Hello! Welcome and thank you for reading! This is a rewrite of my fanfiction; Star Wars: Fall of the Old Republic. I felt as though the story's pacing wasn't proper, and needed some rethinking. Not only is this rewrite including new detail, but instead of making each new post a chapter, posts will be pages of a particular chapter, and will be labeled as such. The reason for this is due to my thinking that the story is not like my other fanfiction, which is based on an anime. So this fanfiction will be written as a novel instead. Chapters will likely feature two to three characters and their individual stories as the war between Revan's Sith Empire and the Old Republic rages. Obviously, I will be using the end of the KOTOR game as a source for the first chapter, so that my story can be construed, possibly, as the Dark Side canon if the player chose that route. (Not saying it IS canon, but I will write it as best as I can, in order to make it believable.)
Unlike the original, I will be starting earlier; the Battle of the Star Forge, where the renewed Darth Revan shall face Darth Malak. We start our new story on Lehon/Rakata Prime atop the Rakatan Temple...
PROLOGUE : REBIRTH OF THE DARK LORD
"It's over, Bastila!" declares the aging former Jedi, Jolee Bindo, gripping his lightsaber with both hands firmly. Juhani's lips tighten as she points the tip of her yellow bladed lightsaber at her former peer.
Revan's raven-colored hair wafts lightly in the breeze as he looks over at the young woman. Darth Malak had taken her... tortured her... and finally, turned her to the Dark Side. In his foolish arrogance, he had even made Bastila his apprentice, as if to taunt Revan.
"No, it is NOT over...!" Bastila breathes angrily, glaring at the Jedi standing before her. They had managed to get past the war droids and the Dark Jedi supplied to her for the purpose of stopping these fools... yet look at what good it did! Bastila grits her teeth and pushes herself up off the ground, summoning her lightsaber back to her outstretched hand with the Force. Her eyes rest squarely on Revan's face. "Revan... Look at what the Jedi Council has done to you... those fools turned you into their puppet; an instrument of their will! As they do to all who are truly strong in the Force... They lie about the Dark Side, yet manipulate their followers. They fear the Dark Side, and use it as a tool to control."
Revan looks down at Bastila, furrowing his brow. Yes... this he knew all too well. When he had discovered what the Council had done to him, Revan had sworn never to trust them. He accepted their teachings, their training, and yet they used him like a weapon.
"They forbade you and Malak from entering the Mandalorians Wars... Why was that?" Bastila presses desperately, standing on shaky knees. "Simple; they knew about your potential, how powerful you would become, and they feared that you would break free from their bonds. The Council used me in the same way they use you now. They only needed me because of my Battle Meditation; a weapon they could manipulate. But Malak showed me their hypocrisy, and freed me of that slavery."
"You're wrong, Bastila!" Jolee grunts. "Malak only filled your head with deceitful lies; HE is the one manipulating you!"
"Shut up old man!" Bastila retorts icily, leering at the old Jedi. Her furious eyes soften upon resting on Revan once more. "Revan... Malak underestimated you, as I have. You have far more power than I thought possible, given what the Council did to you. You, and only you, deserve to reign as the true Dark Lord of the Sith! Join with me, and reclaim your rightful place!"
"Reclaim my rightful place?" Revan murmurs audibly. "How can I reclaim such an identity, if I cannot even remember who I truly was before the Council wiped my memories?"
"Your mind was too badly damaged by Malak's betrayal, and the Council's actions, to ever fully restore your memories..." Bastila replies solumnly. But her voice regains vigor and purpose. "But your power, your will, who and what you are still remain!"
"And how do I know that you will not betray me again?" Revan asks, making Jolee and Juhani blink and stare at him, incredulous.
"I will never deny my passion again, Revan." Bastila coos to him. "I would gladly stand by your side... as your apprentice, and as your lover. I only swore allegiance to Malak because I thought you had lost the power you once possessed. And I was wrong; and so is Malak. I would much rather serve you, than Malak."
"No, listen to me! The Dark Side leads only to death and destruction!" Jolee urges Revan. "I've seen the horrors the Sith can unleash; turn away from this path! Even if it costs me my life, I cannot allow you to turn to the Dark Side!"
A light smirk appears on the lips of Revan. The time had come to make a choice... Take Bastila's offer, and destroy Malak, reclaiming his dark throne; or side with his Jedi allies. In the end, there was no difficulty in choosing.
"Jolee... Juhani..." Revan rumbles lightly. A sudden chill fills the air, and an oppressive, dark weight presses on all surrounding Revan. Revan takes two steps forward, keeping his back facing the Jedi. "Your lives do not need to end here. Bow before me, and I shall accept your pledge."
"A true Jedi would NEVER bow to a Sith!" Juhani growls. "If this is your choice, you leave me with none! I will fight, and stop you here!"
"A choice you shall not live to regret." Revan retorts calmly.
Juhani turns her lightsaber on Revan, and leaps at him with a primal screech.
"No! WAIT!" Jolee yells; but it is too late. Revan pivots on his left heel, thrusting his free left hand up and sending a powerful, rippling blast of the Force crashing into the young Jedi. Squealing in surprise, Juhani is thrown backwards through the air and smashes through a Rakatan statue, scattering white chunks of stone across the expansive rooftop. Roaring his battlecry, Jolee charges at Revan. He raises his lightsaber up over his head, bringing it down fast at Revan's right shoulder. But Revan's own purple blade intercepts Jolee's green saber with surprising speed.
Undeterred, Jolee quickly falls into stance, and attempts two rapid strikes at Revan's left thigh and the right side of his abdomen. But again, Revan, almost effortlessly, intercepts the slashes. Jolee attempts another overhead downward slash, but Revan's left hand shoots up, catching Jolee's hands, and the burning purple blade of his saber pierces through Jolee's heart; killing the old Jedi almost instantly. Revan pulls the blade back, and lifts the Jedi a few inches off the ground. With a casual smirk and help from the Force, Revan turns and tosses Jolee's corpse over the sculpted wall, allowing the Jedi to fall unceremoniously to the ground far below. Juhani, having just managed to pull herself out of the rubble, witnesses the death of her ally.
"NOOOOO!" Juhani screams. She blasts away the last of the rubble keeping her pinned down, and runs at Revan. Suddenly, Bastila attacks Juhani, whirling her dual-bladed lightsaber at the Jedi, forcing the Cathar to shift her focus from Revan. For a few moments, Juhani manages to hold her own; but Bastila's rapid slashes and thrusts of the crimson blades prevents the Jedi from making her own offensive moves. Bastila's eyes are alive with malice and hatred as she overwhelms her former peer with her fast attacks.
In a blur of scarlet, Juhani screams in pain as her lightsaber, and hand, suddenly separate from her. Gripping her right forearm in her left hand, Juhani sinks to her knees, shaking from the shock of losing her hand and the excruciating pain accompanying the loss. Bastila smugly points the tip of her lightsaber blade at the Cathar's throat, and shoots Revan a glance.
During the entire exchange, Revan has shown only a mild interest. He gazes down at the defeated Jedi, and remembers her struggle with the Dark Side; however pointless the reason had been. He saved her from it then, but he doubts that he can bring her back to it. Revan's eyes glance at Bastila, and then he turns away. As if this were her que, Bastila twists, bringing the backwards blade whirling around to cut through Juhani's neck. Juhani's head falls to the tiled floor with a dull thud, and her body, twitching, falls to the side. Bastila takes a deep breath, and deactivates her lightsaber. She turns to Revan and slowly walks over to him, her eyes staring lovingly at Revan's back. She stops a few steps away, and kneels, bowing her head briefly.
"The sacrificial blood of these Jedi shall consecrate this ancient temple in the name of the Sith!" Bastila breathes lightly, bringing her head back up to gaze upon Revan. "Today, here and now, Darth Revan has been reborn!"
Revan's expression is relaxed... stoic. He contemplates what this means. The rebirth of Darth Revan...
"My Lord, we will need to disable the energy shield around the temple so we can leave." Bastila informs Revan, standing up straight. "There is a computer, here on the summit, that can access the power generators."
Revan nods silently at Bastila, and she leads the renewed Dark Lord to the terminal she spoke of. She activates it, and begins entering commands.
"I am also deactivating the disruptor field that protects the Star Forge," Bastila tells him. "If left on, the Ebon Hawk would just crash into the planet again."
"Good work." Revan replies simply. A thought occurs to him as he watches Bastila work; with the Jedi dead, that still left the remaining members of the Ebon Hawk's passengers. Carth Onasi, Mission Vao, the Wookiee Zalbaar, the Mandalorian Canderous Ordo, and the two droids. He would have to decide what to do with them. Bastila utters an "Ah-ha!" as she completes her task.
"There, it's done. Now we can reach the Star Forge, and you can defeat Malak and reclaim your rightful place as Dark Lord of the Sith!" Bastila says with a vicious excitement. She turns to Revan, who suddenly places his right hand against her left cheek. Unable, or perhaps unwilling, to resist, Bastila lets Revan pull her into a light kiss.
"We have a lot of work to do, my Apprentice." Revan tells her softly.
"Yes... of-of course, my master..." Bastila replies in a hushed tone.
Carth Onasi paces across the soft sands of the beach where the Ebon Hawk had crash landed. While Revan and the other Jedi had gone to disable the disruptor field, he and T-3 had repaired the ship with the parts they scavenged from other crashed ships. The Jedi had been gone for too long; he should have heard from them by now...
"Carth, sit down and take it easy; you're starting to make me nervous." Canderous irritably barks at the Republic Ace.
"How can I?" Carth retorts, equally irritable. "They went up to that temple with those Rakatan people hours ago. We should have at least gotten a transmission from them by now."
"Hey, come on old man," the young Twi'lek, Mission Vao, teases. But she holds a certain level of reassurance in her tone as well. "They're three Jedi. And from what I've seen 'em do, they can take care of themselves, you know?"
Carth lets out a heavy sigh, and brushes his hands down his face.
"You're probably right." He says after a moment. Almost immediately afterward, the droid, T3, emits a quick series of excited beeps.
From behind a large boulder near the entrance to a narrow crevasse, Bastila appears several steps ahead of Revan, much to Carth's relief. He walks up to Bastila, and places his hands on her shoulders.
"Bastila, you're alive! Thank goodness." Carth says to the young woman. "I was worried about you; I was sure I'd never see you again once Malak got his... Wait... Where are Juhani and Jolee Bindo? Are they alright? Did something happen inside that temple?"
"Juhani and Jolee Bindo are... indisposed." Revan tells the Republic Ace in a calm tone.
"What? Indisposed? What is that supposed to mean?" Carth asks, concerned. Bastila laughs lightly, drawing his attention back to her.
"The Jedi are no longer your concern, Carth." Bastila taunts. "Darth Revan has been reborn. Together, we will destroy the so-called Dark Lord Malak, and seize control of the Empire. With its fleets, we will crush the Republic."
Carth lets go of Bastila's shoulders, staring at her in a confused horror, taking several steps back.
"Juhani and Jolee Bindo opposed this, and so they died for their foolishness." Bastila continues. "Now... Swear yourself to Darth Revan, or you too shall meet your death."
"What...? No... Never!" Carth retorts angrily. "We serve the Republic, you're no better than that scumbag, Malak!"
"Truly? I wonder about that." Revan chuckles coldly. "You serve the Republic, but... what about the rest of you?"
"The droids will, of course, serve you, my Lord. They are programmed to serve their master." Bastila informs the reborn Dark Lord. "Perhaps the others will choose to join us."
Bastila turns away from Carth, facing the other members of the Ebon Hawk's crew.
"Revan has returned. Who among you will now swear your loyalty to him?" Bastila demands. A grunt comes from the left; Canderous Ordo.
"You're Revan. It doesn't matter if you serve the Republic or lead the Empire; I will fight at your side." Canderous declares proudly. "We Mandalorians don't have any love for the Republic. Light Side or Dark Side - It makes no difference to me, Revan. I'll stick by you, no matter what comes."
Canderous' declaration of loyalty comes as no surprise. He and Revan have been fighting alongside each other since Taris. The two shared a warrior's bond; they had practically become sworn brothers through combat. The Mandalorian has Revan's respect, and the Dark Lord inclines his head to Canderous to show it.
"And what about you, Mission? Zalbaar?" Revan asks calmly.
"I saw what the Sith did to Taris!" Mission burst out furiously. "They destroyed so many people! They destroyed my home! I will never serve those monsters!"
Zalbaar lets out a conflicted series of grunts and growls, causing the young Twi'lek to blink in surprise.
"But.. Big Z! They're Sith! It's not wrong to break your life debt to those animals!" Mission argues, trying to convince her long time friend against what could potentially be the worst decision of his life. The Wookiee grunts and growls more in return. "No way, Zalbaar! I won't help the Sith fight the Republic; not even for you!"
Her words seemed to cause the tall Wookiee considerable distress. Carth walks over to Mission, and looks her straight in the eyes.
"You won't have to help the Sith, Mission." he turns to Revan, his eyes full of anger. "I should have seen this coming... I never should have allowed you to go into that temple. You showed signs throughout our journey, I should have known this was going to happen... I should have stopped you. But I see now that it's too late. I won't join you, and neither will I stand by and let you become leader of the Sith again, Revan."
"You say that as if you have the power to stop me." Revan replies, crossing his arms over his chest. "Carth, the Republic will fall; be it by the Sith, or something else. The Republic has grown weak; I alone can lead the galaxy back into an age of prosperity."
"By destroying planets and murdering anyone who gets in your way? No thanks." Carth retorts. Bastila makes as if to speak, but stops as Revan waves at her to stand down.
"Malak's methods are not my own." Revan replies. "Whatever I was before, I am not the same person now. Yes, I am going to reclaim my title as the Dark Lord, but I have a new vision for the galaxy; one that even you would find ideal."
"I doubt that..." Carth mutters, still standing firmly with his jaw set.
"So, you will not listen to anything I have to say?" Revan asks.
"As long as you say it as a Sith, then no. I won't." Carth replies with finality.
"Very well." Revan replies. He raises his right hand, and Carth suddenly lifts a meter off the ground, sputtering and gasping for air. After a short moment, the Republic Ace's eyes roll back, and Revan releases him, letting Carth fall to the ground; alive, but unconscious. Revan looks at Mission, who tries in vain to awaken her friend. "Mission; this is your last chance. Make your choice."
"Never!" Mission yells furiously, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'll never, ever join the Sith! You'll... you'll just have to kill me!"
Such bravery in the face of death. It was a shame, truly, for one so young to be so foolish as this. There was still a way, Revan knew, that he could use to avoid taking such a measure against a mere child.
"Mission, Darth Malak is a brute, and as you said, an animal." Revan presses calmly.
"SUGGESTION: AND A MEATBAG, MASTER." the assassin droid, HK-47 adds in. Were it not for the seriousness of the situation, it would have made them laugh.
"His methods, are not my methods." Revan reiterates. "The Republic will not survive, but its end does not mean the end of the Galaxy. On the contrary; I will rebuild what has been laid to waste. Even Taris can be rebuilt."
Bastila remains silent, and Canderous watches on with a look of boredom. Revan walks over to Mission, bending at the knees down to her level near Carth.
"I do not kill needlessly, you know I don't. You have been with use all this time; you know me." Revan says softly. "I could have refused to help your brother, who even you now consider to be worthless. I could have killed Carth, but I didn't. It wasn't necessary. And you're right, I won't kill you either."
Revan extends his hand to the teenage Twi'lek. Who glances at it; her eyes pink and swollen from crying.
"You won't have to hurt anyone. You don't have to fight anymore." Revan says softly. "Come with us, and watch the Galaxy be rebuilt and prosper like never before. Come and watch the Galaxy heal."
Mission bites her lower lip, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
"What are you gonna do with Carth?" Mission asks.
"Carth will be imprisoned, at least for a short while." Revan tells her truthfully. "If he cannot see how my way is right, then I will simply have to put him to work. Perhaps doing something for his homeworld, Telos. But as long as he does not give me reason to kill him, I won't."
Mission looks at Revan's still open hand, and then looks up at Zalbaar, who grunts lightly. Mission looks back at Revan, and tentatively reaches out with her own hand, placing it in his palm. Revan slowly stands, pulling Mission to her feet. He places his hand on her back and slowly leads her towards the Ebon Hawk.
"Canderous, secure Carth in the infirmary. T3, make sure he remains unconscious until I have dealt with Malak." Revan tells them as he lets Mission walk up the boarding ramp by herself. Bastila walks up to Revan, smirking.
"Well done, my Lord. You are far more cunning and thoughtful than Malak could ever hope to be." Bastila coos.
"I wasn't lying." Revan replies simply, gesturing at the other crew members to get aboard the ship. He steps out of Canderous' way as the Mandalorian hauls Carth into the ship, slung over his shoulder, with T3 close by. Revan looks at Bastila. "I said I have a vision, and I mean't it. The Sith shall rule, and it will do so as I see fit."
"Of course, my Lord." Bastila replies, bowing her head.
It had taken some time, but the final repairs to the Ebon Hawk go smoothly, thanks to T3. Revan steps out of the infirmary after checking to ensure Carth had received a proper dose of sedatives. Mission had retreated to her bunk in one of the crew quarters, and Zalbaar had taken to keeping himself busy in the cargo hold with Canderous and HK-47. Revan walks through the narrow halls, letting T3 pass him on its way to the infirmary, and he finds Bastila working on the holoprojection table in the conference room of the ship.
"The Republic fleet must have gotten the message Carth sent them after you all crashed onto the planet..." Bastila says aloud upon sensing Revan's approach behind her. She grins. "Perhaps we can use them to our advantage."
"Indeed. The Republic fleet will distract Malak, and we will be able to infiltrate the Star Forge." Revan says confidently, his hands clasped firmly against his lower back. But before Bastila can voice her agreement, the image of an aged, military woman appears above the holoprojection table.
"Admiral Dodonna to the Ebon Hawk, do you read?" the Admiral speaks, her voice slightly cracking somewhat from static.
"Admiral Dodonna," Bastila replies, taken by surprise by the sudden appearance. To her credit, Bastila quickly regains composure. "This is Bastila Shan, of the Jedi Order. We read you loud and clear."
"Bastila Shan, it is good to hear your voice. Carth's transmission told us that Malak had captured you." Dodonna replies, indeed sounding relieved.
"The Jedi sent to rescue me succeeded. Though, I am sorry to report... Carth, Juhani, and Jolee Bindo all lost their lives in the process." Bastila tells the Admiral, feigning regret.
"I see..." Admiral Dodonna replies, her brows furrowing. She looks to the left and closes her eyes. "Their loss is a great blow to the Republic, and to the Jedi Order. We could have used Carth for the battle."
Revan's own brows furrow this time. Of course, even now, the Republic only saw them as tools. Carth's loyalty to them was all the more ironic for it.
"We are preparing to pull back," Dodonna continues. Making Bastila look back at Revan, who shakes his head subtly. "We are suffering heavy losses ourselves. The defenses around the Starforge are greater than we anticipated."
"No, don't pull back, Admiral!" Bastila presses, looking back at Dodonna. "This is our only chance to board the Starforge and defeat Malak! If we don't destroy it, the Sith will use the Starforge to destroy the Republic!"
"We will try, but we won't last much longer; not unless you can use your Battle Meditation to turn the tables in our favor." Dodonna replies, still sounding concerned. She steps aside, and a small green being appears in the holoprojection.
"Master Vandar, it is good to see you alive." Bastila lies, but her voice sounds sincere.
"Surviving Jedi have joined the Republic's efforts against the Sith." Master Vandar tells her. "Your Battle Meditation may yet help us win this battle, but if Malak escapes, it will mean nothing."
"Malak will not escape." Revan says, stepping into view. "I assure you; Malak's reign of brutality will end today."
"Still, destroying the Starforge must take second priority to stopping the Sith threat once and for all." Vandar presses.
"Then send a Jedi strike team." Revan suggests, drawing a glance from Bastila. "They can slip past the Starforge's defenses and dock in the hangers. They can prevent Malak's escape if it comes to it."
"Agreed, these are my thoughts as well." Master Vandar nods.
"Bastila, you and... the Padawan... must join forces with the rest of the Order. Together, you will destroy the Sith threat forever."
"As you with, Master." Bastila nods.
"Then may the Force be with us all." Vandar says ceremoniously before the image of him and the Admiral disappears.
"Fools..." Bastila growls, but smirks. "Even Master Vandar did not sense that you had reclaimed your identity."
"The Jedi strike team and the Republic forces will provide us with a nice distraction while we hunt down Malak." Revan says, turning to Bastila.
"Yes, and while you slay the usurper, I can use my Battle Meditation to crush the Republic forces." Bastila says coldly. "All our enemies will be destroyed in a single, glorious day!"
She turns to Revan, laying her hands upon the breastplate of Revan's armor.
"You will once more rule the Sith, and together, we will crush the Republic, and rebuild the Galaxy as you desire." Bastila coos to Revan, reaching up a hand to run her fingers through his raven colored hair.
"You say that a lot." Revan says lightly. "Crush the Republic, crush our enemies... In time, you will see, as others will, that one does not always have to destroy their enemy to be victorious over them."
Revan grasps Bastila's hand in his lightly.
"For now, my love, we focus on getting to the Starforge." Revan instructs her.
Page 1 - Afterword
Hello! I hope you are enjoying the rewrite of Star Wars - Fall of the Old Republic! While my initial story was praised, I felt that my pacing was off, and that a lot more could be added. Personally, there were instances in the game that I was not really happy with. Like killing Mission. The way she died didn't sit well with me personally, because it didn't feel like something Revan, Dark Side or not, would do. Or me, for that matter. Revan, even as the Dark Lord before Malak's betrayal, was very meticulous and waged war almost surgically. He didn't destroy what didn't NEED to be destroyed. And that is my reasoning behind letting Mission and Carth live on Lehon/Rakata Prime in this story.
I plan to write Revan as more of a Lawful Evil, rather than the typical Chaotic Evil archtype Sith character. And yes, I will likely be making references to the Revan novel for certain sources, so I can stay as close to the established Old Republic Canon as possible. But certain events, obviously, will be changed or simply won't happen. I plan to have this story cover all the way, as the title suggests, to the Republic's fall, and possibly beyond, if I can come up with a decent manuscript for it! Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this Prologue!
In the next update: Infiltration of the Starforge!
