Sorry this isn't an update to Atton's Shorts, this came to me a week or so ago and so I pounded it out during a very long car ride from North Carolina to Washington DC ... So anyway, hugs for anyone who can guess where I got the inspiration for this bit from.

Defying Gravity

"Why Revan, why! Why couldn't you just keep it together for ONCE instead of flying off the handle at the council!?"

A tall young man strode quickly after a shorter woman who slammed open the doors to the enclave courtyard. She stopped in the middle of the courtyard, her back to the young man following her.

"Do you realize that Vrook was probably seconds away from moving to have you cast out of the order?!" The young woman didn't respond or move, "Well I hope you're fracking happy Revan! I hope you think you're oh-so-clever mouthing off to them like that!"

At this the young woman whirrled around, her long braid of dark hair snapping around her shoulders and her icy blue eyes alight, "Well I hope you're happy too Malak, happy to bow to them in submission! Willingly give up the one chance we had to persuade-"

"We NEVER had a chance Revan! We knew that!" his words brought a wince from Revan, her eyes lowering as she turned to face the plains of Dantooine again. The young man sighed and placed a large hand on her shoulder, squeezing reassuringly.

"Look, Revan, just go in there and apologize. They'll forgive you, you can still put in your bid to become a master," Revan's tense stance softened, and Malak smiled softly, "You can still have everything that you've been working for, everything that you deserve."

Revan's shoulders slumped and she turned partway around so Malak could only see her profile. "I know," the sorrowful whisper caused Malak's eyebrows to furrow in confusion, "but I don't want it anymore."

Malak used his leverage on her shoulder to turn her to face him, "What?" Revan looked up at him, her blue eyes darkened slightly.

"I…don't want this anymore. I thought being a jedi meant having the power to fight injustice, save the innocents of the galaxy," her eyes shifted to look out to the plains once again, "the council will have us sit back on our hands while the Mandalorians tear the galaxy apart. I don't want to be a Jedi if it means following this doctrine of apathy." Revan then walked over to the stone railing, gazing far out into the gold and green hills, it was a long moment before Malak walked over and leaned on the railing next you her.

"Rev, you're the most talented and powerful jedi in this enclave, possibly in the order. From when we first met, you've never faltered once in wanting to be a jedi master, the rest of us…we've had regrets at times," he glanced sideways at her, her profile hauntingly beautiful in the half light of the setting sun, "but not you, ever. How can you say that you don't want it anymore?"

After a pause, Revan spoke softly, "Something's changed in me Malak, something, some part of me died in there when the council denied us the chance to present our appeal, they wouldn't even hear us out…" her voice faltered into silence as she bowed her head, her face consumed by shadows so Malak could not see her expression, but he saw her shoulders tense and her fist clench, and he felt slight trembles in the Force.

"I'm SICK and TIRED of being held back by them," the dark growl startled Malak, and he was even more startled when she lifted her head again and he saw the glowing tracks of tears on her face her voice now tense with restrained anger, "I'm sick of playing by their rules that curb my power, that limit our actions and have us on our knees before them, BEGGING to be able to what jedi are meant to do!"

Malak draped his arm over her shoulder and sighed softly, "There's nothing else we can do Revan, you can't move the council on this."

Revan stayed silent for a minute, fighting down the sobs of betrayal that Malak could feel from her, then, something shifted. Revan stood upright, her eyes suddenly bright and alert, "The force is what endows us Malak, not the council. The way to the jedi is to follow the will of force, not the heavy-handed decisions of some supposed masters," she then turned to face Malak, her whole face alight with a new glow of purpose, "and I feel the force telling us to defend those dying on the outer-rim." Revan took Malak's hand in her small ones, "Let's do it, the council be damned!"

"Do what Revan?"

"Go to the Republic! Answer their call for aide, answer the Mandalorians. There are others who share our beliefs, we'll lead them, you and I Malak-"

Malak took a step back, "Revan, stop this kind of talk right now, you're having delusions of grandeur, you're just upset about the council-"

"No!" Revan stepped towards him, placing her hands upon his shoulders, flashing him one of her winning smiles, "Surely you feel it, the force is calling us to do this, everything that we believe is calling us to do this. Maybe we can't make a difference, but maybe we can, we won't know until at least try Malak. Don't we owe those fighting and dying on the outer-rim at least that much?"

Malak could only stare at his best friend, her words resonating with him, even as the words fell from her lips he felt a beautiful surge in the force, as if rising to affirm what she was saying.

"Revan, I, I can't do this…"

Revan just shook her head, her smile softening only slightly as she placed her hand on his cheek, "Come with me Malak. This'll be all the plans we've always had, all the battles we'd carry each other through, together… Just think of what we can do, all that we can save. We'd be…"

Malak finally smiled, "Unstoppable, as always Rev, we'd be unstoppable."

Revan's confident smile turned into a devious grin, "Mandalore would never know what hit him."

Both of them knew the naivety of the statement, but they both chuckled. Revan's hand dropped to Malak's shoulder, "Let's do it Malak, we'll leave tonight and send a holo to the council declaring our plans and inviting any other jedi to follow us."

Tonight…leave tonight…Malak felt reality truly struck him in that moment. Tonight, leaving the enclaves, their friends, the order, everything that he had known all his life behind to face a bloody and terrible war, facing it all with his best friend, the woman who had helped him grow up, who he-

"What do you say, Malak?"

She's so beautiful… was all Malak could think as he looked down at her, her whole body positively glowing with her undeniable charisma and power, looking into her face was like looking into the heart of the force, he knew there was nothing in him that he could muster up to resist her.

"General Revan and General Malak, sounds grand if you ask me."

If possible, the smile of Revan's face bloomed even more and threw her arms around Malak's neck, laughing in utter glee as Malak wrapped his arms around her in return, smiling softly down at her face which was now so close to his.

"No one, no jedi master that has is or every will be is going to stop us Malak, we'll save the Republic, you and I…"

Malak set his forehead on hers, one hand leaving her waist to stroke her hair "You got it Rev," Her eyes were precious orbs of pure delight with glowing with desire on the rims that burned into Malak's very being with a reverence he had never previously felt. He knew in that moment that he would follow her wherever she would go, give her whatever she asked him. He would defy the council to go with her to war; he'd defy the code to love her…

"Come on, Rev, let's go get our stuff."