Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma/Knights of the Old Republic ❯ Destinies in the Force ( Chapter 1 )

Ranma/Knights of the Old Republic

 

< >: Thoughts

 

Disclaimer: I have no ownership of Ranma 1/2 or Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2.

 

Chapter 1

 

Destinies in the Force

 

<< Italic >> : T3's translated language

 

******

 

Revan was busy running through his data records in the security room of the Ebon Hawk and when he was done he decided to go and see the progress of their young visitor.

 

After they had used the Force to control and subdue Genma Saotome, they also used the Force to make him go to a police station to confess to some of the crimes he had been committing in the city, the first was to make sure that he was out of the hair of the two Jedi, the second was to make him be punished for what he did, and the last reason was to keep him away from the boy. Such an act would have been considered an abuse of the Force, but from what both he and Jesse had seen, it was a good move on their part, since they had no doubts that the man would do something even more idiotic to the child.

 

HK and T3 were rightfully surprised when they came back early with a civilian in their hands. HK was wondering if the child was for target practice, but the three others ordered him to forget the idea. The assassin droid was now assigned to act as security detail for the ship while the Jedi tended to their work and to the still present wounds of the unconscious lad. The droid had been programmed to now use a stealth generator by both Revan and Jesse. The droid had been ordered to use lethal force only IF the threat attacked the ship should they find it. The assassin droid was naturally disappointed not being able to `ventilate' any meat bags with it's weapon, but it followed the orders handed to it by Revan.

 

Revan then arrived at the medical bay of the Ebon Hawk, where Jesse was checking on the boy. When they arrived, they used kolto to further clean and heal the wounds and to at least remove the smell on the boy, they also removed his torn, bloody, and soiled clothes and got him some new ones. Revan had gone back to town and bought clothes, namely a clean shirt and a pair of pants for the boy and he was happy that they were just the boy's size to wear once he recovered consciousness.

 

“How is he?”

 

Jesse turned to face his commander and old friend in the Mandalorian Wars as he finished his last stages of treatment. The Jedi had no choice but break way from their investigations in order to treat the young boy. They were also disgusted by the signs of lack of basic nutrition and healthy growth in the boy. His immune system was still holding on, but the lack of nutrition and haphazard health care was evident, tough now that the boy had tapped into the Force, he was healing well enough to recover gradually.

 

“He's still exhausted and resting; I gave him some nutrient injections, since he won't be able to eat anything until he wakes up. I'm surprised that he had lived this long under such conditions, there are scars on him, meaning he's been injured before, and badly from the looks of it. He's a real lucky boy to have made it this far.”

 

“I know…he's very lucky.”

 

Both Jedi then made their way to the main hold and sat around the map/communication projector, took to some seats and thought over their current situation.

 

“We staying here to track down any Sith presence?” Jesse asked as he leaned back a bit. T3 then rolled in and carried a tray that had two cups of hot caf for both Jedi Knights, both made the way both Jedi liked the hot and calming beverage.

 

“Thanks T3.” Both Jedi said in gratitude to the astromech droid for bringing them a hot drink to think over the situation they were in. They still had good stocks of food, and supplies…thanks to Jesse and Revan buying needed supplies when the opportunity came.

 

As they drank the caf, Revan nodded as he set down the cup in his hands.

 

“It'll take time, but we have to be thorough or else we'll be in real trouble. Once we're done with our search, we can head back to the Republic and give our findings about the Sith Empire for the past few years. But what I am concerned about right now…is what to do with our guest.”

 

Jesse gave a sigh of disgust. “I can't believe THAT irresponsible son of a Kath Hound is the boy's father!!! A mynock is a far better father than him! How much intelligence does one need to know that doing that to a child is insane anyway?! Who in his right mind would subject a child to such cruelty, SIX times no less?!”

 

Revan was in agreement with Jesse's assessment of Genma. When they got back to the Ebon Hawk they were able to gleam the facts that today was the SIXTH time the boy had been exposed to such a flawed and insane technique from the boy's memories, they were even more shocked. Plus the other things they had seen made them very much disgusted with Ranma's father. Forcing the boy to steal clothes, food, supplies, all under the pretence of a game, eating only rice, thus contributing to a drop in his regular dietary allowance, along with barely eating right amounts, being insulted and cursed as weak willed and coward if he didn't complete a test or training regime and to push him on. Plus that of the Cat Fist, his mind being twisted and becoming feral, attacking others with bestial rage and anger was a terrifying thing, for both victim and the attacker. Combine that with the Force, then the results would have been too bloody to describe in full detail.

 

Both Jedi finished their caf and decided not to dwell on that possibility. They wondered if the Force had a reason for them to arrive and then sense the boy's awakened potential when he used his Force Scream. They had not sensed it when they were on this planet for only a short period, but now they could sense considerable talent in the Force from the boy. But they also wondered what would have happened if they did not come here, and the Sith did and they found the boy instead.

 

Considering the nature of how the boy was awakened to the Force, then the Sith would have little to no difficulty in training him to the use of the Dark Side, combine that with the Cat Fist, then who knew what kind of Sith the young man would become under the tutelage of the Sith Empire…and considering the wealth possessed by the Sith in terms of precious metals and resources…they knew that the fat man who was the boy's father would jump at the chance to get the money and if they read enough, he would then try and steal him back…but stealing from a Sith would be the same as trying to take on a Wookiee in the legendary Wookiee Rage…which by natural rights was VERY unhealthy.

 

But that also would mean that they would have to come to a decision. And that was to either sever Ranma's connections to the Force…or to train him in the ways of the Force, to become a Jedi. Both options would present advantages and disadvantages as well.

 

The first option would allow him to live a `normal' life in technical terms since he would not have much potential in the Force to be sufficient for Sith Warrior training and that would mean that the chances of him being forced to misuse his new abilities would be lessened and then his idiot father would not use him as a meal ticket every chance he got.

 

However, that would also mean the loss of something that could help him in certain situations. Jesse and Revan knew that others can do things other Jedi could not, but for Jedi…the loss of the Force was a horrible thing to contemplate. Jesse would know, after all…he had been stripped violently of the Force on Malachor 5 and a deep hunger to fill that void was deep in him and he was now aware of the wound when he met the reunited Jedi Masters of Dantooine, before Kreia killed them all. He saw a dark mirror of himself had he given into the brutal hunger for life and the Force in Darth Nihilus, and all this time wandering the universe, he worked hard to avoid giving into the hunger and he was winning, though with greater effort when not in the presence of all his comrades.

 

Such a loss would no doubt leave behind scars, and considering the way the Force was awakened in the child, that would just deepen the loss. And the Jedi felt that the Force had a plan for the child so they decided that removing the Force would only be done if the boy was willing for it to happen.

 

The second option was far more promising, The Force was considerably strong in him and that made the young lad a prime Jedi candidate. With the proper training and guidance, he could be able to utilize the hidden powers given by the Force. And both Jedi knew that he would be safe from those who would prey on his newly awakened gifts in the Force…most especially that moronic father of his and the Sith.

 

However it too had some downsides. The first was the fact that the Jedi would need to ask the consent of the parents of the child to take the boy with them to the Jedi for training. The things they learned about the boy's father made them realize early on that asking for his approval would be out of the question, due to all his dishonourable and foolish actions concerning the boy's life. The mother was also a bit of an odd piece in the sense that they had no idea as to who the child's mother was, if she was alive or not. It would also mean that they had no idea as to how the mother would act, would she listen and agree to the training…or would she say no. Jedi may have been known as heroes, warriors, and diplomats, but not all held Jedi in high regard, namely for several reasons.

 

The ways of the Jedi were always mysterious and hard to understand, it was even more so when the Jedi refused to aid the Republic during the Mandalorian Wars, and then into the Jedi Civil War. The people also blamed the Jedi for difficulties they encountered, as Jesse found out on Dantooine, where many settlers hated the Jedi in the belief that their arrogance and pride led to the bombardment of their world, and even some of the refugees on Nar Shaddaa blamed the Jedi and the Sith for their current status in the galaxy and the loss of all they loved. Atton Rand was the most effective living example of that view in Jesse's mind.

 

Another was the fact that most Sith now were once Jedi themselves, they were the ones who started such brutal wars that burned the Galaxy and served to further blur the lines between the Sith and Jedi. Those Jedi who became Sith were lured into the Dark Side by many means and reasons, that when gazed at a certain view-point, was nothing more than inflicting death. Revan knew that all too well when he was still Dark Lord of the Sith, and even Jesse skirted the Dark Side on a few times, namely when his hunger for the Force began to manifest. The founding member of the Sith Order was himself an ancient Jedi named Xendor who founded the Dark Jedi who became the ancestors of the Sith, and the events led to the First Great Schism within the ancient Jedi Order.

 

One more was the fact that despite the boy's age which was still optimal for him to be chosen, he had already developed ties with his family and those were by most part normal, but the separation from all he loved and cared for was a harsh choice to make and would make it hard for the boy to live out his life in the Jedi Order. They had doubts about the boy's relationship with his father and felt that despite their ties by blood, the boy was now losing respect, understanding, and patience with his male parent, while there were gentler emotions towards his mother. The later was a good thing, but that too would be tested greatly.

 

The next was the people who considered the recruitment of children at such a young age was a mistake to break apart families, considering Jedi home-wreckers and baby snatchers. This naturally was a foolish suggestion as Jedi would never voluntarily take children from their families, but prefer to speak to the parents and give them the choice of allowing their child to train as a Jedi, if the parents allowed it then the child would be taken to the Jedi for evaluation for Jedi training, and when considered as a Youngling would be trained alongside others like him. If they chose not to allow it, then the matter is settled and the family is left in peace. Despite this meeting of agreement, many still consider such moves as nothing more than a way to break apart families…and therefore, many would not be willing to allow their children to learn the Force. It wasn't always so however…

 

Long ago in history, the Jedi welcomed whole families into the fold of the Jedi Order, and many were great and powerful Jedi, but Exar Kun corrupted many of them to serve in his side during his time as the Dark Lord of the Sith, the most tragic symbol of the corruption was the fate of both the Qel Droma brothers, Ulic and Cay, the former once thought of doing great good by infiltrating the Sith and the Krath, destroying it from the inside, but was seduced by the Dark Side and it's followers and turned on those he had once called friends, loved ones, and family. After leading the Sith in several bloody massacres and the raid on Ossus, both brothers would meet again…and for the last time. Cay sought to save his brother Ulic even in the midst of battle, and paid for it with his life when Ulic killed him without mercy…but Ulic found out the horror of what he had done, and returned to the Light, however it was too late as his former love Nomi Sunrider severed his tie to the Force, and then the redeemed Jedi aided the Republic one more time before leaving the known Galaxy to exile.

 

He then was sought out by Vima, Nomi's daughter on Rhen Var and though he was severed from the Force and reluctant to teach anyone in fear of corrupting them, he agreed in the end and while they trained they erected statues to honour the Jedi, such as Master Arca and Nomi's husband Andur. Nomi found them and though the meeting was awkward, she saw that Ulic was finally making peace with himself. However, a Cathar Jedi named Sylvar came to kill Ulic for the death of her mate by the exiled Jedi's own hands, though Ulic at first fought to defend himself, he then refused to fight and finally convinced her to put down her weapon, and spoke his final words before being shot in the heart by the freighter pilot, named Hoggon, who brought him to the planet, then Vima, and then Nomi.

 

“I cannot change the past. I meant to do good. But the Dark Side is slippery, as you yourself should know. I tried to hide. I tried to die. And finally, I tried to atone. You are not my judge Sylvar. You are simply a pawn of your own emotions. I will not fight you.”

 

As he lay dying on the snows of Rhen Var, in the hands of his former love Nomi, Ulic once more asked for forgiveness for all he had done when in the thrall of the Dark Side, to which in her own tears, she replied she had already given. He then gave a necklace to Vima, thanking his Padawan that through her, he was finally able to forgive himself. In those moments, despite being stripped of the Force, Ulic's body was bathed in energy as his life left him…becoming one with the Force, to which Nomi had explained that only Jedi Masters could accomplish, showing that though he was stripped of the Force he was a Jedi Master both in Rank, Heart, and Spirit.

 

Though Ulic's redemption was a shining beacon to many, the price he had to pay to be redeemed was seen as too emotional and damaging to any person to bear, with all the conflicting emotions that went with it. Thus came the policy of taking children who are young to ensure that in some ways, they would not be forced to endure such emotions that could be easily preyed upon by the Dark Side. It was a policy that many would see as a double edged sword, one side did avoid certain emotions that were used by the Dark Side, the other was that it added emotional pain and separation and could also lead to the Dark Side.

 

Revan and Jesse knew the history and they understood the pros and cons of such a policy, so therefore they felt that until they were absolutely sure about all the needed information, it was not their place to take the boy for training. For now all they had to do was help the boy recover while keeping him safe. The boy would recover in time so they had a lot of things left to do.

 

Revan's life was the same when he was found by the Jedi Order, like all Padawans, he had parents, ancestors, and a home-planet. But those were forgotten, though the Council did state that in their re-programming of his shattered mind that he was from Deralia. When he recovered his identity and his past, he forsook the ties he had to the Dark Side and went after Malak…and even if Deralia was never his home, he chose instead to go there and have his and Bastila's wedding ceremony there. Though his true home-planet would never be known to him now he accepted that and focused what was needed to be done.

 

Jesse was likewise on the same boat. He was a native of the planet Naboo, and had once been part of the Naboo nobility, but his father chose to marry out of the social ladder and married a commoner…who was also Force Sensitive. The marriage was frowned upon, but still respected, and like all Padawans who were found, he too was sensed by a Jedi, none other than his now deceased Master and friend, Kavar who sponsored his training.

 

Both of them adjusted well, but they also understood how hard it would be for some who were young to be separated from their families, Revan's wife Bastila was a good example, the wounds between her and her mother Helena had been left open until they both sealed it on Tatooine. Such feelings were hard to ignore and took time to understand. But that was still a decision left for the boy to take, and so the same would be said for his parent.

 

Revan then thought it over. “I think it would be best that we find out just how our guest is, I have no idea who he is or his last name. We will need to find out more before we're going to make a final judgement on what we must do with him.”

 

“Hack into the database?” Jesse asked.

 

“Yes, but first we'll need to know who the boy's father is, then we can know his name and also locate his mother. I don't recommend bringing T3 though, since this is a world where space travel is still in the infancy stage. I serious don't recommend bringing HK either.”

 

Both Jedi knew that this would be a covert op, and bringing either droid was asking for trouble. HK was too low a choice due to his violent nature and since they knew next to nothing of this world they were in, bringing the assassin droid would be trouble. T3 was also out of the question since he was an astromech droid, though he could be understood by both Jedi, the idea of a man speaking the language of droids would raise suspicions. So for now it meant one of them would have to go ahead and gain the information.

 

Jesse nodded in agreement and went to the cargo hold and took some clothes that they had purchased recently to blend in. Later the former Jedi General headed off to the ship and went into the town.

 

Revan then went into the medical bay and was thankful that the air-filters in the medical bay dealt with the stink, he knew that once the boy recovered, he would have to eat and take a shower to clean up, but Revan put that aside, having been in the Taris Under City and the sewers, and the Shadow-lands of Kashyyyk…he was quite used to the smell. He then placed his hand on Ranma's head and used the Force to gently probe his mind…a few seconds afterwards…

 

He took away his hands and looked at the resting child and saw him struggle slightly, he had just known the boy's name and saw him having a nightmare. He knew that he had other matters to attend to and decided to let the boy alone, but remained nearby so as to make sure the boy did not hurt himself.

 

“Nice to meet you Ranma Saotome.”

 

*************

 

The Police Station…

 

The desk officer was busy reading the weekly news magazine and drinking some cold juice when he spotted a man walking into the station. Apparently a foreigner, European from the looks of him, with the blonde hair and blue eyes. The officer wondered what a foreigner would be doing here. Most people in Japan were tolerant or friendly to foreigners, though many still called them gaijin. He wasn't one of them and could see that the man excluded a professional air and thus deserved to be treated with respect. He put down both the magazine and his cup and greeted the man while some female officers in the room smiled as they gazed at the new arrival.

 

“Good evening sir! My name's Tei Ryoko, I'm the desk officer, if you have any inquiries you can talk to me.” He replied in accented English, a bit unsure if the man knew how to speak English.

 

“Thank You Officer, my name is Jesse Renard.” The disguised Jedi Knight answered as he walked over to the officer. He had recalled tracing the place where Genma Saotome was being held prisoner.

 

“Pleased to meet you, now what is it you came over to speak about sir?”

 

“You wouldn't happen to have a man by the name of Genma Saotome in custody by any chance?”

 

Tei's eyes narrowed at that as he checked the back of the station, where the jail cells were.

 

“As a matter of fact we do have him in here. But we're trying to keep that knowledge from the public, both for our safety and his.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“The man's not exactly loved around here Sir, he's been known to steal clothes, food, tools, condiments…you name it. Every restaurant owner from the Eastern side to the Western side is after him for eating in their establishments and then high-tailing it out before paying the bills. He's done that routine in practically every restaurant from both sides and they are NOT happy…not to mention the others who he stole from are dying to get their hands on him. If they found out that Genma Saotome was in this prison…we'd have a riot on our hands.”

 

Jesse nodded, he didn't know that the fat idiot was THIS popular.

 

“What's your interest in him by the way?” Tei asked as he gazed at Jesse, the handsome foreigner seemed to be someone of great importance since the police officer saw from the way he moved, that he was a person of great authority…maybe Genma had been stupid enough to involve himself on the wrong side of this man, he hoped not, but considering what a dunce Genma was, it would be hardly surprising if he DID make such a foolish mistake.

 

“The man was caught interfering in one of my company's business deals, you see, we deal with custom computers and he tried to steal some of our new models for sale, we managed to get the item back…but the systems were wrecked due to him mishandling the equipment, and he owes us a very tidy sum of money. I was sent here by my…boss to find out more on him, and since you have him in your custody sir, I would like to know as much as I can about him.”

 

Jesse hated to lie, but this was a necessary evil in some ways in order to get to the bottom of the whole mess and sort things out, besides, from what he was able to gleam from Genma's mind previously…the fat man was not immune to lying through his teeth. And though he disliked the idea of implanting a false memory into another person, it was something he was willing to deal with.

 

“I see…well, what can I say, he scores low in both morals and intellect in any normal man's book, he has a son named Ranma Saotome, good kid by heart, cute too, but is always being used by his dad to steal things, he's done it a lot that we're considering putting him in juvenile detention until we decide what to do with him despite being so young. From what we've gathered the guy's engaged his son since he was in diapers not once, but multiple times all for food, clothing, and supplies, and to really spice things up, the fat guy goes back on his word and steals the boy away. That means that since he's done this more than once, there are a LARGE number of families who are looking for that youngster now and force him to marry their daughter, the one he was pledged to marry by that fat idiot of a father. I'm not envious of him, personally I think the kid will suffer a mental break-down early if he found that out…not to mention the fact that his father didn't even seem to care about it, the boy when we saw him looked underfed and lacking the recommended dietary allowance for kids his age to have, which could mean the old man hogs all the food for himself while the kid gets what bare food is left…it's disgusting, not to mention that for the brief times we caught him before he escapes…we saw scars on him, scars on a six year old…anyway, Genma Saotome has a wife named Nodoka Saotome who lives in the Fuchu district, last we heard from our sources, she's a nice enough woman, a little eccentric, but on the overall a model woman, can't imagine why she'd marry a louse like Genma though. Here's her address.”

 

Tei then handed an address card to Jesse who read the address and mentally stored it. He then thanked the officer and replied that with this data, they might be able to deal with Genma's problem making ways. He made his way to the cells and spotted Genma who was still trying to convince the guards by begging to let him go, crying tears, saying that he needed to be free to help Ranma walk on the right path of being a true martial artist and a man of honor.

 

<You are the LAST person to speak of honor you fat son of Hutt!> Jesse thought furiously as he listened to the audacity the man had. He had SEEN what kind of treatment the boy had gone through and saw WHAT the man made his son do and it made him even more angry…Jesse then resisted the urge to act on his anger and calm himself, if he attacked Genma and used the Force, it would attract attention, and he had to maintain his cover as a visiting foreigner who had a score to settle with Genma due to him stealing and destroying computer prototypes of the company he worked for. He then decided to make his case a bit more believable.

 

He then was given the folder of information by one of the desk officers, all of them then glared at the pitiful way Genma was begging to be released to do what he could to make sure his son was safe.

 

*************

 

Back at the Ebon Hawk…

 

“You got what you needed Jesse?”

 

Jesse nodded to Revan. “Here's all the data I was able to get on that fat idiot and the name of the kid we have. He's known as…”

 

“Ranma Saotome, I know since he mentioned his name in his sleep.” Revan replied as he began to read the information before him, which unfortunately was still in the Japanese alphabet. He then walked over to T3 and smiled at the astromech droid.

 

“T3, can you hack into the world's data archives from here and translate all this for me?”

 

The droid beeped and affirmative as it scanned all the data in the folder as Revan turned the pages and then the droid went on it's way to the security/computer room of the Ebon Hawk and went to work.

 

“I'll go do what we came here to do, but I recommend we make sure the kid won't be shocked out of his skin, if he wakes up now and finds himself here, he might think he's been abducted by aliens.” Jesse said as he got ready to leave for his part in searching for the Sith that might be here on Earth..

 

Revan agreed and then reached his com-link.

 

“HK, I need you up here on the ship immediately.”

 

“Agreeing Statement: I am on my way there now Master.”

 

It didn't take long for the Assassin Droid to arrive and face it's creator, just as Jesse got into the clothes he bought and moved out. The droid still carried it's Charric disruptor rifle and Revan could tell that it was more than willing to introduce the business-end of the weapon to any foe he had in mind to eliminate with as much subtlety as the droid could manage.

 

“Query: Do you want something or someone dead Master?”

 

Revan smirked a bit and shook his head.

 

“Not today HK…I want you to check up on our young guest in the Medical Bay. Keep him there and make sure to inform me and Jesse when the child awakens and keep him from trying to escape the ship until we get there.”

 

“Statement: I shall do my best Master.”

 

As the droid walked away, Revan then called the droid and gave his final orders concerning Ranma Saotome. The droid was very zealous in it's duties and there was always the distinct possibility that the assassin droid may use lethal force to keep the child from escaping the ship…and that was one thing the Jedi Knight wanted to avoid.

 

“And HK…use NON-LETHAL methods to keep the boy from escaping.”

 

“Weary Agreement: I shall endeavor not to use any methods to scar the child meatbag Master.”

 

*************

 

In the Medical Bay… an hour or two later…

 

Ranma struggled in his bed…dealing with many dreams, he could feel something had healed his body and yet it wasn't enough from keeping his nightmares away from him…as the young boy began to awaken he heard voices in his head.

 

Are you a man or not?! Quit whining!!!

 

Father?

 

You grow up to be a strong man among men.

 

Mother?

 

Why?! You said you were going to take me with you!!!

 

Ucchan?

 

That was when other voices came to him…

 

You will be a great warrior of the Force…

 

Force…what is the Force?

 

That was when he saw two figures…both with hoods on, both wielded a weapon that looked like a laser sword, the same kind he had seen in some science fiction movies, both wore strange clothes, but that was where they were different.

 

One had clothes that spoke of power, peace, knowledge, compassion, courage and love…this one wielded a blue colored blade and there was the feeling of faith, gratitude, and hope in him as he struck down dark figures. The kind of being that many would rally to and would bring hope and the future to them. And to serve as sword and shield to the helpless.

 

The other had clothes that spoke of both power and knowledge, but had brutality, hatred, anger, fear, greed, and selfishness about it…this one wielded a blood red blade, and there was a feeling of fear, hopelessness, despair as he cut down anything he saw. The kind of being that summoned evil and nurtured the darkness in one's heart giving it the power to crush the future…

 

The figures suddenly turned off their weapons and faced him, but the shadows in the hood's insides stopped him from seeing their respective faces…they placed their weapons aside and they reached for their hoods…and in Ranma's dream they seemed to merge, one side of the now single being was the good side…the other was the evil side…and then the hood fell.

 

One side of the face was that of the one wielding the blue sword…that face sparkled with life and seemed to glow with a light that banished the darkness…the eyes showing peace, compassion, mercy, courage and honor…the skin was flawless and smooth…with a healthy glow.

 

The other side of the face was the one wielding the red sword…that face seemed to glow with death and had a darkness in it that swallowed all light and smothered the spirit, perverting it…the eyes showed anger, hatred, greed, rage, sorrow and deceit…the skin was grey…filled with broken blood vessels…and seemed to consume itself.

 

The face inspired both awe and fear, hope and despair, good and evil…two sides of life…but what made Ranma truly focused on that face was…

 

It was HIS face…he was looking at himself!!!!

 

Ranma screamed as he finally opened his eyes and then was surprised to find himself in clean clothes…not the grimly, smelly stained clothes had and he seemed to smell…clean and fresh, he then felt his wounds…they were gone…GONE!!!

 

“What happened?!”

 

That was when he saw the blood red eyes of HK-47…

 

“Amused Statement: Ah…I see you are awake child meatbag…though I am not aware of what language you speak of since you're dialect is not recorded in my data archives and vocabulator. I am HK-47, and you are in my master's vessel, the Ebon Hawk…and now I must remind you not…”

 

Ranma however wasn't listening, the fact was that looking at a seven and a half foot tall rust colored droid that had the natural strength to break normal steel, bones, and other things, plus being programmed to be completely blood-thirsty and a certified sociopath killer on a scale that would have made a whole row of death row convicts on Earth look like a boy-scout troop, and armed with a nasty Charric rifle…made Ranma only do one thing.

 

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

 

“…to scream.”

 

*************

 

It was at this point that T3 had finished gathering the data for Revan and had finished translating the Japanese language and alphabet into Galactic Basic…and when Jesse came back after doing some more recon work and was now talking with Revan in the main planning room next to the map/communication projector that they heard Ranma scream.

 

Both Jedi reflexively took out their lightsabers, Revan took out his bronze colored lightsaber that had the Heart of the Guardian crystal, one of the Solari crystals, and a Krayt Dragon Pearl installed, while Jesse took out his pair of silver colored lightsabers, his main saber had his personal crystal inside, along with an Ultima Pearl, while his other lightsaber had a Lorrdian Gemstone, and an Ankarres Sapphire installed. Both Jedi then relaxed as they realized that it meant to the Jedi one thing.

 

“I guess that means he's awake…you didn't happen to ask HK to guard him did you?” Jesse asked as he looked at Revan with a curious eye.

 

Revan had the decency to sigh and look guilty. “I did, T3 was busy with the work and I had to maintain security detail…and you were out.”

 

“Well…nothing we can do about it…better get in there and help him before something bad happens.”

 

Both Jedi placed back their sabers and made their way to the Medical Bay of the Ebon Hawk…just in time to hear Ranma shout out in fear and his dialect.

 

*************

 

“S…S…STAY…STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!! DON'T MAKE ME HURT YOU!!!”

 

Ranma backed away from HK in absolute fear and was now off the bed and was now in a combat stance…he didn't know what was going on and he was scared, back then he'd be brave and face it…but seeing a machine that seemed to be so dark was enough to make him panic but he still wasn't going to back down…despite the fact he was famished and thirsty.

 

The assassin droid on the other hand was amused even more…as he replied in Galactic Basic since he was not able to speak the tongue Ranma spoke, but Ranma's posture and actions told the assassin droid the child's intentions.

 

“Amused Query: How do you propose to harm me child meatbag? I happen to be made out of heavy alloy and cortosis weave, plus I happen to have a built in set of shields. Greeting: Masters! I am happy to see you both have returned! Hopeful Query: Have I completed your objectives Master?”

 

Revan nodded while still wearing his robe and hood. “You have HK, power down and recharge for a while… we'll deal with it from here.”

 

“Query: Are you sure of that Master?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Agreement: Very well Master, HK powering down.”

 

The droid went limp and looked to be drained of power, but in reality was recharging itself…this allowed both Revan and Jesse access into the room, the former Dark Lord of the Sith and Prodigal Knight took off his hood and spoke.

 

“Greetings young Ranma Saotome…are you feeling all right? I hope HK didn't frighten you too much?”

 

Ranma relaxed just a fraction as he spotted the two men walk in, the one who took off his hood was the owner of that scary droid and he nearly though he'd be one of the scary guys he had seen in all those science fiction flicks he had seen, that was not true as the man seemed to be calm, peaceful, yet powerful…having been trained as a martial artist, Ranma learned the methods on how to judge a person's skill by observation…and he saw that Revan was very powerful, skilful and more. He turned to Jesse and saw the same in the former Jedi Exile…both men were VERY strong and something about them…like an aura that he could not easily see, made them look even more powerful. Revan spoke in Galactic Basic, which sounded English spoken by Europeans, so Ranma thought that he and Jesse were foreigners.

 

Revan then recalled as much as he could on the Japanese alphabet and language and then tried to speak it slowly.

 

“My name is Revan, I am not here to harm you Ranma...please calm down.”

 

Ranma's eyes widened…how did he learn to speak Japanese so well?! They had barely met and he knew how to speak Japanese…and worse…he knew his name!!!

 

“HOW DID YOU KNOW JAPANESE?! HOW DID YOU KNOW MY NAME?!?!”

 

Revan then used a small portion of the Force and spoke again.

 

“Please calm down Ranma…I am not here to harm you, I will tell you soon, but please understand that we are not here to harm you.”

 

Ranma held his ground and yet was getting more tired, his willpower was what kept him up along with adrenaline and fear, but that was running out as he dropped his guard and sat on the floor…that was when his stomach growled, telling him that he had nothing to eat since that day he had been tossed into the pit of cats. He tried to wipe away the fear of it along with his pangs of hunger.

 

Both Jedi sensed both feelings and Jesse wordlessly walked away and went to the Ebon Hawk's cargo bay and into their supplies. The Jedi came back and kneeled before Ranma and tore open a ration pack, containing some dried nerf meat and protein bars. He handed the rations to Ranma, and Revan also brought out a bottle of water.

 

Jesse spoke then, but was speaking in Galactic Basic.

 

“Here…these should help, take it, we have more if you need some.”

 

Ranma didn't know what Jesse said, but his actions were enough to tell the boy that the food and drink was his…his hunger got to him as he pounced on the packs and the food, eating away, the food filled his stomach and his hunger pangs lessened and some measure of calm began to seek in…making him feel better.

 

Revan then handed a data-pad to Jesse containing the language Ranma spoke and allowed his fellow Jedi a few minutes to learn the language as he brought some more food and drink for their guest…while making sure he didn't choke himself…though both of them were amazed at how fast he inhaled the food given to him. Revan admitted one thing…this child would have given his old Wookiee friend Zaalbar a run for his credits.

 

Ranma was happy as the food filled his stomach as he ate dried nerf meat, some air cakes, hot Dew cake, grain bars, and some Bristlemelon slices. As soon as he felt full, he drank water and some Blue milk, aware that the milk like liquid was colored blue but tasted good…very good. As he was now full, he looked at both Revan and Jesse.

 

“Where…am I?”

 

Both Jedi nodded at one another as Jesse spoke calmly, now able to speak Japanese…both Jedi learned the language quickly…due to their Force Comprehension, an ability that allowed Jedi and Sith to learn at a far better pace than normal people could.

 

“You are on the Ebon Hawk.”

 

*************

 

Later…

 

“Are you really from outer space?! But you're human like me!” Ranma said wide eyed as he was told that Revan and Jesse were from other planets. Despite the fact that he was only six years old, Ranma thought that people like him and others were only found on Earth, and that was true…now that perception was challenged as Revan and Jesse told him that they were other worlds with humans in them, namely Revan's adopted home-planet of Deralia, and Jesse's own home-planet of Naboo.

 

Both Jedi knew that this would have to be expected since this world had not yet reached the ability to explore the outer regions of their own solar system, none of the civilizations had even colonized other stars, let alone have hyper drive technology, along with the still ongoing use of slug throwers. However, they knew that since they were in the uncharted Unknown Regions, it was understandable that not all civilizations were that high up in the technological ladder.

 

“I can understand you're reluctance in believing such things Ranma, but what we told you is the absolute truth about us.” Revan replied calmly and as he could. He didn't plan on shocking the boy too much about the vastness of the universe, but he was not going to lie about it,

 

Ranma looked at both Revan and Jesse and could sense somehow that they were not lying to him, and his young mind began to wander about the other worlds he had been told that existed far beyond his world and even his own solar system, despite not really taking a heavy interest in the sciences, no doubt due to Genma's influence, the boy was fascinated by many of the technological appliances he had seen. Even if he was in the Medical Bay still, it was still very advanced by his standards and that made him wonder what else he could learn.

 

Despite his fear of the massive, blood/rust colored droid earlier, he had to admit that it was very advanced, and the small droid with one eye that came around to speak to the two men seemed to be very unique, not just in looks, but in design as well, though he had yet to understand what the robot was saying.

 

“So…just who are you, I now know that you're not from Earth, but you seem to be martial artists.”

 

Jesse smiled a bit.

 

“Very astute Ranma, however, it would be best that you get some rest, you've had quite a day and when you're feeling better, then we can tell you what we can.”

 

Despite his desire to learn more, Ranma indeed felt very tired and decided to lie back on the bed of the Medical Bay and went to sleep…his full stomach helped him at that state and now he was sleeping peacefully.

 

Revan looked at him and thought about it once more, namely on what to do with him and thought that as soon as he was well enough, he would be shown just who they were, Jesse thought the same as he knew that since they had taken Ranma in, it would now be best that they taught him just who they were.

 

*************

 

The next day…

 

Ranma awakened to the sounds of beeping and turned his head to see the smaller of the two droids whistling and beeping, and flashing it's single eye. The sad part was that since he was unfamiliar with the droid language known to the rest of the Known Galaxy as Droidspeak, he could not understand T3.

 

“What is it?” The young boy asked in Japanese as he tried to find out just what the machine was trying to tell him.

 

T3 was busy with his rounds and decided to check up on the boy to take him outside of the ship to meet up with Revan and Jesse, the two Jedi were currently sparring with one another out at a nearby valley, far from any civilian population centers. The droid wanted to show the young boy just who he was saddled with. He understood Japanese since Revan had encoded the language into his translation protocols, though the little astromech droid could not say it himself.

 

<< Come on…if you keep staying in that bed all day, you won't be able to see Master Revan and Master Jesse in training!!! >>

 

However, since Ranma didn't know Droidspeak he was not able to understand just what was it T3 wanted from him, and due to this, he was rather resistant.

 

“Hey! Give a me a few more minutes of sleep for Kami's sake!!!” Ranma shouted as the droid continued to speak to him. This went on for several moments until Ranma decided to get out of bed and sighed.

 

“All right, all right, what is it you want?” The young boy asked in an irritated tone as he decided to find out just what the astromech droid wanted from him.

 

T3 wheeled out of the Medical Bay and went through the main area of the Ebon Hawk and past the massive holographic communicator/map projector in the middle of the hold. Ranma was in awe as he finally saw the large hold of the Ebon Hawk, with all the computers and systems…however T3 was adamant in making him follow that he barely had time to look and followed the Droid.

 

They then arrived out of the Ebon Hawk and headed off to the valley where the two Jedi were sparring.

 

Ranma wondered at first what they were doing out here, and was abut to ask what was going on until he heard sounds of…energy, like currents hitting each other, curious as to what was the sounds and what was making it, he swallowed his question and followed T3…and found himself staring at both Jedi as they sparred.

 

*************

 

Revan and Jesse were busy doing a normal routine that they had established in their travels, since both men were Jedi Guardians and Jesse being a Weapon Master, both needed to train in order to keep their edge in a possible battle situation, thus they sparred with one another. Both Jedi were currently using the full tier of lightsaber styles at one another, namely Revan was currently using Ataru and Jess was using Soresu to counter the attacks his former Commander threw at him at Ataru's trademark lightning speed.

 

Revan unleashed several powerful slashes and leaped into the air, in a roll and upon landing, made a forward cartwheel and slashing downwards on Jesse, the Jedi Weapon Master used his left held silver lightsaber to block the attack, and Revan avoided the strike from the silver lightsaber in Jesse's other hand. Revan then back flipped over Jesse in amazing speed and grace and lashed out with several high speed slashes at the Jedi Exile, Jesse used the defensive specialty of Soresu by moving his sabers in short sweeping arcs in his own brand of incredible speed and power as Revan's attacks couldn't easily bypass Jesse's defense.

 

As soon as Revan attacked several more times, Jesse switched the pace by blocking Revan's next attack and then following up with a powerful strike of his own, the strike was unexpected and Revan had to revert blocking with a Soresu move of his own. As soon as that happened, Jesse used Ataru to change the pace, while Revan used Makashi to equalize. Both Jedi were moving at amazing speed and attacking deadly and precise skill. Though Ataru would be at a disadvantage in a duel against a seasoned Makashi duelist in enclosed areas, and the same could be said with some of the other styles, out in the open fields, things were a different story.

 

Jesse flipped and somersaulted in various angles and areas to both attack Revan and hamper his ability to strike with Makashi, while Revan's use of Makashi forbade Jesse to launch far more effective attacks against him. At the last flip however, Jesse blocked the thrust with a move similar to Soresu but counter attacked at the same time, showing his use of Shien, Revan knew that normally Shien was weak against a single foe, but Jesse was among the few Jedi he recalled to overcome that weakness through hard work and training.

 

As the two Jedi continued to spar…unleashing powerful and graceful blows at one another, Ranma could only on in awe and respect. He had never seen anything like this before, either styles the two Jedi were using, or their lightsabers. If he thought that they were just powerful fighters, then what he was seeing now just pushed the bar a lot higher! They moved with a speed that was impossible, and their skills were amazing.

 

As soon as both Jedi relaxed their stances and faced Ranma, he could only say one thing.

 

“THAT WAS SO COOL!!!!”

 

The two faced the young boy with looks of surprise and then looked at T3 who seemed to be very interested and impressed in his own way. Both Jedi then deactivated their lightsabers and walked over to a nearby tree, who's branches held a pair of towels. As soon as he wiped a small sheen of sweat from his eyes, Revan smiled at Ranma and spoke calmly at the awe-struck young boy.

 

“Did you like the show?”

 

Ranma nodded enthusiastically as his eyes were glued to the two men's respective lightsabers, as the cylinders were now hanging on the belts of the Jedi Knights. Ranma was about to try and take one of Jesse's lightsabers, wondering how the weapon worked, when the Weapon Master stopped him with a warning look.

 

“Don't try to take my lightsaber Ranma! A lightsaber is more than a weapon, it is a symbol of my ties as a Jedi Knight, don't try and take it.”

 

Ranma pulled away his hand, ashamed that he was about to steal something from a person who treated him with kindness, kindness that in some way, due to the things he had done, he might not have deserved, and here he was, doing something that seemed wrong.

 

“Sorry…I…”

 

Jesse's face softened and he reached out to ruffle Ranma's hair in a playful manner, making the young boy look up at him.

 

“Sorry also, it's just not polite to try that, listen, I think me and Revan owe you a story, apart from some break-fast, right?”

 

“You're treating me out?” Ranma asked in surprise. This was the first time he was being invited to eat out with anyone.

 

“Yes.”

 

*************

 

Later as they were in the Ebon Hawk, Ranma was having a funny time as he taught both Jedi a thing or two about Earth, namely on Japanese culture and food. The two Jedi took the time to take Ranma back to the city under their protection but they were somewhat surprised at the manner on how the people of Fuchu…or anywhere else in Japan for that matter ate food, namely the dish called sushi and sashimi, all of which had raw fish, and meat, with light or no sauce. Not to mention the use of chop-sticks, the two Jedi were somewhat confused as they took the meals with them back to the still hidden ship.

 

The restaurant owners at first were not happy to see Ranma again and were about to chase him out, but the presence of the two Jedi, who were wearing normal attire, that is attire used by foreigners was enough for them not to try anything, whoever the men were, they seemed to have the situation in hand as they kept an eye on the young lad. Even so…they glared somewhat at Ranma as the three took their food, though some female customers were looking at the trio rather warmly.

 

For once since yesterday, the young boy was teaching his saviors a thing or two himself, and the two men were smiling as he showed them how to use chop-sticks and they dug into the food, finding the strangely made food items rather nice. As the three took in their break-fast, HK and T3 were on their own routine duties, the assassin droid was on routine patrol, though all three members of the Ebon Hawk crew, the Jedi and the astromech droid could tell that HK was nearly going insane without any meatbags to turn into dead carcasses for nearly the past two to three days.

 

As the three finished their meals, Jesse took the time to check up on the Ebon Hawk and took T3 with him to do some routine maintenance checks on the ship, just to be on the safe side…leaving Revan to speak to the young boy…namely about who they were.

 

“So what kind of martial artists are you anyway?” Ranma asked, as he chewed on a piece of dried nerf-meat. The meat may be dry, but it certainly tasted nice to the young man.

 

Revan smiled as he sat in front of Ranma, the two of them were currently in the left side dormitories…the same one that he and Bastila had been in when they discussed their relationship…and where he first kissed her. Revan reluctantly put those thoughts aside as he faced the young man who was waiting for an answer to his question.

 

“We are Knights of the Jedi Order.”

 

“What is a Jedi?”

 

“Jedi are people, who are Human, Near Human, Alien, and Humanoid who have the ability to tap into the Force, the Force is what gives the Jedi their unique powers and abilities. The Jedi are mediators, diplomats, and warriors in the Republic and have been so ever since the birth of the Galactic Republic, and as such we try to keep the peace in the Known Galaxy. I can't exactly say how old the Jedi Order is, but we have been in existence for a very, very long time. Originally the Jedi were once a collection of scholars, priests, warriors, philosophers, and scientists who studied the Force and it's effects and origin, and we use the Light Side or the good side of the Force if you will, over the years, the normally secretive first Jedi took center stage and became what they are now, protectors of the Galactic Republic, after…the First, Second, and Third Great Schisms, it is also the time the Jedi no longer used Force-imbued weapons, and used advanced technology to create the first lightsabers.”

 

“So…are you like some kind of police force? And what is the Force?”

 

Revan smirked slightly.

 

“In answer to you're first question, yes, we are somewhat similar to a police force, though we try not to meddle too deeply in the affairs of others unless we have no other choice, we however are called in to settle disputes and conflicts, hopefully to ensure they do not escalate into a disaster. The answer to you're second question is the Force is an energy field that is generated by all living things, thus every life form has the Force flowing through them, though there are those who can feel and use it, while others cannot even hear it's whispers. The people who can hear the Force, but are not trained by the Jedi…or the Sith, are called as Force Sensitives, before Jesse and I were part of the Jedi Order, we were also labeled as such and at around you're age or less, were chosen to train in the Jedi Order. To the Jedi, and the Sith the Force is a powerful ally and nothing is impossible with the Force…let me show you some of the basics first.”

 

Revan took out a long-sword and with the Force, lifted the weapon up into the air and made it spin and move in the basic sword motions of attack and defense, much to the awe of the young boy. The Jedi then began to disassemble the long-sword into both edge and grip and back again into a single sword. The Jedi then took out several more items, namely a pair of data-pads and some stones and also moved them about in the air. A few minutes later, the Former Sith Lord placed the items down and looked at the young man.

 

“That was…that…was so COOL! How did you do that?! Moving things around without touching them, but if those are just the basics of the Force…what else can you do?”

 

Revan understood Ranma's enthusiasm in wanting to see more, but he had to stop in order for him to have a serious discussion with the young man…namely since he had the Force in him, so far it was considerable, but after touching his mind and seeing the dream Ranma himself had, he knew that it was important to know just what path the young man was walking on.

 

“Tell me something first Ranma…why are you on this training journey with you're father?”

 

Ranma finished his meal and thought back on the reason why for the past six years, he had journeyed with his father, all throughout Japan.

 

“Well….it was because my dad wanted me to be the greatest martial artist in the world, and to be a man among men.”

 

Revan mentally shook his head, if that was the case, then this was going to be a lot harder than he originally thought. Not to mention that this dream could be twisted fairly well by the Sith if they had ever found Ranma. His ego, which at this point had been somewhat slightly sizeable and was easy prey for the Sith, and if there was one thing the Sith were know for, they loved to feed the ego of their intended apprentices and that made them easier to mold. And only focusing in combat was a mistake, there was more to life than merely fighting, that much he and Jesse knew of.

 

“And exactly how old were you when you took this…journey with you're father?”

 

“I was still a young baby…maybe two or three years old.”

 

<This is going to be a lot more complicated than I thought. Oh well, Jolee may like being cryptic, but I don't.>

 

“The reason I asked you those questions is the fact that you are like me and Jesse as well.”

 

Ranma's eyes widened at that announcement.

 

“You're saying I can…”

 

Revan nodded seriously. “You can use the Force, and from what I have felt in you, it is strong…very strong.”

 

Ranma's mind began to wonder at the possibilities of what he could do with the Force and what it could give him. Revan however knew more about the Force, being strong in it himself, and in both his times as a Jedi Knight and the Sith Lord he knew that the Force could be both a valuable ally and a dangerous enemy, and the last thing he wanted was someone as young and impressionable as Ranma using his powers for the wrong reasons, in that regard, the Force and be both gift and curse.

 

“Before you get any bright ideas on using the Force, there are some things you need to know Ranma, the first is that you still need to undergo training to use the Force properly, and the second is that it takes years to master the Force, sometimes even more to truly understand it's mysteries…and it can be both gift and curse to you, a gift if you use it to protect life, give hope, heal injury and pain, and help others…and a curse if you use it for greed, anger, fear, lust for power, to cause suffering, and take away hope. The first as you know is the path of the Jedi…the other path, the Dark Side of the Force, is the way of the Sith.”

 

“Who are the Sith?”

 

Revan sighed, he knew that sooner or later that this part of the discussion was going to come up.

 

“The Sith were once Jedi…they fell to the Dark Side of the Force, and used the Force to gain what they wanted, even if it meant harming others. Long ago…the first of the Exiled Jedi who followed the Dark Side of the Force during the First Great Schism waged war with the Republic and the Jedi, they did so much damage to the Republic and other worlds, and continued to do so, as many other Jedi fell to the Dark Side in the Second and Third Great Schisms. The history is very long, so suffice to say…the Sith embody the darkness of all life and use the Force to gain what they want…even if it means killing others to do it, regardless if the victims are innocent, male, female, and child. They pillaged worlds and corrupted the hearts of those with the Force to make them the servants of the Dark Side, and many of them rained death and fear on so many people.”

 

Ranma was silent at first and asked Revan the next question.

 

“How come you know so much about them if you are a Jedi and they are you're…Order's enemies?”

 

“Because Ranma…I used to be one of them.”

 

Ranma's eyes widened and he was shocked to learn that the kind and highly skilled man before him was once a Sith.

 

Revan saw the change in Ranma's face and replied.

 

“Not only that, I was once the Dark Lord of the Sith, in my time as a Sith Lord, I devastated the Republic after serving on their side in the Mandalorian Wars, my apprentice…Darth Malak, and I, along with our forces conquered many planets and millions were dying by the hands of those who followed us…corrupted Jedi and Republic troops… even if the Jedi Order and the Republic fought side by side once more against us, and even had some victories…we had the entire Known Galaxy by the throat.”

 

Remembering the battles he waged was not always possible for Revan due to his amnesia, but those that he recalled reminded him on how seductive the Dark Side was and how his once noble plans to fight the True Sith were twisted, and at times he wondered, if had he remained on the path of the Dark Side…would that be enough to defeat the True Sith and their Empire…he would never know…and in this case…it was better that way.

 

“Then…what happened…why did you return to being a Jedi?”

 

Revan sighed a bit and smiled slightly.

 

“My former comrades in the Jedi Order ambushed my flagship, and a small Jedi strike team fought their way to me. There I was prepared to beat them…until Malak betrayed me and shot at my ship's bridge, by all rights it should have ended there…but it didn't, and I thank the Force for that. I was kept alive by a young female Jedi Padawan named Bastila Shan, and the Jedi made me whole again and gave me a new identity to try and keep my darkness buried. I…didn't agree with it at times…but when I looked at the bigger picture…that allowed me to see the full extent of what I had done as a Sith Lord, and allowed me to made amends and heal the damage I had done…and most of all…it allowed me to meet the woman I love, and the one I also saved from the Dark Side.”

 

“You mean…this lady…Bastila?”

 

“Yes…we were full circle that day.”

 

Revan smiled at the memory of saving Bastila from the Dark Side, that completed the circle, she saved him from death to redeem himself from the Dark Side, and he saved her from being lost in it forever, and showing how much he loved her. He put those memories aside for the moment and spoke seriously to Ranma.

 

“The reason I asked you those questions and told you about your own ability in the Force Ranma is that you have the potential to become a Jedi Knight. You will be trained by others like me and Jesse on how to use you're abilities in the Force. However it is a hard life, even if you succeed in passing the tests…and it will be very difficult, it takes dedication, commitment, and more to be a Jedi, even more to truly understand the Force. You will be tempted to use you're powers for more personal reasons, and while some are all right, others can lead you to abusing the Force and thus the path of the Dark Side. However, you will not be forced into this…you can choose to accept the offer of being trained as a Jedi and we will discuss it with you're parents, though it would be better it would be with you're mother only. Or you can choose to not take it and we will leave you be or we cut you off from the Force, we have a method of cutting you off from the Force with no lasting harm, and you will be fine, but you're connection to the Force will fade and eventually disappear. However…as I have said, the choice is entirely up to you Ranma, no one here will force you to take either path, it is a path you must chose for yourself.”

 

Ranma thought over the decision that he had to make and wondered what that would mean for him. A part of him told him to take that chance…if the Force really existed in him, then why won't he learn how to use it, he could really learn a lot from Revan and Jesse, along with what he could learn from others like them. But he also didn't know what else he would have to give up…despite being with his father, he missed his mother horribly and he wondered if she would allow Jesse and Revan to train him, he could tell that the two men were very different from his dad and he couldn't help but feel safe under their protection.

 

“Can I…Can I have some time to think about it?”

 

Revan nodded. “Of course…take you're time. If you would like, I and the others would take you back to you're mother. I'm sure she misses you a lot and you no doubt miss her.”

 

Ranma smiled at the thought of seeing his mother again. He then gave Revan the directions to where his mother lived. The senior Jedi then called his fellow Jedi and the droids…they had a mother to meet have her reunited with her son.

 

*************

 

In a small modest house in the Fuchu district…

 

A tall and demure Japanese woman was busy cleaning her home and doing the chores, but she was living alone for the night and the many nights after. The woman's name was Nodoka Saotome and right now…she was very tired and somewhat sad as she looked at the afternoon sky… she was sad in the sense since she had not seen her young son Ranma in so long…ever since she had allowed Genma to take their only son away from her.

 

Even though she agreed, she had enough time to ponder her decision and was somewhat repentant on it, since not only did it leave her very lonely, but she also wished that she could have at least had a hand in raising her son alongside her husband, though she knew enough of her husband to be questioning some of Genma's training methods. The past four years of not being able to see her son's smiling face and hearing his laughter and even his whimpers tore at her heart at times, and whenever she heard knocking on the door of her home, she would always rush to it, hoping that beyond the door was her son and husband, alive and safe.

 

<Sometimes I wish I had never let Genma take Ranma…who knows what trouble he might be in. I may have wanted him to be a man among men…but I wanted to see him grow up myself.>

 

Even she had placed the pledge to make Ranma and Genma commit seppuku should Genma fail to live up to his promise to raise Ranma properly, she was not in the least bit, interested nor looking forward to the idea of making them commit ritual suicide, she may be a traditionalist, but she was a mother, and no mother would be so driven to take the life of her own child, but it was the best chance in her mind at the time to keep Genma from misbehaving…now she wondered if she made the right decision, having heard rumors of Genma's thievery and more, she hoped that something might happen to change that, she wanted a son who was honorable, not a son who was always running from the law.

 

She then placed her broom aside as she heard knocking on her door, she didn't have much hope in seeing Ranma and Genma on the door's other side, though she felt something as she closed the gap between her and the door.

 

“Coming!”

 

As soon as she opened the door, she faced two men in foreign clothes, resembling that of priests or monks, their hoods were down and their faces were seen, and on the belts that they had on, there were strange silver colored metal cylinders. One was a green eyed male with deep brown hair, and the other was a blonde male with deep blue eyes, both were obviously foreigners, and Nodoka didn't mind, she had some friends in her child-hood who were from other countries, and she spoke English as well, she had even traveled to other countries due to her family being rice, before she married Genma, and there was something calm and strong about them, calming her somewhat.

 

“Can I help you kind sirs?” Nodoka asked politely in English.

 

The brown haired one spoke first and with courtesy as well.

 

“We happen to be looking for the residence of one Nodoka Saotome, is this residence her current residence?”

 

“I am Nodoka Saotome, and yes, this is my residence. May I inquire you're names?”

 

The blonde spoke next and with some amusement.

 

“Before we introduce ourselves, may we inquire if you have a son by the name of Ranma Saotome?”

 

Nodoka wondered what this was about and hoped that the two were not people her husband had crossed, but there was a chance that they might have information on where her family were, she calmed herself and replied.

 

“Yes, I do have a son who's name is Ranma Saotome, but he is not here, he is with his father Genma on a journey, I haven't heard from them in a long time, why do you ask?”

 

The two men smiled and stepped aside and Nodoka saw that they had a third companion, a six year old boy who looked at her in a very familiar way and then began to shed tears of happiness. The confusion in her lasted only for a second as she quickly recognized the child before her.

 

<Kami…is it really…is it really Ranma?!>

 

Nodoka gasped and spoke to the child.

 

“Ranma…is that…is that you my son?!”

 

The boy nodded and before he could stop himself Ranma cried out in happiness and rushed into her arms.

 

“MAMA!!!!”

 

That was enough to make Nodoka cry as she hugged her only son…the son she had not seen in many years.

 

Revan and Jesse watched in appreciation and understanding at the reunion before them

 

*************

 

Later…

 

Nodoka was serving some small snacks and tea to both her guests, Revan and Jesse thanked her for her hospitality and said that it was no trouble, however she was so thankful for the return of her son that she spared little time in making her guests comfortable, no small amount of effort would be enough to repay them for reuniting her with her precious child.

 

When she was absolutely sure that it was indeed her son, she wasted no time in holding him and fussing over him, like any mother would, much to the embarrassment of the young child in question, but he was so happy to be with her again that he overcame his discomfort. Revan and Jesse in the meantime were very respectful as they didn't interfere with the tearful reunion between mother and child, and as soon as Ranma was feeling tired, she guided him to his old room. Revan and Jesse then instructed T3 to keep an eye out on Ranma while he rested.

 

“Thank you….I don't think no amount of thanks is enough for bringing back my son…especially after all that I have learned about my…husband.”

 

When Nodoka had asked on how Genma was doing, she was shocked, horrified, and rather angry at what Ranma had told her about the past six years, the mere thought of her son being forced to eat only rice, which led to his very malnourished state made her unhappy, the fact that he had to steal food, tools, clothing, and supplies at such a tender age in the guise of a game by Genma made her even more unhappy. It was the rest of the crimes Genma had committed and made Ranma an accomplice in that really got her in a very angry mood, despite that, she was the icon of control as she listened to what Ranma told her, it was only when he was asleep and the two Jedi told her about the Cat Fist and Genma subjecting the little boy to the flawed technique six times that REALLY got her angry, to the Jedi it was a wonder that she didn't become as mad as a rancor. The two hoped that she would not explode, but they were awed as she managed to rein in her anger and offer them food and drink as a way of thanks for bringing Ranma away from all that. Revan and Jesse couldn't help but compare her to some of the older Jedi Masters they knew back in their own Padawan days.

 

“It is all right Miss Saotome, we did what we knew was the right thing.” Revan replied as he sipped his tea.

 

Jesse then took the lead and spoke to Nodoka.

 

“There is another reason why we also wish to speak to you.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yes…we are…considering to ask you're permission to be able to train Ranma in the Ways of both Force, and the Jedi Order…you're son has very considerable potential in the Force, and we wish to train him in the proper use of the Force. And to prevent the Sith from taking advantage of his skills and potential.”

 

Nodoka looked at them in concern. “Jedi? Force, Sith? I am very grateful to you both for bringing back my son to me, but until you tell me who you are, and what are the Jedi, this Force you mentioned my son has potential in, and the Sith?”

 

Revan spoke for Jesse. “It will be a very long story…”

 

Nodoka however shook her head. “I would like to know…you both are my guests and you both have done a great thing for me, so I am willing to listen to you're story, no matter how long it might be.”

 

Both Jedi then began to tell her about the worlds they each came from and what the Galactic Republic was, and what was beyond Earth's own solar system, the worlds that were inhabited by other alien species, the cultures, and histories beyond, and then they told her about the Jedi order.

 

The history of the Jedi Order was ancient, and even the two Jedi didn't quite know all of the details in the past, and therefore, told her of only the more important details that could help her in making the proper decision if she wished them to take her son into training as a Jedi. They didn't spare any detail and told her all that they could, namely the good and bad things about both the Republic and the Jedi Order. It might have been a bit unorthodox to be sure, namely to telling the faults of the Jedi Order, but it had to be done since those same faults had nearly endangered both the Jedi Order and the Known Galaxy and while he and Jesse, and his friends were alive, Revan hoped that they would at least be able to change those things, it may not be enough in the long run, or in the Force, but at least it would be enough to prevent the True Sith from using the situations the Jedi were in to their advantage.

 

They then told her about the Sith and their history of the use of the Dark Side of the Force, and she was appalled at what she had learned about the many things the Sith had done over the years. The first Dark Jedi and then the Sith themselves had caused great harm to many worlds and sought only power, and while others had more…long term goals, the corruptive grip of the Dark Side on it's followers and also about the people who suffered by their hands. It surprised her to know that Revan himself had been a Sith, more to that, the supreme leader of the Sith in his time, but he had been able to redeem himself and forsake that path…so she was happy for that.

 

As they finished, Nodoka couldn't help but feel that this was a great burden to bear for her, she had finally been reunited with her son, but now, because of the Force that he was able to use…he had to leave her again, and even if she was thankful for Revan and Jesse for saving her son from the idiocy of Genma, it certainly wasn't easy for her to make such a decision.

 

Revan and Jesse however knew this and Revan spoke.

 

“It is not a decision you must make now Miss Saotome, it is a decision that takes time and consideration, as it is difficult to part with you're son. We are not here to deny you you're child again, and we understand both you're pain and you're concern for him. Thus, we will leave that decision to you alone, when you have come to a decision, then you may tell us in due time…we will be here for some time ourselves, since we have our own mission and goals while we are here on you're world.”

 

Jesse nodded in agreement.

 

“You have our word that if you chose to allow us to train you're son in the ways of the Force, and of the Jedi if you wish it, we will make sure to keep you in contact with him when we can…and if you choose to say no, then we will help him sever his connection to the Force so he will not be in danger. Either choice is yours and yours alone.”

 

Nodoka nodded in relief as she could tell that there was no lie or malice in Revan and Jesse's tone, they told her the truth. She had a lot to think about.

 

Later…

 

As she got ready for bed, Nodoka decided to take one last peek at her sleeping child. Revan and Jesse had left previously to stay in their own ship, despite her request to stay on as guests of her house, they prudently told her that doing so might attract unneeded attention to her and her family and that was something that she did not need right now…plus they needed to be on alert for their work, They did tell her however, that they would drop by from time to time to keep Ranma company.

 

She walked into the room, careful not to disturb her sleeping child and looked at Ranma's cute face as he slept peacefully, most children looked cute when they slept, but Ranma's face was more at peace…no doubt from being able to have a soft bed and a warm comfortable place to sleep in than back with his father. As she smiled at her son she decided to think back on her choices.

 

If she allowed him to be trained by Revan and Jesse as a Jedi Knight, then he would be able to learn just how to use the full power of the Force, and make him do incredible things, and she could tell that since Ranma was comfortable being around Revan and Jesse, he would be safer in their hands than others. Plus, she could tell that Revan and Jesse were true to their word to take good care of Ranma…and raise him to be a real man among men as she hoped him to be, if he grew up like Revan and Jesse, then that would be a very vast improvement over how he would have grown up had he stayed with Genma.

 

However, it still did not make things easier for her, despite the assurances she had. She was going to have to live with the fact that she would not be able to see her son again, and there was no telling how he would fare in the rest of the galaxy, and the idea of him being among alien races made her very uneasy (no doubt due to the fact, that despite her upbringing, Nodoka was familiar with alien films that showed aliens as dangerous creatures to Earth), despite Revan and Jesse's assurances that they would keep him from getting in over his head with any of the races he might meet there. There was also the fact that if he trained as a Jedi, he would have to face off with the Sith and their allies, and the stories of the Sith, their cruelty, greed, destructive actions, and outright darkness made her cringe at the thought of her son being forced to fight with such evil beings, and whatever allies they would have. The fact that they might either try to take Ranma from her and turn him into one their followers, or kill him made Nodoka very afraid for her son. She did not want to lose him in either way to such dangerous and evil beings.

 

If she chose to not allow Revan and Jesse to train Ranma, they would sever his connection to the Force and allow him to live a normal life with her, and she would not be forced to be separated from her son. They could live together and she could finally be allowed to raise him properly, and even undo the damage Genma had done to the child. This seemed more agreeable to her.

 

However she also realized that if the Force was part of Ranma at his birth…then severing his connection to it was like cutting off a part of her son's own soul. After some time, Jesse had told her about how he fared when in Malachor 5, namely after the Mass Shadow Generator had been used…and he had to sever his own connection to the Force to survive the pain. She was saddened by the intense and nearly unbearable pain Jesse had endured as he severed his connection to the Force…and he told her that he felt like he had died, and even if he survived the battle…the cost of his severing the ties he had to the Force were too painful to bear, thus he went into exile, and felt like all of his senses were brutally stolen from him…in the most violent and painful way possible…even if he had finally recovered his ties to the Force, the wound he had would remain forever in him. Revan told her of a way that didn't have such an effect that he learned from an old friend that could peacefully and painlessly sever her son's connection to the Force, and while that was a good thing, she didn't want Ranma to be forever feeling that a part of him was always missing, such a feeling would last far longer than any physical wound Ranma would endure…for it was wound to the soul.

 

And if he stayed, there was a chance that Genma would return and if he found Ranma, there would be no doubt in her mind that he would try and force Ranma to be with him, and Kami only knew what would be the outcome of her son once more being under the influence of his father, Genma was now a thief and used his son like a meal ticket every chance he got, using her son as a way to feed his own stomach, and the reports of Genma getting Ranma involved with various families in marriage to feed his own belly made her shiver at how much stress and difficulty Ranma would be in if he was with her husband…such a life would make her son suffer a full mental breakdown, and it happening to him at such a young age would be irreversible and everlasting…she wanted her son to be a true man among men, but she wanted him to have a happy and calm life as well, and such a life with Genma would be too dangerous to her son's mental health. The thought of her son going mad was too frightening for her to consider.

 

All those decisions and possible outcomes made Nodoka sob a bit as she looked at her precious child. Ranma must have heard it and then mumbled in his sleep.

 

“I…want to…make mom, proud of me.”

 

Nodoka smiled a bit at her child and realized that such things and decisions could wait for tomorrow and decided to leave her son to his rest.

 

As she reached her room and lay on her futon, she decided to think more and weigh her options, for this time she, not Genma, held the future of her son, and what path she deemed as important for her son to pursue.

 

*************

 

Author's Notes:

 

Sorry for the long delay, I was focused on GunDread SEED: The Second Stage for quite a while now, and it's only now I updated this story, hope this will be enough for now.

 

On the subject of Ranma's curse, this will not entirely follow the original story for a very obvious reason, Ranma will not be around in Earth for the remainder of his years until he finishes his training as a Jedi, thus don't expect the girl curse to be his…rather the Force itself will play the role of both gift and curse to Ranma.

 

This is a bit more mature than most would expect from Ranma since the Force has far more dangerous consequences than just a gender bending curse. As Mical `The Disciple' in the Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords once said…

 

`Sometimes…a single Force User can change the face of the Universe.'

 

To hit the truth home, Ranma in this fic has the potential to do just that…whether for the Light or Dark. That to me is far more effective a curse than any gender bending one…and give Ranma a greater challenge than most would expect. And lastly…this would make the life he would live on Earth once he lands in Nerima a lot more interesting, namely for the other Nerima characters!

 

*************

 

KOTOR Terms:

 

Blue Milk - This is the milk gained from a female bantha, which is native to several planets and is famously recognized to be seen in Tatooine, this is taken in it's natural state or can be made into yogurt, ice cream, cream, butter, and sauce. It is nutrient rich and is used by Tatooine settlers to make due with the low water in their diets. It is also rumored to have medicinal properties.

 

Kolto - Seen only in Manaan, home of the aquatic Selkath, kolto is the predecessor of bacta. This liquid healing agent is processed from the plants that bear the same name and are only found in the deep sea chasms in Manaan. Protected by the Progenitor, a powerful creature that is known to be a massive firaxa shark female, this served as the principle component to medical kits in the universe.

 

Air cake - This is a light dessert item found in the planet of Corellia.

 

Nerf meat - This is meat from a nerf, a mammal herbivore found on several planets such as Alderaan, and the Wookiee home-planet of Kashyyk , they are popular for their meat, soft hides, and milk. However they are known to scuffy looking and slurry, along with their caretakers, known as nerfherders. The insult `scuffy-looking nerfherder' is born from that description. There are various subspecies and they too are considered popular.

 

Dew Cake - It is a delicious type bread made on the planet Wroona.

 

Bristlemelon - It is an edible fruit grown by the moisture farmers on Tatooine, considered a good meal, it still requires the sharp spines on the outside to be burned off before the fruit is eaten.

 

Grain Bar - a snack bar made from various edible grains.

 

Droidspeak - Also known as Binary language, all known astromech/utility droids such as T3 could speak and understand it, though some organic life-forms can easily understand Droidspeak, though they themselves could not speak it. Comprising of electronic beeps, whistles, whines, and bloops, many not familiar with Droidspeak could only make out gibberish. Known beings who understand Droidspeak in the old days of the Old Republic were Revan himself, (Jedi Exile) Jesse Harvern, Atton Rand, and Bao-Dur.

 

Now we speak of the lightsaber styles mentioned:

 

Ataru - Known as Form 4 of the classical lightsaber styles, Ataru was named in honor of the agile and aggressive Hawk Bat of Coruscant. It is a style of power, speed, and agility. Since it was predominantly an offensive style, all known users of Ataru were always attacking, using powerful wide, and fast swings to take out their foe, coupled with Force assisted acrobatics. Since the Force allowed them to surpass basic physical limitations, users of the style could unleash high speed blows of great power, jumping and attacking in the air. Powerful and quick spinning attacks could be easily unleashed by a Form 4 user at all angles either on the ground or in the air. This made Ataru masters move like a blur to the eyes of their foes, attacking overhead, at the sides and at the back. The Force not only assisted in acrobatic moves, but acted as a guide for the user's actions and movements.

 

Despite this, Ataru is not perfect, it is weaker when facing multiple foes, and was weaker in situations where blasters were used in fire-fights, another weakness was it's need for open spaces to utilize acrobatics, if in an enclosed area, an Ataru user would not be able to use the acrobatics that are integral to Ataru's offensive and defensive power.

 

Soresu - Known as Form 3 of the classical lightsaber styles, Soresu was used to follow the defensive strength and resistance of the mynock. This style was used to counter the spread of long range blaster weapons in the galaxy. Jedi used this style when Makashi, another lightsaber style proved to be inadequate to deflect blaster fire. Soresu allowed it's users to block blaster fire at precise and accurate angles, through the use of short sweeping motions of the lightsaber over the body zones closely, thus making this the most defensive of all the forms of lightsaber combat. Users of this and masters are nearly invincible due to their defensive skills, allowing them to patiently move through the battle with little injury and striking at foes when they were exhausted and lowered their guard or made a desperate strike…the philosophy of the style is being in the eye of the storm, essentially meaning the user must maintain undisrupted concentration and not thinking about the chaos around them so as to adapt their defensive moves to the changes without becoming caught in the fighting, this also allowed users to observe the enemy and see them for weak-points and areas of attack in their bodies, this allows users to decided to either reason, disarm, or even if really needed, kill their foes. Masters of this style could always gain insight in the fight and survive battles where quick victory is not attainable.

 

Soresu is not without weakness, users must have absolute focus on defense and even a momentary lapse can spell doom for the users of Soresu, leading to either considerable injury, or death. Another noted weakness is the fact that despite being able to counter attacks from opponents well, Soresu users didn't have the training to entrap their foes in their own attacks. The guards and parries also that are part of the style's arsenals have to be also close to the body, and as such, a break in the circle of defense left little time to counter injury. Another flaw is the style guaranteed only survival, not quick victory, and at certain situations a quick resolution is more favored than a lengthily fight.

 

Makashi - Known as Form 2 of the classical lightsaber styles. Makashi was named after the Ysalamiri, a creature of great tenacity. This style was the epitome of elegant lightsaber dueling following the advent of Form 1. This style is known to be precise, elegant, and powerful, giving the user the ability to attack and defend oneself with little effort, while the opponent tires out, most users of Makashi have used curved hilt lightsabers for better use of the style and rely on only one hand to deliver the blows of Makashi. The arsenal of moves associated with Makashi were parries, thrusts, feints, and precise cuts, opposing the other forms that relied on slashing and blocking, and Makashi prevented From 1's secondary purpose, and that was the destruction of one's lightsaber by another. Fluid motion and anticipation of weapon strikes being launched were present in Makashi, Proper footwork, angles of attack, and leverage were part of the style as well, to ensure proper attack and defensive distance with a foe was possible. Timing, accuracy, and skill were needed in Makashi, thus in the hands of the master, this style was certainly potent. Apart from timing, elegance, finesse, enchantment, economy, and artfulness that were part of Makashi, users of the style were known to not rely too much on it to avoid enslavement, making them vulnerable to unpredictability, they were also confident to the point of arrogance, precise, calm, sure of victory, so much so that they were know to appear as dancers in a play than fighters in the duel.

 

However, Makashi had a pair of fatal flaws, the first was it's emphasis on precision, grace, and speed, those qualities left it short on raw power and force, leaving it easily beaten by counter-attacks used by skilled and experienced practitioners of Form 5. The second was it's inability to defend the user effectively against many foes and blaster fire.

 

Shien - Known as a variant of Form 5 of the classical lightsaber styles, this style was named after the powerful and massive Krayt Dragon of the planet Tatooine. The style of Form 5 was made by Jedi who needed a quick resolution while combining it with the defensive abilities of Form 3. This style combined the defensive moves of Soresu and the aggressive sword play, tactics and philosophy of Form 2. Apart from being accepted by Jedi despite it's overtly dominating nature, it also relied on Force enhanced strength, along with physical strength to dominate it's foes. There were two variants of Form 5, the first being Shien and the second being Djem So.

 

Shien was used to counter blaster fire, just like Soresu, however, it was created to not just block blaster bolts, but to send them right back to the shooter in question giving it a ranged element not normally found in the other lightsaber styles, plus the presence of Soresu moves and techniques meant that despite it's use on counter attack, and blaster deflection, Shien did not compromise the Jedi's need to be defensive on attacks from various foes. Shien also allowed Jedi to fight many foes at once and defeat them even with the presence of blasters.

 

Djem So was the second variant of Form 5, however, unlike the first variant, Djem So was designed for pure lightsaber or melee battles. The style of Soresu is present, but unlike users of Soresu who could survive longer than other users, but could not quickly dispatch skilled foes, users of Djem So could catch opponents in their own offense and retaliate with their own strikes after being on the defensive using blocks and parries, then responding in kind after the opponents attack with powerful strikes that bring the power of their foe's own blows against them. Thus this style placed great emphasis on physical strength and power, using wide powerful strikes and parries, followed by fierce counter attacks. Users with enough strength and power, both in the body and the Force could shatter defenses with sheer kinetic force, knocking back foes, or pushing them back and leaving them vulnerable to counter attack.

 

Both variants however had weak-points, in the case of Shien, it was designed to handle both blasters and multiple foes, but never single foes, and Djem So lacked mobility, since it relied on being in one direction, facing their foe. Training and experience however, allowed users the chance to offset these known weak-points to make the styles even more powerful and effective.

 

**************

What will be Nodoka's decision?

 

Find out on Chapter 2 - Journey!