Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.
Let's get to it.
SnitchPogi12B: Yeah, sometimes I just mix up times. Thanks for the correction. As for your question about Hamas, yes, Hamas has been dealt with in this timeline. I won't get into it much, but I may mention the state of the Israel-Palestine issue in this timeline at some point in this story. Maybe when Ben and Rey return to Earth.
Chapter 58- The Redeemed
Ben looks up at the sky overhead. Despite the passage of time, it seems like the sky in this area of Mortis is perpetually dark.
After he appeared to them at the monastery, the spirit of Revan had led Ben and Rey from the monastery to a far region of Mortis. The two had asked Revan where he was taking them, but the ancient Jedi had remained mostly quiet and not given them an answer.
Now, they are approaching a small rocky hill. In front of it, they can see what looks like a volcanic fissure, with orange-red light pouring out of the ground. Revan strides towards the fissure and stops before it, where he turns back to face his two students.
"Come here, young Jedi. It is time for you to learn the principles that redemption can teach you," Revan says.
"What is this place?" Ben asks.
"This is the region of Mortis where the Son had his personal fortress. It is where the dark side is strong on Mortis. And in this fissure is what is known as the Well of the Dark Side, the spot where the entire dark side of the Force is channeled," Revan says. He pauses, then says, "Within the well itself, the dark side of the Force is so strong that even your grandfather, young Skywalker, was deceived by the Son and temporarily turned to the dark side before the Father erased his memory to turn him back to the light. We will not descend into it, but it is here that you will learn some valuable lessons."
"What do you have to teach us, lord Revan?" Ben asks.
"What do you know of my story?" Revan asks in return.
"You were once a Jedi in the days of the Old Republic, and led the Republic to victory in the Mandalorian Wars. You were then turned to the dark side and became the Dark Lord of the Sith, before your memory was wiped and you returned to the Jedi. You devoted your life to trying to destroy the Sith Emperor, and eventually helped in his final defeat. But the records of that period of your life are hazy," Ben says.
"You have the general idea," Revan says, a slight smile on his face. He pauses for a moment before he continues, "My path in the Force changed several times in my life. But, ultimately, I always returned to the light. Through my redemption, I learned several lessons, and gained the benefit of seeing the Force from all sides."
Revan pauses, clasping his hands behind his back before he says, "I am here to teach you some of those lessons, and perhaps give you some hope for your cousin. But I am not here to teach you on my own. There are others who have learned these lessons I have. They did not learn in life how to manifest their spirits to most, but here on Mortis, they can."
As Revan finishes speaking, two more spirits begin to take shape, one on either side of Revan. As the spirits become clear, Ben and Rey see that one of them looks like a Sith pureblood, and the second is a human man, dressed in some kind of regal outfit, and with the left side of his face heavily scarred.
"Allow me to introduce my two companions in instructing you," Revan says. He gestures to the human, who is on his right, and says, "This is Arcann. The son of Valkorion and once the Emperor of the Eternal Empire, who turned to the light to stop his family's reign of terror over the galaxy."
"Welcome to Mortis, young Jedi," Arcann says.
Revan then looks at the other spirit alongside him. "And this is Praven, the only Sith pureblood ever to become a Jedi Knight," Revan introduces the ghost. Praven bows his head in respect to the two.
Ben and Rey are in awe at the three spirits before them. Revan smiles slightly in amusement before he says, "Come, sit. We have much to discuss." It's then that Ben and Rey see there's a small campfire a few feet away, with large stones for them to sit on set up around the fire.
Ben and Rey move over to the fire and take a seat as Revan, Arcann, and Praven also gather around the fire.
Revan once again speaks up. "Like me, this two were redeemed from the dark side and ended their lives serving the light. Like me, they have seen the true power of light over darkness," Revan says as he sits down across the fire from the two.
Arcann then takes a step forward and speaks up, "From the moment I was born, I was taught the dark side. The being who fathered was the most powerful dark side user to ever exist. I was raised as his right hand, and eventually slew my father to take the Eternal Throne."
"I had a twin brother…Thexan," Arcann continues, pausing as he says this. Grief is evident on his face for a moment before he continues, "Despite our upbringing, he always aligned far more with the light side of the Force than the dark side. And despite my father's identity, he always seemed to prefer my brother, and he was always the favorite of our people. I was jealous of my brother despite my love for him, as I desired our father's approval greatly at that time, for I did not yet realize the kind of man he was. In a fit of rage, I lost control and slew my brother."
Silence reigns for a few moments before Rey asks, "You killed your brother?"
"Yes. The dark side had consumed me so much that I attacked him. Unprepared for such an attack, my brother could not defend himself, and I slew him before I could gain control of myself," Arcann responds.
"Why did this happen?" Ben asks.
"My rage began as rage towards my father. When my brother attempted to stop me from killing our father, my rage was turned against him," Arcann says. He pauses for a moment, then continues, "At the time, I thought to myself that it happened simply because my rage for my father was so intense that when my brother stopped me, my rage immediately refocused on him before I could calm myself. But, as time has passed since then, I have begun to think that perhaps there was more to it."
"Deep in my heart, despite how much I loved my brother, I believe that I was intensely jealous of him. I had devoted myself to following our father's training and becoming the ultimate commander of his armies. I had followed his instruction in the dark side and devoted myself to it. And yet, Thexan was always stronger than me. Always more loved by our people. And always had our father's approval more than me. I could not understand how this could be when he preferred to stay within the light as much as he could. I was certain that the dark side was stronger, and I could not understand how I seemed to be the weaker one."
Arcann pauses again, then continues, "I allowed that jealousy to control me. Even after my brother died by my hand, I remained intent on showing my strength and proving the dark side's strength. Even after I dethroned my father, I held onto this. It was not until I was defeated in battle and then rescued by my mother that I realized the error of my ways. I had shunned her for so long, as I was so corrupted by my father. But, at last, in the midst of my defeat and the collapse of all that I knew, my mother reached me. And at last, I was able to shake off the chains of the dark side and dedicate myself to undoing the harm my father had inflicted on the galaxy."
Arcann looks at the two young Jedi before continuing, "I believe your cousin suffers from the same belief. He has convinced himself, because of the legacy of Darth Vader, that the dark side is stronger than the light. Ultimately, that is what keeps people within the dark. Everyone who has served the dark side does so because they believe it to be stronger than the light. While their individual motivations have been many and varied, all of the great dark side wielders have done so because they believe that the dark side holds true power. Even in defeat, those who wield the dark side can convince themselves that their opponents simply got lucky. If this belief cannot be broken, one will forever be a slave to the dark side."
Ben and Rey are quiet for a few moments before Ben says, "So, do you think we could bring my cousin back to the light side if we could find a way to break that belief?"
"Yes." However, it is not Arcann that answers, but Praven. The Sith pureblood steps forward a bit before he continues to speak to the young Jedi, "Once that belief is broken, almost anyone can be brought to the light."
Praven pauses before he continues, "During my lifetime, I was born and raised to become a Sith Lord in the Sith Empire. Like Arcann, I was immersed in the dark side from my birth. Since I was young, I was taught a strong sense of honor by my parents and my first instructors. At the time, I was taught this so that I would be devoted to the Sith Empire, and so that the armies I led into battle would be fiercely loyal to me. For many years of my life, my entire mind and life was dedicated to the Sith Empire. Bringing about the Empire's dominance over the galaxy was my sole purpose in life."
"But that all changed when I met Anjar, the one that history calls the Hero of Tython. When I was ordered to destroy Tatooine, I was stopped by Anjar. Despite my master's orders to destroy him and the planet, I refused. I believed it would be dishonorable, and I had grown disillusioned with my master's actions by that time, as I saw them as violating the code of honor I had set for myself that I believed was the strongest tool of a warrior. In my pride and sense of honor, I believed I needed to challenge him to single combat, and so I did. But when he defeated me, he refused to kill me, instead offering me a place in the Jedi and the chance to redeem myself."
"I could not understand how he was so much more powerful than me, yet chose to let me live. After consideration, I left the Empire behind and sought out the Jedi. To my further surprise, not only did they not imprison me for my actions as a Sith Lord, they accepted me as a Padawan. I trained as a Jedi and fought in the Galactic War, forsaking my life as a Sith and spending the rest of my life trying to atone for my actions as a Sith Lord."
"So, it was the mercy of Anjar that broke that belief for you?" Ben asks.
"Ultimately, yes. I had always thought that the dark side was stronger. And yes, it was humiliating at the time to lose as badly as I did against Anjar. But for him to immediately spare my life and instead offer me a place in the Jedi…it showed an incredible sense of honor. And so important was a sense of honor to me, that I finally began to believe that perhaps the light side was truly stronger than the dark. And that first step is the hardest step that one must take. As I learned under the Jedi, I learned to let go of my hate and anger, and embrace compassion and benevolence," Praven says in answer.
Ben and Rey sit there in silence, pondering over what Arcann and Praven have told them. Perhaps, if they can find a way to show Kylo Ren the true nature and power of the light side, maybe they have a chance at turning him back to the light. Of course, finding that way will be a very hard task.
Revan now speaks up again and says, "You have studied the lives and teachings of some of the strongest Sith Lords of history, and you defeated Exar Kun. You have learned that the dark side had incredible power, and individuals who have mastered it are capable of incredible things. But those who have dedicated themselves to the dark side cannot comprehend the nature of the light side, nor the strength that it can give. But those who have mastered the light side can yet understand the dark side, even if they do not partake in its power."
"When I lost my memory, and was returned to my life as a Jedi, I had forgotten all that I had learned as Dark Lord of the Sith. But it was after my memories began to return that I truly began to progress. Had I duelled my former apprentice in Darth Malak when I first returned to the Jedi, I may have lost. But it was as I regained my memories of the dark side, and was able to see all the flaws of the thinking of the Sith, and where the light side was truly stronger than the dark side."
"Your strength over the First Order, and over Kylo Ren, is your strength in the light side coupled with the understanding you have gained of the dark. And if you cannot find a way to break his belief in the strength of the dark side, you must do what is necessary for the survival of the Jedi and the galaxy. And we are going to finish your training here on Mortis and prepare you. You have learned the secrets of the light side under Jedi masters of old. But now, we will finish your training, and do our part to prepare you for the fight of your lives." Revan smiles slightly as he says, "Are you ready to begin the final phase of your training?"
"Yes, Lord Revan," Ben says, Rey echoing him a second later.
"Good. Then let's get started," Revan says with a smile.
And, I'll end the chapter there. I hope you liked it
So, obviously, I wasn't going to have this just be entirely about the light side. I had to feature the dark side in some way. But, I wasn't going to have them learn under Sith spirits. So, I decided, in addition to Revan, I was going to have them learn under the spirits of individuals who were famous for what they did in the dark side, but eventually turned to the light side. There weren't a ton I could think of, although I didn't want a ton. So, I decided to stick with three teachers including Revan.
For those who don't know who the other two are: Arcann was one of the sons of Valkorion, and at one point took control of the Eternal Empire and the galaxy before his mother turned him to the light and he helped defeat his father. Then, Praven is, as I said, the only known Sith pureblood to ever become a Jedi Knight (as far as I've seen in my research). So, I decided on them. I also considered Darth Marr, as he came back as a Force ghost to help defeat Valkorion and was very honorable for a Sith, and also considered Kreia/Darth Traya, but I felt that neither one of them exactly fit the bill for what I was looking for. I also considered Ajunta Pall, but ended up deciding against it.
Alright. Next chapter will wrap up the Mortis arc, and also something else I've been building to. It should be up soon. Until it is, please leave a review, and stay tuned!