A New Player in the Force

"You are late," Dooku stated simply as I ran into the training room.

"Sorry, sir. I got caught up in a project. With Master Fay. Then I had to. Complete the construction. Of my lightsaber." I replied between breaths.

That was an understatement as after learning the basics of Battle Meditation from Master Rancisis, I'd spent six hours in the Archives with Fay learning what we could about the Temple's history. It had been a long, boring read, but we had managed to rule out the upper five hundred levels of the complex, as those levels had all been used during the last major war with the Sith, nearly a thousand years ago. So Master Fay was planning to have us explore the levels lower than that. I honestly didn't expect to find anything above level one thousand – finding out that Coruscant had over five thousand levels was a shock – and so I was wondering how I could fill the time.

"Very well. May I?" He asked with a hand outstretched. I unclipped my lightsaber – and I couldn't help but feel proud at being able to say that – and handed it to him.

He turned it over slowly. While only about two-thirds the length of his, it had the same curved hilt as his own. I had done that purposefully as I was publicly committed to Makashi and he had explained that the curved hilt granted advantages when using Makashi and both styles of Form V, which I would ask him to start teaching me once Makashi was at Savant:1 or better.

The hilt was black, with the actual grip being grey and made of a hard substance that reminded me of the grip of a combat knife in my old life. A small activation button was situated just above where my forefinger would rest and Dooku touched that, making the blade ignite.

That made me grunt quietly. 'I just had to get something different, didn't I?' I pondered as Dooku did a fair impression of a Vulcan brow raise as he examined the blade.

The core of the blade was black, seeming to draw the light into it, yet the corona shone with a brilliant white light. After I had gotten over my initial anger at the colouring, I had noted that neither colour dominated the other. That reminded me of how Master Nilas had described me when I'd first appeared in front of her.

"Darkness touches your soul, yet it does not taint your essence. It makes your shine brighter, clearer than any I have seen before."

Those had been her words and I just knew that she had seen this happening. I was still trying to wrap my head around the Force knowing how certain things were going to go for me, but for now, I would accept it. The Force wasn't actively working against me, so no need to risk angering it; if I even could anger something that couldn't be fully described.

"A unique blade Padawan. One well suited to its owner." Dooku said as he handed the now unpowered hilt back to me. "Now we will work on teaching you to accept the blade as a part of you."

I moved to the far side of the sparring circle we stood in, ignoring the glances and whispers from onlookers around the room as I re-ignited my lightsaber.

NOTICE:

You are receiving one-on-one training with a true Makashi Master.

25% increase in Makashi XP gains while training with the master.

...

I subtly waved away the notice, even as a small grin appeared on my face. These training sessions would make getting to Master:1 – and completing the new quest Expert Duellist, that I'd generated during lunch – by my birthday much easier. It was still going to be a challenge, but 3000XP just for Master:1 made it worth the effort.

"Begin."

… ...

… ...

Eight days we'd been at this.

Eight afternoons where we'd travelled downwards from the Jedi Temple into the bowels of Coruscant looking for the corruption that I knew – but Fay only suspected and Dooku didn't believe existed – was below the temple. After spending another day researching in the Archives, we had managed to determine that there couldn't be any corruption in the first two thousand or so levels below the main Temple, as these were all mapped out.

We'd left via speeder after lunch each day and only returned to the temple seven or eight hours later.

We had passed the three-thousandth level below the surface two days ago and I was getting concerned if we'd even find the source of the corruption before my birthday and me leaving the Temple with Fay.

Oh, don't get me wrong, leaving the temple – and Coruscant in general – was something I was looking forward to, but I wanted this quest cleared before then. That was also why during the last eight days I'd changed my studies to focus on just my computing skills, instead of a broad range I had been forced to learn when I was an Initiate so that I could level those skills quicker and not have to worry about the related quest - Just Don't Get Caught - as time went on. That I could maybe gain access to the Holocron Vault with high-level computing skills long before I became a Knight was a nice bonus.

Plus, the eight days hadn't been a complete waste. We'd discovered about four dozen lightsabers – of which I had managed to stash a pair in my inventory – and a handful of holocrons on and around the skeletal remains of Jedi and I'd also come across a few thousand credits.

I had expected the credits to be useless at first, after all, what currency is still the same and valid a thousand years later, but my powers had just added them to my total. Now I just needed to try to buy something with those stored credits to see if they were useable.

On Dooku's instruction, I logged where all the bodies of the fallen Jedi were so that they could be gathered and cremated later. While their names had been long forgotten to the ages, both Jedi Masters felt they deserved to be treated with honour and respect. Though I was certain that a few at least were Sith, I had to agree with the decision.

"Which level have we cleared now?" Dooku asked with a hint of annoyance as his eyes narrowed and his hand torch illuminated the corridor in front of us.

"I believe this is level three thousand, one hundred and twenty-nine," Fay replied in her usual calm, serene manner. "I understand you place little faith in these explorations, but both our Padawan and I feel there is something down here that poses a danger to the Temple."

"I am well aware of your reasons for these daily examinations of the levels under the Temple, yet I again believe that you are both sensing the general decadence of the planet." Dooku countered as I struggled to not smile at the interplay.

Dooku was the epitome of nobility in the way he behaved; always placing stock in rules and what he knew to be true. He dealt in certainties and formal approaches to most matters. The Force was there to aid us with suggestions.

On the other hand, Fay was very much a feeling, caring, individual who subscribed to the belief that life was to be lived by following the Force, to let it guide you where it needed you to be.

"Our opinions amuse you, Padawan?" Dooku asked with a single eyebrow raised, noticing my smile.

"No, sir. Well, yes, but probably not for the reason you think."

"Then what is it about us you find so funny?" Fay queried with a small smile of her own; that one that she seemed to have when she knew an answer but didn't want to tell you what it was.

"Forgive me if I overstep, but from my time within the Temple, you are both rebels." Fay chuckled gently while Dooku's eyebrow rose higher. "I mean that while both of you are Jedi, neither of you are, well, willing or concerned to follow the general notion of what a Jedi should be.

"Master Dooku, you are always in control. You are calm and controlled while willing to do what must be done to achieve your goals, and yet you seem driven to know more than others. Master Fay, you are, forgive me for saying it like this, someone without obvious direction. You seem to want to just float around and let what comes come. You both prefer to deal with what is happening around you in your own ways and not always in strict accordance with the Order's rules. This is why I feel you are both outliers within the Jedi. You do not follow the common approach I was taught over the last year regarding who and what a Jedi is. In fact, your approaches are similar to what my grandfather explained to me about the ways of the Ancient Jedi before I came here."

Both Masters looked at each other when I finished and seemed to communicate with each other without talking. I was guessing a bit about both of them, but since I had a former life, and people I knew for that, to compare them to, I felt my guesses were reasonably accurate.

"Your observation is accurate, if unrefined," Dooku stated once they had both looked at me again. "While Master Fay and I see the role of a Jedi, and what it should mean to be one, in different ways, we do both agree that the standard methods used by the High Council are… lacking."

Fay shook her head even as her smile returned. "You can take the boy out of Serenno…" She chuckled a little before she continued. "Your assessment of us is correct, young one. We are both non-conformists to what the Jedi Council wishes all Jedi to be; as are many others. And yet, so are you.

"You challenge authority at times yet are content to obey it at others. One moment you seem driven by some force, pun intended, while others you are happy to simply be." She shook her head even if her face should clear signs of amusement. "You are in many ways, an interesting blend of Master Dooku and myself."

"Indeed. I have noticed that you go out of your way to help your clanmates, as a good Jedi should, yet you don't waste time sprouting platitudes or false praise. Even those I feel are not worthy of being a Jedi you still help. Why is this?"

I thought for a moment about how to phrase the answer without revealing my suspicions or plans.

"Even if there are some within the clans who aren't taken as Padawans, that does not mean they are no longer Jedi. Nor that the Council should just shunt them into what are essentially dead-end jobs without at least speaking to them.

"Dropping these so-called 'failed Jedi' off on farm worlds is sure to breed resentment among them and since, to me, the Jedi see emotions as something to avoid at all costs, this makes it likely that at least some of those designated for assignment will grow angry and frustrated. This leads to the Dark Side, or so my teachers claimed."

"And you feel there is a better way?" Dooku questioned in a softer tone than normal.

"Possibly. I know the Jedi Order is set up as a non-profit, but couldn't those reassigned be placed in some form of secondary training, or leased out to help with major problems? For example, I read that Mandalore is now a largely barren world. Couldn't the Council and the corps they oversee do something to help restore the planet?"

"Mandalore is an interesting example," Fay began, glancing at Dooku as she spoke. "But your idea has merit. I will speak with Master Rancisis who serves as the leader for the Council of Reassignment."

I gave Fay a nod even as I glanced at Dooku. I was aware of his recent history regarding Mandalore – I'd read about it early on after arriving in the temple since I was curious as to how the Mandalorians from KOTOR had become those from The Clone Wars – and learnt of Dooku's last Council-assigned mission there.

It had explained to me how Dooku had first met Jango Fett and I assumed that this failed mission was used as a reason to recruit the Mandalorian to become the template of the clones of the GAR. I was still in two minds about stopping Jango from being the template as even if I removed him, I was sure Sidious would find another template and I had no idea if the new choice would be better or worse in the long run.

"Master Dooku, is everything alright?" I asked slowly as I mentally turned on Player's Mind to block him sensing that I knew more than I should.

"Yes, yes. As Master Fay said, your idea has merit," he replied quietly and without all his usual certainty. "I just have strong, opinions, regarding Mandalorians. Or a certain group of them at least." He finished as his eyes narrowed at what I assumed was the memory of the Battle of Galidraan.

I knew I'd have to ask him about that battle if I travelled to Mandalore, or when I knew him better, but for now, I let the matter drop and sent out a pulse with Detection, and again cursed that the power still couldn't pierce through levels or more than five metres of cumulative duracrete. I hoped that changed once it reached Adept:1.

I'd done this about five times every hour each day we'd been down here, along with TK. The TK was just for the XP, but Detection was also to keep an 'eye out' for possible threats. Eight days, and over a dozen levels to the power, nothing had been sensed.

Until now.

"Um, I don't think we're alone," I muttered as I glanced down the corridor where Detection had sensed six presences a few hundred metres ahead. The same corridor that we needed to head down to find the stairs to the next level.

Sadly, while the power let me know if something was there, it didn't seem to be able to tell who or what was there, which did limit its potential, but even knowing where possible enemies were was something that I wasn't going to ignore.

"I believe you are right, young one," Fay said as her eyes narrowed a little and her tone lost some of its light and casual energy. "Not sentient, but not simple either. And anger, aggression, that we are in their territory."

"Perhaps sub-dwellers?" Dooku suggested as I noticed he was now palming his lightsaber. "Or another of the creatures known to live in the depths."

"Probable, and a problem." Fay glanced down at a datapad she had that contained the limited maps we'd been able to find of the lower levels. "If the map is correct, then they are blocking our route down."

"Can we go around them?"

Fay shook her head at her fellow Jedi's question. "From the old schematics that we found on level twenty-sixty-seven, no. All the other egresses are blocked or destroyed from the scans we've taken."

"Hmm. Then we will simply have to convince these creatures to let us pass," Dooku said as he slid his lightsaber into his hand.

"Stay behind us, Cameron. It is not that we doubt your ability, more that we do not wish to be placed in danger." Fay explained as she gently pushed me back a few steps.

"I have killed before." I countered bluntly, glad that Player's Mind was already running. I could wait for combat to begin, but that split-second where it isn't on then is, could cost me.

"Yes, I am aware of the events leading to your being at the Temple," The Jedi Master said with a small smile that failed to reach her eyes. "But that was a situation where you were fighting for your very life. This may not be such a setting." She paused and glanced down at me, her eyes locking on to my own. "Remain behind us while we attempt to calm these creatures."

"Yes ma'am," I replied with a small sigh. While avoiding conflict was safer, I knew I could gain XP from combat since I'd earned about 800XP from killing the Sith apprentice and two of the pirates while escaping from my home. It wasn't much, but I wasn't going to pass up the chance to earn more if I had to fight, though I knew that if I started killing for XP, I risked heading down a dark road that I wanted to avoid; Force powers or no.

I unhooked my lightsaber, but I followed Dooku's behaviour and didn't ignite it as moved down the corridor, and as we rounded a corner we came upon an animal of some form.

They looked like dogs, yet they weren't. They were all about a metre long and had pale, white skin, large ears and some very sharp teeth. But what drew my attention was the lack of eyes.

"Why don't they have eyes?" I asked quietly as I watched the creatures amble around. They either hadn't detected us or didn't consider us a threat.

"Large areas of the lower levels of Coruscant have limited or no light. These creatures have evolved to no longer rely on their sight." Dooku explained in a breath barely above a whisper.

"I have encountered similar creatures before. Judging by the ears, I believe that they rely on echolocation to detect their prey; which we would doubtless be if given the chance." Added Fay in a gentle voice as I tightened the grip on my lightsaber.

Slowly, cautiously we approached.

Even with trying to minimize any sound we made, the beasts seemed to sense us and turned our way; teeth exposed and a deep, guttural growl-like sound coming from them.

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck begin to stand as the largest of the pack stalked towards us.

And then they suddenly stooped.

I looked from the creatures to see both Jedi Masters were standing calmly with their hands raised towards the beasts.

I mentally sighed in annoyance at missing out on the XP as one by one, the beasts fell into a slumber.

"What was that?" I asked once all the beasts were asleep.

"The Force grants us the ability to calm the hearts and minds of beasts, and even control them to a degree," Fay explained. "The ease to do so depends on the animal in question and the strength of will of the Jedi but it is generally possible to avoid needlessly killing creatures that are only a concern due to their territorial nature."

I nodded along even as I spotted Dooku moving slowly through the pack of creatures. The man still held his lightsaber in his hand as he moved through them, clearly cautious that they may wake.

"The path is clear; however, I advise caution. Just because they are now sleeping does not make them any less of a potential threat," he remarked quietly.

I gave a quick nod in understanding and moved quickly but cautiously to join him, with Fay right behind me. Once we were clear and heading down the stairs to the next level, I pulled up a notice.

Force Power Discovered!

Beast Control

Grants the ability to calm, control or even dominate a beast/creature.

...

I waved away the notice even as I remembered seeing that ability being used a few times in the movies or Clone Wars. I didn't think I would need it much, but a new power was always welcome. Though I was still annoyed about missing out on the XP I'd expected to get for defeating the beasts.

As we reached the next floor, Fay turned to face me.

"Has anyone counselled you about having to kill to escape the Sith?" After getting over the shock of the out-of-the-blue question, I shook my head in the negative.

She sighed loudly and looked upwards. "Disappointing, but not unexpected." She looked back at me and continued; "When we return tonight, both Master Dooku and I will speak with you about those events. Being in such circumstances, and being forced to take a life, can have a grave effect on your mental well-being and we would be remiss in our roles as your Masters to not ensure you are healthy in body and mind."

"Yes, ma'am." She smiled and stepped beside Dooku while I realised that she was the first to ask about how I was after killing and knowing my grandfather was killed, and she had only done it after we had avoided our first potential combat situation.

It was a worrying reminder to me of one way in which the Jedi seemingly failed the children in their care. Though perhaps because I was a unique case, it had not occurred to any of them to ask; not that that was much of an excuse for ignoring a child with a potential combat-related mental disorder.

Shaking my head at finding another failing of the Jedi Order, I cast Detection once more and frowned.

"I think this level is inhabited," I said slowly as the power identified nearly two dozen beings within its range, most congregated in a large group directly down the corridor in front of us.

"Yes, there appear to be lifeforms up ahead," Agreed Dooku as he again took the lead. "These, however, are not simple beasts." He added as we reached a doorframe and spotted creatures within.

These had the same pale, white skin, and sharp teeth as the canines above, yet these walked on two legs and their skin was hanging loosely from their frames. Their ears were seemingly merged with their eyes and I thought I saw something move behind the skin where an eyeball would be for most beings.

I counted over two dozen of the creatures ambling around the hall, but another blast of Detection told me there were another ten that I couldn't see.

"Troglodytes, wonderful," Dooku murmured as we stepped back from the doorframe. "I suggest we find another route."

"Yes, that would be for the best," agreed Fay. "While not sentient, these beings are intelligent and far more difficult to persuade with the Force." She added to my unasked question.

We returned to the stairs and tried two more routes, but both were blocked with fallen debris, and I was beginning to suspect that we'd have to fight our way through the Troglodytes when we reached the last possible way around the room.

"This is our only option," Dooku stated from his advanced position. "Padawan, stay to the rear and make sure that none of those beasts attempts to encircle us."

I nodded my consent and slipped behind the two adults, though I unhooked my lightsaber just in case it was needed.

We moved slowly down the corridor, taking each corner cautiously as we stepped and I used Detection before each turn as an extra precaution.

"It appears we will need to force our way through," Dooku stated in a voice barely above a whisper as we rounded yet another corner and saw that about two-hundred metres ahead, a doorway opened onto the corridor and a group of about eight Troglodytes were ambling around.

A glance at my mini-map told me that the doorway probably opened up onto the hall that we were trying to avoid.

"I think that door leads to the area where we first encountered these creatures," Fay added, not realising she was agreeing with my mini-map.

"Then if we wish to continue to the next level down we will have to find a way past them," Stated Dooku with a tone that hinted at annoyance. "We could calm them easily, but that runs the chance of others through the doorway still sensing them."

"Why not calm them, then lead them towards us to stun?" I suggested. "That should help clear out this group without alerting the others."

Both Jedi looked and me for a moment, before sharing a glance.

"An interesting solution," Dooku said with the barest hint of a twitch of his lips. "And one that avoids bloodshed. Unexpected."

I felt a little affronted that he expected me to suggest just attacking them. Admittedly I had considered doing that for the XP alone, but the sheer number of the creatures within my detection range – about fifty all over the level – made me cautious.

"Still, it is a good plan," Fay added with a smile as she turned and extended her hands towards the creatures. Slowly, each of them stood and shuffled towards us.

Once they were close enough that he was certain they were out of range of the door, Dooku extended his hand and began to stun them.

Not wanting to miss out on any XP from that, and seeing an excuse to use level up a Force Power, I joined him and quickly we had eight soundly sleeping creatures at our feet.

"A successful plan. Well done Padawan," Dooku commented as he stepped over the stunned Troglodytes to take the lead.

"It is refreshing to see one so young realise that not all problems are solved with the use of force." Added Fay as she fell into step behind him.

I followed their path through the sleeping beasts, only to become curious and reached down to gently touch one.

ID: Cthon [Creature]

Status: Stunned

Party XP sharing is in effect.

Do you wish to loot the body?

Yes/No?

'Yes.'

3 credits added!

…

Looting these bodies was going to be a waste, but at least I now had a name for the creatures. Though I did wonder what it meant exactly by Party XP. Did Fay and Dooku also have levels of their own, or was it just a way to limit me from gaining too much XP from allowing others to fight beside me?

A glance at my status showed I had gained just under 200XP since the start of the day. Without knowing the exact breakdown of how Party XP was calculated, I couldn't be sure, but it looked like I gained about 10XP for each Cthon that had been stunned.

'Perhaps I get a bigger part of that if I am the one who stunned them? Would that also apply if I killed them, and would the XP gain be greater?' I pondered as I stepped through the sleeping Cthon.

"We must move quickly and quietly past the door," Dooku said as I finished stepping past the sleeping creatures. "I will go first, followed by you Padawan."

"Yes, sir."

Suddenly Dooku was harder to spot, and I had to focus carefully to see him as I realised that he had summoned the Force to hide him, and I realised that this was what Force Camouflage looked like to others.

With silent steps, he moved quickly past the door and once he reached the other side turned back to face us.

A quick series of hand gestures told me that there were three Cthon near the door, but none were actively looking out into the corridor.

Figuring it was better to use the same power as Dooku, I activated Camouflage and walked quickly to where Dooku was waiting.

His brow rose a touch as I moved, I assumed because he didn't realise that I could also use Force Camouflage, though he said nothing as Fay crossed and we had moved a few metres past the doorway.

We moved quietly but quickly away from the occupied hall and soon found the way down to the next level.

"This could be a problem," Dooku muttered as we reached the next level, and found ourselves in a giant hall full of dozens of Cthon.

The nearest Cthon spotted us before we could do anything and screamed; drawing the attention of every one of the other Cthon in the hall.

Every Cthon turned to face us and screamed before, as one, they charged.

Dooku and I ignited our lightsabers and stepped forward as Fay lifted her hands.

A Cthon leapt at me from my left, and I instantly raised my lightsaber to slice it clean in half.

Three more charged from my right and I pushed them back roughly with the Force even as I sliced two more Cthon apart.

I couldn't risk a glance at either Jedi Master as another seven Cthon advanced on me and I was forced to twist and turn to avoid their claws even as I struck at them with my blade.

A female scream made me spin and I saw that Fay was covered in a net, which was pulsing with electricity.

A growl came from where Dooku was.

I grunted as my vision was blocked by bursts of blue and my hands spasmed.

Realising I was caught in a net the same as Fay, I tried to use my lightsaber to slice the net, only to grunt as my empty hand touched the net and collapsed to my knees.

I needed a way out of the net and without my lightsaber, that was not…

I used Teleport to move backwards about five meters and sighed in relief at losing the feeling of constant electricity surging over my skin.

A guttural scream drew me back to my surroundings, and I saw over a dozen Cthon closing on me, the nearest already raising their fists or primitive weapons to attack.

Reaching out with the Force, I grabbed any piece of rubble around me.

I accelerated them around my body before pushing out the rubble, sending it roaring at anything around my body, mentally hoping the Force and the weak sense of where they were, to prevent me from hitting Fay or Dooku.

Grunts, gargles and other guttural sounds were heard for less than a minute.

I opened my eyes, not even realising that I had closed them, and almost gagged on what I saw.

The floor around me, and at other spots around the hall, was covered in a disturbing mix of white loose skin and red blood with bones and other solid parts of what I assumed were internal organs of the Cthon, jagging out of the blood and skin. I mean, I’d seen bodies blown apart by RPGs and IEDs but this was on another level entirely. Plus, I was the cause of all this carnage.

"Padawan," I turned at the soft voice and saw Fay, who was now free of the net and kneeling next to me. There was no smile gracing her face, and a hand came to rest on my shoulder. "Are, are you well?"

"I... I think so," I mumbled. Player's Mind was engaged and had helped me think and act during the battle, but it had disengaged the moment the battle was over, and now I had to deal with having slaughtered so many creatures. "I, I didn't mean to do this," I said slowly. While the aftereffects of the battle were easy to handle, due to my past life, knowing that I had done this, and how easy it had been to do, was going to take some time to accept.

"No, you did not. However, if you had not, we may all have died." Dooku stated solemnly as he surveyed the room. "While… excessive, your efforts were successful in saving us."

Fay's head snapped around and she glared at her fellow Jedi Master, but she didn't say anything to him. That was the first time I saw her face marred by anything approaching anger, and I knew I never wanted to see such venom turned my way, nor see her features damaged by such a reaction.

"We should return to the Temple," she said slowly as she turned back to look at me. "This has been a... taxing moment."

"No!" I replied more forcefully than I intended. "No. I'm ok to keep going. We can talk about this later, but I feel we are close."

I used Detection and gasped at sensing something unexpected at the far side of the level. Something painful, angry, tormented was where my mini-map suggested the stairs down to the next level should be.

"There's something close, something off," I muttered as I closed my eyes and reached out with Detection again, only to recoil at what I sensed.

Darkness, pain, fury, desire.

"Yes, I too sense something. It resonates with the Dark Side, but I am not sure if it is this taint you both claim to believe is down here." Dooku added, agreeing with me.

"That we would find anything tainted with the Dark Side shows that our theory has merit," said Fay, countering Dooku's scepticism. "However, I am wary of placing our Padawan into another potential situation so soon after this."

"Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger," I muttered. "Something my grandfather used to say," I added quickly as an explanation for using an Earth-based expression that I wasn't sure existed in this galaxy.

"Not an entirely Jedi outlook, but true nonetheless," Dooku stated, giving me a fractional nod of approval.

"Very well, but Cameron, you are to remain behind us at all times from now on. I will not risk losing my first Padawan in centuries on our first mission. I would never forgive myself, and neither, I suspect, would the Force." Fay said with a sigh, once more reminding me of just how old she truly was.

She may look to only be a decade or so physically older than me, but she was not. The records in the Archives stated she joined the Order as one of the first Initiates on the cruiser Chu'unthor, which was launched approximately five-hundred years ago. That was the best I could do for discovering her age, as the records generally never stated how old a Jedi was when they were discovered and brought into the Order and Examine did not yet list the age of a being.

We moved slowly at first, Fay not wanting me to go too fast, through the hall and surrounding corridors – which were devoid of life without any sign of bloodshed – before picking up our speed once she was sure I was ok.

I would've liked to have stopped as my FP was barely above 500 after the battle, but I knew if we did stop, Fay would force us to return to the Temple. I stopped running Cloak and avoided using Detection and by the time we neared where I sensed the darkness, my FP had returned to just over 1500.

As the entrance to the next level down came into view, I spotted three new creatures.

These looked to be twice the height of the Cthon, and they had red, leathery skin, though it was uneven as were their heads, and none of the three looked the same.

"Wonderful," Dooku commented as the three beasts spotted us.

The creatures resisted Fay's attempt to calm them, and Dooku was forced to kill two before the third showed a hint of intelligence and ran away, heading down the stone tunnel.

It seemed that this level was the last of the initial temple as the tunnel headed inwards to the mountain instead of twisting around it as the last one-thousand-plus levels had done.

"Hopefully he doesn't have any friends," I said, which earned me glares from the Jedi Masters.

"Perhaps you would be wise to not suggest such things," Dooku stated with a grunt.

Fay smiled, but it was more of a grim smile than one of genuine happiness. I silently wondered if the Force took the place of Murphy in this universe.

The tunnel was longer and darker than anything we'd come across previously, with Dooku and I using our lightsabers as torches. From the time given by my interface, it seemed to take us about five times as long as descending between levels before the tunnel widened out into a cavern and as my eyes adjusted to the limited natural light, I groaned.

The beast that had run had gathered nearly a dozen of his friends, all of whom were waiting in the cavern, and growling at us.

"My fault," I muttered just as the beasts charged.

Dooku stepped forward, and almost lazily, avoided a clawed hand before slicing off the arm it was attached to, then pivoted and slashed another beast across the chest.

As that happened, Fay flicked her wrist, and sent two of the beasts flying into their brethren, knocking out five of them as the combined mass of limbs struck the wall; which was accompanied by the cracking of more than a few bones.

I had barely even managed to step forward to help when the last two beasts ran into the cavern.

"Sorry," I mumbled as Dooku turned to glare at me.

"Perhaps next time you will be more careful with your words," he stated as he clipped his lightsaber to his belt.

"Yes sir," I replied, even while cursing that Murphy was a thing here.

"This cave is within the mountain itself. There was nothing in the Archives that even hinted that such a thing existed." Fay said as she stepped past us and examined the walls of the cavern, only to pull her hand back sharply. "This place is tainted."

I used Detection and instantly regretted it as my mind was overloaded with whispers. Whispers of anger, of power, of rage, of taking what I wanted. An image from the crystal cave on Ilum flashed through my head and a glance at Fay had me glad I hadn't yet started puberty.

It was a little overwhelming and I slammed on Player's Mind and instantly the whispers ceased. This ability was so overpowered as to be ridiculous, but right now, I wasn't complaining.

"Cameron?" I turned and saw Fay looking at me.

"I am fine ma'am. Just a little unprepared to feel such… chaos."

"That is one word to describe what runs through this place," Dooku added without really opening his mouth. "Be wary, I sense that the taint is nearby and guarded."

"You now believe we are right about the taint?" Fay asked with a smile that failed to reach her eyes.

"To deny what I can see and feel would be a lie." He replied as he took point and lead us into the cavern.

For a few minutes, we walked with no light save that from our lightsabers, until the cavern began to narrow, and a small, narrow archway appeared. One that seemed to be marked with marking akin to hieroglyphs.

"These are ancient Sith markings," Fay commented as she floated her hand centimetres above the markings, seemingly being careful to not touch them. "I recognize a few from memory. They speak of, a well, used by warriors before battle. These say this temple was created to corrupt or dominate the nexus that is the mountain."

"A Sith Temple here? One that predates the Jedi Temple. How is this not known to the Order?" Dooku asked, probably more to himself than us as he stroked his beard. "How could the High Council not be aware of this?"

"Perhaps we can ask them after we've dealt with this place," I suggested, though I doubted they knew anything about this.

"Yes. Now let us see what awaits us within."

"Cameron, perhaps you should wait here," Fay suggested, placing a hand on my shoulder and giving me a motherly smile. "Whatever is inside will be dangerous and exposing you to such darkness is not something I am comfortable with."

"No. I helped you find this place; I should see things through." I countered. I was worried that if I did not help to clear the dark-side nexus then I'd fail the quest. And I was all but certain that with Player's Mind active that I was safe from any possible corruption.

Nothing so far, beyond being a new experience, was tempting me to go crazy and kill everyone. Though perhaps that is how falling to the dark side begins. With gentle whispers of power, of threats, of the ease with which I could drive them away and kill them. Not, as I’d expected, with grand gestures of power to tempt one to use it.

I remembered my talk with Revan and the discussion we had on trying to achieve balance with the Force. Could I use this as the first way to prove that I was serious about finding another way and impress Revan?

My body being rocked gently drew me from my thoughts.

"Cameron? Are you well?" Fay asked, her brow creased with concern.

"Yes, Master. I was just considering if there was a way to balance the taint here." I replied, making both Jedi look at me as though I had grown another head.

"Balance the taint? Not remove it?" Dooku asked slowly.

"Yes. Everything must exist in balance, right? I mean, if the ecosystem of a planet is unbalanced then eventually the animals and sentients living there will die out unless the balance is restored. Why should it not be the same for the Force?"

"So you wish to bring balance to the Force?" Fay asked, her brow creasing so much that I worried about her eyebrows going into her eyes.

"Yes. And no." I replied and sighed. "I am aware of a… prophecy that some have applied to me but that is not what I am thinking about. The Sith and the Jedi are two sides of the same coin. Two extremes of a pole. Too much one way, and nature, the Force, reacts and seeks balance. But often this tilt the other way takes things to that extreme."

"You seek to remove enough of the taint of the dark side within this place to bring it into balance. Neither light nor dark, just strong in the Force?" Dooku asked as he again stroked his beard.

"Yes."

"Interesting. But perhaps we should wait to see if such a thing is possible until after we secure the source of the taint." He stated and pivoted sharply to face the archway. "I sense danger inside, but not something we cannot handle if we work together."

"Agreed. But as I said, Cameron stays behind us." Fay added and I realised that the reason Fay had given me a shake was that I had spaced out while thinking about what to do with the dark side nexus.

As we stepped through the archway, a deep, animalistic growl echoed around the next cavern. Once that seemed to vibrate up my spine.

"Oh fuck me sideways," I muttered as, from the light that somehow was seeping into the far side of this new cavern, stood a giant beast that I remembered from the movies.

"How did a Rancor end up here?" Fay asked with a small shake of what I hoped was not fear. I did not need the two Jedi Masters to be scared of what we faced.

"The better question would be what has this taint done to it and the other beasts," Commented Dooku as he pulled a second lightsaber from his belt – one we had collected of a dead Jedi a dozen or so levels above – and ignited it.

I looked carefully at the Rancor and noted that it was different from the one in the movies. This one's skin was darkened, almost black in places, and extra spikes seemed to sprout from the skin where it was darkest.

The beasts that had been in the last cavern were here too, and a half-dozen or so of them also had darker skin and spikes.

"This is going to be fun," I drawled without any feeling.

The Rancor roared once more and then charged.

… ...

… ...

I groaned as I began to wake and moved to sit up, only to feel a hand on my shoulder holding me down.

"Easy there Padawan," a female voice said, and I slowly opened my eyes, blinking at the soft lighting in the room. As I grew accustomed to the light, a notice floated before my face.

You have slept for over 8 hours.

HP, FP, PP and Stam are 100% restored.

All negative statuses and ailments have been removed.

…

I waved the notice away, still wondering how to at least move that reminder to a more convenient location and focused on the other person in the room.

She was of the same species as Master Fisto – who I had only met in passing around the temple – but her skin was darker, almost grey. A Nau-something-or-other. The name of the species escaping me at the moment.

"You are in the temple's healing complex," She said, having guessed my first question. "Your masters brought you here after you fainted. From our examinations, it appears that you overexerted yourself with the Force and passed out."

"Ah," I managed to get out, my voice coming as more of a croak. I licked my lips and felt how dry they are.

"Here," the healer passed me a glass of water.

I sipped at it, careful to not drink it too fast, before handing it back to her.

"Thanks. How am I? Anything wrong?"

"You are fine, young one," She replied with a smile that combined with the tentacles on her head and her jet-black eyes, was a little disconcerting. I knew it was wrong, but a small part of me was still uncomfortable around the more stereo-typically alien-looking aliens of this galaxy.

"If I may, I will go and inform your masters that you are awake now."

"Ok," I replied and watched her leave the small private room I was in.

The moment the doors closed, I pulled up the two blinking notices.

Quest Completed

Cleanse the Temple

Objective:

Find the dark side taint and cleanse it [Yes]

Rewards:

3000XP

...

LEVEL UP!

Level: 10 – 11

FP: +500

PP: +2

STAM: +15

SP: +5

SKP: +32

...

NOTE

While you did not directly finish the Quest Cleanse the Temple, your actions ensured that it could be completed.

This is enough to regard the quest as completed.

Please note that only a handful of quests can be completed in this manner.

...

'Huh, well that was unexpected. But useful.' If certain quests like Cleansing the Temple could be completed by others in a group with me, then it would make the more long-winded quests I was sure to develop easier to handle. Perhaps it had something to do with the same issue as earning Party XP from combat.

I was pulled from my thoughts as I heard the doors open, which I turned to face as I subtly waved away the notices.

"Good morning Cameron. How are you feeling?" Fay asked as she walked into the room with Dooku, the Jedi healer a step behind them.

"I'm fine, Master Fay. How long was I out?" I replied, curious as there was no mention of the Expert Duellist quest, which would expire on my birthday.

"You have been here since yesterday Padawan," the healer replied as she stepped beside the other Jedi, before turning to them. "Padawan Shan shows no signs of any ailment, so he is free to leave with you."

"Thank you, Master Zod. Come Padawan."

Say what you will for Dooku's abilities, it was still hard to not roll my eyes at being ordered about like an army recruit again.

Fay stayed beside the bed as I stood, and we both followed him out of the room.

"What happened to me?"

"You over-exerted yourself with the Force and pushed too far with Battle Meditation," Fay explained as we walked through the infirmary. I noted a few of the younger Jedi glance at me but I ignored them. I'd been getting such glances since I'd arrived, with them becoming far more prevalent after my performance in the Initiate Trials and discovering that others thought I was the 'Chosen One'.

"Ahh, that's right," I murmured as the memory came back to me. In the closing moments of the fight, to help Fay and Dooku, I had used Battle Meditation. The power had only run for a few moments but, in that time I’d felt a connection to them that was hard to describe. Almost as if our minds were in perfect sync.

"Yes, your Battle Meditation," Dooku drawled, glancing at me. "While we thank you for the help, we would prefer if you were more careful in future. Having you collapse like that could place all of our lives in danger, as we needed to both protect you and ourselves."

"That is not to say that we are unappreciative," Fay added, after glancing at Dooku. "And it was effective in helping us more effectively eliminate the Rancor, but Battle Meditation is best used if everyone is expecting it. To be thrust into it suddenly was momentarily disorienting, and that is potentially dangerous, not to mention taxing on yourself without the right preparation, as you learned first-hand."

"Understood ma'am," I said as a new notice appeared in my log. There was more to what had happened.

"What about the temple in the mountain?" I asked. I already knew it had been dealt with because of the quest completion notice, but I had to ask to avoid suspicion. Plus, I was curious if they had taken my suggestion to heart and merely balanced the taint, and not removed it altogether.

"The High Council directed a team of Jedi to cleanse the place when we returned with you last night," Dooku explained with a subtle twitch of his mouth. "From the reports I have been shown, they were very, thorough, in removing all traces of the dark side from the place."

"Ah," I replied, trying to keep any annoyance out of my tone.

"This is the standard practice of the High Council when dealing with discovered minor dark side nexuses. Major nexuses are classified and placed on a list that only the High Council or other senior Jedi Masters can access." Fay explained calmly. "I meditated on your suggestion of balancing a nexus last night. I feel that you may have discovered a better approach to handling nexuses, and I suggested it to the High Council this morning. Perhaps they will consider it in future. At least where a minor nexus or point of Dark Side corruption is discovered."

I nodded at her words, but I didn't hold out much hope that the High Council would listen to her. From what I remembered from before, and had seen while here, the Council was set in its way.

We walked in silence after that, and I used the time to pull up the new notice.

Force Power Discovered!

Oneness

SrvseYsbsdYysdgdvsddgsvsd

Asfasftsas

...

Well, that was unexpected!

We hadn't expected you to gain that Force Power until you were much older.

You are not ready for the ramifications of using that power.

Thus, it is now locked.

This means the power is there, however, you cannot train it up in the manner you have other powers.

As for when and how we will unlock it…

That is for us to know and for you to find out.

I frowned as I read the note from the powers that be, but since I had no real idea of how exactly I had accessed this Oneness, I wasn't too concerned about having a locked power. Nor was I stupid enough to argue with beings capable of pulling me across time and dimensions.

Clever Boy!

Soon we reached one of the mess halls and I spotted Serra and Aayla waving to me from where Dragon Clan was sitting.

"Go, spend time with your friends. We will be leaving tomorrow and when we return, they may have been selected as Padawans themselves," Fay said, and I turned to see her smiling at me. "Say your goodbyes."

"Thank you, master," I replied with a slight bow before turning to Dooku. "Master Dooku, since I will be leaving tomorrow with Master Fay, I was hoping we could spend more time today training in Makashi. Will this be possible?"

Dooku rubbed his beard. "Hmm. Yes, I believe this may be possible. I have no scheduled classes from fourteen hundred, so I will meet you in the sparring arena then. Good day." He nodded to both of us then walked off towards a pair of Jedi, one of whom I spotted to be Sifo-Dyas.

I turned back to Fay but saw she had already stepped away and was speaking with Master Yaddle, so after grabbing some food, I headed over to where Dragon Clan was sitting.

"Hey Cameron, so you remembered we exist, did you?" Aayla teased as I sat next to her, and she bumped me with her shoulder.

"How could I ever forget your lovely lekku?" I teased back, ignoring the slight twinging of dark blue that came to her cheeks as I turned to look at the others. "How have you all been?"

"Bored," Serra replied with a sigh. "With you and Darihd now Padawans, the clan minder put Sia-Lan in charge. She's no fun."

"Just because you suck at being in charge isn’t my fault Serra," Sia-Lan countered, sending me a small smile as she spoke. "So, rumour has it you fought a Terrantatek under the temple." She added.

"No idea what that is, but we did run into a Rancor," I replied, noting the way a few of the clan leaned forward.

"Wicked!" Stated Lon with a massive smile. "That sounds awesome!"

"No, it's really not," I replied with a sigh.

"What exactly did happen?" Asked Aayla. "We've asked around, but the High Council has deemed it classified, and only other Masters know about it."

I frowned. There was no reason for the High Council to do this. The nexus was cleansed – the quest completion confirmed this – so there was no longer any risk to any of the Jedi. Even if the younger Jedi learned what happened, it would change nothing.

I huffed internally. The High Council seemed to have a blanket policy of either hoarding knowledge of the Force they deemed too strong or purging all traces of knowledge about the Force except for what they deemed as 'The Light Side'. This was... an extremely narrow-minded and self-destructive practice for them. One I was steadily learning was all too common around here and helped me see how the Sith had so easily manoeuvred the Jedi. Heck, it was giving me ideas on how to shift some Jedi around to see things from my perspective.

I considered how I wanted to play this as I took a bite of my roll and then leaned forward.

"I'll tell you what happened, but I need you all to see that this isn't a joke. Even on Coruscant, even on this mountain, there are dangers that could maim or kill us." I said in a voice barely above a whisper. This would be a good chance to hopefully make one or two of them more cautious. Of everyone here, I only knew for certain that Aayla made it to the Clone Wars. If I could, I wanted to make sure all of them did, and making them more willing to listen to me over others might just be useful to me later in life; though how that would be useful I couldn’t currently say.

So, I started on the story, explaining how Fay, Dooku and I had been taking expeditions to the lower levels of the temple for over a week. While they already knew this, I wanted to cover everything to help build up the story.

As was expected when entertaining children with an exciting story, I had a very good, and attentive audience.

Gasps and exclamations in all the right places, until I finally told them about meeting the Rancor in the heart of the nexus.

"Now, mind you, I was unconscious for part of it, but I can remember most of it," I said, as I thought back to those last moments...

I had thought, after the life that I had lived before this one and the incidents that had occurred during this one, that there wasn't much that could scare me.

I had been shot at, shot in, thrown across a street as my friend was blown up with an RPG, assaulted by a man wielding a flamethrower, attacked by a Sith Warrior who had helped kill my grandfather, and even attacked by subterranean monsters less than an hour earlier.

I figured I really should be numb to fear.

Yet hearing a rancor roar then charge you, was terrifying in a whole new, and more primaeval way. The kind of fear that is the more, tiger vs bunny rabbit instinctive way.

Something that was nearly ten meters tall and weighing what I suspected was more than a few tons, charged at us with more speed than a beast its size logically should.

Thankfully though, all the fear faded as Player's Mind auto-engaged and I was able to think calmly again.

"Scatter!" Dooku shouted as he Force Leapt to my left and sliced two of the smaller beasts – I was going to call them grunts – in half as he landed.

I moved to my right and ducked under the wild swing of one of the grunts. My lightsaber cut it at the knee as I passed, and I pivoted around and took its head.

A giant boulder went flying past me and smashed into the on-rushing Rancor and I glanced to where it had come from to see Fay; three more large boulders lifting off the floor beside her.

"Stay back Cameron. These beasts are tainted by the dark side," She said as she calmly sent a boulder into three of the altered grunts; squishing them into a paste. "They are far more dangerous than what we've faced before."

"I'll try," I replied as I side-stepped one of the regular grunts before slashing its chest as it passed me.

I glanced up to see Dooku rolling out of the reach of one of the rancor's massive paws, bringing his lightsaber down on the arm as he did so. However, his sure expression shifted slightly as the blade just bounced off harmlessly.

"How," I heard Fay mutter as she sent a blast of pure Force energy at one of the mutated grunts, only for the grunt to shrug off the attack as it hit a patch of darkened skin.

My blade bounced off the skin of a mutated grunt, only to then slice it where the skin was the same colour as the non-mutated grunts.

"Their skin is only protected where it's darkened!" I shouted out as I drove my blade through the mouth of the grunt then pushed the body back with the Force into the last grunt; with them being squashed under a stalactite that came loose from the ceiling.

Neither Jedi Master said anything, though I watched as Fay now sent a long, narrow rock hurling at the rancor, piercing its skin where it wasn't darkened. Dooku then used the beast's roar of pain to step in and slice off one of its giant clawed fingers.

The beast roared again, and I felt a surge of fear shoot through me as it charged at Dooku. The old man leapt aside to avoid a massive, clawed paw, only to be knocked away by a swing of the other arm.

As Dooku came to a sliding stop near the far wall of the cavern, I realized that I couldn't help him fight it directly, and throwing debris as Fay was doing would be redundant. Plus, I wasn't skilled enough to use TK like this in battle. However, there was something I COULD do.

Seeing that the grunts were all down, I moved to a corner of the room, clipped my lightsaber to my belt, and knelt. Taking a deep breath, I activated Battle Meditation.

I reached out with the Force and tried to mentally touch both Jedi. After a few seconds, I was able to get a very weak link. I used the link to try and instil confidence in them that they could take the beast down and link their minds to each other.

I knew I couldn't hold the connection for long but giving them even a minute might be enough.

I felt my FP begin to run out but pushed deeper into the Force, asking it to help. I still wasn't sure whether the Force was truly alive or not, but at this point, I wasn't above imploring possible deities. Straining my mind, I kept pushing further until...

I gasped out loud as I felt SOMETHING respond and wash over my mind and body. Power flooded into me and the connections between me and the two Jedi Masters instantly strengthened. I imagined that I could see what each was doing as if I was perceiving through their senses, and not just my own.

Fay started striking the beast at the non-darkened spots and Dooku seemed to instantly know where and when to strike to complement Fay's strikes to do the most damage.

As Fay used the Force to continually strike the rancor with debris, Dooku wormed around it, striking exposed weak points with his blade. The rancor stumbled back, unable to take the renewed onslaught, but just as it fell to a knee, I felt my connection to my Masters fade. As my eyes snapped open, I struggled to breathe, or even see with my eyes what was going on.

"…" I saw Fay's lips move but I heard nothing as my vision failed me and I was surrounded in darkness.

"Wow, that sounds so exciting!" Lon exclaimed.

"Yeah, I was so excited that when it roared and charged, I almost crapped myself," I responded dryly. That drew a few laughs. "If not for Masters Fay and Dooku, I would've died."

That destroyed the mood of the table as I kept going.

"I thought I could handle anything, but I was wrong. I was arrogant and because of that I almost got into real trouble." I stated. While not totally true, I figured that teaching these kids to be more careful than most Jedi will help them live longer.

"But you didn't," countered Trudie, her curly blonde hair bouncing as she leaned across the table.

"Only because of my Masters. We all think we're ready, but we're not. Watching Master Dooku showed me just how far I still have to go, and how far we all still have to go if we want to be useful."

The others all were looking at me carefully. They clearly wanted to hear more of what had happened in greater detail, since I had left certain parts out and had been vague about what had happened while in the Battle Meditation. However, my warning was making each of them a little worried that what had happened to me could eventually happen to them, and I suspected that they were scared that they wouldn't be so lucky.

I resolved to myself then and there to try and prepare them much as possible so that they would never have to be as lucky as I was.

… ...

… ...

As I stepped out of the sonic shower, I smiled.

Today was the day I finally got out of the Temple and could begin to see the galaxy and hopefully find a real water shower to use. Sure, a sonic shower might be better at cleaning you, but it wasn't the most relaxing as something was missing from the experience.

I was drawn out of my musing as I saw the notice for quest completion, though I frowned as under that was a blinking white notification.

I'd never seen a white notification before; quests usually came in light and dark blue – for alerts and completions – or red when I failed while general interface messages such as level-ups or the annoying sleep statements, were in grey.

I tapped both and as I read the white one, felt my brow rise.

Quest Completed!

Expert Duellist

Objectives:

Get Makashi to Master 1 by your ninth (9th) birthday. [Yes]

? Get it to Master 25 [Yes]

? Get it to Master 50 [No]

Rewards:

3000XP

1400XP

...

It's Your Birthday!

To help with your growth, each birthday you gain 1/3 of your current level's needed XP.

This will last until you reach 11 cycles, and the system will upgrade.

Knowledge Skills suffer 10*strata levels of degradation.

NOTE:

Degradation decreased by 75% due to perk Photographic Memory.

Degradation suffered is now 2.5*strata

...

I had only passed Expert Duellist by using Skill points, and then, on a hunch, had spent more to get to Master:25. I was pleased to see that the pattern of level 25 being the first bonus objective held true and even after spending so many skill points, I had thirty still to use.

The birthday notice was unexpected, but that meant I had just been granted about 3500XP, though as I read the notice, I remembered it being mentioned before. Regardless, there was no way was I going to complain about free XP.

I honestly had forgotten about the degradation of knowledge-based skills as these weren't the skills that counted towards levels but instead referred to my general knowledge about science, people, governments and so forth.

Though I was certain to take the perk Eidetic Memory at the next level up.

According to its description, it removed all knowledge loss and gave me perfect recall of everything I had ever known/seen/felt. While sounding a little overwhelming, having perfect recall of The Clone Wars cartoon and the movies was going to be a godsend.

I quickly called up my status.

Cameron Shan

Species: Human

Title: The Player

Level 11

HP: 160/160

FP: 5500/5500

PP: 22/22

XP [8578/11000]

STAM [181/181]

Hunger [0/100]

STR: 11 +

VIT: 11 +

AGI: 11 +

INT: 16 +

WIS: 12 +

CH: 11 +

Luck: 0 + [+10]

SP: 6

SKP: 32

Perk P: 0

PPP: 0

Credits: 4251

"Nice," I muttered. Thanks to using the skill points and my birthday surprise, I was only 2500XP from another level up.

I had used Examine yesterday while having a meal with Dragon Clan to learn the levels of those around my age. Serra and Sia-Lan were the highest at Level 9, while Aayla had been at Level 8 and the others were all lower.

From that, I was working on the assumption that most levels correlated to growth since the interface's help stated that most Human adults were between levels 20 and 25, and the human body generally stopped true physical development and brain maturation around that period.

An interesting thing was that none of the Initiates had detected my usage of Examine, so I planned to use it later with Fay just before we left the Temple. Hopefully, she wouldn't sense it, but if she did, it could just be waved off as a passing feeling.

The strangest thing though was learning that using Examine on a sentient improved the Force Power Empathy, with my perk Empathy granting a bonus to experience gained for the power. I had no idea how to even use the power, but at least this meant that the perk wasn't a total waste.

Putting that to the back of my mind, I focused on what I had been planning in the sonic shower and considered my next batch of learning quests. Soon enough I had five of them.

Generational Duellist was to raise Makashi to Savant:1 within half a year and granted 3000XP.

Competent Defender was to get Soresu to Professional:1 in the same time frame and granted 1000XP.

Both of those carried two hidden objectives, though from experience I knew they were for levels 25 and 50 of the relevant strata.

Cash in Hand was a straightforward quest; have one million credits to my name by the time I was eighteen. There were four hidden objectives, and I believed those referred to completing the task early and/or having more money by the deadline.

Fluffing any of those quests would just result in a loss of XP – and a block on storing money in my inventory for a few years for Cash in Hand – so there was no real danger to them unlike some of my earlier quests which carried the threat of locked skills if failed.

Force to the Max was a quest to max out as many Force powers as possible. Each maxing granted me 1000XP, and I instantly gained that amount as Force Power: Serenity was already maxed out.

Skilled to the Max was similar Force to the Max, though it applied to skills, with each maxed skill granting me 500XP; and there I gained 1000XP for Meditation and Concentration.

That combined instant XP left me less than 500 from levelling up, which was a nice surprise, and I realized that these two quests were going to be constant, abusable means of gaining XP, as they had no time limit.

My list covering what I needed to do to prepare for the coming war was still growing, and I suspected I could adapt most of it into quests, but much of it was dependent on how much say I had in where I went with Fay, and what we would be doing over the coming months.

… ...

… ...

"Is this all you wish to take?" Fay asked me as I met her near the temple's public hangar bay.

I had only my lightsaber and a standard Jedi utility belt on me. However, I had two small bags in my Inventory; one contained a spare set of robes and the other was full of food. A careful examination of the interface helped me to learn that anything placed in my inventory was in stasis and thus would remain in the condition it entered regardless of when I removed it.

The bags were going to be my proof of this, but if it worked, I felt I'd discovered another loophole in the strange powers I now had. In addition to the bags, my inventory also held the remains of the two lightsabers that had been destroyed on Ilum. I estimated them to be enough to make a single new weapon. I had the crystals from those lightsabers stored separately.

I also had the three functioning lightsabers found while we were exploring the lower levels of the temple, an ancient vibroblade and blaster, along with a spare energy pack and the Sith Holocron from the ship that had brought me to Coruscant.

There were also two datapads; one with my ideas/plans/notes and the other with the data for how to return to Dromund Kaas and the flight plan of the ship the Sith had used.

"Yes, ma'am. I was not told to bring anything else." I said as I reached her.

She placed her hand on my shoulder and seeing my chance, I placed my hand on her arm as she spoke.

"I do not know where we will go Cameron, but the Force will guide us to where we are needed. Once we reach the spaceport, we will meditate and see what path the Force has ready for us." She said with a soft smile and as she began to remove her hand, I took my shot and activated Examine.

"Master, is everything alright?" I asked as Fay stumbled backwards

"Yes, Yes. I just felt… something unusual," She said as she stared at me. "Most unusual, yet I don't think it was anything to worry about. Now come along, we have a path to find."

As she turned and began to walk, I pulled up the notice of what Examine had discovered.

Fay

Race: Sephi-Human Hybrid

Level: 50

Health: 100%

Force Potential: High

Emotional State: Relaxed/Excited

Fay is one of the oldest living members of the Jedi Order.

She feels you have a part to play in countering the darkness that has fallen across the galaxy.

Though she is uncertain of what this will mean for her and the other Jedi.

...

'Holy fuck! Level fifty!' I almost stumbled when I read that. That was more than double the average adult according to the help, and combined with her high Force Potential, meant she was an incredibly powerful Jedi. Learning that she felt I was important but was unsure about how was not unexpected, as she’d hinted about that. still, the confirmation was nice. And I was glad to see she didn't feel drawn to me like, according to Examine, a few members of Dragon Clan were.

Another notice stated that I had levelled up Empathy, which was interesting, as Fay was only the ninth person I'd used Examine on. If that pattern held, levelling up that power was going to be easy.

As we walked to the nearest landing pad and the waiting speeder that would take us to the spaceport, I wondered just what level Dooku and the High Council members were. I suspected that only a few would be at or higher than Fay's level.

When we returned in half a year, I would have to see where Dooku stood and compare myself to the members of Dragon Clan to see how my growth hopefully surpassed their own.

On the flight to the spaceport, I wondered just what the next few months hold, and what I could learn. I silently hoped that at least some of it would be relevant to my plans and preparations for the future.

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