AN: I feel like I have to give a short description since this is my first story. I want to keep the plot as cannon as possible, with the exception of Revan being a female of course (I'm sorry but Bastila and Juhani are just not interesting love interests to me. Carth, Malak and Canderous on the other hand, rawr :) ). Since my main character is female I'm tweaking some things in order to make it fit with the canon version. It's a work in progress but trust me, almost nothing I'm going to write about is played in the game, so you don't have to worry too much about reading the SAME story over and over. This is just my interpretation of what happened behind the scenes of the gameplay and the characters' motives. After replaying it for the 6th time, I got soooo many ideas! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)
Disclaimer: I'll say this only once: I do not own the rights to the game, characters, or plot.
It was a dry windy night on Tatooine. Shop owners were closing down, late-night cantinas were opening, swoop racers were heading indoors for a meal or drink, and scantily clad "business" ladies were heading outdoors for some possible credit transactions. In the unassuming crowd, a tall hooded woman paced towards the dueling ring lodge. She appeared preoccupied with her own thoughts, but walked with the gravity and alertness of a soldier. Her clothes were plain and grey and her cloak left everything to the imagination, completely covering her already loose robe and pants.
She was walking past a cantina when she heard loud cries, gasps, praises and even curses exploding from the inside, making her stop her in her tracks. Temporarily distracted and curious to see what could have possibly caused such a reaction, she made a detour and entered the cantina.
A large crowd was gathered around the holoprojector in the back of the room. She pulled her hood back, revealing an intense auburn pixie cut and striking facial features, while confidently walking towards the crowd. As the bartender saw her approaching, he poured her a glass of the best liquor in stock and extended it to her with a wide grin.
"For our fearless champion, on the house."
She politely accepted the drink and kept walking, not giving the bartender one look. She heard an older woman grunt "Good riddance!"
"No you fool! This can get worse with that psychotic man in charge now" a male voice beside her responded.
She finally found an opening in the crowd and looked ahead at the projector. What she saw made her eyes widen in shock and her grip on her drink loosen, sending the beverage crashing to the floor.
"REVAN, Dark Lord of the Sith and former Republic hero is DEAD" The words were scrolling across the image in front of her. Darth Revan's flagship was crumpling; visible fires and smoke emitting from every corner, blaster shots continuously firing at it until it exploded into a million fragments while a dozen or so shuttles and starships zoomed away from it. The clip replayed over and over while an audio commentary explained the shocking visuals. Darth Malak had finally decided to assume the position of his old master.
"That backstabbing coward…" she muttered in a whisper. She hadn't moved, twitched or even blinked since she set her eyes on the holoprojector. She wasn't sure what to feel. Sad? Angry? Relieved?
You knew this was coming Rev, you knew this was what the path lead to and you still followed it. It sure doesn't seem like it's worth it to me. It never did.
She opened a mental door she had closed years ago, and allowed some of her old memories out. That wonderful mischievous smile and contagious laugh, that bossy, fiery padawan who commanded attention everywhere she went, but who ironically spent much of her free time reading history books and being the unofficial mechanic of the enclave, that big-hearted young woman who could be so self-sacrificing, and yet so unknowingly tactless at the same time, that powerful and magnetic Jedi, way too intelligent for her age, now dead by the hands of her own apprentice. What a pitiful way to die…
The crowd around her was starting to disperse. She didn't move a muscle.
And Malak… How long do you expect to live after this, when Revan was always the more revered one? How foolish and heartless could you be? Do the Sith have absolutely no moral code or loyalty? You've known each other since you could hold a damn saber! How could you…
Who was she kidding? She already knew the answers to those questions. She knew the untimely end of her friends was inevitable, but she never imagined it like this. A tear started to form in her unblinking eye. She finally moved a few muscles, but only to form a frown.
She had it coming. She was too darn stubborn and inconsiderate for her own good. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how fitting Revan's death was. The woman had a knack for trampling over everybody's feelings. Every offense was always so unintentional, so careless with her; she was the center of her own universe and couldn't be bothered by anyone's petty emotions. "Get over it"…her favorite sentence. It's almost as if she was strategic and wise with everything in her life but herself. She never thought about how her personal actions affect others negatively, never put herself in someone else's shoes. Maybe never even cared…
Enough! she sternly calmed herself. You will not waste another moment dwelling on this. She's dead now and it's almost over, there's no need for resentment…ever again.
When she got out of her trance and looked around, she was standing alone in front of the hologram. Everyone was back to their usual business and chatter, now with a new topic to discuss. At her feet was an employee cleaning up the mess she made when she dropped her drink.
"I'm sorry about that" she managed to say, both sincerely and absentmindedly.
She turned around and strode towards the exit before he could even look up to respond.
"I'm sorry Master, but you'll have to make this decision as soon as possible. She may awake any moment now and once she does we can't perform the procedure. The soldiers we have are also slowly deteriorating. It's been many days now, we lost another one this morning."
"How many are left?"
"Only three females Sir, the other five males are still here as well. And though most of their brains are intact, the only thing keeping them alive is the kolto tank, and who knows for how long. Their bodies…they took so much damage. It's a miracle they still had a heartbeat when the Jedi brought them here. "
The man referred as "Master" turned around and whispered to another shorter figure who wore identical robes as him. They intently exchanged a few words, slowly shaking their heads, then turned back to face the doctor.
"We're going to need a little more information on the injured soldiers. Their age, past, skills, anything helpful…" said the taller man.
"Sure, let me get their files"
The doctor picked up a few documents and hurriedly flipped through the pages. Adjusting his sensory implant, he began reading out loud, walking briskly towards the injured soldiers and stopping in front of each tank to give a short summary of its contents.
"….recruited 3 years ago as a scout, efficient in demolitions, repairs, specialized in sniper rifles, heavy weaponry and tracking. Next we have Leyna Starblazer, age 30, elite soldier, excellent muscle to height ratio, no previous medical records, earned a medal for…"
"So what do you think about the first one?" The Master whispered to his partner.
…And lastly we have an impressively skilled former smuggl…
"Seems risky, considering her extensive knowledge of the former enemy, it might trigger something too soon" his companion answered in a low voice.
"Agreed"
The doctor was now standing in front of a dark haired woman "arrested twice and received a pardon for joining the military. She sacrificed herself in order for her team to get to the bridge, and when they came back she was still breathing… and now she's here." He finished with a heavy sigh and stared at the two men, a hopeful but anxious look in his eyes.
"We understand you are pressed for time Doctor. But please, allow us a few more minutes. This is a very delicate matter" the taller man pleaded.
"They all have more than a thing in common with-If we are not careful with our choices, we may ruin or delay this whole mission" his partner said to him as they both turned their backs to the doctor.
"Indeed, they all come with substantial risks and valuable advantages. But one of them has a quality we are both looking for, despite their….questionable past."
The two men looked at each other fixedly, as if exchanging thoughts in their heads. They nodded in agreement and pivoted back to the doctor.
"We've ready to proceed"
"Excellent. I'll alert the operating room and we'll begin right away. Follow me."
"So far so good Masters, let me know of your progress."
"First memory transfer almost complete Doctor, we're entering the second stage." The two masters were standing, eyes closed, with their hands extended over two unconscious bodies floating in different kolto tanks. The tanks were linked by several cables, some of them directly attached to the heads of the bodies. A bright glow was radiating from the hands of the masters; they appeared to be in deep meditation.
The doctor was monitoring the patients' heart rates and brain waves on a console not too far from the tanks.
"Good, the sooner we get this done the b—oh no…NO! Not now!" The doctor ran to the kolto tank, fretfully analyzing the blinking lights.
"What's going on Doc?" asked one of the Masters, eyes still closed and struggling to not break his concentration.
"We're losing the soldier, there is still some brain activity, but I can no longer detect her heart!"
"We'll have to heal her in the same process then, we have no ch—"
"No…this c-can't be happening" The doctor stuttered with a bewildered look.
"What now?" both Masters asked frantically, now with concerned eyes open.
"The patient is regaining consciousness. We have to stop the procedure. Now!"
"Can't you sedate her for a while longer? We can't leave this unfinished!" the shorter man was starting to lose his focus, his extended hands trembling in effort as the white glow that surrounded them began to diminish.
"If we do that right now we might induce a permanent coma and if we continue we'll be putting her at great risk of severe brain damage. We can't do anything about the soldier, but if we stop now, we may be able to save this one. We—"
"You don't understand, we can't leave her like this. It's too dangerous!"
"Prolonging this is too dangerous Master. I'll need you to stop the transfer before I disconnect them, otherwise she might as well be dead."
The two masters shot nervous looks at each other, reluctant to obey the doctor but knowing full well the gravity of the situation. Still maintaining their composure, they focused one last time and shot waves of energy from their fingertips to the patient's head.
"Stop! I command you to discontinue! This is my facility and I don't want to lose another one, especially since we can save her. This is why I don't like dealing with you Jedi, you NEVER LISTEN!" the doctor was practically yelling now.
"Sorry Doc, we have to take the risk—"
"WE LOST THE SOLDIER! STOP RIGHT NOW OR I'LL HAVE YOU ARRESTED FOR MANSLAUGHTER! I HAVE TO DISCONNECT THEM NOW! I'M BEGGING YOU, PLEASE STOP!"
AN: I know I know, I ended it so abruptly. But you'll see why in the later chapters. Up next is the Endar Spire