Jedi Insurgency 261

Snorting himself awake, Corvus found that dusk had arrived, and he was slumped in the warm water. Muscles relaxed, his body felt like playdough. Hearing some loud snoring, he saw that Master Tapal was his only companion still within the water. Windu & Kenobi had departed for parts unknown. 

Taking a step out, he inclined his head at the sleeping purple Lasat, dried off, and quick-changed into a new set of clothes. 

Corvus adopted his invisibility once more in search of some Jedi Masters. 

4) Influence five Masters/Darths without them discovering your involvement. 4/5

Apparently he had worked his magic again. Only the Force knew how, but personally, he blamed his obscene level of Personality. His contemporaries must've been unknowingly influenced by his actions…which was kind of scary, to be honest. Being the Heart of the Force was a cheat code. 

Shaking his head, he got his tired bones up, and began to languidly move through a hallway. Around the corner was an interesting place, one brimming with life. Various fragrant scents filled the air, and a type of warmth absent in most of these tall & wide corridors was present. 

Moving closer to investigate, he saw a place full of greenery, vines, and plants of all types. It was an indoor botanical garden. 

The chamber was enormous, larger than many capital ship hangars. A glass dome rose far overhead, allowing the last rays of today's sunlight to shine light upon some trees casting a beautiful golden amber glow. Trees grew from circular beds of white stone, vines trailed from elevated terraces, and pools of clear water wound through the garden in narrow channels, carrying petals slowly along their surfaces. In a way, it reminded him of those Japanese gardens, what with the tiny bridges, ponds, and various small buildings with similar architecture. A few fish swam about in the water, and a peaceful aura radiated from this place. 

There were plants from a hundred worlds. Corvus recognized blue-veined ferns from Dantooine, silver-barked saplings from Alderaan, small red blossoms that thrived in volcanic soil, and creeping moss from shadowed caves where sunlight rarely touched. He didn't recognize most plants, but they were so varied and unique, he couldn't help but be lost in wonder. 

The Force moved through the garden in a way he was unaccustomed to. From Eriadu to Nar Shaddaa, Tatooine to Naboo, he had experienced mega cities, oceans, and deserts, but never had he felt such rich, vibrant plant nature. 

Where industrial planets felt dirty, and raw with life, or the oceans of Naboo & Kamino were primal full of danger, these trees & vines were steady, and striving to grow. 

Corvus stepped deeper inside, and the sound of water guided him toward the center of the chamber. There, beneath a flowering tree whose pale branches arched like the ribs of some creature, two Jedi Masters sat together.

He recognized the red skinned Togruta and the long necked chalk-skinned Kaminoan at a glance. 

Shaak Ti had seated herself beside the water with a serene expression on her face, and a book in her hand. Her lekku twitched as she was gripped by the content of her book.

Beside her, sitting in a pile of grass, was the Jedi who had defeated him back on Kamino. At that time, Corvus was but a Jedi Knight (high), he wondered how he would match up to her now? 

Kina Ha was ancient, impossibly slender, and luminous like a fairy. The Kaminoan Jedi’s long neck curved with dreamlike grace, and her pale eyes regarded the world as though she saw not merely what was present, but what had grown, what had withered, and what might yet take root. Her robes were simple, flowing, and white, though fine green embroidery wound through the fabric like vines. Around her, the plants leaned with unmistakable affection.

A curling tendril brushed against her long fingers, Kina Ha then lifted one hand, and the vine answered.

Corvus watched on in awe as the little tendril lengthened, growing into a stem. It climbed up her wrist, before blooming into a beautiful pink flower. There was no strain in the act, as if this act were as easy as breathing. Kina Ha’s presence was like that of the sun, each plant seemed to unconsciously lean towards her. 

Kina Ha turned toward him-in spite of his invisibility-and her gaze was both warm like a long lost friend, and piercing, like a scientist attempting to prove a theory. 

“Master Revan, how kind of you to join us.” Kina Ha said in a lilting tone, her voice sounding like an ethereal fairy. 

Corvus sighed, and dropped the invisibility, much to Shaak Ti's shock. First, Windu, and now Kina Ha. Had he lost his touch? 

“Kina Ha, Master Ti.” Corvus performed a Jedi salute, and inclined his head. 

Shaak Ti composed herself, and instead of questioning why the new Order Master was sneaking around, gestured to her companion. “Kina Ha has been tending to this chamber since shortly after our arrival. I think the plants accepted her faster than most of the Council accepted your new proposals.”

“I know you would have me on your council, Master Revan, but someone has to provide the Temple with food.” Kina Ha lazily said with the hint of a playful smirk. 

Corvus nodded along. “I had worried about that. Xizor will be delivering a new batch of Younglings to a secret location, where we will then take to Illum, and then Tython. Such a journey is infrequent, and time consuming. That's hardly a reliable method to secure our food. You have my thanks, Kina Ha.” 

He approached them with measured steps, pausing near a low stone bridge that crossed one of the streams. Small fish moved beneath the surface, their scales reflecting blue and green light. A cluster of flowers turned toward him as he neared, and for an absurd instant, he felt as though he had a mental connection with the plants. 

Shaak Ti noticed his attention, and then, flicking through her book, quoted some knowledge she had just learned. 

“They are sensitive to strong presences in the Force. Some bring up memories of warmth, sorrow, or remind us of old wounds.”

“Oh? What a curious flower, I see it has three petals, I'm not experiencing all three of these things, am I?” Corvus asked in a curious tone. 

Shaak Ti considered him with gentle honesty, and then nodded. “All three.” She said in a quiet, somewhat sad tone. 

Kina Ha lifted both hands slightly. Around her, several vines rose from the earth in long, slow arcs. Tiny white flowers bloomed along them as they moved, opening one after another like stars appearing at dusk. 

“Try one.” The pale long necked alien said, holding a white flower the size of a quarter out to him. 

Corvus trusted this wily old lady, and slipped the petal underneath his mask. “Hmm, it's quite good. Sweet, but not excessively so.” 

“It's a Dairyo Flower, it is an invention of my own. The flavor mimics what the consumer most craves at the moment. Five petals should be enough to provide nutrients for a meal.” Kina Ha explained in a casual tone, as if this wasn't some miracle

“The Jedi Order thanks you, Kina Ha.” Corvus, this time, gave a full bow. 

Solving their food problem was a big deal. This reclusive Jedi Master had contributed greatly to their future. 

“A trifling matter. In due time, I shall find an apprentice of my own. Although I am open to teaching young Ti, it appears she is most taken with you.” Kina Ha said in an incredibly serious tone. 

Shaak Ti wasn't some girl who was easily embarrassed, and easily caught onto Kina Ha's double meaning. “Master Revan is a man of great integrity, and has already promised to teach me more advanced healing.” She said, totally calm and composed. 

Corvus rolled his eyes. Spending several millenia in exile upon Kamino, Kina Ha, although she was ancient, still had a mischievous streak in her. 

“Hmm, you already know how to heal. I caught glimpses of it through Yon's [Force Bond]. Are you certain you would forgo learning [Plant Surge]? It is an incredibly versatile ability.” Corvus said, attempting to add another ‘druid’ Jedi to the Order. 

“I tend wounds, and soothe pain. I know the meditations, the standard disciplines, and some minor abilities. But what you did for Master Windu, for Jax, and for others during the storm went beyond that. It was not merely closing flesh or purging poison. It was as though you mended the spirit, and cleansed the Darkside from the world.” 

“...” Corvus couldn't argue back, and held his tongue. His [Heal] was kind of OP. 

“I want to understand it. Not to perform miracles, or defy death. But to heal those in need. There are wounds in this Order that bacta will never cleanse. There are children who will wake from nightmares for years, and survivors of this war crippled for life. If healing can be their hope of salvation, then I would learn whatever you are willing to teach.”

Corvus was silent for a time, as he was deeply moved by Shaak Ti's compassionate plea. Kina Ha watched without intrusion, her long hands folded together before her as she no longer attempted to poach the Togruta away. 

“Without compassion, healing often becomes an impersonal thing, one where credits are more important than life.” Corvus said in a sad tone, as he recalled how disgusting Human greed could be. “You've already passed any test of mine…although I would like for another practitioner of [Plant Surge] in the Order, I can think of no one more capable of assuming the mantle of healer than you.” 

Shaak Ti bowed her head. “I would be honored to learn.” 

A quiet pleasure moved through Corvus. He had expected many things from the survivors of this age. Suspicion. Reverence. Anger. Political caution. He had not expected to find, again and again, Jedi willing to become students of one another.

Kina Ha drifted nearer, her steps almost soundless across the stone path.

“And you, Revan?” She asked. .

“Me?” He responded with a raised eyebrow. 

“Coming to this place, have you found what you were looking for?” Kina Ha asked, glancing up out the window, and at the tall spire of the Jedi High Council Chamber. 

Corvus had been asked many questions since entering this galaxy seven months ago. Where had he come from? What did he intend to do? When would he take on Palpatine? Was he a secret Sith? How could the Jedi survive?

Up until now, everyone had asked ‘Revan’ how or what to do, no one had ever asked ‘Revan' how he was doing. 

He looked away from Kina Ha and let his gaze travel through the garden. A tree with copper leaves shivered in the sunlight, blossoms floated in the stream, and a vine waved at him as if he were a friend. 

“What makes you think I was looking for something?” Corvus asked.

Kina Ha’s answer was almost a whisper. “All who carry many names are looking for the one that feels true.”

He had been a Jedi, General, Shadow, Teacher, Terrorist, Mentor, Savior, Guardian, Murderer, War Criminal, Rebel, Hero, Villain, and more. To many, he was a memory, a myth made flesh. He had lived the life of a man fighting to survive one next to the month, always striving to increase his strength to safeguard the galaxy. 

…Here now, on Tython seven months later, had he found what he was looking for?

Once, he would have said victory over Palpatine was his goal. Perhaps even his own redemption in the eyes of the galaxy if he was being vain. Then perhaps atonement, though that word had always seemed too clean for the work required. Later, when he found Jax & Yon, when he began gathering broken men like the brothers of the Bad Batch, or rescued Windu from prison, he might have said legacy. 

“...I. Am not sure.” Corvus slowly said, frowning beneath his mask. 

“What remains, is what you plant.” Kina Ha said in a sage-like tone, offering her wisdom. 

Corvus stared at his boots, then glanced at some tiny growing buds of some plant. For all his mastery, for all his terrible knowledge, that simple sentence struck a chord with him. 

Thinking back to the Order Master coronation, of the bonds he had made, and the students he raised, he had found what he was looking for. Since day one in this galaxy far, far away, he had had one goal in mind. To restart the Jedi Order, and come to Tython. 

Staring at the long-necked alien, Corvus smiled, then nodded at Shaak Ti and turned to leave. Speaking in a sing-song voice, he composed a little poem: 

“Nature grows with patient grace,

Reaching toward the sun’s warm face.

Seeds beneath the dark earth sleep,

Dreaming roots both strong and deep.

Tiny sprouts through shadows rise,

Lifting green toward open skies.

Forests whisper, calm and bright,

Growth can turn the dark to light.

To you two ladies, I bid goodnight.”