Knights of the Old Republic: The Dark Times

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

*Note: This is essentially a KOTOR III fan-fiction, and is in no way the canon story of KOTOR III if it ever actually comes out.*

Star Wars

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Knights of the Old Republic: The Dark Times

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Chapter 1

"At last....finally, my day has come! I've never felt more excited!"
Erlost Starhero has never felt more ecstatic before in his life. He was finally ready to take the trials to become a Jedi Knight, and he couldn't be any happier. It was quite obvious from his long strides. The sounds of his boots echoed against the temple walls as he walked. His lightsaber hilt bumbed against his thigh each time he took a step. His dark brown hair was cut extremely short, and the only long part of his hair was the padawan braid that draped over his right shoulder. He wore a black jumpsuit with a white robe that served as a long, hooded sleeveless tunic, which never seemed to get in his way.
He kept his uniform especially neat today, since he knew today was the day of his knighting. Before he would take the trials, he had to go to the Jedi Council for some reason. He felt extremely excited, not only because he was going to be knighted, but also because the council was calling him in. He knew Jedi were supposed to be humble, but he couldn't help but feel like he was going to be exalted for some reason.
And now he stood in front of the door to the council chambers. He took in a deep breath, then finally opened the door to the chambers. He stepped inside the chambers, and stood in the center of the room. There were thirteen masters, each of them either alien or human. However, they all had one thing in common: They all had extremely serious faces, which made Erlost a little nervous.
"Do you know why we've called you here?" One of the male human masters asked.
Erlost looked at the master who spoke to him and replied, "No, Master Zannik, I'm afraid I do not."
"We have called you here because we have a mission for you, Padawan." Master Kelta, a female Zabrak, replied.
Erlost was a little bit surprised, but did his best from making it too obvious. He looked at Kelta and raised his eyebrow slightly. "A mission, master?"
"Yes, padawan. Master Truyo will explain."
Master Truyo was the council member in charge of handing out assignments to Jedi Guardian apprentices. Whenever Erlost would recieve an assignment, it would be from him. He was a wise Togruta Jedi Master, and he could have been a Jedi Grand Master if he had wanted to be. However, he instead sacrificed the position to Master Kruto, a human Jedi Master. Kruto was definitely not one of Erlost's favorite masters. He was always so stiff and gruff; it made him wonder if the man was even human. Erlost looked to Truyo without hesitation, and awaited his debriefing.
"Well Erlost," Truyo began. "As you know, today is the day you become a Jedi Knight. Or at least it was, anyways. We're putting you're knighting on hold until tomorrow."
Before Erlost could interject, Truyo put his hand up to signal that he was not finished speaking.
"As I was saying, your knighting is being put off until tomorrow because of this mission. You see, you have been making unquestionable progress, and we are rather impressed. But as you know, we need to be sure you're ready to become a Jedi Knight. The trials aren't always sufficient, plus this mission is something myself and the council believe you should attend to. We're sending you to Nar Shadda on a search and save mission. You see, for the past few months, Republic citizens and Jedi alike have been disappearing there, and we want you to find out what is causing these disappearances."
"Very well, master," Erlost replied. "How shall I proceed?"
"Ask questions, young one. I'd suggest you start with the Hutts. More than likely they're capturing Republic loyalists to put up a randsom of some kind."
Erlost didn't need the Force to tell him that wasn't right. The Hutts wouldn't capture Republic citizens or Jedi; it would be foolish of them to get the Jedi involved.
"There's something you're not telling me, master..."
"Perhaps there is," Truyo leaned back in his seat and smiled a little bit. "But that will be for you to find out, now won't it? Once you find out what the situation is, I want you to contact the Jedi Temple immediately before proceeding. Do you understand?"
"Yes master," Erlost said as he gave the council a respectful bow. "I shall leave at once."
"Then may the Force be with you, padawan."
And with that, Erlost left the council chambers. Now he could truly feel the blood rushing through his veins.

Chapter 2 will be posted tomorrow.

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

Chapter II

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"Sir, we're entering Nar Shadda's atmosphere."
"Thank you, C4-3R. Land on that docking bay over there."
C4-3R was built by Erlost, and probably one of his most trusted companions. He built this droid himself to fly him to and from his missions, but he also proved to be an excellent traveling companion. He programmed him with his own personality, so that way he wasn't one of those annoying droids who stuck to a daily routine. He was a protocol droid, a pilot, and a great traveling companion all rolled into one magnificent machine. He found droids to be more trustworthy than other organic species, since droids don't betray the people who created them unless instructed to do so. He looked at the chrono band on his wrist to check the time. It was nearly noon...more than enough time to finish his mission.
"We have landed, master. Good luck on your mission."
"Thanks C4," Erlost replied. "Keep the engine warm, and try not to wreck the place while I'm gone."
Erlost smiled slightly and got out of his seat. He walked out of the shuttle, and took in a deep breath of air. The air on Nar Shadda was anything but fresh. It was poluted with speeder emmissions, and it was absolutely sickening. However, Erlost would just have to deal with it until he could leave the planet. But the air polution wasn't the only thing that bothered him...no, it was something else. Something more ominous and elusive. He hadn't sensed anything like it before...it was actually frightening. However, he shook the feeling off and continued onwards. He walked around the shuttle until he was finally facing the walkway that would lead into the main docking area. No sooner had he started down the walkway was he approached by a Toydarian dock master. He shook his head slightly and gave the Toydarian dock master a friendly smile. The last thing he wanted was trouble at the moment.
"Outlander! Your ship isn't scheduled to dock here. What are you doing here?"
"I'm on a mission for the Jedi Council. So if you could just let me pass I'll be on my way. I wish you no trouble."
"The Jedi Order, eh? Sorry kid, but the Republic don't have any authority here. Now get out of here, before I send the security guards after you!"
"Hm...I see. Hold on a second..."
Erlost took a pouch off his belt, and opened it up. He had at least two hundered credits on him at the moment...hopefully that would be enough to satisfy the Toydarian.
"Would you change your mind if I were to offer you one hundered credits?"
"Bribery, is it? Hmmm...make it two hundered, and you've got a deal."
"You've got it."
Erlost smiled and took the credit chip out of his pouch then handed it to the Toydarian. He greedily stored the chip in a pouch on his belt, then gave Erlost a toothy grin. His wings seemed to flap faster in excitement, and Erlost couldn't help but smile a little bit himself. At least now this mission became slightly easier.
"While I'm here," Erlost started. "Mind if I ask you a few questions?"
"Fine kid, shoot. But I'm on a tight schedule, so make it quick."
"Don't worry kind sir, this won't take too long. The Jedi Council has sent me here to investigate some recent disappearences. Jedi and Republic citizens have gone missing here for the past few months, and I need to find out who is doing this and why. Would you happen to know anything about this?"
"Yes, I do. But I don't think it's very important...I'll tell you anyways. Yeah, Republic citizens and Jedi have been going missing here for a while. I don't know much about it, though..."
Erlost noticed the Toydarian roll his eyes when he finished talking. It would seem the Toydairan wanted some credits to refresh his memory. Unfortunately for the Toydarian, Erlost was out of credits at the moment, so it would seem he'd have to resort to the Jedi card. Erlost grabbed the lightsaber hanging from his belt, but did not unclip it.
"I think you do know, kind sir."
As Erlost spoke, he allowed his eyes to trail down to his lightsaber so the Toydarian would get the message. The Toydarian hovered backwards a few inches as soon as he saw Erlost grab his lightsaber hilt.
"Er...now that I think of it, I might know a little bit more. Ya didn't hear it from me, but I've heard that the people y'er talking about have been going missing around a nearby Hutt enclave."
"Hm...I see. Would you mind giving me directions to this enclave?"
"Eh, sure kid." The Toydarian pointed away from the platform. He was pointing at a tall building west from their position. "See that skyscraper right there? That's the Hutt's enclave. There's a landing platform on the northside of the building...hey kid, are you even listening to me?"
Erlost had heard only half of what he said. He was staring at the skyscraper, not because of it's size, but because of something else. It radiated with a dark power...something was wrong. Whatever was the source of this aura was certainly the cause of these disapearances.
"Hey kid, are you alright?"
"Huh...oh yeah, I'm fine. Just zoned out for a minute there...thanks for the help."
Erlost turned to the Toydarian and gave him a respectful bow, then turned around to his shuttle. As he walked around the shuttle, he could hear the flapping of the Toydarian's wings slowly fading away until he was finally inside his shuttle. C4 looked at Erlost, and immediately began questioning him.
"Master, back so soon? Is your mission over already?"
Erlost sat down in his seat and sighed slightly as he took a comlink off his belt. "Heh...I wish buddy, but it's not over yet. There's a large skyscraper west from here...we need to head for it. There's a landing pad on the northside of the building where we can land."
"Very well master. We'll get there in no time."
Marrek chuckled slightly before he replied. "I'm sure we will, old friend..."
The shuttle quickly lifted off the ground, and headed west towards the skyscraper. As they headed towards it, Marrek tried to send a transmission to the Jedi Temple, but only recieved static. Their communications were being jammed by someone. Whoever was doing this must have known he was coming ahead of time. He let out an irritated sigh then put the comlink back on his belt. After a few short minutes, the shuttle touched down on the skyscraper's landing pad. Erlost took a deep breath, then walked out of the shuttle. As soon as he stepped outside, a shiver was sent running down his spine. He actually started to think twice about this, but he couldn't turn back. He had to move forward, and that's just what he did. Now that he was nearing the entrance, he noticed that there was a dead body lying there, and the door was open. Something was definitely amyss here, but he didn't know what. He walked inside, and after only a few minutes of walking did he begin to see more dead bodies and droid remains. It felt...cold in the building, as if death itself had moved in. He could sense very few alive in the building...barely anyone was left alive. Those who were alive were in the process of dying, moaning in pain and suffering. Erlost only wished there was something he could do, but he couldn't save people from death. No Jedi knew how, not even the wisest of the Jedi masters did. He truly did feel sorry for them, but there was nothing he could do. All he could do was continue onward.
He continued onward until he reached an elevator. He assumed that the Hutt's chambers would be at the top level of the building. These Hutts did love being on top, after all. He opened the elevator door, and it quickly closed behind him. He pressed a key, and the screen read "top floor." Erlost had no doubt this would take a while, so he took the time to prepare himself for what may come. Whoever, or whatever, carried out the massacre in this building must still be inside, and he had no doubt he'd have to face the attacker eventually.
Only a few minutes had passed when the elevator reached the top floor. The door elevator door opened up in front of him, and he quickly walked out. He could sense only one person alive in the room...no, he sensed two. The Hutt must have still been alive if that was the case. As he made his way to the Hutt's chamber, he saw even more dead bodies along the way. It was a fairly narrow hallway he was walking down, and given the amount of bodies he saw he had to step over a couple of them. Once he stepped inside the dimly lit Hutt's chamber, he could make out a large shadow at the end of the room. That must have been the Hutt, but the shadow wasn't moving.
"Err...sir?" Erlost started as he slowly walked inside the dimly lit room. "Are you alright? I'm a Jedi sent here on behalf of the Jedi Council to investigate some disappearances around here...uh....are you alright?"
Once he was standing right in front of the Hutt, the lights flashed on and Erlost could see the Hutt was not alright. He was dead! He could hardly believe his eyes...Hutts could live for hundreds of years, and yet here was a dead one. He leapt on top of the large platform the Hutt would use for a throne, and examined the body more closely. He saw that the body had several burns and cuts that could only be caused by one thing: a lightsaber. A Dark Jedi's hand was at work here, and he could sense that the killer was still in the building. But aside from that, he could sense someone watching him from a distance. He summoned his lightsaber to his hand, then executed a Force-back flip that sent him soaring almost all the way to the back of the room. As soon as he landed, he activated the aqua blue blade and turned to face his spy. Once his lightsaber was pointed at his spy, she immediately begged for mercy.
"P-Please don't hurt me! I'm just a slave, I have no value! Please spare me, I'll do anything you want!"
Erlost could tell from the female Twi'lek's attire that she was indeed a slave. She looked to be no younger than seventeen, only two years younger than he was. She had a yellow complexion, and it was almost a pale yellow since she was obviously scared.
"I'm sorry miss," Erlost said as he deactivated his lightsaber. He held out his hand to help her up from her crouched position on the floor, and she timidly reached out and took it. "I thought you were the one who slaughtered everyone in this building. You can't be too careful, after all. Mind telling me what your name is?"
"My name is Talia, and you have nothing to apologize for," She said as she dusted herself off. "I shouldn't have been spying on you. It was rude of me, master Jedi."
"Heh...I'm not a Jedi master, I'm just a padawan. I hope I didn't scare you too much," Erlost said apologetically. Even though she obviously wasn't the one who killed everyone, he could still sense the killer nearby, so he wasn't going to put his lightsaber on his belt quite just yet. "My name is Erlost Starhero, by the way. I'm on a mission for the Jedi Council; I'm investigating some disappearances that have been happening near this building. I had thought that your deceased master over there was the cause of it, but given the fact that he's now dead I'd say he wasn't. You wouldn't happen to know who's responsible for both the slaughter and the disappearances, would you?"
"Actually, I do," Talia said in a very cautious voice. "A few months ago this mysterious man came here. He acted as if he were insane...but my master hired him anyways."
"Hired him?" Erlost asked. "Hired him for what?"
"Well...you see, my master...er, dead master that is, was running a big smuggling operation. He stole weapons from the Republic and sold them on the black market. He hired the man to eliminate any Jedi or Republic officers who might be snooping around here, so his smuggling operation wouldn't be discovered."
"Eliminating Jedi...the only people capable of doing that in this galaxy are Dark Jedi...no mere Bounty Hunter can."
Almost as soon as Erlost completed his thought, he asked her another question. "The man he hired, what did he look like? What was his attire, what kind of weapons did he carry?"
By the expression on Talia's face, it was obvious she didn't see the significance of this question. However, she answered it anyways. "Uh...no one has ever really seen his face, well, his entire face anyways. He always wore this kind of...face covering that covered his mouth, but still allowed him to talk. He usually wore this kind of red and black jumpsuit, and he always had a hood on. He also carried a lightsaber with him...why? Does it matter?"
"Yeah...it matters a lot more than you think. The man your master hired was a Dark Jedi. They're very dangerous, especially the ones who have mastered the Darkside. I don't think I'd be a match for him if he's able to kill Jedi, so we have to get out of here now."
"Oh, it's a little too late for that, Jedi."
As soon as Erlost heard the voice coming from behind him, he swiftly activated his lightsaber and spun around, entering the opening Ataru stance. The man he saw was indeed a Dark Jedi...he could tell by the look in his eyes. However, he not only sensed the Darkside within him, but he could also sense some sort of insanity radiating off of him. That wasn't good...insanity and a Dark Jedi were not a good combination.
"Awww...look at this," The Dark Jedi said in a mocking tone. "The little Jedi weakling has made friends with the little slave girl. Too bad this friendship has to be torn apart so quickly."
"Quiet, darksider!" Erlost exclaimed in a stern tone. "You can't provoke me into anger. Now tell me who you are, and why you've slaughtered everyone in this building."
The Dark Jedi let out and insane laugh, and slowly walked towards the two of them. "Oh...you want to know my name, do you? Sadly I can't tell you that, but I can tell you this: I slaughtered everyone in this building to lure you here, Jedi! My masters want you dead, and I'm going to fulfill their wish!"
"Your masters?" Erlost asked curiously. "Who are they? And why do they want me dead?"
The Dark Jedi let out another insane laugh then stopped walking roughly three feet away from Erlost. "Oh, you'd just love to know that, wouldn't you Jedi? Heh heh, maybe I'll tell you...as you draw your last breath!"
And with that, the Dark Jedi activated his lightsaber, and brought it down in a vertical strike for Erlost's head. Suddenly, red and aqua blue clahsed against one another, competing for control. Erlost looked over his shoulder for a brief moment, giving Talia a stern look.
"Get out of here, quickly! My ship is waiting outside. Tell the pilot droid to prep the ship for take off! I'll be down there soon."
"But-"
"Just go!" Erlost ordered as he pushed back against his attacker. "I'll be fine!"
Even though he could sense she didn't want to, Talia complied and quickly ran out of the room. Once Erlost was sure she was gone, he focused all of his energy on defeating the Dark Jedi.
"Alright scum, you wanna fight? I'll give you the fight of your life!"
He took one hand off of his lightsaber, then sent the most powerful Force push he could conjure up at the Dark Jedi, sending him flying backwards a good five feet. Once the Dark Jedi was on the ground, Erlost quickly Force-leapt into the air, propelling himself in his opponent's direction. As soon as he landed, he brought his lightsaber down in a vertical strike to split his attacker in half, but the Dark Jedi had already rolled out of the way. Once he withdrew his lightsaber from the ground, he could sense the Dark Jedi swinging at his side. Without enough time to block it, he quickly rolled out of the way from his ducking position. Once he stopped rolling, he quickly turned around, and Force-flipped forwards. He held the lightsaber above his head, and as he came back down into his landing, he brought the lightsaber down at his opponent. Red clashed against blue for a brief moment, then ceased. From his crouching position, he used the recoil of his attack to launch himself forward into a powerful stab aimed for his opponent's stomach, but his blade was pushed to the side by his opponent. He used the Force to give him a quick burst of speed as he used the momentum to turn into a 360 degree spin to slash at his enemy's side. However, the Dark Jedi used the Force to give him his own burst of speed to avoid the attack. He ducked out of the way, quickly avoiding the attack. As he ducked, he spun around to deal an attack to Erlost's legs. However, he avoided this attack as well.
Erlost gave himself another burst of speed, then executed a quick Force Jump that allowed him to avoid the swing to his legs. As soon as he was on the ground, he unleashed a flurry of attacks fueled by swift bursts of Force Speed at his opponent. His flurry of stabs, spinning attacks, and swings forced his opponent into a wall. Even though his opponent was cornered, he still had the power to defend himself. As Erlost's last attack came at him, they entered a saber lock. Sparks flew in every which direction as they pushed back and forth at each other, either one of them trying to gain the advantage over the other.
"I'm better than you thought, aren't I, darksider?"
"Heh...you are a good fighter, yes," The Dark Jedi said in a confident, yet deranged voice. Erlost could sense him tapping into the darkside to gain more strength, and it was working too. The Dark Jedi was starting to push Erlost back. "You can't beat me Jedi. You're too weak!"
Before Erlost even knew what hit him, he was sent flying back into a wall by a massive Force Push. He groaned as he was slammed into the wall, but that wouldn't stop him from fighting. However, if he was going to launch a counter attack he'd have to do it quickly, because he could see the Dark Jedi jumping at him to finish the fight off. He was just about to send a Force Push at him, when out of the corner of his eye he noticed a droid torso lying on the ground. He reached out with the Force to the torso, and flung it at his airborne opponent. The Dark Jedi was sent hurling to the ground, but Erlost knew this fight was far from over. He quickly got to his feet, used Force Speed to quickly run out of the room, and down the hallway he came from. He had no doubt that Talia was already on the first floor by now. However, he didn't have time to wait for the elevator to arrive, so he'd have to do something a little...extreme. He was just glad he was wearing dueling gloves, otherwise the feat he was just about to perform would give him a very bad rope burn.
As soon as he was standing before the elevator door, he plunged his lightsaber into the door and began to twist and turn it. He needed to open the door before the Dark Jedi could find him.
"Nice try, Jedi!" The Dark Jedi shouted out from behind him. "But you can't get away from me!"
"And speaking of the Sith spirit..." Erlost whispered to himself.
He started to twist the blade faster and faster, until finally the door opened up. He quickly deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt, then jumped down the elevator shaft. He grabbed onto the elevator rope cable just before he was about to free-fall, and started to quickly slide down it. The wind whipped past him, making his robes flap as he quickly descended the cable. When he looked up, he could hardly believe what he saw: The Dark Jedi was flying!
"You can use Force Flight?!" Erlost exclaimed in surprise. "Your masters truly have taught you well."
"You truly have no idea, Jedi!"
Just then, his opponent launched a storm of Force Lightning at him. Again, Erlost would have to act quickly in order to survive. He gripped the rope tighter, and came to a stop in a matter of seconds. This caused him to swing back and forth, which is what he had intended in the first place. He quickly released the chord, and flung himself at a nearby wall with the Force, just barely avoiding the attack. As soon as his feet hit the wall, he executed a back flip and landed on the opposite wall. As soon as his feet touched the wall, he launched himself directly at his attacker. He completely tackled the Dark Jedi, sending him slamming into a wall, then causing the both of them to go into a free fall. The scene quickly turned into a mid-air brawl. The kicks and punches were thrown between the two of them. Neither of them seemed to be landing a hit before Erlost decided to take control. He grabbed his opponent by his shoulders, then thrashed his own head into his. He managed to disorientate his opponent for a brief moment, and flipped him over in mid air so that he was now on top, instead of the Dark Jedi. He could see that they were quickly approaching the roof of the elevator box; this was Erlost's chance to disorientate his opponent further. He released his opponent, then used the Force to levitate in midair. He pulled both of his arms back, charging up his energy, then finally flung his arms forward, releasing the most powerful Force Push he had ever created. The power of the Force Push increased the speed of the Dark Jedi's descent, and sent him crashing into the roof of the elevator box, and Elrost soon followed behind him.
"There...that should buy me some time."
Elrost had landed on both feet, using the Force to cushion his landing just enough so he wouldn't get hurt. He knew for a fact that his opponent was still alive; his attack was never meant to be lethal. Just before his opponent crashed into the roof, he used the Jedi technique of Alter Damage to lessen the impact of his opponent's fall. However, he didn't want to wait for his new enemy to come to, so he had to work fast. He activated his lightsaber and plunged it into the elevator box, quickly rotating it in a full circle. Once the circle was complete, he kicked the area he plunged it in, and revealed the hole left behind. He quickly jumped into the elevator, and forced the door open with the Force. He quickly ran out into the hallway, running as fast as he could without aid from the Force. He didn't want to expend too much of his reserves of Force power, since he knew he'd need it later on. As he ran further, he started to see Talia. He couldn't help but smile a little bit when he saw her; it was nice to see a friendly face, especially when you were being chased by a madman. She must of heard him running behind her, because she looked over her shoulder and gave him a quick smile. However, that smile quickly faded away, and was replaced by a look of fear.
"Erlost, behind you!"
He looked behind him, and saw the Dark Jedi jumping at him. He stopped running, and quickly turned around to face him. He held his lightsaber above his head, and blocked the Dark Jedi's airborne attack. As soon as their blades made contact, Erlost spun backwards, flourishing his weapon as he went. He entered an Ataru stance yet again, taking in deep breaths as he stared down his opponent. The Dark Jedi took up a Juyo opening stance, and he too was taking in deep breath.
"Surrender now, darksider!" Erlost exclaimed. "You're no match for me, and you know it. Just give up peacefully, and I won't have to kill you."
"Ha! Only in your wildest dreams, Jedi. I hope you're ready to die, Jedi. I'm going to end your life once and for all!"
"That's what you think..." Erlost whispered to himself.
His opponent launched himself at him, and Erlost moved in to meet him. He held the lightsaber vertically in front of his own body, to defend himself against the Dark Jedi's horizontal cut. Their lightsabers quickly disconnected, and Erlost twirled backward, with his opponent twirling forward at him. Their lightsabers clashed again, sparks flying in every other direction. They made constant exchanges of attacks and parries as they made their way down the hall. Eventually, the Dark Jedi broke the pattern of attacks and made a stab for Erlost. He was in no position to push the incoming lightsaber upwards, so he had no choice but to push it to the side. He forced the lightsaber into a wall, but the Dark Jedi pushed in the opposite direction, nearly forcing Erlost to drop his lightsaber. However, he managed to hold on to it, and used the momentum of the manuever to execute a spin attack as he continued to backpedal. As he completed his 360 degree spin, he swung at the Dark Jedi's leg, but this blow was parried as well. To quickly follow up this attack, he brought his lightsaber above his head, then brought it down on his opponent's head. This strike, however, was blocked by the Dark Jedi. Then, the Dark Jedi made his own series of attacks, both of them aimed for either of Erloth's sides. They continued like this for a while, until Erlost could feel the warm, crisp afternoon air on his face. They had fought their way outside...the battle was nearly won. Erlost spun backwards once more, and entered the opening Ataru stance once again.
"Give up now, Dark Jedi. You've lost...we've made it outside, and I'm still alive! Just give up now, and I won't hurt you..."
"No...never!!"
The Dark Jedi was starting to get frustrated...it was time to finish the fight. The Dark Jedi charged at Erlost, holding his lightsaber at his side, and Erlost holding his above his head. The two swung at each other, and the blades collided, and became interlocked. They pushed back at each other, constantly trying to gain dominance over the other. Erlost was starting to get frustrated, and angry; he himself did not realize that he was taping into the Darkside, but he was. He pushed back at his opponent, pushing his lightsaber further back.
"No," The Dark Jedi whispered to himself. "I won't be defeated by a Padawan!"
Before Erlost knew what was happening, the Dark Jedi deactivated his lightsaber, and with a burst of speed, moved out of the way to avoid Erlost as he fell down. Erlost fell on his front, but he quickly rolled onto his back and saw the Dark Jedi preparing to execute an overhead strike. Erlost deactivated his lightsaber just as his opponent started to bring his lightsaber down on him. Erlost threw his leg into the air and rolled into a kick, knocking the lightsaber out of his opponent's hand and off the platform. He rolled into a crouching position, and faced his now defenseless opponent. He held out his free hand, and lifted him into the air with the Force.
"Now...tell me who your masters are! You've lost, and you're defenseless! I don't want to hurt you."
The Dark Jedi was clearly struggling to free himself from Erlost's grip, but his attempts were in vain. He eventually gave up and lowered his head. Right when it seemed like he was about to talk, his head started to bob just slightly, and a slight chuckle could be heard coming from the defeated darksider. The chuckle slowly turned into an insane laugh, and he threw his head back. Erlost didn't lose his resolve for even a moment...he continued to stare at his defeated foe, his deep blue eyes filled with determination to find out who this Dark Jedi worked for.
Eventually the darksider ceased laughing, and looked at Erlost with a victorious look in his eyes. "You think you've won, Padawan? You think you've beaten me? You think the darkside shall never rise again?! Well you're wrong...very wrong. Soon, the True Sith shall return...they will return and take over the Republic and replace it with an empire, a strong empire. One that shall last for all eternity! And the Jedi Order...oh, the Jedi Order. Your sad organization of priests and pacifists will fall, and it shall never rise again. That too will be replaced with the army of the Sith Lords...the true Sith Lords. And you...hehehehehehe...and you, oh you shall be a Jedi no longer! My masters have foreseen it...soon, you too shall become a Sith Lord! You will have a hand in destroying the Order you work so hard to protect and continue. Just you wait...a new order will be born! You have lost!!"
Erlost closed his eyes and looked away from the Dark Jedi as he spoke of the Jedi Order being destroyed. They were just insane ramblings, they had to be. The Sith were extinct, and they were never coming back. When Darth Traya was killed long ago, the Sith went extinct, never to return. It was going to remain that way, and he knew it. Eventually he opened his eyes and looked at the Dark Jedi, and arched his brows in defiance.
"You're nothing but an insane, delusional man. The Sith are extinct, and they will never be coming back. I'm going to take you to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant...you obviously need help."
With a wave of his hand, he knocked the Dark Jedi out with the Force. He stood up, and slowly walked over to the defeated darksider as he lowered him to the ground. He took a pair of restrainer cuffs off his belt, and fastened them to the Dark Jedi's wrist. It was time for Erlost to go home.

Chapter 3 will be posted as soon as possible. I hope you're all enjoying reading my story.

*Note: Not all the chapters will be as long as this. I like to write a lot, especially if there's a fight involved, so I apologize if some of them are a little long.*

At the end of each Chapter that involves a fight, I will post some pictures of the lightsabers/weapons being used, with a little bit of background behind them.


Owner: Erlost Starhero
Lightsaber Name: The Redeemer
Lightsaber Type: Electrum
Focusing Crystal/Blade Color: Aqua
Power Crystal: Ruusan crystal
Status: Present and Functional


Owner: Unknown Dark Jedi Assassin
Lightsaber Name: Unknown
Lightsaber Type: Unknown
Focusing Crystal/Blade Color: Red
Power Crystal: None/Unknown
Status: Lost, possibly destroyed

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

Chapter III

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"So...is he dead?"
That was the first question Talia had asked Erlost when she saw him drag in the unconscious Dark Jedi. Erlost took the unconscious prisoner and rested him on one of the benches on either side of the shuttle. He sighed slightly and sat down in the co-pilot seat as the ship started to take off, then he swiveled the chair around and faced Talia, who was sitting in one of the passenger seats.
"No, he's not dead, just unconscious. I'm bringing him back to the Jedi Temple with me."
"But why didn't you kill him?" Talia asked, obviously confused. "Aren't Jedi supposed to kill Sith and Dark Jedi? Y'know, maintain the peace?"
"You really don't know much about the Jedi, do you?" Erlost asked. He shook his head solemnly before continuing to give her an explanation. "The Jedi do not believe in killing their prisoners, no matter what their crimes. Only in self defense may we take a life, but even then an alternative should be looked for. When I apprehended our Dark Jedi friend back there, he was a defenseless prisoner. Killing him would not be the Jedi way. Get it?"
"Yeah," Talia started. "I think I understand...so basically, the Jedi think all life is sacred? Even the life of a slave girl like me?"
Erlost chuckled a little bit as he spoke. "Yes, even the life of a slave girl is sacred to a Jedi. But of course, the Republic and the Jedi don't believe in slavery, and since your master is dead that means you're free. I hope you have your life planned out ahead of you."
Talia looked down and sighed slightly. At least full color was returning to her yellow skin complexion. Her complexion was a beautiful yellow, which made her look beautiful in return. "Sadly...no, I don't. I never thought I'd be free. Now that I am, for once in my life, I don't know what to do..."
"Speaking of which, if you don't mind my asking," Erlost began. "Why are you named Talia? It doesn't seem like the kind of name a Twi'lek girl would have."
"Oh that...well, you see, I never really knew my parents. From what Zorga, the Hutt who owned me, told me, my mother died in child birth, and my father was shot by one of the guards for trying to escape the palace. Zorga named me Talia, with no last name at all..."
Talia sounded very sad when she said it. Erlost understood her pain. He had to leave his family at a very young age to begin his Jedi training. However, it was a sacrifice he had to make.
"Oh...I'm very sorry to hear that. So you were born into slavery?"
"Yeah, I was," Talia began. "I was basically your standard slave girl...I danced for the slug, brought him food, and other things like that. I was mainly there for his entertainment. However, I also had another job too. I was in charge of fixing his droids if they needed repairs...one of the mechanics taught me about how droids worked when I was very young."
"So you're a dancer and a mechanic?" Erlost asked curiously. "Not a bad combination...is there anything else you can do?"
"Well...I can fight, kinda."
"Really?" Erlost asked. He was intrigued by this particular fact. "Why would you need to learn how to fight?"
"Well, as you know, males of your species find Twi'lek females to be very attractive. Some of the male guards have tried to...violate me on various occasions, so I taught myself how to fight."
"Wow Talia, I'm impressed. You dance, you're a mechanic, and a self-trained fighter. That's quite a catch!"
Talia giggled and blushed a little bit. "Thank you..."
Erlost found himself blushing as well. He was a little bit embarrassed with his own behavior, so he quickly swiveled around and looked out the viewport window.
"What is wrong with you, Erlost? You're a Jedi, you're not supposed to be flirting with her. Stop what you're doing right now."
"Uh...Erlost, is everything alright?"
Before Erlost could reply to Talia, C4 replied for him. "I believe the creator is embarrassed because he is blushing. Oh master, this is why I'm happy with being a droid! I don't have to worry about organic emotions-"
"C4, shut up!" Erlost replied, laughing slightly. Erlost swiveled around to face Talia and laughed a little bit. "Sorry about that...I was just a little embarrassed. I'm not really used to talking to attractive women...well, that aren't trying to kill me anyways."
"So this isn't the first time you've been attacked?" Talia asked in a teasing voice.
"Ugh...women," Erlost thought. "They just love to tease you..."
"Well, when you're a Jedi it's what you sign up for," Erlost replied, laughing slightly. "Kind of comes with the job. I've been on plenty of missions that deal with stopping Bounty Hunters or protecting others. More often than not I almost get killed, but I'm not dead yet, am I?"
Now that he was talking about his life as a Jedi, he remembered he still had to contact the Jedi Council about his Dark Jedi friend in the back. He got out of his seat and gave Talia an apologetic bow before leaving the room.
"Pardon me, I have to go contact my master. I'm well overdue with reporting to them."
"Of course," Talia replied, smiling at Erlost. "Take your time."
Erlost smiled back and walked to the back of the shuttle. Talia was really starting to get friendlier...she must have just been afraid when he first met her. She must be warming up to him now, he just couldn't get too friendly with her. Romantic relationships were highly forbidden in the Jedi Order, and he didn't want to get kicked out. Being a Jedi was his life, and he didn't want to give it up. Once he was in the back, he took his comlink off his belt and contacted Master Truyo. A small hologram of the Togrutan Jedi Master appeared, and he seemed to be slightly annoyed.
"Padawan Erlost, your report is long overdue. What's going on?"
"I'm sorry master," Erlost said. "My transmissions were jammed on Nar Shadda; there was nothing I could do about it. However, I have completed my mission."
Truyo's annoyed expression turned into a pleased one, and he gave Erlost a warm smile. "Excellent work, my apprentice. So tell me, what have you found out?"
"Well, as it turns out the Hutts weren't behind it, a Dark Jedi was. He was hired by Zorga the Hutt, who was running a weapon smuggling business. He was stealing Republic weapons and selling them on the black market. He hired the Dark Jedi to eliminate Jedi and Republic soldiers who might have been scouting around the building. When I arrived at the Hutt palace, everyone inside was dead, save a Twi'lek girl named Talia and the Dark Jedi himself."
"Hmmm...I see," Truyo replied curiously. "Tell me then, did you kill the Dark Jedi or did you let him live?"
"Well master, I'm proud to say I defeated the Dark Jedi, and took him prisoner."
"I see...so tell me, why didn't you kill the Dark Jedi? If he was capable of killing off an entire building, and of killing Jedi, wouldn't it be risky to leave him alive?"
Erlost laughed a little bit at his master's test. He was trying to figure out if Erlost could follow the ways of the Jedi, even on the verge of being promoted to Jedi Knight. "Because master, when I defeated him I knocked his weapon off the platform. He was a defenseless prisoner, and killing him wouldn't be right; it wouldn't be the Jedi way. I left him alive because it is clear he needs mental help. He's a madman, master...I think the power of the darkside drove him insane. Even someone like him deserves a chance to be saved, so I'm bringing him to the Jedi Temple with me. Hopefully someone at the Temple will be able to show him the way back to the light."
"Very well, Erlost. You've done well indeed. Out of curiosity, what does your captive look like?"
"I don't know, master. He wears a hood and a veil over his mouth, so I can't see his face. I honestly don't think I want to, though. I don't want to see what the power of the Darkside has done to his appearance."
"Very well, I understand. I'll be waiting in the Temple hangar."
"Very well master, I'll see you in an hour. But before you cut the transmission, may I ask a favor of you?"
"Hmmm....that's a rather odd question," Truyo replied curiously. "But very well then. What do you need?"
"Well," Erlost said timidly. "Talia, the slave girl I rescued...she has nowhere in the galaxy to go; she has no home, and I don't think she'll be safe on Nar Shadda all on her own. I was just wondering if she could be but up at the Jedi Temple? Just until she finds a job and a place to live?"
Truyo looked skeptical about this particular matter, and Erlost could see why. It was very unlike him to ask his master for favors like this, so he had no doubt his master was suspicious about Erlost's reason for asking this of him. Before his master could reply, Erlost interjected.
"She's an excellent mechanic, master. We could always use an extra mechanic at the Jedi Temple, y'know."
Truyo pondered this for a moment; he was obviously thinking about whether or not he should go along with Erlost's idea.
"Very well, Erlost. But just until she finds a place to live and a job. I will see you when you return, then."
"Thank you, master. I'll see you in an hour."
Erlost bowed his head in respect for Truyo, then the transmission was cut. He smiled and put the comlink back in his belt, then walked back into the cockpit.
"Today's been going pretty smoothly..." Erlost thought happily. "Maybe having Talia around will be an enjoyable experience..."

Chapter IV coming soon.

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

Chapter IV

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And now, at long last, the day was over. It had been a busy day for Elrost: He went on a mission to Nar Shadda, captured a Dark Jedi, made friends with a Twi'lek, and now he was ready to rest up for the night for his knighting ceremony tomorrow. C4 was slouched in a chair in Erlost's room, charging up for the night. Talia was sleeping in a room across from Elrost. However, this is not what he asked for: She asked for it. Apparently she only felt safe when she was around him...hopefully she wouldn't become too attached to him, or vise versa. Maybe it was a mistake to ask his master to let her stay at the Jedi Temple, but there was really nothing that could be done about it now.
In truth, he had mixed feelings about the situation. On the one hand, he was happy that Talia was living at the Jedi Temple, even if it was only temporary. He didn't have very many friends other than his master and C4, so it was nice to have a new friend nearby. But on the other hand, he was starting to develop feelings for her, and after such a short amount of time too. He knew that was half the reason he asked Truyo's permission to let her stay at the Jedi Temple. He let his feelings get the best of him...he couldn't let that happen again. However, that was another challenge for another day. Now it was time for rest.
Erlost lied down in his bed, pulling the covers over him for warmth. It was a surprisingly cold night...it reminded him of his years as a child, before he left for the Jedi Order. It was such a long time ago...a repressed memory, something he refused to let surface again. It was literally a cold memory, and he would not relive it again. Instead of reliving it again, he quickly drifted off to sleep. Almost as soon as he fell asleep, he began to fall within his own mind...
(The following part of the story is a dream sequence, and will all be italicized. For future reference, all dream sequences will be italicized.)

Erlost kept falling and falling, screaming all the while, but he could not be heard. He could see nothing but blackness; no light, no shadows, just pitch blackness. He actually felt scared. After what seemed to be an eternity of falling, he hit the ground belly down, but strangely he felt no pain. It didn't even take any effort for him to get back on his feet. When he looked around to observe his surroundings, it was still just pitch blackness. The strangest thing of all was he was no longer wearing his sleeping tunic, he was back in his Jedi robes, and he had his lightsaber again.
"What's going on here? Where am I?"
As soon as he finished his question, he heard a man's voice coming from behind him. "Those are excellent questions, boy. However, I'm afraid you'll find no answers, not on your own anyways."
Erlost spun around, taking his lightsaber off his belt and igniting the aqua blade. Surprisingly, even though he was surrounded by blackness, he could see the figure clearly. It was a man, wearing brown Jedi robes. His hood was drawn over his head, casting a shadow over his entire face so he couldn't see him. He was wearing brown dueling gloves, exactly the same to his own in all but color. Erlost responded naturally, and aimed the tip of his blade at the man to intimidate him.
"Who are you? Tell me now!"
"Heh...so you want to know my name, do you?" The man asked. "Who I am is not important—my message is."
"What are you talking about? What message?"
"If you put your lightsaber away," The man replied calmly. "I'll tell you. I have no interest in violence, especially since it is unnecessary at this moment."
"Hm...nice offer, but here's a better one," Erlost replied defiantly. "How about you tell me your 'message,' then I'll put my lightsaber away."
"I'm warning you for the last time, child," The man retorted. "Put down your weapon, I don't want to hurt you. You're not a match for me."
"Just try me..."
"Fine," The man said in a deceivingly calm tone. "Just remember, though, you asked for it."
Without warning, a lightsaber hilt dropped from the man's right sleeve, and a brilliant violet blade emerged from the emitter. Erlost didn't have any time to react, since the even just caught him off guard. Before he knew what had happened, violet clashed against aqua, and his lightsaber flew out of his hand. Then, before he could even blink, Erlost was hit by a storm of Force Lightning. The close proximity of the blast sent him flying backwards several feet before finally coming to a skidding stop on the ground. He screamed and writhed in pain, pain that he had never once felt before. Eventually the electricity stopped coursing through his body, and he saw the hooded figure standing in front of him.
"Now will you listen to me, boy?"
"No..."
Erlost reached out with the Force, and summoned his lightsaber back to his hand. It took several seconds for the hilt to reach his hand, but his foe didn't strike anyways. It seemed like he really wasn't interested in violence...or maybe it was just a trick. Who knew...this man was odd enough, anyways. As soon as the lightsaber flew into his hand, the aqua blade sprung to life. Erlost use the Force to spin on the ground, creating a short flurry of a spin attack, combined with a sweeping kick. However, his opponent had already leapt backwards to avoid the attack. As his sweeping spin was coming to an end, he used the Force yet again to launch himself from into the air at his opponent. As he was coming into his landing he spun around in a 360 degree spin, holding his lightsaber at his side. He used the momentum of his spin to swing forward at his opponent's side, but his attack was blocked, and then he found himself in a saber lock with his opponent. The thing he found unbelievable was that his opponent was using one hand to fend off his blade. The man was good...better than him. If he continued to fight he'd surely lose, so he was left with only one other alternative. He deactivated his lightsaber, then returned to a more relaxed position.
"Alright...I'll listen to you, but first...tell me who you are."
The figure nodded his head, or at least it looked like he did, then deactivated his lightsaber. "I was once a Jedi Knight, a General in the Mandalorian Wars, and a Dark Lord of the Sith, now long deceased. Now I am but a shade...a ghost, but I still have much to offer. To those who are short sighted, I am known only by my name, but by my actions, I am known by those with open minds. You've probably heard stories of me, and I pray that you will one day come to understand why I did everything that I did, and why what must be done will be done. I am Revan."
"R-Revan?" Erlost said, almost falling to the ground in total shock. "B-But how is this possible? You're supposed to be long dead. Where are we?"
"We are in your mind, Erlost." Revan said, surprising Erlost with the fact that he knew his name. "You're asleep right now. This is...well, let's call it an interactive dream, shall we?"
"Alright...I believe you. So what is this? Some kind of...Sith Sorcery?"
Revan laughed and shook his head slightly. "I've already told you, I was a Sith Lord, but no longer...no, let me rephrase that. My alignment doesn't matter. Until further notice, you may think of me as an...advisor and mentor."
"What?!" Erlost demanded. "You won't tell me your alignment, and yet you expect me to see you as a mentor?! That's ludicrous!"
"Calm yourself, Erlost. Do you want to hear my message, or not?"
Revan did have a point, there was no doubting that. Erlost sighed a little bit and nodded his head.
"Very well," Revan said. "Let's start from the beginning...the Jedi would teach you that I was evil, up until the point where I was reprogrammed with a new identity. The fact of the matter is this: I never was evil to begin with. You see, when I attacked the Republic, never once did I attack any of the Republic's ship yards. No one, not even my followers, understood why I did this, but I had my reasons. When the Mandalorian Wars had begun, the Jedi could sense something darker lurking deeper in the galaxy. They were right, of course; that is why I attacked the Republic after the Mandalorian Wars. You see, the threat lurking out there, beyond the known regions, was the True Sith Empire."
"But why attack the Republic? Why not warn them about this threat?"
"Do you really think the Jedi would have listened to me? And what do you think the Republic would have done? Chances are they would go looking for the True Sith and get crushed in their efforts by their newfound foes. No, the only way to defend the galaxy against the True Sith was to conquer it. With the power of the Star Forge combined with the Republic fleets, the True Sith wouldn't be able to reach the heart of the Republic, or the heart of the Jedi. I would have been able to unite the Republic under my banner, and the Jedi would have been destroyed in the process. Their destruction would have been necessary to defend the Republic against the True Sith..."
"So, even in death you wish the Jedi destroyed? How am I supposed to trust you?"
"Before I give you a reason to trust me, allow me to finish my story. My plans would have succeeded, if the Jedi hadn't reprogrammed me with a new identity. You see, when Bastila confronted me on my ship in an ambush, my apprentice, Darth Malak, fired on my ship and nearly killed me, but Bastila saved my life and took me to the Jedi Council on Dantooine. There I was reprogrammed with a new identity, one 'loyal' to the Republic. I became more powerful during my retraining as a Jedi, more powerful than I was during my reign as the Dark Lord. Thanks to my newfound powers with the Force, I was able to defeat Malak and destroy the empire I had created. After I defeated my former apprentice, more memories of my time as a Sith came flooding back to me, piece by piece. Thanks to my memories, I remembered the threat of the True Sith, and left into the Unknown Regions. However, before I left, I entrusted the duty of keeping the Republic fortified to Carth Onasi, one of my closest companions. I also left instructions to Canderous Ordo, a Mandalorian veteran from the Mandalorian Wars, to unite the scattered Mandalorian clans, and gave him Mandalore's helmet, thereby making him the new Mandalore. I then said goodbye to Bastila...I reluctantly said goodbye to her, and left known space on the Ebon Hawk."
"So...did you encounter the True Sith?"
"Yes...I did, but sadly I was not strong enough to kill their leader. I was a one man army...I used guerilla tactics against them, sabotaging their forces as much as I could. However, I could not do it alone. Eventually a Jedi who served me as a General during the Mandalorian Wars found me. She only introduced herself as the Jedi Exile, and I gladly accepted her help. Eventually we faced the True Sith leader...he killed both of us. Not even with our combined strength could we stop him. His command of the Force was too great, and in the end, my own command of the Force was not enough to stop him. And so, I perished..."
Erlost could only remain silent. Even as a Sith, he had a heart full of virtue. How could one who did such unbearable deeds still be good in the end? There was a message in his story, but Erlost did not know what it was.
"So, tell me," Revan said. "Do you see the effects of my actions today? Does the Republic prosper? Does the Jedi Order still exist? Have the Mandalorians returned?"
"Yes, the Republic thrives, and we are enjoying an unprecedented time of peace and prosperity. The Jedi Order still exists, and we are maintaining order both within and outside the Republic's reach. And yes, the Mandalorians have returned, although they are not nearly as large as they were during the Mandalorian wars."
"Good, good...I may not have been strong enough to stop the True Sith, but you are. All of my actions were meant to prepare the Republic for the Dark Times to come..."
"What? The Dark Times? What are you talking about?"
"That is for another time, my student. Now, I believe you have a knighting ceremony to attend to."

Erlost woke up with a start, breaking into a cold sweat. He immediately remembered his "interactive" dream, remembering every tiny detail of his encounter with Revan. He got out of bed, and quickly got changed into his black jumpsuit and white robes. He quickly clipped his lightsaber on his belt, and rushed out of his bed room. He was about to become a Jedi Knight, and yet he didn't feel excited. His mind was on his dream encounter with Revan. His mind was swimming with questions...how did Revan manifest himself in Erlost's mind? How did he create the dream? Was he really interested in the welfare of the Republic, or did he seek to destroy it? These questions kept running through his head over and over again, and before he knew it he was standing outside the Hall of Knighthood. Now his blood was rushing with excitement. He took in a deep breath, then stepped forward and the door opened before him. When he looked inside, the room was completely dark, except for the glow of the twelve lightsabers of the Jedi Council members. At the head of this circle was Grand Master Kruto, his lightsaber glowing a bright green.
In his usual gruff and stern voice, Master Kruto spoke."We are all Jedi. The Force speaks through us. Through our actions, the Force proclaims itself and what is real. Today we are here to acknowledge what the Force has proclaimed. Step forward, Padawan."
Erlost silently walked to the center of the circle, and got down on one knee. He took his lightsaber off his belt, and placed it in front of him. He bowed his head in respect for the Grand Master, not daring to look up even once. Kruto walked towards Erlost, the bright green blade illuminating the both of them.
"You were cold and alone when you were found on Corellia, but no longer. At last the Force has become your ally." Kruto said before reciting the ordaining phrase that would make Erlost a Jedi Knight.
"Erlost Starhero, by the right of the Council," Kruto placed his lightsaber above Erlost's right shoulder. "by the will of the Force," Kruto then placed his lightsaber above Erlost's left shoulder. "I dub thee, Jedi" And finally, he placed his lightsaber above Erlost's right shoulder yet again, cutting off his Padawan braid in the process. "Knight of the Republic."
Then, instead of hearing the voice of master Kruto, he heard the voice of the man who used to be his master, Master Truyo.
"Take up your lightsaber, Erlost Starhero, Jedi Knight. And may the Force be with you."
Erlost didn't smile, even though he wanted to. He kept his solemn expression as he grabbed his lightsaber and stood up. He ignited the aqua blade and held it in front of his face, then in unison with the rest of the Council, he flourished the blade in a salute. And with that, the ceremony was complete. The lights in the room came on, and everyone deactivated their lightsabers. Erlost's lifelong dream had come true at last: He was a Jedi Knight.

Chapter V will be posted as soon as possible.

Because too many sabers appeared this time, I'll only put in the main new ones.


Owner: Jedi Master Truyo
Lightsaber Name: The Hunter
Lightsaber Type: Electrum
Focusing Crystal/Blade Color: Dark Blue
Power Crystal: Ruusan crystal
Status: Present and Functional


Owner: Revan
Lightsaber Name: The Revanchist
Lightsaber Type: Electrum
Focusing Crystal/Blade Color: Violet
Power Crystal: Unknown
Status: Present and Functional, not physcially


Owner: Jedi Grandmaster Kruto
Lightsaber Name: The Stubborn Negotiator
Lightsaber Type: Electrum
Focusing Crystal/Blade Color: Bright Green
Power Crystal: Unknown
Status: Present and Functional

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

Chapter V

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Erlost was a Jedi Knight, and for the first time in his life he didn't know what to do. It wasn't so much that he had nothing to do on this particular day, because there was a list of things he could do, but it was just that he was a little bit confused. He was confused about his emotions, the dream he had last night, and now he was confused about his purpose in life. His purpose in life had always been to become a Jedi Knight and protect the Republic, but now he was beginning to believe he had a different purpose. Ever since he met Talia on Nar Shadda yesterday, he couldn't get her out of his head. He had to admit it...whenever he thought of her, his mouth started to dry, and his stomach seemed to turn upside down. He never felt this way before, and he wasn't sure what it meant, but he did know that it was not normal for a Jedi Knight. But that was why he was in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, so he could clear his head.
Even though he preferred machinery and droids to nature, the Room of a Thousand Fountains always calmed him down. They somewhat reminded him of the parks in Coronet on his home planet of Corellia. Maybe that's why the Room of a Thousand Fountains calmed him down: it reminded him of home. However, his last few days at home weren't pleasant, and once more he repressed his memories. He remembered as a Jedi Youngling, he would come here to go swimming to relax and blow off some steam after his combat training classes. Maybe he would relive his days as a Youngling soon, but not today. For now, he wanted to meditate. But he wouldn't get that chance, not yet anyways. Whenever he came here to meditate, he would meditate nearby the lake he used to go swimming in. As he approached the man made lake, he saw Talia swimming. He was naturally embarrassed to see her in only her under garments, and he quickly hid behind a bush. He was breathing heavily, not sure about how to proceed. The only thing he could think about doing was acting mature about this and going over there anyways. Not just because he wanted to meditate, but also because something inside him made him want to see her like this. He came out from behind the bush and walked over to the lake, and took a seat near the edge.
When Talia saw Erlost come over, she swam over to the edge and rested her elbows on the ground, lifting herself up so she was immersed in the water from her chest down. "Hi Erlost, I wasn't expecting to see you here. What's going on?"
"Hey Talia, nothing much," Erlost said happily. "I just came here to meditate for a while.
"Oh..." Talia said in a concerned tone. She slowly pulled herself out of the lake, and sat down next to Erlost. "is something wrong?"
"No...nothing's wrong...well, not exactly. I'm just...a little confused, that's all. It's nothing to worry about..."
"Oh...alright," Talia said, a little disappointed. She picked up her towel and started to dry herself off, paying delicate attention to her lekku. "If you want me to leave so you can concentrate, I'd understand."
"No, please stay," Erlost said, giving her a warm smile. "Your presence is soothing."
Then the two of them fell silent. Erlost closed his eyes, and started to take in deep even breaths. Even though he could sense Talia sitting right next to him, his mind seemed to be calm. The Room of a Thousand Fountains really did calm him down no matter what. He could sense everything around him, from Talia sitting next to him, to the tiniest insect crawling on the ground. He eventually heard Talia get up and walk away. If she was leaving the area, she would have told him, so he began to wonder where she was going. However, he wasn't going to let it break his concentration. After about five minutes had passed, Talia sat back down next to him, and it was silent once more. A full thirty minutes had passed, and Erlost began to become sick of the quiet. He wanted to talk to Talia, and he didn't know why. He opened his eyes, and looked at Talia. Due to her appearance, he assumed she had left earlier to get dressed. She was wearing tan shorts that stopped halfway up her thigh, and she was wearing a black sleeveless vest, which was open and revealed the tube top she had worn while she was swimming.
"I see you like to wear revealing clothing."
"Yeah," Talia said laughing. "After being a slave almost all your life, the style starts to grow on you. Are you done meditating?"
"Yeah..." Erlost replied. "I actually wanted to ask you a question."
"Sure, ask me anything," Talia replied with a smile.
"Well," Erlost started. "Why is it that you seem to be so comfortable around me? When we were on my shuttle, it seemed like you were able to open up to me so easily. Why is that?"
"I don't know..." Talia replied in an unsure voice. She looked at the ground as she replied, almost as if she were nervous. "I just felt like I could trust you...maybe it's because you're a Jedi, or maybe it's something else...I don't really know. Or maybe it's because you saved my life? I'm not sure..."
"Well, I wouldn't say I saved your life-"
"No, you did," Talia interrupted, now looking up at Erlost. "You did save my life. If you hadn't shown up, that Dark Jedi probably would have killed me, or worse. I'm really thankful you showed up when you did..."
"It was the will of the Force, Talia. We met for a reason..."
After that, the two of them fell silent again. Erlost looked at the ground, and Talia did the same. For once, Erlost felt a little awkward in her presence, and he could sense she felt the same way. But there was something else he could sense inside her...confusion? How couldn't he have sensed it before? This made him curious; even thought it would be an invasion of her privacy, he wanted to read her mind and find out what was going on inside her head. Without betraying himself by closing his eyes or anything of that nature, he tapped into her mind and began to read her thoughts. She was thinking things like "How does he feel about me...what am I supposed to do now...should I tell him...should I ask him...". Now he realized looking into her mind was a mistake...now he started to realize how he felt.
"No...I am a Jedi, I can't be in love. There is no emotion, there is peace. No, I won't allow myself to risk my membership in the Jedi order for something as distracting as love. But then again...how many chances do you get at true love in your life? No...no, I can't think like this! I've got to get out of here...I...I have to find something else to do now...the temptation is too great."
Erlost sighed and looked at Talia, giving her an apologetic look. "Pardon me, Talia...I've gotta get going. I've got a full plate today...so I'll uh...I'll talk to you later."
Erlost quickly got to his feet and turned around, keeping up a quick pace so he could get out of there as quickly as possible. However, not even five seconds into his departure, Talia ran behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Wait, Erlost," Talia said shyly. "Can I ask you a question."
Erlost kept himself from sighing for the sake of maintaining appearances, then turned around to face Talia. "Sure, what is it?"
"Well...I was just wondering...are Jedi allowed to love?"
Erlost remained silent for a long time...he almost knew that question was coming. How could he answer this question? Part of him wanted to tell her how he felt, while the other half wanted to tell her that love is completely forbidden. How was he supposed to answer this question? There was only one correct answer to this question: No.
"Well..." Erlost said nervously. "Let me put it this way...attachment is forbidden, possession is forbidden, compassion, which could be defined as a sort of unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi's life. So in a way you might say that we are encouraged to love...but at the same time, we're not."
"How so?" Talia asked.
"Well, we're supposed to love all life, as life is sacred. That kind of unconditional love and care we're supposed to show to everyone is necessary to our life as Jedi, otherwise we would fall to the Darkside, and end up working to destroy everything we protect. And the love you're talking about...is absolutely forbidden for a Jedi. Entering a...romantic relationship would mean being banned from the Order, forever. Love is a powerful emotion, and it carries many more powerful emotions with it. Passion leads to the Darkside...love can only lead to the Darkside, so Jedi must steer clear of it at all costs."
"Oh...I see..." Talia said, a disappointed tone in her voice. Erlost knew what she was thinking...he didn't need the Force to know it. A full minute passed before Talia opened her mouth to speak, but Erlost interrupted her.
"I'm sorry, Talia...I have to get going now. Mmmm...maybe I'll stop by your room sometime later today to talk. I'll see you later..."
"A-Alright, Erlost...but before you go, can I give you something?"
"Uh...sure."
Erlost didn't know what had happened, not even the Force could warn him. Emotions were unpredictable, and Erlost chose not to read her anymore. Talia got on her tip toes, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Erlost couldn't help but stumble backwards in surprise...he had to leave, now.
"I'm sorry...I have to go now, bye."
Erlost quickly turned around, nearly breaking into a run. However, once he turned the corner and was out of Talia's sight, he broke into a run. He was starting to feel emotions he was trying to suppress...no, he wouldn't allow himself to do this. He had to go to a sparring room, his room, Master Truyo, anywhere to distract himself from what he was feeling. He made up his mind...he was going to go to the sparring rooms and practice his lightsaber skills...he was a Knight now, he had to keep himself at the top of his game. He knew a shortcut out of the gardens, so he wouldn't have to go as far. He started to slow down and break into a walk. He rounded the next corner, then went down that path for fifteen more minutes. Eventually he came to a forked path, and took a left turn. After five more minutes of walking, he arrived at an exit. He opened the door and walked out of the Room of a Thousand Fountains, and before he knew what was happening he bumped into someone. He stumbled back a few feet, and looked up to see that he had bumped into Truyo. He actually made him fall down...that was a first. He must have caught his old master off guard.
"I'm so sorry master..." Erlost said, offering Truyo his hand.
"Oh, it's quite alright Erlost." Truyo said laughing. He reached out and took Erlost's hand, and got to his feet. "Why in such a rush? It's only your first day as a Knight. Celebrate, go relax, talk to friends! Even Jedi need a break from working, you know."
"Yes, I know master," Erlost said, slightly amused. Truyo always had a good sense of humor, but it always caught him off guard since he always had such a serious look on his face. "I was just heading to the sparring room to practice my saber skills, actually. I don't want to get rusty, you know."
Truyo laughed at the senseless statement. Erlost could never get rusty, not in a million years. "Are you kidding me? You fought a Dark Jedi Assassin and won! I don't think there's a chance of you getting rusty anytime soon. No, no, no...something's on your mind, you just came out of the Room of a Thousand Fountains, after all. Tell me what's been bothering you, my friend."
Erlost was worried Truyo would read his mind...wait, he was a Jedi, he could just put up barriers around his mind. Then again, Truyo would be able to sense the barriers, and think that something was definitely wrong. No...it was best to tell the truth. Well, one of the truth's anyways. There was one thing that was still bothering him: The message the Dark Jedi told him before he knocked him out was very disturbing, so he might as well tell Truyo about that.
"Well...there has been something that's been bothering me, and I was going to the sparring rooms to blow off some steam. How about you come with me for a quick match, and I'll explain things to you on the way there?"
"Sure," Truyo agreed happily. "I'd be glad to have a sparring match with you. It's been a while since I've seen you in action; I'm anxious to see what you've learned from me."
The two of them shared a quick laugh, then started down the halls. It was truly peaceful in the Jedi Temple, and he could hear the laughter of younglings. The afternoon sun glimmered through the windows, and Jedi were passing by, just talking. This truly was peace and serenity...the Jedi Temple was Erlost's home, without a doubt. This was truly the one place he belonged, with his fellow Jedi. And to be walking side by side with his master and best friend, that made it all the more enjoyable. The master-apprentice bond hadn't been broken between the two of them, in fact it was more like a father-son relationship. The only thing that made this father-son relationship odd was that Truyo was a Togruta, and Erlost was a human. In fact, the two seemed to be a bit of an odd pair, but that didn't dismiss the father-son bond between the two of them.
"Erlost," Truyo said. "It's been a whole ten minutes and you haven't said anything. As much as I'm enjoying this walk, I'd like to hear what's been bothering you."
"Oh...that's right, I nearly forgot," Erlost said in a slight laugh. "Well, after I defeated that Dark Jedi, he said something about the True Sith and the fall of the Jedi, and that his masters had predicted the fall...do you really think he was serious, or that he's just plain insane?"
A long silence fell between the two of them. Truyo was obviously taking time to ponder this question. But Erlost was fine with that, he was just enjoying the walk anyways; he was in no rush for an answer. After about a minute of pondering the question, Truyo replied with his answer.
"The Darkside clouds one's judgment, Erlost, never forget that. I have no doubt that he has masters, but the credibility of this 'prediction' of theirs is most likely false. In fact, it could just be that one of them had a dream that seemed almost real, and thought it was a vision."
Erlost nodded his head in agreement, although he wasn't so sure. Part of him was saying that their prediction could be true, and that he should be wary. The Force did work in mysterious ways, after all, and not even the Jedi could fully comprehend the Force. Now Erlost was beginning to question himself...he had never thought like this before. Could it be that his mental encounter with Revan was beginning to change his prospective? If so, then Revan truly was the charismatic figure he was described to be in the holobooks.
"And as for these 'True Sith,'" Truyo said, as if to mock the Dark Jedi. "Don't believe him. Ever since the fall of the Sith Triumvirate, the Sith have been extinct. The only beings in this galaxy that even come close to the Sith are Dark Jedi, and they are not nearly as powerful as the Sith were, even with their knowledge of the Darkside. It could be that the Dark Jedi's masters believe themselves to be Sith, and therefore call themselves the True Sith. The fact that they think themselves to be 'True Sith' only shows the arrogance that comes with the quick and easy path of the Darkside. If they were to ever attack us, it would probably only be a small group of Dark Jedi, most likely just a small cult, and therefore would easily be defeated."
Erlost just nodded back in agreement. That wasn't all that was bothering him...the Dark Jedi said that Erlost would become a Sith Lord, and would have a hand in destroying the Jedi Order. He refused to believe this...he wasn't going to become a Sith Lord, let alone even consider studying the ways of the Sith. However, this still bothered him; he wasn't exactly afraid of this "prediction," but it did unnerve him quite a bit. Fear was the first step down the darkside, and he wouldn't allow himself to fall. He still had to ask Truyo one last question that pertained to the final part of the Dark Jedi's message, but he'd have to ask it in a certain way so Truyo wouldn't think he's afraid of falling to the Darkside.
"I just have one more question, master...what do you think the chances are of one of our own falling to the Darkside, and resurrecting the Sith are?"
"Hmmm...it's hard to say. I'd like to say that chances are very low, but then I'd probably be wrong. During times of peace and stability, we should be especially cautious, because you never know when danger might catch us unawares. Never let yourself be lulled into a sense of false security, because you never know when one of our own could slip down the dark path..."
Another long silence followed. Truyo placed his hands behind his back, and looked at the ground solemnly as they walked. Erlost looked at him carefully, trying to read his expressions. He was thinking about the past...he could tell. Erlost looked away and looked at the passing Jedi, notably the Jedi Younglings who were laughing and talking, and even running down the halls and playing tag. He smiled as he remembered the almost carefree days of being a child...lying out in the Room of a Thousand Fountains as you listened to the soft sound of a waterfall, or swimming in one of the many lakes, listening to stories told by you from the Jedi Masters about the wonders of the Force, and how the Jedi were always there to protect the Republic in it's darkest hours. He smiled as he remembered those days...what he would give to be a child again. After a while he looked back in front of him, and a few moments later Truyo looked up and took in a deep breath before speaking.
"Erlost...did I ever tell you about my friend Jerec Reagen?"
"No, master," Erlost replied. "You've never told me about him. In fact, I've never even heard of him. Was he not part of the Jedi Order?"
"Oh no, he was...I just don't like to talk about him very much," Truyo replied sadly. "You see...Jerec and I were both Jedi at the time. We were great friends...the best of friends, in fact. Jerec was always so adventurous...he and I would get into so much trouble. At one point as younglings, he actually managed to convince me to help him pull a prank on a Jedi Master. Fortunately for us, the Jedi Master we pulled the prank on had a pretty decent sense of humor, so we didn't get into too much trouble...but we got into trouble nonetheless."
"You pulled a prank, master?" Erlost asked, half laughing. "What did you do?"
"Well," Truyo said, laughing as well. "We knew about his favorite meditation spot in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, so one day we went there and just before he sat down, we Force Pushed a Corellian sweet pie underneath him and he sat in it. I still laugh about it to this day."
The two shared a laugh, then once they settled down Truyo continued. "Anyways...after we became Jedi Knights, we started to become more serious about our studies and training, Jerec most of all. In fact, you sort of remind me of him..."
Truyo said this sadly, which concerned Erlost. He had a feeling there would be a moral to this story somewhere along the line, so he might as well find out what it was as soon as he could.
"So...whatever happened to Jerec?"
"Well, one day while Jerec was studying in the Jedi Archives, he read an article about Korriban and the Sith...he started to read about Sith magics, and the history of the Sith...and he became enthralled with it. Although, I have no idea how he had managed to gain access to those kinds of files without the Council knowing...anyways, he slowly began to slip towards the darkside, and I had noticed it just in time too. One night I confronted him, and accused him of being a Dark Jedi...he denied nothing...."
"So what did you do with him? You didn't kill him, I hope."
"No...of course not, even though I wanted to. He betrayed me and the Order, and he was proud of it too. I brought him before the Council, and they decided to cut him off from the Force. Before they could, though, he unleashed a barrage of Force Lightning at them so he could escape. Fortunately I was already waiting outside the Council Chambers because I had a feeling he'd try to rebel again. I cut off his legs, then left him there for the Council to take care of...it wasn't my place to decide his fate, only to cut off his escape route. Erlost...Jerec was a devout follower of the light, yet even he fell to the darkside. In the end, it was his curiosity and lust for power that became his downfall...he was blind. Do you understand what I'm telling you, Erlost?"
"Yes, master...I believe I do. Even the most loyal Jedi are at risk of falling to the darkside...I'll keep his example in mind from now on, master."
And then the two fell silent. There was nothing else to be said now. All they could do was enjoy the walk to the sparring rooms. However, even though he was enjoying the walk, Erlost couldn't help but think about Talia. He couldn't get her out of his head...he would definitely have to visit her tonight so he could resolve his emotions. Erlost looked at Truyo out of the corner of his eye to make sure he didn't show any signs of detecting his thoughts...it didn't seem like he was reading him, and he definitely didn't sense his mind being probed. He kept himself from smiling so Truyo wouldn't start asking questions. Maybe today would end well after all.
After a long while of walking, the two of them arrived at the entrance to the sparring rooms.
"After you, master," Erlost said, motioning to the door. "Age before beauty, after all."
"Those are fighting words, my friend," Truyo said with a slight laugh. "You're about to see that the new generation still has a lot to learn."
"Heh...and you're about to see that the new generation has a lot to teach," Erlost said jokingly as he followed Truyo inside.
The sparring room they walked into was rather large. There was a shelf on one of the walls with training remotes, and then there was a rack with several training sabers. However, the training sabers were only for the Youngling classes; Erlost and Truyo both had actual lightsabers, and could adjust the intensity of the blades so neither of them would get badly hurt. The two of them took up positions on either side of the room and faced each other. Truyo removed his brown robe and revealed his light brown tunic. He took his lightsaber off his belt and ignited the blue blade, and held it above his head in the Soresu opening stance. Erlost followed accordingly by taking his lightsaber off his belt and igniting the aqua blade, then taking up the opening Ataru stance.
"Alright master, care to make the first move?"
"Hm...I don't think so, my friend. This sparring lesson is to see what you've learned. You can make the first move...let's see what you've learned over the years."
Erlost nodded in agreement, then launched himself into the air with the Force. He allowed both his own momentum and the power of the Force to speed him up in the air, and did a side flip in mid air. He landed in front of Truyo in a crouching position, and from there he launched himself into a stab aimed for his opponent. Truyo countered with his own parry and pushed Erlost's own blade above his head. Instead of letting his master make a counter strike, he gave himself a boost of speed with the Force and brought his lightsaber down at Truyo. Their blades met again, and Truyo redirected Erlost's blade so instead of going straight down, it went downwards at an angle so it ended up at his side. He knew that Truyo would take this moment to launch a counter attack, but he was going to surprise his master. With another burst of speed, he brought his lightsaber up from his side and in front of his body so the blade was facing downwards. He continued to draw the blade across his body, effectively knocking Truyo's lightsaber out of the way. Since his burst of speed was still in effect, he'd leave Truyo very little time to block his counter attack. He brought the lightsaber around his back, bringing it back around and swinging at Truyo's side. The edge of his lightsaber blade made contact with Truyo's waist, and left a slight burn. From his strike he quickly recoiled and spun backwards, entering his Ataru opening stance again.
Truyo had stumbled back for a moment, but he managed to quickly regain his balance. He looked at the burn on his hip, then he looked at Erlost and smiled. "Not bad...not bad at all, Erlost. I wasn't expecting you to incorporate Soresu techniques in your fighting style. However, you're not home yet."
Erlost smiled and ran at his opponent, holding the lightsaber at his side. In response, Truyo held the lightsaber vertically in front of his own body. Erlost knew what was about to happen, and he welcomed it gladly. Once he was within striking distance, he swung the blade purposely at Truyo's lightsaber, using the Force to add even more strength to his strike. He believed he'd be able to break through Truyo's defense, but he was wrong. Their blades connected for a brief moment, but quickly disconnected when Truyo pushed Erlost's blade to the side. With Erlost's blade at his side, he was in no position to defend his other side. Truyo, still keeping his weapon close to his body, brought his lightsaber above his head in a circular motion, then bringing it at Erlost's side and burning him. In response to the pain, he quickly spun backwards. Just then, Truyo deactivated his lightsaber and shook his head. Erlost deactivated his lightsaber as well in curiosity.
"Erlost...you're not at your best. You seem distracted...what's going on?"
Truyo was right, of course. He was thinking of Talia again...he couldn't think straight. He sighed a little bit and put his lightsaber back on his belt, shaking his head in disappointment. "I really don't know, Master Truyo...I'm just...I'm just not thinking straight. Forgive me...I'm going to head back to my dorm to meditate. May the Force be with you..."
Erlost quickly walked past Truyo, shaking his head furiously as he went. Just before he left the room, he heard Truyo speak.
"May the Force be with you too, my friend..."
"Yeah," Erlost thought to himself. "I think I'll need it..."

Chapter VI will be posted as soon as possible.

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

Chapter VI

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A four year old Erlost Starhero sat in the back of a Corellian shuttle, with his parents up front. The door that led to the cock pit was closed shut. Erlost didn't mind though, he knew his parents liked their privacy, and he wanted whatever made them happy. He sat in the back of the shuttle, playing with the family pet: a slice hound pup named Nibbler. He threw a ball for Nibbler to fetch, subconsciously throwing it further than he actually could with the Force. He knew he was a special child, his parents had always told him so. He guessed that was why they were taking him on a special family trip.
He smiled and laughed as Nibbler brought the ball back to him and dropped it in his lap. Erlost happily picked up the ball then threw it again, smiling as he watched Nibbler run after it again. Even though he was a member of the wealthy Starhero family, he loved the simple things in life. But it could have just been because he was four; whatever the case, he didn't really care for any of the expensive gifts his parents would buy him. All he wanted was their love and care, nothing else.
Erlost looked over at his small bag that was sitting on a bench. His parents had him pack a few pairs of clothes, and some food and water. He didn't know why they didn't do the same...in fact, something inside him told him that something was very very wrong. The oddest thing was they had him put on a thermal suit before they left, and they didn't put any on. When the shuttle touched down, Erlost's stomach really began to lurch. Apparently something was wrong with Nibbler too, because he was lying flat on the ground with his ears lying down flat. Erlost was starting to feel nervous, but then his parents walked out of the cock pit. Erlost grinned from ear to ear, then ran over to them and gave them each a big hug.
"Hi mommy, hi daddy!" The four year old boy said excitedly. "Is this where we're camping?"
"Go grab your bag, sweetie," Erlost's mother said. She was a tall woman, just a few inches shorter than Erlost's father. She had dark brown hair and blue eyes, like Erlost. His father also had dark brown hair, but with green eyes.
Erlost nodded his head happily and grabbed the bag then ran back to his parents. His father turned him around, and gently placed his hand on Erlost's back as he led him to the closed exit ramp. When they reached it, Erlost's mother hit the open switch and Erlost ran outside. As soon as he was outside, he understood why they had him put on a thermal suit: This was Corellia's plains during the snowy season. He turned around and saw his parents blocking the entrance ramp. Something inside him told him he wasn't going back...he didn't like this feeling.
"Mommy, daddy, why aren't you coming with me?" Erlost asked, obviously confused. "I thought we were going camping."
"No son, we're not," Erlost's father said grimly. Erlost really didn't like the tone in his voice. "I'm afraid we're leaving you here..."
"But why, daddy?" Erlost asked on the verge of tears. "I don't understand. I thought you guys loved me..."
"We do, son..." Erlost's mother replied, on the verge of tears herself. She had her head dipped down in remorse; she was the only one who truly seemed sorry. "But...we just can't keep you..."
"B-But why? Please mommy, please daddy, don't do this!" Erlost said, now crying and pleading with his parents to change their minds.
"Your powers are causing us too much trouble, Erlost," His father replied, obviously doing his best to maintain his grim tone of voice. "We can't keep you around...we knew children were mischievous, but this is too much. You don't know how to control your powers...you're too dangerous to have around. I'm sorry...but you have to go."
"No! No, you can't just leave me here!" Erlost screamed at the top of his lungs. Subconsciously, he amplified the sonic levels of his scream with the Force and caused the very ground beneath him to shake, and he even caused an avalanche in the distance. His scream obviously disturbed Nibbler, and thanks to his animal instincts he knew Erlost was in great emotional distress. Nibbler jumped at Erlost's father, and bit his hand, digging deep into the skin. Erlost stopped screaming when he heard his father cry out in pain. When Erlost opened his eyes and saw Nibbler biting his father's hand, he didn't know who's side to take. He loved both Nibbler and his parents...he felt utterly torn.He stood there, watching in confusion; he was just four years old, he didn't know what to do. Then, the sight he saw scarred him beyond all belief: His father pulled a vibro knife off his belt, and started to stab Nibbler several times since he couldn't shake him off.
"Daddy, stop! Please don't kill him! He's my friend!!"
But it was too late, after the first few stabs Nibbler was killed. His father threw the dead body out into the snow, and Erlost threw himself on top of his dead pet's body, crying and sobbing as he held his dead friend's body in his arms. He heard the shuttle lift off the ground, but he didn't care; he didn't want anything to do with his father anymore, not after he killed his best friend and loyal companion. But at the same time, he wanted to be with his mother and father. They raised him, they were his family...he loved them no matter what. At this age, he was ready to forgive anyone...even his father. But he still held his dead pet's body tightly, crying and sobbing. Surviving out here was the least of his problems, he just wanted his pet back. He remained in that same spot, holding his dead pet's body and crying for a straight fifteen minutes when he heard a shuttle touch down behind him. He stopped crying, but continued to sob; he wondered who it was that had just arrived. Something inside him told him that it wasn't his parents, that it was someone very powerful and kind hearted.
After a few more minutes, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He slowly looked over his shoulder and saw a Togruta kneeling behind him. He was wearing dark brown robes, which Erlost identified with Jedi robes he had seen in holovids. They weren't as extravagant and flashy as holovids made them out to be, but he was still able to identify them. The Togruta had a soft look in his eyes, which showed that he didn't mind if Erlost continued to mourn the loss of his pet. Erlost looked back at his dead pet's body, and continued to hold it close to his own.
After about five minutes of complete silence, other than Erlost's frequent sobs, the Togruta spoke to Erlost in a deep, kind voice. "What happened here, young one? Why are you out here all alone?"
Erlost sobbed a few times, taking in deep, exasperated breaths as he gathered his thoughts. "M-my p-parents...th-th-they left me he-here...m-my d-d-dad killed N-Nibbler..."
Erlost buried his face in his dead pet's body again, sobbing uncontrollably as he squeezed his dead friend's body. The Togruta squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, and poured soothing amounts of Force energy into Erlost. He started to feel warm, and a little bit better as well, but he was still sad. When he slowly started to stop sobbing, he took his head out of his dead pet's body. Erlost looked over his shoulder, giving the Jedi a nervous smile.
"Y-You have powers...like me." Erlost didn't feel so alone anymore, knowing that he met someone like him. "Who are you, mister?"
"I'm a Jedi, my young friend," The Togruta said reassuringly. "My name is Truyo."
Erlost smiled, but still held his dead pet's body close to his own. "It's nice to meet you, master Truyo. My name is Erlost Starhero...are you going to teach me how to control my powers?"
Truyo smiled back and laughed slightly. "Well...I can't train you, not without permission from the Jedi Council. I'll take you with me to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. We'll give Nibbler a funeral there, alright?"
"O-Okay, Truyo...thank you."
Erlost started to feel happy, but still sad because of his dead pet. He'd just have to do his best to control himself for a while. When Truyo took his hand off his shoulder, Erlost walked next to him and followed him back to his shuttle. He didn't know it at the time, but he was taking his first step into a much larger world.

Erlost looked out the window of his room in the Jedi Temple, watching the rain fall from the skies and gently pounding on his window. Fifteen years have passed since that fateful day took place on Corellia, but the memory was so vivid. Erlost had finally decided to stop fighting it, and allowed himself to remember that day. That day was filled with love, confusion, grief, and relief. Only two days later he would find out that his powers came from the Force, and that when he screamed he brushed with the Darkside for a short time. Since then, he had learned how to resist the temptation of calling upon the darkside, and staying true to the light. For the longest time he used to think that if he weren't born with the Force, his parents would have loved him...now he saw how those kinds of thoughts could lead to the darkside.
"It was the will of the Force for me to be saved...now, what is it that the Force is telling me?"
Erlost was confused, almost as confused as he was on that fateful day on Corellia. Was he to go to Talia and submit to his newfound feelings of love for her, or should he follow the Jedi Code and tell her that they couldn't be together? Erlost often looked for "signs" from the Force that might suggest it's will. The will of the Force was always difficult to interpret, especially now. All he could think of doing at this moment was clearing his mind, and going with the first thought that comes to his mind, a sort of meditation technique he had taught himself.
He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, clearing his mind of all thoughts. The way it worked was the first thought that would come to his mind would be the will of the Force, and every time he used this technique everything turned out for the better. He took in deep, continuous breaths, his chest slowly rising and falling. He stood in a wide stance with his arms behind his back, concentrating on reading both himself and the will of the Force. He stood like that for several minutes, taking in deep breaths as he focused on his surroundings. He understood that both options would be difficult to follow through, but whatever the will of the Force was he would follow it. After several more minutes passed, he opened his eyes and started taking in regular breaths. The very first thought that came to his mind had surfaced, and Erlost now knew the will of the Force. He sighed a little, and walked towards the door. C4 was sitting on his usual chair, charging for the night. Before he left, Erlost grabbed something off a nearby table ant stuffed it in his pocket. Erlost then smiled slightly and opened the door, and finally walked out into the hallway.
He was walking out of his room wearing only black pants, black boots, and a white sleeveless shirt. Although it didn't matter to him...he'd be heading back to his room as soon as he was done speaking to her anyways. He walked across the hallway to her room, and knocked on her door gently in case she was already asleep. It was nearly ten at night, and all the lights in the temple were out. He knew he shouldn't be out here at night, but he had to let her know how he felt.
"Talia..." Erlost said in a loud whisper. "Talia, are you awake? It's me, Erlost. Can I come in?"
"Sure, the door's open." He heard Talia say from behind the door.
Erlost opened the door, and closed it as soon as he walked inside. He saw her sitting by her window, looking out at the night sky. She was wearing a night gown that stopped about halfway at her thighs, It was a light shade of blue, and it showed off her perfect figure. His eyes were automatically drawn to her chest, but he quickly snapped out of it and sat down on her bed. He watched her as she looked out the window at Coruscant's night sky. She had a dreamy expression on her face, and she looked absolutely beautiful. Erlost clasped his hands together, and leaned forward slightly as he waited for Talia to say something since he didn't know how to begin. After five minutes of complete silence, Talia finally spoke up.
"The night sky is absolutely beautiful, Erlost..." Talia said, giving Erlost a warm smile. The moonlight fell on her perfectly, making her glow with radiant beauty. "When I was a slave, I'd often dreamed of the Coruscanti night sky, breathing in it's fresh, crisp air." She laughed a little bit and smiled as she continued. "Just looking at it is enchanting..."
"Yeah, it is..." Erlost agreed with a smile. "It's even better to look at when you're outside. But I wouldn't recommend going outside with the way you're dressed."
The two of them shared a quick laugh, giving each other warm smiles.
"The same thing goes for you, handsome," Talia said flirtatiously, giggling slightly. "So...what's on your mind?"
Erlost sighed a little bit, and looked at the floor for a moment. He felt completely tongue-tied...he had no idea how he would go about doing this; he never had to experience this kind of scenario before. He had to start out somewhere, so he decided to start out slowly: starting with earlier today.
"Well Talia...do you remember when you asked me if Jedi are allowed to love, and I told you that it was discouraged for Jedi to be in a romantic relationship? Well...I've been thinking about what I've told you."
"And?" Talia asked nervously.
"Well...I think...no, I know I'm in love with you, but these are dangerous waters we tread in." Erlost looked up at her, giving her a caring look. "If we decide to give in and enter this relationship, there's a very good chance that I'll be kicked out of the Jedi Order, and you possibly kicked out of the Jedi Temple. Even if that didn't happen, we'd be living a lie...one that would destroy us from the inside..."
A long silence followed after Erlost finished. He was going to tell her what he wanted to tell her soon enough, but he had to do it right. He searched himself for the right words for several minutes, then he finally made up his mind. He could sense that Talia was just about ready to give up, then he stood up and took her in both hands, then helped her to her feet. The two of them locked eyes in the moonlight, unable to look away from one another. Talia looked at Erlost, completely enamored with him and unable to find words to express herself at the moment.
"Talia...I know that what I'm about to do will put us both at great risk, but I have to do it anyways...I can't fight it anymore."
Erlost let go of one of her hands, then reached into his pocket and pulled out his severed Padawan braid. He placed the Padawan braid in her now free hand, then gently stroked her cheek as he looked deeply into her beautiful brown eyes.
"Talia...please, take my Padawan braid as an eternal pledge of my love to you...please accept it, knowing I will always be there to protect you. And most of all, please accept this with the intent of loving me through and through..."
Talia's eyes filled with tears of joy, but she quickly wiped them away. She took her hand out of Erlost's, and threw her arms around his neck. Erlost was a little bit nervous himself, but he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. They stood like that for a long time, just enjoying the warm embrace. After a long time, Talia whispered into Erlost's ear.
"Thank you, Erlost...I'm so happy you've chosen to love me..."
"Heh...it wasn't that hard," Erlost whispered back. "I just had to listen to the Force."
Talia laughed a little bit and took her head off of Erlost's shoulder, giving him a warm smile.
"You Jedi and listening to the Force. Is there anything it can't tell you?"
Erlost smiled a little bit, slowly bringing his face closer to hers. "Well, there is one thing it can't tell us..."
"Really?" Talia whispered back as she came closer to meet him. "And what would that be?"
"Let me show you..."
After that, they embraced each other yet again, and their lips interlocked in a deep kiss. They pulled each one another closer into the kiss, not breaking for even a single second. Erlost's heart beat quickly, his mind in a fog. This was by far the best night of his life.

Erlost now found himself in the same pitch black area he found himself in one night ago. He was back in his usual attire: his lose fitting black jumpsuit, and his white robes. The only difference was that Revan wasn't there, at least not yet. Maybe if he were to wait for just a few minutes. He sat on the ground, and began to meditate. Usually when he meditated, he'd be able to sense everything around him, but not this time, which was very strange. Last time Revan had claimed that this event took place within Erlost's own mind. The fact that he couldn't sense anyone was very very strange. Revan was an odd individual, indeed. First time he shows up and practically tells his entire life story, then he mysteriously disappears the next night. But he must have been around somewhere, otherwise Erlost wouldn't be having this "dream" sequence again.
He was just about to stand up when he began to sense he was not alone. In fact, he sensed that he was surrounded by several beings. He quickly jumped to his feet, and ignited his aqua lightsaber. The glow illuminated the people surrounding him, and revealed them to be soldiers. They were wearing reflective silver armor, with black visors covering their faces. They wore black body gloves underneath their armor, and each of them had either a blaster rifle or a vibro blade in their hand. Erlost was trying to remember where he saw armor designs like these before, but he couldn't quite place it. He knew it would come to him eventually, but for now, he had to take care of his surrounding enemies. Fortunately, there weren't many of them, roughly six of them; not even an entire squad. This should be easy enough. He'd have to take care of the ones with the blasters first, though, they were the only real problem.
He heard the all too familiar sound of a blaster discharge coming from behind him. He gave himself a burst of speed, and spun around to deflect the bolt. He deflected the first one easily, sending it ricocheting off course, then another one came at him; both from the trooper in front of him and one to his side. He couldn't deflect both of them at once, so he had to evade them instead. He quickly Force Jumped forward, entering a mid-air flip as he soared at the trooper in front of him. His jump carried him over the soldier's head, and he quickly swung at his neck in mid air. His blade cut through the soldier's neck as if it were butter. He landed behind the dead soldier, then quickly turned around to see the two remaining gunners fire at him. He quickly spun his blade into a reverse grip, then started to weave a figure eight in front of him with his lightsaber for a barrier of defense. He deflected the bolts quite easily, deflecting them well out of the way. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two soldiers with vibro blades charging at him from his left, and one from his right. Eventually the gunners figured out that they weren't getting anywhere with this, so they ceased fire and started to reload their ammo. That was just about all the time he needed to take down at one of the swordsmen if not two of them. He ceased weaving his figure eight, then threw the lightsaber into the air, and caught it so he was back to holding it in a regular grip. He turned his attention to one of the swordsmen on his left, then, reaching out with the Force, he grabbed him and threw him into the swordsman on his right. With two of them incapacitated, that made killing the other one on his left easier.
The trooper running at him had his sword recoiled far back at his side, suggesting that he was going to attempt to stab Erlost. He allowed the Force to flow through him, allowing it to speed up his movements to avoid the attack and make his counter strike. The very second he saw his opponent make the stabbing movement, Erlost quickly spun around on his right heel. Completely avoiding the attack, he spun behind the soldier, swinging at his legs in the process. His blade cut through his legs just enough to cause him to lose control of them, and make him fall to the ground. The very second his opponent hit the floor, he brought his lightsaber above his head, and plunged it into the trooper's back. As soon as he finished, his danger sense had flared. Apparently the gunners had taken the opportunity to assume new positions to get the jump on Erlost, but it wouldn't work. Erlost could sense one of the troopers right behind him, just two feet away. Apparently he was planning to shoot Erlost from point blank range to inflict maximum damage. Erlost backflipped just in time to avoid an incoming shot. As he flipped behind the trooper, the other soldier, whose position Erlost did not know, fired at him in mid air. However, each of these shots missed, and Erlost landed behind the soldier unscathed. He quickly swung, and cut the soldier in half. When he turned to face the last gunner, he heard a beeping noise coming from nearby, and the beeping was increasingly becoming faster. He looked to his feet and gasped: a grenade!
He quickly reached out with the Force and threw it back to the remaining gunner. Just before the grenade made contact with it's target, it detonated and killed the gunner in an explosion of light. That just left the two remaining swordsmen. His two remaining opponents took up positions on Erlost's left and right flank, hoping to trap him between the two of them. He couldn't take just one of them at a time, but there was one thing he could do. He looked at one of the fallen gunners, notably at his blaster. He focused on the blaster alone, then summoned it to his free hand. The saber flew into his left hand, then in a blur of speed he extended the barrel at the soldier on his left and unleashed a flurry of blaster fire at his opponent. The blasts were reckless and aimless, but it was enough to hit the soldier's fatal points and kill him. He threw the blaster to the ground, then turned to see his remaining opponent run at him. He quickly raised his lightsaber above his head, but kept it close to his body so he could block the attack effortlessly. Their blades made contact, and Erlost effortlessly flicked it out of the way. Then, with a mere twist of his wrists he held the lightsaber blade diagonally in front of his body, and blocked his opponents next attack, which Erlost easily pushed well out of the way. He brought his lightsaber above his shoulder for just a moment, then he swung at the soldier's shoulder and made a deep gash in the shoulder's chest and pelvis, killing him easily. After he killed his finally opponent, he took in a deep breath and returned to a relaxed position, holding his lightsaber loosely at his side. The bodies of his defeated adversaries all disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Erlost stunned. This really was a dream, but where was Revan? Something was wrong.
He sensed them before he saw them: three presences in the darkside of the Force. He spun around and entered the Ataru open stance, and saw three hooded figures standing before him. They wore grey jumpsuits, with black boots and black gloves, with black sashes that ran up their groin to their chest with hoods attached to them. They each had black veils covering their mouths, so no one would actually know their identities. Erlost kept a grim expression as he pulled the white hood of his robe over his head, in turn hiding most of his face from his opponents. First, only one of them ran at him. His charging opponent ignited a single bladed red lightsaber, holding it at his side with the length of the blade following behind him. Erlost in turn ran at his charging foe, holding the blade at his side as well, but with the length of the blade pointing away from his side. When they were a mere few feet away from each other, Erlost swung his lightsaber above his head, then down at his opponent. Their blades met for a brief moment, but then the two of them entered a simultaneous spin: Erlost spun forward, and the Dark Jedi to Erlost's right. The momentum of Erlost's spin caused him to turn to face his opponent, and he quickly swung at his chest. The Dark Jedi blocked the attack, then brought his lightsaber above his head and swung down at Erlost. This attack was blocked, then Erlost pushed the blade upwards, then using the momentum of his parry to swing down and across his opponent's body. He cut a deep, fatal gash into his foe's body and easily killed him.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a Dark Jedi charging at him with two lightsabers, both of them a deep red. He was too close for Erlost to properly defend himself, so he would have to slow him down. He turned and sent a Force Push at his incoming opponent, which he resisted. However, he was slowed down at that gave Erlost the time he needed to attack. Still keeping his lightsaber close to his body, as the Soresu form requires for effectiveness, he brought the blade up from his side and at his opponent's head. The Dark Jedi raised his lightsabers in a scissor lock, blocking Erlost's attack. They remained like that for a brief moment, then Erlost pulled out of the scissor lock and jumped over the Dark Jedi, just in time to avoid a dual stab. As soon as he landed behind his opponent, he spun around and swung at the Dark Jedi's legs in a crouching position. However, his opponent jumped into the air just in time to avoid the attack. Once he landed, he spun around, swinging at Erlost's head in the same time. He ducked once more and avoided the attack aimed towards his head, and as he rose he saw the second blade coming at him. With his lightsaber hilt being held at his shoulder in both hands, he flicked his wrists in the direction of the incoming strike, and parried the blow, sending the incoming blade off course. He fluidly transitioned from Soresu to Ataru, and went on the offensive. Because his opponent was wielding two lightsabers instead of one lightsaber and one shoto, he was at a slight disadvantage. He did not have the speed or mobility that came with the addition of a shoto in dual saber combat. With that in mind, Erlost unleashed an offense that would be able to break through his opponent's defense.
He used attacks aimed mainly towards his opponent's shoulder's and sides, as these would be harder to block, and therefore more taxing on his opponent's body. Not much further into his barrage of attacks, he heard the familiar pop of a shoulder being disconnected. Erlost had achieved his goal: He fought his enemy to the point where he couldn't defend himself anymore. The Dark Jedi screamed in pain as Erlost's lightsaber plunged into his shoulder, thereby making it completely useless. He plunged it even further, then dragged it across his opponent's body and cut right through his spinal cord, killing him instantly. As soon as his blade passed through his spine, he pulled out the saber and spun around to face his last opponent. He and his remaining enemy stood completely still, glaring at each other in a death lock. Erlost couldn't help but wonder what he was waiting for, then he noticed the lightsaber hanging on his opponent's belt: it was a double bladed lightsaber. Once he noticed it, his opponent took it from his belt, and ignited it. He spun it around a few times in a flourish, making Erlost realize that he would be facing a master duelist. Erlost returned the favor, and executed a series of lightsaber spins to show that he was going to give his opponent the fight of his life. When Erlost finished, that was when his opponent jumped at him. He executed a butterfly spin in midair, then landed in front of him, swinging one of his blades at Erlost's neck. With a flick of his wrist, he easily parried the attack, which his opponent used to his advantage. By using his own momentum, he sent the other blade at Erlost's legs. He quickly avoided this attack by jumping into the air, but the Dark Jedi used his momentum to his advantage again. He swept the blades underneath Erlost's feet, bringing him into a backwards stab for Erlost. However, this attack was off by a few inches, and as soon as Erlost landed he pushed the red blade out of the way, sending his opponent into a backwards spin, and Erlost spun towards him in a spinning attack aimed for the Dark Jedi's legs. His attack was parried, however, which caused his lightsaber to go upwards from his original position. However, he wasn't going to let that stop him. He allowed the Force to flow through him freely, increasing his speed and flexibility. He sent a swift cut at his opponent's right shoulder, but this was parried by a spinning barrier created by his opponent. In fact, the spin caused both of his opponent's blades to hit Erlost's blade at different intervals, but between these intervals Erlost lost some of his grip on his weapon, and it was enough to send it flying out of his hand. He knew the Dark Jedi would take advantage of this moment, so he quickly rolled to the side just in time to avoid a quick swing made by his foe. In mid-roll, he picked up his lightsaber then quickly got to his feet and ignited the blade just in time to parry yet another attack.
He parried an attack that was aimed for his legs, tapping the incoming blade and sending it upwards and off course. Using his opponent's momentary off guard state, he quickly swung upwards at a diagonal angle, and cut his opponent's lightsaber in half. To quickly follow up, he kicked his opponent in the chest and sent him falling on his back, which also caused him to lose grip on the other half of his lightsaber. Erlost flipped over his opponent, and swung at him while he was still on the ground, but this attack was parried as well. Once he landed behind his enemy, the Dark Jedi jumped to his feet, and broke into a run, but Erlost wasn't going to let him get away that easily. He swung at his opponent's legs, but missed. However, he allowed the momentum of his attack to send him spinning forwards at his opponent. He gave himself a quick burst of speed so his opponent wouldn't get away, then as he came back around to face him, he lunged forward and stabbed his opponent in the back, just before he could spin out of the way. The Dark Jedi arched backwards as the blade plunged into his back, killing him. Erlost allowed the blade to remain in his opponent, just so he could savor the victory for a moment. Before he could pull the blade out, all the bodies disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Erlost standing there alone.
He took in a deep breath and deactivated his lightsaber. He put it back on his belt and pulled down his hood, taking a moment to catch his breath. He wasn't being pulled out of his dream, which meant his "training session" with Revan wasn't quite over.
"Alright Revan," Erlost said out loud. "Where are you? Could you show up sometime before morning?"
"I'm right behind you, Starhero."
Erlost turned around and saw Revan sitting on a chair in front of a small table with a covered pot and two glasses. Opposite his seat was another chair, which was obviously intended for Erlost. He took his seat across from Revan, and waited for whatever was about to happen next. Revan poured two cups of what seemed to be hot liquid, judging by the steam emitting from the brown liquid.
"Here, have some tea." Revan said as he offered Erlost a cup. "I'm sure you're exhausted from that bout."
"Yes, please," Erlost said, taking the small cup. He blowed on it gently to cool it down, then took a small sip. "So, did you enjoy the show, Revan?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I did." Revan said after he took a sip of tea. He set the cup down on the table, then looked at Erlost from underneath his hood. "You seem a little bit more friendly than you were during our previous encounter. An explanation, please?"
"Well, since you're going to be my teacher, I might as well treat you with respect. So, what do you have to teach me today?"
"Ah, eager to learn I see," Revan said almost sarcastically. "Well, I don't think there was much you could have learned from that encounter, except for who your adversaries were. However, you will learn that in time. For now, I will tell you what I've learned by watching you fight: You are trained as a Jedi Guardian, very well trained I see. You mainly practice the forms Soresu and Ataru, in fact you seem to be very proficient with them. And despite your being a Jedi Guardian, you are very skilled with Force Telekinesis, Force Speed, and Force acrobatics. No doubt you have no choice but to be skilled with those abilities due to the fact that you're an Ataru practitioner."
"So, is that all you've learned about me?" Erlost said, followed by a quick sip of tea. "You've only learned my fighting style? You take residents in my mind, surely you know more about me than just that."
If Revan weren't wearing a hood, Erlost would have seen him raise his brow in surprise. "Now you're talking back? Very well then, I'll tell you what else I know. You're in love, you just did something that would get you expelled from the Order in a heart beat if anyone walked in on you, and you just had a brush with the darkside. Satisfied?"
Erlost turned red when he mentioned the act Erlost had committed before he fell asleep. That reminded him that he'd have to wake up before anyone could discover what happened. But then he was filled with astonishment when Revan said he had a brush with the darkside. There was no way that could be true, he was a Jedi, trained to resist the darkside at all times. And now he was faltering? It was simply unbelievable.
"What are you talking about? I have not brushed with the darkside!"
"Yes, you have." Revan countered. "And if you paid attention to yourself during the final moments of the battle, you'd realize you took a moment to enjoy your victory at the death of your enemy. That's brushing with the darkside, my pupil. But don't worry...your future won't end in darkness, but you will have an...experience with it's power."
"What?" Erlost asked in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"
"Do you remember when the Dark Jedi on Nar Shadda told you about the True Sith, and whatnot?" Revan asked rhetorically. "That wasn't a load of bantha droppings, Erlost. You are going to become a Sith Lord in the not so distant future, but for how long I am unsure of. The Force is very vague when it comes to time settings. Don't be afraid, however, because you won't be a Sith Lord forever."
"The future isn't set in stone, Revan," Erlost countered defiantly. "We each have the ability to influence the future."
"That is not true, Erlost," Revan said calmly. "The destiny of an individual is difficult to read, but I know yours. The only reason it won't happen is if you let go of your fear of falling to the Darkside. But you won't, Erlost; I know you better than you know yourself. Your destiny is the legacy of my mission, Erlost: It is your destiny to destroy the True Sith, and kill their leader. But make no mistake: This does not make you the Chosen One, as it is impossible to be the Chosen One. The Sith and Jedi will always return, no matter how many times they are destroyed. As long as their teachings survive, as long as a single member survives, they can return."
"But wait...if the Chosen One doesn't exist, doesn't that mean the Force will never be balanced?"
"False, my young pupil," Revan replied. "It already is balanced because both Jedi and Sith exist. If either of them are destroyed, the Force is thrown out of balance until they both return again. To explain the prophecy of the Chosen One, I will explain it in my own terms: Both the Sith and Jedi have been destroyed in the past, correct? Well, each time the Sith are destroyed, the person who destroys them is the most powerful Force user of their time. So, if you wish to believe in the Jedi's definition of the balance of the Force, it can be explained like this: each time the Sith rise, a new Chosen One is required to rise and take the place of the previous one, and destroy the Sith to save the galaxy, and supposedly return balance to the Force. To eliminate any remaining suspense, I'll make it plain and simple: You're the Chosen One of your time."
And for a long time afterwards, silence followed. This was ludicrous...Erlost couldn't be the Chosen One, maybe a Chosen One, but not the Chosen One. However, he figured it didn't matter if he believed this or not. For now, he was full of questions for Revan.
"So...who is the leader of the True Sith, Revan?"
"Ah, I'm glad you asked. Tell me, my friend, have you heard the story of Rannger Kater the Great?"
"No Revan, I have not," Erlost said, a look of curiosity in his eyes. "Was he part of the Jedi Order?"
"Yes, he was," Revan said as he leaned back into his chair to get comfortable. Obviously this would be a rather long story. "Rannger Kater lived long long ago, during the days of the Jedi Order in memorial. His origin of birth is unknown, as are the identity of his parents. However, he was arguably the most powerful Jedi in recorded history. He was one of the very first Jedi Masters in the history of the Jedi Order, in fact he was one of the first Grand Masters of the Order. He was extremely powerful with the Force, however he was wise and kind hearted, but at the same time strict and almost demanding. He was human, but he lived far beyond the life expectancy rate of a normal human. The Jedi Order did not know why this was so, but they were happy to have such a powerful Jedi Master leading them for so many years. He led them for hundreds of years until his secret was discovered. One day a Jedi Youngling witnessed him using the Darkside to tear the very essence of the Force out of a group of elder Jedi Masters, then they were killed. The Jedi Youngling escaped before Rannger could do anything to stop him. As it turns out, Rannger had been doing that every ten years to keep himself alive, as well as to keep himself looking young. The next part of this story is most likely just an embellishment to scare it's listeners, but we shall see. Anyways, the day after his secret was discovered by the youngling, he summoned all members of the Jedi Temple outside, and without warning he stole their very life essence within a minute. I highly doubt it's true, but embellishment or not the legend does imply that he killed a large amount of people that day. On that day, he renounced the name Rannger Kater, and took up the title of Lord Roku, the first Dark Lord of the Sith. He disappeared from the known regions, and over the course of hundreds of years he formed the True Sith Empire, which would one day launch a galaxy wide invasion and destroy the Jedi, and bring the ultimate rule of the Sith to the galaxy."
Erlost looked at Revan in disbelief. He could tell there was merit to Revan's words, but he still found it hard to believe. "So...Lord Roku is the leader of the True Sith, and this is the year they're going to strike?"
"Yes, it is," Revan said grimly. "In a exactly one week from now, word will reach the Republic that their shipyards are being sabotaged and destroyed. Another week after that, reports will come in of pirate attacks on random planets. These pirates will be led by Dark Jedi, not Sith; this is to throw the Jedi off the notion that the Sith are returning. The reason I say random planets is because I have no idea where they will attack at first, all I know is that the planets they attack will be far away from Coruscant. I won't tell you why this is so, however; you will find out on your own in time. Eventually, the True Sith armada will attack the heart of the Republic and wipe out the Jedi Order, except for you, a single Jedi Master, and Talia. What happens after that is for you to decide. For now, our meeting is over. Meditate on what I have told you, my pupil, and you will come to realize your destiny."
And in a flash of light, the dream ended, and Erlost woke up.

Chapter VII will come as soon as possible. I hope you're all enjoying my story.

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

Chapter VII

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Erlost had to wake up early and get dressed in order to avoid getting caught sleeping in Talia's room. The danger of getting caught made it all the more exciting for Erlost, but he had to be careful, otherwise he'd get kicked out of the Jedi Order for good. Other than sneaking into her room at night, the two of them would try to sneak in brief meetings during the day so they could talk and spend time with each other. During their meetings in the day, they couldn't act as anything other than friends. The temple was filled with Jedi, and taking a chance during the day was not worth the risk of being found out. Talia already had things to do during the day: She had a job at the Temple repairing droids and other machinery, so she was kept busy during the day. Erlost, however, was not as fortunate. For the past few days he had been in the Jedi Archives, sometimes studying and other times just going there to sit around because there was nothing else to do. With one day left before reports of Republic shipyards being destroyed came in, Erlost decided to actually study one particular subject.
He wasn't very familiar with the Jedi Civil War, and the past was a great teacher after all. In fact, according to Revan, Erlost's destiny was Revan's legacy. If he was to achieve this so-called destiny, he might as well learn about the war Revan waged all those years ago. Initially he couldn't find any information about the Jedi Civil War, so he eventually broke down and asked the keeper of the archives for help. She showed him a few holobooks about the Jedi Civil War, and Erlost thanked her for her help. Erlost had been in the Jedi Archives for most of the morning, and only took a break in the afternoon to pay Talia a visit and talk for a while. She had asked him why he was so busy studying lately, but Erlost didn't tell her anything except that it was best if she didn't get involved, and that she trust him. She agreed, but Erlost knew she didn't want to. After his visit he returned to the Archives and began reading more on the Jedi Civil War from where he left off.
Everything he had read so far were things he already knew, things that were almost common knowledge, except for a few key facts that he didn't know about. One example was the Jedi abductions Revan had started in order to gain more Dark Jedi. After reading that small piece of information, he began to wonder if that was what the True Sith did. It would make sense, since Revan did say that they had an armada large enough to crush the heart of the Republic, at least that was his implication anyways. He also read about the Star Forge, and how it fueled Revan's war fleet with a near infinite supply of ships. He knew about this before, but now he began to wonder if the True Sith were using a technology similar to that of the Star Forge.
He wrote down notes about everything he read, especially on the things he hadn't known before. He also wrote down his thoughts and speculations on certain things, and how the True Sith might be doing something similar to all this. He also wondered how far the legend of Rannger Kater really went. How did he know that Rannger wasn't around since before the rise of the Jedi Order? He also wrote notes about this particular subject; there was no such thing as too much knowledge, after all. He was halfway through writing a small side thought on the legend of Rannger Kater, when he sensed master Truyo's familiar presence. He looked up from his notebook and smiled at Truyo, setting his notebook down.
"Hello master," Erlost said happily. "I didn't hear you walking inside. I must be too busy working."
"That you are, my friend," Truyo said as he noticed the notebook sitting on the table. "Ah, busy taking notes, are we? On what subject, may I ask?"
"Oh, I'm researching the Jedi Civil War," Erlost said, calmly pushing the notebook towards Truyo. "I've recently taken an interest in warfare, master."
"As I notice..." Truyo said, flipping through a few pages of the notebook. Erlost could tell that Truyo was just skimming the notes, so it didn't matter. He just prayed Truyo wouldn't find his entires on the legend of Rannger Kater. "Very interesting...taking notes on the reasoning behind their actions, analyzing battle strategies on both sides, and some notes on Revan himself? Hmm...very intriguing work, my friend. May I ask why you're doing all this?"
"Just curiosity, master Truyo," Erlost replied nonchalantly. "Just trying to familiarize myself with the era that helped form the Jedi Order today."
This was a painfully obvious lie, both of them knew that. After a few more minutes of silence, Truyo closed the notebook and pushed it back to Erlost, giving him a rather serious look. Erlost knew that look well...it was the look he would get from Truyo whenever he was doing something wrong. He sighed a little bit and put the notebook on his lap, and waited for Truyo to say something.
"You lie, Erlost," Truyo said, giving him a disapproving look. "You're such a terrible liar, you know? I know the real reason you're doing this."
Erlost swallowed nervously, afraid that Truyo would discover that Erlost was actually very afraid of falling to the darkside. However, Truyo's response was totally unexpected.
"You've sensed the disturbance in the Force, as I and many of the other Jedi Council have."
Erlost let out a small sigh of relief. Truyo wasn't expecting anything, so he was still safe. He had no intentions of betraying the Jedi Order, not in a million years, but the last thing he wanted was Truyo thinking Erlost was going to betray them.
Turyo didn't seem at all distracted by the fact that Erlost sighed, in fact he continued speaking. "Our judgment has been clouded over the past few days, Erlost. It is the barrier of the Darkside, the Council has felt it. We fear that dark times may be approaching."
"Maybe it's just a Dark Jedi cult, Truyo," Erlost responded, playing the role of an oblivious Jedi Knight. "It's like you said, the chance of the Sith returning is very unlikely."
"Erlost, you are a wise young man, but no mere cult has power enough to cloud our judgment," Truyo replied grimly. "We fear the Sith may be returning."
"Hmph, looks like the Jedi have some idea of what's going after all," A voice said from behind Erlost.
Erlost twisted his head around, and saw the cloaked figure of Revan. He didn't gasp, but he was surprised. Strangely enough, Truyo didn't say anything. Erlost looked back to the Jedi master, and found that he was looking at Erlost curiously.
"Erlost, is something wrong? Did you hear something?"
Truyo must not be able to see Revan, that was the only explanation. Erlost regained his composure, then put on a more relaxed face.
"It was nothing master, I must be hearing things. I must be studying too hard...anyways, back to our discussion. Are you sure the Sith are returning? Is that really the only explanation possible?"
"I'm afraid so, Erlost," Truyo replied. "It's the only answer we could arrive at. Maybe that Dark Jedi's ramblings you mentioned weren't as far fetched as I had thought. War might be upon us very soon...but don't take my word for it."
"No Erlost," Revan said as a retort to Truyo's response. "Do take his word for it. I may disagree with the Jedi on several matters, but there is no doubting that they are correct about this. I told you about what was going to happen, and now Truyo confirms it, even if he doesn't know everything about the near future."
Erlost couldn't deny it, Revan was right. It would seem that an attack from the True Sith was inevitable now, as was a war. Any remaining doubts he had were now shattered into tiny pieces. But now what was he supposed to do? Just sit idly by and wait for the attack? No...no, there must be a better way. But who would listen to him? He was only nineteen, and just barely started out his career as a Jedi Knight. Besides, if Revan was right, then nothing he would do could stop this catastrophe. However, there was one thing he could do. It was a long shot, but it might just work.
"Truyo, do we still have that Dark Jedi in a holding cell?"
"Yes Erlost, we do. What do you have in mind?" Truyo asked curiously.
"If the Sith really are returning, then that Dark Jedi must know it as well," Erlost replied as he gathered up his things. "I'm going to go ask him some questions and find out what he knows. I have a feeling that his masters let him in on all of their plans, if not most of them."
Truyo got out of his seat when Erlost did, and walked next to him, giving him a confused look. "Erlost, no one has been able to get information out of that man's head. What makes you think he'll respond to you, the man who arrested him?"
"With all due respect master, he's a madman and you know it. If he's as crazy as I think he is, then I have the feeling he'll talk to me one way or another. Chances are he'll tell me what I want to hear just to get inside my head."
Erlost knew he was right. That Dark Jedi had tried to get inside his head and frighten him many times during their fight, and after their fight. Erlost would be able to make the Dark Jedi spill the information he needed. Erlost couldn't help but look opposite him, and saw the specter of Revan still following him. He still wondered why Revan was now appearing to him when he's awake. If Revan spoke to him and expected him to reply, Erlost would end up looking crazy. Erlost needed to get away from Truyo...he had no doubt that Revan wanted to speak to him about something. Erlost stopped after a while, and turned to Truyo.
"Forgive me master, but now I must go. I need to go take care of something before I begin questioning the Dark Jedi."
"Very well then, my friend," Truyo replied. "May the Force be with you."
Erlost returned Truyo's wish then continued down the hallway. Once he was sure Truyo was no longer within ear shot, he spoke to the specter walking next to him in a hushed tone.
"Why are you appearing to me now? You should know that whenever you speak, I feel the need to ask more questions. Do you wish to make me seem insane?"
"Don't forget, my young pupil, that there is a thin line between insanity and intelligence," Revan said jokingly. "No...but I am here simply because of what your friend Truyo said. He was right, a war is coming, but I am sure you know that by now. By the way...I am rather impressed. I told you to meditate on my words, but it would seem you took it one step further by studying my actions during the Jedi Civil War. It seems that you know the past can be a very valuable teacher. One more reason I am here is this: In light of the incoming war, I will have to teach you the higher mysteries of the Force."
Erlost was beginning to become suspicious now. The term "higher mysteries of the Force" was something that sounded ominous to him. He wondered what Revan meant exactly. When he asked Revan what he meant by that, he was actually a little bit surprised by the answer, but not completely.
"Simple, Erlost...pop quiz. How did you establish your command of the Force when you were a youngling?"
Erlost resisted the urge to look at Revan, just in case someone was walking down the hallway and asked him who or what he was looking at. Instead, he kept his calm expression and answered in a hush tone.
"Through meditation, of course. What kind of question is that?" Erlost asked in an annoyed tone.
"A very valid one, actually. You see, that is how you will learn of the higher mysteries of the Force. You know how to meditate, but now I want you to meditate not only in order to gain peace of mind, but also to further establish your strength with the Force so you can use your Force powers more often in battle without fatiguing yourself as quickly. You'll have to sacrifice hours of sleep, spending time with Talia, as well as other things. Learn to manage your time, and this shouldn't be a problem for you when the time comes."
It was clear that Revan was nowhere near done speaking, but he was just taking a moment to gather his thoughts. Erlost could have tried to read hi mind, but he doubted it would work. The specter of Revan was a manifestation of energy, and trying to read it would be useless. But then again, this specter did take up residents in Erlost's mind, so what would keep him from reading Revan's mind anyways? However, he wouldn't even try it...he was still confused about how Revan's ghost managed to even manifest itself before Erlost, both during the day and when he's asleep. Erlost had begun to notice that more Jedi were appearing in the hallways. It was nearly three in the afternoon...he wasn't expecting many people to be out at this time. Now he definitely wouldn't be able to reply to Revan without looking crazy.
"Don't worry about the others, Erlost," Revan said reassuringly. "I know what you're thinking...just don't let your body betray you with outward physical signs. One more thing I want to mention: I want you to start using your emotions more often during battle. In fact, I want you to allow yourself to enjoy battle, take in the rush of adrenaline to use it to your advantage. You struggle with your anger and your desire to take action into your own hands. Use those emotions to your advantage; you'll need them in the near future."
Erlost did his best to keep a look of shock off his face. Those things could lead to the darkside, and Revan knew it. It was almost as if his so-called mentor was trying to drive him into the darkness. He wondered how this could possibly help him...how brushing with the darkside would help him become a better Jedi. No...this was one thing he would not do for Revan. He wouldn't allow himself to fall just because Revan instructs him to do so.
"Erlost, your fall to darkness is inevitable," Revan explained, reading Erlost's thoughts. "But your fall will not last forever, because you will rise out of the darkness. Using your emotions in battle isn't going to hurt you, it will actually help you. Besides, I've noticed that you're adept at controlling your emotions to a certain extent...this is good, but I don't want you to do that as much anymore. Just do it as much as is necessary to keep you from falling into darkness before your time comes. You have more self control than you think, Erlost. Use that to your advantage...your enemies will sense your anger and desire to win, but the fact that you're able to control your emotions and use them to your advantage is what will throw them off. Practice this skill, and you will be victorious in the end."
Erlost was still trying to make sense of what Revan was telling him. What Revan wanted him to do was against the Jedi Code, against everything he was taught was right. Part of him told him to disobey Revan on this particular matter, but the other half told him to obey. Erlost was starting to get extremely frustrated. He was expecting Revan to make a retort to Erlost's thoughts, but he heard nothing. He glanced to his side for a brief moment, but he saw no one there. Erlost kept himself from groaning in frustration at Revan's disappearing and reappearing acts. His so-called mentor was going to give him a massive headache, there was no doubt about that. This time he actually wondered why Revan had disappeared, but then he sensed a very familiar presence coming up behind him. He spun around and smiled when he saw Talia running at him. The two of them embraced in a big hug, and Erlost gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Talia, I'm surprised!" Erlost said, laughing as he spun around in a circle with Talia in his arms. "What are you doing here? I'm surprised you're not at the droid repair room. What did you do? Sneak away or something?"
"Well...kinda," Talia said giggling. "There was nothing going on so...y'know, I guess you could say I didn't sneak away."
"Yeah, from a certain point of view anyway," Erlost said laughing. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, then he let go of her so she could regain her balance. He could tell she was a little bit dizzy, but she'd be fine.
"So how'd you find me, anyways? Not that I'm not happy to see you, of course."
"Truyo said you were going to the Sith holding cells," Talia said, her happy expression quickly turning to one of concern. "What's going on, is something wrong?"
"It's nothing," Erlost said, half looking at the ground. "It's nothing for you to worry about..."
While it seemed like Erlost was looking at the ground, he was actually checking the hallway to make sure it was safe. Once he was sure no one was around, he leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"I'll tell you tonight...meet me in my room tonight, and I'll tell you everything. Okay?"
"Alright, I'll trust you Erlost," Talia whispered back, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Erlost smiled and kissed her back before pulling back and giving her a quick hug.
"I have to go now...I'll see you later, alright?"
"Okay Erlost. Whatever you're doing, be safe, alright?"
Erlost laughed as he pulled out of the hug, half turning away to continue down the hallway. "I make no promises. Later."

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To be continued...