Well, my first Star Wars fic. If you've read my other fic then you already know that I do not promise regular updates, only that I will update. Enjoy.
Chapter 1
5 Years Ago, 3 951 BBY
Katia Mayin stood in the main hold of the Ebon Hawk, the clumsy and rusted smuggling freighter she had found herself escaping from Peragus II on just a few months before. She had been exiled into the Unknown Regions following the Mandalorian Wars, but was able to follow in the footsteps of her mentor Revan and save the galaxy from a great Sith threat. Currently she was about to set out after Revan, who had himself vanished into the Unknown Regions following his defeat of Darth Malak, and aid him against the 'True Sith,' as her master old Kreia said she must in her dying moments. The only problem with her plan: the only thing in existence who knew where Revan was, besides Revan himself, was the temperamental astromech droid named T3-M4 who stood before her.
Katia herself was a strong woman. She had an unnatural gift for making force bonds very easily, a gift that nearly cost her her life. During the battle of Malachor V, at the end of the Mandalorian Wars, she was so affected by the deaths caused by the Mass Shadow Generator that she shut herself off from the force. Such an act would have killed a lesser being, but she somehow survived. And now she turned that strength on the stubborn T3 unit, her green eyes staring into the defiant droid's single blue optical sensor, her dark blonde hair and dark robes swaying in the breeze from the ventilator system. Finally the droid located the required programming, at least that's what the almost incoherent stream of beeps whirrs and whistles emanating from the machine conveyed. The droid's head swivelled away from Katia and a shimmering blue light was emitted from its optical sensor. The light gradually formed the shape of a bald, average height man with a thin black goatee and beard wearing a set of long black robes. For the first time in ten years, Katia looked upon the face of Revan.
The holo-image spoke in Revan's low, powerful voice, but Katia recognized that it was simply a pre-recorded message. That did not mean his words carried any less meaning however, so she watched him carefully.
"Greetings Jedi. I only hope that this droid will come into the right hands, or my message will be lost. I have done unspeakable things, been to the darkest corners of the galaxy, as you who are watching this certainly know. In the lowest of these places I saw a glimpse of what is to be. If my loyal droid found the correct person, as I have no doubt he will, then you are destined to rid the galaxy of terrible evil, as I once did." The holographic Revan took a deep breath. "If you have truly defeated this menace, which you certainly have if you are viewing this message, then you have been to the place I spoke of. You too have seen. You who saw where I walk, I have a request for you. Do not search for me." Revan stressed those five words with all the conviction he ever possessed. "I ask you to stay behind, to rebuild the Jedi Order and the Republic. I know what year it will be when you see my request, and I have seen enough to know that I will be nearly finished my work. I will return soon, and the Republic must be ready to stand with me against this new evil. Rebuild what Malak destroyed, I beg you."
Revan hesitated before adding another request in a quiet voice, his eyes on his dark boots. "And if you come across Bastila Shan. Tell her…tell her I'm sorry." He looked back up, and it seemed to Katia that his blue eyes met her green ones. "And above all, do not fear love. A friend once told me that love itself will save you, not condemn you as the Jedi Council believe. Do not fear it." With that final comment the image of Revan bowed low and disappeared. T3 turned back to look at its new mistress. A series of beeps and whistles were directed at her from it. She smiled sadly.
"That's right T3. It seems this galaxy is a magnet for the Sith." She mirthlessly joked. T3 whistled his agreement and scurried off, presumably to do some repairs on the ship in Bao-Dur's absence. Katia herself walked to her room, just off of the corridor to the cockpit. She closed the door reflexively, though there was no one on board but her and T3, and removed the black robes she wore, leaving her in her underwear. She had found them in a plasteel cylinder in the Trayus Academy on Malachor V, and had figured they would be a good disguise for trekking through ancient Sith space. But now she was to stay and rebuild the Republic. Not that she resented the job, she loved people and tried as hard as she could to make life better for all beings. Maybe it was better that she was away from the fighting. The last time she entered a war it didn't turn out so good.
And then there was the issue of Revan's final words on love. She groaned and collapsed onto her bed, holding her head in her hands. Who did she have to love? The number of males she had been in close contact with EVER was a short list. Mandalore, or Canderous as Kreia had called him at the end, was hardly the kind of person she could ever identify with. Bao-Dur was too interested in his trinkets. She liked Mical, but he was far too naïve. He deserved someone as innocent as he was. And then there was Atton. Sure he had made mistakes, but who hasn't? He seemed to be having a major character overhaul, and she was glad of it, but she couldn't see herself with him in any capacity. "Why am I even thinking about this?" she asked the empty room. "The Jedi code forbids romantic attachements." Whatever she said, she couldn't get Revan's words out of her head. 'Love itself will save you, not condemn you.' With a sigh she got off her bed and pulled on her Jedi robes. The rest of her crew would be pleased to learn that she wasn't leaving, and she could probably use a long sonic bath to think things over.
---
Many light-years away, on a remote planet in the Unknown Regions which received no sunlight, feelings of anger were overwhelming for the force-sensitive population. Amidst the hatred, one figure stood out. It, or to be more specific he, was ignoring the frenzied screams of the other residents of his homeworld. Instead he was making his way out of the small village towards an ancient temple. The temple was a massive dome made of polished black stone. Around its perimeter were many pairs of standing stones, each one easily a hundred feet high, made of the same stone and capped by another block. The 'doorways' were even spaced around the temple, with a burning torch between each. The exception was the one the figure made his way to know. His destination was a wider 'doorway', on a path leading towards a black empty space in the dome. As he passed by the torches he became momentarily visible.
He was no humanoid; his body was that of a massive green serpent, but with four arms. He stood easily seven feet high. His four dark grey eyes, a vertical stack of two on each side of his thin head, looked nowhere but at the emptiness that was the entrance to the temple. He wore a black sleeveless tunic with blood red trimmings around the hem and collar, and black metallic armbands on his wrists. From his belt hung a shaft of silvery metal, about six inches long. In one of his left hands he held a gnarled wooden staff which hung unused at his side.
He entered the temple. Inside was lit by an eerie red glow, yet it stemmed from no source. It simply was. The interior of the temple was a single large room, with many black statues along the outside wall all the way around. In the center sat another figure, cross-legged, on the floor. Curiously the light did not touch him, and he remained ever in darkness. However, enough could be seen of his form to know that he was humanoid and sported a long topknot on the top of his head. The first creature spoke, but in no language recognized within the Republic. However the seated figure seemed to understand.
"Master Maleficus." The creature had a raspy voice and hissed his 's' sounds like a snake. "The betrayer has escaped. Shall we seek him and show him the punishment for desertion?" he asked hopefully. The seated figure did not stir, but a powerful voice responded.
"No." it simply stated. It did not come from the figure sitting on the floor, it seemed to come instead from the statue directly opposite the entrance. Nonetheless the creature bowed and slithered out of the temple respectfully.
---
Present Day, 3 946 BBYAn unusual man stood in line at the arrivals terminal of the Coruscant spaceport. He wore a long dark robe that covered him from head to toe, closed at the front, and a hood that covered most of his face. All that could be seen was a jaw and a black goatee, bushy surrounding the man's mouth, but no facial hair anywhere else on his face. Other passengers noticed that when he moved you could catch the slightest glimpse of a brown tunic beneath his cloak. Finally he reached the official at the head of his line. "Name?" the middle-aged woman asked, not even raising an eyebrow at his strange clothing.
"Maric Dargic." He replied in a low, melodic voice that spoke of countless battles won and lost.
"Species?"
"Human."
"Homeworld?"
"Deralia."
"Business or pleasure?"
The man's mouth curled upward into a soft smile, as if amused by a private joke. "A little of both." He finally responded.
"Identification number?"
Any sentients, organic or droid, besides the attendant who were paying attention to the stranger suddenly found their awareness directed elsewhere. When the man spoke again, his voice was layered with a rich combination of bass and baritone. "You do not need to see my identification."
For her part, the official blinked a few times and shook her head as if clearing it of thoughts before finally succumbing into a glazed look. "I don't need to see your identification." She dutifully echoed.
"You may pass." Still the same mystical voice.
"You may pass."
"Thank you." The man's voice had returned to normal, and the official seemed confused for a moment before allowing him through the barrier. He smiled to himself, and cut a deliberate path through the crowd to a specific place. Her felt her, she was close.
---
The tall figure walked into the relatively new Jedi Temple in the heart of Coruscant. He strode purposefully through the halls, earning more than a few curious stares from the assorted students knights and masters milling about. As he approached his destination, a high security door with a simple red design of a star and winged organic emblazoned on it, two guards stood in his path. "You may not enter the council chambers, there is a meeting in session.
The man did not speak, merely held up his right hand and gave a sharp gesture with two outstretched fingers towards each guard. They both promptly backed away, and the man entered the Council chamber uninhibited.
The chamber was completely round, with seven seats evenly spaced around the perimeter. Directly across from the entrance stood an empty seat, to the left of a woman with long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and warm grey eyes wearing a bodysuit of similar design to Jedi robes. He quickly examined the remaining six seats to see a Miraluka, four other humans, and an Iridonian standing next to the door. He moved to the center of the room and did nothing but look straight at the grey-eyed woman, the top half of his face still obscured by the hood, either not noticing or not caring that the attentions of the entire council were focused upon him.
Finally the grey-eyes woman spoke, and she did so in a medium pitched voice with just the barest hint of accent. "Who are you and what do you wish?" she asked the stranger.
"Who I am is of no consequence just yet, Grand Master Shan." He smiled briefly at the dumbfounded look appearing on Master Shan's face. "And all I want is to warn you."
Now one of the other councillors, a human seated to the right of the empty seat, spoke. This one had brown eyes, short brown hair that stuck up slightly at the front, and a thick handlebar moustache. He wore traditional Jedi Robes, but the colours were just a little bit off. "You enter our chamber unbidden, refuse to reveal yourself, and expect us to listen to you? How do we know you will not lead us to folly?" he asked in a rough voice.
The figure turned to face him. "How indeed, Atton Rand." Now it was Master Rand's turn to look dumbfounded. "The Echani believe battle to be the purest form of expression, so any of you may duel me if you wish to test my purity." None moved, except the brown-eyed Iridonian standing to the immediate left of the door. He wore a Jedi tunic, pants and belt, but wore black boots and a large brown crests edged with blue over either breast, extending over his shoulder to his waist. His left hand was entirely mechanical, a blue power binder glowing where the elbow joint should have been. The figure turned to him. "Well, I didn't expect to see you in the Council chambers Bao-Dur."
The Iridonian showed no reaction to his name, except a blink and a twitch of his forehead. Instead he adopted an unarmed combat stance, which the stranger emulated. They circled one another for a time, before Bao-Dur silently leapt forward to deliver a crushing blow with his mechanical arm. The figure easily dodged, and delivered a sharp jab to his opponent's side. Bao-Dur crashed to the floor, but recovered quickly. Not quick enough however, since the stranger rammed his hard in the chest with a shoulder thrust knocking him back to the wall. He rose, but only to return to his position next to the door, regarding his opponent with respect.
Next the Miraluka rose from her seat to the right of the door. She wore a mask that completely obscured the upper portion of her face, including where her eyes should be. Like her robes, which were in the style of the Jedi historian, the mask was a shade of dark crimson. She wore gloves of the same colour, one of which she used to draw a small silvery cylinder from her black belt. A slight movement of her fingers depressed a button on the object, and a long strand of yellow energy fell from it to the floor, staying attached to the handle like a whip. "My life for yours." She whispered, adopting a fighting stance.
It would seem that the stranger didn't know his new opponent, as he said nothing before drawing a vibrosword from under his cloak. He lunged but the Miraluka, whose name was Visas Marr, easily blocked it and returned with a crack from her lightwhip. The stranger caught the end of the weapon on his sword, which it wrapped around. Visas jerked as if to disarm him, but his hold was too strong. He wrenched backward on his sword, catapulting her back into her seat. Defeated, she deactivated her lightwhip.
The strange figure turned back to the council. Though they could not see his eyes, all of them could sense the challenge he posed. And one answered. She was a brown-eyed human female with a long mane of red hair, with to Master Rand's right. She wore a darker style of robe, with a low-cut tunic that displayed ample amounts of cleavage. The stranger evidently didn't know her either, as he silently readied himself for battle. The Jedi Master, Mira, drew a long metallic pole from a sheath on her back. She depressed a button and a beam of yellow light erupted from the hilt. The stranger seemed surprised by the unconventional lightsaber, and Mira took the opportunity to attack. Fortunately for him the stranger recovered in time, and parried the blow. They went on like this for some time, considerably longer than his previous duels, until finally a kick in the abdomen forced Mira back to her seat, where she remained.
The stranger's next challenger, a human male sitting to Master Marr's right, rose swiftly and silently. His hair was long and blonde, his eyes were blue, and a large beard that came to a point on his chin hid his jaw and upper lip. He wore the pale blue robes of a Jedi healer, and withdrew two peculiar lightsabers from his belt. They were built like a standard saber, only shorter with a handle attached perpendicularly. He ignited them, and revealed that the green-coloured blades were meant to be used as tonfas. He leapt at the stranger while his back was turned, hoping to gain the upper hand. However the stranger whirled around and punched him hard in the jaw, knocking him back and causing him to stumble back to his seat. The stranger shook his head sadly. "I would have thought better of you at least Mical, though you never did receive formal training."
The aloof and knowledgeable manner of the stranger was clearly beginning to annoy Master Rand, as he rose next and drew a single yellow lightsaber. The two men came together furiously, neither gaining an edge until Atton drew a blaster pistol from a hidden pocket of his robe. He fired off a shot that the stranger dodged just in time before bringing his sword down hard on the weapon, cleaving it in two. His duel with Master Rand lasted just a few minutes more, until he delivered a hard blow with the butt end of his sword to the Jedi's chest. Defeated, he slumped back into his seat.
From her position to Master Shan's left, a human female with green eyes and medium length light brown hair rose. She wore traditional Jedi robes, from which she drew a two violet lightsabers. The stranger looked at her for a moment before speaking. "Katia?" he asked familiarly with a hint of surprise in his voice. "I never thought it would be you." He mumbled the words to himself, and seemed engrossed in thought when Master Mayin attacked. Of course the stranger eventually won, but it was a hard fought battle on Katia's part. When she finally admitted defeat, the stranger turned back to Master Shan. "Now will you listen?" he asked, more than a little exasperatedly.
In response, the Jedi Grand Master rose from her seat and withdrew a longer lightsaber handle from her belt. She depressed the activator and a yellow blade was emitted from both sides of the handle. The stranger sighed, and they fought. Having to compensate for his lower number of blades, the stranger resorted to using many flips and seemingly impossible jumps to avoid being sliced in two. If it hadn't been apparent before, it was now: this strange man was force-sensitive. The duel seemed like it would never end, Master Shan little more than a blur of browns and yellow, and the stranger an oversized black frog leaping over her. Finally Master Shan brought one blade down on her opponent, which was blocked. They stayed like that, each trying to gain the advantage. For a second Master Shan felt the flicker of a familiar force signature from the mysterious man beneath her, but then it was swallowed by his unusual emptiness. Then the man did something she did not expect. He released one hand from the hilt of his sword and held it towards the Grand Master, delivering a powerful burst of force energy that launched her head over heels into the air. The stranger seemed to direct the airborne Master with his hand, and she landed back in her seat with a thump. He returned his sword to its space under his robe, and again seemed to gaze at Master Shan. Each one of the council marvelled at how his hood had not slipped during any of his duels, always obscuring his face. "Now, will you listen Bastila?" he asked in a soft voice, giving master Shan's first name an almost loving caress with his tongue.
She stiffened. "Before we do I demand to know how you know my name." She ordered the stranger. He let out a bark of laughter and swept his hood back. There was not a single councillor who did not gasp as they took in the familiar bald head, except for Bastila. She was engrossed with the stranger's blue eyes, which were focused completely on her grey. In an instant she understood. In a way, she had always known. "Revan."
Alright, just want to clear some things up.
1) Bao-Dur is NOT on the Council. He originally was going to be, but I decided the asymmetry of seven would suit my purposes better than having eight symmetrically
2) Katia Mayin is the Exile. It should be obvious, but there it is in plain English.
3) Maric Dargic is the name programmed to Revan by the old Jedi Council (before Sion's purge in KOTOR 2). Deralia is also canonically the alternate Revan's programmed homeworld. (look at the conversation with Bastila in KOTOR 1 where she asks you all the questions, you know I'm right)
I'm sorry if my fight scenes leave a little to be desired, I'll try to improve them for future chapters.