A New Player in the Force

A loud clank signified the ship had secured into the docking berth and was quickly followed by the sound of something hitting the hull, then a hissing sound.

"Seal’s secure, Captain," stated a crew member of the republic cruiser from beside Bultar. "Permission to open?"

"Granted," replied the ship's Captain from the bridge.

The crew member opened the airlock and I spared a glance at Bultar.

She seemed calm but using Empathy, it was clear she was both nervous and excited to be back.

Both emotions made sense, as the Temple – and by extension, Coruscant – were her home. Yet, after the mission we had just completed, she was worried about how it would look to the High Council that she had failed and been captured and needed saving by a Padawan nearly four years her junior.

She turned to me and gave me a small smile. "Come on."

We walked through the airlock, and the docking hatch, heading onto the station orbiting the Republic capital.

The station was one of the hundreds of security and defence stations that orbited the world, and this was where our courier ship – a cruiser from the Vakkar system – had been ordered to dock. It had been two days since I had taken down the kidnappers and secured their ship.

The delay in getting back was due to initially discovering that the navigation and communication systems were password encrypted – which Zir wouldn't tell me – and then having to plot a jump to the nearest Republic world.

I had made a mental note to not destroy all the droids on the next ship I captured until I was sure that one of them wasn't responsible for plotting hyperspace jumps. Spending two hours plotting the jump myself was not a fun experience.

"Now there is a sight for sore eyes."

My head turned in the direction of the voice, and I saw Fay, Dooku and Giiett standing to the side of the airlock on the station.

"Master, I…" Whatever Bultar was going to say was cut off as Giiett stepped forward and placed his hands on her arms.

"You carried out your assignment as you were meant to Bultar. Sometimes, even when we do everything correctly, bad things still happen." He said with a small smile, his head tilted slightly to the left.

"Yes Master," Bultar replied with a sigh as Fay and Dooku approached me.

"You are well?" Dooku asked, his face showing no sign of how he was feeling.

"I am sir. It was, more difficult of an assignment than I expected." I replied honestly, smirking a bit as I answered.

"Yes, I think we can all agree on that," agreed Fay as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "We are glad you are well."

"As am I," Giiett added, drawing my attention to him and Bultar. "You also have my thanks for protecting Bultar."

I nodded to accept the thanks. "Honestly, I didn't even know she was there until I was in her… room," I replied calmly, avoiding saying cell since we were in public. Well, a Republic security station corridor. "I was only looking to find the two Jedi I could sense."

"Yes, I have read your report," Giiett said with a sigh. "While I am, sympathetic as to your actions, there are members of the council who are not."

Dooku grunted. "They were not there, nor are they ones to see the actions of those… beings." He said, his lips curling in disgust. "Such beings deserve the worst punishment allowed."

Giiett sighed and pinched his nose. "On that, I agree. But Cameron's actions… Well, he will need to defend them when called in a few days." He forced a smile back onto his face. "Until then, we should get the Padawans back to the Temple. I wish for a Jedi healer to examine them both."

"I am fine Master. The medics in the Vakkar system already examined me," Bultar protested, reminding me of a child protesting about a trip to the doctor. "There is nothing wrong with me."

"Please, Bultar. Let one of our healers examine you. If only to ease the burden on my old heart," Giiett begged, placing a hand on his chest.

Bultar sighed, "Yes, Master."

I couldn't help but smirk at the behaviour of the Jedi High Council member. It was so not what I expected from seeing the council in the movies and Clone Wars, but then I remembered that Giiett wasn't a member then. Why was that?

"Master Giiett, I was curious about something," I began, continuing when he turned my way. "I understand that some members of the High Council serve for life, while others serve for a shorter time. I am curious as to which are which."

Giiett's brow rose a touch as he looked at me for a while before answering. "Currently Masters Yoda, Yaddle, Rancisis, Tiin, and Windu are lifetime members; actually, the first three have been on the Council since I was a Youngling." He added with a smirk.

"I along with Master Poof, Koon and Piell are there for the long term while Masters Sifo-Dyas, Belfarr and Gallia are short-term members."

"I see," I paused before asking the question that had made me ask the initial question. "Can I ask, when will you be stepping down?"

Giiett chuckled. "Already looking for a seat on the Council?" He waved away any reply before I made it. "I am due to stand down in just over nine years. And before you ask, the three short-term members are due to all stand down within that time frame."

"Thank you. I was just curious about that," I said with a smile in thanks even as I mentally worked out the dates.

"It is fine to ask, but I must tell you that I am saving my seat for Bultar here," Giiett said, pulling the girl to his side as her face began to redden.

"Master, please," Bultar whimpered as she lowered her head.

"There is nothing to be embarrassed about Padawan Swan," Fay said with one of her serene smiles. "Every Knight and Master hopes that one day their Padawan will surpass them. Your own Master, while teasing, shares this hope."

"Thank you, Master Fay," Bultar replied.

"We should return to the Temple," Dooku stated, changing the topic abruptly before he began to walk away.

Fay sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder once more. "You must forgive Master Dooku. While you were missing, we received some information about one of his former Padawans. He is happy to see you have returned, however, he is concerned for her, even if she is no longer a member of our Order."

"Yes, ma'am." I felt my brow crease as I considered Fay's words.

Thanks to Eidetic Memory, I knew Dooku had had four Padawans; Rael Aveross, Qui-Gon Jinn, Keelyvine Reus and Komari Vosa, though Reus had only been his Padawan for a few years after her original master died.

While the first three were still with the Order, Komari was not. That meant that something had happened to her. Perhaps I could use this to further improve my standing with Dooku and help guide him away from joining the Sith. However, I would need to learn what exactly had happened to her.

As for why Giiett wasn't a member of the Council during the invasion of Naboo, I was less certain. He could have been removed from the Council for some reason or was simply busy with another matter during the movie, yet somehow, I felt that the reason he was not there was that he had died sometime between now and then.

Since he was the member of the Council I spoke to the most, and one of the few Jedi whose company and sense of humour I enjoyed, I wanted to ensure he survived at least until the invasion of Naboo.

Spotting a new quest notice, I opened it.

Quest Alert!

Changing Fate [Giiett]

Ensure that Master Giiett lives long enough to be useful to you.

Rating: B

Objective:

Keep Master Giiett alive and on the Council until the invasion of Naboo.

Bonus: ?

Bonus: ?

Reward:

2000XP

Failure:

-1000XP

Loss of an ally on the High Council and the Jedi Order.

Accept?

Yes/No

…

That was an easy quest to accept. Failing it wasn't a massive loss, but if I could pull it off, it would be a big help once I began moving to counter Sidious. The only downside was that it was another long-term quest for me to take on. However, the benefits of having an ally on the council were better than not accepting and just letting things follow canon; whatever that was in Giiett's case.

After securing the kidnapper's ship and realizing how close I had come to dying, or worse, I had spent the three days before arriving back on Coruscant working out how I was going to counter him. I went back to my rough plans from before I constructed my lightsaber and expanded on how to create my own Force Order and raise an army of my own.

For an army, I was looking at the Mandalorians. Death Watch was something to be removed, as they were far too cruel and bloodthirsty. But the True Mandalorians were a different story. They were the group that Jango Fett had served with. They, although still preferring a war-like culture, had supposedly retained the Code of Honour of their forefathers from the days of the Old Republic. I planned to learn more about them as soon as I could, possibly even meeting Fett, and venture to the world to see about finding a small group – probably no more than a dozen initially – that were willing to work with me to start fixing the problems in the galaxy.

I was also considering creating my own droid army. Though one more akin to HK-47 than the Trade Federation's battle droids. Finding HK-47 was highly improbable – without any outside Force-guided help – but making droids like him was doable, I hoped.

As for creating a counter to the Jedi/Sith, that was going to take longer. I needed to continue to make friends and influence people within the Order. And thanks to spending five months learning from an expert manipulator – and the fifty per cent bonus to Persuasion, Deception, Lie Detection and Intimidation that I got whenever I talked to Palpatine or watched him work – I felt I stood a fair chance of convincing at least my fellow ex-members of Dragon Clan to see things from my side.

Dooku, I suspected, was already jaded towards the Order and the Republic – whether from his feelings, Palpatine's manipulation, or both – and Fay held clear disdain for the High Council. So, once I was sure that they would agree with me – which had me once more wishing I could see reputations – then I intended to see how open to my plans they were.

"Cameron, is something the matter?"

I turned to Bultar, noticing that our Jedi Masters were a few steps ahead of us, and smiled. "No, just thinking about the future and what it holds," I replied honestly.

"OK," she said, clearly confused as to why I was thinking about the future. "I just wanted to…"

"We've been over this," I cut in, stopping her from thanking me again. While it had been nice the first few times, after one hundred and twenty-seven times – a downside of Eidetic Memory – I was growing very, very tired of being thanked. "We're free now, and you've already thanked me. So, let's just move on."

She chuckled. "OK, but I was just going to ask if you wished to spar sometime. I am curious about how it will be to face someone trained in Makashi."

"Ah." Now I felt a little stupid for snapping at her. "Sure. Um, what form do you prefer?"

She chuckled softly. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

I laughed at that as we entered the shuttle that would take us to the surface.

... …

... …

"After securing the ship with Vakkar security, Padawan Swan and myself boarded the cruiser Serenity and returned to Coruscant," I stated, finishing my verbal report to the High Council the day after arriving back at the Temple.

Sure, I had skipped over the issues with Vakkar security not believing that Bultar and I were Padawans of the Jedi Order, as honestly, I wished I could forget about Captain Lebpor; the Vakkar security officer placed in charge of the captured kidnappers and their ship.

As to why I was giving this report verbally when I had submitted a full, and exceedingly detailed, written report while we waited for the Serenity on Vakkar, was beyond me. Perhaps everyone on the council was illiterate?

"This is all?" Windu asked as he leaned forward, looking at me intently.

Fay and Dooku were standing at the entrance to the Council Chamber, as was Bultar. She had given her report before I was called in and had been asked to stay by Yoda before I started mine.

"Yes, sir," I replied calmly as Player's Mind was active along with Enhance Skill and Enhance Stat for Persuasion and Charisma respectfully. Enhancing my Persuasion and Charisma might help when a judgment was rendered on my actions, so I had activated them during a brief pause near the end of my report.

The council members looked among themselves, clearly talking telepathically to each other while I stood in the centre of the room.

It felt like a psychological trick; one designed to unnerve someone called into the chamber. I was sure it worked on other Padawans and the younger knights, but thanks to my previous life, and new powers, it was wasted on me.

"While we are pleased with your ability to escape your capture, rescue your fellow Padawans, and the other hostages, and capture the ringleader of the kidnappers, we are… concerned by the report provided to us from Vakkar," stated Master Poof, his red eyes staring down from far above his body as he spoke.

"Their reports state one of the kidnappers died from being shot in his reproductive organs," Piell grunted out. "A wound he took while lying down."

"Comment on this, would you?" Yoda asked with his wrinkled brow looking more creased than usual.

Before I answered, I glanced at Bultar, wondering how much of this she needed to hear. "I discovered that he was one of five who had… abused several of the children, including Padawan Savos." My voice was only staying calm because of PM as my mind flashed back to that moment. "I recognized his voice from when I was in Padawan Swan's cell, and I confirmed from him that he wanted to 'play' with her, as he had done with others."

"And you decided to take justice into your own hands and remove his ability to reproduce?" Windu asked as his face twisted. "That it was your right to make such a call?"

"Actually, I had wanted to kill him outright," I countered bluntly, beginning my defence with honesty.

After talking with Fay and Dooku over the past day and explaining my emotional state while on the kidnapper's ship, they had suggested taking this path as a way to mitigate any disapproval from the High Council. Both stated that they expected me to be reprimanded for what I did, but they felt that further punishment would be avoided by getting ahead of the issue; though that was my wording for it, not theirs.

"I stood with my blaster aimed at his head for a minute, trying to control my anger, deciding how to handle dealing with that… creature." I noticed Master Koon bob his head a touch as I spoke and hoped that meant he understood my feelings on the situation.

"And you chose to neuter the man instead of killing him?" Giiett asked through a partially closed mouth as I turned to face him. "You did it to prevent him from committing such an act again?" I saw Bultar was tightly gripping her lightsaber hilt, and that others saw her do so.

"Yes, though I do not deny I took a small measure of enjoyment from doing so, even if I shouldn't have," I replied, taking the out I felt Giiett had provided for me. Whether he honestly believed that was why I had done what I did or was just trying to help me manage the Council's anger, I wasn't sure.

"Understandable, your actions are. Acceptable, they are not," Yoda stated after a brief silence.

"A Jedi does not unilaterally decide the punishment for a crime, no matter the situation," Windu agreed, his eyes narrowed as he leaned forward to focus on me. "We work with the Republic judicial forces to arrest criminals. Their fate is for the courts to decide, not you."

"Understood."

While the rest of the Council seemed to relax, Windu's eyes narrowed further and I swore I saw a vein in his head twitch.

"You are to attend Initiate sessions on the Jedi Code for not less than four months, while…" Windu began, only to be cut off as Dooku stepped forward.

"Do you think so poorly of Master Fay and myself, Master Windu," the Makashi master began softly as he placed a hand on my shoulder, "that you feel able to determine the best way to instruct our Padawan?"

Even from my short time being his Padawan, I knew that his softening voice was never a good thing. So, it seemed, did the Council, as several shifted in their seats.

"That is not what is being suggested Master Dooku, however, you must see that Padawan Shan's actions are not in keeping with our ways," countered Piell as the diminutive Jedi leaned forward in his chair. "Such actions must be corrected."

"The teaching of a Padawan is at the discretion of their Master," Fay said gently, her voice flowing through the chamber, as she moved to my other side. "Or has the Order changed that ruling without my knowledge?"

"It has not, but the final decision on the fate of any Jedi rests with the Council," Belfarr countered bluntly as he focused on me. "Especially those who come to us at a later age and are thus at greater risk of falling into the darkness."

I was glad PM was running or I knew I'd have made a snide remark towards Belfarr. The man still had it out for me, though at least now I knew some of why that was.

The way Dooku's grip on my shoulder tightened, I suspected that he too was not a fan of Belfarr. Nor was Fay if the sharp intake of breath was any indication.

"Please," Master Gallia began, raising her hands to take control as I noted that Yoda was sitting back in his chair, his eyes never leaving me as the council went back and forth with Fay and Dooku, "let us not become clouded by our emotions. Nor bogged down in arguing over the exact rights and powers members of our esteemed order and this council have. Let us try to find common ground and work from there."

"Yes, yes. Correct you are, Master Gallia," Yoda added, taking back control of the room as things quietened down, punctuated only by Sifo-Dyas groaning quietly and touching his head. "Padawan Shan, while understandable, your actions are, unbecoming of a Jedi, they are. One month you will spend, teaching Initiates on the code. Review your actions during this time, you should."

"Yes, sir." While the punishment wasn't something I wanted to do, it was light compared to being in those classes as a student for four months and whatever else Windu had wanted me to do. And Windu was still not happy, as he gave the Grandmaster a sideways glance.

Fay and Dooku both stepped back, but I stayed.

"You have something else to discuss?" Rancisis asked as his body coiled tighter around his chair, raising his body upwards.

"Yes, sir. There are a few things I wish to know if I am allowed," I began. There were a few issues I wanted to clear up, and since I was already here, and had been punished for my actions, it was hopefully the best time to voice them.

"Ask away, though do not expect us to answer," Koon replied as the skin around his mask shifted. Whether that meant he was smiling or grimacing, I had no idea. Though the smirk that crept onto Giiett's face for an instant suggested the former.

"First, I am wondering why I and the others weren’t informed of Padawan Savos' disappearance. If we’d have known he’d been taken, we may well have been more cautious.”

Giiett switched his look to Windu and the barest of twitches of his brow told me who the order to withhold information had come from. Indeed, it was Windu who answered.

"At the time of Padawan Savos' capture, we were unaware as to the exact cause of his disappearance and felt he would contact his Master as soon as he was able to." Windu paused and met Giiett's gaze for a moment before continuing. "Padawan Swan failed to report in the day before you were captured, and we had not yet informed the relevant Jedi to pass along a further warning to their Padawans."

I wanted to turn to see Dooku's expression at that piece of news but was unable to do so as Poof spoke.

"The decision to withhold information regarding Padawan Savos' disappearance was a contentious issue, especially as this was the first lead either we or the Republic Judicial forces had gained in almost a year." He gave me a small smile as he continued. "Your Masters and others pressed for us to reveal more to you and the other Padawans, but we chose to stay the course."

"Understood, sir." In hindsight, it was not the correct decision, but thanks to my previous life, and serving in the military, I could understand their thinking.

"More to ask, you have," Yaddle prodded and I nodded, still getting used to the idea of a female Yoda. Fay spoke well of her, and the stories she had told me during our travels suggested a long and deep friendship existed between the two.

"Yes, ma'am. I am...concerned, for Padawans Savos and Swan, Jon especially. What they suffered while captured was, intense. I am hopeful, that they will receive counselling of some form to help deal with their ordeals."

This was an issue where I wanted to attack the council. I suspected they were just going to treat the two children as they had treated me when I arrived; and how they would have treated Ahsoka.

"Your concern for your fellow Padawans is admirable," Rancisis began. "They have faced a great event in their lives, one that many will not. The Force has placed this trial within their path, one they must find the strength to overcome."

I waited for the snake-like council member to continue, only he didn't. I was sure that without PM I would've snapped at the complete lack of care being displayed by the High Council; well, most of them. Even as I looked at Rancisis, I could see out of the corner of my eye that Gallia was frowning and looking down while Yaddle seemed to slump in on herself. I imagined that Giiett was also against this, given it involved his padawan, but I couldn't see him, having turned to Rancisis when he spoke.

As I pondered how to respond, Fay spoke.

"While your words are to be expected Master Rancisis, I believe my Padawan would prefer to hear of the physical help that will be offered to Padawan Swan, and particularly Padawan Savos. Or is it the decision of this council that no direct help is to be provided, just as none was provided to Cameron when he arrived here; lost across the millennia after a harrowing fight with a Sith Acolyte with his only family having died a day before he arrived at the temple?" Her voice may have been calm and collected, but the way her grey eyes – normally so vibrant and inviting – bore into Rancisis like cold iron indicated that she was far from impressed with his words, and the council's apparent decision.

"Yet to be made, is a final decision, old friend," Yaddle spoke, her voice soft yet controlling. "Help will be provided, from the Order and outside. My vow on this, you have."

That seemed to calm Fay, as she nodded and gave Yaddle a small smile.

"Is that all?" Tiin asked me.

"About this mission, yes sir." I had a few questions regarding the fact that save my meeting with former Chancellor Kalpana, no one, either within the Order or without, had asked me about my life before arriving on Coruscant in the present day. But those questions could wait for when I wasn't being punished by the council for challenging their handling of children.

"Masters Fay, Dooku, is there anything you wish to add?"

Both my Jedi Masters shook their heads and, along with Bultar, we were dismissed.

Once in the small antechamber outside the council chambers, Dooku stepped over to one side, away from the elevator as Bultar entered.

"I wish to speak with Master Sifo-Dyas for a moment." He said as the elevator descended, leaving us alone in the antechamber.

"Is this related to what you mentioned to me before?" Fay asked, drawing a nod from Dooku. "I thought so."

"Have you given any further thought to what he asked?" Dooku inquired.

"I have. Provided he is well, I think we need to resume our discussion," she paused and glanced at me. "After Cameron has served his punishment, I will be leaving the Temple while he is yours to train. I find this planet, restricting."

Dooku rubbed his beard as I wondered just what the two were really talking about.

"I am beginning to understand why that is. The Council… is not what I once believed it to be." He sighed and looked back at the door. "Perhaps I can persuade Master Sifo-Dyas to join you, join us, in leaving for a while." My brow rose at hearing that, as it meant I had a good chance to get Dooku away from the temple, and by extension Palpatine, while also spending time with Sifo-Dyas. Potentially, I could handle both their quests at the same time.

Fay nodded and gave him a small smile. "That may be exactly what is needed; for all of us."

Clearly, Fay, Dooku and Sifo-Dyas had been talking while I was on assignment, and now seemed to be planning to head away from the Temple together. I was pleased about that as it pulled the Changing Fate quests for Dooku and Sifo-Dyas together and would allow me more time with Darihd. I hadn't spoken to him much since we were taken as Padawans and he was one I hoped to pull into my faction when the time was right.

Dooku moved over to one of the benches outside the council chambers for people to wait as Fay and I boarded the now-returned elevator. As the doors closed, and we began our descent, she turned to me.

"I am sure you are curious about what Master Dooku and I were speaking of, but I need you to trust me and not ask about us. I promise we will reveal what we are doing before we leave the Temple once more, but until we do, you must remain silent."

"Yes, Master," I replied with a smile to let her know I was ok with waiting.

As we continued to descend, I spotted a quest notice and opened it.

Quest Completed!

Children in Shadow [ƍ]

Objectives:

Hold your cover until the end of the assignment or until you locate the kidnappers. [Yes]

Find a way to escape from the kidnappers or alert the authorities. [Yes]

? Earn the patronage of Senator Palpatine (for now) [Yes]

? Capture the leader of the kidnapper's [Yes]

? Free your fellow Jedi before calling for help/escaping [2/2]

Rewards:

1000XP

1500XP

+3 CHA

750XP

1500XP

…

I blinked at seeing I had earned Palpatine's patronage – whatever that amounted to – for the time being. I knew he was interested in me, and I hadn't exactly shut down his questioning of me and my thoughts on certain issues, but I hadn't expected it to be enough to earn his favour.

The XP took me to about just over six thousand XP and if I could complete Stones of Muntuur and Wipe That Grin off her Face, I would be much close to levelling up once again.

I chuckled mentally at once again thinking about my life in game terms, but it was what it was.

... …

A few hours later, and after meditating for most of that time with Fay, we were walking towards one of the mess halls when we rounded a corner and saw Master Giiett and Bultar standing near the hall.

"Ah, Master Fay, just the Jedi I wished to speak with," Giiett said as he saw us approach, smiling broadly at Fay.

"How may I be of service?" Fay asked as the council member and his Padawan approached.

"I merely wished to thank you for your words regarding how the Council should help Bultar and Padawan Savos," Giiett began as we stepped to the side of the corridor. "With Master Yaddle giving her word, the Council has approached a child trauma ward for help with the Padawans."

"I am pleased to hear that. Would you like me to pass on the message to Master Dooku?"

Giiett shook his hand. "No. I spoke to him after this morning’s council session ended. I just wanted to thank you personally and ask if Cameron would be interested in talking with someone outside the Temple about his, experiences."

Fay turned to me, allowing me to reply personally. "Thank you for the offer, but I've had a few years now to deal with what happened, and Master Fay arranged for me to speak with a mind healer just after I became her Padawan," I replied. I also wanted to avoid talking to someone outside the Temple about my experiences. There was a chance that a psychologist – or whatever they were called here – would find a hole in my story about my life four-thousand years ago and that Palpatine would gain access to those sessions.

However, I didn't want to offend Giiett, as he was my only possible ally on the High Council.

Thankfully, Giiett seemed to accept my rejection well, as he smiled at me. "No problem. I suspected that your Masters had already arranged some form of counselling for you. However, I do wish to convey my sincerest apologies about the Council failing to consider that you might need support beyond being housed in the Temple when you came to us."

A part of me was glad that someone on the council had noted their lack of care when I arrived, but I wasn't going to say that to a potential ally. "It's ok. I lost my mother when I was about five, so I've been dealing with such things even before I arrived here," I replied, mixing in a small lie that I kept telling whenever my parentage came up.

"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that," Giiett paused and glanced at Fay before continuing. "Actually, I don't think I've ever heard you speak about your father."

I shrugged. "Never met him, and my grandfather never talked about him." That was true, though mainly because I had never asked him. Fay had asked me a bit about my family history when we had been travelling and had hinted that a certain prophecy suggested that a child would be born without a father.

From the way Giiett's brow, and Bultar's sharp intake of breath, I could tell both were aware of the possible implications of me lacking a father. Man, was this place going to go crazy once Anakin came onto the scene, provided I didn't remove him from Tatooine before the Naboo crisis.

"Really? I did not know that." Giiett glanced at Fay, who nodded. "Hmm, perhaps we might speak on other matters later Master Fay. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on a few of the more ancient beliefs of our Order."

"Certainly." At that Bultar's stomach grumbled, and both Jedi Masters chuckled. "I think we should arrange that meeting after lunch."

"Yes, that may be for the best." Bultar's cheeks reddened at her master's amusement as we walked into the hall together.

... …

That evening, once most of the Jedi had gone to bed, I snuck out of my room and moved quietly through the halls of the Temple. Thanks to Detection, I was able to move without being detected by anyone until I reached the Kunddaka Chamber, and my targets; the Muntuur stones.

I had reviewed the power in my room before coming. With TK now at Savant:95 and based on the details given on how much weight I could potentially lift; I knew the stones should not be a challenge.

Since no one in the Order, bar one ancient Jedi had ever lifted seven, I wanted to make sure I was alone when I attempted this. They had enough to believe I was their Chosen One without me doing something supposedly impossible.

Closing the door behind me, I reached out and took hold of all seven stones, before carefully lifting them in case their weight overloaded my ability with TK and forced me to drop them.

I held them just long enough for a quest notice to appear, followed by a level-up notice before I lowered the stones and opened the notices.

Quest Completed!

Stones of Muntuur

Objectives:

Lift all 7 Muntuur Stones simultaneously before the Start of the Clone Wars

? Lift them all before the Naboo Crisis

Rewards:

6000XP

3000XP

…

LEVEL UP!

Level: 15 - 16

FP: +500

PP: +2

STAM: +24

SP: +5

SKP: +32

PerkP: +1

…

"Nice," I muttered at levelling up.

"Indeed," I spun at the voice and saw Yaddle standing in the doorway, watching me carefully. "Five hundred years, I have lived. Yet never such a feat, have I seen." She said as she began to walk closer.

"Master Yaddle, I…" I began only to stop as she raised a hand.

"Privacy for the attempt, you wished for. Understandable that this, given to whispers around you." She said as she moved next to me. "To see you succeed, impressive it is. And worrying."

"How so?"

Yaddle moved over to one of the stones, before using the Force to lift herself onto it. I chose to lean against another as I waited for her to reply.

"Whispers around you, you have heard, yes?" I nodded. "Understand why this is, do you?"

"At first, I'd say because of my family line, both before and after me," I began. Yaddle was a friend of Fay's, so perhaps she was another potential ally. "However, after the Initiate Trials, I asked some of Dragon Clan. They mentioned a prophecy. I think that is the main reason for the whispers now."

"Yes, destiny swirls around you. Scares some, entices others. Felt this, you may already have." I nodded again as it was certainly true that just as many avoided or confronted me as sought me out. "A dangerous thing, prophecies are. Some more than others. Around you, one congregates. Chosen One."

"Chosen One?" I asked, playing dumb in the hopes of getting her to explain the full prophecy.

She smirked and swatted the air between us. "Limited, you are not. Pretending to know less, suits you not."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Prophesied, the Chosen One is. Balance to the Force, they will bring," Yaddle said, telling me no more than Darihd and the others in Dragon Clan had years ago. "Much discussion there is, about you and this prophecy."

"As I have said before, I dislike being in visions and prophecies."

She chuckled. "Yes, allude to this, Master Fay has," she slid down from the stone. "Mention your feat, I will not. However, more of the prophecy, you should learn. Talk to your Master, I will."

I watched as the council member walked out of the chamber, leaving me alone with the stones.

I was still no closer to knowing much about Yaddle, but hopefully, this would help me gain access to the full prophecy, not just the vague references in the archives. Even Revan hadn't told me what the prophecy stated, only that both the Jedi and Sith were interpreting it wrong.

I followed Yaddle out of the chamber and made my way quietly back to my quarters without running into anyone else.

Once there, I opened my Perks menu.

PERKS

These are earned by spending perk points [which you earn at a rate of 1PP per 4 levels].

Perks have requirements in PP, stat and level values that must be met before they become available for selection.

Currently, you have the following perks:

Force Prodigy

Eidetic Memory

Empathy

Ambidextrous

…

NOTE:

Currently, you have 1 PerkP.

Do you wish to view available Perks?

Yes/No

…

A mental command later had the possible perks on display.

Available Perks:

Luck of the Force

Physical Regeneration

Bookworm

One with Nature

One with Beasts

Dominant

Style

Enhanced Regeneration

Boosted Growth

…

Like with Player Powers, where a new power – Observe, which I had taken and had replaced Examine so that I could now gain details about objects and sentients without touching them – had appeared, the perk list had a single addition since the last time; Boosted Growth.

Luck of the Force granted an instant increase in my Luck of 5.

Physical Regeneration gave me the ability to regenerate my HP at a rate of 5% per hour.

Bookworm was a 50% increase in skill growth when reading about a skill. I suspected that this would mainly apply to Intelligence governed skills, but it was a very tempting perk to take as those skills were the largest group of skills I had and could be easily added to by learning more languages or how to design equipment from simple circuitry right up to starships.

One with Nature and One with Beasts granted 100% bonuses to skills and Force powers covering plants and animals, respectively. Sadly, this seemed to mainly cover knowledge skills for now, which didn't count towards my overall skill total and were thus, seemingly less important.

Dominant granted 20% bonuses to skills when leading a group, but 10% reductions when not leading. At the current point in time, that was not a good choice as the only time I technically led was when I was alone.

Style gave a 15% bonus to Charisma-based skills, while also boosting Reputation gains by 10%, and lowering the losses by an equal amount. When I started to move for myself and create my group, that could be helpful; but like Dominant, it was virtually useless at the current time.

Enhanced Regeneration was a perk I was taking at some point. It would double my regeneration for FP, PP and Stam while halving the rate at which my Hunger dropped.

Boosted Growth granted a 10% increase to all XP gained, whether that was for skills, powers or levels. Very useful, and one to consider.

I ignored all but Enhanced Regeneration and Boosted Growth as those two were the ones with the most benefit if taken early. But by that very logic, Boosted Growth was the best choice. While a ten per cent increase in XP didn't sound like much, doing the quick math on levelling from 12 to 16 meant I'd have earned an extra 5400XP; about a third of the XP needed for my current level.

After making my choice, I sat down on the bed and began my nightly training, while once more saying a silent thank you to Serenity for granting the need to only sleep once every twenty days provided that I meditated at least once a day.

... …

... …

I ducked as the lightsaber whizzed through where my head had been a mere moment before and then spun away from the blade.

"Slow and predictable," I said calmly as I watched the Rodian – the same one I had beaten in the Initiate trials – glare at me. "Honestly, when I agreed to this, I had expected some improvement from our last duel, but it seems I was mistaken."

His snout twitched and he swung his lightsaber in a low, horizontal swipe. A basic manoeuvre of Shii-Cho, and one I avoided by jumping upwards and then kicking him across the shoulder before I pushed myself backwards with the Force.

"Two, zero," called out another member of Katarn Clan as the Rodian shook his head and snarled at me.

"Come on Tsis! You can take him!" Another of the Clan called out to their friend.

"That would be a first," I countered with a smirk. "While my skills have grown, it appears that Tsis' have sadly degraded."

Tsis, either enraged by my constant belittling or goaded on by his clan mates, roared and charged, lightsaber held high above his head. While he moved faster this time than before – possibly due to giving in to his anger – I stayed still until he leapt; at which point I caught him in mid-air with TK and began walking across the sparring circle with him held helplessly in front of me until he crossed the edge of the circle.

"I believe that is the match," I casually stated as I stepped out of the circle and released Tsis.

I turned to the rest of his clan. "Now, I hope this will ensure that our class is less disruptive tomorrow. Dismissed."

The Initiates, who were all bar Tsis, younger than me, bowed and left, a few guiding Tsis away before he did anything rash.

"Oh, and Tsis," I called out, "Mind that you don't let your emotions control you so much,” I smirked as he growled, but he didn’t reply as his friends continued to frogmarch him out of the room.

I shook my head once they had left. "Morons."

"What was that about?"

Turning, I saw Serra and Darihd on the far side of the room; Serra leaned casually against the wall while Darihd held a datapad in his hand.

"Just a few teething problems with my class," I replied with a smile. "Congratulations by the way."

Serra beamed and twiddled with her Padawan braid – as I mentally fought the urge to yank off my restored braid; the thing was annoying as hell.

"Thanks. Master Drallig is a great teacher; I'm learning so much from him." She replied with a massive smile.

"Care to put that to the test?" I asked, seeing this as an opportunity to clear the duelling quest linked to her.

"Sure, beating you never gets old." She replied as she pushed herself off the wall.

As we moved into the circle, Darihd sighed as he was forced to stop looking at his datapad, I glanced at my status.

The 'duel' with Tsis had only taken a few minutes, and I had only activated Bullet-Time as I wanted to beat him without embarrassing him. Well, not too much. As such, I still had over 7000FP. Using Bullet-Time and Precognition would give me nine minutes before my FP ran out. If I also activated Force Speed, that would fall to six, so I was going to hold that in reserve.

"Only lightsabers. I don't want you cheating and throwing me from the circle to win," she said as she ignited her twin green blades. Both had shorter grips than my blade, probably to help her use them as two full-sized grips would be too much for a ten-year-old to handle properly.

"OK," I replied, igniting my blade, and lowering the power to training levels, before issuing the challenge with the Makashi opening salute.

"On my signal, begin!"

Instantly, Serra leapt upwards, bringing both blades down hard as she fell onto me.

I calmly raised my blade, angling it to guide her blades to one side while stepping to face her landing spot.

She coughed as she landed, swinging out with the blade nearest to me.

I blocked it easily, then stabbed forward towards her exposed leg.

She blocked with her second lightsaber, then brought the first around, attempting to strike my arm.

A simple tilting on my blade pushed the attack away and I lifted my foot to avoid another sweep.

A feint forced her to step back and she used the distance to smirk as she twirled her blades.

"You've gotten better," she said as she prepared to attack.

"As have you," I replied as I shifted into the Soresu opening stance.

That had her pause, clearly having expected me to only use Makashi, but she held for only a moment before charging in once more.

Her blades moved rapidly, one attacking while the other readied, probing my defence, high and low, left and right, inside and out, but I was able to block and deflect every attack with ease using Soresu.

As she brought both blades down for a double overhead strike, I shifted my stance and raised my blade upwards even while ducking.

From here, I guided her blades over my back while stepping inside her personal space and tapping her on the head with my hilt.

"One, zero. He got you, Serra," Darihd commented with a chuckle.

Before she could counter or comment, I dropped to my knees, letting my blade scrape across her shoulder.

I rolled away, feeling the heat of at least one of her blades uncomfortably close to my legs, but receiving no message saying I'd lost HP, I knew she'd missed the desperate attack.

"Two, zero."

"I didn't know you had learned Soresu," she said after leaping back to restore distance between us.

"While Makashi is great in places, I'd be a fool to not learn other forms," I replied as I adopted a Shii-Cho opening stance. "Each has its strengths and weaknesses."

Serra's smile, which she had kept throughout the duel, grew. "Good."

She came at me faster this time. Her blades carried out short, rapid strikes that forced me to shift back to Soresu even as I stepped backwards.

None of the attacks broke through my defence – thanks to Precognition telling me where they were coming from – but they were coming fast enough, that I was denied any opportunity to counterattack.

Eventually, she changed approach and launched a series of arcing swipes that were far easier to defend against but struck my blade with far more force.

Seeing a gap in these attacks, and noting the slowing of them, I shifted to Makashi and used the weaker, but shorter and more precise attacks of the Form to force her into defending.

My attacks, while not as fast as hers had been, were just as consistent as I had activated Force Speed to make my movements faster.

As she moved late to block one such attack, I slid one foot to the other side and shifted my weight.

Taking advantage of my free hand – as Makashi favoured single grip movements – I grabbed her wrist and twisted.

"Argh." She groaned as I turned her wrist away from her body, taking the blade in hand out of the battle even as my blade moved towards her neck and stepped closer.

"I yield," She whispered as her face was bathed in the black and white light of my blade, the shifting light drawing my attention to just how close we were as I felt her breath on my lips.

"Right," I muttered as I stepped back, deactivated my lightsaber and began to step out of her personal space while noticing a quest completion notice.

"Most impressive," came a voice from my right and we spun as one, banging shoulders and then falling to the ground.

"Well, that wasn't," added Master Drallig with a smirk as Darihd covered his mouth with the datapad. "Why am I not surprised that I find you in the sparing circle my young Padawan."

"Master, I…" Serra's words die in her mouth as Drallig raises a hand.

"You are in your free time, Serra. What you do with it is your choice."

"Yes, Master."

Drallig turned to me as I stood, offering a hand to Serra in the process. "Padawan Shan, I have just spoken to a member of Katarn Clan who says you have been bullying them in the circle."

I ignored the redness of Serra's cheeks – caused by me taking her hand – as I answered. "Certain members of the clan were, unhappy, with me being assigned to teach them. As the class went on, and as specific members chose to ignore my teaching and disrupt the class, I offered them a choice. Shut up and listen or do something to remove me."

"And you felt a duel in which you berated your opponent was an acceptable method of handling it?" Drallig asked, crossing his arms as he spoke.

"It was Initiate Fobe who suggested the duel, sir. I believe he was still unhappy about losing to me during the Initiate trials a few years ago." I shrugged. "Not my fault I could beat him without drawing my lightsaber."

Drallig rubbed his chin. "Hmm, it seems that the Initiate failed to explain clearly the reasons behind why you duelled.

"Regardless, that is not why I am here. If you would come with me, Padawan Shan. You have a visitor."

I frowned, wondering who would come to the Temple only to see Drallig glance upwards to the overhead gallery.

Following his glance, I saw Dooku and Sifo-Dyas standing there. With Senator Palpatine.

"Ah." I turned to Serra and Darihd. "Sorry. I was hoping to catch up with both of you."

"How about at lunch?" Serra offered quickly.

Darihd shook his head. "I can't. My Master wishes for us to spend the evening on one of the lower levels of the planet."

"So just the two of us then?" I asked Serra, making her smile and nod. "It's a date then."

I walked away before she could reply, though I did hear Darihd cough out a chuckle and exited the room with Drallig.

"Do you do it on purpose?" He said once we were out of earshot of the sparring room.

"Do what sir?"

He chuckled as we walked up the stairs. "The teasing. Serra enjoys your company, but I advise you to be careful of your words. Like most young Jedi, Serra has only known the Temple and is not well trained yet in handling her emotions."

"Ah. Well, I will try to limit it. But she does make it easy," I replied, drawing another short laugh from the Battlemaster.

"Yes, she does." We reached the next floor and saw the trio waiting for me.

"Ah, young Cameron," Palpatine began, breaking away from the two Jedi Masters to turn my way and rest his hands on my shoulders. "It warms this old heart to see you alive and well. When you were taken, I was greatly concerned for your well-being."

"Thank you, Senator. Thankfully the kidnappers failed to realize I was a Jedi and thus didn't imprison me as they had the other Padawans."

His happiness at seeing me fell. "Ah, yes. How are your fellow Jedi doing?"

"The High Council has arranged for them to receive help from inside and outside of the Order," answered Sifo-Dyas.

"That is good to hear," Palpatine replied with a smile that appeared genuine if you didn't know he was a Sith lord. "If it is not an imposition Master Dooku, I was hoping I could speak to young Cameron privately."

"Of course, Master Sifo-Dyas and I have a meeting with other members of the Order," Dooku answered before turning to me. "I will meet you back here after lunch to resume our training."

"Yes, sir."

"Is there perhaps a private room where we may speak?" Palpatine asked me as the two Jedi Masters walked away.

"There should be somewhere," I replied, and we walked to where there were a few smaller meditation chambers. Hopefully one of them would be empty.

"I read your report on the mission," Palpatine began as we walked. "I was most impressed that you managed to take down an entire ship full of brigands single handily."

"I wasn't alone on the mission Senator."

Palpatine waved his hand, dismissing my point. "The other Padawans were unable to help. You completed a mission that older, and more extensively trained Jedi failed. You should be proud of that."

I nodded, accepting the praise, even if I knew it was just designed to instil a belief that I was better than others, better than the Jedi. As he felt Sith should be.

Once we were in an empty room, we sat on the meditation seats, though Palpatine took a while to settle.

"How do you Jedi ever manage to rest on these things?" He asked in annoyance as he squirmed in the seat.

"It takes time and patience, an issue for some," I replied with a smirk at seeing the Sith Lord struggle with a simple meditation seat.

"I wanted to make sure you were well. I admit that I rather enjoyed your time posing as my nephew, and reading your report, especially about facing the rapist, I was concerned for your mental well-being." He said once he had settled.

I sighed and looked away, engaging Empathic Shield. I avoided Player's Mind as that would nullify my emotions, which might arouse his suspicions if I was too calm about what had happened. If he tried to use the Force against me, the interface would alert me - whether it succeeded or failed - and I could slam on PM.

"It was a difficult moment. As I told the High Council, I wanted to kill him, but I didn't. It was tempting, but in the end, I couldn't bring myself to murder him in cold blood."

"Yes, I imagine it would have been a difficult decision, one that if in your place, I would have been tormented over the choices," He paused for a moment. "Why didn't you? Your Jedi training?"

"More something I learned when younger," I explained, though I was talking about my old life and not my time before the Jedi as he probably suspected. "While powerful, I am but one man. I am not judge, jury and executioner. As much as I wanted him dead and would have gladly testified at his trial if he had survived his injuries, I wouldn’t murder someone in cold blood." That he died of the injury I caused him while suffering excruciating pain was admittedly not much better, but it did give him a chance to survive; however small.

Palpatine nodded as I spoke, and then replied. "A wise choice. One many would not be able to make. However, if the man had lived, I assure you he would have faced a lifetime in prison for his actions. I would have helped to ensure that."

I smiled in what I hoped he would take as thanks as I considered mentioning the Mind Probe to him. It was what would be classed as a dark side power, so he might be able to subtly give me hints on how to train it.

Yet I decided not to. Doing so would bring even more of his attention down on me, and if I wanted to save Sifo-Dyas and prevent Dooku from becoming a Sith, the less extra attention I drew from the Sith the better as I worked to remove them from Coruscant, and Sidious' reach.

"I have heard that the Jedi are going to assist the Judiciary forces in locating the beings the kidnappers were working with," Palpatine began, changing the subject. "How goes the investigation?"

"I don't know. The council didn't mention anything about that when I reported to them yesterday," I answered honestly letting my surprise show. "I am currently serving a punishment for actions taken while on the mission."

"That is most unfortunate. I would have felt that having someone already versed in the details, and who had provided the only break of any kind in the case, would be beneficial to the investigators."

I shrugged. "The council makes its own decisions, Senator. They won't change their mind for a mere Padawan."

He rubbed his chin. "Yes, that is true. Though perhaps a few friendly words from myself and the Chancellor could get you reassigned to the investigation."

"While I would be grateful, there is no need to do so. I am sure the Jedi assigned are skilled in helping the police and will certainly know more about the criminal underworld of Coruscant." Though if he did still get me assigned, it gave would give me a chance to rob some more criminals and potentially find a fence to sell the gemstones to.

However, after everything that had happened, I expected the investigation to go cold as I was all but certain that Palpatine was involved in it somehow. Sure, a scapegoat might be found, but they would die before being able to testify that there were other players involved.

"Still, I will try." Palpatine was cut off from saying anything else when his commlink beeped. "Ah, my apologies, but I must take this."

I stood and bowed to Palpatine. "Of course. The wheels of government are always turning."

He chuckled gently as he palmed the commlink. "Yes, indeed they are. Before we separate, I'd like you to know that if you ever need someone outside the Jedi Order to speak with, my door will be open to you."

"Thank you, uncle. I will remember that." I replied with a grin at using the fake family link between us. Palpatine let out a chuckle that I was quite sure was genuine, though whether it was due to my wit, or the fact that he assumed I was warming to him and now viewed him more as family, I wasn't sure.

As we both stepped out of the chamber and headed in different directions, I was tempted to use Observe, but I restrained myself as I was the only other person around and didn't want to risk him figuring out that I had done something.

Once I was a good ten metres or so away from the chamber, I stopped and took a deep breath. I had the confirmation to the quest bonus that I had Palpatine's favour, though I would have to be careful about how, if at all, I used it. The use of 'uncle' had been a gambled charm offensive that would most likely be a double-edged sword. Palpatine would relax more around me, while also continuing his efforts to ingratiate himself with me with renewed vigour. I just hoped the trade-off was worth it.

While having a friend in the Senate should be a useful thing, it being Sidious made it far more likely that any help I asked for would be spun to benefit himself and the Sith plan.

Once my punishment was over, I had to get off this planet. That meant convincing Dooku to leave, which seemed likely given the brief conversation he had had with Fay after my report to the High Council.

I pulled the quest notice and smirked.

Quest Completed!

Wipe That Grin off her Face [User Defined]

Objectives:

Defeat Serra Keto in a spar before either of you becomes a Jedi Knight. [Yes]

? Do so without letting her score a hit [Yes]

Rewards:

600XP (+60XP)

200XP (+20XP)

Reputation boost with Serra Keto

…

Boosted Growth was already showing its usefulness, and while 80XP was less than half a per cent of the needed amount to level up, seeing it working was nice. It would also kick in on two small quests I created to improve my language skill for Huttese and Binary, where I had to get the relevant skill to Professional 1 by the time my punishment was over and I left the Temple. Each carried a 1000XP reward if I could pull it off.

As for the reputation boost from Wipe That Grin off her Face, well once I turned eleven, that should be viewable, so I'd just have to wait until then to see where I stood with Serra. And everyone else.

... …

... …

I smiled as Clawmouse Clan left the room. They were one of five clans that I taught each morning on a rotating basis as part of my punishment.

Despite my initial reluctance, I was enjoying the classes as they allowed me a chance to get to know a large number of potential Jedi who I might be able to persuade to join me when I formed my own Force group and those who would be reassigned to the corps and would be even easier recruits if handled correctly.

Yet I was beginning to wonder when exactly the classes would end as it had now been just shy of seven weeks - a little less than a month and a half - since I had been assigned to teach these classes.

"How were today's Initiates?" Master Fay asked with a twinkle in her eye as she walked into the now-empty classroom.

"Fine. I haven't had any problems with a clan since my first day," I replied which made her smile.

"That is good to hear, though I imagine you are looking forward to ending your time teaching?"

"Please tell me the council has decided to end this," I pretended to beg by dropping to my knees, making her chuckle softly.

"Your punishment ended last week, however, I felt it would do you good to continue for a short while longer." Her smile fell and she looked down at me, her hands up the sleeves of her robes. "When you returned to the Temple, I asked you to be patient with regards to something Master Dooku and I were speaking of."

"I remember." Kind of hard to forget with Eidetic Memory.

"Ah, good," she paused and looked away for a moment before continuing. "The time has come to explain what is going on."

She turned and began to leave the room. I moved quickly to catch up with her and we began to walk through the corridors.

"How does your training with Master Dooku go?" She asked as we entered one of the many elevators in the temple that led to the central spire, which housed many of the private meditation and discussion chambers.

"Well. He has begun to teach me the basics of Ataru and feels that all that is holding me back with Makashi is my size," I replied honestly. I had also learned Force Inertia from him, which was the power to run on walls, water and eventually ceilings. My skill with Makashi was coming along well, now resting at Savant 88 and both he and Battlemaster Drallig had said I was versed enough in the Form to be allowed to teach it to classes of Initiates, which I did once each day.

Also, after reviewing what I knew of the KOTOR games, I’d gained a few new powers. Ionize was the power to disable or destroy droids without using Force Lightning and while I had not seen it used by anyone in the movies or cartoons, or demonstrated by anyone in the Temple, the records showed it was not listed as a dark-side power. Thus, it was safe to train it within the Temple.

As was Force Slow – the new name I gave to Force Weaken – which confused an opponent of low enough Wisdom and Intelligence that they would appear to be moving slower than those around them.

The same, however, could not be said of Force Scream, Force Fear or Force Drain.

Force Scream inflicted sonic damage on a target, could disorientate them, and even disrupt their connection to the Force if unprepared or unused to emotional-based Force attacks.

Force Fear invoked terror in a target with the potential to have them unable to fight and could potentially affect more than one person at a time. But even this paled in comparison to Force Drain.

Force Drain was the ability to drain the Force and even life force from a target. From a gaming perspective, this translated into HP. This was an incredibly dangerous power as this was the one that drove Darth Nihilus to become the monster that he was in KOTOR2. At its maximum potential, it could cause entire planets to die. Not a power I hoped to ever need to use, but one I now had.

All three were dark side powers and as such, I was not able to practice them while in the Temple. Or even on the planet, I suspected, as with the number of Jedi present, and a Sith Lord as well, any obvious usage of dark side powers would bring trouble crashing down on my head.

I had also gained Alter Mind, Force Wave, and Force Repulse, but all three were locked by other powers being at too low a level.

Regarding my powers, I had discovered that certain powers, such as Inertia, Barrier and Phase levelled up quicker if just used for an instant instead of being run until I ran out of FP. I was curious if this applied to skills as well, but so far, no skill that I had tried to use in such a way had shown an improvement in the speed of growth.

The only other thing that had happened of any note was that I discovered that the Temple had a music room. I had played a Synthtar – the local form of a guitar – to keep levelling that skill up after discovering the instrument while undercover so being able to continue levelling that skill while serving my punishment has been a nice surprise.

"That is good to hear," Fay replied, but it was clear to see she was distracted but something; probably what she and Dooku wished to discuss with me.

Once the elevator stopped, I followed Fay to a private chamber only to stop as I stepped inside and saw Dooku sitting with Sifo-Dyas.

While Dooku looked his usual regal self, Sifo-Dyas seemed distracted. His hair was dishevelled, and he had dark bags under his eyes suggesting he was having trouble sleeping.

"Sit Cameron," Dooku said, and as I did so, Fay closed the door which then hissed as it locked and the windows sealed. Fay moved around and sat to Sifo-Dyas' left, Dooku was to his right and all three stared at me.

"You wished to speak with me," I said as the three Jedi Masters sat in silence. I didn't think I was in trouble, but even if I was, it was better to face the issue head-on. To be on the safe side, I activated Empathic Shield. While I doubted it would help hide all my emotions from the three Jedi Masters, it was a better option than PM which I was now trying to avoid unless in real combat.

"Yes, we did," Dooku began with a slight twinge in his tone that I couldn't place. "There are, issues, that we feel you need to be made aware of."

"I am in trouble?"

"No, of course not," Fay answered instantly, and I felt that I could trust her. "But these issues, visions, do centre around you." I felt my brow rise at hearing her talk of visions and I turned my attention to Sifo-Dyas. I had reviewed all the mentions and appearances I had of him in my memory, but nothing told me why he had ordered the clone army.

If he had had a vision of the war to come, it created the starting point. From there I could quickly conceive a chain of events where he was convinced by Sidious or his master to place the order for the clones, only to be killed by Dooku.

"You understand, don't you?" Sifo-Dyas said in a voice barely about a whisper. "What the future holds."

All three Jedi were staring at me intently as I nodded.

"War. Galaxy-wide, destroying whole planets and bringing an end to the Jedi." I gulped before continuing. "I, I know what will happen."

"What might happen. The future is always in motion, never forget that." Sifo-Dyas countered instantly. "Visions can change as time moves. While this can be for the better, often, it seems, it is not." He slumped down and his head touched the table.

Dooku placed a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Sifo-Dyas can see potential events with an incredible degree of clarity," he began, explaining for his friend. "When we were very young, not much older than you in truth, he saw a planet in flames. We tried to convince the Council of this vision, but they ignored us and the planet that we believed was in the vision was destroyed in a solar flare." Dooku finished through gritted teeth.

"I saw other visions, many of which have come true," Sifo-Dyas said, taking up the conversation once more. "All of them leading to a darker and darker future. One in which I saw the Republic in flames."

"And the Sith triumphant," I added before sighing at the looks the three gave me. Sifo-Dyas looked relieved to meet someone else who saw what was to come, Dooku was puzzled while Fay was either surprised or upset. "I am sorry for hiding much of this, Master, but I was unsure of what it all meant," I said to her.

She gave me a sweet smile. "I understand, but even what you did tell me I believed. I too saw glimpses. Not to the degree that it appears to you and Master Sifo-Dyas do, but enough to know that the darkness was coming."

"Visions are not needed to see the coming darkness," Dooku commented with a small sneer that resulted in flashbacks to what he became in canon. "The Outer Rim is falling into anarchy while the Republic and the Jedi do nothing about it."

"If I may return to my story," Sifo-Dyas asked with a twitch of his lips at Dooku's outburst. A nod from Dooku later he did. "Not long after that planet burned, I learned to control these visions, well enough that none outside this room, bar two, are aware of my ability to glimpse the future." He paused and sighed. "A future that shows the Republic rotting and decaying from the core as the shadow of the dark side falls over the galaxy.

"That changed on a day two years ago when, for the first time in decades, the darkness of the future was pierced. A light has shone through. Since that day I have seen visions of possible new futures; a few were worse than what I saw previously, but most were brighter. Yet all these visions are linked to that day. To you."

I looked at the Jedi carefully as I considered how to answer this. I needed allies to take on Sidious but, even if I had quests dealing with two of them, telling them everything now was risky. I only really knew Fay, but without having access to my reputation with them, I was working in the dark.

"I… I am unsure of how to respond to that," I replied honestly as I continued to consider how much to reveal here and now.

"That is good to hear," said Fay with a smile that grew at my confusion. "If you acted proud or scared when hearing such a thing, we would know you were not ready, and we had made a mistake asking you here. That you are neither speaks well of you."

"Indeed. Pride and cowardice are unbecoming in any sentient, especially those capable of using the Force," Dooku added before turning to Fay and giving her a small nod; one she returned as they seemed to talk telepathically with each other.

I was starting to hate when adult Jedi did that around me.

"Is this linked to a prophecy of the Chosen One?" I asked, drawing out the conversation to give me more time to prepare my answers and what I would/could reveal without putting them at risk from the Sith.

"It is possible," Sifo-Dyas began as Fay and Dooku shared another look, this one far more concerned than before. "I do not place a large degree of stock in that particular prophecy – its history and roots have long since been forgotten by our Order – however, others do."

"The Chosen One is a prophecy that dates back to time immemorial," Fay continued. "It tells of a time when a powerful Force-Sensitive will be born, one without a father, who will restore balance to the Force." She paused and gave me a small smile. "I am surprised it took you so long to ask about that. Master Yaddle suggested you'd come looking for answers over a month ago."

"I suspected you would mention it to me at some point," I replied, returning the smile with a smirk. "Though if you hadn't mentioned it before we left, I was planning on asking once we were off-world."

"Patient and clever, impressive." Commented Dooku before Sifo-Dyas spoke again.

"Whether you are the true Chosen One or just the latest being to potentially fit the prophecy, is irrelevant. What matters is what we can do to change the future to prevent the rising darkness from engulfing the galaxy."

"Do we want to? I mean, the Republic, at least from what I have seen, is flawed. The Core worlds only care about themselves, or at least the people in power, while the Rim is ignored and exploited by groups like the Trade Federation; a non-political entity that, like a few others, has a seat in the Senate." I explained quickly, not letting the Jedi get a word in before I could explain myself fully. "Groups that only care about money and power hold more voice there than people who wish to help the galaxy."

Dooku smiled. Well, smirked knowingly. "I see your time with Senator Palpatine was not idly spent."

"No, but I do not agree with much of what the Senator thinks. Anyone in power is scared to lose it. Be they politicians, business leaders or even, I suspect, Jedi."

Fay looked like she wanted to argue against that, but Sifo-Dyas cut her off with a stilted laugh.

"Yes, that is true of many, though not all. Though some of us do believe that the Sith are the cause of much of these problems and that you were sent here by the Force to help."

"How?" Honestly, from my own, admittedly limited, learning about the Republic over the last thousand years, I felt it was the Republic that was the source of many of the problems I heard about on the Holonet.

Though if I was in the Sith's shoes, I would make the problems worse. A destabilized Republic was weak, and with the Jedi linked to it, they too would be weakened. This plan of theirs had been in operation for centuries, slowly fanning the flames across the galaxy where possible, provided that previous generations of Sith were prepared for others to reap the benefits of their actions.

"By restoring balance, prophesied child or not," Sifo-Dyas stated with conviction. "The Sith and their ways are an abomination. They bring chaos and disorder to the galaxy through their need for power and conflict."

I nodded a few times, appearing to wholeheartedly agree, even as I considered my next words carefully.

"Forgive me if I am just uninformed, but how is only using one side balance?"

The three Jedi Masters all looked at each other and while they did, I continued.

"I mean, as my grandfather used to say, every one of us has light and dark, good and bad inside us. It is how we handle those two parts that determine our own, personal beliefs and philosophies. But denying that we feel anger or hatred only allows them to fester and corrupt us from within."

"I am curious as to what you have been teaching the Initiates about the Code," Fay began as the smile returned to her lips slowly. "Regardless, what you suggest, while true of most beings, is not the accepted thinking of the Jedi. Or the Sith."

I wanted to point out the stupidity of the two codes, as I had wanted to do in my classes, but I refrained here as I did then. Oh sure, I questioned the Jedi Code repeatedly with the Initiates I had taught, hopefully letting them see that no one was truly all good or evil, but that was as far as I took things. Mainly in fear that I'd be given a new, worse punishment if I pushed too far.

Here, however, I felt that I would just come off as arrogant and proud, and be ignored to some degree, due to my age.

"Perhaps," Dooku began slowly, drawing everyone's attention, "perhaps, the Padawan is on to something."

"You are suggesting that the Jedi Code is wrong?" Sifo-Dyas asked him sharply.

"No, my friend. Merely that we have become too rigid, too set in our ways, to see that denying what we are, weakens us. Not only with the Force but within ourselves." Dooku explained as I got a small insight into seeing his reasons for having left the Jedi in another timeline. "To deny that we are not composed of light and dark impulses is to cut ourselves off from a part of who we are."

"While I do not agree fully with what you are suggesting, I do concede that the Order is far too narrow-minded," Fay added in agreement. "It is why I prefer to travel the galaxy; allowing the Force to choose where I need to be, and who I need to meet." She finished as she stared at me.

Sifo-Dyas sighed and shook his head. "To think, that I would be the one to defend the Order and the Code after having spent years arguing that we need to change." He chuckled once then lifted his head, looking me straight in the eye. "So how do we proceed?"

I blinked. "You are asking me?"

"Yes. Chosen One or not, the Force brought you here for a reason; one that I have come to believe is for the betterment of the Force." He replied with conviction. "We have all been here too long, spent too long thinking as we have, to be able to see an obvious path out of the darkness that is coming."

"At least we see what is coming," Dooku muttered even as Sifo-Dyas continued.

"Perhaps we need the sight of one who has seen the galaxy before entering these halls. Perhaps, just perhaps, you are here to show us that path to a better, brighter future."

"What if I fail?" I asked, letting my greatest fear for the future be vocalized. "Or lead us down a darker path?"

"That is why we are here to help you, just as you are here to help us," Fay answered with a tender smile. "The wisdom of age, coupled with the drive of youth."

"As I said, my visions show a generally better future because of you. If I do not act on those visions, do not at least try to bring about that future, I have failed as a person, never mind as a Jedi," said Sifo-Dyas confidently.

Dooku chuckled, shook his head and looked at his fellow Jedi Masters. "While I lack the wisdom of Master Fay or the gifts of Master Sifo-Dyas, I see what is happening around us; on Coruscant and other places. A reckoning is coming. Perhaps not for a long time, but it is coming, and I have lost faith in the Council and the Senate to show us a path forward.

"We must prepare for that reckoning, and your being here, in this time, is the will of the Force. While I am a prideful man," Sifo-Dyas coughed once, which drew a short glare from Dooku, "I am not so confident in myself to ignore what I see before me."

I sat there quietly as they spoke, not quite believing that I'd had such an effect on the three, and even after hearing them speak in support, I could still scarcely believe it. Though I suspected that wherever he was, Revan was amused by this.

"I… I… wow," was all I could get out as the wind ruffled my hair. "I don't think I am the Chosen One, but I want to try to change things."

"Don't try, do," Fay chuckled. "We are not asking you to lead, you are far, far too young for making those types of decisions. We do, however, feel that the Force is using you in some way. A way we all believe that will lead out of the oncoming darkness."

"If you have any suggestions, any visions bring them to us. At once. Do not hide them for fear of how we might react, or what we might say. Act on the information given to you by the Force. Use it." Dooku added bluntly.

"Yes, Masters," I said with a bow, which was far harder to do when sitting than I liked.

"Ah, so that is what it takes to get you to call someone 'master'?" Sifo-Dyas joked, earning a few chuckles from around the table. "To agree to listen to you."

"No, it means we have his respect," Fay explained as she tilted her head to one side and looked at me. "And already I sense you have something to reveal."

I couldn't help but smile as I began to speak. "Yes. When I was on Naboo, I heard… whispers, of a name as I saw images of a child queen. Padme."

"So that is why you were looking through birth records. Master Nu was wondering why you had accessed that information," Fay stated with a gentle laugh. "It had been confusing me for weeks."

"You think the girl is important?"

"Yes. And I found her. Padme Naberrie. She's six, almost seven, now, but she will be a Queen one day. And soon. In the images I saw, she looked to be in her late teens or early twenties." I was being vague about her age to avoid questions about how accurate my 'visions' were. Though discovering Padme was six, meant I had at most, eight years to get ready for the invasion of Naboo as I knew she had been fourteen when that happened.

"Hmm. Perhaps a deeper search is required," Dooku spoke slowly, rubbing his beard in thought. "From what I know of Naboo, King Veruna is an elected monarch, but he has a strong grip on the throne. That he would be replaced by such a young woman would be unexpected and require something to change drastically."

"Perhaps Senator Palpatine could be of assistance?" offered Sifo-Dyas.

"No!" I blurted out before Dooku could answer the suggestion. "I mean, if the Sith have been influencing the galaxy, they must have operatives in the Senate. Involving anyone from there might alert the Sith to what we are doing."

"You believe the Sith are watching us?"

"I'd be surprised if they weren't watching Cameron," Fay said in answer to Dooku's question.

"Yes, on that I suspect you are correct. Very well, we will keep the search quiet and involve no one outside the Temple." Dooku concurred.

I smiled. "Thank you. For trusting me."

"We said we would help you if it led to a better future. Did you not believe us?"

"I did, but having proof is nice," I replied. "Trust but verify."

That made Dooku chuckle. "A wise approach." He stood. "Now come. If we spend too long here others will notice. The less attention we bring to ourselves, the more time we can avoid drawing the attention of the Sith and their allies."

We all stood and moved for the door.

"You believe the Sith have supporters within the Order?" Fay asked with a frown.

"Unlikely," Dooku stated as he unlocked the doors and I heard the windows slide open once more. "However, until we are sure, it is better to be cautious."

Fay gave him a tilted nod as we stepped out of the room, though I paused and looked back as I replayed the meeting in my head.

"Cameron, is something the matter?"

I started walking. "No, Master. I was simply thinking about who we could trust."

While that was a valid reason to stop, it wasn't the truth. As we walked through the halls to the elevator one question kept going around in my mind.

How did the wind ruffle my hair if the windows were closed?

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