Title: "A Second Chance"

Summary: How did Admiral Karath and Darth Malak both react when word reached them that Revan was still alive? Set just after the destruction of Taris.

Author's Notes: Just a little inspired fic I got from playing the game (again). I especially enjoyed the little cut scenes with Malak and Karath on the Leviathan.

This story is unbeta'd so, please excuse any errors.

Reviews and Critiques are welcome.

Admiral Saul Karath, Commander of the entire Sith Armada, gazed out from the main view ports of the Leviathan. With the destruction of Taris complete and the fleet awaiting new orders from above, he should have been more at ease. However, it galled him to no end when he'd recently discovered that the bombardment had failed in its original objective:

Bastila Shan had escaped.

That was not the worst of it, however. In addition to the news of the Jedi's escape there was also a visual account of those who had helped Bastila flee the bombardment. The admiral's world had turned inside out when he looked closely at one of those companions in particular. But Saul needed definitive confirmation first because if there was even a chance that this new revelation was true, the implications were indeed staggering. The future of the Sith fleet, not to mention the Sith hierarchy was in question. Karath sighed. He almost wished he hadn't come across this new bit of information.

The admiral's eyes slid to a darkened corner where a short figure stood and he frowned. Saul had no real use for bounty hunters since they had loyalty only to themselves, credits and none other. This one's ship had come close to being blown away had he not transmitted a portion of what he'd seen on Taris. What Saul had seen both surprised and horrified him enough to allow the man to land. Even scum like him had his uses, the admiral thought. A terse message had been sent to Lord Malak, saying only that there was reason to believe that Bastila Shan had escaped.

Saul was reviewing some new reports when the main doors slid open and the Sith Lord walked through and into the main walkway of the bridge. The admiral thought to at least report some good news first.

"Lord Malak," the Admiral Karath began, holding up a datapad, "I've received the latest reports from the Star Forge. Production is up two hundred percent – far beyond our expectations."

Malak brushed that impatiently aside with a dismissive gesture. "I am far more interested in the Jedi Bastila and her whereabouts. Have you learned how she escaped the destruction of Taris?"

"She was aided by Carth Onasi, a decorated hero of the Republic and a legendary soldier. During the Mandalorian Wars, he was honored many times for his bravery."

Something in his subordinate's tone caught Malak's attention. "You know this man?"

"Yes, Lord Malak. He served under me when I still followed the Republic. You could say I was his mentor." And he was like a son to me. Saul still to this day felt burning resentment at Carth's outright refusal to join the Sith cause. Saul had truly thought Carth would join him. Good men like him needed to see how corrupt and unstable the Republic was, but with Onasi it was not to be. The problem with people like him was that they were loyal to a fault, never seeing what was right in front of their eyes.

"Interesting," Malak said, interrupting Saul's reverie. "How did you acquire this information, Admiral?"

"An eyewitness, my lord," Karath said, beckoning to the figure in the dark corner. An unsuspecting, diminutive man walked over, dressed in simple clothes. A cap and goggles covered his eyes and hair. Although many would dismiss the man as harmless, the twin blasters on his belt said otherwise.

"Calo Nord," Saul said in introduction. "He's a bounty hunter who was at the scene when Carth and Bastila escaped the planet. Apparently they left him for dead."

Malak swung his gaze and sized the man up. "You survived an encounter with both a Jedi and a war hero? It is a wonder you are still alive."

Calo Nord smiled, showing teeth. "I'm very hard to kill, Lord Malak. The ground underneath me gave way and I fell into Davik's auxiliary docking bay – a bay that incidentally held my own ship. Once I took off I saw your armada over the planet and it occurred to me that you might be interested in what I know, as well as possibly doing business together."

"Calo has agreed to help capture Bastila Shan, for a hefty fee of course," Saul added. "But I assure you he's well worth the price. Besides working on Taris, he's done work for the Exchange and even the Republic from time to time. His reputation as a bounty hunter is well earned."

Malak turned and faced the bounty hunter fully. "Understand one thing, Nord: my only concern is the capture of Bastila if at all possible. Her companions mean nothing to me. Disintegrate them if you wish."

Calo Nord's smile turned ugly. "It'll be my pleasure."

Admiral Karath glanced surreptitiously around. "Lord Malak, forgive me. There is one other thing. May we have a private audience away from the ears of the common soldiers?"

"I trust you are not wasting my time, Admiral Karath?" Malak warned.

"I promise you will be very interested in what Calo has to say about Bastila's other companions, Lord Malak."

He led them to an adjoining ready room with a large round, ebon table in the center. A touch of a switch and the room's security features were fully activated. Anyone attempting to listen in with listening devices on this conversation would hear nothing but static. All three sat down. The admiral gestured to Nord.

"Show Lord Malak what you showed me."

The bounty hunter pulled out a small data wafer and plugged it into a nearby interface. The lights dimmed and over the table a large blue hologram sprang into existence. It showed the hustle and bustle of a seedy-looking cantina shown looking down from ceiling level. Beings of any and all types drank, talked or played pazaak. Music drifted in from a local Bith band. The scene slowly tracked in one direction, stopped, and then continued in the other.

"And what exactly am I to find here?" Malak asked in growing annoyance.

"I like to keep tabs on any new people who show up on Taris," Calo began, "especially if they start to make a big name for themselves. You never know when they might irritate the wrong person and someone like me is called in to 'settle' the matter. Davik had so many security cameras set up, it was easy to follow this group of yours."

Calo manipulated some controls and the scene paused. One portion of the scene on the right was boxed in and expanded, showing a table with three or four individuals seated in discussion. On one corner Bastila was shown talking to Carth Onasi on her left. Across from her sat a rather large, powerfully built man with scars on his face and close-cropped grey hair. A fourth individual sat to Bastila's right, but her face was partially darkened from the uneven lighting.

Malak sent Saul a withering glare. "I fail to see the significance in any of this, Admiral."

"Please, Lord Malak, a moment more," Karath said with a placating hand raised. He reached down and pressed a control, keeping an eye on the other's reaction. Another box appeared and brought the partially obscured face into full zoom. Brightness and contrast were automatically enhanced, several filters were applied, the picture sharpened until finally…

Darth Malak's golden eyes widened and he leaned forward. Unconsciously he rose from his seat, staring right at the image.

"What is this?" he hissed, looking fiercely from Calo Nord to Admiral Karath.

The narrow face, the brown eyes, jet black hair…even the bangs covering her right eye were there. The only things missing were the pale skin, the blue and red veins, the golden eyes and that cold, calculating look that Malak knew oh so well. His vision swam as he stared right into those brown eyes…and Revan stared right back.

It was impossible!

"That woman," Calo began irritably, "was the one who gave me the most trouble. Among other things, she actually took care of some bounties even I had trouble collecting on."

Admiral Karath glanced at Lord Malak, who, for a wonder, looked at a loss for words. "Did she do anything else that you took notice of?"

The bounty hunter frowned and tipped his head back in thought. "Let's see. It took a little doing, but from I was able to find out, she won a swoop bike race for the Hidden Beks, donated a sample of a Rakghoul serum to a clinic for free, infiltrated your Sith base and even collected a bounty on that Mandalorian by dueling with him in a death match." Calo shook his head ruefully. "What a fight that was."

Admiral Karath frowned slightly. "What Mandalorian?"

"Bendak Starkiller."

Karath's head snapped up and he shared a look with Lord Malak. He had no doubt that his master must be remembering the Battle of Malachor V. Bendak Starkiller was one of the more ruthless and cunning warriors that the forces of the Republic had faced during that historic battle. Somehow, he'd survived the battle with forces led by Malak…and Revan. It appeared that some things had come full circle.

Calo looked from the admiral to the Sith Lord, noting the disquiet between them. "Is there something in particular I should know about this woman?"

Saul opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by Malak. "The capture of Bastila is paramount, Nord. But I will say this: kill this one – " he pointed to the picture " – bring me irrefutable proof of her death and I'll double whatever fee that has been agreed upon."

The bounty hunter raised a single eyebrow. The amount he'd originally wanted for this Bastila had been high, even by his standards. Now he was being offered double that price for taking out a Republic lieutenant. His gut told him he wasn't being told all the facts, but he didn't care. This looked like it would be a challenge and he lived for nothing but the thrill of the hunt.

"As you wish, Lord Malak," Calo said, taking his leave of the two of them.

When the doors closed behind the bounty hunter, Admiral Karath sat back and rubbed his forehead. "My lord, there's no possible way she could have survived! The bridge of her flagship was in ruins before we jumped to hyperspace."

Malak, his eyes narrowing, shook his head. "You forget, Admiral. Bastila also survived the destruction of Revan's flagship. She must have somehow gotten to a ship or an escape pod and taken Revan with her. It is the only possible explanation."

Karath grimaced. "Even if this were so, what is Revan doing helping the Jedi as well as the Republic?"

Malak leaned back on his chair and cocked his head, listening to the currents of the Force. "I do not know. Vengeance, perhaps? Who knows what sort of deal the Jedi offered her," he mused. "What I do find interesting is Calo Nord's description of Revan: a lieutenant in the Republic fleet, not a Jedi. Aside from Bastila, he never once mentioned having seen her using any Force powers."

Karath's face twisted at a terrible thought. "Is it possible the Jedi stripped Revan of her powers?"

Malak's eyebrows rose at the thought, but then he shook his head in disgust. "We do not have enough information at the moment. Whatever the case may be, Admiral, we have to assume that since no Republic ships have shown up near the Star Forge, Revan has either not told them where it is or she may have suffered some form of memory loss on the bridge. If that is the case, then Bastila may be using her to find the Star Maps."

Karath looked thoughtful. "Wherever Bastila goes, it appears Revan goes with her. I'll alert all our contacts near or on those planets to inform us immediately of her arrival. We can be there shortly thereafter. I'll also double our patrols, just in case they run into the path of this Ebon Hawk."

Malak nodded. "Make sure to contact our teams of Dark Jedi as well. I want no stone left unturned."

"Of course, Lord Malak."

"One more thing, Admiral: This is to remain between us in this room," Malak said, his voice very quiet, but still no less menacing. "We'll send out a general description to any teams that find them first. Let's see how Dark Jedi do against this new Revan."

"As you wish, my lord."

"Good. Dismissed."

Admiral Karath saluted, turned smartly and left the Sith Lord behind. The door closed behind him and he continued out into the bridge. Leaving the appropriate orders with the main communications officer, he headed out and took the main turbolift to his quarters. Once he entered, he walked up to his main desk and sat down heavily into his chair. Clasping his hands together, almost in prayer, he leaned his forehead on to it.

Darth Revan…alive!

Karath slowly raised his head and stared up in guarded relief. "Thank the gods," he whispered.

Saul Karath was not one to indulge in self-pity or even guilt. Even innocents died in war and he'd taken all the blood on his hands in stride. But there was no describing the feeling he'd experienced when he followed Malak's order to fire on Revan's bridge. The possible capture of Revan would be too much of a blow to the Sith, Malak had said. Of course, there was also the added benefit of taking out Bastila Shan and her Battle Meditation as well.

Back when he'd served with the Republic, Saul had respected and learned much from Revan's cunning and strategy. He'd seen how her charm and charisma had swayed whole armies so that they'd all fight the enemy in her name without a second thought. The turning point for the whole war arguably was when Revan had taken over the Republic's disastrous campaign against the Mandalorians.

Revan also had been the one person who'd held Malak in check. Malak was a force to be reckoned with, especially in combat, and Revan had known how to use him to maximum effectiveness. With her out of the way, Admiral Karath had silently wondered how long the Sith would last. Malak's rise from apprentice to master did not come easy. Several high-ranking officers, Dark Jedi and even a few Sith apprentices had openly denounced Malak's attack on Revan. Every single one of them, however, had paid the price in particularly gruesome fashions. Dissention quickly died down.

When the fighting with the Republic resumed, Admiral Karath could tell that Malak was all muscle, very little brains. The Dark Lord's ideas of strategy and tactics were akin to using a Rancor to swat an annoying Mynock. With the Star Forge, they had numbers, yes, but even Karath had to mentally question some of the more brutal operations Malak carried out. Revan herself had been cruel, but that had been simply a means to enforce discipline as well as strike fear in the Republic. Darth Malak used fear simply for fear's sake. More than a few times, Karath had tried to dissuade the Dark Lord with using less extreme measures. Sometimes he succeeded, more often not. So many men and ships lost. Ships could be replaced, but not men. Darth Revan had understood that much.

Betrayal was the way of the Sith, Saul Karath understood that. But what he pondered now was tantamount to treason. But was it treason? He'd certainly held Revan in more esteem and if she was truly alive then she certainly had Malak in her sights. He was guessing of course, but if he could reach her first before Malak did, he might be able to explain his position, perhaps even help in restoring her to power. This was all dependent on just how she'd react to his presence. If the Revan of old was still there, then it should not be a problem. If not…then he lost nothing.

But on the off chance that Darth Revan could come back, perhaps – just perhaps – Carth Onasi might still be convinced to join him. Finding out that one of your companions was none other than a Dark Lord might just unhinge him enough to make him pliable. One didn't have to be strong in the Force to try and seduce someone to his or her way of thinking. And if he couldn't get through Onasi's thick skull, it would be a simple matter of getting rid of the problem once and for all.

Admiral Karath smiled, nodded once and left his quarters with renewed purpose.

oOoOo

Darth Malak kept staring at the image of Revan that stared back at him. Odd that she looked almost exactly as she did when she, Malak and so many other Jedi had disobeyed the Council to go fight the Mandalorians. To Malak it seemed like another life.

For the briefest of moments, the hate that had always burned in the Sith Lord's golden eyes faded just a fraction. Memories of an idealistic youth, the glory of fighting against enemies of the Republic all slowly came back to Malak. He remembered the camaraderie he'd had with the other Jedi, laughing and joking just before a major battle. There was also the shaky relief afterwards after having won and the pain of finding out some of his friends hadn't made it.

There had been many nights during the war where he'd lie on his bunk, unable to sleep. Then he'd be joined in his bed by a silent figure. For a few hours after that, he and Revan would make passionate love just to forget all that had happened that day. They'd joke afterwards about how the Jedi idea of no attachments had been so ridiculous. Had any of those fossilized Masters ever truly been in a war? One had to live for now, for tomorrow he or she might die on some nameless planet. Malak had understood that. He knew Revan had understood that. But he'd loved Revan so much that he would have willingly given his life for her as so many did during the war.

So much had changed since then.

As the memories continued to flood, Malak closed his eyes as an odd stinging feeling came over them. Unconsciously, a hand came up to wipe at his eyes, but when it accidentally touched the sterile, cold metal of his prosthetic shield, it snapped back, as if shocked.

Malak's eyes flew open. They burned with renewed fury, cleansing whatever weakness might have been there a moment ago. His came up again and touched the metal band. Yes, much had changed, hadn't it? Another, more powerful memory came forth. When he and Revan had turned to the dark side and had found the Star Forge, they'd quarreled as to who would be the master and who would be the apprentice. Inevitably, it was their skills with a lightsaber that had settled the matter. Malak could still remember the searing pain when Revan's blade had gotten past his defenses. Defeated and on the ground, his eyes had strayed to a mangled mass of muscle, teeth, bone and skin. In dull horror, he'd realized that his jaw had been sheared off. At that moment of soul-rending agony, any and all love he'd once had for Revan had been scorched away.

Power, fear and betrayal were all he knew now. He could thank Revan for that. There was absolutely no regret at seizing the moment when he'd ordered his ships to fire on her bridge. Malak saw that his time had come. However, even a year afterward, he could sense more than one of his followers wondering if he'd struck down his master out of fear of facing her in person.

As long as doubt remained as to his claim to the Sith throne, there would be those more willing to try and usurp it from him. Destiny, it seemed, was granting Malak one more chance to prove himself. His powers had certainly grown more since Revan's fall, especially with what he'd discovered on the Star Forge.

Malak reached over and unplugged the data card. The holographic image over the table fizzled out, but it remained burned into the Sith Lord's psyche. He gazed at the card as it lay on his hand. Slowly, deliberately, he closed his fist and squeezed until the delicate components snapped and broke. He kept squeezing, barely registering the pain from the cutting of his skin. Blood slowly began to trickle out of his fist. Malak opened it and the crushed, bloody fragments fell to the floor. One more memory of his old master scattered to the winds. Soon, a similar fate would befall Revan herself.

And this time, permanently.

-FIN-