Chapter 16: Crystal Stars 3

Once more, thanks to Blaze1992 for the help with the Trainee/Competent quests forms and to theshadowchaser for acting as the beta for this chapter.

Now on with the story.

I ignored the regular morning notice that my HP, FP and Stamina had all been fully restored after having eight hours or more of sleep and rolled out of the bed in the cabin I was sharing with Darihd.

We were currently aboard The Crucible, a Jedi training ship on our way to Ilum.

Since I had to share a compartment, I decided it was safer to simply sleep normally for the few days this trip would take. As I stood and stretched, I saw a series of flashing notices in my log.

Checking that Darihd was still sleeping, I sat back down and opened them.

Quest Completed!Trainee Space RangerObjectives:Get Piloting [Space] to Adept 1 by the new year. [Yes]? Get it to Adept 25 [No]? Get it to Adept 50 [No]Rewards:600XP...

Quest Completed!Trainee AceObjectives:Get Piloting [Atmosphere] to Adept 1 by the new year. [Yes]? Get it to Adept 25 [No]? Get it to Adept 50 [No]Rewards:600XP...

Quest Completed!Competent DuellistObjectives:Get Makashi to Professional 1 by the new year. [Yes]? Get it to Professional 25 [Yes]? Get it to Professional 50 [Yes]Rewards:800XP300XP500XP...

Quest Completed!Competent SwordsmanObjectives:Get Shii-Cho to Professional 1 by the new year. [Yes]? Get it to Professional 25 [Yes]? Get it to Professional 50 [Yes]Rewards:900XP400XP600XP...

Quest Completed!Trainee DefenderObjectives:Get Soresu to Adept 1 by the new year. [Yes]? Get it to Adept 25 [No]? Get it to Adept 50 [No]Rewards:650XP...

LEVEL UP!Level: 9 - 10FP: +500PP: +2STAM: +14SP: +5SKP: +32PPP: +1…

Nice. Another level up, mainly by exploiting these powers better with small, narrow-focused quests. The two extra lightsaber form quests granted a greater boost in EXP as the timeframe was smaller. I was now sure I could set quests for shorter timeframes and generate more XP quicker for completing them. Though the knowledge that the bonuses for all these skill-focused quests were level 25 or 50 of the initial target, meant I could adapt my training to aim for them as well.

I swiped away the notices and quietly spoke. "List Player Powers."

PLAYER POWERSThese are powers and skills that are unique to The Player.However, some of them are very close to what many consider to be 'Dark-Side Force powers' so be careful when using them around 'Light-Side Force users'You gain 1 Player Power Point every 5 levels to spend on new powers.Currently, you have the following Player Powers:Player's Mind [ON/OFF]Player's BodyInventoryNOTE:Currently, you have 2 PPP.Do you wish to view available Player Powers?Yes/No...

"Yes," I whispered, glad that I'd turned off the info-dump on the pages like this so that it just listed what I had or could take. If I wanted further details on a power or perk, I just needed to ask the interface to list it.

Available Player Powers:Silent InterfaceEnhanced InventoryExamineEnlarge/ShrinkColour ShiftGlamours…

You may view details about new powers by tapping on them and reading the descriptions.To purchase a power, state 'purchase power:' followed by the power you wish to take.…

I tapped each in turn and read the descriptions.

Silent Interface enabled me to give commands to my power without having to vocalise them. That was going to be huge as currently, I had to whisper commands like I was doing now if I wasn't alone.

Enhanced Inventory increased the volume of each slot in my inventory to a meter-squared while doubling the number of an object that could be stored in each slot. That would be useful if I had much in there, but all I had were two lightsabers, a Sith holocron, a stim-pack, an ancient blaster rifle, a four-thousand-year-old vibroblade and a spare power cell for the rifle. The only reason I was still holding onto the rifle and vibroblade is they might still be useful in the current galaxy. And if not, I could sell them off as relics. Maybe.

Examine instantly sounded overpowered. By simply touching an object or person, I could, as the power evolve, gain information about it/them such as what it was and did, how much damage it could take, its value and what it was made of. Truthfully, I got some of that from examining an item in my inventory, but the extra details would clearly expand on that.

Enlarge/Shrink allowed me to in/decrease the size of any non-organic object by 1% per day. This power had the potential to applied to organic matter like food and living beings as it levelled up and increase how often I could apply it each day. That could, in theory, allow me to take a kilo of precious metal and, over time, end up with several kilos. Talk about an economically unbalanced power!

Colour Shift allowed me to change the colour of any inorganic object with the size I could change dependent on the power's level. It sounded semi-useful, but not very powerful.

Glamours allowed me to change various parts of my facial appearance (Hair, eyes, skin in colour and/or shape) for short times and at the highest levels could even allow me to change my appearance to another humanoid race. This had the potential for creating multiple personas for hiding from people who were after me. Yet, I wondered if such a thing wasn't possible with the Force; though whether that would work on droids was something I was unsure of.

Of the five, Silent Interface was a certainty to take while Examine and Enlarge/Shrink had the next highest possible usage, with Glamours and Enhanced Inventory also being useful. Colour Shift sounded a little pointless, but I wasn't stupid enough to just dismiss it out of hand.

"Morning Cam."

I turned from the choices, waving them away with a casual swish, and looked over a Darihd with a small frown at both him preventing me from choosing new powers and using the nickname that Serra had come up with for me. "You know I hate that."

"Yeah, but it's so much easier than saying your full name," he replied with a smile as he stood and stretched. "Have you cleaned yet?"

"Nah, you go ahead."

"OK, but I'll be quick. It's going to be so cool learning about how to build and maintain a lightsaber."

"You and I have very different ideas about what is 'cool'," I muttered as he walked to the smaller refresher in our quarters.

The trip to Ilum was projected to take two days. During that time, Padawan Bultar Swan, who was escorting us and the six others who were taken as padawans to Ilum, would be teaching us how all about lightsabers. It sounded very boring, but like basic training for the army, it was something that had to be done, so I would get through it. No matter how boring I thought it was going to be.

…

…

Four days, and hours upon hours of tedious lessons on lightsaber usage and safety instructions – seriously, who would use it for 'recreational activities'? – later, we arrived at Ilum. Soon enough, I found myself standing just inside the entrance of the ice chamber of Ilum that I remembered from the Clone Wars cartoon.

While the time had been boring, I had gained and levelled up fifty-two times a skill called Mechanics: Lightsaber.

This was a skill that covered the building, maintaining and enhancing a lightsaber. I assumed this meant that I needed to level it up if I wished to add extra crystals to a lightsaber like what could be done in KOTOR, but I wasn't certain as nothing in the lectures had covered the adding of extra crystals to a lightsaber. I suspected that, like a few other things I remembered from KOTOR, it had been 'discontinued' or 'outlawed' by the current Jedi Order.

Since we'd spent the whole four days learning about lightsaber usage and safety, I'd just ran Force Cloak – which I could now run continuously without my FP ever draining – constantly; day and night. This had taken it past Savant 50, which granted me a new, evolved form of the power; Force Camouflage.

While Force Cloak was more meant to add to my natural skill at stealth, Force Camouflage actively hid me from sight with the Force, though currently, it didn't hide me from droids or detection via IR, UV or similar methods.

Even if the last few days had seemed wasted, new powers and skills were always welcome, so I considered it something of a fair trade. As I began to walk with the small group of other potential Padawans, I silently wondered what challenge I would have to face in this cave.

"He approaches."

The voice came suddenly and unexpectedly, carried by the swirling snow. I glanced around, half-expecting a few more Jedi to appear to monitor our progress. There was nothing.

"What do we do now?" Darihd asked to the older Initiates. I glanced at them, they seemed not to have heard anything at all.

"Summon the Council." There it was again. The same voice, though I thought the undertones might be slightly different.

"Trust in the Force," replied the eldest, sadly for me Jon Savos from Katarn Clan, confidently. "Though for now, let's stick together for safety."

I fought off an urge to roll my eyes at him saying to 'trust the Force' and followed the group further into the cave.

"Come to us, Master. We are waiting for you"

"How long do you think we have before the door freezes over?" Asakan, a white-haired and eyed older Human, asked.

"The Council is in session Master."

"I'd say a few hours at least, replied Gastee, a red-skinned Zabrak who had 2 forward-facing horns that gave her a demonic look.

"What is your desire, my Master?"

"We await your command, Grandmaster." The voices were slowing becoming louder as we walked deeper into the caves until I had to stop and stare at the passage from which the voices were coming.

"Cam? What is it?" Darihd asked and the group stopped and looked at me.

"I can hear something," I muttered as I stared down the tunnel

""Oh, the Great One hears something! Praise to the Force!" Jon exclaimed, his hands coming to his cheeks. "We should all bow to the Cho… argkh." He stopped as I used the TK to clamp his mouth shut.

"I suggest you hold your tongue, lest I do something more than just clamp your mouth shut," I warned. After 2 days of his condescending and belittling comments, I was fed up. Sure, I shouldn't just casually use the Force to shut him up, but I'd reached the end of my tether. He could go and bitch to the Council once we returned if he wanted, but that would just prove he was nothing more than a sycophant. No worth my…

I shook my head to clear it. 'Where did that come from?' I wondered as I released the grip I had on his jaw. "There is something this way. I'm going."

I didn't catch what anyone said as I walked away from the group and down the side-tunnel.

The walls began to close in, and the light began to dim, so I activated Force Sight.

"Fuck!" I called out as my vision was flooded, my hands went to my knees and I turned off the power. I forgot the whole place was soaked in the Force and I stayed bent over blinking until my vision settled. "That was stupid."

"Yes, it was."

My head snapped up at hearing a voice that sounds both familiar yet different, and I found myself staring at someone that reminded me of Vaner Shan. Yet as I examined the figure a few things stood out.

First, and the biggest, was that the person wasn't a person; more of a semi-solid ghost. Not unlike a Force ghost, but this one was lacking the blue edge lighting and it was difficult to see through them. Though that might just be because I was standing in a darkened cave.

The shape of their face wasn't Vaner's, though it was similar and as I focused on the face, I noticed the eyes held a slight hint of green and the hair had flecks of light brown whereas Vaner's hair and eyes had been dark brown. The jaw was squarer than Vaner's had been as well and this figure was maybe a head taller than my grandfather.

"Who are you?" I asked as I turned to lower my profile to the ghost.

"Who do you think I am?" The ghost asked calmly.

I frowned and examined the face even closer before it clicked. "Me. Somehow, you are a much older version of me."

"Indeed. I am Master Cameron Shan Grandmaster of the Jedi Order." Ghost-me stated evenly as the area behind him came into focus and I saw other sitting around behind him. Obi-Wan, Aayla, an older woman who I suspected was Serra, Fay and others who I did not recognise but that felt familiar.

The room was clearly meant to be the High Council Chambers, but everything in the room was white. Whether that was because of the vision, or something else, I did not know.

"Then why are you here?" I asked cautiously.

"I am what you can become if you chose to be," the Jedi version of me stated in a tone that seemed devoid of emotion.

"Are you something sent by the Force to test me?" I slowly asked as I examined this Jedi's face. There was no indication of how he was feeling or thinking; indeed, the face seemed almost robotic in his mannerisms.

"We both are." I spun to face behind me and saw myself again.

Yet this version was different from the first. This me was sitting on a… it could only be called a throne. The back reached high above him as he watched me condescendingly, his hand gripping a lightsaber hilt.

"Oh great, it the angel-devil routine," I muttered with a shake of my head.

Bultar had told us that we'd face a challenge which we'd have to overcome, but that mine would be the whole Jedi/Sith dichotomy was disappointing, if not unexpected. The PtB had stated the Force wasn't sure how I fitted into its ideals of balance, so this kind of test was logical. "Please tell me you aren't going to perch on my shoulder."

"Do not mock what you don't understand boy," Sith-me snarled as figures emerged from behind him.

My jaw fell open as the same females that were with Jedi-me sauntered around the throne. Aayla, Serra, Fay, a red-skinned Togruta, a green-skinned Mirialan, and even Padme, moved around the throne, stroking the arms, legs and chest of Sith-me as they did.

Though what had me from making a retort was the fact that all were dressed in what could only be described as cosplay outfits. Adult cosplay outfits that in some cases wouldn't look out of place in a bad adult movie. The only part of the cosplay that looked strange was the collar around each of their necks, though it did take me a few moments to even spot those.

"Power grants you many things boy. You will learn to enjoy them as you claim your power," Sith-me stated as one of his hands moved down Fay's back before drifting out of my sight as he reached her arse.

She gasped and Sith-me smirked as he continued. "With our power, we can mould the galaxy to our will, take and control what we want. Palpatine is powerful, but in the end, he can do nothing to stop us. He cannot stop you." I saw the muscles in the arm behind Fey clench, and Fey gasped loudly as they did.

"The Force is not something to be controlled." Jedi-me countered evenly, drawing my attention slowly back to him. "It is something to let guide us, to take our emotions. Our power lets us achieve this better than any other. We serve it better than any other can. Only we can guide the Jedi to achieve a true merging with the Force. Only we can submit to the Force as it guides the galaxy around us."

"He lies. Like all Jedi, he wants your servitude. Follow me. Embrace your power and take what you want."

"Sith only care for power. That power is all that drives them until they are nothing without it."

"This is all well and good, but do either of you have any cookies?" I asked with a small smirk just to break up the back-and-forth the two elder versions of me had going and it was too easy of an opportunity to make that joke.

"The Jedi are nothing more than Bantha being led to the slaughter. Claim your power, break your chains and be free. Or die like the rest." Sith-me stood and ignited two red lightsabers.

"We must serve the Force. If you will not serve, you must be removed." Jedi-me stated neutrally as he ignited a double-bladed lightsaber, one blade blue, the other green.

"Ok then," I muttered as I stepped backwards and sent a concentrated blast of Force energy at both. They simmered as the blasts struck and went through them but what really worried me was the rumble I felt from the cave as the blasts hit the walls. "Well, that didn't work."

"Unchallenged aggression. The sign of a Sith." Stated Jedi-me with a calm, clear voice.

"Narrowminded dogma. The sign of the Jedi." Sith-me snarled as his face twisted in anger.

"But which are you?" They asked together as they moved closer and raised their blades.

"Neither. I hope," I replied as I scooted backwards and mentally opened my inventory just in case. Boy was I glad I took that Player Power. "After all, I am only eight. Ok, I'll be nine soon, I think. But honestly, to me, both of you are wrong."

"No, we must dominate the Force."

"No, we must submit to the Force."

The two ghosts said at the same time as the continued to approach.

"If you are not with us, you are against us." These words they spoke in perfect tandem.

"Wonderful," I muttered as they came closer; the light from their lightsabers beginning to merge together. I reached into my inventory, pulled out Haqu's lightsaber and ignited the blade. I brought it up, barely managing to block Jedi-me's attack before one of Sith-me's lightsabers struck my hilt; shattering it and making me stumble away.

I reached back into my inventory and pulled out the other lightsaber.

I pivoted and parried Sith-me's attacks a few times before the hilt was struck by Jedi-me stabbing it with his blade.

"For fuck's sake!" I grumbled as I dove over the double-bladed lightsaber and rolled down the passage.

I turned as I came to a stop and saw the two were now walking towards side-by-side.

"Can't we just talk about this?" I asked as I mentally tried to come up with a way to escape this without losing any part of my body. I had thought they were just ghosts or figments of my imagination, but the two destroyed lightsaber hilts proved that theory wrong and I was unwilling to risk any of their blades hitting me.

"If you will not accept the way of the Jedi, you must be removed."

"If you will not accept the way of the Sith, you must die." They spoke simultaneously.

As Sith-me raised his blades to attack, an insane idea came to me and I use the Force to push his blades towards Jedi-me.

Jedi-me instinctively defended himself and turned to face Sith-me.

I watched as the two future-mes – future-I's? – began to fight against each other. Sith-me lost a hand and blade even as he struck one half of Jedi-me's hilt. They spun away from each other and raised their remaining blades to attack.

The battle was quick as Jedi-me parried an attack and sliced Sith-me in the chest, though Sith-me had reacted to the parry to stab his blade through Jedi-me's heart.

As both fell to their knees, they turned to me.

"A path must be chosen," they said with 1 voice. "Which will you take?"

"That was… something," I muttered as the two figures fade away, yet my eyes narrowed as where each had been, a saw a light coming from the floor.

Kneeling cautiously where Jedi-me had been, I found a small crystal, though it seemed almost too small to be used in a lightsaber. Like it was incomplete. Curious, I used one of my new Player Powers, Examine, on it.

Ilum Adegan Crystal (miniature)A crystal from the caves on the Planet Ilum.This crystal, while capable of being used as a focus for the Force, is too small to be used in a lightsaber.…

That wasn't much information, which I had expected as Examine currently didn't tell me much about an object or person, but it did confirm that the crystal was too small for what I needed.

I turned as I saw another light from where Sith me had fallen and discovered another smaller than expected crystal. After using Examine on that one, and discovering that it too was too small to be used, I placed the two crystals in a single hand and rolled them around until the two came to rest together; seemingly forming a new, larger crystal and a gentle chime sounded from them.

"Unexpected," I muttered to myself as I pocketed the two half-crystals and moved to the remains of the two lightsabers I had used.

Both were destroyed, though as I examined the combined remains of them, I felt I could salvage enough from their parts to create a single hilt, and critically, the two lightsaber crystals where intact.

Each of these crystals, while still small, were larger than either of the two I had just pocketed.

I pulled the mini-crystals from my pocket and compared them in one hand with what I felt were normal-sized crystals in the other. Combined the 2 mini crystals where a touch bigger than the normal crystals, so I suspected I could use them together in a lightsaber. Though I was curious if using two crystals would influence the lightsaber blade generated.

Realising that I would need to talk with Bultar Swan or another Jedi about using the two mini crystals in a lightsaber, I placed them back in my pocket and slipped the remains of the two lightsabers into my Inventory. I had every intention of creating another blade, not just to practice Jar'Kai once I could but so that I had another blade available if I needed one and didn't want to use the hilt the Jedi knew about.

I stood and turned to begin walking back towards the entrance of the cave.

"Fucking hell!"

I stumbled back and fell to a knee as I came eye-to-eye with another ghost, though this one was tinted blue as I'd expect for a Force ghost.

This ghost again reminded me of Vaner Shan, yet the eyes were purple and his hair a darker brown. The facial structure was similar to Vaner's, yet the cheeks were more withdrawn, and this ghost had an air about him that spoke of power.

"Did I startle you?" The ghost asked with a small smirk.

"What do you think? And who the fuck are you?" I blurted out in reply, my anger building slightly at potentially having to deal with another Force-induced episode.

The ghost chuckled and raised his hands, palms out. "Relax, I am not here to attack you. Merely to talk. Before I joined with the Force, I was known as Revan."

I felt my jaw fall a touch at that revelation. This Revan looked nothing like the one I had played as, yet the similarity between him and Vaner – and even myself a little – meant I knew he was telling the truth.

"Why are you here?" I probed as Revan smirked at my reaction to his reveal.

"To talk, nothing more," said Revan in reply as he leaned back against the tunnel's wall. "Though I am unsure of how to address you."

"Why?"

Revan's smirk fell. "You are my descendant, yet you are not. Being one with the Force has let me see possible, probable futures. For the longest time, your destiny was to die when the Sith attacked, yet barely a week before you were meant to die, something happened."

I frowned as he stated that without my intervention this 'Cameron' would've died. "So what changed?" I asked, trying to play ignorant.

Revan tilted his head and gave me a small smile.

"You know well what happened. You who are my great-grandson yet you are also not. Something… beyond the Force changed your fate and gave you unique powers that, while I have observed you using, I fail to comprehend." He glanced at my hands. "Those two lightsabers that you can hide beyond sight of the Force is the clearest sign of your different status."

"Do you hate me for changing his fate?" I asked slowly, hoping he would not as I had no clue how to deal with an angry Force ghost, nor any idea of how to handle upsetting the Force itself. That was if the ghost and the Force were one and the same thing.

"I admit that a small part of me does. Yet the larger part knows that if you had not…" He paused and shook his head. "I am unsure of what word to use here. Replaced? Merged? It doesn't really matter." He stated with a wave of his hand.

"The larger part of me is grateful that my bloodline continues, even if this time grows darker and darker as the Sith grow stronger. Yet I sense you not only know about this threat but willingly chose to be here and now."

"I did," I replied with a small nod. "I don't know if I can stop Sidious and those he's working with, but I mean to try."

Revan smirked. "To quote an old Master of the High Council, 'do or do not, there is no try.'"

I couldn't help myself and I laughed loudly. "The current Grandmaster has used that one." I managed to get out once I stopped laughing.

Revan chuckled gently and shook his head. "While the phrase seems popular, it holds true. Do not try my boy. Do what needs to be done. Balance the Force."

"Is that what the Force desires?" I queried as I moved around to find a more comfortable way to sit as I felt this conversation was going to continue for some time.

Revan smiled in that almost condescending way that adults did with children. "The Force is… complicated. Even after millennia within it, I cannot say I understand it fully, yet if I had to say, that if it desired anything – not that I believe it is sentient in a way either of us could understand – it would desire balance."

I frowned as a question that never truly left my mind bounced to the forefront. "What does that mean though? I mean, I know the Sith do not bring balance, not once they fall so far as to need the Force almost like a glutton hungers for food, yet is never full. Yet, I don't think the Jedi are much better."

Revan chuckled once. "Yes, your little dilemma just now proved that." He paused and stroked his chin. "Balance is such a vague term when referring to something like the Force. I cannot speak for the Force, yet I agree with you that both Jedi and Sith, in my time as well as now, are not balanced."

"Then what is?"

"Have you covered the ancient history of the Order?" He asked as he tapped his chin, and I nodded in affirmative. "Good. Then you know of the Je'daii, the forerunners of the Jedi Order."

Again, I nodded.

"From my own studies while living, and while using the Force to explore the past, I have come to realise that while still flawed, they were still closer to what I think balance within the Force is meant to be.

"Everyone has good and bad, light and dark, within them. Even the greatest Jedi can fall into the dark, or the Darkest Sith bathe in the light. Yet finding a way to accept both sides, to give and take, help and hinder, love and hate, without allowing the extremes to control you is difficult."

"That is true for everyone," I stated. What he was saying made sense to me and seemed to agree with my own opinions on what 'balance in the Force' meant, but it was still just an idea that was floating around in my head. Not a philosophy that I was willing to push others.

"Yes, it is. However, those with a deeper connection to the Force have access to abilities and powers beyond the normal. We can give and take from what many believe to be the very energy of the universe itself.

"The Force exists in almost every living thing, yet most fail to even realise that they exist in symbiosis with it. That without out it, we are less than we should be."

I grimaced at another vague explanation. After a year in the Temple, I was sick to death of them. "Is balance possible?"

Revan smiled and held his arms wide. "If it was not, I would not be here." He chortles as I felt my face contort into a frown. "Have the Order told you about Force Ghosts?"

"In passing, but they speak of them as nothing more than visions given to others by the Force."

Revan sighed and shook his head. "How narrow-minded." He locked his eyes on mine as he continued. "I am me, I retain my memories of my life, good and bad, joy and pain. Yet I am a part of the Force.

"A Force ghost is one who has not only recognised the good and bad within themselves but has accepted that both parts make them more than either does alone. I was Jedi and Sith, saviour and conqueror. While I regret many of my actions as both Jedi and Sith, I accept that they were mine and mine alone.

"This is, to me, why I became one with the Force, and why no Force user from either of the main orders has achieved this state in nearly a thousand years."

I nodded as he spoke, finding wisdom in his words. Even if the more metaphysical aspects of it went right over my head.

"So the Chosen One prophesy?"

"Is wrong. At least as how the Jedi and Sith view it. Yes, the Sith have their own version of this, the Sith'ari. The perfect being, free of limits, who will destroy them but remake them stronger than ever before."

"That… sounds just as nuts as the Jedi's view on the Chosen One." I muttered as I processed what Revan had said. "And could fit any number of Sith, past and present."

"The same as the Chosen One could fit Jedi, past and present." Revan continued with a wide smile. "It has been so long since I have spoken to another that understood the inherent failings of both Sith and Jedi. It is liberating." He stated with a grin.

"So what should I do?" I probed, wondering if this Force ghost, my great-grandfather and a former Jedi and Sith, would have if not answers, then suggestions.

"Be true to yourself." He replied as he squatted down so we were almost eye-to-eye. "I am not yet willing to help you: you are after all not truly my progeny, yet you are."

He gave me a lopsided grin as he continued. "Since I became one with Force, you are the first whom I have witnessed that has the potential to make the changes I feel are needed. The first to possibly understand things as I do."

He stood and stepped backwards, into the wall. "Walk your path, know yourself and do what you need to do."

"Wait!" I called out as he began to fade. "There's so much more I want to ask you. Things you could teach me."

"There is," he agreed with a small chuckle, "but I am not sure if you are worthy of my time. Maybe I shall teach you if you prove to be so one day. We shall see."

I watched open mouthed as he faded away to nothing.

"Son of a bitch!" I muttered once I was alone again. "I met Revan!"

I smile crept onto my face. Even if nothing he had said helped me or explained things beyond my own personal thinking's about the Force, I had just spoken directly to Revan; The Prodigal Knight and Sith Lord.

"Now, how do I go about getting him to come back?"

Quest Alert!The Promise of the Prodigal [ꝏ]Prove yourself to the one who was known as Revan.Rating: BObjectives:?Rewards:?Failure:?Accept?Yes/No…

That was unexpected.The Force, or at least the Force Ghost of your ancestor, has found a way to grant you quests. Though as you can see, the details are hidden.An outside power creating quests without our consent has only happened a handful of times across the entire Multiverse.Now, we could show you what is hidden, but truthfully, we are curious about where this will go.Thus, we will not.Good luck.

I felt my mouth fall open at both the quest and the comment for the PtB. Revan had found a way – probably with help from the Force – to generate a quest for me, but I had no clear path as to how to complete it or the timeframe involved.

Still, this had potential. Perhaps Revan knew something that could help me with what was to come, perhaps lost techniques or technologies, or something else that I could use to help me in the future. Though first, I had to get back to the entrance.

After quickly checking that there was nothing on the ground I had missed, I set off at a brisk walk back towards the cave entrance.

"Ah," I muttered as I came upon the entrance, and saw it had frozen over. That might be an issue to others, but to me, it wasn't so I used Teleport to appear on the other side.

"Kriff! Are you trying to give us heart attacks bantha-brain!" Gastee spat out, her hand coming to her chest.

"Sorry, but would've you preferred I blasted the ice apart, and thus risk injuring you?" I replied with a smirk aimed at Jon. While such an event wouldn't have harmed him as he was a good thirty metres away, I couldn't resist the dig/threat.

"We are just glad you are safe Initiate Shan," Bultar Swan stated as she stepped forward. "Did you retrieve a crystal?"

I gave her a small nod as I pulled the two min-crystals from my pocket and showed them to her. "Two actually."

"That is… unusual," she said slowly as she looked down at the two. "They look viable however we will consult with Professor Huyang once back aboard the Crucible."

I slipped the crystals back into my pocket as she walked towards the temple entrance and to where the starship was parked and ignored the glare Jon was sending my way.

"You just have to be different, don't you?" Darihd asked as we followed the Padawan.

"I don't plan these things, Darihd. They just happen."

Darihd chortles and shook his head. "Yes, they do. To you." He placed a hand on my shoulder to get me to stop and open up a little distance between us and the rest of the Initiates. "Cam, you need to be careful. Jon told Padawan Swan about your actions towards him. I tried to defend you, but she will report this to the council."

I sighed and turned my head to meet his eyes. "I know, but he had it coming. And I was right about the voices."

"Really? What did you find?" His lekku shifted and brightened in colour as his eyes widened at my answer.

I sighed. "It's personal. Really, I'm not sure how to describe it until I speak to someone with a better understanding of Force-induced imagery."

The lekku dulled. "Ah, right."

"So did you find a crystal?" I asked changing the topic and listening while he talked about how he found his crystal as we walked across the surface of Ilum and onto the Crucible.

For anyone who is unclear, Examine and Silent Interface have been taken as the two perks.

And yes, I did make a mistake when I posted the stats after the last arc, as Cam had 1 Perk Point to spend. I've long since fixed that, but Cam forgetting is down to him still getting to grips with his new life has a game interface. Or that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it. ;P