Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma/Knights of the Old Republic ❯ The core of a Jedi Knight ( Chapter 3 )

Ranma / Knights of the Old Republic

Disclaimer: Knights of the Old Republic belongs to Bioware and Knights of the Old Republic 2 The Sith Lords belong to Obsidian Entertainment…while Ranma and all associated characters and media belong to Rumiko Takahasi, thus I have no ownership of any of them.

Chapter 3

The heart of a Jedi Knight

< >: Thoughts

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

In one of the meeting halls of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant…

Revan and Jesse were stunned in a way to see the halls bare of the students as the Jedi Order had been spread thin by the years they had been away. The barely small pockets of Jedi were rebuilding slowly as those who survived the Jedi Purges started by the Sith Armada that Revan commanded years before, and by the Sith Triumvirate that was left behind.

The two Jedi Knights were slated to speak first to the Jedi Council to state their gathered information and intelligence regarding the True Sith and the Empire that they were forging deep in the hidden areas of the Unknown Regions that only Revan, Jesse, and the droids had been able to go to in the seven years they had been traveling in. Afterwards, they would then give this information to the Chancellor and the rest of the Republic Senate for them to decide their next course of action regarding the Republic Fleet, and their current forces.

Revan and Jesse, knew that the rest of the Jedi would still view the two of them as renegades of the Order, and they couldn't blame them…they had done a lot of things that had left their marks on them for a long time…but now was hardly the time to undergo such things. Many of the Jedi Masters, Knights, and many other Padawans were killed and the Jedi had to be rebuilt before they could return to their duties to act as protectors of the Republic. Thankfully the Jedi and the Republic was able to get enough breathing room to rebuild themselves. This made Revan happy that Carth, Bastila, Jolee, Juhani, Canderous, Mission, Zaalbar, and Dustil were doing their part to keep the Republic from falling, and the number of slowly growing number of Jedi younglings told them that the efforts of their combined crews were keeping the Republic, the Jedi, the Universe…and the Force alive and safe.

For now however, the two Jedi began to talk in detail with their respective crews together about the events in the Unknown Regions and what they had encountered over there. The others were stunned at the information they had been able to gather, along with the description of just how well trained the True Sith were when it came to their use of the powers of the Dark Side of the Force, and to learn that they were more powerful than the Sith that Revan had commanded during his time as a Sith Lord. The two Jedi Knights then described each world they had been able to travel to and show the dark influence the True Sith had on those worlds that they controlled utterly and what they intended to do with the worlds they had already taken. And to learn that the surviving portion of the corrupted Republic Fleet had aligned with the True Sith made things even worse as the fleet that Revan had formerly commanded and Malak did before his death still had a large number of the manufactured Republic ships that were top of the line designs during the Mandalorian Wars and were still lethal weapons, including the Leviathan and it's sister ships. They however were relieved that Revan and Jesse had been able to do a lot in preventing the Sith from mounting a full attack on the still weakening and rebuilding Republic and the Jedi Order.

The conversation then turned towards Ranma Saotome as the youth was currently sleeping one of the empty dorms in the temple. The dorms were currently unoccupied as many of the former residents were either victims of the wars or had been on the other side of the wars, on the side of the Sith. The youth was currently being guarded by a small band of Jedi Knights assigned to the room by Master Vandar.

Suffice to say…many of the crew were not very happy on what they had learned about Ranma's life, such things did happen on their side of the universe, and cruel things could happen to youngsters like Ranma, and they did at times as well. But to hear that his own father had subjected him to such acts was something none of them were too pleased to hear. Teaching a boy that stealing, lying, cheating, and worse was a game, and using him as a credit stick was totally reprehensible…but it was the six times that Genma had subjected Ranma to the Cat Fist that really got them angry

Carth was appalled by what he had heard Genma subject his own son to. He knew that while he had not always been able to be with Dustil during his time in the Wars, he had never…in his entire life, treated his son that way. And now he was able to patch things up with his son. To know that Genma treated his only child like he was a meal ticket and a piece of currency made him very angry. He made that fact clear as he stood up and slammed his hands on the table.

“That man's the worst excuse of a father I have ever heard of!”

Revan and Jesse had to admit that Carth's anger was understandable and they could tell that he was not going to be the only person in the room to be angered by what they had heard concerning Ranma Saotome as a child. And their suspicions were true as both Brianna and Bastila voiced their opinions about Genma.

“What that man has done to his own son is totally reprehensible, I am happy that you both were able to stop this madness before it got totally out of hand.”

Bastila said with conviction as she felt great sympathy for Ranma as she thought of her own father, who she had never seen after she joined the Order and soon after…made peace with her mother when they met on Tatooine.

“That man is no father…he is nothing but a fool and a cretin for treating a child in such a fashion!”

Brianna said with emotion since despite the shame her father had when he had his affair with her mother Arren Kae years before…he was a loving and brave father to her and her sisters and did his very best for them before he died by Revan's hands when he was still a Sith Lord.

The others also voiced their opinions of shock, anger, distrust, and resentment.

“I'd love nothing more than to stuff that arrogant ass though an open space lock!”

Atton said with anger, while he had been a Sith Assassin and did far worse than Genma did in his own fashion…but even he would not sink as low as to subject a child to such torture.

Mandalore himself tightened his hands, making the gloves on his body armor suit crake a bit.

“In my case…I'd rather shoot him! That man acts in the most dishonorable fashion, and is an insult to the term father.”

“First time we ever agreed on something Canderous.”

“So it is Carth, so it is.”

“Join the club.”

Mira replied as she began to imagine just how hard the young boy's life must have been that idiot Genma's care. She had been a slave to the Mandalorians and was then inducted into their ranks, but at least they were decent enough to properly feed her, train her, and more before she lost them.

The others also marked their own anger with Genma as well. Bao-Dur' clenched his arms tightly and muttered curses on Genma. Visas was contemplating how to punish the man for such acts as her own parents had never done that to her before their deaths on Katarr. Mission stated that Genma was even worse than Griff, since despite lying to her and more, Griff had never used her in the way Genma did his own son. Zaalbar also agreed with his companion, he may had been banished by his own father, but there were reasons and they were able to make things right between themselves, Jolee himself was far from happy at what he heard about Genma and considered him to be one of the worst kinds of people. Juhani herself admitted that Genma was a lousy father, a coward, and an embarrassment, she recalled the looks of fear the boy gave her when he saw her walk towards him, and upon learning of the Cat Fist that Genma had subjected Ranma to as a child, she could understand why that was the case. Atris herself was appalled and angered by the harsh treatment the man subjected his only child to. Before she was given responsibility to care for Brianna and her sisters, before her fall, she would never subject them to that kind of treatment until they were able to fend for themselves as be trained to fight, she could only imagine the horrors the young boy must have endured under the man's callous methods.

Revan and Jesse let them speak out their feelings and let them sort it out. Even Master Vandar had to admit that he could understand the reasons of anger the crews of the Ebon Hawk had when they were told by Revan and Jesse just who their charge was and what had happened to him when they found him.

It was when things managed to cool down that Revan and the others began to discuss what they needed to take care of before they got down to dealing with the True Sith, this naturally concerned Ranma as the Jedi in the meeting room had all sensed Ranma's growing potential in the Force. Such sensitivity could prove very helpful when given the proper training and conditioning.

They considered how he had been able to use the Force and realized that if the Sith had found him before Revan and Jesse…then he would have been twisted into a very deadly and dangerous Sith Warrior, or worse. Revan however knew that there would be times that having the power of the Force could be a burden and as such, wanted Revan to not rely heavily on the Force to survive and fight. Jesse knew that as well…for the ten years he had been exiled after his trial on Coruscant, he had survived without the aid of the Force and as such, he knew that anyone can be strong without the Force always guiding them. That much he learned during his exile, and with his time under Revan's first teacher, Kreia.

As the groups managed to discuss what they planned to do before Revan and Jesse would report to the Council their findings on the True Sith and the remains of the Sith Empire that were still there…waiting beyond the Outer Rim, Revan was gestured by Master Vandar along with Jesse. Bastila and Brianna also went with their loved ones as the small group sat aside from the others.

The diminutive Jedi Master stood before the four Jedi as they sat down, as soon as they were seated, Vandar then spoke to Revan.

“You seem to have a plan in mind young Revan, concerning you're young ward, may I know what it is, or will you keep that hidden from me?”

Revan shook his head and spoke back to Vandar with respect and for good reason. He respected and trusted Master Vandar for a very long time and when he regained his full memory, he knew that Vandar, along with Zhar were among those who were reluctant to tamper with his mind after he was saved from death in the ambush years before, and he understood that they only agreed after seeing that they had no other alternative, not that his actions ever gave them one to begin with.

“Of course not Master Vandar.”

“That is good to hear young one, now then…what plans do you have concerning young Ranma? I have seen that he is exceptionally gifted with the Force and if I may say so…his potential is growing by the hour. I know that you might plan to have him trained here by the Jedi Order, or by you're fellow Jedi first hand. Either way, you have my blessing on the matter…however, I wish to know what it is you have in mind.”

Revan nodded, he had this in mind for a very long time ever since they left the Sol System.

“I want Raman to undergo Jedi Training…but only after he has been trained on how to deal with the Galaxy at large…he is a young man from a world where they have barely left their own planet and seen beyond the solar system. If we were to train him without him learning about other cultures and civilizations, he might misuse his Jedi training and get himself into further danger.”

“You brought up a very good point young Revan…and you are right, he is still young and the sooner he learns about other worlds the better, but why not among the Order I ask? Our archives here on Coruscant are vast and could be helpful in teaching young Ranma.”

“I know Master Vandar…but you yourself said that the Jedi are not a cloistered Order once, and it is in the real world that we have to prove ourselves to be called Jedi.”

Vandar smiled a bit at that.

“Go on.”

“I want Ranma to really learn the cultures and civilizations first hand, that way he can know how to act accordingly as a Jedi when he meets other races, Master Vandar…and I want him to choose carefully what he must do so as to avoid making mistakes in the field. The Known Galaxies can be a dangerous place and as long as he is able to learn and grow. This will make sure that he will be better prepared to deal with the Universe and give him options on how address certain problems. The lessons will also allow him to fight and survive in ways…that even Jedi cannot and give him the skills that will be needed to keep him alive…And the lessons he learns first hand will allow him to deal with True Sith…if he ever faces them.”

“Hmm…what do you mean by that Revan?”

“Master Vandar…the True Sith are unlike the Sith I founded…the True Sith are not the corrupted Republic troops, Dark Jedi, ships, and droids Malak and I commanded years ago. The Sith is a belief, an ideal that burns in the hearts and souls of those Sith out there in the Unknown Regions. The Dark Side is not a power they use, nor does it corrupt them…it flows in their very veins like blood, and they breath it like it's the very air that sustains them. They hate the Light Side in a way that even frightens me. Their hatred for the Jedi Order is eternal…bred into their very core…as is the Dark Side bred into their very blood. I…met one of them during the Mandalorian Wars…after I went to Malachor 5 before the final battle there. It was horrifying to see someone as immersed in the Dark Side as that being was Master. And I can say that the Jedi Order…as it is now…must become stronger to combat their threat. I am not asking the Jedi Order to compromise itself…I know how that will turn out first hand. I mean that the Jedi must adapt to face their forces when the time comes so it will have a fighting chance to save the Republic and the Known Galaxy.”

“I see…and this ties to Ranma Saotome's fate in what way?”

“I was able to see a dream he had…when we found him…I saw him being separated into two beings, a vision of the two paths he can take when the Force awakened inside of him when we found him…one was a Jedi Master, the likes of which I had never seen before, and the other was a dark and brutal Sith Lord of immense power and hatred. I want him to be given the chance to avoid that fate of the Sith Lord, and only be learning from the real world can he truly have what is needed to survive and to make the needed decisions in hard times in order to save others. I know that what I am asking is not part of the training of the Jedi order…”

“That is true…”

“…but I believe that it can be done and it will be for the best. By knowing and seeing the dangers first hand, he will be able to truly grasp what it means to be a Jedi, why you must not fall to the Dark Side, and most of all…to learn how to be stronger without losing what makes you who you are inside. Not to mention it will allow him to tell the difference with the Dark Side and the Light Side. I know that it will be a hard and unorthodox road that I will be placing Ranma on, but it will be for the best.”

Vandar considered Revan's words carefully and after some time decided to speak to Revan who naturally waited patiently as best he could on what the answer was of the Jedi Master.

“I will agree to place Ranma under you're personal tutelage Revan…but only on two conditions.”

“Name them Master Vandar.”

“The first is that when he has gained sufficient knowledge of the Force, then he must be allowed to undergo formal Jedi Training here on Coruscant once he is done. The tenants of the Jedi Code will be needed at some point in his life if he is faced with hard choices…it was you're use of the code that allowed Juhani to restrain her anger when she faced Xor years ago…if you had not reminded her of the code and of the consequences of what could have happened had she slain the Mandalorian Twi'lek in anger…then all of her efforts to finally let go of her past would have been in vain.”

“I accept that term Master Vandar, but who will take care of Ranma while he is here on Coruscant?”

“I will personally oversee Ranma's training myself while he is here on Coruscant, and will be his tutor, along with Master Atris, Master Shiss Hadar, and Yuthura Ban as well.”

Revan nodded, along with Jesse as well, both Bastila and Brianna also agreed with the idea as well. The Prodigal Knight then wondered what the second term was, and they didn't have to wait very long as Vandar spoke.

“The second term is this…he must not be you're ward, but as you're Padawan, I want you both to be fully aware of that fact when you are training him to be a Jedi Knight in your own fashion. You and the others along with Jesse's comrades will each have a hand in training Ranma in the arts that you deem needed for him. Is that acceptable?”

Revan and Jesse nodded with respect, they all then faced the others and told them of the plans involving Ranma and the need for all of them to give their own fields of expertise to help train Ranma in becoming a member of the Jedi Order. The others were somewhat surprised to take that part of training the young boy. But they knew that it would be for the best.

Revan then turned to Canderous.

“Canderous…I want you to take Ranma in and train him in the ways of the Mandalorians first, once he has proven himself well in the ways of you're people, then I and the others will train him in the other aspects that he will need to learn, I know you're busy with all those matters with the others of you're people but…”

Canderous shook his head and replied to Revan.

“There's no need for you to ask that of me Revan, I'll take full responsibility for the lad myself, though I hope that he's not too dependent on the Force to do his duties once he's one of us once we get to Dxun…when do you want me to take him there?”

“As soon as possible, namely once we're done talking with the Jedi Council on special matters and also with the Chancellor.”

With that…Ranma's training was about to begin…

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

On Dxun…

“Come on Ranma! Move you're feet! Those supplies are not going to haul themselves back to the base you know!”

Xarga said with authority as he watched the new addition to the clan, one Ranma Saotome by name was hauling out fresh supplies from another cache hidden away by the Mandalorians during the time of Mandalore the Ultimate. The new recruits were busy in training and he was now handed a new lamb to the herd, one Ranma Saotome by name.

The Mandalorian sergeant wondered just where did Mandalore find this young one who came with him on his shuttle only a few days ago. The Mandalorian sergeant was then tasked to sharpen the boy up and get him ready to be inducted into their clan. To be honest…the boy looked so…well, odd. But since it was an order from Mandalore, he couldn't complain, but do his best and see just what was in the boy that sparked Mandalore's interest in training him.

“Yes Sergeant Xarga!”

Ranma grunted as he hauled out the containers filled with various types of supplies such as medical packs, chemicals, components, and more, while sweating in his Mandalorian Combat Suit, with his short sword in the sheath on his back, and his blaster rifle on his shoulder as he hefted the pack with him. The young boy had been spending several days on Dxun, the Demon Moon as the jungle moon was called at times. He had hoped to train as a Jedi Knight, but Revan wanted him to rely on his already existing abilities and talents before he could be trained in the use of the Force.

He had met Canderous and was quite intimidated by the gruff and serious Mandalorian, but he trusted Revan's judgment and agreed to travel with Canderous to Dxun to begin his training in the ways of the Mandalorians. Revan knew that the Mandalorians' ways and methods of war will be needed to make Ranma know that in times of war, you have to make critical decisions that could spell the quick end to a bloody battle, and how dangerous it was to open yourself to attack from merciless foes…he knew that to be true since while the Mandalorians had sided with the Sith more than once…the Sith also despised the Mandalorians and considered them enemies on more than one instance and had also been at war with the Mandalorians. His visions also told him that there will be a part the Mandalorians will play in the future of the Universe soon enough. Plus he wanted Ranma to have a practical and straightforward mindset when the time comes for him to deal with situations were diplomacy and subterfuge may fail…and combat was the only option.

The Earthling found himself moving through the jungle with the rest of his own comrades with him, they too watched the area as they moved back to the camp. It had already been his tenth day here in the Mandalorian Base on Dxun and things were not easy as he had to adapt to the always changing weather on the jungle moon, the training regimes, the heat, the humidity, and naturally the predators. The young Saotome shivered mentally as he recalled meeting the Cannoks, the Maalraas, the Bomas, the Drexl, the Orbalisks, and the most powerful predators on this planet, the Zakkegs. Seeing what the beasts could do to each other and anything they catch told Ranma that the advice that Canderous gave him was true.

“When in Dxun's lands, make sure to shoot anything that moves, then shoot the things that don't move to be sure.”

He put that aside as he reached the camp, and thankfully in time and with all the supplies still in his pack. As he dropped the supplies off with Kex, the Mandalorian Quarter Master and one of the Mandalorians that survived the attack on Darth Nihilus' personal ship, the Ravager. Kex looked over them items in Ranma's pack and nodded a bit.

“Go ahead, head for the mess hall and eat up…you've got a training session in three hours.”

“Yes sir!”

Ranma then moved to the mess hall that was newly constructed years before and then grabbed his plate and utensils and looked at the menu. Thankfully, the efforts made by Mandalore in getting covert supplies from Onderon proved helpful as the men on Dxun were well fed so Ranma had a very healthy selection of foods to choose from as he took his servings and sat down and ate. The cooks however looked on with shock and so did the other Mandalorians, both veteran and recruit as the young boy ate his food like a ravenous vornskr.

<Where the kriff is he putting all that?!>

Later…

“More Ranma! Keep up the pace!”

Ranma was busy practicing hand to hand combat with another recruit, a senior recruit who was wearing the same kind of Mandalorian Combat Suit as he was and the senior recruit was a lot more skilled than Ranma currently was and got a good number of lumps from his sparring partner.

Ranma was getting tired and it didn't take long for the senior recruit to knock Ranma down with a powerful kick to the left side of his ribs that he was not able to block properly. As he fell down, the senior recruit bowed down and helped Ranma to his feet. As Ranma got up, Xarga was not yet fully impressed as he ordered the two of them to repeat their sparring session.

Ranma once more traded punches and kicks and this time, he timed it right as he blocked powerful right hook aiming for his face, he then moved aside, grabbed the arm and then flipped the senior recruit over his head and tossed him to the ground startling Xarga and the recruit as well.

<Well now, it seems this one has some promise after all.>

Xarga then decided to recommend Ranma to work with Kumus. The Mandalorian proved himself to be a good fighter after a few years and was already proving to be a worthy Mandalorian. Kumus was currently on patrol with several others and as such, Ranma still had plenty of time to train with the others as he sharpened up his skills. Ranma helped his sparring partner up and they once more bowed before Xarga as he gave them the order to continue their training. The two bowed to each other and once more began to trade punches and kicks.

Later…

The clash of blades was heard as the Battle Circle was occupied by several Mandalorians and one particular youngster as he was facing off with a senior Mandalorian and they were both armed with training swords.

Ranma blocked with his sword…barely as the other Mandalorian recruits and veterans looked on as the young boy fought with Davrel. The Mandalorian had proved himself in the battles and managed to evade death and has ever since been highly respectful of the Jedi…namely to Jesse Harvern, he was wondering how skilled Mandalore's new recruit was and as such had asked permission from Bralor to personally test the boy as the High ranking Mandalorian watched on…giving tips and lessons to the struggling but unbowed and defiant trainee.

“Move with the flow of your blade Ranma! Keep the weapon under you're control at all times! Do not and you will lose your life, do you understand?”

“Yes Bralor!”

Ranma moved as best he could as he continued to trade blows with Davrel with their practice swords, he then moved away from a powerful side swing, he ducked and kicked the Mandalorian warrior who was in his armor while he followed up with a stab. Davrel recovered from the kick and then sidestepped the attack and knocked away Ranma's sword. The trainee then went into the combat stance, unmindful of the fact that he was now weaponless. This made the others mutter as Ranma evaded Davrel's attacks and rolled forward and got his sword back.

Bralor nodded as he noted Ranma's will not to give up in a fight, an admirable trait in a warrior and he decided to soon test the young boy more personally.

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

A few days later…

“Take careful aim…and fire…”

The jungles of Dxun came alive with the sounds of blaster fire and the roars of a pack of Maalraas as they began to track where the shots came from, the jungle predators were busy feasting on their newest batch of kills, namely Cannoks, the Maalraas were having their fill when several blaster shots hit their group.

Ranma looked from the scope and silently swore at his miss on the targets. He had been assigned on thinning the Maalraas packs that roamed the neighborhood of the Mandalorian base and he was accompanied by none other than Kelborn, Mandalore's second in command, the elite scout watched as his young charge had missed his target of taking out the lead Maalraas, but he didn't get too angry as he allowed Ranma to relax.

The younger man looked at his mentor with a look of disappointment and remorse.

“I'm sorry, I missed sir.”

“Don't worry about that…we are hunting a pack after all. Try again.”

Ranma nodded as he took a look through the scope of his blaster and took another good aim once more…hoping not to miss.

Later…

“All right Ranma, set those mines properly to they blow up exactly when you need them too, the last thing you want is to mess up and get you're hands blown off.”

Ranma nodded as he intently began to place down the live mines that he had been handed by Kex who was taking some time off from his duties as Quarter Master to teach the young Mandalorian how to handle explosives and other deadly ordinance. He also took the responsibility on teaching Ranma how to make mines, grenades, and other items such as medical items, stimulants, and implants from chemicals and components. The young man still wore his Mandalorian Combat Suit

As Ranma set up the mines, he moved away with Kex as both of them took up their blasters as a pack of Maalraas came sniffing about and then the beasts charged at the two Mandalorians, the mines did their work and the explosions took out the Maalraas pack well, allowing Kex to rate Ranma's performance as still needing some extra work.

Later…

“All right…that should take care of the coolant, Ranma…hand me that hydro-spanner and fix the forward field generators like I told you.”

Zuka said as he and Ranma were busy instituting repairs on one of the newly recovered Basilisk War Droids and the young man was learning how to repair ships and vehicles. The Basilisk was one particular example that Zuka was working on and Ranma, being the young one under his command became his assistant in repairing the latest addition to the Mandalorian arsenal.

“Yes Zuka.”

Ranma went to work while the Mandalorian tech specialist went to work using the hydro-spanner and then watched his apprentice's progress, he had to admit that when shown how to do things, Ranma quickly picked up the pace and got things done and that was certainly going to help.

As soon as they were done with today's lesson in repairs, Zuka then showed Ranma how to make basic weapons, armor and tools with components on the work bench, he stressed to his young charge that knowing such things could certainly help him in the long run as he could assemble things that could prove helpful, and disassemble things that couldn't be used to make new tools that were of a better use as well.

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

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into month, Ranma began to get used to the Mandalorian way of life and their lessons that they were imparting into him for the many tasks that he would soon need to do, and while it was a harsh life that he was leading, it was far from boring as he was still busy working on gathering the supplies that were left behind by the Mandalorians in the past. He also learned new forms of martial arts and hand to hand combat that truly showed their effectiveness in the many sparring matches and trials in the battle circle. The young man was beginning to get used to the training and several more tests, including the use of explosives, blasters, blaster rifles, vibroswords, vibroblades, and other weapons as well.

Ranma had to struggle to prove himself to not just his various trainers such as Zuka, Kex, Xarga, Kelborn, and Bralor, but to also his fellow recruits and the senior Mandalorians. The senior Mandalorians were still not entirely convinced that Ranma would be able to reach their level, but they were not against him from training as hard as he did since they could tell that he wanted to prove himself. As time passed, many of those who detracted Ranma had to admit that his sheer will and his ability to learn quickly made him a very talented person. However not all things were smooth sailing since Ranma did have his faults.

One such fault was his chauvinism that was no doubt due to Genma's on him when he was still very young and that was the one thing which got him into trouble with his fellow Mandalorians more than once…namely the female Mandalorians. The clans had grown for the past few years as there were female Mandalorians who found their way to Dxun, along with several of the veteran Mandalorians marrying at some point in their lives…and the women they married were very much supportive of the Mandalorian way of life and were already inducted into the Mandalorians. Ranma still thought women were weaker than man and that got him into more than one fight with some of the Mandalorian women.

Ranma soon learned that the Mandalorian saying about raising sons and daughters was very much true…as several of the women who he had called weak were more than happy to beat him to a pulp at his open mouth. One such woman was Bralor's own daughter Valeena who Ranma had called weak and she then replied by smiling and challenging him to a match in the Battle Circle…he thought he could handle himself just fine.

He got his just reward as he was knocked out of the battle circle not once…but seven times. The female Mandalorian was only three years older than Ranma, she had blonde/platinum hair and deep blue eyes and was slightly taller than Ranma, but there was no doubt that she was better trained than Ranma was since she was born into this life and was already well trained and versed in the ways of her family. The saying that Ranma didn't understand at first, but now knew to be true.

It was the saying that went on the lines of `Ke barjurir gar'ade, jagyc'ade kot'la a dalyc'ade kotla'shya' or in Galactic Basic was known to mean. `Train your sons to be strong but your daughters to be stronger.'

And Bralor did an excellent job at training his daughter to be stronger. As he recovered from his last thrashing, Ranma decided to swallow his pride and accept help from Valeena who helped him to his feet and he decided to be a little bit more careful about his words around the women of the Mandalorians. The thrashing he got from Valeena was just the first as he still couldn't help but keep that frame of mind…showing that while Nodoka had tried to remove such things from her son, it still lingered…however, it didn't take long for Ranma to wise up and begin to respect women…and not just Mandalorian women as well as he recalled that he still had to train with the other female members of the crew of the Ebon Hawk who served under Revan and the crew who served under Jesse.

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

Ranma at age 8…

“Nicely done…keep you're guard up and move to avoid being caught up in the blow…aim for the right body zones!”

Bralor shouted as he watched Ranma practice with a Long-sword in one hand and Short-sword in the other as he spared with Davrel who was armed with a Double Bladed Sword. The other Mandalorians watched and saw that the boy was working even harder for the past few months as he and Davrel traded blows with one another as their weapons clashed and sparks filled the air. Davrel launched out a stab which Ranma blocked with his Long-sword and then reversed his grip on the Short=sword and followed up with a slash to the neck of Davrel's Mandalorian Armor. The Mandalorian dodged the move and struck with a reverse strike with the other blade, Ranma ducked the attack and then followed with a kick to Davrel's stomach as the Mandalorian moved in. Davrel moved back and lashed out with a kick of his own, Ranma managed to block it and lash out with a slash to the head helmet, Davrel blocked the attack but had to admit that Ranma was getting better at the fighting with blades as they continued their sparring match as Bralor and Valeena watched the fight…along with several other members of the Mandalorians, including Kex, Kelborn, and Zuka.

Later…

Kex watched as Ranma began making his first batch of grenades from the chemicals on the lab station and did well enough in making them so they didn't explode until he used them, he walked over to Ranma and the young boy allowed the Mandalorian to inspect his work and the Mandalorian showed him how to correct the fuses and primers of his newly made frag grenades.

Kex then directed to Ranma to the throwing range where the Mandalorians practiced their ability to throw grenades and as Ranma was being taught the best trajectories and angles in order to maximize his throw, the young boy began to show improvement as Kex decided to see that on their next batch of lessons, Ranma would then be taught how to make more powerful mines and explosives, along with basic medical kits and stimulants.

Later…

Zuka nodded as Ranma placed the last finishing touches on his first Field Survival Pistol, using the components to make the weapon properly and he then began to make the needed upgrades to the weapon that he had already made.

“Nicely done Ranma…nicely done, once you're finished with that, I want you to make your own sword and with the right upgrades.”

“Yes sir!”

As Ranma finished the upgrades for the scope, power cell, and barrel chamber for the survival blaster and made sure that everything fit the required specifics, he then directed his attention to his own sword. He began to assemble the Long-sword carefully, making the handle and then the edge, and he then upgraded the weapon as well. For the grip he decided to use the components to make the grip an Agrinium Grip, a basic version for slashing. And for the edge he crafted a Basic Mullinine Edge…the Agrinium Grip was made for improved slashing attacks…while Mullinine was an ideal alloy for melee weapons due to it's weight and keen edge for slashing.

As he assembled the new Long-sword, he tested the weapon with a few slashing motions and used his mother's training with the Japanese Katana and found the weapon to be a good one to make. Zuka took the weapon and tested it himself and nodded in satisfaction with his apprentice's work.

“Nicely done Ranma…now let's test these toys of yours in the field.”

Hours later…

Kelborn watched as Ranma looked through the scope of his blaster rifle as he took careful aim at the band of Maalraas heading their way, the young boy was improving as he began to fire the blaster rifle once more…months before, the younger child would waste several blaster bolts in trying to take down a charging Maalraas, this time he was using far less energy and at least hit the Maalraas that was heading their way with better accuracy. Though he still needed to work on the speed of his shots.

Ranma cursed himself a bit as one of his blaster bolts missed the target as the Maalraas kept coming, it was wounded but not dead, and he was not in the mood to fight the wounded beast head on, he took another careful aim and fired one bolt at the head and managed to get a clean hit as the Maalraas hit the floor.

Kelborn nodded and got Ranma to check the body of his slain foe so they could determine where he went wrong with his first volley of shots. The Mandalorian planned to show Ranma that wasting ammunition was a fool's plan and wasteful as well, just enough shots to kill or cripple the target was far more practical and economical in the long run.

As they studied the corpse, Ranma wrinkled his nose at the smell of the creature but put those thoughts aside as he and the Mandalorian scout studied the wounds of the creature as Kelborn began to explain to Ranma his mistakes and what he could fix in the next hunting mission.

As they headed back…Ranma headed for the mess halls, while Kelborn went to the Command bunker to give his latest report on Ranma's progress to Mandalore…along with his report was Kex's, Bralor's, Zuka's, Kumus's, Davrel's, and Xarga's as well, he smiled as he gave the reports to Mandalore and his leader nodded in appreciation for the information that he was giving him.

Ranma however was busy eating his fill of dinner, and drank his own drink while chatting with his fellow recruits and some of the senior Mandalorians. He listened to their stories and also met Valeena and Kelborn's own daughter Freyna, the slightly older Mandalorian girl was just as tough as her friend Valeena, befitting her status as both a Mandalorian and Kelborn's daughter. As he spoke to them…he kept in mind to be highly respectful towards them since they were also more than able to beat the snot out of him if he tried to say that women were weaker.

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

Ranma at age 9…

Bralor smiled underneath his helmet as Ranma traded blows once more with Davrel as the Mandalorian was fighting now with fists and feet with the young man. Valeena was there as well to witness the training as Ranma began to push himself harder and stronger than the other trainees. He was currently fighting with some of the techniques Bralor had taught him personally, along with the training he got from Xarga as the Mandalorian Sergeant continued to watch his student's progress, along with the other Mandalorians.

He and Bralor had to admit that Ranma picked up skills with a speed that they found interesting as they had taught him skills that not many of the other recruits were aware of. The other recruits were also teaching Ranma of other tricks and techniques that he could apply in the rest of his training regime as he continued to trade punches with Davrel.

Later…

Kumus and Ranma went on another salvaging mission as the senior Mandalorian and the still young apprentice were busy moving ahead, as soon as they arrived at a possible cache location, they got to work as Kumus took out his survival pack and got out the explosives.

“Ranma…you know the drill, form a defensive perimeter while I set the charges.”

“Understood!”

As Kumus set the charges, Ranma took out his Mandalorian Assault Rifle and kept his eyes open at the jungles around them to make sure no Boma, Maalraas, or Cannok got the drop on him and his senior and friend. Kumus noted the intense and serious look on his friend's face and smiled at that as he finished with the charges and gave the signal to move out.

A few minutes later…and fighting off a band of Maalraas that came on the scene, the two entered the hidden cache and smiled at the haul they had just found. Ranma reached his communicator and contacted Xarga who commended both him and Kumus for finding the cache.

Hours later…

Ranma smiled as he sat down on the ground and felt his stomach feel full after lunch and he decided to listen to Bralor's lessons on Melee combat, along with tactics and strategy in ship to ship warfare and boarding tactics.

As soon as he was done and he felt ready, he took out his Long-sword and sparred with the former Battle Circle Champion as his mentor began to teach him new moves and methods while Bralor was armed with a Force Pike, Ranma moved and dodged as best he could and his skills were already showing as more recruits and seniors gave him positive comments on his performance with the Long-sword.

As the two continued to spar, Bralor nodded at Ranma's progress and decided to stop the match and pit Ranma against someone from the other Mandalorians, he was then pitted against Valeena as he placed aside his Long-sword and took out another weapon, namely a Double Bladed Sword, while Valeena took her father's Force Pike…he was careful as they circled each other…no doubt recalling the time Valeena had given him a very thorough thrashing for his big mouth.

The two bowed and began to trade blows with one another, and Ranma decided to place all of his skill to the fore as Valeena was toying with him as she dodged and blocked each of his attacks with the same skill and ability that got him with a mess of bruises. He however learned his lessons and realized that Mandalorians might taunt their foes, but they had the muscles and power to back up the jests too.

The two moved on with their attacks as Bralor watched in interest as his daughter and his protégé and student were busy testing and probing each other's defenses and testing each other's response…a far outcry from the first time they had first fought with one another. This was getting interesting as instead of taunting his daughter, Ranma was focused on her movements and attacks…as he knew that Ranma now realized that he could not take any female foe lightly unless he knew their skill level.

Valeena smiled a bit at the change Ranma was in…this fight was getting interesting indeed as they traded swing and thrust, block, parry and stab at each other. As they moved and attacked one another with quick yet patient motions, Ranma recalled all of his lessons and managed to dodge the next stab from the Force Pike and then lashed out with a powerful kick to Valeena's side. The Mandalorian woman dodged the attack, but Ranma then struck as he charged in and knocked the Force Pike upwards with his Double Blade Sword and managed to finally score a direct hit on Valeena with a rabbit punch to the throat and disorient the Mandalorian woman for him to knock her down with a sweep kick

Valeena grinned instead of being angry and Ranma smiled back…not in an arrogant way as he helped Valeena to her feet.

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

As the years passed by…Revan and Jesse would come and see the performance of their young Padawan and Canderous told them how proud he was to have Ranma as a student and as an adopted son of Mandalore…though he was now reaching the time to be formally welcome among the Mandalorians.

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

Ranma at age 13…

Ranma was now ready to take his final trial…His performance for nearly 13 years among the Mandalorians was great and was worthy of great respect as his trainors were all proud of his achievements. His performance had made his former detractors become his friends and in the final months of his years long training... his squad did their best and many respected him from being a weak scrawny boy, to a tough and strong lad of the ripe age of Mandalorian manhood.

Thirteen year old Ranma smiled as he finally wore his own Mandalorian Armor suit, he didn't mind still using the blue scheme of the lower ranking Mandalorian recruits, it reminded him of his struggles as a non-Mandalorian, and this was a gift from Canderous also and was made from proper Mandalorian Iron.

He walked into the battle circle and stood there, surrounded by all the gathered Mandalorians and Canderous gave him the tattoo of Clan Ordo on his neck, a small but symbolic tattoo. As Ranma didn't flinch the slightest from the pain, he saw the Mandalorians nod respectfully to him.

Canderous, Zuka, Kex, Xarga, Kelborn, and Bralor all nodded with approval at Ranma and Mandalore clapped him in the shoulder and replied.

"Welcome into the Clans...Son of Mandalore!!"

The base of the Mandalorians cried out in cheer, as both male and female Mandalorians cheered for Ranma as he was formally inducted into the Clans as one of their own.

Now it was time for him to be trained in the ways of the Jedi Order…

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

Dantooine

Ranma began to train once more in the Basic forms of the Force. Many of the Jedi from the crews of the Ebon Hawk were in Dantooine to train him in their respective arts, and the leaders were none other than Revan, Jesse, and Master Vandar. They worked hard to test Ranma's potential with various exercises.

Ranma was now learning the methods to move objects with the Force while the others watched his progress. Though he had done it before back on Earth…things were very different this time around as the objects were not only different but were unique in every fashion.

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

Ranma began to move with his training sword and did use some of his mother's techniques in sword-play along with the lessons imparted to him by the Mandalorians. This would help him relax and later, he sparred with Revan, who was VERY talented with a metal sword apart from the lightsaber. Ranma began to learn how to use the fighting styles of the Jedi with the sword in preparation for the use of his first training saber.

Revan had to admit that the boy had talent as he clashed blades with him in training, they had to train him with blades first and also with the basics of Force before moving on to the next levels. Jesse also tested Ranma as he crossed blades with the boy using his mastery of Jar'Kai.

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

Ranma ran through the winding passes and plains of Dantooine as he carried a large amount of weight and even on his body and legs, his training from Dxun helped, and now he was using the Force run from one point to the next, while the main user of the technique, Mira watched him...while running beside him.

Once they stopped, Ranma dropped his weights and drew his training sword and crossed blades with Mira as they both used the Force to increase their attack speed and defensive speed, both Jedi and Padawan moving with blinding speed, Mira however, having trained longer was able to defeat Ranma, but he was not giving up as both of them ran back to the Academy.

Ranma then trained with Brianna in the Echani martial arts, which build on speed, grace, power, and accuracy. The Echani trained him well and restrained the removal of clothes to test Ranma as both she and him wore armor. After several days of learning Echani hand to hand combat, Ranma now crossed double blades with Brianna as she used her father's double blade. The sounds of spinning blades filled the room as the others watched him and Brianna spar.

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

Ranma continued his training, this time with Juhani, Visas, and Atton. Atton taught him how to make mental barriers to shield his mind from any probe done by Sith or by the enemies he will face. With Visas, Ranma learned basic methods in using Force Sight from the stronger Miraluka, and from Juhani, he learned how to use the Force to become invisible when not armed with a Stealth Generator. All three Jedi also taught him their styles.

Visas taught Ranma her own version of Jar'Kai, which also infused Soresu, from Atton, he took the learning of Ataru, that Atton used well with his use of a single sword, Ranma had a bit of difficulty matching the Jedi Sentinel, but was doing well enough, Juhani also fought with her own version of Djem So and combined it with her skills and heritage as a Cathar...sparring with her made Ranma lose any traces of the Neko Ken to be sure and the friendship between the Cathar and Ranma grew.

Jolee also took a hand in training the boy by showing him tricks on how to use the power of persuasion on the minds of others, to cloud their perceptions and to make them feel confused, along with how to use the Force to bypass droids and sensors. His skills in Shii-Cho was also one thing the old man imparted on Ranma along with how to make medical kits from herbs and chemicals more effectively.

Atris taught him the unique arts of healing and curing through the Force of minor to moderate wounds, she also taught him techniques in curing and resisting certain poisons that would be used by their enemies and by wild creatures.

Master Vandar even got involved and told him how to use the Force to replenish the vitality of wounded and unconscious comrades.

Dustil even had a hand and taught Ranma lighter versions of Sith combat methods and moves, allowing the boy to learn the methods of the enemy.

Of course, the Jedi were not the only ones.

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

Carth took a hand into the training and showed him how to fight with two blasters in hand, which had made Carth famous as a dual gunner in the Republic, despite his age, the Admiral never lost his skills with his trademark blasters, and Ranma began to grasp it the same way he was mastering Jar'Kai.

Mission also taught Ranma the methods on how to spot suspicious characters, how to slice security locks, bypass computer security grids, how to look harmless while gathering valuable data and many more, including how avoid being seen with a Stealth Generator.

Zaalbar also imparted the training of Wookiee combat and through that, Ranma also learned how to make more potent grenades and other tools of the scout's trade.

Even the droids were in on the act, HK-47 teaching Ranma all the languages it had learned over the years as an assassin, along with assassination methods and techniques. T3 showed him how to bypass harder security locks and computers, even how to interpret data as it streamed in from a monitor at high speed.

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

Ranma at age 15

Ranma was now getting the hang of learning several more Force techniques, namely Force Aura, Force Valor, along with Energy Resistance, Force Barrier and Force Resistance from two other teachers, Bastila and Bao-Dur respectively.

The training for each was harsh in some ways, but highly rewarding as Ranma could now improve his physical abilities and defensive skills at a higher degree from Bastila, who was like a mother to him, as was Brianna, as she imparted her own version of the Niman technique to him.

From his Zabrak teacher he gained the skill to withstand fire, electricity, sonic, energy, bludgeoning, piercing and slashing attacks, along with resistances to certain Force Powers. From his teacher he also gained an intimate knowledge of personnel shields and their construction, and he gained Bao-Dur's version of Makashi from his mentor.

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

Ranma had now received his training saber and quickly began to train with it as best he could, right now he was at a large river, leaping from rock to rock, igniting his light saber to slash at moving targets released by Revan and the others for him to hit, he did so using his mother's teaching in Eshin-ryu that he had been working hard on. In the process, he practiced with his Force Powers and continued to learn on the fly.

Revan and the others watched his progress with warm smiles as they sensed his growth in not just combat and the Force, but his maturity and nature as well, he was not very patient and arrogant before, but the training was paying off.

Revan and Jesse then planned the rest of his training, not just in the Jedi arts and that of the Mandalorian ways, but others as well..Ranma was about to visit other worlds and learn other cultures...after all, nothing would be learned in just four walls.

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

Ranma was now learning the methods on making his own lightsaber or in this case, his personal pair of lightsabers, he had gained a great deal of proficiency that he decided to learn BOTH Dueling and Jar'Kai, a rare feat by Jedi standards and due to that, he had to make his own unique form of light-sabers.

He then decided to go to the crystal caverns and gain the crystals he needed to make the lightsabers' colors and characteristics.

A few days later, he found some new crystals and much to his amazement, he found a pair of crystals that were the same as the one Jesse wielded, but were in a pair. Jesse smiled and taught him the value of the crystals since they grew in power as he grew in the Force.

Once that was over, he began to train with his sabers and learned the basic Lightsaber forms and then used the variations he learned in his sessions and applied the methods he learned in his time in the Mandalorian Clans.

2 months later...

Ranma wondered what he was going to learn now...but it seemed that the Jedi and the others had other plans as they told him that he was about to spend a year or so learning the softer side of life and learn culture as well and then he would resume his training, he was now nine and going to reach his teenage years as he boarded the Ebon Hawk to see the rest of the Galactic Republic.

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

On Nar Shaddaa…

Ranma sighed as he had some caffe with Atton as he and the Jedi Sentinel were exploring the slowly changing side of Nar Shaddaa as they looked in the back alley ways to look for safe locations to camp out. Nar Shaddaa...being the Smuggler's Moon was also famous not just for crime but it's Red Sector District, in which Atton had dragged the near teen to. The former scoundrel did so to loosen the young man up...plus he HAD asked permission from both Revan and Jesse, and the two friends nodded and let him go ahead with smirks of their own. He however had to keep an eye on Ranma.

"Hey there cutie...care to keep me company?" A human woman with blonde hair and green eyes said in a sultry tone as she smiled at Ranma warmly... making Ranma blush as the well formed woman winked at his cute appearance...plus the fact that the woman was garbed in a Dancer's outfit certainly made him nervous as the woman's figure was barely covered in the essentials.

Atton smirked as several more humans, humanoids, and some alien species converged on Ranma who teased him, The boy's innocent charm and good looks, plus his well defined form after two years of intense training had made him muscular and well formed, it made sense that many females found him to be rather attractive, even as a young teen. He was well behaved and that made the ladies smile that a kid could be well built and be a nice lad.

On Onderon...

Ranma had a lot of fun traveling to the city of Iziz and did some shopping to get food, while being accompanied by Bao-Dur, Jesse, Mira, Revan, Bastila and Brianna. They had seen Iziz rebuilt and things had been more stable and they were guests as they were led to the Royal Palace to meet Queen Talia. There also was Yuthura Ban who greeted both Revan and Bastila with a warm smile and said hello to Ranma, she was delighted to meet the lad and so was Queen Talia, who allowed Ranma to come and go around Iziz under a good and secret escort.

He was there to witness many festivals of the Onderonians and took some time to learn this world's history, and even learned to speak the still used Onderonians tongue.

On Coruscant...

Ranma was awed by the Core World Capital of the Republic as he gazed at the vast city world, the place was well maintained and ran smoothly. He spent his time in the company of Bastila, Atris, Visas, Bao-Dur, Jolee, Dustil, Mission and Carth while they showed him the sights. He visited the Senate, the Library, and naturally the Jedi Temple and sparred with some of the Masters and Knights, and even had a fun time being with the many younglings that were now rebuilding the Order.

On Alderaan...

Ranma loved the beauty of Alderaan as he gazed at the vast plains, grass-lands, oceans, and more natural wonders. There in the planet, he was accompanied by Yuthura Ban, Vandar, Revan, Bastila, Atris and Mira. There Ranma began to learn about art, poetry, diplomacy, education, and cooking. Ranma had learned much from Alderaan and that planet was closest to his heart, and the idea of any harm coming to it's people by the Sith or any force made Ranma swear two things, to fight the Dark Side...and never give into it.

On Talravin...

Ranma looked at the vast world that Bastila had grown up in as he was there with Revan, Bastila, Helena, Jesse, and Brianna...for Bastila's first child. Revan had been gone for too long so naturally...one thing led to another three years before when Ranma was still training and now Revan and Bastila wanted to show their new born child their world.

Ranma became the big brother of the new born baby, a girl, and also to Jesse and Brianna's own child.

On Telos...

Ranma spent time with Carth's family, which now included none other than Mission Onasi, Dustil and Carth himself, along with Atton, Bao-Dur, Revan, and Visas. Ranma took the time to learn also from Chodo Habat about the restoration of worlds and learned there on how to feel the Force.

One month on Naboo...

Ranma saw the world of Naboo...home of Jesse and where Jesse and Brianna had gone to when they were not training Ranma. He admired the world and saw many of the different species, both Gungans and humans, and he had made some friendships with the families he met with.

On Zeltros...

Ranma was blushing to the roots of his hair as he was greeted by the females on the planet...and now he knew WHY the Zeltrons were famous as pleasure seekers. He had been around the place and well, the women were rather open in what they did and how they dressed, and since he had met some Zeltrons on Nar Shaddaa, he thought he could handle it...boy was he wrong. Canderous, and Bralor were smirking as their boy was being fawned over by many of the females who loved his appearance...for a human.

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

Dantooine...

Ranma had several more years left as he returned to his Jedi training, still perfecting his skills in the Force and the ways of the Jedi. he then took up to learn more and more techniques and methods from all his teachers, He then began to return back into the routine of being a Jedi.

Brianna nodded as Ranma began to quickly pick up the pace as she and him sparred in the Echani martial arts, and he was getting faster, in her mind, she had no doubt that out all the men who could have great potential, he was reaching the level of her father Yusanis, even if he wasn't an Echani by blood. He passed the first tiers and was now ready to reach the master levels. His abilities with the double blade were also getting better and faster.

Visas nodded as Ranma's abilities in using Force Sight was improving greatly as time passed, his abilities to detect liars through the Force technique were great and even when she had been able to hide her Force aura very effectively, Ranma seemed to find a way to sense her. Granted he had to work hard to do that, but he was improving well. He also picked up some more tricks from her along with Juhani on how to stay out of sight with the Force, and with a stealth generator.

Mira nodded as Ranma passed the mine field...she had made sure that he get enough training on how to jam the sensory systems used by mines to bypass mine fields. That was a trait that she perfected in a lot of ways due to her intimate knowledge of mines in her younger days as both a Mandalorian and a Bounty Hunter. His training in her preferred Force Powers were also good and his training on how to track people through the Force was also improving.

Atton nodded as Ranma was able to block his attempts to probe the teen's mind. The Jedi admitted that Ranma may not have completely mastered the mental blocking methods he himself made, but he certainly got points in the effort department. His ability was still young and the former Scoundrel wondered about the possible outcome once Ranma was done with his training, and that was something he hoped to see soon.

Bao-Dur nodded as Ranma made a new energy shield with the parts he had given the teen. He also noted that Ranma's ability to make his own weapons and armor, along with upgrades were good, apparently his training was paying off very well as he was now on the way to making his own Ryyk Blade and Disruptor Rifle. The engineer was happy that his training in the use of machines was doing well.

Atris was also happy as Ranma learned how effectively use the Force to heal his wounds and that of others in training, along with learning how to use the Force to counter toxins and poisons, both liquid and gas.

Vandar was also happy to note the boy's progress in using the Force bring back vitality and strength to those wounded or unconscious after battles.

Jolee watched Ranma as the boy continued to improve his abilities in balancing the powers of both the Light and the Dark Sides of the Force. The old man had to admit the boy did have great promise and was happy that Revan found him before the Sith did. He even helped Ranma improve some aspects of his mental shielding to protect his mind further from the Sith using the Force.

Juhani watched Ranma grow in her own forms of training, and the boy was no longer afraid of cats, due to his training in the Force. And that made things all right between the young Padawan, and the Cathar Jedi.

 

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

Finally…

Sixteen year old Ranma Saotome looked out into the open sky as he was dressed in his robes as a full fledged Jedi in the Temple on Rakata Prime, the former planet where the Star Forge would be found. He had culminated all of his years of training in the Temple with Revan and Jesse, along with all the crew. Revan had the temple cleared of the Dark Side and used it like he did before as Dark Lord, it was no longer a training ground for Sith however, it was now a training place for Jedi, and Ranma was it's first graduate, all that he had learned was now expanded by Revan and Jesse, along with their friends and loved ones.

Carth had supplies and equipment brought into the temple and that was what they needed. Naturally the rest of the planet was Ranma's training ground as the Temple and the Elder villages were not touched by the Dark Side...the rest of the world was filled with it, and Revan knew that this would be the best place to test Ranma...

The world was filled with many creatures, namely adolescent and full grown Rancors, and Ranma used all he had learned in both Dxun and Dantooine along with other methods to survive in Rakata Prime, along with resisting the pull of the Dark Side when he would go on his training regimes, He was accompanied by his friends and allies, and he also ventured alone to test himself. He had endured massive battles with different beasts and other creatures, and even at times went on missions with the Ebon Hawk to hunt the Sith and expose their networks in the Republic... and now the time of training was over.

He was now a Jedi...albeit a unusual kind of Jedi.

As he stood there, with his trade-mark blue and silver lightsabers on his belt, his trusty Echani Vibrosword on his back, and both his modified Mandalorian heavy blasters on his belt as well, turned and looked to see all his friends in the Jedi Order, come towards him and surround him. They then drew out their light sabers, with Revan, Jesse, and Vandar at the front of the circle, facing Ranma, while the others were around the teen. He too took out his light-sabers and chanted the Jedi Code with subtle differences made by Revan and Jesse and approved by Vandar since he could feel the strength of will it gave Revan and his friends...and his wife Bastila.

Carth, Canderous, Mission, Zaalbar, HK, and T3 were there as well, along with Bralor, Kex, Xarga, Zuka, and Kelborn, along with several of Ranma's other Mandalorian friends, Tagren, Kumus, and Davrel. There were even friends he had made among Carth's old crew in his days as a Captain... They were the only non-Jedi in the whole bunch.

Ranma felt the Force auras of all his teachers reach out to him and made him feel whole...and his own aura responding in kind to the feelings of respect, trust, understanding, compassion, emotion, knowledge, learning, courage, and faith that he felt from them. His own Force aura had grown in the span of ten years, and now he was ready to step into the new world, to defend it and all who live in it.

As the sun glowed over the Temple roof, the ceremony was over and as the light shined on the group, in the middle of the circle didn't stand Ranma Saotome of Earth, the one that had an uncertain life anymore...

But Ranma Saotome...a Jedi Knight with a purpose.

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

To be continued…

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

Author's Notes:

I decided to get rid of the KOTOR Terms section and finish what I can as best as I can manage. So far I hope that the work was worth it…I've been having some problems lately with the computer…a few bugs here and there.

Along with some family planning for the New Year celebrations coming up in the next few days. I'll be posting whatever I can so hang on as we now head off to Earth Ranma makes his way home after a long absence.

What will he find when he gets home…or will he get sidetracked along the way, namely to a certain village?