Chapter Nine: Myths and Legends

The Jedi Temple on Coruscant was a place of ghosts. It's once proud, gleaming halls were now strewn with rubble and debris, the twisting archways and painstakingly designed wall carvings burned and blackened beyond recognition. Amidst the ruins, however, there were forgotten wells of knowledge and wisdom to be found, even so long after the execution of the genocidal Order 66. In the vaults below the temple itself, long deactivated archives still held the memories and learnings of even the most ancient of Jedi scholars.

Which was what brought Revan to this shattered relic of a time long since past.

The robed Master stepped cautiously through the ruinous structure, using the Force to clear a path for the ancient astromech droid in tow. T3's headlamp glowed brightly, casting a cone of radiance that illuminated the dusty air as he and his master progressed down into the vaults below the temple. The new leader of the Empire was here to collect information and trace resources for the reincarnated Jedi Order under new Masters Galen Marek and Rahm Kota. After saying his farewell on Taris, Revan had returned immediately to Coruscant to find anything and everything that would speed Marek and Kota's revival of the Order.

Had he made the right choice in appointing these two Knights as heads of the new Order? Many Jedi Councils would have questioned his decision to put a hard-headed warrior and a former Sith apprentice at the apex of the Jedi. But, Revan mused, Kota's battle-hardened nature was needed to make the tough decisions countless other "more suitable" masters had failed to make in the past, and Marek's mastery of the Dark and the Light meant that the young Jedi would be, as Revan himself was now, aware of the tricks and deceptions thrown towards the apostles of the Light, and would be able to pass that knowledge onto impressionable young minds.

In aeons past, the Jedi had chosen inaction in the face of grave peril, so that they could avoid straying down the path of the Dark Side. Few, though, had seen what Revan had seen, and he knew that the road to peace was not always a charming mountainside path, and that sometimes, one must step down off the high road and into the valley of shadows to overcome or pass a greater evil.

Down in the archives, aside from the thick layering of dust, the cavernous chamber seemed untouched by time or the ravages of Emperor Palpatine's order to eradicate the Jedi. The towering rows data towers stood silent sentinel in the darkness, and Revan guided T3 across the room towards a control port. With a few whirs and squeaking beeps, the little astromech returned what little power the generators had to the archives, and their blue glow emanated across the still chamber. "Make a record of everything you find." Said Revan, reaching out and touching the tips of his fingers to the shimmering glass. "Incomplete, corrupted, even the most mundane of entries. Kota and Marek will need them all." The droid gave a series of beeps to communicate his understanding, and rolled away from sight towards the main terminal.

It would be a long process. Even though he was an exceptional model, T3 wasn't a top of the line data-miner any more. But, with tensions still rife within the Imperial Command in regards to Revan's usurpation of Vader's throne, Revan couldn't risk using an Imperial protocol droid to gather data for an Order that most of his subordinates still believed to be an enemy. The requisition would take hours at the least, and Revan chose to spend his time doing research of his own. Although he'd learned much about the last four thousand years, the enigmatic former Sith wished to delve deeper into the mysteries of the past. He studied ancient reports and holocrons, he watched as the Jedi of old told of the inner machinations of the Order. But, it wasn't until around an hour of his search that me made a remarkable discovery.

Some two thousand years after the destruction of the Star Forge, a Jedi Master called Solstis Crom spent time with the Rakatan People of Lehon. Revan himself had been the one to rediscover the clandestine Rakatan around twenty thousand years after the collapse of their Infinite Empire. Although when Revan made contact they had been a race of primitive, violent tribes, the "Builders" had once been part of a Galaxy-spanning Empire that conquered and enslaved much of the known galaxy. Their natural affinity to the Force had allowed them to build technology – like the Star Forge – that drew power directly from the Dark Side, and all opposition to their rule were swiftly silenced by the sheer power they commanded. It was believed by the Elder Rakatan that still lived on Lehon four thousand years ago that the Builders' Empire was abruptly halted by an outbreak of internal war and disease, which cut off their connection to the Force and allowed their enslaved thralls to revolt and overthrow them.

Upon the destruction of their greatest works, the Rakatan joined the Galactic Republic, but around 1000 years ago, with their numbers thinned and widespread, the Rakatan people dwindled and faded into extinction. Revan pulled Master Solstis' learnings from the archive, curious to see precisely just what the Jedi learned about this ancient, mysterious people. The initial reports showed little Revan did not already know; The cultural doctrines of the Rakatan, the flora and fauna native to Lehon, the Elders' knowledge on the Infinite Empire and possible causes of the demise of their Empire. One entry, however, pertained to the belief system of a secluded sect of Rakatan religion known as the "Creed of the Whisperer". During his time on Lehon, Revan had never even heard of such a cult. Intrigued, he pulled up a hologram recording of Solstis Crom and his findings.

"Greetings, Masters." the scholar began with a bow, inclining his greying head. "Following the tone of my previous correspondence, I have been delving deeper into the Rakatan cultural beliefs. With some persuasion, the Elders informed me of an ancient cult of Rakatan people who live in solitude deep in the bowels of Lehon. They attempted to discourage my inclination to speak with this "Creed of the Whisperer", as they describe these subterranean descendants as being little more than lunatic, fanatical hermits clinging to a whimsical doctrine of imagined truths. Their dissuasion only proved to bolster my intrigue, though, and I immediately made for the macabrely named Temple of the Sorrows some three miles below the Lehon Sea.

"What I found there was..." Crom paused, as if searching for the right adjective. "... Spellbinding. Whereas the rest of the Rakatan dwellings were constructed of either rusted metal or wood and material canopy, this underground vault seemed pristine and at the height of technological engineering. A winding labyrinth of some strange obsidian metal, bizarre architectural constructions the likes of which I have never seen, even what seems to be rows of primitive Sith holocrons lining the Inner Sanctum. Beyond that, there were devices and computer systems in states of inoperation, and my initial befuddlement as to why these, for lack of better word, Apostles were not utilising these marvels of science soon faded in understanding.

"Rakatan technology was based around the powers of the Force. Their hyperdrive systems, their weaponry, anything more advanced than a soup spoon... All of it depended upon the Rakatan's Force sensitivity. With their affinity lost to them over twenty thousand years ago, their galaxy-conquering machines and technology became useless to them. But I digress.

"The Creed were indeed a small collection of hermits, some bordering insanity. Which, in my professional opinion, is a result of centuries upon centuries of inbreeding while they remained secluded and alone deep within Lehon's crust. The majority are blind and disfigured, but the cult's leader seemed as venerable and wise as the surface dwelling Elders. His own age escapes him, but he must surely be ancient even for the long-lived Rakata people. And his mind, unlike many of his flock, remains his own. There, in the Temple of Sorrows, I spoke with the High Elder, So'al under the light of flickering torches, and he passed to me the "truth" of the demise of the Builders. Whether truth or, as the other Elders suggest, whimsical doctrines of imagined fact, I leave to your deliberation. I will say for the record that I found his story to be more than just compelling.

"I believed.

Crom paused in his speech, gazing down at his clasped hands held before his navel. The aged Jedi had stumbled onto something amazing, and Revan could read the ancient Master's conviction in his face and his voice.

"He told me that the Rakatan did indeed expand from Lehon like wildfire, enslaving and killing as they progressed. Their might was incredible, but not the powerhouse of strength the Elders describe in their stories. It wasn't until they began mining on the dead planet Gehana that they were catapulted to the apex of the Galactic Hierarchy. On Gehana, he claims, they met with the Whisperer. Precisely what this Whisperer is or was escapes So'al's understandng, but the stories passed from generation to generation tell of a gargantuan synthetic creature of unimaginable power and wisdom." Revan felt his breath catch in his throat. "There are many conflicting retellings of the initial meeting between the Rakata and the Whisperer, but all accounts agree that the Rakata attacked and were quickly overcome by the sheer strength of this mechanical God. They surrendered after sustaining a heavy loss, but to their surprise, the Whisperer was impressed by their courage, their fortitude, and their power. This creature sought counsel with the Rakatan Hierarchy, and soon after meeting the triumvirate of the Builders, gifted them with the designs of the immense Star Forge and countless other ground breaking pieces of technology. For the several thousand years, the Rakata prospered with this newly found strength, seizing planet after planet in a conquest that soon saw the majority of the known Galaxy bending their knee to the Infinite Empire. But, in the end, they had been deceived.

"The Whisperer emerged again from Gehana and summoned the triumvirate. Once more, the events of that meeting are lost to time, but the outcome is more plain. An outbreak of infighting between the three leaders of the Hierarchy erupted soon after the Whisperer of Gehana returned to slumber, and with the Infinite Empire engulfed in chaos and strife, the enslaved races began a revolt that would see the Builders cast from the precipice of Galactic control down into the depths of tribal primitivism. Within a few centuries, the Rakata had receded to a race of warring tribes, clinging desperately to life on their ravaged home world.

"A thrilling, compelling tale. And you may call me mad, but I think these tales to be more than fantastical imaginings. With help from the Elders, I travelled to the ball of mined rock that was known to the Builders as Gehana, and there, I found this..." Crom's hologram lifted a slab of rock around three feet in height and length. It seemed to be a carved tablet, depicting a giant squid-like creature, beaming rays of wisdom down onto three crowned Rakata who knelt before the immense beast. Revan's eyes widened in horrible recognition; this was one of the synthetic monsters that attacked the Senate. This "Whisperer" had laid dormant in the Unknown Regions for millennia. This creature lifted the Rakatan to prominence only to cast them down into decay.

Crom lowered the tablet, his eyes briefly closing in pain, and he pressed a hand to his temple as if warding the onset of a migrain. "I'm afraid my evidence does not stretch further than that." He said, after composing himself. "I hope to return to Gehana and uncover more about this mysterious Whisperer. My Masters, I am sure you will agree that while as yet confirmed, my findings open a new window on lost civilisations and the rise and fall of past Empires. There may even be an insight into the mysteries of the Force at hand. I..." for a moment, Master Solstis reeled backwards, gritting his teeth. "Forgive me... I fear I may have become victim to radiation sickness on Gehana. It is a minor issue. Headaches, dizziness... It will not impede my research. We will speak again soon, Masters. May the Force be with you all."

As the aged Jedi bowed his farewell, Revan's mind was racing at the speed of light. If just one of these giant machines could bring down the Builders with whispers and false counsel, he shuddered to think what an army of them, commanding countless synthetic warriors, could to do the fractured Empire. As it were, the multitude of planets and fleets dotted across the Galaxy were now simply rickety boats floating in an expansive sea of fog, with legions of genocidal monsters drifting eerily just below the surface. With his sense of hopeless despair descending again, Revan searched for any other recordings pertaining to the research of one Master Solstis Crom.

His search, however, was fruitless. The only entry even mentioning Crom was a conversation between two other Council members discussing his disappearance. According to the archive, Crom never reported in again after his previous correspondence, and he was declared dead by the Jedi Council some ten years after his proposed return to Gehana. It was hinted heavily that the oh so wise Masters believed him to have been swept up in the lunatic beliefs of the Creed of the Whisperer and ended up perishing from a combination radiation poisoning, starvation and insanity on some uninhabited world deep in the Unknown Regions. Revan, after witnessing the attack on Coruscant, felt that perhaps Crom had uncovered something that should have remained hidden, and paid the ultimate price. He saw no coincidence that the Rakata disappeared entirely from Lehon a few centuries after the Jedi chronicler visited the mysterious world of Gehana.

An excitable tweet from T3 at his elbow brought Revan from his silent musings, and he turned to give the little droid a small smile. "You got everything?" he asked, pushing the data file for Solstis Crom back into the archive. T3 responded with a series of beeps, his disc-shaped head turning back and forth. "No, I never doubted you for a second, my friend. Come, we need to prepare this data for transport to Dantooine. Shut down the system."

While T3 went about cutting the backup power, Revan returned to his silent thoughts. The image of not one, but a thousand of these colossal killing machines sweeping across the Galaxy rose to the forefront of his mind, and he repressed the chill running up his spine with a barely noticeable shudder. He was doing all he could to prepare the Galaxy for the inevitable war, but would it be enough? If just one of these things could cripple the Rakata, he doubted that even a united Galaxy could ever fully prepare for a war with a foe so numerous and so powerful. Had they been forewarned of the attack on the Senate, Revan felt that they could have held them at bay long enough to formulate a counter-attack or a retreat, but with long range communications still irrevocably blocked, they were all sitting ducks.

[A/N: Hi all! I know, it's been forever since my last update. To be brutally honest, I grew despondent with the amount of bad reviews and naysaying from the hardcore Star Wars fans reading along. But recently, I thought to myself that if I ever have any hope of becoming a serious writer, I need to learn to deal with both positive and negative criticism. Which means that this project is back up and running, and will be continually updated until its completion.

For those who questioned my decision to have the Reapers being able to defeat a fleet of Star Destroyers, this chapter is for you. Consider it an explanation as to how the Reapers could have such a vast understanding of Star Wars tech :)

Thanks for reading, and I'm looking forward to seeing your thoughts and reviews!

- C ]