The transition from the smoke-filled plazas of Theed back to the sterile, incense-heavy atmosphere of the Coruscant Jedi Temple was a localized sociological pivot that Revan Shan met with a high-collared academic coat, a vintage spice-latte machine, and a very particular brand of 12th-Doctor-esque investigative satisfaction. As 32 BBY drew its final rhythmic breaths, the "Prodigal Knight" decided that if he was going to be the galaxy's most successful auditor, he might as well enjoy the dividends of a job well done.
Revan sat in his Sovereign's Command Chair in the quietest corner of the Jedi Archives. Calculus, the orange patriarch Loth-cat, was draped across his lap like a rhythmic weighted blanket, while Theorem was industriously auditing the structural integrity of a nearby data-pad.
"You see, Cortana," Revan murmured, his voice a dry, rhythmic rasp. "According to my 9th Doctorate in Advanced Mathematics, the 'Big Short' wasn't just an investment; it was a localized thermodynamic correction. The Sith wanted to profit from chaos. I simply redirected that profit into a variable they didn't account for: Kindness."
I. The Sovereign Ledger: Closing the Year-End Audit
The year-end financial sweep was, in a word, astronomical. With the Trade Federation's blockade broken and their shipping stocks in a localized freefall, Revan's dummy leveraged accounts had reached their "Audit Apex."
The 32 BBY Financial Summary:
| Account Variable | Initial Position | Leverage | Final Payout (Net) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naboo Plasma Short | 200 Million | 100x | 8.4 Billion Credits |
| Trade Federation Stocks | 200 Million | 100x | 6.8 Billion Credits |
| Maverick Trust Total | 15.8 Billion | N/A | 31.0 Billion Credits |
"Tidy," Revan noted, checking the Kyber-Quantum display on his gauntlet. "Jax, close all short positions. We don't want to get greedy—that's a 1% variable. Redirect the capital into Heavy Industry acquisitions: 30% into Kuat Drive Yards subsidiaries and 20% into Incom experimental engine development. The rest? Keep it liquid in the Safe House shell accounts."
To ensure his "Dr. John Smith" pseudonym remained statistically untraceable, Revan performed a "Kindness Decoy." He officially donated 10 Million Credits to the Naboo Relief Fund under the name Master Revan Shan.
"According to my 3rd Doctorate in Sentient Sociology," Revan sassed, "a rich Jedi is a suspicious variable. But a rich philanthropist like John Smith? He's just another eccentric academic with a big heart and a bigger bank account."
II. The Shara Val Variable: Protecting the Mother
While the Jedi Council was busy auditing the legalities of the Sith encounter, Revan's focus was on the 96%. He received a secure, encrypted ping from HK-47 on Naboo.
"Joyous Statement: Master, the meatbag formerly known as Shmi Skywalker has been 100% integrated into the Naboo Royal Archives under the designation 'Shara Val'. She is currently auditing ancient tapestry records."
"And her security, HK?" Revan asked.
"Observation: My presence in her vicinity has resulted in a 94% decrease in local pickpocketing. I have also installed a localized sensor grid in her apartment. She is safe, Master. The Queen's handmaidens—specifically the one named Padmé—visit her for rhythmic tea sessions frequently."
"Tidy work, HK," Revan smiled. "Keep the Westars hot, but try to be nice to the librarians."
III. The Council's Stutter: Legalities and Legerdemain
Back at the Temple, the atmosphere was remarkably untidy. Revan leaned against the doorway of the High Council chamber, sassing the room with a sharp, clinical grin as Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi finished their testimony.
"The Sith are returning," Mace Windu noted, his voice reflecting a rare rhythmic stutter of unease. "But to arrest a 'Master' we cannot find? In this political climate? The Senate's agreement with the Order is 100% restrictive regarding extra-judicial interference."
"According to my 5th Doctorate in Galactic Lore & Ethics, Mace," Revan chimed in, "your 'Nice' policy is currently suffering from a localized failure of common sense. You have a recording of a Sith Lord—provided by me, you're welcome—and you're worried about the Senate's paperwork? The 1% shadow is playing a game of debt and dividends, and you lot are still looking for a rulebook that hasn't been updated since the High Republic."
"A rhythmic truth, Master Shan speaks," Yoda rasped, looking at the evidence on the holographic floor. "Tied, our hands are. But open, our eyes must remain. Hmmm."
The Council was paralyzed by the legal reality: under current Republic law, being a "Sith" wasn't technically a crime without proof of treason. Revan just shook his head, knowing that while they debated, he had already bankrupted the Sith's lobbyists.
IV. The Stabilized Future: Qui-Gon and the Chosen One
The biggest ripple in the timeline was standing right in the center of the hall: Qui-Gon Jinn.
Because Revan had ensured HK-47 was there to audit the duel, Qui-Gon was alive. He had lost an arm, but thanks to Revan's 4th Doctorate in Engineering and D6's help, he now possessed a Beskar-Phrik cybernetic limb that was 12% faster than his original.
"Master Shan," Qui-Gon said, approaching Revan after the session. "The boy, Anakin... he is remarkably calm for someone who has lost everything."
"He hasn't lost everything, Qui-Gon," Revan noted, his 11th-Doctor-warmth surfacing. "According to my audit, Padmé told him this morning that his mother is free and safe on Naboo. He doesn't have a 'Fear Stutter' because he knows the people he loves are being treated with kindness."
Qui-Gon nodded, his eyes soft. "I will be his Master when the time is right. Obi-Wan has three more years of Knight-trials. He needs this time to find his own rhythm before he takes on a Padawan."
"Tidy," Revan grinned. "Obi-Wan will be the Master the books need, and you'll be the Father-figure the boy needs. Statistically, it's a 100% improvement over the original ledger."
V. The Doctor's Dividend: A Message from Theed
As the year-end bells chimed across Coruscant, Revan received a formal transmission from the Royal Palace of Naboo.
> "To Dr. John Smith, Polymath and Philanthropist:
> The Crown of Naboo and the people of Theed wish to express their profound gratitude for the localized humanitarian intervention. The medical supplies from your Alderaanian warehouses have saved countless variables. Your kindness is a masterpiece of galactic citizenship. We look forward to your next technical audit."
> —Queen Amidala
>
Revan leaned back in his Sovereign's Command Chair, closing the ledger. The Dr. John Smith warehouses on Alderaan and Chandrila were already refilling with the profits from the Trade Federation crash. He was building an infrastructure of survival that the Sith couldn't touch because they didn't even know it was a weapon.
The Sovereign's Nap: End of 32 BBY
The year concluded with Revan slumped in his chair in the Archives. Calculus was asleep on his lap, and Theorem was curled around his feet.
"Status, Cortana," Revan whispered.
"The Maverick Trust has hit 31 Billion Credits. The Infinite Holocron is 100% secure. Anakin Skywalker has begun his first lesson in 'Rhythmic Stillness' under Qui-Gon," Cortana reported. "And Master... Chancellor Palpatine has moved into his new office. He is 50 years old. The shadow has found its throne."
"Let him have the chair," Revan yawned, the chair reclining to the Calculated Nap Angle of 134.5 degrees. "Adventure is the journey, D6. And 32 BBY was a masterpiece of market-manipulation, saved lives, and cybernetic arms. Try to be nice, 31 BBY. I have a feeling I'm going to need a much bigger screwdriver for the next decade."
He closed his eyes. The Maverick was 122, the books were balanced, and for the first time in a century, the light had a secret backup that was bigger than the shadow.