Author's Note: I know that canonically that Revan is male and that his love interest was Bastila. But I discovered one of my older stories and re-edited it, added more scenes, revamped the vocabulary, and such. I'm trying to get back in the groove of writing more fanfics, and reviewing other people's stories. Hopefully I'll be back fully sometime soon. For now...
I own nothing.
All Hail Bioware.
Read. Review. Roadkill.
Carth went through the datapads, tossing some in the trash bin while archiving the others. He absentmindedly tugged his unruly hair back and kicked his feet on top of his cluttered desk. With a bored sigh he glanced around the room, barely giving the great view of Telos a second look, and noted a fallen holodisc that was several feet from his desk.
Waving his hand as if in dismissal, he continued organizing his datapads, tired and exhausted. The job of being of Admiral was stressing enough and every time he got a break, he took a well-deserved nap. But now…he couldn't make himself sleep.
Looking over at his holoframe of him and his reunited son, Dustil, he fumbled around with it. Dropping it in the process of examining it too closely, he silently cursed and bent over to pick it up. He set it aside and leaned back in his swivel chair, slowly starting to doze off. But something was stopping his slumber every time he closed his eyes. A force of some kind.
With a frustrated groan Carth stood up and looked at the holodisc on the ground, giving it a curious look over before walking over to pick it up. He carefully brushed his fingers against its cold surface, dust flying off. It was clear he hadn't touched this disc in an unimaginable amount of years. He couldn't even remember having such a thing in his possession. "Comes with being old, I suppose…" Carth muttered with a bitter laugh, running a hand through his graying hair again. A habit he never did get rid of.
"Might as well figure out what this thing does." He managed to open its contents and a hologrammic figure appeared. He set it down on his desk, squinting at it. He tried hard to decipher who this person was but all he earned was a throbbing headache.
She was a female, tall and her figure covered by familiar armor…but he still couldn't figure out who she was.
She started talking, the image obviously a recording, and her small grin was never gone even as she spoke. The tall woman was saying, "Mr. Onasi. I regret having to abandon you on such short timing. And right before I give my answer to you."
The mysterious stranger held up her hand, something circular…a ring was present on her finger. "This is my promise to you that I will come back. And that finally I will settle down. But after this final mission. The call of the force is something that not even I can ignore. But when I come back, I will put down the lightsaber…for a time. And then perhaps…"
The woman holds up her hand again. "This can happen. I'll come back. Don't I always?" The image disappeared, the recording over.
Carth stared at it for the longest time, none of which the woman had said igniting any kind of recognition. His forehead wrinkled with concentration, he glanced down at his own two hands. There was no ring.
Carth heaved a sigh, shuffling back over to his chair and sat down, hoping to finally gain some sleep. He was going to need it.
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"Ladies and gentlemen! Draw your eyes to the center ring! We have a special presentation in store for you! They've been banned. They're illegal. And we have one right here for you! A DEATHMATCH! To the left, we have Bendak Starkiller! A man so fearless, he makes his opponents shake in their boots. If any of them were still alive! Hahaha!"
"And to the right, we have our recent newcomer. She's made her way to through the ranks, beating all of our local duelists. Here she is…the Mysterious Stranger!"
Carth was looking from the seats in the balcony, head shaking in clear disapproval and brown eyes wide in slight concern for his fellow soldier; his grip on the railing was tight making his knuckles whiten. He watched the deathmatch with reluctance, hoping that his Republic partner would make it through. He'd hate to have to find Bastila on his own…
The person known as the Mysterious Stranger, also known to Carth as Kal Malek, gave a small bow and wink up at Carth and turned to face the armored man who was known to all as Bendak Starkiller.
Starkiller pulled out his dual pistols, aiming directly at Kal. She just kept on grinning, dodging the shots and grenades with less then graceful moves, nearly breaking a limb as she rolled away from another grenade. But yet she still survived.
Carth pulled away his hands from his gaping mouth as Kal pulled out her standard vibroblade. He had forgotten they were strapped for credits even when Kal managed to single handedly win every single match, but they had spent the winnings on medpacks. Which meant no upgrade on a vibroblade for Kal.
He winced as he saw a shot graze Kal's shoulder, her yelp heard from even where he was standing. Kal clashed blades with Starkiller, her amateur blocks and hits barely standing strong against Starkiller's strengthened hits.
But Kal's determined face and scoundrel skills held as she continued to block his blade, left and right. Starkiller managed to slash a cut across her cheek and down her chest. Her ragged dirty white shirt was barely holding together as she tightened her grip on her blade.
Carth couldn't take it anymore. His hands were inching near his own pair of pistols, eyes shut tight so he couldn't watch the rest. He didn't think he could handle seeing her being killed in a ridiculous deathmatch. Right before he made a decision to either leave or keep on watching, the obnoxiously loud voice of the announcer interrupted his train of thought.
"The fight is over! The deathmatch is over! Bendak Starkiller is down! Bendak Starkiller is down!"
At those words Carth snapped open his eyes and peeked down at the gruesome scene. He couldn't tell if the blood on Kal's face and brown vest was hers or Starkiller's. But her triumphant smile distinguished any thought of giving the young woman a lecture.
"All hail the Mysterious Stranger! The best duelist of all time!"
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Carth's hand jerked, still sound asleep as his memory induced dream continued.
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"I'm sorry." Carth said in a quiet tone as she approached the young woman. She gave him a confused look but a second later she suddenly understood.
"If anybody should be apologizing, it should be me. I shouldn't have kept on prying into your personal life. I just…wanted to get to know you better, that's all. I meant no offense." Kal bowed her head a little in shame, awkwardly shifting her weight around. "I understand not wanting to give up too many details about yourself. I'm not exactly an open-book myself."
Carth seemed genuinely surprised by her words. It's been forever since someone tried to understand why he is the way he is. With a soft smile he said, "You know. You're like no other woman I've met."
"I could say the same to you. But then again, you're no woman so that might be construed as inappropriate." That same grin she always wore appeared but this time, there was a sense of realness behind it.
He couldn't help but return it.
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He leaned back further in his seat, a loud snore accompanying his action.
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"You're a neophyte Padawan who's been saddled with the responsibility of tracking down these Star Maps. Why? That's not normal!" He argued, feeling left out of the loop with all this Jedi business.
"Maybe it isn't and maybe it is. You think I wanted this? No, I got dragged along for the ride, just like you. This is not the life I wanted but here it is. A Jedi. Who would've guessed that somebody like me could be a Jedi, let alone as an adult, when all my life I've been nothing but a simple 'scoundrel'."
"Enough arguing. We need to get a head start on finding those Star Maps." Bastila appeared out of nowhere and she was already heading up the ramp. But by her look alone Carth could tell something was wrong, that she was disturbed by their conversation somehow. A pat on his shoulder caused him to drop the matter and he followed Kal and Bastila into the ship.
"I'm just being paranoid…"
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He tossed and turned in his sleep, sitting in awkward positions on the chair he was sleeping in. But still he continued sleeping.
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The pair stared out into the seemingly unending expanse of water. Despite being on a neutral planet where at times it felt like the Sith and Republic would attack each other at any minute, they felt at ease. Comforted by each others company.
Over the course of time during their travels together, trying to find the Star Maps, the two had been able to discuss what had been bothering Carth for so many years while Kal simply tried to ease his state of mind. Arguments had occurred but both of the refused to sleep while mad at each other so they dished it out, one calling another a name while the other only laughed.
She even helped reunite him and Dustil, his son, back on Korriban. It was disconcerting, the lengths she went to try and help him or others. After that, he learned to trust her and even came as far as to care for her. Hell, maybe more than care for her.
He glanced over at her, seeing she was still staring at the sunset. A moment later she looked up at him, eyebrow raised. "Something wrong? A Sith behind me? Manaan is finally succumbing to the influence of the Sith?"
"No, nothing like that." He reassured her, watching as she returned her gaze towards the sky. He joined her soon after, brown eyes scouring the sky and waters for nothing in particular.
…just simply enjoying the small peace time with one another before having to risk their lives again…
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He shifted again in his seat, the swivel chair creaking under the weight.
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His knees nearly buckled, feeling suddenly weak and light-headed. The woman he had been traveling with, the woman whom he shared feelings with, the woman he had come to trust and care for, this woman was Darth Revan.
Immediately a dozen theories flew into his mind…that old familiar distrust flaring up again. But he couldn't help but imagine what must be going through her mind at the moment. He stayed silent, watching as Darth Malak, Bastila….and 'Revan' argue. Carth was having a hard time processing all of this. From what he could distinctly hear, 'Revan' kept on denying her identity but soon…she turned on Bastila.
"How could you use me like this? I thought the Jedi were above this. You're no better than the Sith, Bastila." She retorted, her voice slightly quivering. Her bright blue eyes were narrowed, clearing speaking her true feelings. Betrayal. Confusion. Mistrust.
They were the same things he was experiencing. He wanted to hate her, all of them, but he simply couldn't.
He was about to interrupt them until he and Bastila were frozen in stasis, watching helplessly as 'Revan' turned to attack and take on Malak on her own.
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A shiver ran through his body, unexplained feelings and sudden realization hitting him hard but yet he still continued to sleep.
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"She resisted the dark side. She resisted Bastila's offer to join her. She did it." Juhani beamed, retelling of what had happened to the crew of the Ebon Hawk on the beach. Jolee didn't want to admit it in front of everybody but he was immensely proud of what Revan had accomplished.
All the while Revan had remained silent, mind elsewhere. Carth noticed this and slowly made his way toward her until he was directly in front of her. "I did it." She whispered in a happy tone, a diminutive smile slowly working its way on her face.
"You did it." He whispered back.
"I love you." She said quietly, in an almost questioning tone of voice, a little unsure if he would return it.
He only responded with a kiss.
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Carth jerked forward, sweat beading on his forehead, wrinkled hands shaking. It all came back to him in a flash. The unending conversations, the shared passion, the adventures they had, the spoken promises, the departure and heartbreak…
It was all there.
A knock resonated from the door and Carth mumbled a quick 'come in'. It was Dustil. Suddenly he stood up from his seat, knocking it over. "She's coming back! Revan. I remember her now. She'll be coming back any day now. We're going to get married you know…just like we planned."
Dustil groaned, shaking his head pitifully. 'It's one of those nights again'. It hadn't happened in awhile but every time it did, it nearly broke his heart to see his father this way. His father was slowly deteriorating, growing older and older with each passing year. He still thought he was an Admiral. He still thought he had to come here in this office and do paperwork.
And he still thought Revan was coming back.
"Dad. Let's get you home." Dustil guided his father out of the room, listening as he went on and on about the missions he accomplished with Revan, the plans they had made together. Dustil couldn't muster up enough courage to tell his father the truth. Besides, in the morning his dad will have forgotten it all.
It had been at least a good four or five decades since Revan had left for the Unknown Regions, chasing a vision that was probably untrue. Dustil hated that she had left him here with a promise. A promise that was never going to be fulfilled. But that promise was the only thing that kept his father going every day, regardless of whether or not he remembered it at times.
"She's coming back Dustil. I can feel it. She's coming back…"