Jedi Insurgency 171

Following L'shara's instructions, the large machine within the chamber hummed to life. Drawing upon the stored power within the Tho Yor, it quickly got to work. 

Using the Force to operate the device, he targeted areas with the least populated areas to cover with the densest rain. After 24hrs of dedicated work, the climate finally stabilized, and a new layer of atmosphere had been added to Tatooine. 

Pulling away from the machine in exhaustion, Corvus wearily smiled at Krayt. Although his expression was hidden behind a mask, Krayt received his intent through the Force, and replied with a warm smile of his own. For the last day, both of them had traded the controls to get some rest, as operating the Tho Yor-while as intuitive for a Force Sensitive as playing with an Xbox controller-was extremely strenuous on the mind. 

Soon after his smile, the advanced AI made an appearance. His form was flickering, as if he could disappear at any moment. 

“Thank you, Je'daii. I shall go dormant to conserve energy whilst the Tho Yor recharges. The two of you have done a great service for the Kumumgah. When I awaken next, please do not hesitate if you require my services.” L'shara solemnly spoke, bowed, and then winked out as his projection faded away. 

Letting out a sigh of relief, Corvus closed his eyes, and let the warmth of the Force flow over him. Like a refreshing shower of warm water cleansing his psyche, he felt refreshed. Answering the call of the Force that had been sent to him via visions, he felt what it was like to be like a Jedi of old. Back in the day, before the Republic was formed, they would show up, kick ass, resolve conflicts, and then leave without explaining a thing. True heroes. 

Slowly opening his eyes, he turned to Krayt. “What now? Do you wish to accompany me to Nar Shaddaa, or perhaps wait for my arrival on Illum?” 

Krayt slowly shook his head. “Niether. I intend to meditate upon what you have taught me. A place such as this-one where Light meets Dark-is a rarity in the galaxy.” 

“That is your prerogative. Come to Eriadu when you are ready to join the fight. A Legion will be waiting for you.” Corvus performed a Jedi style salute-like how Qui'Gon does in Episode I-and then turned around with a flourish. 

Krayt said no words in reply, but his gratitude was palpable. Between men, not everything needed to be said, because action was louder than a thousand words. 

Ascending the Tho Yor, Corvus eventually left the tip of the monument, and stood upon the floating leaf. Corvus felt the rain soak his robes, and took off a glove, so that he could feel the moisture on his skin. The lake rippled, and a beam of sunlight pierced the clouds overhead. As the ray landed on him, the jungle in the distance shuddered, and he entered a zen-like meditative pose. Sitting crosslegged, he unconsciously found himself floating a few feet off the surface of the lake. Remarkably, his FP bar wasn't being drained whatsoever. The super charging of the Force Nexus was more effective than the strongest phone charger. 

The rain carried with it a physical echo of the Force, and now moved beneath the sands, permeating the entire planet. From the tip of the Tho Yor, he saw a newly formed river slowly trickle into the lake. Beyond this lake, he could sense millions of lives, discard fear like yesterday's trash, and embrace a burgeoning hope like something that had been long asleep. The largest parts of the storm had passed, but the miracle remained, flowing steadily in front of them, and undeniably real. 

Breathing in the cool, crisp air, his mind wandered to Tatooine's fate. Now that it had an abundance of water, there was one last thing that this ball of mud needed…plants! And it just so happened, that he had Force-touched wroshyr seeds. Taken from his trip to Kamino, they were one of the items saved from an ancient Jedi Temple that he had recovered after his fight with Kina Ha. 

Floating all around him were half a dozen drones. They were ball shaped, like the kind Luke trained against on the Falcon in Episode IV. There was no danger, or sudden ambush, because they had been deployed deliberately. During one of his breaks, Corvus had messaged Xizor, and also used one of the few remaining unused security codes he had stolen from the ISB. What was to come next was a speech to the galaxy. 

Although he found it somewhat crass to brag about his accomplishments, Krayt was right. In the OT, no one really gave a bantha's shit when the Jedi died. In modern day, it would be like if a country's Supreme Court, or high judges suddenly all died, but their deaths were also viewed as the reason why WW3 ended. Yeah, it would be a big deal at the moment, but would their deaths really matter to the everyday person? 

The fact of the matter was, Palpatine was winning in a galactic popularity contest, and Corvus wasn't going to have any of it! 

The holocameras hovered into position. A signal leapt outward, carried by relays and stolen frequencies, pouring into cantinas, palaces, slums, starships, and stormtrooper barracks alike. Corvus did not close himself off from the Force as he spoke. He let it be felt.

He turned his gaze to the lens.

“Greetings, people of Tatooine, today, we come together under the clouds on the dawn of a new day.”

Behind him, the water on the lake rippled with his every word. 

“This rain did not come by chance. It did not come by mercy of the Empire, nor by the empty platitudes of a lying old man. I called it forth through the Force, and I did so because no world should be left to die while distant slugs count your money while you suffer under their weight.”

He let the words settle for a moment, and could feel surprised shock from the various inhabitants of Tatooine. 

“For too long, the Jedi of history stood apart. We meditated between merchants & governments while people starved. We debated while planets burned. That era is over.”

Corvus’s eyes hardened, as he became more and more impassioned, truly believing in the mantra of ‘act now, talk later.’ 

“The Jedi Order of the future will not sit idle while those in need suffer. We will not wait for permission to do what is right. Tatooine is not an exception. It is the beginning.”

As he spoke, he felt tiny tendrils from distant minds become activated across the galaxy, emboldening him further. 

“In the years to come, deserts will know rain. Poisoned skies will clear. Worlds deemed inhospitable, forgotten, exploited, abandoned, will be renewed by the Force.”

He paused once more, and looked off into the distance. 

“And yes, there are those who ask what comes next. I will tell you plainly: I would cleanse Coruscant itself of its grime. Its endless layers of filth, corruption, and neglect. I would let sunlight touch the lowest levels again. But I cannot do this alone.”

Corvus straightened, and began to speak in an inviting tone of voice. 

“Alone, the Jedi can work miracles. You have just witnessed one. But together, together with engineers, farmers, healers, pilots, laborers, and those who still hold the Republic’s values close to their hearts, we can change the entire galaxy for the better.

This is not rebellion for the sake of war. This is a movement for renewal. For responsibility. For hope. For the future!

“This effort has only just begun. We are accepting volunteers. Those willing to rebuild. Those willing to believe. Those willing to act.”

Corvus inclined his head, just slightly, and stared directly into a camera. 

“The Force moves through all of us, if we choose to move with it.”

The signal cut.

Across Tatooine, people stood in the rain and felt something unfamiliar settle into their bones.

Hope. 

After the cameras had cut the feed, Corvus was left with an empowering feeling in his spirit, and his thoughts couldn't help but turn towards his plans for the near future. Firstly, he took a look at his exp situation, to see where he was at. 

With the mine farming exploit he undertook during the trip here, the tens of thousands of trash mobs that he had slain within the mind prison, Corvus’s exp had also skyrocketed. 

[Path of the Jedi LI (51): Help the Innocent, Vulnerable, Pure, Just or Weak: 25,100,050/51,000,000. Reward: 2,100,000 EXP]

[2,728,000/2,884,000 to next level].

He was still level 25, [Jedi Master Low], but that much closer to the next level. Unfortunately, Tatooine wasn't home to that many lifeforms and helping unintelligent creatures did not count towards the total. Otherwise, he could just find insect swarms on two to three planets, and become max level in a week. In the past, every major act he undertook on a planet had been enough to reach the next level, but the days of easy leveling were behind him. When grinding exp became this difficult, it really spoke to how important self study and understanding had become. His previous promotion quest for [Jedi Master (low)] proved that he could push system acquired abilities beyond their given level. 

For a moment, Corvus envied Krayt, and the time he had off to meditate on Tatooine. Meanwhile, he would be leaving for Nar'Shadaa very shortly to handle business. It was like watching your asshole friend receive the holidays off while you had to bust your ass working. 

At the very least, Tython was in his near future. After the Hutt leadership, Black Sun leadership, and Beldorion met a grisly end, with Xizor taking over, then he would be free to lead the Jedi to their promised land. Personally, he couldn't wait to get training. 

During his hyperspace journey, he'd have to call his team to see how they had come along this past week. Jax, Yon, and CF-99 were all assigned black ops missions, whilst Pots, and Clip had been organizing their army/fleet in the Galactic South. Each one of them was absolutely vital to the war against the Empire, and he couldn't afford to neglect them because of his need to train on Tython. Unlike the protagonist in a video game, time, for Corvus, was linear. Goofing off on endless side quests while the industrial might of the Core Worlds pumped out ship after ship would be an idiotic move. 

After uniting the Jedi behind one banner, he still had to rescue Utapau from siege, and a dozen other CIS worlds. He still had to meet with Bail Organa, or at least speak to him regarding rebel cells. He still had to recruit regular people to his cause, because the 12-15 million clones under his belt wouldn't cut it in the long term. Even if he had provided new code to improve the battle droids-code that left a backdoor similar to Order 66-he did not want to rely on clankers or the CIS. The galaxy was an absolutely massive place with quadrillions of intelligent beings, and many were under the sway of Palpatine’s promises. 

The Jedi, and pro-Republic forces needed their own independent military if they were to be taken seriously, and already the seeds for that great undertaking had been planted. Eriadu, Malastare, Naboo, and now Tatooine. Corvus had healed a great many people, and cleansed them of the pains of rot & disease. His exploits were impossible to censor, and were spreading across the Holonet like a wildfire. 

Palpatine may have started this war, banking on his charisma, and control of the media to win. But his overconfidence would be his undoing. 

Once more, the name Revan would rattle the hearts and minds of those who called this galaxy home. 

Although he had first felt embarrassed at claiming his mantle, Corvus could no longer deny the symbol that this mask had become. 

Revan had returned!