Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character's, plots, or things associated with Star Wars. This disclaimer goes for all the one shots in this series.
The sun shone brightly over the world of Telos, the rays broke through the gloom of the TSF offices to give the compound a more cheerful look than it had for awhile. Carth Onasi stood in the middle of a large office that only housed a small metal desk with a holo map in the center. The worlds on display were ones he knew intimately; knew all the secrets they held and the inhabitants that were there. Tatooine; where Czerka had set up in the hopes of turning the barren, desert world into a supplier for iron, Kashyyyk; home to the Wookies, who had successfully overthrew Czerka, Dantooine; the peaceful world of the Jedi, Korriban, the desolate world of the new Sith that had threatened the galaxy, and finally, Manaan; the world of the Selkath people, where kolto grew naturally.
These worlds he knew better than his own home world of Telos. He had raced across the desert; fighting sand people, had battled his way through the Shadowlands of Kashyyyk, searched the ancient ruins of Dantooine, invaded the academy on Korriban, and finally climb down to the depths of the ocean of Manaan all for one person. His thoughts were on this one person now. His eyes looked out the window, directly into the sun, without shying away. The sun beat down his eyes and he knew in his mind that he should look away, but a part of him was waiting to see the old, familiar ship in the distance. It seemed that he had been waiting for that ship his entire life, he had left his heart there and he couldn't continue without it. Carth then turned away from the window and looked at the holo map on his desk. The worlds all led to something else that he couldn't see. All he knew was that they led to her, somewhere off in the darkness. The darkness he had promised not to leave her in, but her words echoed in his memory.
"I need you to stay Carth. Something is coming, something I need to fight alone." Her hand flew into the air as his mouth opened to protest to silence him. "I know you can fight and I know you don't want to leave me. I don't want to leave you either, but where I am going, if you come, we will lose." There was always that one aspect of her that made every word from her mouth easy to believe.
"I don't get it; the Malak is dead, what else is there? The Sith are scattered, there is no Jedi to fight, and the Republic is getting stronger. Who else is there?" Despite his best, the words came out almost desperate, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't let her leave him, he had finally realized how much he cared for her and he wasn't ready to let go. Her eyes bore deep into his and she shook her head.
"There is something in the darkness; worse than the Sith and it's building up fast. I know now that I'm meant to fight it. And I can't take the those I love, because if I go back to the dark side, I don't think I can come back." Her words were so sincere and fearful that all he could do was look away from her face. It was always hard for him to take his eyes off her; even when he had first seen her on the Endar Spire. Carth's eyes traveled back to her face and could see a tear fall down her cheek, but other than that, there was no sign of distress.
"I need you to stay. I'm going alone, I don't know if or when I will be back. I wish you could come with me, but I can't." Pain began to creep into the corner of her eyes. Her Jedi training couldn't keep that amount of pain hidden behind the Jedi Code, and Carth reached for her, but she moved back, only allowing his hands to touch her arms. "You need to protect the Republic, keep it from falling apart. Protect her from enemies until I get back." A gentle, warm hand touched Carth's face and he could feel her tremble. Then without warning, she had let herself fall into her emotions and her arms were around Carth's neck, her lips pressed against his. He did not fight her advances; he only wanted to hold her as close to him as he could for the time they had left. Then, in an instant, she was away from his body, boarding the Ebon Hawk, her torso trembling slightly.
He was a good soldier, he would follow orders with no question, but something about those orders made him hate his position. Carth slowly made his way back to his desk and sat down at his desk and instantly felt as if his heart was being crushed in his chest. Revan had left him, it was a noble reason he knew, she wouldn't leave for any other reason, but it hurt him more than words could describe. He wanted to be with her, he wanted to at least know that she was still alive. The idea that she could be dead because he was not there to protect her ate at him every time he took in a breathe. Sometimes it was easier to hold his breath than face the reality of the world. Carth then dropped his head in his hands and cried until the pain in his chest stopped and he remembered her last request. "You need to protect the Republic, keep it from falling apart. Protect her from enemies until I get back." With those words in mind, Carth took in a deep breath, wiped his eyes and walked out of his office to a room full of soldiers waiting for orders.