THE TRIAL OF UNDERSTANDING

"I'm assuming that it's been a while since you last used this Holocron to summon me." Zylas smiled as she saw her daughter who has seemingly done better.

"I… am performing trials with the Revanites here on Dromand Kaas." Leena sighed as she made sure that her room was locked from the inside. So that even Vette wouldn't know what was going on, she expected Zylas to scold her but the spirit remained quiet. "Overseer Tremel and Baras taught me the basics of the Sith code and how efficient my combat should be… embracing my emotions to fuel my connection to the dark side of the Force but what is… Sith? What does it mean to be a warrior?"

Her loss in combat with the Jedi bothered her. Though she had passed her first trial, defeat was something she didn't take lightly against a person who she was taught to hate and despise.

Zylas sighed in response as she saw the eagerness in her own daughter's eyes. Whatever the Revanite Jedi told her, as much as the Sith and the Jedi are different – Zylas believed that they are the same in some sort of way. "It was a thousand years ago when the Jedi had another civil war which caused their Order to split into two factions. One waged war on their fellow Jedi. The kind of war that raged across the galaxy."

Leena listened carefully to what her mother had to say. The Jedi would always speak of justice and freedom for they were the peacekeepers of the galaxy, but in truth, they were no different from the Sith. "But when these fallen Jedi were defeated and cast out from their world, they retreated to the worlds in the Outer Rim. And over time, they took on the mantle of the Lords of the Sith on Korriban. But deep down in their hearts, they never forgot the Jedi. Their passion was of a blaze of flames which signifies their hatred for the Jedi Order, which echoes in their teachings. Their concern was only the destruction of their brothers and sisters, who turned their back on them."

"For them, it was all that matters. All that ever mattered. But now in these times, it was a different kind of war we Sith came to wage. A thing of silence and shadow. We were taught to strike from the darkness, hiding from the face of the galaxy, until all Jedi are exterminated. And once the Jedi are all gone, then the galaxy is ours."

"Even when the Jedi are gone, the Republic won't allow that." Leena pointed out the obvious. "No matter whether the Sith or the Republic rules, it is the dark side that shall reign unchecked. Or so we were taught in the Sith Academy."

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen human nature at its core," Zylas spoke strictly. "And there is no light there, Leena. True Sith has been alone for a thousand years, they had total control over a hundred-star system. Then the Jedi drove the to the farthest fringe of the galaxy. And they still owe them a few millennia of slavery for what they did to the pureblood Sith. Jedi strictly don't form attachments. They claim that desire unbalances you, but the Jedi misunderstand everything. To experience those simple pleasures again would be worth anything." Passion boils through the eyes of Zylas Sern as she spoke to her daughter.

To experience those simple pleasures – the experience of being a mother again would be worth anything to the Sern spirit. And the Jedi took it from her.

Until her daughter's eyes turn yellow or orange, Leena will never be the Sith Baras hoped her to be. "And after a thousand years, Korriban was ours again for the taking. Remember this, when you feel anger in your every connection to the Force, then you will have discovered the dark side. Peace is a lie. There is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, power. Through power, victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall set me free."

"The galaxy is an intricate place. If you think you're doing the right thing, it will have consequences you have never imagined. We were what the Jedi made us. Vessels of hatred and vengeance – Jedi will stop at nothing to exterminate us, and we will stop at nothing to exterminate them. It is an endless cycle, a wheel that could never be broken. That is the price of balance."

"And… what if I'm willing to pay the price, for balance?"

"Then millions will die, by your command if it must. The Force has a will and we must follow it." Leena sighed as the image of her mother vanished back within the Holocron. Giving another excuse to Vette that she would be out doing errands that afternoon – the apprentice began to seek the Jedi who was assigned to be the overseer to her trials.

The rain displeased her as per always, the cold atmosphere of the planet – she loathed it. But despite all of it, the apprentice wondered how Arrun managed to stay within this planet for long, staying with his master who was wiser than any Sith in the Dark Council.

She didn't know what her next trial would be and yet, she knew herself that she wasn't ready. Master Tarun saw the apprentice and noticed the disturbed expression across her face. She seeks knowledge, he was fond of that and regardless of their different factions, he sensed respect within her as he respected her.

"Before I proceed to my next trial, I want to ask you something."

"Of course." Tarun smiled. "What is it that you wish to know, young Sern?"

"I wish to learn how the Jedi function. Despite our two Order's ancient histories of how the rivalry began. Revan was once a Jedi before he became a Sith Lord – I want to know… how the Jedi approach the Force."

Tarun's smile began wider. Pleased of what he was hearing from this young apprentice.

"As the Jedi Code teaches us, there is no emotion, there is peace. And we remember those words when times are darkest. The Jedi must be prepared to think calmly even in intense situations. That the Jedi should temper their intuition with wisdom. The code guides us: There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."

He then continued. "Like the Sith, the Jedi have ignored the balance that this galaxy needs – the Jedi have dedicated themselves to wipe the foul blight of the dark side and restore order wherever the Sith sow chaos. We have created the Sith, therefore the Jedi saw that it was only right that we should destroy them. We make sure that the dark side has no power over us, as Jedi – we are calm. And it proves to be our greatest failure throughout the galaxy."

Tarun sighed as he looked at the apprentice with a glimmer of hope through his eyes. Granting the guidance and wisdom she needed the most. "But at the same time, these are the moments we strive for when the hope of victory becomes real. When we can see peace on the horizon, but remember this, young one – the Jedi do not fight for peace, we fight for justice."

"And what is justice for the Jedi?" Leena asked she wanted to understand the Jedi as much as she was forced to understand the Sith. But Tarun didn't answer and instead – asked questions of his own. "Regardless of what the Sith and the Jedi fight for, we all have some things in common: the Force and how we control power. Like all of us – Revan had a mother, a father – parents, ancestors much like all Jedi and when he awakened to his potential, his Master was there to see it. But where he was born and where he came from was never recorded even in our archives.

The Jedi continued. "Some said that Revan was born in the outer regions beyond the rim and that's what called to him during the Mandalorian Wars, and after, it was the call of home. Revan's choices were always his own, it was not teaching or circumstance or example, it was him. And there is something that the Jedi Council may never understand up to this day… that perhaps, Revan never did fall. That no one could truly understand the difference between a fall and a sacrifice which is often difficult. And I feel Revan understood that difference, more than anyone in history."

The apprentice continued to listen, Tarun sounded wise and had an understanding of the teachings of both the dark and the light side of the Force through Revan. Perhaps, this is where Arrun received his wisdom – through the Revanites and not just Darth Occlus. "Perhaps the galaxy would have fallen if Revan had not gone to war. Perhaps she became a Dark Lord out of necessity to prevent some sort of greater evil. I do not believe that the Jedi Council changed Revan as they claimed."

"What do you believe then?"

"I believe that they merely stripped away the surface and allowed the true self to emerge again. Someone who was willing to wage war to save others. But that is my belief and I only knew Revan through the archives and the teachings of the Master. Revan learned that he was more than what he had been told. And when Revan learned what he could, he learned from anyone around him and in the end, he turned back to his Master. Master Kreia, when he realized there was nothing more to be learned from the Jedi, except how one could leave them forever. Revan was power, a kind of power that was like staring into the heart of the Force. Even then you could see the Jedi who would slay each domicile, and yet I feel that… you might be similar to Revan."

"How so?" Leena asked curiously.

"When I look at you, it is like staring into the heart of the Force, much like Revan. Like Revan, it is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, other species, cultures, and traditions – will help you become whole. Now we proceed with your trial." He flashed a smile.

"Wait, what?"

The Jedi proceeded to ask the question: "Why did Revan offer power to all seekers?"

The apprentice paused, trying to make out what this trial was. "That's it?"

"This is the Trial of Understanding." The Jedi answered. "This is your chance to express what you believe Revan's wats are and how they would affect specific aspects in one's character. This trial will have three questions accordingly, and I already gave you the first one. And I will repeat: Why did Revan offer power to all seekers? As a Jedi, he was taught to preach knowledge to any race but as a Sith, he was restricted to the racist ideals of the Empire – and when he was reborn, he offered knowledge of the Sith to all those who seek power. So why?"

"There isn't any use on excluding the other races across the galaxy when they have skill sets and knowledge that is beyond the Empire and us humans, possibly even the pureblood Sith – like you said, it is wise to gather wisdom from different places. Revan knew that servants are most useful when they are also powerful. Revan knew that the old ways aren't enough – and will never be enough. The Emperor built this Empire on the bones of our enemies, and I believe that the time has come to change the old ways. Revan chose to inspire not fear from those who followed him, but loyalty. He did not waste his energy fighting to keep his subjects down, but rather multiply it, by allowing them to join his ranks." She spoke wisely, understanding the use of power and gaining allies would only make her stronger.

The galaxy can no longer doubt the Empire's strength, while those who continue to stand against them will be crushed. The old ways aren't enough – Revan taught a thousand dark apprentices against the Empire's tradition it goes the same for the Master of the Revanite Compound. Power isn't focused on one person, it is shared.

Tarun smiled, it was nice to see familiar viewpoints from his once young padawan to this young Sith apprentice. "You speak wisely, you speak like a true Revanite."

"I have a feeling that there's more to your words than me being wise." Leena smiled in return. She was comfortable around Vette and Arrun, it was nice to find a friend and Master like Tarun. "Truth be told, you sound like the brother of my former padawan. Strong with the Force, skilled with the lightsaber, and wise with his words. If he continues to perform well, he would become a Jedi Master very soon. He has become a well-disciplined warrior and you will be a warrior of your own soon. Which brings us to your next question—"

"How many are there?"

"Three," Tarun answered. "Now, where was I? Oh yes!" He cleared his throat. "Revan was a warrior, a leader, and deserves to be remembered. I can sense great conflict within you, Leena. You wish to be free by channeling your hatred and anger for your master, Darth Baras – but at the same time, you do not wish to be fully Sith. I'm very much confident that you will not sell out our brothers and sisters to the Sith Emperor, but what can you do for the Order in Revan's name?"

"I'm not a leader," Leena sighed. "That's one thing I know. I can't inspire as Revan did all those centuries ago, so all I can do is to learn all I can about Revan's past and apply it to my life. Learning from his success and especially from his mistakes… as much as possible I don't want to kill anyone."

"We all enjoy what we're good at."

"Not me," Leena answered without hesitation as Tarun saw that look in her eyes. "I don't enjoy what I'm good at."

Tarun nodded. Tring to understand the girl as he proceeded to the next question. He found the daughter of Zylas Sern so interesting that he was growing fond of her. Like Arrun, he sees power within her that no one could really describe. "There are a few initiates around the compound – young officers, acolytes, and others think that this society will help them become Moffs or Dark Lords. I assume you're not like that?"

Leena shook her head. "I don't seek power for myself. Being with Baras made me despise it."

"Not every initiate realizes that advancement in the Revanites does not guarantee advancement in the Empire, nor understand how dangerous being a Revanite is. The Dark Council seeks to root us our, so how do we respond to accusations of heresy from the Empire?"

"We need to show them the truth." Leena gave a short answer. "Revan has brought… truth and the Empire and the Jedi condemn it. As they would pass judgment on me for following the ways of Revan, I will come to pass judgment on them all – and show them what the Force can be in the sight of balance."

The potential was there – Tarun knew that he could see that – what the apprentice needed was the right master to make her full potential bloom.

When the night fell, Tarun began to think deeply in his tent. 'There is nothing older or stronger than Sern blood, Master.'

He remembered the words of his former padawan. A Jedi Knight in his own right, Tarun did everything and taught everything he knew to his padawan. He treated the boy as his son when the Order granted him his first padawan. The same grey eyes as this initiate which he now teaches pass down his wisdom – a young Sern with a strong connection to the Force.

Not all Sith are bad people. He learned that during his stay with the Revanites and proceeded to walk in the path of Revan. There is only the Force, and it has a will.