaned against a massive pillar. The view was wide and open, the pillars hung over some of the walkway, and the city scape of Coruscant splayed out in front of us. Two of Courscant's moons floated overhead in the back night sky. With all the city lights it was like someone pulled the stars from the heavens and placed them on the planet. In its own way, it was breathtaking.
But I didn't like it. No green, no trees, no mountains. While breathtaking, I found it artificial, bland. I prefered the scene of Cathar, savannahs for kilometers, massive mountains rising in the distance, the branches of tree-cities silhouetted by the rising sun. By the gods did I miss home.
"Yeah. It's pretty cool." Agreed Lore.
"Definitely a cool spot." Added Erenu
"It's, interesting." I admitted.
"You don't like it?" Asked Ceza.
"I mean, it's cool. It's just, just all grey." I sighed. "I bet Mother and Father and all my siblings are enjoying the warm sun, gazing up at the moon, or sitting in the tree, hearing tales about the warrior's past."
"How many siblings do you have?" Asked Erenu.
"Fifteen." I answered.
"Fifteen?" Stammered Ceza. "How can you have fifteen siblings?"
"Cathar are born in litters. I have two twin brothers and a twin sister. She looks almost exactly like me."
"So you're one of a quadruplet?" Asked Lore.
"Yep." I nodded. "It's actually one of the smaller litters. One of my friends was in a litter of nine."
"Cathar are weird." Ceza shook his head, which was promptly slapped by Erenu.
"You're one to talk. You're Mirialan."
"You haven't met a Chiss." Muttered Lore.
"What's your favorite spot?" I asked Lore.
"Oh, uh." He paused. "The workshops. I enjoy tinkering with machines when I can."
"Have you ever finished one?"
"Yeah."
"Then let's go see it." I suggested.
"Sure." He shrugged. "Follow me." He strolled back into the Temple, us not too far behind, following the blue-skinned boy down twisting passageways.
"Here we are." Announced Lore as he opened the door.
The workshop was vast. Old shelves seemed to be stacked on top of each other, some parts bulging out of them. Worktables sat closest to us, some half-finished projects laying about. The lights here were slightly dimmer here, which I found a little strange.
"Don't touch anything." Instructed Lore as he walked over to a locker.
After fiddling with stuff inside the locker, he walked back to us, a piece of metal in hand.
"This is it." He sighed. The device looked like a metal cube, with a few lines engraved into it.
Lore pressed a button on top of the cube before setting it down on the table, the device's gears whirring and mechanisms clinking. The cube began to expand, piece by piece, until a much larger, more complex looking cube sat on the table.
"Woah." Gasped Ceza. "This is pretty cool."
"Yeah." Agreed Lore. "But what does it do?"
Lore pressed a different button on the side of the cube, which began to shrink in on itself, forming the original cube. "That's all it does." Answered Lore, grabbing his device and putting it in the locker.
"Hey, it's still impressive." I said.
"Yeah." Agreed Erenu. "Even if I read how to do all that I wouldn't be able to."
"Thanks." He mumbled, shoving us out of the workspace.
"Where to now?" I asked.
"Bed." Answered Erenu, before yawning. "I was up early, and I need to sleep before training tomorrow."
"Agreed." Said Ceza. "Nothing better than a good night's rest."
"Definitely." Nodded Lore.
"But they're so far away." Groaned Ceza. "We're in the heart of the Temple."
"I read all the Temple map plans. I'm pretty sure I know about pathways and staircases even the High Council doesn't know about." Cheered Erenu, grabbing my hand again. "Follow me."
A few meters down the hallway, Erenu stopped and pressed in on a wall. "Yep, here's one." She reached her hand out, and with a push into the air, a door opened.
"Did you just use the Force?" I asked, stepping through the door behind Erenu, Lore and Ceza not far behind.
"Duh." She sighed as we marched up the stairs. "These should let us out at the hall our training room is on."
"That's a long way up."
"Yeah. But it'll be easy."
And it really was quite easy, after ten minutes of walking up stairs we made it to the large hallway, and we passed our training room on the way to the dorms, letting me know I was in the right place.
"This starting to look more familiar?" Asked Erenu as we entered the dorm room area.
"Yeah." I nodded. "I think I can get there."
"Great." She gave a double thumbs up. "See you tomorrow." She walked up a set of stairs to the upper level.
"See ya." I called before walking down the hall. Stepped in front of my door before it slid open and I stepped inside.
I let out a sigh. There wasn't much in my room. The walls were bare, the bed was nothing special. A small table and chair were pushed against one wall.
I let out a grumble before collapsing on my bed. I would need to get something to decorate this space before too long.
My eyes snapped open. I raised up, and I was surrounded by the grass of the savannah, the golden grass rippling in the wind.
I laughed and fell back into the grass.
"There's no way I'm back home." I realized, jumping up. "I'm on Coruscant, thousands of light years away."
I could feel my claws inch their way out of my paws. "I'm dreaming." I realized.
I felt a presence, something sinister. I reached to my belt and felt the hilt of a Cathar blade. I pulled the blade from my waist, holding it out in front of me as I had been taught.
I whipped around at rustling grass as the roar of spaceships filled my ears. The grass was ablaze, trees burned, screams filled the air.
"Kill them all." Roared a man in armor, Mandalorian armor. I growled, my entire body shaking. I snarled and charged forward, sword raised high.
The battle faded to a white space, and I dropped the blade at my feet. That was the Genocide of Cathar, the slaughter of my people.
I felt the weight of something in my hand. It was a lightsaber. I looked up and a figure reached down and took the saber. She was Cathar, with light fur and yellow eyes, her dark brown hair pulled into a ponytail.
She stared me down like I was a field rat, igniting her saber, her blade shone crimson, then blue, back to crimson, repeating its pattern.
She said nothing as I knelt in front of her, fear mounting.
The space became black, the blade hummed deeper and deeper, during darker and darker crimson.