Jedi Insurgency 208

After realizing that yet another threat was on the horizon, Corvus decided to take this free day, and enhance his skills. It had been literal months since he last entered the mindscape of a holocron, and now that he had jumped from Knight (low) to Master (low), it seemed like the perfect opportunity to test himself against the enigmatic Lucien Draay. 

Sitting inside his quarters aboard the Falcon, Corvus sat cross-legged upon the floor. The room was dim, as he had intentionally turned off the overhead lights, allowing only the blue glow of a single holoprojector to illuminate the chamber. It cast long shadows across the durasteel walls, stretching and shifting as the holographic symbol of the Jedi Order rotated in place. 

Playing with the small cube in his hands, Corvus turned it slowly between his fingers, feeling the faint pulse of Force energy within its crystalline structure. A faint smile spread across his face, as it was because of Draay that he got started on Form VII. Because of that villainous Jedi, he had been able to successfully pretend that he himself was a Jedi. In a way, this holocron was deeply connected to the beginning of his journey. He wondered if one day, he would leave a holocron of himself behind, and it too would guide some future hero or villain. 

Staring at the faint reflection gleaming off the cube, he wondered what it would be like to have come across the holocron of Exar Kun instead. 

His thoughts drifted back to the vision he had experienced on Gyndine’s skyscraper, of the lingering echoes of the Great Sith War, and the unmistakable mark of the Dark Lord himself. That presence he had felt reaching toward him across the galaxy was still out there. He felt that if he wished it, he could still accept that invitation, that they could converse at any time. 

Kun was stirring, and Corvus felt that he would refrain from speaking to the ancient Sith until they were equals. Only then, would he have the capital to negotiate. Afterall, the mighty do not concern themselves with the plight of the weak. As cruel a reality as it was, this was the truth. 

Corvus's fingers tightened slightly around the holocron, and he closed his eyes.

“I need more.”

The holocron ignited with a quiet chime, and the scenery instantly changed as his mind was transported to a different place. 

Seconds later, Corvus found himself standing once more at the entrance of a Japanese-styled tea room.

Stepping across a tatami mat with his bare feet, he approached the blonde haired, icy blue eyed Jedi Master who was currently seated at a short table. 

The man was: Lucien Draay.

Behind the stern looking man hung a banner, on it was the code of Jedi Shadows. 

I am at Peace; for I know Emotion.

I have Power; for I also have Knowledge.

I have Passion; for I am Serene.

I can embrace Mortality; for I know Death.

I am balanced through the Force.

Last time he was here, he had grabbed ahold of that mantra like a dying man quenching his thirst. Now that some time had passed, Corvus came to appreciate each line, and how it applied to his life since he had become a Jedi. 

Emotion, Peace, Knowledge, Power, Serenity, Passion, Death, Mortality, he had experienced all of these things, and had been forged into a weapon of wisdom borne of conflict. Friends, followers, worshipers, enemies, his actions had impacted the lives of billions, and he was just getting started. 

Corvus walked to the low table and sat. Lucien Draay opened his eyes. Unlike when they first met, this time, the ancient Jedi was observing him from head to toe. Like a gemcutter examining a fine product, the stern blonde had the glimmer of appreciation in his gaze. 

Silence lingered between them for a moment, and then Draay spoke.

“You have returned.”

The man's voice was exactly as Corvus remembered: quiet, controlled, and carrying the subtle gravity of a man accustomed to command.

“When we first met, you asked me to come back once I could see your painting. When I returned the second time, we did nothing but duel in Form VII. This time, I am ready.” Corvus said in a steady tone. 

“Oh?” Draay asked, tilting his head slightly.

Corvus gestured toward a canvas covered in a cloth to the side. With a ripple of the Force, the cloth fluttered to the floor, and a painting was revealed. 

Opening his eyes wide, Corvus frowned as the image was slightly too blurry, as if it had become pixelated like an old videogame. 

“Go back. You are not ready.” Draay sighed in tired disappointment. 

Corvus took a deep breath, and then once more meditated on the Shadow Wrath State. A somewhat dangerous aura pulsed around him, as he was not in a place of both Light & Dark, like the top of that skyscraper. As such, he felt like his body was slowly collapsing for but a moment. But in that moment, the painting had become incredibly clear. 

It was a battlefield between an army of Jedi, and an army of Sith. In the center stood a single figure surrounded by light and shadow alike, both flowing around him without consuming him. It was a man standing in balance between extremes. In one hand, he wielded a ‘heavenly’ white lightsaber pointed towards the Sith, in the other, a saber of pure darkness was pointed towards the Jedi. 

Something about this art piece resonated in the Force, and deeply resonated with him. Because that man in the middle wore not the mask of Revan, but instead, had Corvus’s face! Narrowing his eyes, he glanced at Draay suspiciously. Did the holocron adjust some setting to make the painting look like that…or when the holocron was created, did Draay deliberately make this painting thousands of years ago with Corvus’s face? 

For a moment, he didn't know what to think. Trying to make sense of the situation, he recalled how the moment he escaped the Jedi Temple, the Force had taken him to Lucien Draay's hideout deep beneath Coruscant. After some research, and recalling what he knew about Draay, he also knew that the man was part of a subgroup within the Order. That is, the Jedi Covenant, a group of prophets founded during the Great Sith Wars…the entire purpose of the Jedi Covenant was to resurrect Exar Kun, and then permanently destroy his spirit. 

Eyes going wide, Corvus couldn't believe the conclusion he had come to. Was it truly a coincidence that he-who hadn't touched the holocron in months-had a vision of Exar Kun? That he was now speaking to a key figure of the organization dedicated to Exar Kun's destruction?!?! 

Lucien meanwhile, had regarded him for several seconds. His gaze was measuring Corvus’s reaction, as if he were mulling over his next words as if they could determine the fate of the galaxy. 

“The truth is often a bitter pill to swallow. I am sorry you learned this way.” Draay slightly bowed his head, yet the tone of his voice was anything but comforting. “There is a shadow rising in the galaxy. One older than the Empire. Older than the Jedi Order as it exists today. Exar Kun is but the tip of the spear.” 

“If you are speaking of the Yuuzhan Vong, I am aware of their threat.” Corvus solemnly stated. “I've regained much of my power since we last met, I suspect I shall be able to rally the galaxy against their ilk once they arrive 25 to 30 years from now. But as I am now, it isn't enough.”

Lucien studied him for several seconds. Then he asked a single question.

“Why do you seek power?”

Corvus stared Draay in the eyes for a moment, and when next he spoke, it was as if the Force compelled him to speak from his heart. To give his most honest, unfettered response. 

“For myself, for my own selfish desires.” 

Selfish desires such as restoring an improved Republic, destroying slavery, training his students peacefully, or to be strong enough to explore the depths of the Force. 

“Power is but my tool, I do not seek power for power's sake.” Corvus continued a second later. 

The room fell silent once more, and then, for the first time since he had first laid eyes upon him, Lucien Draay smiled faintly.

“Good.”

Draay rose slowly from his seat, and his shadow split into three branching paths, like faultlines. Although he saw no future or possible outcome at the moment, Corvus had a good feeling where the direction of this training session would be going. 

“You may finally be ready to begin.”

Corvus stood up as well, his eyes sharpened with anticipation.

“Will we be learning a new lightsaber form, or perhaps, a new skill unique to the Jedi Covenant, to that of the Jedi Shadows?” Corvus asked, trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice. 

Draay gestured toward the garden outside.

“Last time, you could not see the painting for what it truly was.” The blonde softly spoke, yet his gaze hardened slightly as he continued to assess Corvus. 

“This time…” 

The air trembled with quiet power as he spoke. 

“You will step into it.”

Corvus's eyes went slightly wide, as he had expected to receive some mystic voodoo instructions. That he would practice looking into the future, or divining prophecy, like the Jedi Covenant specialized in.

Before he could react, talk back, or complain about this defective holocron, the painting in the room expanded in size, and with a flash of light, Corvus found himself occupying the spot of the man drawn in the middle. 

The tea garden vanished, and in its place was a ragged city centre blasted into a smoking ruin. Wind tore at his robes as ash drifted through the sky like gray snow. The air smelled of ozone and burnt earth. Across a shattered courtyard full of broken glass, and deep holes, dozens of figures surrounded him in a tightening circle.

Jedi, Sith, both factions stood poised for battle, their blades ignited.

Blue. Green. Purple. Orange. Yellow. Crimson. The colors painted violent streaks across the dim battlefield, each one pointed at him. 

Corvus looked down at his hands. In his right, a lightsaber of radiant white hummed with a clear, steady tone. Its glow was bright and pure, like sunlight reflecting on fresh snow. In his left, a blade of absolute black devoured the light around it. The weapon hummed deeper, its sound like a distant storm rumbling in the abyss.

Using Pause to gather his bearings, Corvus mentally prepared himself for a grueling training regime. 

After Un-Pausing, two Sith lunged forward from his left, their crimson blades carving wide arcs meant to overwhelm him. At the same moment, three Jedi leapt from the opposite side, their strikes were less aggressive, yet all the more threatening as he was goaded towards the Sith. 

Corvus applied all of his buffs upon himself, and then met the enemy. The white blade swept upward in a clean parry, deflecting a Sith strike with a flash of light. Whilst the black blade spun low, intercepting a Jedi thrust aimed at his ribs.

Another crimson blade came down from above. Corvus ducked, but a second Jedi strike clipped his sleeve. The fabric burned away as he spun backward, boots skidding across the stone.

A Sith kicked toward his chest, to which Corvus caught the leg with the Force and flung the attacker aside, but three more fighters immediately stepped into the opening.

A green blade slashed.

A red blade stabbed.

Another blue blade came from behind.

Corvus twisted, parrying two strikes, but the third grazed his shoulder. Pain flared through his arm as he was forced another step backward.

The circle tightened, and he had not one second of reprieve. A cacophony of lightsabers came from every direction. Corvus blocked, redirected, spun, and deflected, but each movement cost him ground. Even with the Force guiding him, even with the occasional [Shadow Hop] or [Force Lightning], it wasn’t enough.

There were simply too many angles of attack.

Another clash forced him back three steps, and he crossed his blades to stop three overhead slashes, but the impact sent a jolt through his arms. For the briefest moment, he was on the back foot, and felt as if this might be it for him. Then something caught his eye.

Their shadows.

Beneath every combatant, the shadows stretching across the battlefield looked…different. 

Thin dark lines spun outward from their feet like silk from a spider's web. 

Corvus’s eyes sharpened, as he glimpsed a small future linked to each of these shadows. Before a Jedi lunged, the shadow beneath him cracked forward. Before a Sith swung, the darkness bent in the direction of the coming strike.

Corvus smiled. It seemed Draay wasn't so bad after all.

Corvus sidestepped the next attack a heartbeat early, and was unfazed as a crimson blade cut through the empty air inches above his scalp. In retaliation, the black lightsaber flicked upward in a brutal counterstrike that shattered the Sith’s guard, and burnt his throat, causing the black cloaked man to fall down dead. 

A second Jedi rushed in, and the shadow beneath her feet twisted to the right. Corvus spun left before the attack even began. Her blade missed entirely, whilst his white saber struck her weapon aside and lopped off her arms for good measure. 

His sabers became a storm.

White light flowed like water, and black darkness cut through openings with overwhelming power. 

One opponent stumbled backward.

Then another.

Then three more.

The circle that had been tightening around him like an inescapable noose suddenly fractured. Within seconds, the battlefield that had once threatened to overwhelm him began to buckle under his momentum. Jedi and Sith alike were forced back step by step until the dozen or so assailants had crumpled before him one by one. 

Breathing heavily, he looked up atop a broken 20ft spire, suddenly sensing an incoming threat. There, sitting without a care in the world was a handsome, square jawed jock-like looking brown haired guy. 

Igniting his green lightsaber, he plunged down from the great height like a bird of prey in flight. Rushing forward, he arrived just as Corvus raised his twin lightsabers to parry. 

For five seconds, he perfectly countered each and every attack. For five seconds, he met well over 98 individual cuts and slices, feeling his [Energy Resistance] barrier shred one close shave at a time. 

On the 99th strike, he was pierced in the chest, and was forcefully ejected from the holocron. 

The last thing he recalled from this meditation session was a name: 

Ulic Qel-Droma.

~~~~~~~~~

AN: That's right! The guy from CHAPTER FOUR is connected to Exar Kun! (Who was revealed as having awakened earlier in an Interlude chapter). Feel free to google the Jedi Covenant, I've been long con setting this shit up for forever~~~