AU, baby! Carth's thoughts on the second betrayal.
May 16
Being limited to two extremes is pretty boring. Everything and Nothing. Repulsive and Gorgeous. Rich and Poor. No one can be both at the same time, but one can change in between them from time to time.
Is there something wrong if it's very quickly, all in one day? One can imagine someone being rich and poor in a day: the time when a raggedy man is homeless with a TV and lotto ticket. Then the man may win. But they then say there was a malfunction and another number is drawn.
It is strange how some things happen, but I am sure the Force has a reason for everything. Even the poor man holding his ticket, staring intently at the glowing screen—the Force has not abandoned him either. The Force is with the rich man that owns K-mart, the CEO of a Space program, whoever. The Force is not like a god. You cannot ask the Force anything.
But you may manipulate it to do your will, or change others' will if you must. Many may use it with cruel intentions, but there is the Light Side of the Force and the Dark Side. Neither side ever completely disappears. It is simply lessened in measure.
Such happens in war. The brutal, conquering side overpowers the meek, honest side, or vice versa. Some may fall to the darkside or flock to the light for survival, and one side is prominent. Both are never exactly equal, although coming close for a moment.
And such a time is now, when the Sith are coming over us in waves, bringing millions of men when we are limited to a scarce thousand. But we may yet persevere.
After all, Revan is dead.
But I am getting away from my point. The man standing behind me as I glare with hate at Saul. He's Revan. It still has not sunk in, even as I see him coming back with Bastila, walking down the beach towards all of us who wait outside. He has proven himself trustworthy, but I must not let my guard down, as I did with Saul.
Mission asked where Jolee Bindo and Juhani were. Pearson answered, but not in the way I had expected.
"They had to die for their resistance."
I didn't know the full meaning of his words until Bastila stepped forward with a smirk—a smirk!—on her face and finished for him.
"You will bow before the Dark Lord or die."
And here I am, sitting on the seat of a roller coater named "Betrayal". Again. Of course, Mission refused and I ran. The last glimpse I saw of Mission was her determination and fear mixed in one face as Revan took out his lightsabers and Bastila stood aside, not wanting to get in the way as she said words to Revan I never would have expected.
"I will leave you to the honors, Master."
Master. Master! What a strange thing out of her mouth. Lord Revan and Bastila. Apprentice and Master.
Just to think she had come on his ship 18 months ago with intentions to kill him! Now she was dipping her head in submission to him...not just that, she simply looked on impassively as his lightsaber left a gaping wound on Mission's shoulder.
She really had fallen. She wasn't the council's little Jedi anymore. Her Battle Meditation would work for the Sith now, and Revan was her master.
I ran up the beach, as far as I could. I was near the Rakata settlement when I froze. What about Canderous? Did they kill him too? But now is the time. I must alert the Rakatans...
I ran through the doors and stumbled in front of The One.
"Revan...Revan's killed everyone and reclaimed his title as Dark Lord!" I gasped, out of breath. I then realized that the Rakatans did not understand me. I could not tell them.
I had picked up some, but it was useless.
"Lord Revan back. Kill friends." I blurted out.
"Malak die. All well."
"Well!?" I slipped into Basic again.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Malak die. All well when Malak dies."
I gave up. I simply collapsed on the ground and screeched out for water in Rakatan. My pants were already ripped and dirty, and I had to rip my sleeve off for a wound I had gotten when I was scrambling away from Revan.
I heard a low rumbling sound. Like an engine. I looked up, using the last of my strength and saw the Ebon Hawk before I passed out.
I awoke in a cool place, with softness all around me. Opening my eyes, I was still half asleep. I saw Pearson and yelled, going up against the bedpost.
"Kill me, Revan. You'll have plenty of fun doing it! But I won't die without a fight, even when your little apprentice is killing me with you. You...reclaimed your...title...bastard!"
I slipped back into the sheets, realizing that it was just a dream. Had I just screamed out all of that?! We were on Dantooine, and we were going to find what was in the ruins this morning...
"What the h—" Pearson started to say.
"Yes. It's true." Bastila said softly. "You...you're Revan. When your ship was fired at, I healed you and kept you alive as we escaped. That is why we share our bond...I should have told you..."
"What about 'apprentice' and 'reclaiming my title'?"
"I had a...a dream. Bastila...fell to the dark side. And you reclaimed your title. She is your apprentice." I leaned up against the bedpost. "There's a temple to take away a field....that crashed the Ebon Hawk...but you fixed it. And there were Rakata there. They are the builders..."
"Rakata? That stirs my memory. I guess Rev—I went there before." Person said.
"Would you ever fall?"
"Well...you sure do like being cruel. I wouldn't be surprised." Bastila said, getting up and walking out.
"What's got her?" I wondered.
"Dunno. Maybe she just didn't want me to know who I was...so soon."
"Carth! Hello? Carth!" I heard voices. My eyes snapped open and cold water was poured on me.
Which one was the dream?!
I was guessing that the cold water on my face was pretty real, so I decided that the Rakata weren't a dream. If I would have known...on Dantooine, even. I could have told him that I was serious, not to let Bastila ever cross paths with Malak...
It would have been no use. No use at all. Wishing for the past to change is something I caught myself doing often. So many things could have been different. So many.
I got up, my face littered with sand grains, blood running down my arm...my hair all disheveled. I was a mess.
'If I had never joined the Republic Armed Forces...I would have died with...I would have died on Telos three and a half years ago...I would have been with Morgana. Happily dancing in Heaven...'
I walked in a daze. They led me to a room, speaking words I hardly understood. Reality dawned on me when I came in front of a view screen with Admiral Dodonna.
"Carth! Bastila said..."
"Bastila's and advocate of the darkside now. She's not going to use her Battle Meditation for you. It's reserved for her and Revan..."
"Revan? But she killed him more than a year ago!"
"No, she captured him. Big difference. Why don't you contact her again?"
"Yes, sir."
An admiral saying "sir" to me? I found that quite strange.
I sat down in a chair, taking off the make-shift bandage I had put on my arm. It stuck to my wound. I ripped it off, yelling out and making new blood flow. I grabbed the first-aid kit in the room and put on proper bandages that wouldn't stick, along with some Kolto they had on hand.
It was cold. Very nice feeling. I sighed as Admiral Dodonna came back up.
"Bastila said her and Revan were going to go to the Star Forge to kill Malak. That's for the republic!"
"No, It's so Revan can have his precious Title back."
"Ah, okay. Really."
Her face looked really pale. She was moving rigidly. Two of the main signs of mind control! Dammit.
At least I wasn't the one dying. But I had to tell the...they were dead, too. All the Jedi on Dantooine were dead.
Who was left? Revan and Malak. The Jedi Order was gone. Completely gone. The Republic would fall.
I spotted a knife in the first-aid. I threw it across the room as soon as the first thought of suicide crept through me.
Maybe I should contact Revan and join him. I had no one left to criticize me for being on the darkside! So screw it!
I entered the hologram code for the Ebon Hawk. Revan appeared, smirking. Bastila walked up and crossed her arms.
I got to my knees, not believing what I was doing, but I clasped my hands and dipped my head.
"Revan. Lord...Revan." I cried out.
"Hm. Come, you might be useful..."
I looked up, enough to see the red button and pressed it. I was instantly on the floor of the Ebon Hawk, still bowing.
"So..." Bastila looked over at Revan.
"I say we just..." Revan started, and Bastila's expression changed.
"Nah. The force is becoming stronger in him as we know him. We should give him a shot."
That is how I, Carth Onasi, became a Dark Jedi.