Disclaimer: I do not own the Star Wars universe which is the property of George Lucas. I claim ownership over the original characters and plot points.
Original Author's Notes: I hope you enjoy it. Read & Review.
25.3.2011. Rewrite Author's notes: Well, I'm still alive. I apologize for the long overdue update. I feel bad for making all of you guys wait so long, I really do. I don't know why I don't update regularly. I simply lose interested for a undetermined period of time and then suddenly come back to the story again. Again, I'm really sorry. I want to thank all of you guys who reviewed, especially lylenidus10 whose review finally kicked me off my lazy ass and back into writing this story. That doesn't diminish the value of any other reviews I received however. As I think I already mentioned, you guys are what keeps me writing. I won't make any promises on further updates since I learned I can never know for certain myself, but I'll honestly try to update. Thanks to anyone who's still reading.
Chapter 1
Awakening
Taris, a planet wide megalopolis made up out of skyscrapers that were getting higher and higher as the populace of it grew, was rotating in the empty void of space while two fleets confronted each other in its orbit. The smaller one, the Republic fleet, was suffering heavy loses from the better prepared and armed Sith fleet that was unexpectedly stationed over Taris. The Republic's fleet couldn't retreat since the Sith had put up an interdictor field, rendering any attempt to enter hyperspace useless.
The main ship of the Republic's fleet, a Hammerhead-class cruiser with the name of the Endar Spire, was being relatively untouched. This ship was under the command of Carth Onasi, a decorated war hero, but more importantly, Bastila Shan was aboard it, a Jedi Padawan with the ability to use a rare Force power called battle meditation. With it, Bastila could strengthen the will to fight of her allies and instill doubt and uncertainty into the minds of her enemies. She had proven she could turn the tide in most battles and therefore was portrayed as the Republic's last hope. The Sith see potential in her and seek to turn her to their own cause. That was the only reason the Endar Spire was still standing.
Within it, a lone man was still in his bunk, his sleep uninterrupted by neither the sound of the alarms blaring in the small dormitory nor the violent shaking caused by Sith interceptors as they probed the Endar Spire's hull and destroyed any functioning laser or turbolaser batteries.
The man was standing on a vast black plain in his regular clothes; black pants tucked into military boots, an unzipped red jacket with black leather shoulder and elbow pads, a thin white stripe that ran across the chest area and various pockets, hidden and otherwise. Underneath was a simple white T-shirt that covered his muscular torso. His mind was devoid of any thoughts as he stared into the never ending blackness around him.
"The Force can do a great many things to a mind." He heard an old feminine voice say, echoing across the black space he was in. For some reason, he had an image of a blind old woman in a hooded robe with her silver hair parted into two braids that went over her shoulders in his mind's eye as she spoke. "It can wipe away a person's memories, destroy its very identity."
The man's clothes changed in an instant as he was wearing black robes that were a perfect fit for him, feeling extremely familiar. Over it was a blood red set of armor made out of Mandalorian iron. His forearms and hands were protected by gauntlets of the same material. His boots were a different design, sporting metal tips. A cape draped over his shoulders and connected to a hood that went over his dark brown, shoulder length hair, held in place by straps on his shoulders. Last, but not least, his face was completely covered by a black mask with a red pattern running vertically across the middle and a visor that went horizontally where his brown eyes would normally be.
"Remember, my Padawan, remember what the Jedi tried to take away from you. Remember yourself." The plain flashed into a bright white. The whiteness subsided a moment later and memories started playing in front of his very eyes. His life passed before him like a holovid. It felt like a hazy dream, yet so vivid and real at the same time. He felt the pain of a wound when he gained one, the thrill of the battle, the taste of Tarisian ale that he procured with his best friend in their teens...
The Endar Spire was jolted by an explosion of a power coupling on one of the large engines. The man shot up in his bed, gasping for breath. He looked around to find himself back in his dormitory on the Endar Spire. The alarms were still blaring throughout the ship, and he took a moment until he realized the alarm was that specified for boarding. He got up and jogged over to his footlocker on instinct. As he pulled on his white shirt, his mind came back into focus and he remembered his strange dream. His eyes shot wide open as he froze while pulling on his jacket.
He could still vividly describe every part of what he had felt and seen. A conflict rose inside his mind. One side was telling him he was Marek Gundark, a smuggler from Deralia, hired by the Republic after many failed attempts of arrest. The other that he was something much more and destined for even greater. The latter, feeling much more natural, took dominance.
"A former Jedi, a betrayed Sith Lord. Now you are forced to stay what you always were." The voice returned. "You are..."
"Revan." The man breathed. He was certain of it. The name felt familiar to his tongue as he said it and it came to him much more easily than the name the other part of his mind told him was his.
"How did I end up not remembering who I was?" He wondered, shock still present within him. His mind answered with another memory.
He was floating in a kolto tank in a sterile room filled with medical equipment. The back of his head throbbed badly even in his hazy state induced by strong painkillers. He barely kept his eyes open, both to shield them from the light and from fear of somebody noticing he was awake.
How long was he out? Days? Weeks? Months? His blood ran cold at the thought of Malak's Sith being left unchecked and virtually unchallenged for months. His head began to ache more as he tried to think of possible scenarios. He decided that deep thought would do more harm than good at the moment, so he decided to concentrate on healing himself.
A doctor came into the room, holding a datapad in his right hand as he walked over to check on the terminal that kept watch over his vital signs. Revan closed his eyes and sensed through the Force while sending Force energy into the back of his head. The doctor frowned and did a double check of the terminal, then looked at Revan's floating and seemingly unconscious body in the tank.
"You must be an exceptional man." He spoke. "You are recovering three times faster than our diagnosis predicted."
The doctor was blissfully ignorant of Revan's awareness. He was keeping his vital signs and brain activity down to that reminiscent of sleep, but it made him even more drowsy. He just hoped the doctor would leave before he actually fell asleep. He was certain he had enough of it by now.
Another man entered. This one was in Jedi robes, with a balding head and wrinkled face. Revan fought back the urge snarl. Vrook seemed to be trying to do the same as he walked over to the tank beside the doctor.
"How is our patient doing?" It sounded almost as if he spat in disgust which took the doctor by surprise. Vrook didn't agree with keeping Revan alive, much less that he be cared for intensely like he was now. Of course, the medical staff was kept in the dark about their patient's identity.
"His recovery is astonishing." The doctor relayed. "He's healing thrice the speed anticipated."
"Will he be able to recover on his own now?" Vrook asked, eying Revan as if he could jump out of the tank at any given moment. If his head wasn't aching so much and he wasn't filled with painkillers, he probably would have.
"I am certain that he can now. It will take a few weeks before he can safely stop the kolto treatment." The doctor said. "I would however like to keep check of his progress and investigate the source of his recovery."
"It is noted, however it is also unnecessary." Vrook told him. "We are in no need of your further services doctor, you may leave and your full payment will be transferred to your account."
The doctor was surprised. "But there is no guarantee there will not be any complications due to his head injury." He protested.
"I said there is no need for your services doctor." Vrook repeated in annoyance. "Thank you for your concern."
There was no way to change Vrook's mind and the doctor knew it. He sighed in resignation and spared one last glance towards his patient before leaving without another word. Vrook glared at Revan.
"The Council is being foolish by letting you live Revan, but mark my words, I won't let them unleash you upon the galaxy like last time." With that, Vrook pressed a few commands on the terminal and Revan's drowsiness increased tenfold, rendering him fast asleep.
...He did not know how he woke up, nor how long he had slept, but that was the last thing on his mind. Around his kolto tank he sensed a semi circle of Jedi Masters in meditative posses with a snow-white haired woman in the center of it. Atris, Revan remembered, both a Jedi historian and member of the High Council. All of the Jedi were in deep meditation and the aura around them was far darker than that of what you would expect from a Jedi.
He wondered briefly as to what they were planning on doing when he sensed an immense intrusive force trying to invade his mind. He jumped to action immediately, gathering all the power he had to defend his mind and aid his already crumbling mental shields. A couple of minutes into the power struggle, Revan realized he was no match to the combined might of the Jedi Masters present, but he wouldn't be the renowned tactician he was if he didn't have a backup plan. Deciding that instead of defending his whole mind, he would keep a small part of it safe and uncorrupted within which would lay all of his memories. Once he finished compiling all he could salvage of his mind, he transferred all of his defenses to that part of his mind, keeping it hidden. The intrusive power then started ravaging his head, the sensation too intense for him to keep conscious.
He suddenly felt lightheaded and stumbled to sit on one of the few chairs in the small dorm. He felt a ghost of an ache in his head from simply remembering his nearly fatal injury. Taking a few deep breaths, he thought about his current situation.
"The Jedi tried to use me as a brainless pawn in their grand scheme." He thought bitterly. "I suspect they wanted me to fight for them and win the war." He snorted at that. "Maybe they are trying to get me to reveal the Star Forge on a subconscious level. Maybe both even."
The metal table to his left warped as he tried to calm himself down. The pure underhandedness of what the Jedi tried to do to him enraged him. He could hardly believe he lived with most of the Masters for nearly fifteen years of his life. With a sigh, he sunk back in his chair.
Bastila was the one who saved his life on board his flagship. He was immensely grateful for that, but on the other hand it tore him that the first time he saw her after six years was in combat. He wanted to seek her out before, but never did so, not wanting her to carry the same burden he did. She even admitted her long hidden crush on him just before he left for the Mandalorian wars. It took everything he had for him to tell her she would never see him again and that she should forget him. The Force sure had a good sense of humor.
He could feel the bond she formed with her healing attempt in the back of his mind. He was surprised with its strength, exceeding by far any Master-Padawan bonds he ever had. He thought about checking the other side, talking to her, but decided against it. Secrecy was his best weapon at the moment.
"I'm wasting time." Revan thought. The alarms long since stopped their constant wailing. Revan took stock of the gear he had here. A barely modified blaster, a vibrosword and a stealth field generator. He shook his head at the items before equipping them. "Trust the wise Jedi to give a smuggler standard issue weapons."
The door opened behind him and he whipped out his blaster, taking fast aim.
"Hey, easy!" A young, white haired Republic soldier raised his arms. "It's me, Trask Ulgo, your bunk-mate."
Revan remembered seeing him around the ship and a few times when they crossed paths when their shifts changed. He holstered his blaster and relaxed. Trask was nineteen, but his unnaturally grayed hair hinted otherwise.
"Sorry, I thought you were a Sith." He apologized. "What are you doing here? I thought everybody went to fight off the boarding party."
"We did, I volunteered to pick up any stragglers to help." Trask explained. "We need to get to Bastila and make sure she gets off the ship alive Marek."
"Of course, let's go." Revan said and the pair entered a small corridor. An orange C3-FD utility droid was fixing a power coupling on the other end. The vessel shook slightly again as the Endar Spire took more fire. They proceeded down the corridor when Revan sensed a warning from the Force and put a hand on Trask's chest to stop him from walking forward. Just then, the ship shook again and the power coupling exploded, reducing the orange droid to spare parts and embedding its dome deep into the opposite wall. Trask watched with wide eyes.
"How did you know?" He asked.
"Intuition." Revan shrugged. It was true in a way. Their communicators beeped. Revan took his off his belt and thumbed it on.
"This is captain Carth Onasi, the Sith have boarded the Endar Spire and are advancing. All hands to the bridge!" The captain ordered, immediately cutting off the communications.
"Why didn't he yell that louder so that the whole ship would know where we are?" Revan muttered and put his communicator back on his belt.
"That was Carth Onasi." Trask informed. "If he says we're in trouble, you better believe it, he's seen more combat than all of the crew put together."
"He should have more common sense then. Yelling over the comm tends to give away people's positions." Revan replied, shaking his head in exasperation. This was why the Republic was losing the Mandalorian wars. This time perhaps a small mistake, but one that could have very well cost them their lives if caught in a more dangerous situation.
They walked over to the door and Trask tried to open it.
"What? How could have it locked down on its own!" He exclaimed. "I don't have sufficient access to override it."
Revan inspected the small inbuilt display. "I think it's because of the power coupling explosion." He thought about what he could do. If things were under normal circumstances, he would have simply impaled the door with his lightsaber and let the mechanism melt. He was about to see if he could hack the door when a particular 'memory' from his fake life came to him.
"You wouldn't have a knife on you, would you?" He asked Trask. Trask reached for the small of his back and retrieved a military knife, handing it to Revan. He nodded a 'thanks' and set the tip into a screw, unscrewing it and the popping the panel out by using the knife as a lever. Inside the door was a circuit and a lot of wires. Revan reached and cut a black one, then a red one and connected the ends, an electrical buzz following.
The door opened to reveal two Republic soldiers in a firefight with two Sith ones. A well placed shot to the head ended one of the Republic soldiers' life. The other dodged the bolts intended for him and almost got a shot at a Sith's abdomen, but the Sith jumped to the side and the shot hit the blaster carbine he was holding, ruining it. The other Sith sent a wild volley of bolts at the soldier, killing him.
"It's the Sith boarding party! For the Republic!" Trask exclaimed and ran out of the corridor, sending some rather good shots for someone who was making a wild dash for a couple of plasteel cylinders. One of the Sith was hit in the shoulder, but the armor plate protected him of any remotely serious injury.
Revan stayed at the doorway, drawing his blaster and glancing down the corridor. Trask was behind cover while the two Sith were in the open, one getting a blaster from his belt, the other wielding a blaster carbine and raining blaster fire onto the plasteel cylinders. Revan stepped out of the doorway and took a shot at the Sith who just got his blaster. He dodged the first bolt, but the second got him clean in the faceplate. His comrade took notice and switched his fire to Revan. Trask popped out of cover and placed a couple of shots into the Sith's chest. Revan walked out of the doorway again and walked over to Trask.
"You can't rush in like that." Revan admonished. "It could have gotten you killed."
Trask looked down and pressed his lips in a thin line.
"On the other hand," Revan started, making Trask look up. "You have quite an aim, just remember to stay cool in combat and we can make a soldier out of you yet." He finished and patted the younger of the two on the shoulder. Trask nodded resolutely. After doing a quick search for useable supplies from the two soldiers and procuring a couple of medpacs, they closed in on the other door.
"Wait." Revan said as they stopped in front of the door. He could sense two Sith in the other room. He motioned for Trask to take cover on right side of the door while Revan took the left. He reached for the display with his hand and touched the 'Open' button.
"Who's there?" A gruff voice demanded, slightly altered by the helmet. The pair heard a set of footsteps. Revan held out his hand, showing a three to Trask, then counting down as the footsteps grew closer. Once his hand formed a fist, the two leaned out of their cover and took one of the Sith by surprise, quickly dropping him at near point blank range. The other quickly took aim at Revan, but was stopped by a bolt to the head from Trask.
"Thanks." He told his companion and moved into the room. He grabbed a bolt on the blaster and slid a part of the barrel forward, pulling out the spent power cell and replacing it with a new one from his belt. A quick check of the bodies produced a small amount of credits and two fragmentation grenades. He tossed one to Trask and clipped the other to his belt. They entered another hallway to be greeted by a barrage of blaster fire hitting the wall to their right that curved towards the left into another section of the ship. They walked cautiously to the corner and Revan peeked around it.
A group of three Republic soldiers was holding out against a group of four Sith on the other side of a four way crossing. A Sith wielding a double bladed vibroblade was battling a soldier with a vibrosword. One of the Sith in the large group shot off to the side which Revan couldn't see, but the debris of the resulting explosion gave him the general idea. The double-bladed vibroblade wielding Sith batted the Republic soldier's vibrosword away with one end, then rolled and stabbed him with the other end through the heart. The soldier hit the deck and the Sith rushed towards the trio that was still holding out. Revan noticed one of the Sith on the other side activating a grenade and lobbing it at them. He moved away from the corner and a few seconds later the grenade exploded, sending a pair of bloody bodies into the wall.
Trask cringed at the sight, but otherwise didn't react. Revan didn't give the corpses a second glance as he grasped his own grenade from his belt and activated it, counting down silently, then throwing it at the Sith. Another explosion echoed through the ship. After checking to see if all the Sith were taken care of, Revan and Trask stepped into the middle of the crossing.
"The bridge is this way." Trask informed needlessly and started walking up a small ascending corridor towards another door, closely followed by Revan. The men were greeted by the sight of a bald Dark Jedi fighting a raven haired Jedi with her hair tied into a small ponytail wielding an azure blade.
"It's a Dark Jedi, this fight is too much for us." Trask said. "All we could do is get in the way."
Revan gripped the vibrosword that hung on his hip and observed the fight. The Dark Jedi was using Makashi, the second lightsaber form developed for lightsaber combat and was experienced in its use by the looks of it. The Jedi on the other hand was using Soresu, the most defensive of forms, but wasn't entirely skilled in using it as Revan noted the stiffness in her movements. Whenever possible, she would send a fast strike in an attempt to break the Dark Jedi's defenses. Revan decided she was an aggressive combatant, probably skilled in Ataru, the acrobatic form, which would explain why she was acting so stiffly in such a confined space.
The Dark Jedi started gaining ground and was pushing her back towards a wall. Revan knew she was going to be hard pressed to win the duel by herself. Without a second thought, he dashed towards the Dark Jedi. He came just as the Dark Jedi managed to lock his saber with the Jedi's. Sensing the danger he was in, the Dark Jedi jumped back from the lock and blocked a horizontal swipe aimed for his head. Before the woman could react, the Dark Jedi sent her into the wall with a Force Push, knocking her unconscious.
"You will pay for your insolence." He threatened as they pushed their blades against each other. Revan remained silent as they struggled. He knew he needed time and practice to restore himself to what he once was, and he didn't hold a doubt in his mind that he wouldn't be able to hold out against the Dark Jedi on his own. Makashi, while good for direct lightsaber duels, lacked the finesse for fighting against multiple opponents at once. That was why Revan was sending subtle waves through the Force, trying to quicken the unconscious woman's recovery.
The Dark Jedi sent a Force Push at Revan, who managed to balance himself in time to block an overhead strike. He cursed his inability to use the Force as he managed overpower the dark Force user and kick him in the stomach. The Dark Jedi growled and started a series of ferocious attacks. Revan was hard pressed to parry them all as he was now losing ground. The Dark Jedi swiped again then rapidly jumped and struck down with all of his weight. Revan who found himself in no position to dodge, brought his vibrosword up and was knocked onto his back as a result. Just as the Dark Jedi was about to cut Revan in half, he brought his weapon back up to deflect a burst of blaster bolts coming from Trask. Revan used the opportunity and kicked the Dark Jedi in the crotch, making him step back and quickly getting up. With a snarl, the Dark Jedi brought his lightsaber up for a diagonal slash when blur of blue disconnected his head from his shoulders.
Revan breathed deeply as the body fell in front of him to reveal the Jedi deactivating her lightsaber and clipping it to her belt. He used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the sweat of his brow as he sheathed his vibrosword.
"You are either very crazy or very brave to jump into a fight with a Dark Jedi like that." The Jedi noted. "But I'm grateful that you did. I'm Marlena, Marlena Laurek." She held out a hand.
"Marek Gundark." Revan replied as they shook hands. The Force screamed a warning suddenly, and he reacted instantly by grasping Marlena's hand tighter and dropping to the floor, pulling Marlena with him. Not a second later, a power coupling overloaded, wide arcs of electricity licking the wall above them. The coupling soon exploded, debris thankfully avoiding the two. Revan got up and offered Marlena a hand which she gratefully took.
"How did you know?" Marlena questioned. Revan bit the inside of his cheek as he searched for an answer.
"You should have seen when he stopped me before we walked into an explosion just a few minutes ago." Trask said as he walked over. "I'm Trask."
"Marlena." She responded, then turned towards Revan. "Tell me, how did you know that coupling was going to go off?"
"I don't know, it's just... like a feeling I get." He scratched the back of his head. It was true in a way after all.
"That is a possible sign of Force sensitivity." Marlena said. "I felt a warning in the Force just as you pulled me to the ground. It's too bad you're too old for training."
Revan cursed his luck. Now that she knew of his Force sensitivity, he had to keep a fraction of it visible while using it subtly like most untrained Force sensitives unconsciously do. The thing was that when you fully learned to control the Force, you did not use it subconsciously anymore. Otherwise the life time of training Force users spend on honing their skills would be a waste of time. Now, Revan would have to plan out how and when he was going to use it every time.
"Yeah, too bad." He agreed. "We should get moving, the Captain said we should get to the bridge and help Bastila."
"Bastila is already on her way towards the escape pods with the Captain." Marlena informed. "We should head there."
"Alright, just let me see what I can salvage here." Revan replied and crouched over the Dark Jedi's body, searching for anything useful. Marlena and Trask both knew of his 'criminal past', so they moved to the bridge door to wait for him. When he noticed they started talking and was sure they wouldn't see him, he took the Dark Jedi's lightsaber and put it in an inside pocket of his jacket. The Dark Jedi had little of value on him, spare a couple hundred credits.
"I suggest you and I go in while Trask stays in case we need someone to cover us." Revan said to Marlena as he approached the two. "The bridge is a very confined space."
"Good plan." Marlena agreed as she drew her lightsaber. Revan opened the door, vibrosword in hand. Two Sith were standing at the door, apparently keeping guard while a dozen soldiers fought at the helm. Trask shot the one on the left before Revan got to him while Marlena took on the one on the right. Revan was right about Marlena, it turned out, as she easily overpowered the Sith soldier's strike and deflected it to the side. With a twirl of her lightsaber, she stabbed the Sith in the abdomen and deactivated it to let him slump to the floor.
As the battle raged at the helm of the ship, a pair of Sith Interceptors made a strafing run on either side of the vessel. The ship was rocked violently and terminals in the front overloaded and exploded, killing anyone who was standing at the front of the bridge.
"The Sith are losing their patience. Once Bastila is out, there will be nothing to stop them from blowing the Endar Spire out of the sky." Revan said, his companions nodding in agreement. They walked around the bridge's tactical displays and ventured towards the other part of the ship where the escape pods were located at. They entered a small storage room.
"The escape pods are this way." Marlena motioned as she moved towards the door on their left. She suddenly stopped and tensed.
"What's wrong?" Trask asked. Revan and Marlena looked at the door on the other end of the room. True to their senses, a powerful Dark Jedi was revealed as the doors opened. He smirked at the sight of them and pulled out a double-bladed lightsaber, activating the crimson blades and twirling the blade in his hand.
"You are done for Sith, you are surrounded." Revan spoke coldly, his face changing into an impassive mask and a strong suggestion flowing to the Dark Jedi's mind through the Force. He just prayed it would work. After an excruciating few seconds, he noticed the Sith's eyes widen as he quickly turned around. Revan wasted no time and pulled out his blaster and shot a terminal by the doorway. The door closed and the blast-doors clicked in place a second later. Revan let out a sigh of relief.
"I can't believe that worked." He faked ignorance of his use of the Force. "That won't hold him forever though, we should move."
Deciding that questions can wait, the group moved through the door and into another hallway. Revan's communicator buzzed. He stopped and pressed the activation button on the device.
"This is Captain Carth Onasi." Carth spoke. "I'm tracking you though the surveillance system. You are the last surviving members of the Endar Spire. Bastila's escape pod is away. You need to hurry, there's only one escape pod left and the Sith could deliver the final blow at any moment."
"We're on the way." Revan replied and turned the communicator off. They moved to a corner and Revan glanced around it. A lone Sith soldier was keeping guard.
"Trask, pass me the knife." He told the younger soldier. Taking the knife, Revan motioned for them to wait as he activated his stealth field generator. He stalked over to the guard, gripping the knife parallel to his forearm. When the Sith noticed the shimmering form in front of him, it was already too late. Revan slashed across the guard's neck, easily slicing through the rubber and flesh. The Sith fell to his knees, his hands at his neck as he tried to breathe in, making gurgling noises for the effort. A moment later he fell over, a pool of blood spreading across the metal floor. He deactivated the stealth generator and called the pair over.
They entered another storage room, this one containing a deactivated Sentinel Droid in the far corner and a computer terminal. Revan's comm buzzed again.
"There's a squad of Sith troopers in the next room. I suggest you either repair the war droid or overload a power coupling in the room." Carth said. "There should be a container with computer spikes and spare parts somewhere to your right."
Revan weighed his options. "We've got everything covered, Gundark out." He said and put the device back onto his belt. Spotting the footlocker, he opened it and got all the computer spikes he found into a compartment on his belt.
"Stack up behind me." Revan ordered as he pressed himself against the wall, just inches from the door.
"Trask, give me your grenade." He said. Trask handed over the frag grenade from his belt. "Marlena, I need you to focus on the grenade and make sure it doesn't roll off the table in the next room." Marlena raised a brow and was about to ask him how he knew, but he already answered. "I've explored the ship, just concentrate and don't let the grenade roll off. Ready?"
Marlena nodded and Revan opened the door, activating the grenade and chucking it inside. The group could hear a series of metal clanks and a series of confused 'huh's and 'What's.
"Get down!" One of the Sith yelled, but it was too late. The grenade exploded and multiple thuds and crashes were heard. Revan cautiously checked the room in case any of the Sith survived. Once sure that none did, he entered the room and went for the door when a corpse in a red suit of armor caught his eye. It was that of a Sith Commander. Jogging over to it, he quickly checked it. There was a unique vibrosword with a deep blue hilt, undamaged by the explosion, attached to the small of his back. He tested the balance, finding it to be almost perfect. He unsheathed the vibrosword from his hip and dropped it to the ground, replacing it with the new one. In the next room they found a middle aged man with dark brown hair and beard in an orange jacket and black pants standing over terminal with two blasters holstered on his hips.
"You've made it just in time." Carth said. "Hurry, there's only one escape pod left and the Sith can blast us all to hell and gone at any moment."
The four entered the pod one by one and strapped themselves in. Carth punched in the commands for the escape pod to eject on a small display to his right and Revan felt his stomach lurch at the sudden movement. The four watched as the Endar Spire was showered with turbolaser fire from three Sith Interdictor-class cruisers, making it nothing more than space dust in seconds. Carth sighed sadly as he watched the remains of his ship drift in space. The display beeped a minute later as it notified them of atmospheric entry.
"Hold on, I'm going to try to crash us as gently as possible." Carth announced as he tried to angle the pod with the inbuilt thrusters. The pod sped up and suddenly stopped moving down. That was the last thing Revan remembered as his seat belt tore and he was sent head first into the bulkhead on the other end.
