After kissing Revan goodbye, Tann was in a ship flying towards her next destination, and was reflecting on her recent jailbreak.
Complex feelings gnawed at her heartstrings when thoughts of the masked man came to mind.
For the last 3 maybe 4 years, she had been languishing away in prison, and he had freed her. Not the CIS, not the Chiss, no, some Jedi of all things had come to her.
Not to taunt or deride as previous Jedi had done, nor had he come to threaten her chastity as the warden was wont to do.
No, when he looked upon her, he saw value. He saw a weapon worthy of wielding, worthy of fighting alongside. She didn't know how much that simple feeling, the feeling of being needed, would fulfill her.
Being captured during the first three months of the Clone Wars, Tann had fantasized about her escape, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine it would come from the enemy.
As a Dark Adept, she was the antithesis of everything the Jedi Order stood for. As a Chiss, it was her solemn duty to influence the universe in preparation for the Great Enemy, the Yuuzhan Vong.
Trained by her people from a young age in tactics, espionage, and leadership, when it was discovered she was Force Sensitive, holocrons of previous Force Adept Chiss instructed her. For 25 years she had been molded into the perfect Chiss.
When their spy network had heard murmurs of a brewing war, she had been introduced to Count Dooku, where for another year, she proved herself under the old man's grueling tasks, and emerged as the fledgling Supreme Commander of the CIS.
….a Supreme Commander that had been captured within 3 months of service.
All her life had lead up to that moment, and here she was, 29 years old, and nothing to show for it. The hopes and dreams of her mentors, her youth and love life. All wasted pursuing a dream that never came to be.
And so, imagine her shock when Mr. Mysterious shows up in front of her cell, and offers her hope.
Hope from a Jedi of all people!
Tann had at first thought it was one sick scheme, one intended to reveal information about the location of her homeworld and her people. The revelation of the Yuuzhan Vong by Revan was simply so outrageous, it had to be a trick!
So she flirted with him as a game, to see how far she could push his buttons, to see how much he truly needed her, how much he wanted her.
Quite frankly, it was kind of cute how he tried to play the tough silent type. Even if he wore a helmet, she noticed those not-so-sly glances her way.
Yet for all her efforts, he was perhaps too ignorant in a woman's charm, and remained closed off to her information gathering technique.
It wasn't until she had witnessed the dead clones, infiltrated the Inspectorate alongside him, and seen him preach the same type of story to the Imperial officers that she truly believed it wasn't a trap.
When she saw him fry that Umbaran bitch, Tann started to really respect Revan. That was a difficult foe that Tann begrudgingly admitted to herself, that against which, she would stand no chance.
From there, he caused chaos by releasing the prisoners, easily dispatched his foe, saved her from clone assassins, and respected her wish to 1v1. To top it all off, he had crippled the Imperial economy all by himself.
Tann admired such ferocity, cunning, and daring.
However, if she was to be the Supreme Commander, Tann knew she couldn't sit around and rely upon Revan's good will.
Well, she probably could, but Tann had her pride.
So when she was alone on the Millenium Falcon, she had researched the war via the HoloNet, and called up a few old contacts.
If she was going to return to that role, to assume the mantle of Supreme Commander, she would have to prove her mettle. To show the CIS she was worthy, and inspire fear into the Imperial dogs.
[ETA 1 Minute] A voice sounded from the intercom in her ship.
Looking out the viewing port on her ship, she saw a damaged shipyard where a dozen warships were docked. One of them was almost completely refurbished.
Tann savagely grinned to herself.
Revan had taught her a valuable lesson during his infiltration, to seek refuge in audacity.
Igniting her lightsaber, crimson light reflected off her ruby eyes, and a thousand battle droids behind her readied their guns.
[Impact in 10, 9, 8…]
Tann sharply inhaled, and primed herself for the upcoming battle. A cloud of darkness in the Force centered itself around her, and her focus became ice cold.
[7, 6, 5, 4…]
Anti-ship blaster fire began to make her ride shaky, and shudder. Hundreds of other small ships composed of the CIS remnant-a force mostly made up of organics who had risen from Coruscant's underbelly in rebellion-who had survived the battle of Coruscant, and had been laying low flew alongside her. Many of them exploded into thousands of tiny pieces, and Tann could feel their lives being snuffed out through the Force like candles on a cake. However, there were so many small shuttles that the shipyard's point defenses were overwhelmed.
[Okay?]
A nudge entered her Force Bond, filling her cold heart with warmth, the mixture of emotions only serving to enhance her powers within the Force.
[Better than okay.] Tann sent back the feeling of slaughter, hot-cold warmth, and other undefinable senses that were only possible due to the Force Bond.
[3, 2, 1]
The hatch opened up, and Tann sliced through technicians, clone troopers, and repair droids as if they were blades of grass before her scythe.
Before long, she was on the bridge of a Venator, and a command droid was saluting her.
"We are prepared for take off, Supreme Commander, the charges have been successfully planted!"
Tann oozed confidence as she sank into the captain's chair.
"Do it." Tann ordered.
"Roger, Roger!"
A moment later, explosives rocked 9 of the ships in repair, destroying: a minesweeper, a corvette, five light cruisers, and two Venators.
Escaping with a Venator, and two Acclamators, they had jumped into Hyperspace before the Imperial homefleet had time to react.
It felt good to be needed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Retreating to the mountainous, perpetually snowy fortress world of Stygeon Prime, the Separatist Ruling Council were discussing current events from within a chamber tens of miles below the surface.
Currently playing on a holo projector in front of them was footage of what had transpired on Mustafar.
Wat Tambor, leader of the Techno Union, had suggested they leave behind their body doubles, to wait and see what the Sith Lord's intentions were. To see how exactly this Darth Vader would protect them.
The footage was not kind. A slaughter had occurred, and Darth Vader was the man that they all feared.
Anakin Skywalker.
When they had first learned of this travesty, they had triggered a remote explosion, one that destroyed the entire facility. However, the blasted Sith had once again survived against all odds.
Satellite imagery then captured an epic duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin, proving without a shadow of a doubt that Vader had betrayed the Jedi.
When the satellite imagery had captured footage of Sidious rescuing the crippled Anakin Skywalker, that had been the nail that sealed the coffin.
As soon as the footage ended, Nute Gunray, Viceroy of the Trade Federation, and leader of the Nemoidians was quivering in his seat.
After having his position secured by the Sith Lord, Gunray had placed his unequivocal trust in Sidious. That cloaked man had provided Count Dooku, Grievous, and Ventress to the cause. Generals without peer.
When Sidious had promised peace, Gunray wholeheartedly believed in the offer. However, the evidence presented before them was damning. This attempted murder was a statement of intent.
One that had left him almost hysterically within a state of perpetual fear. A fear that was mimicked by at least half of his fellow council members.
"Doomed, we are doomed!" Gunray wailed into his hands.
"Trade is down 25%, pirates have grown emboldened, and the safety of the hyperlanes are under threat. Our colleague from the Trade Federation may be uncouth in his speech, but he is not wrong." Shu Mai, leader of the Commerce Guild spoke up.
"Perhaps not as doomed as you seem to think." Po Nudo, leader of the Hyper-Communications Cartel spoke up, and steepled his hands.
"Mnnn'chuck, Nundo is correct. The blockade over Geonosis has been destroyed by an mmm'krah, astrological anomaly, freeing my people and factories to work once again." Poggle the Lesser added.
"We have all seen the reports, the entire surface population is dead, and over half your factories weren't deep enough, and are inoperable!" Gunray shouted in an accusatory tone, and pointed a finger.
"Mmm'Cha! So long as a Geonosian draws breath, the CIS will not bend, unlike you spineless Nemoidians. So long as the shipping lanes are maintained, we can produce between 10-20,000 battle droids a day!" Poggle slammed down his staff, and mocked.
"I do not have to stand for this!" Gunray rose from his seat, and moved to leave.
"Oh sit down, would you? None of you have any sense of the macro scale of this conflict. Did none of you read the report Revan sent us? Do none of you grasp the damage done by Galactic Bank?" San Hill, Chairman of the Intergalactic Banking Clan uttered in a condescending tone.
"What does that have to do with anything? Revan may have warned us, but he is a Jedi, untrustworthy!" Gunray said in a hurried tone.
"Fine, do not let me stop you. I simply thought the Trade Federation was more interested in profit. One wonders what the shareholders on Neimoidia will think when they have missed out on this deal." San Hill steepled his fingers, and bade Gunray to depart.
Yet for all the Muun's seeming geniality, Gunray was still sane enough to recognize a threat when it was being issued.
"What do you mean?" Gunray said hesitantly.
"Take a seat my good Viceroy, and listen." San Hill gestured.
Glancing left and right at his fellow councilors, Gunray knew he made himself out to be a fool, but swallowed his pride as every eye seemed to be trained on the Muun. Doubtlessly San Hill had something important to say.
"Very well." Gunray eventually bit out, and retook his seat.
"Excellent. Now, as was written in the report, the Empire is currently in an economic free fall, their logistics are paralyzed, and this has cast a domino effect hamstringing their entire war effort. Gentlemen, now is the time to dig in, to reinforce the line. To gather new allies to our cause. Our colleague Rogwa Wodrata was a former Republic Senator, Wodrata, if you would?" San Hill spoke in a clear, condescending tone, and then inclined his head towards Wodrata.
The Holwuff grinned a mouthful of canine teeth at Hill, and shook his shaggy mane.
"I have been in contact with senators averse to Palpatine's rule. My friend, grrr, Bail Organa of Alderaan has been the most vocal. As such, I have a meeting scheduled in which a marriage of sorts may occur between us and the Republic sympathizers. Awoo!" Wodrata finished his statement with extreme zeal, and pounded the table with a shout of excitement.
"Mnnn'chuk. We have been given time to rebuild, and rearm, yet we lack nnn'kpcha a competent military commander. The tibanna gas of Onderon, the starfighter factories of Mygeeto, and the hyperlane route at Felucia all remain under siege. If we are to resume this war, these strategic resources must be secured." Poggle sharply intoned.
The various councilors began to loudly argue amongst themselves, when Wat Tembor received a text message, and after some back and forth, decided to broadcast it to the room.
A second later, a holographic image of a Chiss appeared above the table.
"What is the meaning of this? This was one of Dooku's disciples! A pawn of Sidious!" Gunray exclaimed in fearful recognition.
"An asset detailed in Revan's report." San Hill derisively snorted. "But the question remains, why should we trust you to lead our armed forces?"
Tann smirked, and then the hologram shifted to show the wreckage of an Imperial fleet, and a planet in the background.
"Is that Onderon?" A councilor questioned in disbelief.
"You don't really have a choice, do you?" The Chiss woman smiled sweetly.
The councilors glanced at one another, and came to a silent consensus.
"Very well, welcome home, Supreme Commander Severance Tann."
Gathered in the communal area aboard the Millennium Falcon, the Padawans were socializing, as the other rooms aboard the ship were currently occupied by the adults.
Jax, sitting on a-surprisingly soft-couch, observed his peers, and reflected upon the past 9 days.
Just 10 days ago, he was celebrating his best friend's birthday, happy that the war seemed like it was soon to end.
As a 16 year old young man, he had already participated on the front lines of that horrible conflict, and it was during the Outer Rim Sieges that he discovered he had a knack for combat.
He had formed bonds with his fellow Jedi, locals, clones, and developed something of a rivalry with Yon.
None of that prepared him for the stinging betrayal from the clone troopers, and from Anakin Skywalker.
Like most young men his age, Jax wanted to be the next Skywalker, to undertake the most daring missions, to save the most lives, and prove to the galaxy that the Jedi were a force for good. He even thought of Skywalker as a Master no lesser than Mace Windu.
How wrong he was.
Looking down at his mechanical hands, a streak of phantom pain coursed through his system, and he closed his eyes, then wordlessly repeated the mantra Corvus-his Master had taught him.
The pain in his heart did not diminish or disappear, but the words gave him focus unlike the traditional Jedi Code.
His entire life, Jax had stifled his emotions, or at least, he had tried his best, yet he couldn't help but find himself attracted to his best friend. Her smile, her unselfish care towards strangers. Was that not what being a Jedi was truly about?
When anger, rage, and thoughts of self harm clouded his judgement upon losing her, a strong hand had lifted him up, given him direction, a purpose in life.
Now, anger no longer fueled him, rather, it was determination. To make her dreams of peace a reality.
Jax would do whatever it took to become the kind of man that could end suffering, even if it meant following in the footsteps of the Order's Shadow.
A Shadow who gave him arms, rescued him from despair, and promised oh so much more.
In his heart of hearts, Jax almost suspected Master Corvus of something sinister, but even if that was the case, he didn't care.
The post Ruusan Reformation Jedi had failed, that much was clear.
It was time for change.
"You're too serious, Jax, lighten up!" Linyin cheerfully plopped herself down next to him, and grinned.
The blue Twi'lek girl was sunshine, and the way she smiled reminded him of her.
"Yes, yes, can you believe we are going to Tython! I hope we go to Mahara Kesh first, the Temple of Healing. Oh, this is s-so exciting!" Zork said, practically bouncing up and down in his seat.
Noticing his fellow survivors trying to cheer him up, Jax smiled along with them.
He couldn't let his negative feelings get to him, he had to persevere. For his former master, for her dream, and for Master Corvus's expectations.
"Why focus on healing when we could fight? Are there any places like that, eh, tiny Daruga?" Yon-lazily reclining from a storage rack-said to Zork.
"P-plenty! Stav Kesh is a m-mountain fortress atop a glacier!" Zork flipped through a worn tattered book-one gifted from Corvus-and held it open to show everyone a picture.
Jax frowned at Yon's rude behavior, but gave credit to Zork for his unwavering enthusiasm for all things history related. Such vibrancy and dedication to a craft garnered his respect, and lifted his spirits.
"Cool! Oh, oh, when we get there, I am so kicking your butts!" Linyin giggled.
"Not after Corvus teaches me." Yon proudly declared.
"But Jedi are only allowed one Padawan learner." Zork said, and began to deflate.
"Tch. The old Order is dead. Who says Master Corvus can't take on one more student?" Yon glared at everyone present, and his gaze fell upon Yon's in challenge.
"Don't look at me." Jax shook his head in denial. "Ever since we set off for Illum, he has been engaged in that strange meditation technique." Jax said, omitting his true thoughts on the matter as he tried to remain loyal to his new master.
"Is it strange if it works? He told me he killed over 2,000 clones that day he left us!" Yon loudly boasted, and glanced at Jax, having known him long enough, he had picked up on the ommission.
"But if he is so strong, why didn't he stay at the temple to fight?" Linyin put a finger to her chin, and asked curiously.
Jax flashed back to the aura of power Anakin Skywalker-Vader-had emitted, and shuddered.
"The Temple shaking wasn't due to the bombs, it was from the duel Master Cin Drallig-the Order's Battlemaster-and Darth Vader were engaged in. If you had seen it, you would know why Master Corvus didn't stick around." Jax shook his head, and grimly intoned.
"I'm just glad we're all here together. Master Corvus said that this event is known as Order 66, that around the galaxy countless masters have died so that their Padawans could escape. How h-horrifying it must be to be lost and alone, hunted by the clones we had come to value and trust." Zork said in sympathy.
"They should have killed them for revenge." Yon harshly rebuked.
Linyin was about to reply with some heat, but Jax placed a hand on her wrist forestalling any argument. Yon had lost his Master-as had they all, with the exception of Linyin-a little grieving was acceptable, but Yon had to be put in his place. This needless antagonism was starting to grate on his nerves.
As a long time frenemy, Jax knew the perfect distraction for them to engage in.
"Zork is right, together, we are stronger."
Zork slowly nodded his head, and Linyin stared at him with big hopeful eyes.
"Tch." Yon turned away.
"Which is why I propose we have a little tournament. Whoever loses this game has to work together and make dinner tonight. To prepare a meal showing our thanks to the Masters, one symbolizing the departure from our old life, and onto a new adventure." Jax slowly intoned, and looked everyone in the eye, and then gestured towards the gaming console that was on the Falcon.
"I'm in!" Linyin immediately volunteered.
"Heh, you're going down." Yon jumped down from the rafters, crossed his arms, and sported a confident grin.
"I will not partake in such childishness." Zork looked away, and buried his snout into his book.
"Come on, book nerd, you can study later!" Yon took the book away.
"Hey!" Zork reached a hand out, but was shocked to see Jax & Linyin had double teamed to hold him back.
"We're all a team, aren't we~~~?" Linyin beamed her teeth at Zork.
"Play along and I'll put in a good word with my master." Jax whispered.
"Fine, but you don't know what you're signing yourselves up for." Zork cracked his knuckles, and an incredibly serious disposition coated him within the Force.
When the dragon-like alien placed his hands on the console's controls, it was almost as if the Force sang. That this was right.
Yon, Jax, and Linyin shared a look.
'Uh oh.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Within his room aboard the Millennium Falcon, Kazdan Paratus had the lights turned off, and constantly deconstructed, and reconstructed his lightsaber pike in an effort to meditate on the Force.
By his count, he had completed this process over 10,000 times over the last 9 days.
As a Jedi Master, he was expected to defend the Jedi Temple, and yet he had been the first to flee.
Memories surged of his first command in the Clone Wars. So proud was he in his abilities, that he had gloated to the Clone Commander of his technical skill. Reassured him multiple times that the droids were simple automata, unfit for his genius.
It was during his maiden voyage that he had set out with his Padawan learner to the planet of Duro. There he met the monster Grievous, whereupon he lost his student, the clone legion, and almost the entire planet's population.
For two years, Kazdan had languished in guilt, and he had remained hidden within the Temple ever since. His pride had vanished like a child's sand castle during high tide.
The certainty with which he had coated himself, his so-called genius, it was nothing more than dust on the wind.
His master doomed on a lost voyage that he could have prevented, his student abandoned to the cyborg's blade, Kazdan had withdrawn within himself, and no longer represented the title of Jedi Master.
When the sound of blaster fire rang through the halls, and the dreaded feeling of dying Jedi sang in the Force, Kazdan felt him.
The darkside coated the Chosen One like the cloak of death himself.
So he ran.
He ran and never looked back.
Laughing, ranting and scowling into the sewers he went.
Fear and guilt had overtaken him.
It was much to his relief and great embarrassment to discover that other Jedi had followed in his steps.
So he acted strict and tough on the one known as Revan in an effort to hide his weakness.
Kazdan was worried they would abandon him as he had turned his back on them.
When Corvus left their hideout, he was certain the 'Shadow' was nothing more than a Dark Acolyte gone to turn them in to his rotten master.
His words were pretty, his voice soothing to the ear, and his face would fit right in with any HoloMovie. If Kazdan were not a Master, he doubted he would be able to notice such charm.
This Corvus character-and Paratus was certain it was a character the so-called Jedi Shadow was playing-was perhaps the most significant charlatan Kazdan had seen in his life.
A healer of superb skill, one who could inspire even the weakest of wills, and was no lesser martially speaking than the greatest of Knights.
At first this cavalier attitude and disrespect for tradition repelled him. It revolted him that a Jedi could be so blase in his actions. Yet Kazdan knew his history, he was aware of the Order's shift in both culture and policy following the Ruusan Reformation.
Was this truly a return to form?
Did he dare hope?
Mouth set in a firm line, Kazdan continued to mindlessly build and disassemble his lightsaber telekinetically.
Every part went where it should, and as his kyber crystal hovered in place, he snatched it, and held onto it.
Je'daii
The Force seemed to speak to Kazdan. Flashes of his past mistakes all coalesced in his mindscape lightning fast, and he clutched his head in pain.
Fumbling to lock the kyber crystal into his blade, the snap hiss of his lightsaber ignited, and pale azure blue coated the previously pitch black room.
The sliding door to his chambers whooshed open, and there stood Corvus.
"Stay back!" Kazdan barked, sweat dripped down his brow, and his hands grew clammy.
Corvus waved his hand, casting that ability of his that uplifted spirits, but Kazdan rebuffed it.
"Stay. Away." Kazdan nervously breathed.
"I'm here to help you." Corvus said in a calm, reassuring tone. He then walked towards the tip of his lightsaber without another word.
Kazdan licked his lips.
'It would be so easy. Just a little swipe, and-'
"Kuh-uah." Kazdan felt his breath driven from him, and fell to the floor clutching at his chest.
Looking up, he caught the barest hint of some black essence being drawn from his pores like some sort of vapor.
The lights flickered on, and Kazdan saw a hand being held down to him. Idly he noted Keira was just behind the Shadow, lightsaber at the ready.
Deactivating his lightsaber, Kazdan took his hand.
"What?" Kazdan breathlessly got out.
"You were imbalanced within the Force, and the darkside was gripping at your soul. You should feel better now, Master Paratus." Corvus smiled.
"I am unfit for the title." Kazdan looked down in shame.
"Maybe so." Corvus agreed, striking a bitter wound into Kazdan's heart. "Perhaps it is high time you found yourself worthy of such a distinction. The Order has a use for you, master."
Kazdan remained looking down, dissatisfaction spread across his face.
The Order? What had they ever done except cast judgemental looks his way? The Master of the Order, Mace Windu had berated him on several occasions, could Kazdan even be called a Jedi?
"Let me rephrase that. The children have need of you, the future is in your hands, Master Paratus." Corvus softly intoned, patted him on the shoulder, and then walked away.
"The children?" Kazdan muttered, and looked up to see that the Padawans were out in the hallway, focusing on some videogame.
"Zork is undefeated! You boys can't stand up to him!" Linyin clapped.
Yon crossed his arms, and Jax rolled his eyes with a smile.
"Linyin l-let me down! Hey, that b-book is a collectible!" Zork stuttered as he was floated into the air in celebration.
"Yes…for the children." Kazdan muttered to himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having witnessed the potential fall of Master Paratus, and then Corvus's cleansing of darkside energies, Keira was impressed to say the least.
Trained in all martial aspects, her knowledge of the Force was primarily in pursuit of speed, precision, and precognition. Her master, Shaak Ti had prepared her for the rigors of a violent galaxy, and more. Dreaming to one day become the Order's Battlemaster, Keira saw that opportunity slip out of her grasp when the Temple was invaded.
Corvus, Revan, whatever his name was, he was a dangerous man.
She had witnessed first hand his unorthodox fighting style when he used thermal detonators to destroy the sewer walls.
She had seen Force Lightning leave his hands, felt the dark emotions of anger and hate in him when he fought, and yet seconds later, he returned to being a blank slate. The darkside slipped off his form as if it were no more apparent than an article of clothing. Worn and tossed aside as needed, it made her wonder if he truly was a Jedi Shadow, confusing her greatly.
When she first met him, he was as easy to read as an initiate, yet he could perform feats only capable of a beginner Knight. But over the course of the same battle, he had advanced in skill to that of the average Jedi Knight.
This led Keira to believe that he really was an out of practice Jedi from some temple on a backwards land, or with all his talks of history, perhaps an ancient Jedi unfrozen from carbonite.
Then there was his meditation.
Corvus transitioned from an initiate to a blank slate. His presence in the Force became so muted, she could look at him with her eyeballs, but to her senses, he stood out just as much as a durasteel beam.
Who meditated for 72 hours straight-with no sleep-and emerged an expert?
What's more was the method of said meditation. Entering and exiting a room to plant and disable a mine? It was clearly suspect, but she wouldn't call him out on it because she had witnessed stranger methods.
Then there was his excursion into Coruscant.
It sounded unbelievable.
Saving all the artifacts & knowledge of the Jedi Temple? Negotiating with the military & intelligence officers to investigate Palpatine? Freeing prisoners to rescue senators with Jedi sympathies? Ruining the largest federal bank in the galaxy, crashing the market? To top it off, he allied with Bail Organa by bringing his son back to life.
Keira wasn't naive enough to believe everything Corvus said, and knew he was leaving things out…however….however he had done so whilst under the influence of the Crown of Verity.
The Crown was a silver skullcap, and ancient Jedi artifact, one that allowed the wearer to discern all lies, whilst at the same time, prevented the wearer from lying themselves.
Naturally, Keira had donned it herself to test its effects, and had found it to be quite potent indeed.
She had grilled him hard about the events he had reported on, and he had answered every time without fail. When she asked him about his origins however, that was when he became dodgy and refused to answer.
It was aggravating, but as a Jedi, Keira did not allow such trivialities to diminish her faith in the Order, the Force, or the Code.
Ultimately, she was satisfied that Corvus was not a Sith, or a Dark Jedi.
Shaking her head, she followed behind this dangerous man, intent on confronting him regarding Master Paratus, and to sus out any more information she could gather.
Walking into the cockpit, she saw Corvus at the controls munching on a sandwich.
"Ah, Keira, welhkcome, you whant shome?" Corvus said between bites.
Keira supplied a napkin, and barely withheld a cringe when she saw a crumb fall onto the floor.
Was this the most dangerous man she had worried about?
"What you did with Master Paratus was very noble of you. I had thought as a Jedi Shadow, you were going to…" Keira trailed off, and gave Corvus a meaningful look.
"What, kill him?!" Corvus said in an incredulous tone, and drank something to wash the food down.
"That is what a Jedi Shadow does, correct?" Keira questioned.
"Well yeah, sometimes, but I'm still a Jedi. Non-violence is the preferred option, y'know?"
"That is what makes me confused. You are aware that by emphasizing Master Paratus's reliance on the Padawans, he is at risk of forming attachments, and falling to the darkside? He lost his Padawan before, and became a shell of what he once was. Another blow like that might drive him to madness." Keira stated in a calm, serene tone.
"Fear of attachments. What a weak excuse to dismiss the feelings of charity, gratitude, and love. Finding purpose in defense of the weak-whether it be those who are strangers, or those we count as friends-is not weakness." Corvus said. By this point he had placed down his sandwich, and looked her square in the eyes.
Keira felt her pulse quicken as something unknown gushed through the Force. She couldn't say she hated it, but it was foreign and strange. It was warm, like the sun cutting the chill on a cold cloudy day.
Whatever it was, she kept her guard up, and silently chanted the Jedi Code, and freed herself of this feeling.
As soon as it was gone, it felt as if she had stripped off a jacket, and had returned to the comforting dull drum of stillness, of normalcy.
"Do not try to make an emotional appeal to me, Corvus, nor influence me through the Force. If you wish to discuss philosophy, do so with logic and good reasoning. Master Paratus is a risk, it is our responsibility to help him recover responsibly." Keira sternly rejected Corvus's assertions.
"He lost his Padawan, huh? I knew he had lost a regiment of clones, but that's a tough one to bear." Corvus said in a pitying tone.
"Your condolences are unnecessary, she is with the Force now, as are all the souls of Duro due to his negligence." Keira rebutted in a neutral tone.
"You are beginning to sound like Mace Windu. Is the Jedi Code so dear to you, Keira?" Corvus placed a fist on his chin, and leaned forward.
"Without the Code, there are no Jedi. What is an organization without rules to govern it?" Keira instantly replied.
"Hmm, that is a good point, but what if the system is flawed?"
"Impossible. The same Code has been in place since the founding of the Jedi Order." Keira shook her head, brooking no disagreement.
"Aye? Less than 400 years ago, one of the lines of the Code read: 'A Jedi does not act for personal power or wealth
But only seeks knowledge and enlightenment." Corvus roguishly smirked at her, and stroked a non-existent beard.
Keira wordlessly stared at him.
"Do I have something on my face? Or do you perhaps wish for me to place the Crown of Verity upon my brow? Well, Mirialan, Loth-cat got your tongue? The all knowing Jedi Code-unsurprisingly-is malleable, just like the people who follow its guidelines, just like the Force." Corvus twirled his finger, and wore a self-satisfied smile on his face as if he had said something profound.
"The basics of the Code have remained the same." Keira shook her head, unwilling to yield.
"But you admit that it hasn't been the same since the beginning?" Corvus teased.
"This is going nowhere." Keira grated.
"A shame, I was just starting to have fun. It is disappointing are you are so rigid in your thinking, Keira. The Force is not some wall to be overcome, or barrier from which you hide behind. With such a mentality, the Light will only ever touch upon you should you stand on top. Meanwhile, you will always be afraid of your own shadow." Corvus tutted, and shook his head in disappointment.
Keira narrowed her eyes. This man was a trickster, a thief, a slick tongued Gungan slime.
This was no way to gather the measure of a man.
"If you continue to stare at me with such intensity, I wouldn't want to interpret that as something else." Corvus joked.
"I want you." Keira stated with the blunt intensity of a hammer strike.
"Excuse me?!" Corvus said in shock, and quickly sat up in his chair almost falling over.
"I want to duel you. To cross blades with you in both combat and the Force. Only through exchanging weapons can a martial artist such as myself truly gather the measure of a man. You want me to trust you, Corvus? Earn it. No more fancy words, or pretty smiles. I want to see what kind of man you truly are." Keira stood up from her seat, then turned to go back to her room.
"Sure thing, Mirialan, but if I win, you're putting that Crown of Verity on your head, and answering my every question."
Keira paused in her step as she considered such a proposal.
"The same will apply to you?"
"Naturally." Corvus inclined his head.
"Then I accept." Keira nodded.
"Excellent, we are due to arrive at Illum within the next 19hrs. Prepare yourself." Corvus taunted.
As Keira returned to her quarters to meditate, she walked in on the Padawans wrestling on the floor, and they all stopped to look at her with wide eyes.
"...clean up this mess, and then go meditate for 5 hours." Keira quietly ordered the unruly teens.
The Padawans, even Linyin hesitated in place, as if they didn't want the fun to end.
"Go do what mom says, children." Corvus said with a smile from behind.
"Yes, Master Corvus." Yon replied, and the rest followed suit.
Keira narrowed her eyes.
Corvus was a dangerous man indeed.