A New Jedi in an Old Republic

Temple Archives

Anakin Skywalker looked around for the distinct dress code of Master Katarn. Despite his Master's admonishment to not speak to the foreign Jedi, the Padawan (some were already calling him a Knight, even though he hadn't passed his tests, such was his stature) felt something in Katarn that was familiar, yet at the same time, foreign. And as such, he wanted to get to the bottom of this before things escalated.

He spotted him hunched over a console, studying. The man's lightsaber was set on top of the screen, in reach but not where it would interfere with his posture if it was still attached to his hip. He also saw all the various people who orbited him in their own little clusters, from Initiates to Masters, each trying to feel out this stranger and his purposes.

While they did that, he would drive to the heart of the matter.

He approached the Knight-Errant with no attempt at stealth. Walking up to him, he leaned over and looked at was being studied – an essay regarding the differences between the Tests of Spirit and of Courage written by a Jedi Master some six hundred years ago. It was still relevant today as it was all those centuries ago.

"Interesting read?" He asked.

"A bit," Kyle said as he leaned back and stretched his arms. "You're a welcome distraction, Skywalker. So, did you lose a bet to be the one to talk to me?" He indicated all the others still watching.

"No," Anakin replied with a slight smile. "My Master told me I shouldn't talk to you, so here I am with a couple questions."

"Ah, teenaged rebellion." Kyle nodded in understanding. "I understand that." He saw Anakin's face flush momentarily at the suggestion before the Jedi got himself under control. "So, questions?"

"Well," Anakin took a look around to make sure they wouldn't be overhead. "Are you telling the truth when you told my Master what you've done in the past?"

Kyle's face took on a cold expression, just to emphasize his next point. "Yes." There was no deception, no hint of anything like that. "And I'm pretty sure I have more experience with that then the entirely of the current Order."

Anakin had to think about that. Certainly there had been a resurgence of Dark Jedi in the recent decades, but the Council had attributed that more to a statistical anomaly over the past millennium than anything else. "To be honest, my Master killed a Sith about ten years ago, on Naboo. Perhaps he thinks you are bluster?"

"That's certainly a point." Kyle had to admit. It wasn't like he could point at all the bad guys he'd killed in the past... future... whenever.

Is that why you've offered your help?"

Kyle nodded. "A part of it, yes. There are other reasons, one's I'm not at liberty to discuss." He saw Anakin accept that, being used to secrets already. "Right now, I have to prove myself to your Council so that we can work together, rather than at cross purposes."

"What do you mean? You're a Republic citizen, and a Jedi."

Kyle raised one finger to make a point. "I'm not a Jedi by your standards. I wasn't trained here in the Temple, and I have differing views on how things happen, or should happen." He grinned, thinking private thoughts. "Nor am I a Sith. I just want to make that clear."

"I don't think anyone thinks you are," Anakin rejected the notion as well. "What do you know of the Sith?"

"A few things." He looked at the future Darth Vader in the eye, thinking hard about what he could do here and now, now that he has come to him, rather than the other way around. "What do you know about the Rule of Two?"

"It's a Sith maxim that states there should only be two Sith at a time. When one dies, the other trains the replacement. After my Master killed the one called Maul, Dooku trained his replacement." It was a logical conclusion given the difference in ages, thought that would also meant admitting that the former Jedi was a Sith for longer than anyone cared to believe.

"Close, but not quite." It was amazing the difference in available knowledge about the enemies of the Jedi were available in the current time, and in the New Order. Kyle moved into a lecturing position. "The Rule of Two states that there shall only be two Sith at a time. A Master and an Apprentice. The Master teaches, while the Apprentice learns. And when the Apprentice has learned enough, they are to kill and replace their Master, taking an Apprentice of their own. The Master is to kill any failure of an Apprentice, one who will not make a good Sith in the future."

"There's a problem with that," Anakin pointed out immediately. "What if an accident happens, and the Master is killed prematurely?"

"In theory, each Sith is supposed to make a Holocron to store their teachings in, to pass along in case something like that happens." Kyle said casually.

"So, you know a lot about the Sith?" Anakin was slightly suspicious as even though the man in front of him didn't seem evil to him, who knew? He had to be careful with his earlier statement about Kyle not being a Sith.

"I've been to Dromund Kaas," Kyle said sadly.

Anakin scoffed. "That's a tale to scare younglings by, a place of great evil and..." He stopped as Kyle's stare drilled into him. "It's real" he finished, subdued. "Korriban as well?" The legendary homeworld of the Sith was equally mysterious in his eyes.

"I know it exists," Kyle said, "And that it's a tomb world for dead Sith Lords. But I didn't go there myself."

The Padawan was silent for a while. "And the Council will not believe you."

"Whether they do or not is up to them," Kyle said. "I've already dealt with one thing, which seems to be that 'Event' people keep talking about."

"You caused that?" Anakin's eyes flashed in surprise. "Every Force Sensitive in the Galaxy felt that! What did you do?" He demanded forcefully, hoping top get some information out of Kyle that he could use to persuade his Master to trust the Knight-Errant.

"I can't tell you," Kyle replied sadly. "It's still not a safe place, and won't be for years."

Anakin didn't like being rejected like that, but kept his peace. The explanation was better than 'because I said so', and if Kyle was keeping a location secret because of the danger it possessed – even know Anakin could feel that bright point in the Force, waning ever slightly as time passed. "So, after the war, maybe you could show me?"

Kyle looked up, thinking about it. "You know what? Sure. Why not? We both make it through, I'll show and tell you what I did."

Droid Maintenance Facilities

Kazdan Paratus reviewed the recordings of the sparring session between the Knight-Errant Katarn and Battlemaster Drallig. Pausing to observe the motions of the new Knight, he turned his attention to the sparring droid on the table before him. The Council was still debating whether he would better off serving against the Droid armies of the Separatists on the front lines, or behind the lines, where he could dedicate him self full time to the technical aspects of the job.

In the meantime, he had been asked to prepare this set of Droids by the Battlemaster to better test this mysterious new Jedi and his combat skills after coming to a draw against Drallig in a purely technical spar. "Make them the best you can," he had been told, given a blanket promise to let him do what he wanted.

If nothing else, he would have to thank the Knight-Errant for the opportunity to show what a real Droid could do in combat, rather than those mass-produced scrap heaps called 'B-1 Battle Droids'. Walking gun racks was more like it, the weapons probably cost more than the Droids themselves. But quantity had a quality of their own, that was for sure, and not everyone would appreciate handcrafted masterpieces like his current project.

These were far more than mere sparring droids, out to allow for 'live' practice of a Jedi's skills. These would be better.

Training Halls

Kyle was escorted into the sparring chamber by the Battlemaster now that the actual fighting skills were to be tested. "How's your side?" Kyle asked as they passed the last door.

"Still stinging. I've turned down full healing of it as a reminder to myself to be more aware." If anything, the Battlemaster didn't hold Kyle's little trick against him, taking as a learning lesson. "Here we are." The two men stood in the middle of the vaulted chamber, some 20 meters across, debris scattered about for cover or as a weapon in the right hands. Far above, the observation deck was crowded again.

Kyle waved to the audience, causing a small frown to form on Cin's face. "Attention," he commanded.

"Oh, you have it, Kyle said as he drew his lightsaber, but did not ignite it. "So, how is this going to work?"

"Once I leave, you will be faced with a set of Sparring Droids," Cin stated. "Deal with them as you see fit, and you will be judged on how well you perform."

"Seems simple. What's the catch?"

"There is no 'catch', Katarn. Just you." Cin said, backing up. Once he was out, and the door safely closed behind him, Kyle activated his weapon in a lower guard position, starting at his hips and aiming down. With no idea what was coming, he wanted something he could react quickly out of.

From three equidistant points around the edge of the sparring circle, Kyle observed doors slide down and three Droids step out. Each of them were humanoid, with a reinforced chassis standing about 7 feet tall. The one behind him to his left activated a single blade, the one behind and to the right a double-bladed saber and the one in front held two of the weapons in a reverse grip.

"This looks way too familiar," Kyle said as the three advanced on him. He could feel trepidation and excitement from above, but he put that aside in order to focus on the task at hand. Knowing that every movement would be judged harshly – it was what he would do, Kyle prioritized the Droid with the two weapons as the most dangerous at the moment. Being able to attack from multiple angles would be dangerous to him, while the others would be a little more predictable.

He needed to test the defensive strengths of the Droids though, and to do it without putting himself into the precarious position. To do that, he tossed his saber from his right hand to his left, and in the same fluid motion that could only come from years of practice, reached into his jacket, pulled out his pistol, and shot the Droid in the 'face'.

Jedi Sparring Droids are designed to fight Jedi. They couldn't hope to win outside the most lopsided of scenarios, but they all shared one core component of their programming. That being that Jedi were armed with Lightsabers, and while they were capable of ranged attacks through the Force, there were safeguards and contingencies programmed into them for that exact scenario.

Thus, the droid that Paradus had programmed to mimic a variant of Form Five, with a bit of Two and Six thrown in for good measure watched with mechanical precision as its target adjusted his grip on his weapon and evaluated the possible actions that would come with it.

It never evaluated the Blaster as a weapon, merely as an unactivated lightsaber and was adjusting accordingly when its cranial processor was destroyed and it shut down, mimicking 'death'.

Kyle looked stunned for a moment, the audience above equally quiet as the echo of the shot finished rebounding through the chamber. "Wasn't expecting that," he said out loud as he checked his weapon before flicking the safety back on and sticking it in his pocket. The other droids stopped for a moment at a safe distance as they evaluated the fall of their compatriot. "Well, for fairness sake, I won't be doing that again," he said for the benefit of the recording devices in the room. "And the next generation had better have better blocking skills."

The other droids advanced swiftly, moving in unison as Kyle backpedaled from the saber-staff wielding one and toward the one with the single weapon in its two hands. Tapping into the Force, Kyle dashed at that one (which he had named Boc in his head in a fit of boredom, while its twin got the name Pic), swinging his weapon around from the left to the right at chest height, only to be blocked by the strong droid.

Kyle pressed his strength against the metal, but it didn't yield, and he had to disengage before the other droid attacked his back. On a normal day, he would have tapped some Lightning and fried them both, but using such an overt Darkside power would probably be a bad idea. Luke had revealed a lot of how the old Order viewed such things, and they both agreed that such a hard stance may have seemed like a good idea to a peaceful Jedi, it wasn't something they could afford for themselves in a more violent Galaxy.

He spent the next few moments defending himself as he watched the way they fought and acted. They didn't act in total unison, so the comparison was wrong, but Boc really did like to fight as a powerhouse while Pic liked to sweep its saber around in circles to keep its offense open.

Now having a handle on things, Kyle made his move. He swept at Boc again, allowing the droid to catch his saber in a lock. Once he was satisfied with the stalemate, he stepped in and kicked at the droid's knee, aiming for the joint to try and force the Droid down into a disadvantageous position. It didn't work as the metal and gears resisted bending, but it still reacted to the Force-empowered blow, allowing Kyle to slide his saber down the length of the droid's and at its hands.

Boc fell back before Kyle took of its right hand, and Kyle parried Pic's set of rapid attacks with ease, turning his attention to that one. He snapped out with the Force, pushing the Droid away, but its armor and internal gyroscope prevented it from taking serious damage or falling over. Kyle followed up with a set of slashes that was little more than forcing it back.

Boc regained its feet and advanced on Kyle, just in time for him to reach out with his free hand, and summoned a piece of debris from behind the droid to hit it in the back. Boc stumbled, and Kyle followed that up with a telekinetic push to the ground.

All this was to keep the two separate long enough for Kyle to finish the fight without them being able to do anything about it.

Drawing deeply in the force, Kyle pushed out against Pic, but unlike the previous attack, this one was not a simple slap. This one was a strike that could move mountains and shatter steel. Pic lost traction on the ground and slammed into the wall. Its internal damage processors told it that it was 'dead' and thus it deactivated the lightsaber and went limp.

Boc was back, and seeing that its fellow was 'dead', charged at Kyle, hoping to strike while he was recovering from the exertion of the attack.

Kyle could hear it move, the heavy impacts of its feet as it ran toward him. He waited, centering himself for a moment as he rehearsed in his mind his next action. Boc jumped into the air and brought his saber down in a massive overhead strike that only the most powerful of Jedi could block.

So Kyle didn't.

He stepped to one side, batting away the droid's weapon as it fell and spun around, slashing at the waist. Boc rolled with the landing, but it wasn't enough as Kyle scarred its leg with the tip of his blade. On the offensive, Kyle snapped his saber around in a long, loping, half-hop forward to keep up with Boc, and this time he scored true, bisecting the droid through its chest and hips. 'Dead', it fell down with deactivated weapon.

Kyle looked up at the observers and did something he normally wouldn't have. "So," he called out loudly, "That was a nice warm up. When does the test start?"

Droid Maintenance Facility

Paratus watched in shock as the Jedi contemptuously cut down his work in the matter of a minutes. Most of that was spent making a mockery of them by not giving them a single chance to strike at him! The small Aleena was already thinking of how to best this human in combat. First thing he had to admit to himself was that he was correct. Not being able to block a blaster? That had to change!

He would have to let the Council know he was no longer interested in a field position though. Too much work to do.

Training Halls

Kyle stepped out of the room and into the sour face of Cin Drallig. "Hello." He said casually. "What's next?"

"A blaster?" A voice yelled out from behind the Battlemaster, causing the two to look at the approaching figure of Obi-wan, who turned the corner and stormed as much as any man could when at a walking pace toward them. "You call yourself a Jedi, and you used a blaster?"

Shrugging, Kyle let the tone of voice slide off him. "I wasn't told not too."

"I am now," Cin said before Obi-wan could speak again. "This test was not about such skills, and we as Jedi do not use such weapons."

"Well, good for me then, that I'm not a member of this Order." Kyle said harshly right back at him as Obi-wan came up to them. Farther back, Anakin was watching with a mixture of worry and concern. "Let me say one thing before you lay into me. A blaster is like a lightsaber. It's just a tool. Yes, they are weapons. Yes, Jedi are better with sabers. But they're both tools. It's not whether you have one or the other at hand, it's the intent behind them that matters. The person who wields one, or the other or both, that is what matters. So before you go arguing that using a blaster is inappropriate, think if you are going to argue that it's the weapon itself that is at fault, or me for not taking your Test the way you intended for me to."

Raven's Claw

Jan lay back in the cockpit after finishing off the last touches of the changes needed to make her ship safe and registered for Coruscant and the Republic. It mostly involved changing the information on the transponder, but she also took the time to make sure it was up to current safety standards.

"Pardon me?" An accented, but powerful voice came from the open hatch, which Jan had left that way to let fresh air circulate in.

"One moment!" Jan said as she shut down the control panel and saving all her changes. "Who is it?"

"Master Kit Fisto," the Nautolan said as he stood on the bottom of the ramp. "May I have a minute of your time?"

"Aren't you on the Council?" Jan asked as she stood at the top of the ramp, arms crossed.

"Ah, a slight misunderstanding because I took a seat there temporarily while a certain other Master was unable to attend. I am on the short list for future members though." The green aquatic Jedi master admitted in a moment of open honesty. "It was seen as a good experience."

"What do you want then?" Jan asked, keeping him away from the inside of her ship. "Kyle's not here."

"Actually, it is him I wanted to talk to you about." Kit said jovially. "I've been tasked to interview you about Kyle and see who he is from a friend's perspective."

Jan sensed a trap, one that you didn't need the Force to see coming. "Really?"

Kit raised his hands in mock surrender. "Yes! Interview, not an interrogation. I have to stress that. Have you seen our meditation gardens? They are quite beautiful."

Jan knew now what was going on here, her years of Intelligence training recognizing Master Fisto's inelegant, but honest desire for more knowledge about Kyle. And she couldn't avoid it without making things worse for the both of them. "Very well. Give me a moment."

Somehow, Kit's smile widened even more.

Meditation Gardens

On the roof, the wind blew through the trees, and Jan had to admit that the Jedi knew their stuff when it came to horticulture. Kit had led her there, then let her get used to the surroundings. All very well and good, but Jan knew better than to let her guard down, even in this place. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, the usual," Master Fisto said as he ran a hand along the trunk of a tree, not looking at Jan. "I would ask about you, but I've already admitted to my end goal."

He wanted her to fill in the details herself. Not bad, but she knew better. Had done better as well, so she stayed silent.

Fisto broke first, the Jedi more used to people openly cooperating with persons of his position, or deliberately obstructing them. Not simply ignoring him. He coughed, then spoke gently. "How did you meet Kyle?"

Jan used the explanation that the two of them had come up with years ago, enough truth to make everything work out. "He and I met on a passenger liner after his father died," she explained. "He wasn't in a good place at the time. He was headed home, and I, being young and foolish, went with him." She shrugged. "We kinda worked well together after that."

Kit paused in contemplation. "And his father?"

The truth was that he was killed by the Dark Jedi Jerec for his knowledge of the Valley of the Jedi. The official cover story was that it happened during the Imperial attack that was disguised as a Rebel raid. "Pirate raid on the planet," she said.

"I will have to offer my condolences." Kit replied as he turned to face the human. "You are aware that Jedi do not approve of attachements."

That was a personal shot, Jan tensed. "You mean families."

"Yes. We feel that it detracts from our studies of the Force."

She narrowed her eyes. "And you're worried about Kyle and I."

Kit agreed with a nod. "Yes."

She knew exactly what happened when Tavion made her scream, then knocked her unconscious. And to be honest, she could sympathize with the Jedi for the worry. Even Luke was concerned for a long time after, until Kyle came to terms with what happened. "Are you going to toss him out for that?"

"That will be for the Council to decide. It is certainly a strike against him, having an attachment to you, but anyone even half-blind can see no darkness there." Kit smiled. "Do all members of Katarn's sect have families?"

"Some," Jan said truthfully. "Looking to join?"

"No!" He laughed. "No, I would not leave the Order for that. But you have known him for a long time?"

"Years." Jan was wary, worried that she had let slip the wrong kind of information. "We started as professional co-workers before becoming friends." Actually, 'Handler' was more accurate. The Rebellion didn't trust defectors implicitly, being an easy avenue to insert spies. That Kyle went mercenary, rather than trying to get into the Rebellion was a mark in his favor. "We still work together."

"Has he taken an apprentice of his own?" Kit changed the subject, not wanting to alienate Jan; to turn the conversation back to Katarn.

"What? Kyle? No. Not really. He teaches... he taught. But not like how you do guys have your Master/Padawan thing."

"What does he teach?"

"Fighting," Jan said. "How to avoid getting into situations where combat it needed. He's a big fan of something he calls 'Form Zero'." She shrugged. "He did time as a mercenary, so it's only natural."

"His sect's equivalent to a Battlemaster then?"

"If you say so," Jan gave a noncommittal answer. "Think he's going to pass?"

"It is not for me to decide." Kit shook his head sadly. "Why just him? Why not others from his sect?"

"Why what?"

"Why come to us now?"

"I could say that the Force moves in mysterious ways," Jan felt deflated. "But that's not quite true. This is a war. You need soldiers. Kyle, for better or for worse, is one."