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Chapter 1-1: Revan and the Jedi Training.
The Revan who stands in front of me wasn't the force ghost like how Qui-gon Jinn brought Yoda to the Wellspring of Life. He was very much alive in this physical form. Scarred but alive in his full armorclad glory.
"This place…is powerful in the Force… beyond thought possible. Who are you, Youngling? What is this place?" Revan asked. He looked confused at what was going on, as if he didn't know why he was here.
"Hello there, my name is Gale. I am new here as much as you are. May I ask who I am speaking to? Are you the Jedi knight who fought against the Mandalorians and the Sith Emperor? or Are you Darth Revan, who sought to replace the Republic?" I asked to make sure which Revan I was speaking to.
"I am neither, but both are me. I was divided into two separate beings of Light and Dark, in the failed attempt to join and be one with the Force…..I remember I was dead…..I fused back together and became one with the Force..then I helped the Jedi Order to defeat the Sith Emperor for good…. How am I alive again? How is this possible?" Revan said in confusion. He had so many questions about what was going on, just like I was when I found myself in the Wellspring.
So this was Revan, who fused back with his dark self, and helped the eternal alliance defeating Tenebre, the Sith Emperor. I spoke in relief, knowing that this isn't the Darth Revan from the dark side ending of Knights of the Old Republic.
"Master Revan, you are now standing on the Wellspring of Life, at the center of a galaxy, where the source of all life, which you call 'Midi-Chlorian', comes from." I basically gave him the same answer that the priestesses give to those who arrive at the Wellspring.
"Well…. that explains the most powerful presence in the Force I have ever felt from this place…. I can feel its connection to both Living and Cosmic Force. Incredible…. but I still don't know who you are, young one, and why I am alive again." Revan asked.
"As I said already, my name is Gale, and I found myself standing here just like you. Although as for why you are here… it is my fault…. in a certain point of view."
It took a long while, but I explained as much I could to Revan, the fact that we are not in our own universe, the reason I was brought here by the Force, and I requested the priestesses of this place that I would like to learn from him, expecting that I would meet the spirit of Revan, but somehow, he came to this place, not in his ghostly form from the beyond, but in his very physical form.
"By the Force!... if what you are saying is true….. if there are so many wounds in the Force scattered in the galaxy….. it is the most terrible thing to all living since Tenebre attempted to absorb all life to become immortal…. and the number of deaths that created so many wounds throughout the galaxy, enough for the Force to react in such a way….."
After all I had to explain to him, Revan was deep in thought. Contemplating at the information he was just given, and estimating the dark possibilities.
"You are burdened with such great responsibility and task to save this galaxy by the Force itself. I do not know whether to thank you for bringing me back alive or to be mad at you for disturbing the rest after my death. But I do feel sorry for you, as the fate of the galaxy and the Force rests on your shoulder. It is not something that should be burdened by one so young." Revan said with sorrow in voice.
"I am truly sorry for bringing you back from death, I thought I would meet and learn from your spirit from the great beyond, not literally bring you back alive."
"Hm…. I suppose this is not your fault, young Gale. It is known that the Force often works in mysterious ways that us mortals do not fully comprehend. But why did you choose me specifically to teach you? If you truly know a great deal about the history of the galaxy I am from, you must know many jedi or sith with great knowledge and skills who you may learn a lot from."
"Because, amongst all the Jedi and Sith, you are the best who can help me train and learn to prepare me for what I must do out there. You are a great warrior, an engineer, and a leader who led many into wars, fought against foes who were more powerful or better prepared but you never gave up. You are of both the Light and the Dark side of the Force. You have much that you can teach me from your journey, from your success and failures." As I continued to explain, Revan was silent, deep in thought about what I was saying.
"There are many great Jedi masters whom I have much respect and admiration for. But the enemy I have to face, the Reapers, dominated this galaxy for eons, committed a genocide after another every 50,000 years. The intention of the Force is clear. Reapers must be eradicated from the galaxy as they will never see their own flaws and change their ways. If they are not stopped, their action will cause the collapse of this galaxy by losing its connection to the Force itself and the Universe.
Such an enemy cannot be turned or defeated by the peaceful ways that are typical of Jedi. I must learn from the dark side of the Force as well. To face the greatest evil, I must learn to use the best of both Light and Dark side of the Force. Gather allies from various backgrounds, who would acknowledge the Reaper threat and set aside all differences, and join forces. Like how Jedi and Sith, who were once their greatest enemies, came together to form the Eternal Alliance to face the threat of the Eternal Empire.
There were many Jedi who some say are more powerful than you are, but you experienced the most unique journey throughout your life that no other Jedi or Sith ever had or will ever have. Even in death, your spirit and the legacy helped to shape the galaxy for the better and worse at times."
"The galaxy out there, is very stagnant when it comes to technology because all their innovation comes from salvaging what they could find of their predecessors and even that, is a big trap laid by the greatest enemy that they refuse to believe those exist. I will be in a similar situation as you did when the Jedi Order refused to help against the Mandalorian threats. I would like to learn not only how to meditate or in the ways of the Force, learn from your experience and wisdom. I need to know how I can prepare the galaxy as best as I can, to lead people to win against the impossible when the rest of the galaxy refuses to listen and turn their back until it is too late.
I believe you would be the best teacher that I need, who can teach me such wisdom to get through the dark time ahead of me."
I finally finished my long explanation to Revan why he was chosen and brought here to be my teacher. He seemed to be still in deep thought, trying to understand all that was happening and processing everything that I had just said in his mind.
"Hmm… It seems you have given a great deal of thought behind who you wish to learn from, young one. You speak with great wisdom that is not common from someone of your age."
"I may look like 7 years old now, but I assure you, I was a 29 year old man before I came here. Although… I might have to go through puberty again in a few years…. Dark time indeed."
Revan exploded with laughter as I complained about my current age and the thought of re-experiencing puberty.
"Even when you are burdened with the fate of the galaxy, you do not lose sense of humor. It is good to see that you are not too overwhelmed by all this." Reven said as he smiled.
"Well, even if I don't play a major role, there is another person who was supposed to lead and unite others to fight and have a good chance of beating the Reapers…. so I thought I can probably help him out and not mess things up if I can't become a major player for the galactic stage. How hard can it be when the Force will be guiding me through this?"
I answered as I shrugged my shoulders.
"It is true that the Force is a mighty ally when in your time of need, but do not forget that you must work hard and train yourself to be capable of facing whatever hardship you will encounter. After all, whether Jedi or Sith, no one becomes a master of anything without great dedication to their training. If this is the will of the Force that I must return from the dead to teach you, then I shall do my best to teach everything I can for you and for this galaxy."
"Thank you, Master Revan. I shall not disappoint you."
We bowed to each other, showing respect and acknowledgment of being a master and padawan.
So, my Jedi training under Master Revan began...
As Revan was renowned to be one of the greatest warriors of the Star Wars galaxy, it was damn difficult during my lightsaber and combat training. It was physically intense and I had to push myself to the limit whenever we were practicing. Such rigorous training wasn't just for physical development but also to develop my mental strength and resilience to harsh situations, and it gives me the chance to meditate for recovery and sustain myself through the power of the Force. It kinda felt as if I was in a military boot camp to be honest.
As the training progressed, I was getting used to it. Making it some sort of habit or pattern in my day to day life. It became natural for me to wake up early, train and meditate. Eating was not really necessary as this place was so powerful in the Force, and likely by the will of the Force and all that, we were sustained in our best healthy self just by meditating and connecting with the Force.
As I practiced duels with master Revan, I began to notice that I was more natural to Form IV/Ataru than other forms, a fast-paced and aggressive form that relies on one's agility. I enjoyed exploring the possibility of Ataru in our practice duel sessions. Even though I never actually beat him, I felt as if I was nearly there on a few occasions. Master Revan often commented that my body is not fully developed, thus it is natural for me to rely on my flexible and agile young body as an advantage to try to reach him, which might change once I become taller and stronger. Also, having to use one of master Revan's lightsaber because I don't have one, was a big disadvantage as well.
Master Revan certainly had a lot more to teach me than most Jedi could to their padawans. Whenever we were not practicing lightsaber forms or meditating to explore the wonders of the Force or study philosophy behind the Jedi and the Sith, I would learn about the tactics that were used during the wars of his time, or even learn about engineering and droid programming.
The priestesses even brought Ebon Hawk here, even though it was badly damaged, so I can be taught how the engineering of Star Wars galaxy worked and likely this will be my method of leaving this place when the time comes. Apparently it was left abandoned in the Sith world, and never to be found, so they were able to just pick it off without much consequences in the Star Wars galaxy. It brought childish excitement in my heart to think of going on an adventure in the Ebon Hawk like Master Revan and Mitra Surik! In one of the most iconic and most important ships of Star Wars history!
"So, what are we going to do today master?"
It's been years since we were staying in the Wellspring of life, my Jedi training was a lot more compact and likely skipped a few stuffs, but I was making fast progress. Today was going to be something different. I could feel it from the Force.
"My dear padawan, as it is the day you became 13 years old…. at least physically, I mean. It is the age of responsibility in some societies of my galaxy that would consider you to be an adult. After careful consideration of your potential and impressive progress you've made, it is time for your first trial, to test whether you are ready for the next chapter of your training."
Master Revan led me towards a cave on another floating island not far from where we usually stayed. It resembled the place where master Yoda faced his inner shadow, a representation of his dark side as a test, given by the priestesses.
"Your test is simple. Go in there, and you must bring what you find. You will know what you need to bring when you see it." Master Revan explained.
"That…sounds rather…. too simple. I have a bad feeling about this….."
"I am sure you will be fine, padawan. Just trust in the Force, and let it guide you. Just as you are trained. "
As I entered the cave, I turned around to look at master Revan. However, the cave entrance that I just passed through disappeared, nowhere to be found.
I sighed in disappointment.
"I knew it… such a cliche. The bad feeling is definitely the Force warning something isn't' it? What's gonna be next? facing my own dark self? illusions of my worst nightmare?"
I walked down the cave's corridor as I grumbled to myself.
It was getting darker and darker as I went down deeper. I didn't have a lightsaber, so the more I went down, the more I had to rely on my other senses and the guidance of the Force.
"Hm….feels like a dead end…. what am I supposed to find this place anyway?"
I wasn't sure how long I was in the cave, but it was deep enough to surround me in complete darkness. There was absolutely no light. All my eye could see was darkness. Even my ears could hear nothing. No sound of water dripping from the cave ceiling or wind flow. Only things that I could still feel were the earth beneath my feet, and whatever the earthly wall I could reach with my hands.
Even in such darkness, I kept on going as the Force guided me. one step at a time, but every step I take made me more confident, as I had complete trust in the Force that it will lead me where I need to be.
That was… until I suddenly fell on the ground head first.
"Ouch….that hurts….Wha….What the hell?!"
When I got back up, I realized I was able to see again. And I was in my old bedroom!
I looked around, thinking about what was going on.
It looked as if I fell from the bed as I was asleep.
My head was feeling a little fuzzy after the impact, which definitely did not help clarifying what was going on.
"Gale! Come out from the bed! It's time for breakfast!"
"Yes ma! I am coming!"
I instinctively shouted.
I couldn't believe it. It was my mother's voice.
I went out of my old bedroom, and saw my family sitting around the table in the dining room, waiting for me. It was just like when I was a teenage boy.
I was back….back home… with my family.
"Good morning, son. Are you ready for school today?"
"Yes dad, I am ready….I hope."
"I am sure you will do great in the test today, son. You've been studying so hard for a few months."
Uh-oh…..test… that was never good news. I always got into trouble because I was never as good as the kid next door. I am a Korean. As a Korean, especially one living abroad, not getting a test score to our parents' satisfaction, was definitely something similar to Darth Maul or Vader failing their task personally given by Darth Sidious. But at least my dad was unusually kinder than usual in that area.
"Stop making him nervous. It is ok even if the result isn't great. I know you gave a lot of effort to study. I am just glad that you are studying harder, my sweet boy."
my mother kissed on my cheek as she put down my meal on the table.
"eh…. thanks mom…?"
I was now confused. My mother, while She wasn't tiger-mom level brutal, but she seems…. more gentle today….hm…. I feel as if I am forgetting something…. something very important…
"Hey Gale, when you are done with exams and school, can you take me to the mall? I am going out with my friends later."
My sister next to me asked, interrupting what I was thinking about.
"Sure, just leave me a message when you are done. I will pick you up when I am done."
I answered as I started digging into my breakfast.
Throughout the whole breakfast and as I was on the school bus heading to the school, I was unable to shake the feeling that I was missing something.
I arrived in the classroom, trying to think so hard, because I knew something was up. I feel that everything that is going on is just wrong. But I couldn't figure out what that was.
"Hello class. I hope you all are ready the test today, because this will reflect heavily on your college application. So, make sure to give your 100%."
The teacher came in with a bundle of exam papers in his hands.
It was , Revan Shan, the Science teacher who was married to our PE teacher, Bastila Shan.
He distributed everyone with the exam papers and the test began.
I tried to focus on the exam, but this bad feeling was ringing in my mind so badly. It became a very painful headache, I couldn't think about the answers for the questions.
"Is there something wrong, Gale? You don't look well." approached me in the middle of the exam.
"It's…alright . I am just having a headache."
"If you are feeling unwell, I can make an exception for you today, so you can retake the exam later this week."
"I will be al….
Then I saw a large shadow descending from the sky.
I stood up, in the middle of the exam, and peeped my head out of the window to have a better look at the sky.
"Holy f###."
That was all I could say.
It was the Reaper.
hundreds of the Reapers descending on Earth with their insidious red glowing beams started to devastate the whole City in a matter of seconds.
The closest beam hit a few kilometers away from the school, but the impact was strong enough to shake the whole school and shatter every glass window.
"Everybody run to safety!" shouted as he witnessed what was going on.
I ran to the classroom of middle-school years to find my sister. I got lucky as I met my sister on the way.
"Did you call mom and dad? they are not answering!"
"I am sure they are fine! There must be something blocking the signals!"
I answered my sister as we ran outside, looking for a safe place.
Even though I knew if the Reapers were real, no one, nowhere was safe from them.
We joined some group of students led by Mr & Mrs Shan, going through the streets to look for safe space. I saw from afar, people getting chased by the husks of alien races, people who were caught got impaled by the Dragon's teeth, turning them into another husks.
We managed to find a place relatively safe from what was happening outside in a subway station near the school area that was under construction. It was barred away from the public for safety, so we were able to hide there without too many people trying to hide here.
"Are we being invaded by aliens?"
"My parents are not answering my calls…."
"What are we gonna do? Where is the military? How did NASA miss all this coming from space?"
The students were rambling or crying in fear.
"Everyone, we need to keep it quiet, just in case those monsters can hear us. I am sure the national security and military are mobilizing right now to deal with the situation."
told the students to calm down.
I sat in the corner with my sister next to me.
Everything seemed so wrong. Nothing made sense. Why would Reaper invade the Earth when Humanity isn't even using Mass Effect technology or even exploring outside its own orbit at the moment.
Then…I remembered something. I remembered this particular exam and today's date.
I remembered the day I screwed up the markings on OMR cards on my math exam. My mom beat the shit out of me with the bamboo practice sword (Shinai) that day while my sister went out with her friends.
I finally realized that this is all just a very realistic illusion. It almost got me fooled, but I knew my mother loved me in her own ways, if not for her, how could I even notice that something was wrong here? Thanks mom, wherever you are in another universe or something. I will make you proud.
As I realized this is all an illusion, I started to remember more. The years of training on the Wellspring under master Revan came back to me. Also the task I was given as a test…. but I still didn't know what I was supposed to find.
I stood up and stared at . He was doing his best to keep the crowd controlled.
I remembered I had a different teacher when I was in highschool. I remembered Master Revan. Whatever that made this illusion made an error that helped me figure out what was going on.
It felt painful to leave my sister but I knew she wasn't real. I had to leave this place to complete my task given by my master. I couldn't fail my first test. I cannot disappoint master Revan after everything he had done for me.
As I was about leave the station, called me out.
"What do you think you are doing, Gale? This is a safe place from the monsters. Don't go out there." Whatever that was wearing the image of Master Revan, spoke to me in a very gentle and attractive voice.
"I am leaving , for you are not real. All of this is not real. It is just an illusion. I will not be controlled and fooled no longer!" I declared with power resonating in my voice. The Force sang in joy in agreement.
"Are you sure that is a good idea? I am sure your parents will be safe and all will go back to normal when the military arrives." pleaded with desperation. Everyone in the station, including the thing that looked like my sister, all stared at me. It was clear that whatever causing this illusion was hellbent to keep me trapped here.
"You may have seen my past and the fear of the Reapers but it wasn't complete. Your illusions were flawed and incomplete. You have no power over me, whatever you are. I can feel your deception through the Force."
"So….you have chosen… Death!"
Suddenly, 's face turned pale, that of a Sith who fell to the Dark side of the Force. It was the face of Darth Revan. the Dark Revan who was separated from the Light. Others, and my sister began transforming into husks. It was an extremely traumatizing sight, seeing my family turning into a husk. But, thanks to years of Jedi training, I was able to calmly defend myself as Darth Revan jumped at me with his two red lightsabers.
Since I didn't have any light saber, I relied on the precognitive power of the Force to avoid his strikes and avoid getting caught or jumped by the husks.
I was initially overwhelmed by its unusually aggressive lightsaber form, which looks to be some bastardized form of Ataru. But, after careful and quick observation, I realized that this Darth Revan was just a poor imitation of my master. Not even capable of a fraction of what he can do with his lightsaber. I managed to dodge easily and kick one of its sabers off its hand and took it in my hand.
With a lightsaber in my hand, I quickly eliminated the husks first, even cutting down the husk that once wore the image of my sister.
Soon, it was the fake Darth Revan and I left in the unfinished subway station. When I was finished with the husks, Darth Revan now had his iconic mask on.
We circled around, measuring ourselves, anticipating every move.
Then, he first broke the silence and threw his saber.
I deflected easily but I was struck by a painful lightening that came out of his hand.
I couldn't stop but to scream in pain as a powerful stream of Sith lightning struck me.
"I gave you a chance to be with, and die with your family…. willingly…. but you have elected… the way of pain!"
I felt great pain that I never experienced before as the lightning powered by the dark side of the Force flowed through my body, it felt as if it violently tore through every nerve.
When the lightning stopped, I tried to get back up, even though my nerves weren't listening properly to my command. Then, we were suddenly no longer in the station, but on top of a skyscraper that wasn't touched by the Reapers.
I could see all the destruction unleashed by the Reapers.
The whole world was burning. Turning its people into mindless husks.
"Do you see now? You have no power here, young Jedi. You must embrace the new reality. I can stop all this if you were to just give up. I can bring back all your family, all your friends, and live your life in peace. You can go back to the way things were."
The image of Darth Revan spoke in a soft voice, whispering into my ear.
"There is only one reality…"
I answered.
"What? Will you repeat what you've just said?" it asked as my voice was too faint.
"There is only one reality and yours certainly is not the one!"
I ignited the red lightsaber at such speed as I turned around, and swung it right across its body, from top of his head to the bottom of his torso.
The fake shadow of my master's darker self perished and fell on the ground.
Its dead body soon faded into dust and blown away in the wind, leaving no trace of its existence.
I was taking a short break on the top of the building, thinking of what I should do next. The lightning certainly took a toll on me as I still could feel the sore all over my body.
As I was meditating to recover and figure out how to escape this world of illusion, I felt not the smell of burned corpses or blood in the atmosphere, but a fresh air blowing in a strange direction.
I noticed a hole with a blinding light, just hovering in the mid-air that was out of place in this world. It just appeared right behind me.
So, as I thought to myself that this must be the exit, I was quick to jump into it without turning back. I was so done with this fake reality, for many good reasons.
As I went through the light, I found myself in the cave once again. However, I was no longer surrounded by the darkness.
It was an incredible sight that came to my eyes.
It was a large, open chamber of the cave system, full of shining crystals with all kinds of color. Each crystal resonated and sang in the Force in harmony.
It was the most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed. At least in my life so far.
I now knew what I was supposed to find. A crystal or two, that will be used as my lightsaber core. I was sent here to get this crystal to build my own lightsaber!
I searched the chamber of crystals to find the ones that were right for me, but there were just too many of them. So I sat down, and meditated. Looking for guidance in the Force, to reach out to the crystal that resonated with my presence in the Force.
After a while, I finally felt a large crystal resonating with my presence. Hiding deep inside of a large crystal ore cluster.
I focused my power to pull it out, without damaging the other crystals.
Once it was pulled out, it flew on its own and landed on top of my palm.
It was actually two crystals that hooked on to each other, making it look a lot bigger. They were Purple and Green.
With the two crystals in my hand, I decided that it was time to leave this place. I didn't know how long it was but it certainly felt very long while I was trapped in that illusion.
It didn't take too long to find my way up and find the exit. When I came out, I found master Revan, sitting patiently as he meditated by the entrance of the cave.
"Master! I have found it! Here, look!"
I was very eager to show my master these unusual crystals.
"Ah, welcome back, my young padawan. You certainly took your time. It wasn't unexpected but I am glad that you were successful anyway."
As master Revan complimented me about my successful result, he carefully observed at my crystals.
"Two crystals, not unexpected as you are my padawan, but their shape is certainly a peculiar one. Also, I do not recognize what type of crystal this is, but they certainly are more powerful than regular Adegan crystals, which is rather normal considering that we are in the birthplace of Midi-Chlorians, in the center of the galaxy."
Master Revan handed the crystals back into my hand.
"Keep them well for now, and try to meditate and establish connection with the crystals. Once you are well rested and find harmony with those crystals, we will construct your own lightsabers."
"Yes! finally!"
Master smiled at me as I jumped and yelled with a childish joy from the fact that I am finally getting my new lightsaber after six years of training.
Thank you for everyone who read my work! Feel free to leave review and let me know what you think!
I am very open to healthy criticism that will help me improve my writings and building more solid and enjoyable plot!
There will be many talks about the nature of the Force, some elements that I didn't really understand after research I just improvise and will be using my own interpretation of the Force, the Light and the Dark sides and how it is going to be implicated in the Mass Effect series.