The Diary of Bastila Shan
This fan fiction is a version of KOTOR I and possibly afterwards from the perspective of Bastila Shan. Therefore, it will go into depth about her feelings throughout the game as she travels with Revan, detail her fall to the dark side, and her redemption from her point of view. Some facets of the story will not be identical to the game. In fact, I've already started to expand the romance story. It was written into the game so that you would have enough time to complete it before Bastila was captured. However, if you played with Bastila religiously, as I did in many cases, you would be finished with it by the time you killed Darth Bandon and the story would be dull. Therefore, I will write the romance subplot differently so that it develops after the end in the game. Also, the title implies that this fic is in journal entry form. I assure you that it is not. Please leave all comments you have. I have two other stories that I am focusing on at the moment (The Dark Clone and Lords of the Old Republic) which could use my attention. If another rendition of the game is not appreciated, please tell me so I am not wasting my time. Thank you. And now, I present…
THE DISCLAIMER: I don't own KOTOR, KOTOR II, or most of the characters in this fic. I own a few that will be introduced near the end.
The Diary of Bastila Shan
Chapter I: Breaking and Entering
Bastila Shan stood back impatiently, clicking her tongue as she watched the newly purchased T3 droid disable the security locks that protected the Sith Embassy from intrusion. Her arms were folded and she carried herself in a rather haughty manner. As far as she was concerned, this plan was a suicide mission. Even if they did manage to steal the codes to bypass the Sith blockade, there was no guarantee that the Mandalorian would keep his word and help them escape Taris. In either case, it would have been far simpler to use a lightsaber to cut through the doors than spend nearly two thousand credits on a droid.
"Half the Sith fleet is searching for you and you don't have the that gang to protect you anymore," her companion had lectured her. "A lightsaber will make you stand out."
There was some logic to his words, but she was still not fond of the idea of not having it. It was sealed away in her footlocker back at the apartment where Carth Onasi and the two aliens they had allied themselves with were waiting. He had been vehemently against the idea of having it with them. Any Sith trooper could tell that Carth and the others weren't Jedi, but her Force sensitivity would draw some attention if she was caught with a Jedi weapon. The others could fabricate some story about finding it or buying it in the lower city.
She was still suspicious though. Despite his actions in rescuing her from that swoop gang, Bastila could not forget whom it was that she was working with. The taint of the dark side no longer vexed his features and his very appearance seemed different than it had a month before, but the man was still Darth Revan. He had proven that the man he was before was still alive in many respects. His skill in combat had not diminished much since his mind wipe and he was just as calculating and analytical as he had been. If parts of the old Sith Lord remained, there was no telling if his memories might resurface with time. That could prove problematic.
Still, he didn't seem evil anymore. As she looked at him, he seemed very intent on the droid. His demeanor was casual and everything about him was calm. There didn't appear to be anything sinister about him, yet she knew what he was capable of. She had walked the surface of worlds he had decimated as the Dark Lord. During the early phases of her training, her master had introduced her to the Jedi historian, Atris and her servants. All of the young girls who served the Jedi Master were the daughters of the Echani general, Yusanis. Each one had displayed fierce combat skills, gifts that they had inherited from their father. How could the Dark Lord have overcome a warrior that was so talented?
She couldn't voice her opinion on this matter, of course. All memories of his time as the Dark Lord were gone. Revan now believed that he was a soldier that worked for the Republic. If one were to ask him for a name, he would give them "Derik Crownguard." An entire identity had been created for him. A new history and false memories served to replace those that had been lost. As far as he could recall, he had grown up on Derallia with a mother and a father. His secondary education had taken place off world, separating him from his parents. Word had reached him when he was eighteen that his mother had died and his father passed away shortly afterwards. Having no place to go, he enlisted with the military as a raw recruit and served during the Mandalorian Wars. By the time the current war broke out, he had already become a seasoned soldier and had reached the rank of ensign.
Now he firmly believed that it was his duty as an officer to help her escape this doomed world and continue with the war effort. The Republic had no power on Taris. The swoop gangs and the Sith occupation forces had taken complete control. The embassy that had been used by Republic personnel was raided after the crash of the Endar Spire and the Jedi Temple hadn't been inhabited since the Battle of Malachor V. "From what Carth has told me of your Battle Meditation," he had said to her. "you don't have the power to get us passed the Sith blockade. We need to get you off this world so your powers can be put to better use." It was so strange that the man who had attempted to kill her several months ago was now fighting against the campaign he had launched.
"I think the droid's done," he commented.
The young Jedi Padawan snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at him. "I beg your pardon," she stammered.
The former Sith Lord nodded his head towards the door where the small utility droid was waiting idly. It had disconnected from the input terminal and the red light that had indicated that the door was locked had been replaced by a pale green glow. The droid reversed towards them and turned back to face Revan. "T3-M4," he said in a stern commanding voice. "I want you to return to the apartment. Have the others head to Javyar's Cantina in the lower city and meet up with Canderous Ordo. We'll rendezvous with them shortly."
The droid beeped an affirmative and the disk that made up its head nodded. It sped off down the elevated street that made up most of the city of Taris. The rehabilitated Sith turned to face Bastila and nodded. "Have you ever been involved in an infiltration mission?" he asked. The padawan fixed him with an obvious stare, which he waved away with his hand. "That involved undercover work," he added.
"What do you mean by undercover?" she asked.
"I don't plan on walking in with lasers blazing," he explained. "If we can blend in, I'd be grateful."
"You plan on negotiating with the Sith?" she gasped horrified.
"In a manner of speaking, yes," he replied as he adjusted the belt that wrapped around his waist. "Keep in mind, I'm a very charismatic fellow, but you shouldn't let your guard down."
Bastila rolled her eyes at this. The Jedi Council's had implanted a rather eccentric personality. His skills had given him a confidence that bordered on arrogance. It wasn't as if he couldn't back up his words with action. He was a very gifted individual, both in combat and in diplomacy. For example, the most poverty stricken portions of Taris were plagued by creatures known as rakghouls. The saliva of a rakghoul contained a venom, which acted as a medium between the beast and a host. If a sentient being came into contact with the venom, it would contract the Rakghoul Disease, which would eventually cause the host to mutate into a rakghoul. The epidemic of Rakghoul Disease had steadily weakened the Tarisian economy and caused the death of millions. It wasn't until recently that a cure for the virus had been developed, which the Sith had promptly confiscated and produced for themselves. The nobles who ran Taris had more than enough credits to pay for the serum, but the poor devils in the undercity who needed it were out of luck. By sheer luck, Revan had come across a sample when rummaging through the remains of a Sith patrol that had been set upon by rakghouls.
Once they returned to the upper city after the Swoop Competition, Revan took the serum to a man named Dr. Zelka Forn. The medical expert had proven his loyalty to the Republic by placing dying Republic soldiers in numbing kolto tanks and keeping them hidden from the Sith. There had been no question of what Forn would do with the serum. Bastila had fully agreed with the decision to hand it over to him. What she hadn't known at the time was that Zelka's lab assistant, a grubby two faced crook named Gurney, had approached them with an offer. A Hutt named Zax had offered a reward for anyone who could provide him with a sample of the serum. The treacherous lab worker had informed the crime lord that the man who won the Swoop race had sold the serum to someone else. Naturally, a bounty had been placed on Revan's head. The offer had been for two thousand credits, which was enough to entice any bounty hunter on the backwater rock where they lived.
Taking refuge with the Hidden Beks, Revan had decided to take action against Zax. He and the Wookiee, Zalbaar, had gone into Javyar's cantina in disguise and made their way to Zax's parlor. After killing some of the best bounty hunters on Taris and putting a blade to his throat, the Hutt quickly repealed the bounty. The former Sith Lord also made a deal with the slug-like creature to prevent him from going back on his word. The Twi'lek that traveled with them, Mission Vao, sliced into the Tarisian Planetary Bank and rerouted certain funds that were forwarded to Davik Kang to the Hutt's account. Compared to the thousands of credits that poured into Kang's account on a weekly basis, the money that was being stolen was nothing. In contrast to the poor amount that Zax made by himself, the Hutt was now making a fortune.
Bastila had not been in agreement with this form of appeasement however. It had led to a lengthy debate between herself and the former war hero about morals and the Jedi code. While "Derik Crownguard" had a great deal of respect for the Jedi and their code, he could not agree with the methods Bastila would have chosen. Hiding from such a threat would have made them targets for every hunter on the planet, not to mention the attention it would draw from the Sith. Decisive action had been a necessity. He had argued that the Jedi policy of inaction opposed the morals that the order stood for.
The Padawan remembered paling when he said those words. They had a very familiar ring to them. The Jedi didn't move quick enough for Revan. Even his new identity seemed to believe so. Last time he had come to that conclusion, it led to the bloody end of one war and the even bloodier start of another. What if he managed to maneuver his way into another position of influence? The other companions that they had surrounded themselves with seemed to think very highly of him. He still had the ability to inspire loyalty. His flawed beliefs could still be a threat, even if the man who had formed them was gone.
Still, she could not deny that his negotiation skills were useful. She didn't understand what he hoped to gain by using diplomacy with the Sith, but he was a better tactician than she was, though she loathed it admit it. If the risk of battle could be avoided and they could escape Taris quickly, it would be worth it. Therefore, it was with a prayer to the Force that the young Jedi nodded in reply to her companion. His haughty attitude could grow tiresome after awhile, but she trusted in his military experience.
She watched as Revan moved to activate the door to the Sith Embassy. Without a sound, the two metal doors slid open sleekly and they entered the elevator. The door closed behind them and the lift began to rise slowly. They both took note of a camera that recorded their every move within the elevator. The time for discussion was over. They could no longer communicate unless it was coded and neither she had not considered creating a signal to use.
This though entered her mind as the door slid open and they walked into the small lobby. A small desk with a yellow skinned Twi'lek woman sat in the very center of the room. There were two doors in the room, not counting the one that they had entered. One was up against the western wall, while the other was against the northern one. Bastila could sense a small group of troops to her left, while there was nothing in the room in front of them. It was probably a hallway of some sort.
"What are you doing here?" the Twi'lek woman screeched as the two approached her.
Bastila panicked. There was nothing they could do. They had been caught. They had to go along with her original plan, which was to fight and subdue all forces within the base. Her hand fell to the sword at her hip, which she drew from its scabbard.
"No!" Revan cried to her.
It was too late. The secretary had already pressed the silent alarm and triggered all of the embassy's defenses. He swore angrily as the door to their left opened and six fully armed Sith troops poured into the room.
"Get down," he ordered as he dived behind the desk to avoid blaster fire.
The Padawan followed his example and dove under the desk. Her sword was useless at this range. The only thing she could do was wait for them to come at her. She had fallen into a corner and had no way of escaping.
She could see Revan from where she had hidden. He had his back to the side of the desk and was using it as a shield against the volley of blaster bolts that the Sith were firing on him. A heavily modified standard issue Republic blaster pistol was in his right hand. He quickly placed a new power pack into the weapon and sealed it. Taking a deep breath, he rolled out from behind the desk and let his fingers do the thinking. Three shots were fired and each one found its mark. The heated plasma that the blaster fired struck one in the forehead, one in the neck, and one in the heart. Each one caused an instant kill, causing all three of the Sith troops to collapse.
In order to prevent a longer drawn out firefight in which he would be outnumbered and outgunned, Revan quickly pulled a small spherical object from his belt and tossed it at the gold armored assailants. It struck the ground amidst them and the small explosive rock in that was contained within the shell ignited, causing a small explosion. Pieces of the grenade went flying. Shrapnel pierced the armor of the three remaining soldiers. They died soon afterwards.
Bastila shrank away as Revan turned to her furiously. The look in his eyes scared her. It wasn't murderous, but it was definitely violent. He was angry with her and had every right to be. Still, a Jedi needed to control his or her emotions. If he couldn't prove capable of doing such, the council would never approve the suggestion to retrain him once they reached Dantooine.
Strangely, the dark side presence she felt within him subsided. He took a long deep breath and seemed to regain control of himself. She watched him close his eyes and breath for a moment, as if waiting for something. When he opened his eyes, he seemed less frightening. He offered her his hand, which she gladly accepted, allowing him to pull her from beneath the desk.
"You can't react so quickly," he warned her. "I hate to say it, but you blew it."
She nodded guiltily at his words. It was true. It had been his intention to avoid a violent conflict. The Sith Lord had been the advocate of a peaceful resolution while she, the Jedi, had escalated the problem into a full-scale battle. What had she been thinking?
"Don't beat yourself up too much," he advised.
Without looking at her, Revan walked up to the unopened door and activated the panel beside it. With the same silence as the other two doors, it slid open and he entered the long hallway. The exploration of every room along the hall caused a bit of a delay. Nearly twenty Sith troops died and they received only superficial wounds, such as cuts and scrapes. The room at the end of the corridor was of more interest.
Now, the Padawan had grown up on Dantooine and as such had had little reason to associate with the Duros race. They rarely came to Dantooine, seeing as how they were mostly involved with space exploration. So little affiliation had given her little reason to study them. She knew neither their ways, nor their language. Therefore, the shrieking Duros in the room puzzled her. It was clear that he was in pain, mostly because of the force cage he was in, but she couldn't translate its words.
Revan could.
"This Duros helped Carth and I," he explained as he went over to the wall panels and began to adjust them. "He owns the apartments where we've been living. The Sith attempted to cause a problem and I dealt with it. He hid their bodies after Carth finished them. They caught up with him a few days ago and he's been in this cage ever since."
"That's terrible," she said for lack of a better answer.
The cage deactivated as Revan adjusted one more switch and the alien stepped free. It said something to the both of them in its native tongue, but she couldn't catch it. Again, her companion was more than capable of understanding and carrying on a conversation. After a few minutes, the Duros left and she turned to her ally.
"What did he say?" she asked.
"He's naming his children after us," he explained as he pressed forward.
The Sith Governor who resided on the highest floor of the base was an imposing figure. It was not his physical build, though that was quite a sight in itself. He was a towering man, easily over six feet tall. His head had been shaved, leaving no trace of the hair that had once been there. A silver breast plate provided protection to his upper body, while reinforced polymesh pants served to defend his lower half. A double sided vibroblade was on the ground beside him. This weapon was his most cherished possession. Without a lightsaber, it was all he had. Each day, he spent a great deal of time tending it. The blades were polished almost daily and he sharpened the serrated edges at least once a week. Small, but powerful vibration cells had been planted at the base of each blade, which was enhanced by the battery in the hilt. The battery charged the cells, causing an electric charge to tingle throughout the weapon. This made sure that nonfatal injuries inflicted by the weapon would cause the utmost pain. Still, it was not his appearance or his weapon that was the most terrifying, but the Force energy that he radiated. He was more than just an apprentice. This was one of Darth Malak's feared marauders. Albeit, he was a low level marauder. No Sith would openly choose to wield a sword, even a heavily and illegally modified sword over a lightsaber. Still, Bastila was certain that this Dark Jedi had the potential to become one of Malak's fiercest warriors. He was young, but he would become more powerful if he had the chance. He sat in a medatitve position, legs crossed, while his head was bowed in deep thought. His concentration on the Force exemplified his lust for the power the dark side would bring to him.
The sound of the elevator door behind him, despite its almost silent opening, was enough to wake him. He stood up and looked at the two intruders carefully as they approached. "Who dares to break my meditation?" he demanded. "I will make you pay for interrupting my…" He trailed off as he inspected Revan. His eyes narrowed and he smiled as he looked at the former Dark Lord of the Sith. Bastila's eyes widened as dread filled her. Did this Dark Jedi recognize him? What would happen if he did realize who he was? "I did not expect to find any Force adepts on this backwater world." He chuckled as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps my master will finally reward me with my lightsaber."
"Just try it," Revan sneered as he drew the sword that was sheathed at his hip. Bastila drew her own weapon and fell into a Jedi combat stance. The Dark Jedi fell back into his own form. The Jedi Padawan quickly analyzed his movements and deduced that he was using a version of Ataru, an aggressive lightsaber form, that had been modified to suit a double bladed weapon. As a practitioner of double bladed forms, she knew how dangerous they could be if used correctly. However, if the wielder was improperly trained, the forms could be deadly to the one using them. His style seemed to have a few holes in it, which she could exploit.
"Stand back," she advised Revan knowing that he had no way of enhancing his dueling skills with the Force at this point. "This is a Jedi conflict. You'd only get in the way."
She quickly delved into her pool of Force energy and used it to enhance her endurance, allowing her to push her body harder. It became apparent when she began moving at speeds that would be very difficult for an average human to reach. She circled her foe quickly, poking at the gaps in his technique in order to test him. He seemed to be aware of his flawed moves and compensated by moving both his blade and body to protect himself, whereas he should have only been using the blade.
She twirled in an elegant circle and tried to bring the sword into his head with a vertical swipe. He deflected the strike by positioning his dual sword vertically. He spread his legs, allowing his right foot to slip into Bastila's. This caused her to trip up, sending her to the floor on her back.
The Dark Jedi grunted as he extended his hand and used the Force to push her against the ground. Her head slammed back and hit the ground painfully, while the rest of her body was crushed by the downward force. At this point, Revan intervened. He ran towards the two Force users and kicked the bald Sith governor in the stomach. The blow was not a painful one, but it cause his enemy to stumble backwards. This gave the Jedi Padawan the chance she needed to jump to her feet.
"Together," Revan ordered.
"Now!" she agreed.
Both the reformed Sith Lord and the young Jedi moved to attack the Sith with a series of speedy blows and strikes. It required a great deal of assistance from the Force to keep up with the two humans, which drained their opponent of his strength. His moves slowly became less precise. Life saving blocks began to occur only at the last possible second. She could tell he was about to cave in. Ataru wasn't meant to be used as a defensive form. Using it as such was taxing him heavily. The amount of Force energy it was probably sapping from him gave Bastila and Revan a distinct advantage.
"Ugh!" the Jedi grunted as she flung her arm forward with Force energy behind it.
The Sith grunted as he slid backwards from the Force attack that hit him. "Go!" She yelled at Revan.
With a loud battle cry, Revan leapt forward and drove his sword through the Sith Governor's armor and into his stomach. With as much haste as he could, he withdrew the weapon and swung it again in a horizontal slash, cleaving the bald head from the Dark Jedi's shoulders.
The head bounced along the ground as it landed and rolled into the wall, pouring blood onto the ground, which began to pool. The two glanced at each other, ignoring the gruesome sight that they had created. Bastila stood up and walked over to the body. She unbuckled the belt around the dead Sith's waist and tossed it on the ground, before she began to rummage through the various pouches and pockets. She soon found a small chip, which she could only assume was the access codes to get passed the blockade.
"Did you bring a datapad?" she asked Revan.
"Yeah," he replied as he dropped his pack onto the ground. He began to sift through the various items he had accumulated since arriving on Taris. Soon he pulled out a small device, which he tossed to her. She caught it deftly and inserted the chip into a small input port. The screen lit up for a moment before text came up. She nodded in satisfaction.
"We've got what we came for," she informed him.
"Wait," he said as he slung his pack back over his back. We don't know how long it will take Canderous to get us off of Taris," he pointed out.
"Or if he will at all," she added.
"We might still be here for some time."
"What's your point?"
Revan gestured impatiently at the corpse of the man they had just killed. "There's security footage of us destroying everything in this building. We need to cover our tracks."
"How?"
The former Sith Lord chuckled evilly. "I'm glad you asked."
--
"…absolutely moronic!" Bastila shrieked as she and Revan entered Javyar's Cantina in the lower city of Taris.
The Jedi Padawan was still very angry regarding her companion's choice to "cover their tracks." He had led her to the main control room of the embassy, where power was controlled and distributed throughout the facility. Without explaining his plan, he had proceeded to adjust programs and activate the building's failsafe. The only warning Bastila had been given was by the automated speaker that kept track of all of the building's functions. It had warned her that the system was unstable and the power core would implode in four minutes.
She was still quite shaken by the blast, which had rocked all of upper Taris. Her hands still twitched in shock and anger, which was a source of endless amusement to the former Jedi and Sith. He walked ahead of her, deeper into the cantina and proceeded to search for their other companions. The astromech droid had clearly delivered the message to Carth, as the star pilot was sitting at a table with Gelrood, a professional gambler, playing pazaak.
"Fifty credits," Gelrood demanded as he tossed his hand on the table.
With a clear hint of annoyance, the Republic soldier tossed a credit chip onto the table and began to reshuffle his desk. Revan came up to the older man and whispered something into his ear, which Bastila couldn't hear. Carth suddenly looked very angry and stood up. He grabbed his deck and walked away with his companion, allowing the gambler to collect the small pile of credit chips on the table.
Carth was swearing colorfully as he came into earshot. He looked up at the Padawan and nodded in acknowledgement. "Cheating bastard," he commented. "Where are Mission and Zalbaar?"
Revan nodded in the general direction of the bounty room. "Look," he said with a slight smile. Carth and Bastila looked over to see Canderous Ordo sitting at a table outside of the bounty office with Mission and Zalbaar. The Wookiee was standing behind him, while the Twi'lek was sitting in front of him, chatting away mercilessly. The Mandalorian looked about ready to commit murder.
"Canderous," Revan greeted as he approached.
The three sitting at the table looked up with different reactions. Zalbaar seemed indifferent, having known that his master would be safe regardless of the danger involved in the mission. Mission didn't seem concerned, but was excited to see him nonetheless. She jumped up from her table. "Derik!" she cried as she threw her arms around him and embraced him tightly. He put his arm around her and gave a soft pat on the back. Canderous's eyes showed the relief he felt at seeing the Swoop Champion of Taris.
"Quite a scene you caused," he commented as Revan took the seat Mission had been occupying. "I know you have the code."
"I do. How do we go about getting off world?"
Bastila turned to Carth while the Mandalorian conversed with the former Sith Lord. "Carth," she whispered to him urgently. "Did you bring my lightsaber from the apartment?"
The star pilot nodded and led her over to an empty table. He set his pack down on the table and opened it. A long object, which was wrapped in a dark cloth stuck out amongst the blaster and med supplies that he had packed away. Bastila took this item and hid it in her own pack.
"I felt awkward the entire time I had it in my pack," he commented.
"I'm not surprised," she replied. "Over time, a Jedi's lightsaber will begin to absorb some of the Force energy that its owner emits and becomes Force sensitive. That's why Jedi are so attached to their own lightsaber. It has some of their own life energy inside of it. Anyways, that's probably what you felt."
Carth paused for a moment before answering. "Actually, I was just scared the button would hit something and the thing would cut me in half while I was walking."
"Oh." Bastila chuckled at the Republic soldier's words. "Now that I think about it," she teased. "I'm surprised it didn't."
Carth's eyes widened, causing her to laugh inwardly to herself. The joke was interrupted when Revan returned, Canderous at his side. "We have a plan," he said to the two.
"Canderous is going to go back to his private hold and pick up some supplies. Meanwhile, I want to take Mission to the Emporium and get her some new equipment. She won't last long in a fire fight without it."
"Hasn't she already?" Bastila asked.
"She was fine against a pack of Gamorreans," he admitted. "They didn't have blasters. I want her prepped to fight seasoned soldiers."
"Why? Are we walking into another brawl?" Carth asked.
"We're walking into Davik Kang's estate," Canderous answered. Carth paled, while Bastila looked at all three men in confusion. "Davik has a ship in his estate called the Ebon Hawk. It's the fastest ship on the rim and we'll need it to get passed Sith ships even after we get passed the blockade turrets."
"Derik," the older man said seriously. "Mission… I know she's been through a lot for someone her age, but she's just a kid."
"Don't let her hear you say that," Revan advised.
"Look, I think we should consider leaving her and Zalbaar behind. They'll be safer here on Taris."
"No," Canderous disagreed. "The Wookiee would be useful in a fight and I don't think we can separate them."
"Not only that, but I don't want to leave them on a Sith world. They'll tighten their grip on this world because of what happened to their embassy," the reformed Sith Lord stated. "I want them to come with us."
"I agree," Bastila chipped in. "Besides, I sense Malak is growing impatient. Taris may not be around much longer."
"Alright," Carth gave in. "Still, she'll need more cover than the rest of us."
"Zalbaar will take care of that," Revan assured him.
"Shall we be off then?" the Jedi asked.