A:N Two things
One:Again I know this has been done before but this was eating away at me so I wrote it. Currently this will be just a one shot for the time being. Depending on reviews it may become a full story later on.
Two: I know a female light-side Exile is Star Wars canon but I liked the idea of the Exile/handmaiden pairing.
Anywho I hope you enjoy and I'd like thoughts. Thank you.
Star Wars Kotor III
The Exile's Redemption.
So the old woman is broken once again. The Exile, Kazel or Darth Iratus as he called himself stood over the wounded and half dead form of Darth Traya his former master. She stubbornly clung to life, trying to heave herself to her feet, the wounds he dealt onto her with his double-bladed viridian lightsaber. Her only remaining arm was gone and a deep gash was visible on her stomach. The Exile closed his unique violet eyes allowing the energies of the Trayus Core to fuel the ravenous dark energies within him. His eyes snapped open and instead of violet they were now a sickly yellow colour.
His reconnection to the force was what started his lust for greater power. At first he had tried to do what was right, but slowly he changed, becoming twisted, sadistic and merciless. The more he killed, the more powerful he became, he thrived on death, he fed on death.
He was singularly one of, if not the most powerful entity alive today. Nothing could stop him, no one could stand against him such was he strength. Not even the so-called Dark Lords of the Sith could stand against him. The separate Lords of Pain, Hunger and Betrayal had all fallen to his hand.
Sion, Lord of Pain, supposedly immortal. While he relished in every wound he inflicted on that corpse of a human being, he could not defeat him physically. So instead Iratus broke his will, and caused his strength to wane and then allowed him to die. So ended Darth Sion.
Nihilus, Lord of Hunger, able to feed on entire planets using the dark-side. Though for all his strength, his hunger led to his death. Trying to feed on the Exile weakened him, and Visas breaking the link she had with him made him easier to kill. The Exile gladly took the Mask of the Sith as a trophy while the body was destroyed by the darkness.
And finally there was Traya, Lady of Betrayal. Master of manipulations, able to keep her identity secret from even him. He had to respect her for that at least. But what use was manipulation if she could not complete her plans. All of her schemes came to a screaming halt when The Exile fought her. It was not a battle; it was a nothing more than a mere distraction. In truth he toyed with her, allowed her to think she could win before finally destroying her as only he could.
The Jedi also were gone apart from his followers of course. Vrook he killed on Dantooine, using the Shien form he ripped from his mind to rid the galaxy of the old fool. Zez-Kai El he felled on Nar Shadaa using Ataru, the form he gladly took as his own as took of Kai El's head. And lastly there was Kavar on Onderon. Kavar had put up more of a fight, being the greatest duellist amongst the council but his own Juyo form led to his demise. Iratus stole the form and killed Kavar before allowing Vaklu control of the planet leaving Talia imprisoned.
And now he had come full circle. Kriea struggled to her feet, and Iratus seized her by the throat. She struggled vainly against him as he lifted her effortlessly from the ground with one hand.
"You have failed my 'master'" he drawled arrogantly "The Force and Malachor will remain and I live on…you old fool," Kriea growled defiantly.
"I see now…it was mistake to train you as I did…I have not saved the galaxy from the Force's will as I intended. I have doomed it do forever to be a slave to it" Kriea coughed up some blood and it fell onto her former apprentices cheek. "You are my greatest failure…" The exile made a noise of disgust as his sick yellow eyes flicked to the blood on his face.
"You may say what you wish old woman…but I assure you, I am who I am because of you" The Exile carried Kriea over the edge of the Trayus core and held her over it. Kriea struggled vainly and then a smirk appeared on her face.
"You think this will be a victory? You little fool!" she spat "If you kill me…I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine…" Kriea's old features suddenly became marred with sadness. "You were once beautiful to me Exile… but now I see only a shell of what you once were…" Iratus cackled with insane laughter as he continued to hold the fallen sith in his hand as she dangled over the edge.
"Your words mean nothing to me!" he snapped suddenly "Your reign is at an end. No-one will save you, no-one will remember you and no-one will care that you are gone," The Exile's evil grin returned. "I was amused by your little games but I have run out of patience. Your time is over…you are nothing more than refuse…" His malicious grin widened. "Goodbye." His hand opened releasing the former Sith and Jedi from his grasp.
Kriea's scream echoed around the core as she plummeted towards the core of Malachor V. The Exile watched with a sadistic pleasure as she was engulfed by the hungry energies of the core. A fierce green surge of energy erupted from the depths of Malachor and it surged up and around the dark-shadow as he continued to stand on the edge of the core, his black robes billowing around him, and his natural white hair blowing as the energy passed him. The only indication of his corruption was his sulphuric eyes that brimmed with hatred, malice and wrath.
"Let the core of this planet be your grave…" he sneered. "And now I am the Master". He laughed, a great and terrible laugh that beat along the current of Malachor.
All of his followers, Atton, Visas, Bao-Dur Mira and Brianna could sense the terrible laugh through the force as he had trained them to do so. Atton, Visas, the Zabrak and former bounty hunter hung their heads. Brianna felt tears fall from her eyes as she sensed the evil in her beloved. Despite all of his evil deeds from Nar Shadaa, she loved him. She had seen his soul beneath the armour, the light within him.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Atton standing behind her looking upset. She nodded and sniffed hoping to hold back the tears. Then the assassin droid Hk-47 saw his sensors give an alert and his assassination protocols took control.
"Statement: Life-form detected heading towards the Exiles location. Confirming identity." The party turned to the droid as he stood his photoreceptors glowing red.
"What is it?" Bao-Dur asked. The droid seemed to leer at him.
"Answer: Not what but who meatbag." HK continued to scan the life form and then his receptors glowed "Gleeful Statement: I see. So it seems the master is going to that academy after all" The party looked confused and bewildered at the droids words. Only Mandalore seemed to know what the droid was on about.
"I though Kazel was your master" Mira stated incredulously.
"Clarification: I meant to say my original Master not my temporary Master" Mira frowned.
"Original Master?" Visas repeated slowly.
"Answer: Indeed. My original Master" The droid replied. Mandalore grinned underneath his mask as he worked out whom the droid was referring to.
"The droid means the person who created him" the others looked at him as he spoke. "There was only one other he has called Master in the recent years and I have a good idea who it is".
The crew remained baffled at the knowledge Mandalore held from them as he left the main hold for the garage section of the ship leaving them to their thoughts.
The Exile sat meditating in the Trayus core allowing the Dark Side to flow through him. His time had begun, now with Kriea, Sion and Nihilus along with the Jedi gone nothing in the world could stop him now.
"Have you realised your folly yet Exile?" his violet eyes snapped open. No it couldn't be. How was she still alive? She had been destroyed in the core.
"Kriea?! How..?" he heard her laugh in his mind.
"Oh I am dead…you made certain of that. But I thought I should just prepare you for your next battle. My greatest student has arrived on Malachor, my former padawan. I would prepare myself if I were you for he is close." He felt Kriea's presence retreat into the force as she spoke. He suddenly felt an enormous force signature inside the core. It rivalled his own.
Impossible. No one is this powerful. No one can ever be my equal! He was brought out of his thoughts as a figure appeared out of one of the various tunnels leading to the core.
The figure was dressed in black-armoured robes, the hood of which shrouded his features from view. He was around five feet eleven inches tall, and was muscular and athletic in build. Underneath the hood burned two cyan coloured eyes and spiky black hair that covered his head. He was around 29 years old about 3 years younger than the Exile. The man slowly approached the form of Iratus. The Exile summoning his lightsaber to his hand as the interloper came to a stop in front of him.
"Who are you?" Iratus demanded. The figure gave no reply and simply gazed at the Exile for a few seconds. "Answer me!" The Exile spat his rage beginning to grow.
"Who am I?" the man replied his voice slightly deep but overly so. "Well…I guess you could say I'm the best chance you've got at making up for your actions" The Exile laughed at the man's words.
"And just what makes you think I want to repent?" he replied.
"A simple question to which I ask another: why wouldn't you?" the Exile's smirked turned to a frown.
"Who are you?" he asked noticeably softer than before. He got the distinct impression he knew the man but couldn't place his finger on it. The dark-angel in front of him chuckled slightly and his hood fluttered slightly to reveal his face. The Exile's face turned into an enraged snarl. He knew the man, very well. He was the one who saved the galaxy from the Sith. He was the man who started and ended the Jedi Civil War. He was the one the Jedi called "The Prodigal Knight"
"You of all people would want to redeem me?!" Iratus shouted, his voice almost a howl within the Trayus Core. "Your arrogance is unbelievable Revan!" Revan smiled softly taking a couple of steps forward into the Trayus Core and the two began to circle each other.
"Why is that so surprising?" Revan countered "I was the Dark Lord of the Sith and I was redeemed. You can be too…" The Exile snorted.
"You think I want to be? You have interfered with my affairs for the last time" The Exile held it his hand towards a large rock to his right, and hurled it at Revan using the Force.
Revan caught it with his own force and shoved it away. "If I remember correctly this is the first time…" Iratus did not reply and simply gripped a second much larger rock and hurled it towards Revan. Once again the former Sith stopped the large object and sent it plummeting to the core.
Iratus raised an eyebrow and used the force on one of the pillars of the core. He brought his hands down and it toppled over, looking to crush Revan beneath it. The man's hands shot up to catch the tremendous weight of the pillar as it fell. It hovered above him and he hurled it at the Exile who rolled away to avoid it as it crashed into another pillar.
Iratus whirled his gaze back to Revan who was standing quite calmly observing the older man's movements. "I'll admit, you are powerful Kazel…" The Exile snarled at the use of his real name. "But the Dark Side is deceiving, it limits you in what you can achieve" Kazel's eyes turned golden and he held out his hand.
"Look at me Revan. I have a greater command of the force than any Jedi…even you"
A vicious barrage of force lightning erupted from his fingers and it crackled towards Revan. In an unseen move Revan caught the lightning in his hand and sent it right back at the Exile who blocked it sending it away into a pillar. The Exile turned back to Revan and force lightning crackled once again. Revan this time simply swatted it away with his hand and Iratus lowered his hand. They were pretty much even in terms of power. Or were they? It was not to clear whether either were holding back or giving their all.
"You see?" Revan inquired calmly. "You still have so much more to accomplish and yet you've learned very little…" The dark-Exile growled and he reached for his belt.
"It is quite clear that this contest will not be decided by our knowledge of the Force…" a venomous double snap-hiss echoed as the two viridian blades slid out of their hilt. "But by our skills with a lightsaber"
Iratus spun his dual-blades in the air and a settled in his combat stance. Revan's eyes narrowed and he reached behind his back where his lightsabers lay in X shape on his waist. Taking one of the hilts in an unorthodox reverse grip in his hand, a silvery-cyan blade slowly hissed to life out of the hilt, the blade known as the Mantle of the Force. The Exile felt Revan's power increase quite a bit as his lightsaber activated but would not back down.
Iratus leapt forward and Revan charged. Cyan met viridian in a dazzling display of skill and power. Iratus was on the attack while Revan held his ground, deflecting the dark-siders blows with his shining blade. The two became locked in a brutal duel, neither able to gain the advantage as they struggled for supremacy. Revan guided his blade through the air to defend against his opponents assault, in a masterful display of Djem So, Form V of lightsaber combat. The Exile was unleashing Form VII Juyo using wide energetic strokes to try and tear through Revans defences
The battle became nothing more than a couple of bright stars in the force. One Dark and corrupted, the other light and powerful, but there was more to this than met the eye. Revan wasn't a Jedi, but nor was he a Sith. He was so much more. He was superior to both for one simple yet vital reason: he had achieved balance.
Revan ducked under a sweep at his head, and then moved his blade in an up-down horizontal movement to block three strikes from Kazel. The Exile snarled and spun aiming for Revan's back. Revan's blade was there to catch it, angled vertically down his back; Revan quickly brought his blade in front of his chest in order to block the follow up blow. Revan shoved the Exile back and brought his blade down in a punishing blow. The Exile caught the blade and kicked Revan in the chest.
Stunned Revan stumbled back. Seizing his chance the Exile leapt over him, spinning in mid-air and his blade's sought to claim Revan's head. The sound of a snarling lightsaber coming to life echoed as a bronze blade intercepted the Exile's silvery green blade. Revan's second lightsaber, the Heart of the Guardian, had leapt from his belt and into his left hand, and was angled in a reverse grip up his back and was holding Kazel's saber at bay. The dark-angel scoffed and hurled the self-proclaimed Sith back. The Exile flipped and landed on his feet.
Revan turned slowly his lightsabers growling in the air as he stared at the Exile through neutral eyes. The Exile's frustrated rage began to get the better of him as he roared with fury.
"Stop toying with me!" he thundered some rocks shattering under the pressure of his force-amplified voice. Revan spun both lightsabers in his hands taking a natural Jar'kai stance.
"Not as a fun is it? When you're the one being played around" Revan answered. The Exile took a calming breath.
"Revan before you get too confident you need to understand that the Dark Side is incredibly powerful here. You cannot defeat me here! You can't!" Revan laughed slightly. He had heard words like that before.
"Bastila said the exact same thing to me…on the Star Forge. And I'm still alive…" Kazel cackled.
"Yes all because your love for her saved you…yes, yes I heard all about that Revan. The once great and all powerful Revan humbled by an arrogant and naïve padawan." Revan stiffened noticeably even under his armoured robes. Out of all the people Kazel could have insulted it had to be Bastila.
"You would never understand Exile…" Revan retorted. "You care for no-one but yourself. And yet she still loves you." Kazel's leer was replaced by a look of confusion.
"Who do you mean?" Revan shook his head.
"After all you have done…all the suffering you caused, she still loves you. Strange is it not? The affect love has on a person," Revan pondered silently. "Bastila tried to kill me and I still love her. The daughter of Yusanis still loves you despite your evil, and somewhere deep inside that shell of yours, you love her." Kazel became still. Brianna loved him? He never knew he probably didn't care enough to realise it. He thought for a second before his pride got the better of him.
"Compassion, mercy and love. I need not these things. I am above such trivial attachments". Revan shook his head sadly, the Exile had finally broken his shell, and this was a final desperate attempt to keep him from redemption by the darkness. "Revan love is your weakness and you need to realise that! When you die by my hand I will show your corpse to her and allow her to break under despair." Revan finally had all he could stand.
"You idiotic scum" Kazel's eyes widened as lightning coursed around Revan's body. "Love itself will save you…not condemn you. It saved me and it can save you too." Revan looked up and his eyes were golden as he allowed the dark and light inside him to blend together. "But I see words will not reach you now. I will show what true power is!" Revan charged and the Exile immediate took the defensive.
Revan rained heavy force empowered blows on the Exile who was hard pressed to keep up with the pace Revan set. Revan was utilising quick and punishing blows to wear down his opponents defence's as he pushed him back. Kazel powered Revan's blade away and aimed a desperate strike at Revan's side looking to bisect him.
Revan jumped over the attack and brought both his sabers down on the Exile's blades. Landing on his feet he pushed the saber first down and the shoved it up and out of Kazel's grasp. Revan's foot slammed into the Exile's chest. The Exile stumbled and toppled over the edge barely catching himself on the rock desperately trying to keep himself from dropping into the core below him.
Kazel looked down at the depths of the planet that had consumed Kriea. Revan was right he was limited in his power. Now he would join Kriea in Malachor all because of his foolishness and arrogance. His thoughts travelled to Brianna and he realised that perhaps what he thought was a weakness was in fact strength. He resigned himself to the fact he would probably never know now, as his grip finally gave away.
For a spit-second he felt weightless in the air, almost as though the force was trying to prevent him from falling but then gravity came back into existence as he began to plummet. But suddenly a hand seized his forearm stopping his descent, allowing him to escape his doom
Kazel looked up and to his shock he saw Revan holding his arm fighting to keep him from falling. Kazel could not help but wander why Revan was saving him. After all this, he did not deserve mercy, what he deserved was a fate worse than death. Revan growled and heaved Kazel up with one hand pulling him up onto the platform once again and laid him on top of the rock. Kazel lay catching his breath, while Revan stood up and summoned Kazel's lightsaber to him and began to walk way, his own lightsabers back on his waist in an X shape.
"Revan" He stopped and turned to see Kazel on one knee staring at him in disbelief. "Why did you save me?" Revan smiled softly.
"Because everyone deserves a second chance, even you." Revan smile grew and he looked at the lightsaber hilt in his hand. Opening it, he took Kazel's personal crystal from its place and threw it to him. The crystal had turned into a light silvery crystal, with a small amount of white emanating from it. "Keep the crystal, but if you want this lightsaber back you'll have to come find me"
"Revan…where're you going?"
"Back to continue the battle with the Sith for the time being" Revan answered turning his back to the Exile.
"Then why…?"
"Because I wanted to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life. I'm giving you a second chance. It's up to you whether or not to redeem yourself." And with that Revan walked, taking Kazel's double-bladed lightsaber with him.
For a long stretch of time, Kazel sat in the Trayus Core in both confusion and guilt. Kazel's shell was broken; the true self had emerged once again. The darkness slowly seeped out of his soul replaced by the light. Revan's actions of mercy and compassion had helped redeem him. Ultimately it was the revelation of love that Brianna held for him that helped him turn back. Kazel took a deep breath and stood up, looking around the core for a few moments. Then the shimmering blue figure of Kriea appeared before him. She looked exactly had she had done when he first met her, the only difference being the blue glow around her.
For a long moment they simply looked at each and then the Exile spoke. "Forgive me… Kriea" the deceased woman smiled a motherly smile.
"You need only forgive yourself, Exile. I have already forgiven you" Kazel smiled sadly in return. "Now go…make use of Revan's second chance." Kazel nodded and left the core, Kriea watching him leave. "I will continue to watch over you Exile. I will be there if you should need my council" with that Kriea's ghost vanished from the core as the Exile began his path to redemption.
I understand the fight was rather one-sided but when I realised it I would have had to start over and I didn't want to have to rewrite the whole thing so sorry about that.
Iratus is not a made up word just so you know. It's latin for wrath and it's the best I could do for a Sith name.
Anywho like I said one-shot for the time being depending on whether or not you guys think I should continue it as a story.
Your thoughts please. Good or bad? Critical views are welcome but don't be too harsh please. Thank you.
