From the perspective of Nizzal.

We had been speaking with Aomi, for a while. She told me that the conclave accepted my master's last request to test me as the next grandmaster candidate. It was done in the old ways, as tradition dictates, the one who had been chosen for the trial wouldn't be notified about the fact that the trial had begun. This was a tradition that was supposed to prevent any type of influence on the candidate's decisions. Therefore, a small number of people had been ordered to prepare the ideal environment for the trials. It was a big event, one that normally occurred in every few hundred years. As that was the minimum lifespan of a grandmaster. There were times, when finding an ideal subject for the position had stretched over decades or more. Now, the process had hastened, as the seers sensed a big cluster of shatter points looming over the galaxy. An age will end soon, and a new era will begin. It was inevitable. Few such eras have ended since the standing of our diminished order, while we watched on from the sides, rarely interfering in any major occurence. Our interference usually was to prevent harm to our own order. We were not heroes to willingly take upon the weight of the galaxy. No. That role was already taken. We had long freed ourselves from such distractions. It was an endless and futile endeavor anyway. 

It was easier this way, only watching from a distance while isolating ourselves from the cruelty of this world. In solitude with a chosen few, brothers, and sisters in arms, bound by much stronger ties than blood. Bound by our shared thirst for freedom and the wish to escape the endless cycle of aimless suffering. Yet somehow, suffering always find a way to reach us, to slip through the slightest openings and enter into our hearts. There was no force ability powerful enough that could hide us from it forever, nor in the light or in the dark side of the force. 

I looked at Aomi, who was sitting at the same table as me... From her expression alone, I had to realize that she was serious about the news. I sighed and said slowly... 

-I hoped that you were joking in a particularly shitty way... But it seems that you are serious after all. So the seventh line had fallen twelve years ago. That is not the news I wished to hear the moment I met with one of you. Tell me, how did it happen?

-I didn't know it myself. Until I sensed his presence just a while ago. He appeared through the living force, to warn us of great danger. Although he was unable to materialize as an astral body, he was still able to communicate. It was a bit weird, though, his presence, was different than our immortals. It kind of reminded me of those annoying monks... Although, far inferior in power. 

I blinked, shocked by this unexpected new information.

-Did he manage to train with the monks, and survive? 

-I thought about that too, but I have no certain answer.

-I see... Could you at least tell me how he died? It wasn't because of the monks, right?

Aomi shook her head immediately denying that assumption, and continued with a troubled expression. She clearly had some problems with how to properly describe the situation to me. 

-He was a member of our order, but also a legitimate jedi master at the same time. You probably already know this, but he never really, give up on the jedi order. Even when it was clear that the order was rotten to the core, he still played the part of a master through generations. It was good for us since we could get free information on the level of a jedi master. Yet I also warned him that his compassion and stubbornness would endanger the archive, and lead to an early grave. But the man was adamant in his ways. Such a naive fool... Some momentary information was not worth the loss of a complete line of memories. A few years ago I tried to speak with him, only to realize that he was missing. I thought he got bored with the jedi finally, and left. You can imagine how surprised I was when I heard a disembodied voice acting like him nine years ago, telling me an interesting story about the return of the Sith through the force. I didn't believe it at first, so I planted a new spy in the order to figure it out. It was one of our younger apostles who managed to infiltrate the jedi order a few years ago, to serve as a witness for your trial. She also found out about the tragic end of our shared friend. The story was matching with the one that ghost told me. Oh, his current name was Qui-Gon Jinn, by the way. A Sith named Maul killed him in saber combat. In the end he died more like a jedi, than one of our members. That guy was a weirdo even among us, and that is quite something to achieve. 

-I should have known, that the Sith had a hand in it.

-Yes, it was why we decided to gift a few upgraded guard droids to the Zygerrian Queen and tried to assassinate one of them. Unfortunately, we only managed to wound him, but at least we did it in a way, that they thought it was the queen's order to kill him. Resulting in an internal battle between them. We also destroyed most of the evidence that you were ever present in the palace by deleting every captured video file from the palace security system. It was but an attempt to slow down their tracking until we managed to leave the planet. 

-Why don't we just leave right away? 

-Because, dear Nizzy, the Separatist blockade around the planet kind of blocks our way? You know? Hehe... okay, that was not that funny...

I rolled my eyes at that. 

-What? 

-Please continue. ~I sat upright, giving her my full attention. - What Separatist blockade are you talking about?

-Oh well, could you say please, big sister Bastila? 

-No. 

-... What a killjoy. Anyway, the one that had been created around the planet since the moment an all-out battle began in the palace. The Queen died, and the Zygerrian nobles think that it is the beginning of a Separatist invasion. Currently there are hundreds of thousands of fighter ships of various sizes that are engaging the separatist fleet, at the outer and inner atmospheric levels. You can say whatever you want about the Zygerians, but they are not the type who surrender in front of superior forces. Oh, and the various crime syndicates that had been invited to the queen's galaxy-wide slave auction. Each syndicate had a private army, basically. They are all trying to flee and therefore they are fighting on the side of the Zygerians. It is complete chaos.

-In other words, an all-out war between the zygerians and the separatists began around us. Thats... Fucking great!

-Yeah, I know!

-What the heeeell you say!? What will we do now?!

-Relax, girl... Big sis here has everything under control. I have prepared a cool hideout. We will go there and simply wait until the storm passes, just like always, then we will slip away. The Separatists can't spare that many ships to hold a full scale, planet-wide blockade in the middle of a galactic civil war, not for long. 

-Well... sigh. That's alright, I guess... ~I looked aside for a second as I thought a bit... There seemed to be no better solution. This fact annoyed me for some reason.

-Never stop pouting please. I could eat you whole right now, you are just too cute. 

I looked up at the smirking woman... Was I really pouting this much? I didn't even realize, or she could simply say it to get under my skin... I slightly shook my head to clear my mind from useless thoughts. I needed to focus now. 

- Can you tell me, what happened to that Sith? Darth Maul, was it? 

-Yes, he was killed, by Jinn's Jedi apprentice, a guy named Obi-Wan Kenobi. You should know him by now, as I heard in the reports. 

-... No way... That annoying guy killed a Darth? So... that was why the Jedi Council chose him to be my master while I stayed there... The man was probably the only one in the whole order that actually killed or even fought with a true Darth. Heh... They thought if there is someone, then it will be he who will be able to kill me or judge me objectively, even when I looked like an innocent child. He lost his own master because of a darkside user. That deep scar would certainly make him a good person for the job. Now, I am kind of curious, what will he say, if he realizes that I am an old friend of his master. Of course, we didn't really see eye-to eye, especially because he was unwilling to cut his connections with the Jedi, and for that reason he always missed out on the order's meetings. Still, that bastard was family, and he didn't deserve this fate... 

There was series of hasty steps heading towards our direction. Both of us looked towards the door that was leading to the corridor where the two jedi left. I was expecting Ahsoka to burst into the room even angrier, than before... Anakin was not exactly known for his calming presence, so I wouldn't be surprised to find his attempts to ask for forgiveness resulting in the exact opposite effect. 

Therefore, I was very surprised in the moment when the pressure doors parted, to see a different but familiar girl standing in the doorframe. She was fuming like a charging bull that saw red. I followed her with my gaze as she walked into the room. My eyes were stuck to her face in disbelief, as the iconic long black hair put in a high pony tail appeared. I jolted out of my stupor as I stated a name hesitantly.

-Is... is that you, Rika? What are you doing here? 

The black haired girl suddenly froze in her step, and turned towards me. There was clear recognition in her eyes. 

-Revan?... No it's Nizzal... What are you doing here... already... ~ Her face angrily focused on Aomi, who was sitting next to me right now... When did she come over to my side... She was sitting opposite of me just now. Was I that distracted. I needed to do something about this dangerous new tendency of mine.

-You! You promised me that you would call me over before we picked her up! 

-Oh did I? It must have slipped my mind. Sorry about that, it happens to the best of us after all.

-Stop mocking me! You are my elder, but I still don't have to swallow all your insults! Also, why did you send two damn jedi to my room! I had enough of them in the last six years! That is not right... I was happy to meet with Ahoska. She is my best friend... Master Anakin is also a good jedi... Just shut up already, you weakling. You can't even hold a memoryline with four generations of memories... How would you know what is a good jedi or what isn't... Sniffles sadly... Now you took it too far master, you hurt her feelings again. Sometimes you act like a complete jerk. I am a Sith Lord you idiot; why wouldn't I act like that? You are nothing else but a SHIT Lord in my eyes when you make Rika cry like that. What did you call me? I am done with you, bastard. I am revoking your apprenticeship right now. Oooohh, I am so scared, it almost pains me to say that you missed your chance with a few hundred years. Would you two idiots finally finish your childish argument and lend back the control to our host? 

I watched this mysterious phenomenon in complete shock. Rika, was arguing with herself aloud, and there were four pretty different personalities changing between themselves. Each time a different attitude a different demeanor and body language took over her body when they spoke. When all of them finally shut up, the girl simply crumbled to the ground and began to cry silently. 

The deep sadness and sense of shame from her presence had the effects comparable to a powerful slap to my face. It immediately awakened me from my dreamy state. 

I stood up, and run over to the girl. I kneeled down next to her and patted her back awkwardly... I also turned towards Aomi, who at last chose to wear a serious expression... 

-What the hell was that?

I asked her quite angrily. 

-Well... how should I put this... You know, our order was quite small in the beginning. And even in our best times, the apostles never grew bigger in number than one hundred. We are far from that number now... You should know the reason for that, right? 

-Yes, I know... With each generation, of memories inherited, it will be harder to find a compatible host to properly and willingly store the archive. That is why we created a few dozens of different life-elongating techniques... 

-Yes, but times have changed... Back then, there were hundreds of times the number of force sensitives in the galaxy. Now, the numbers are scarce, and most of them were claimed by the jedi years before we could find them. This is why we had to infiltrate the jedi order at the highest of ranks, to access and slightly modify the information on compatible force-sensitive children whenever we wished. The problem was that, we didn't know of the Seventh Apostole's passing, until we needed a new host. When we realized what had happened, it was already too late. So, we used a host to inherit the archive, one that was not chosen by the force. That is the result... It is not as bad as it looks, really. 

-The other memories she holds only get out of hand when she is depressed or a bit under the weather, just like now... 

- That was incredibly stupid of you... She could have died as a result... It is a miracle that she is actually alive, and not completely mad... Also, you have sent her to the jedi order, in this state? Are you crazy?

-No, I am not... We don't really have members that are children, normally. So we didn't have the luxury of being picky, and she wanted to help. I also said, that it was not as bad as it looked; the others were clearly making a show for you purposefully... 

-This is crazy... It is the force, that chooses the next bearer. It should never be taken into our own hands... The consequences could be completely unforseen...

-Oh, stop rambling about that, we will heal her eventually. The Order never leaves behind their members after all. She will be all right. Am I right? Rika? This much time should be enough to clear your mind.

-... Ye-yes... I am better now... Thank you, Re-.. Master Nizzal... I am sorry that you have to witness me in such an unsightly manner... 

-... By the way... I will ask this now, since I am not sure that my nerves would be able to handle another surprise like that... Is there anyone of our order that I have already met and didn't know what he or she is?

At that very moment another familiar voice appeared in the room just behind me. 

-Oh yes, that would be me!

That voice... please, I must be wrong... it can't be? I slowly looked towards the direction of the cheery boyish voice. When I finally turned around, my fear had proven right. There was a mirialan boy, sitting on a chair, in one of the shadowy corners of the room. He was clothed in ceremonial gray jedi clothes. Which meant that it was mostly normal jedi clothes in gray color instead of brown and beige. We never used them except in official meetings. 

-I sighed... is that really you, Eqomu? 

-Of course! I slipped away just to dress more appropriately for our official meeting. It is what good etiquette and mannerism dictates after all. 

I felt as the blood drained from my face... This can't be... I think that I had been traumatized from the etiquette classes... possibly for life... 

-Ugh... Just put me out of misery... ~ I said, quite depressed.

-What? React more appropriately... A pupil is a mirror of his or her teacher after all. Don't bring shame on my name... 

-Hihi... ~At least Rika cheered up a bit at my sudden depression.

Meanwhile, Aomi smirked in the background, clearly amused by the present turn of events. Then she said.

-Now, get a hold of yourself, kids. It's about time to reach our hiding spot, and we will have to work together to set up our camp. Nizzy, pick up your jedi friends from whatever they are doing and bring them to the bridge. I don't want any nasty surprises this time, we don't really have a plan B. Now chop-chop!