Hello everyone. I've always been a fan of Star Wars since I was a young child. So, in the small amount of time I have between College and a ton of homework, I played through Star Wars Knights of The Old Republic a couple times and started writing this following that. Please know that I don't give a whole lot of time to proof read, so the story as a whole will be very rough around the edges in terms of how polished its story and details are. Anyways, hope you enjoy it!
Redemption of the Fallen
Chapter 1: The Beginning
Not everyone could say they personally face a Dark Lord; especially when they are a mere Padawan. Many eager, but inexperienced, young Jedi would be thrilled to fight a Dark Lord, though this was not the case for Bastila Shan. Instead of such feelings, she was feeling dread, insecurity, and perhaps, fear. Before her stood someone she used to know in her younger years while still in training in the Jedi Order; someone she came to care for when he would go out of his way to give advice in her training and even helped her find her preference for her style of lightsaber. A man who was no longer recognizable in comparison to himself years ago as around him, laid the corpse of several Jedi and Republic soldiers; some of whom, he would have died for years before. It was just the two of them. Bastila Shan and Darth Revan.
Revan turned from his most recent victims, taking no real enjoyment in their death, and turned his gaze to the young woman. "They're not coming." A muffled voice sounded from behind his black and crimson mask.
Surprise showed on the young Jedi, though she tried to act ignorant. "Who?"
"The rest of your strike team. They've already been dealt with." Came her answer from the Dark Lord. If Bastila was surprised, she didn't show it. Instead, she raised the single blade of her lightsaber and pointed it to the Dark Lord.
"You can't win Revan!" Bastila stated defiantly, despite knowing the odds of winning a one-to-one fight with Revan at his most powerful would be neigh impossible at best.
Bastila could almost see a playful smirk on Revan's face behind his mask. "I wouldn't count myself lost quite yet young Bastila. You've always studied Jar'Kai and had a special preference for the Saber Staff, I helped you find your talent in it; yet, only one of your blades are working. You're out of your element." Revan retorted.
Bastila gave no response as she readied herself for the fight of her life, earning a disappointed sigh from Revan. 'It's a shame to have to kill her. She held such promise.' Revan thought gloomily before he reignited his red lightsaber and twirled it before bringing it to his left shoulder; blade parallel to the ground.
The tension in the air increase rapidly in the few short seconds between the two as the battle was about to commence; that is, before the ship shook violently following a large explosion. "What the?" Bastila yelped as she quickly lost her balance and nearly fell to the floor. Revan on the other hand had better luck, only being jolted before he turned his head to see large amounts of laser fire coming from one of his ships; namely the Leviathan.
"Malak! You dare betray me!?" Revan shouted in anger as his apprentice and former best friend fired upon his ship.
Bastila could barely make out what Revan was shouting about, still groggy from the previous explosion. However, she did see her chance to get to strike the Dark Lord, whose back was turned away from her. Upon getting on her feet, Bastila quickly ignited the working half of her lightsaber and rushed the fallen Jedi; failing to realize the next barrage of fire coming from Malak's ship.
The command deck erupted in an explosion that knocked Revan and Bastila off their feet, with Revan taking the brunt of the explosion. Bastila landed hard on her back, effectively knocking the wind from her lungs. To her dismay, she was unable to inhale as vacuum of space was quickly suctioning the air out of the command deck. Thankfully however, the life support system of the ship were able to seal the gaping holes where glass used to be. Slowly, but shakily getting to her feet, Bastila desperately looked around for the Dark Lord, not wanting to be caught off guard. To her surprise, he was not far from her; albeit, not entirely visible. Instead, she saw Revan, buried in debris from his own ship, and apparently unconscious, if his lack of struggling was anything to go by.
Temptation overcame Bastila as she knelt next to the downed Dark Lord, wondering what the man looked like after his deep immersion into the Dark Side of the Force. She reached into the black hood and loosened the bindings of the mask before pulling the mask itself up. To Bastila's deep shock, Revan looked much the same as the last time she saw him. He was still very much the handsome young man she knew in her training days, only difference was the slight paling of his skin; though Bastila was uncertain if that was due to lack of sunlight or the effects of the Dark Side.
Clearing her thoughts on Revan's features, she went to check on his vital signs. To her relief, he was still alive, to her slight frustration, he would not survive; and even if he did, Bastila realized his mind was likely destroyed, losing the Republics chance to beat the Sith. Without hesitation, Bastila reached out with the Force to try to save not the Dark Lord, but the man she, as well as the rest of the Jedi Order, once knew. Unknowingly to her however, as she finished healing Revan to the best of her ability, she created a bond between the two that would affect them deeply in the time to come.
Some Time Later, Jedi Enclave, Dantooine
"You want me to what?!" Bastila exclaimed at the request of the Jedi Council.
"Mind your place Padawan!" Vrook reprimanded, not liking her outburst.
"Don't mind her Master Vrook. Young Bastila is understandably upset, though it's necessary." A small elderly green man stated softly.
"Revan's downfall has affected us all, especially the younger Jedi who once looked up to him. It's quite understandable this request would upset her." A Twi'lek male added.
"Forgive me for my outburst Masters, but why must it be me that watches over him?" Bastila asked, trying to suppress her frustration.
Vrook spoke before anyone else could answer. "If what you tell us is accurate, in saving his life, you have created a bond between the two of you. Because of this bond, you may be able to look into his memories and try to find the source of all these ships he and Malak are mass producing. While you are with him, you are to assure he doesn't return to the Dark Side.
Bastila, despite her protest did see what the Council were getting at. She was one of the few who better knew Revan before his downfall, to be added to the mix, this newfound bond they had basically made her the perfect candidate to be amnesiac Dark Lord's chaperone. "I….I understand." Bastila spoke hesitantly.
"Good." Vrook grunted, before he continued. "We gave him an 'all-knew' identity, he will now be a loyal soldier to the republic, born to the planet Deralia, his name will be Avner."
"Must it be a play on his actual name, Master Vrook?" The Twi'lek asked his fellow Jedi Master with a small smile.
"It has already been done Master Zhar. As of this morning, he was enlisted in the Republic Military under Knight Shan's charge onboard the Endar Spire." Vrook retorted, not caring to use humor before turning his harsh gaze upon Bastila. "You are dismissed, tomorrow you will be taken to the Endar Spire. I suggest you prepare yourself."
Bastila wince at her new title. She has wanted the title of Knight for quite some time, but the circumstances in which she got the title left a bitter taste in her mouth. Bastila soon gave a short bow to the Council, giving Vrook a small glare before walking out of the Council Chambers.
Months Later, Endar Spire
Laying in his bunk, seemingly asleep, laid Revan, though now known amongst his fellow soldiers, Avner. Revan smirked at his new name. 'They could have at least used a better name for a false identity. Not that it matters.' He thought humorously over the fact his new alias was a play on his actual name. Not more than a month after his 'memory wipe' did all of his memories return, in the time from then, Revan did consider sneaking off the ship before and reclaiming his place as Dark Lord of the Sith, though he dismissed it. 'Malak has likely taken up the mantle and the rest of the Sith seemingly think I'm dead.' He though dismissively. At first, he wanted to watch the Republic, learn what they had, what they did, why they did it. However, in the months following the return of his memories and the skirmishes with the Sith that Revan participated in, Revan experienced something he had not done for quite some time. Fighting for the safety of others, putting himself in harm's way so a family could remain whole, being able to put your trust in your fellow soldiers. These things seemed to dull his desire to conquer the Galaxy, as if bringing out something within him that he himself hasn't been since the beginning of the Mandalorian Wars: A kind, selfless, and caring man. He found himself more focusing on the benefit and happiness of others over himself; something he felt unbecoming of the true Dark Lord of the Sith.
'Hmph, being forced to fight with the Republic again has made me soft'. Revan scoffed to himself, deciding to see if he couldn't catch some more shut-eye before reporting to his station. The act never came as he felt a significant disturbance in the Force. 'An attack? Seems like Malak has finally found Bastila.'
Quickly jumping out of bed, Revan quickly went to his footlocker and put on his light military suit, before strapping a vibroblade and blaster pistol to his person. "Guess I better warn them." He sighed to himself before opening the door, deciding to head to the bridge.
Upon reaching the bridge he quickly saw Bastila, sitting slightly out of the way of everyone, meditating. He walked over to her, deciding to wait for when she would acknowledge his presence.
Initially Bastila ignored him, opting to try to keep meditating to keep her mind clear. Before long however, Revan's presence started to annoy her before she broke the meditation altogether. "Is there something you need Avner?" She asked in annoyance.
Revan fought to hide back the smirk, though outwardly he showed no effort. Instead only show a serious look. "I need to speak with you, away from unwanted listeners." He stated with an authority that left no room for argument.
Bastila simply nodded, in the time Avner was onboard the Endar Spire he quickly became noted as a great duelist and tactician, alongside her Battle Meditation and Carth's piloting skills, the small amount of skirmishes with the Sith left very few losses to their side. "Carth." She spoke with authority.
The man named Carth looked up from the desk he was bent over, viewing documents, with a questioning gaze. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Earning a nod from the pilot.
Exiting the bridge and entering a less traversed hallway of the ship, the two stopped and stared at each other. "What is it you need Avner?" She asked with a hint of impatience.
"You can drop the act Bastila." Revan spoke bluntly.
"I'm afraid I don't understand." Bastila could say no more as Revan roughly grabbed her shoulders and pushed her to the wall.
"I remember, Bastila, so don't act dumb." Revan snarled as he looked intently into Bastila's eyes. "I remember everything."
Bastila's eyes widened, showing a mixture of shock, regret, fear, and happiness. "So…you know?" She asked with fear heavily lacing her tone.
Revan gave a soft smile at her question. "You never gave me to chance to say this when you confronted me on my flag-ship: You've become quite the beautiful young woman, Bastila."
Bastila, despite all her Jedi training couldn't keep the tears that were threatening to well up in her eyes contained anymore. She let out a silent sob. "I…I'm sorry we tried to reprogram your mind."
"It's the Jedi Council I'm upset with, not you. You were only following orders." Revan comforted, as he pulled the young woman into familiar embrace that Bastila had not felt since the start of the Mandalorian Wars. The two stood there in a firm embrace for a moment as Bastila let out the bottled up emotions she held in since the day Revan was revealed as a Sith Lord, as she quieted down, Revan gently pushed her away. "Anyways, listen, Malak's on his way."
"How could you know that? I can't even sense him."
"Trust me. I've known Malak for a long time, and I know what the presence of my own fleet feels like. He'll be here in minutes."
"What do you propose we do then?" Bastila asked, if what Revan said was true, it would be too little time for her to star her Battle Meditation.
"Well, seeing as I'm alive, and you with your Battle Meditation, it will likely be many of the soldiers' duty to get the two of us to the safety, likely to escape down to Taris.
Bastila shook her head. "Only the Jedi Council and myself were privy of your true identity."
Revan gave a short nod in understanding. Going around announcing to the Republic soldiers that he was Darth Revan didn't exactly seem like a great idea.
"Bastila!" A man's voice rang before a man with short brown hair and a beard appeared around the corner. "The Sith are here! We will need your Battle Meditation!"
Bastila was quite surprised that Revan's claim was indeed true, though she knew she shouldn't. "I'm sorry Carth. It takes time to for me to for my Battle Meditation to take full effect."
A rumble shook the ship, indicating the Endar Spire was being boarded via escape pods from the Leviathan. "Shit! They're boarding us! What do we do?!" Carth asked in anger out of not knowing what to do.
Revan took this chance to spoke up. "There's no way this ship can go against the Malak's Flagship, let alone avoid it long enough to jump to hyperspace. Order the abandoning of the ship."
Carth gave an untrusting look to the Republic Soldier, unsure whether to trust someone who was only a part of the crew for a few months. "Listen to him Carth. Re-Avner's rarely wrong in times like these. Order the abandoning of the ship.
"Right. You two best make it to the escape pods ahead of the enemy so you meet less resistance." Carth suggested before he ran off to alert the rest of the crew.
"So…how long have you had your memories?" Bastila asked idly as she and Revan were making their way to an escape pod while facing multitudes of Sith soldiers.
Revan didn't reply right away, trying to fight off, in his opinion, a 'green' dark Jedi, expertly dodging the sluggish swing of the blade before gracefully shoving his vibroblade into the dark Jedi's skull; letting the man fall dead to the floor with the sword still lodged in. "I'm not sure if right now is a great time to talk about what I remember." Revan replied as he knelt down to take the lightsaber. "Come on. I believe the escape pods are just another room over.
Bastila and Revan opened the door to see a horrific sight. A Republic Ensign Officer, one who Revan remembered as Trask Ulgo was being levitated in the air, apparently choking to death, courtesy of a Dark Jedi.
"Let him go!" Revan shouted at the Dark Jedi, while wondering where he saw this man before.
The pale bald man looked over at the two, before focusing his gaze on Revan before his eyes widened. "So, you did survive. The Force is with me today," the man started, before closing his hands into a fist, a sickening crack sounded the room before Trask fell dead to the floor. "If I kill you, Lord Malak will surely reward me handsomely; especially if I take Bastila Shan to him.
Once the man finished, Revan finally remembered who he was. "Bandon. Still Malak's pet I see."
"It's Darth Bandon now, you could at least show me some respect." Bandon snarled, never once liking Revan's lack of respect to him, even when he showed complete loyalty to him. "Maybe you'll that will change once-" Bandon couldn't finish as he was caught suddenly by a torrent of Force Lighting coming from Revan's left hand; effectively knocking the man out.
Bastila grimaced at the show of raw power Revan still held, unsure if Revan was even on her side. "Bad blood between you two?" She asked with a small amount of disgust pointed Bandon for what he did to Trask before walking to an escape pod to ready it for launch."
Revan knelt down over Bandon's unconscious body before putting a slightly glowing hand on his head. "He was always a thorn in my side. Almost a mirror replica to Malak."
"What are you doing?" Bastila asked, once she took notice of Revan holding his hand to Bandon's head.
"Erasing his memories of seeing me. I'd much rather no one know I'm alive right now." Revan replied, before looking to the young woman. "Is the pod ready?"
Bastila nodded before she and Revan stepped in and launched the pod.
Following the launch from the Endar Spire, which was now being slowly but sure decimated, the two passengers found themselves slowly making their way to Taris.
"We have time now, so could you answer my questions?" Bastila asked, slightly fearfully.
"Fine." Revan grunted, rather not wanting to talk about his past.
"When did your memories return to you?"
"Well, when I said I remembered everything, that wasn't entirely true. Yes, I do remember the grand majority, I got them back roughly a month into my assignment to the Endar Spire. However, it seems in your councils attempts to likely reprogram me to help you destroy the Sith, you've seem to have erased the very memories that were needed." He snarled towards the end, hating the council's foolishness.
"Why did you turn to the Dark Side?" Bastila asked, hoping it was more of the logical sense to Revan rather than the actual temptation of power.
"This…'Republic' is weak. It's too set in their old ways. Following the Mandalorian Wars, Malak and I learned of the true threat that the Jedi Council felt was behind the whole War. We took all our soldiers to confront this threat. Long story short, the threat was much greater than any of us could realize, so I took matters into my own hands that the Republic would not fall. I would 'conquer' it to rebuild the Republic better." Revan explained, looking into Bastila's gray eyes, seeing the slight worry in her eyes. "Do you hate me Bastila?" he asked gently, surprising the young woman.
Bastila sighed deeply, hoping she could say her next words carefully. "I….I tried. I tried my hardest to hate you, but I just couldn't shake the image of who you were, when you were a Jedi. When I confronted you on your ship, I almost though I could. But then the Jedi Council cruelly wipe your memory to make you serve their own ends like a droid. It just felt so…wrong."
Revan gave a gentle smile as she reach out and ruffled Bastila's brown hair, similar how he used to do it in their younger years. "Still the same kind girl I knew back at the academy." He commented, earning a blush from the young woman.
"Entering Taris's atmosphere. Prepare for landing."
"Hold on." Revan commented flatly, earning an almost…cute glare from Bastila. Bastila however, despite carefully bracing herself for impact, even reinforcing herself through the Force, quickly found her vision go black upon impact.
I hope you guys don't mind the story so far. Just a small note, I will not go into detail and write out EVERY plot point in this story, and will likely skip a good portions (prime examples being, going through the sewers to save Zalbaar, the various back and forth missions on Manaan, things like that), as I don't have a whole lot of idea better deviate from the more...canon story, or from other authors variations. Anyways, as I said, College and Homework leave me little free time, so I can't guarentee there will be another chapter soon; I hope there is. Anyways, if you like my story, feel free to leave a review. If you have suggestions or question, either PM me or write them in a review as well, I do answer them. I'll see you all later!
