Heroes of the Republic

Chapter 1: Realization

It is a dark era for the Jedi Order.

The Sith Empire obliterated the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and slaughtered many of the Republic's brave defenders during the last war.

The surviving Jedi have withdrawn to their ancient homeworld of Tython, where they take advantage of a fragile peace to train a new generation of guardians for the galaxy.

Now a new hope emerges.

A young Padawan strong in the Force journeys to Tython's dangerous wilderness to complete the final Jedi trials and become a Knight of the Republic.

A Padawan sat in the back of a shuttle, the lone passenger on a course set for Tython. He's a human, with light skin, dark brown hair, and amber eyes. The Padawan's training was nearly completed. All he needed was to complete his final trials, and he'd finally serve as a Knight of the Republic. The last decade-or-so of training was supposed to prepare him for this moment, yet the Padawan still felt anxious. What if he messed up, or he exhibited signs of the Dark Side? Then, as if it were fated, he remembered something his old Master told him.

"Remember Drio, there is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force. Remember that when you begin to doubt yourself." Kizim was an unusual fellow, especially compared to others of his kind. Master Kizim was a Miraluka. Whereas Miraluka were usually calm and soft-spoken, Kizim was bombastic and overflowing with knowledge. That wasn't to say he was a bad teacher. In fact, Drio knew that if he didn't have Kizim as a master, he would never have made it to this point. But even a great teacher knows when he has nothing more to teach. And when Kizim had nothing left to teach Drio, the master gave the green light to send Drio to Tython to undergo his final trials. Though the time they'd spent together was immeasurable, both knew it was time for Drio to move on.

"Drio," Kizim spoke just as Drio went to board the shuttle. The Padawan turned to see the master's solemn expression, one different from his usual cheery demeanor. The two stood in silence for a moment before the Jedi Master put a hand on Drio's shoulder and smiled. "You've come far from the uncertain boy I met fifteen years ago. I know that the Force has great plans for you."

"How do you know that, Master," Drio asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I feel it. I just know that whatever challenges you may face on your path to becoming a Knight, the Force will guide you to your destiny." Kizim's hand slightly withdrew, almost hesitant to let his Padawan go. "Remember Drio, there is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force. Remember that when you begin to doubt yourself." With that, Kizim stepped back and nodded at the pilot, who entered the shuttle before Drio did. As Drio got on, he turned and gave his now former master one final look of appreciation, taking in the sight of the man who practically raised him. He settled himself in the back of the shuttle and began undergoing a series of deep meditations.

Thank you, Master Kizim, Drio thought. With your teachings, I'll become a Jedi you can be proud of.

Little did our young Padawan know, not only would he become a Jedi his former master could be proud of, he'd become one of the greatest Jedi in the history of the Order. This is the story of how two Jedi, a Republic Trooper, and a smuggler saved the Republic.

"Hey, kid," the pilot spoke, stirring Drio from his meditations. "We're about to land at the Masters' Retreat. I suggest you get your things ready, 'cause I'm not coming back here if you forget something."

"No need," Drio replied. "I'm all ready to go." Drio didn't bring much with him, not that he had that much to begin with. The only things he'd brought with him were the Padawan clothes he currently wore and the two training sabers he'd been given when he first learned to fight. He easily picked up the basic forms and techniques of fighting with one saber, so his masters decided to push the boy to use two sabers. The process of learning two sabers was a little tougher, and it definitely caused a few self-inflicted headaches, but Drio was fighting with two sabers in no time. His prowess easily dwarfed those of his fellow Padawans, and he even gave some of his masters a run for their money.

Drio heard the landing gear engage on the shuttle, and knew that in a few moments, the final steps of his training would commence. Drio's meditations had helped in clearing his mind of doubts, but it would be up to Drio to prove himself to the Jedi Masters. The shuttle door hissed as it opened up in front of Drio, light pouring in and slightly blinding the Padawan. Drio stepped down the ramp and onto the platform that made up the Masters' Retreat. He looked around and was awed by a beautiful forest surrounding the compound. He quickly noticed that a Jedi Knight stood nearby with his arms crossed behind him, clearly waiting for Drio's arrival. Drio moved toward the Jedi with confidence evident in his step.

"Welcome to Tython, Padawan," the Knight greeted. "My name is Knight Weller. Everyone at the temple is looking forward to meeting you." Drio gave Weller a nod. "Your former Masters praise your combat skills. They say you're becoming an expert duelist."

"It's easy to excel when you're trained by the best," Drio replied. The Knight motioned for Drio to follow him, and so the Padawan did. As they walked, Drio took in the sight of other Jedi nearby, adorned in their dark brown robes.

"The Jedi Council will assign you a new Master for your final trials. You'll be tested in ways you can't imagine," Weller warned. "But when you leave Tython, you'll know what it means to be a Jedi Knight. More importantly, you'll know yourself." They entered a small room with a large computer inside.

"Being a Jedi Knight is my calling," Drio responded. "What else can a Master tell me?" Knight Weller slightly chuckled at the response.

"Many Padawans feel the same way until they face the trials. That's why releasing preconceived notions is part of the Jedi Code," Knight Weller explained. "'There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.' Enter your training with an open mind. You might surprise yourself." Weller motioned toward the door. "There's a speeder here that will take you–" A loud beeping interrupted their conversation, surprising both of them. Weller's eyes flashed with recognition. "Hang on, I'm getting an emergency signal…" He retrieved his holocommunicator and answered to find a Bith Padawan calling him.

"–under attack! Repeat, under attack," the Padawan yelled. "Flesh Raiders are invading the training grounds! They have blasters! Send help!" The Padawan recoiled as blaster fire came shooting past him, before the call cut out. Concern immediately washed over Knight Weller's face.

"Flesh Raiders? Armed with blasters? He must be mistaken."

"Mistaken or not, that Padawan is under attack," Drio responded.

"They've never come this close before," Weller added worriedly. "Flesh Raiders are a species of hostile natives. They're smart enough to use tools and violent beyond reason." The Knight whirled around and began pressing various buttons on the computer behind him. "I'm sending every able-bodied Jedi down to the Padawan training grounds right away–especially you." That last part surprised Drio.

Especially me? he thought incredulously. He shook the surprise off quickly though. No time for that. "Just point the way, I'll handle the rest." If Weller wasn't looking at the computer, Drio would've seen a smile briefly flash onto Weller's face.

"Take the speeder outside to the training grounds," Knight Weller instructed. "Push back the Flesh Raiders–and find out if they're really using advanced weapons." Drio was about to ask what Weller was going to do, but it seemed as if Weller read Drio's mind. "Go. I'll catch up after I alert the Jedi Council. May the Force be with you."

With that, Drio was out the door in mere moments. As he ran, he shouted to the Jedi around him, "The training grounds are under attack!" He spotted the speeder Knight Weller told him about and sped off on it. This is not how I imagined my first day going. he thought grimly.

Chaos. That's the first word that came to Drio's mind when he arrived at the Padawan Training Grounds. Padawans were running and dodging blaster fire like their lives depended on it, only in this case it did. Many Jedi were locked in combat with the invading army of Flesh Raiders.

The Flesh Raiders. The instant he laid eyes on one of these beasts, he knew there'd be no reasoning with the enemy. These beings were pure evil. With a hefty sigh, Drio closed his eyes and withdrew the two training sabers. He steeled himself for what he knew was about to happen. He would have to kill. Suddenly, Drio's eyes shot open and he leapt into battle. He raced toward a lone Flesh Raider about to gun down a fleeing Padawan.

"Hey!" Drio shouted, diverting the Flesh Raider's attention toward him. The Flesh Raider grinned sadistically, as if eyeing down prey, before aiming the blaster pistol at Drio and firing multiple shots. Drio expertly blocked the blaster fire as he was taught to, closing in further. The Flesh Raider, realizing Drio was almost upon it, holstered its blaster and pulled out a saber of its own. It let out a guttural yell before charging Drio. When close enough, the Flesh Raider swung at Drio, expecting him to be like the other Padawans, only to be surprised when Drio blocked the saber with one of his own while swinging at him with another. The Flesh Raider was caught in the head by Drio's saber, sending it reeling, allowing Drio to follow up with a few more slashes to various parts of the Flesh Raider's body. It growled with each blow, getting more and more angry, before it roared and attempted to shoulder bash Drio. Drio was too quick for it, however, and evaded the bash by twisting his body around it. Now with the Flesh Raider's back exposed, Drio unleashed another flurry of slashes to the creature's back. It yowled in pain with every strike, before it dropped to its knees and hit the ground dead. Drio took a moment to gaze upon what he had just done. He let out a huge breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He felt it as the Force left the Flesh Raider's body, dissipating into the world around him. It took everything in his power to not fall to his knees because of what he just felt.

The furious roar of a nearby Flesh Raider snapped him out of his trance. He heard its large footsteps as it rushed to take him out. Drio closed his eyes, not paying any mind to the hulking beast that was bearing down on him.

How can I keep doing this? he wondered hopelessly. How does anyone take a life? Just then, he remembered the Padawan that the Flesh Raider had been about to take out. The fear in the girl's eyes as she ran away and hoped that a Flesh Raider wouldn't gun her down. That's when he realized why Jedi kill. They do it to protect the innocent, the people unable to fight for themselves. And with that realization, he felt the Force rush through him, filling him with a sense of determination. Drio opened his eyes whirled around just in time to block a fatal blow from the incoming Flesh Raider. He and the Flesh Raider clashed blades for a few moments before Drio used his newfound determination to push the Flesh Raider back. It grit its teeth as it struggled to keep its ground against Drio, but it ultimately fell when Drio dropped one of his sabers and Force Pushed the creature to the ground. Drio gave the creature no time to recover and slashed it across the chest, killing it instantly. He felt the Force leave the creature, only this time the sensation didn't cripple him. He acknowledged its presence, but did not let it bother him. He'd come to terms with what he had to do. He picked up his dropped training saber and glanced off into the distance at a group of Flesh Raiders taking aim at the Jedi Knights that prevented the beasts from taking over the landing platform. They wouldn't take that platform. And so, Drio rushed at the Flesh Raiders, continuing the defense against the Flesh Raider army.

WOOOOO! I'M BACK! What's up guys, it's ya boi that never writes, TheOrangeRobo! Recently, I started playing "Star Wars: The Old Republic". Although I'm eight years late to the party, I'm really enjoying the experience so far, though some of the free-to-play restrictions are kinda annoying. However, I'm waiting until the new "Onslaught" comes out in September to subscribe so I can get every expansion up to that. Also, they're addingNautolans. I'M SO HAPPY! Kit Fisto has always been my favorite Jedi, so being able to play as his race is so awesome. Who knows? You may even see a Nautolan character down the line, though it won't be one of the four main characters of this story. Speaking of main characters, as you can see, this is the Jedi Knight, at least, the one I'm playing as. His name is Drio Quinknight, a human Jedi Sentinel. If you want to know what his character looks like, go to the character creator and put in these values: Body Type (2), Head (6), Scars (1), Complexion (5), Eye Color (7), Beards (1), Hair (9), Hair Color (6), Skin Color (9).

Now with that out of the way, I'm going to tell you my plans. There will be four stories going on in this book. The Jedi Knight, which we've just started, the Jedi Consular, the Trooper, and the Smuggler. Those will begin in later chapters, but there will be regular crossovers with the other stories with events such as Flashpoints. And yes, there's going to be a version for the Sith Empire as well. I do plan on having both fanfics meet up at some point, but I'm not entirely sure when that will be. This series will run all the way up to Jedi Under Siege (and beyond), so I'm in this for the long run.

I've rambled on long enough. Leave your questions, suggestions, and criticisms in the reviews, and I'll see you guys next time!