Prologue
Bastila looked down at her feet as the lift zoomed towards the bridge of the ship. She slowly curled and uncurled her fist as she repeated the Jedi Code over and over in her head. This was her moment to prove herself worthy to the Jedi Council. There were several Jedi accompanying her, yet they all kept to themselves. The closer they got to the bridge, the more tension filled the air. Although no one wanted to mention, they could all feel the dark energy permeating the Force. Revan was more powerful than they had anticipated, and it was going to take all their strength to defeat him.
Suddenly, the lift jolted to a halt. Bastila maintained her balance and quickly used the Force to pull the doors open. She scrambled out and heard her companions follow suit. Sitting calmly at the end of the bridge was their nemesis. She stood up and walked towards them. Summoning all of her courage and begging her voice not to quiver, Bastila spoke. "You cannot win, Revan."
Without responding, Revan ignited a blood red lightsaber. With her free hand, she Force choked two of her companions. Her powers were so great that they dropped to the ground instantly, their necks broken. Bastila looked at the two remaining Jedi and was pleased to see that they were standing their ground, albeit with terrified expressions on their faces. Revan waited calmly at the end of the bridge, waiting for Bastila to make her move. She closed her eyes and searched through the Force. The battle was waging fiercely, and she could sense that the Republic was starting to tip towards the losing side.
Bastila had a choice to make. She could either focus her Battle Meditation skill on helping the Republic gain an advantage or she could use it on herself and her companions in their duel with Revan. Before she had the chance to make the decision, a large explosion rocked the ship. Her two companions were knocked off their feet and landed against the wall with a sickening crunch. She struggled to stand up and noticed that she was the only one to do so. Bastila rushed over to Revan and ripped her mask off.
It took Bastila a moment to compose herself from the shock, she was finally getting to see the monster beneath the mask. The woman was tan with dark brown hair, matted with blood and sweat. There was a large gash on her head and it was bleeding profusely. Bastila searched through the Force, hoping to feel this woman's life. It was there, but only a delicate flicker. In moments, she would be dead. Summoning all of her strength, she grasped onto that spark of life and held tight. Her mission was to bring Revan back to the Jedi Council alive and she refused to fail.
The last few days had been a whirlwind for Bastila. She hadn't had enough strength to use her Battle Meditation power after saving Revan's life. Thankfully, a backup team had arrived and the two were taken off the ship. They were the only survivors. She had found out later that it had been Revan's apprentice, Malak, who had fired on his master. Such was the way of the Sith. The rescue ship rushed them to the Temple in Coursant and she was immediately placed in the recovery ward. Bastila had been discharged after a few days, her wounds more mental than physical. Naturally, the moment she left, the Jedi Council summoned her. Although she was exhausted, but she had no choice.
When she entered the room, she was shocked to see that the entire council was standing in front of her. Bastila took a deep breath and walked towards them. There were a few familiar faces; the council from Dantooine was also present. Things must have been serious if both councils had been summoned.
Bastila reached the center of the room and stood with her hands behind her back. "You asked to see me?"
Master Vandar stood up from his seat and smiled. "We did, Padawan Shan. First of all, we wanted to thank you for all of the work during the battle. It could not have been easy. Especially with your saving of Darth Revan. A lesser person would have left her for dead. But you saved her life."
Despite her training, Bastila was slightly disappointed that Revan had survived. Yes, she had completed her mission to keep the woman alive, but part of her believed that the galaxy would have been far better off with such a malevolent force dead. She quickly pushed the thoughts away and nodded her head.
Vandar continued. "Currently, Revan is healing in the recovery ward. Only the nurse and the people in this room know her true identity. Everyone else is under the impression that she perished on the ship."
Before Master Vandar could continue, Master Vrook interrupted. "Are we sure that this is the right idea? Who says that history will not repeat itself?"
Within seconds, the Council erupted into loud arguments. The masters were all waving their hands and speaking loudly to get their points across. Bastila was shocked, this was the first time that she had ever seen disorder amongst the masters. When it showed no sign of slowing down, she cleared her throat. They didn't seem to hear her, so she shouted, "Excuse me?"
Suddenly, all of the arguments stopped. The masters who had left their chairs slowly sat back down, their faces red with embarrassment. Master Vandar was the first one to speak. "You must excuse our actions, Padawan Shan. This subject is very delicate."
Bastila nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, sir, what was all of this commotion about?"
"You see, Padawan Shan, there are some on the Council who see Revan's survival as a gift. Our enemy has been handed to us and we could use this as an advantage to end this horrible war."
She was shocked at what she heard. The Council surely could not be suggesting what she thought they were suggesting? After all of the death and destruction that she had caused, Bastila did not see how it could possibly make sense. However, she knew her place and that did not involve questioning the Council's decision.
A woman with white blonde hair spoke next. "Well, I for one, think this is a terrible idea! Who knows what the consequences could be?"
"Atris, this is our chance to see the Sith plans! With their seemingly endless supplies, they are practically guaranteed to win this war! If we can find out how they are accomplishing this, then we will have the upper hand." Master Vandar said slowly.
Despite her personal feelings, Bastila could see the genius of the plan. Turn their own enemy to their side with no one the wiser. It would be complicated, but if successful, it would save the galaxy.
Three hours later, Bastila was finally dismissed from the Council chambers. She was exhausted and could begin to feel a migraine starting behind her eyes. All she wanted to do was go to sleep, but she knew that there was one last thing that she had to do before she could rest.
Bastila made her way to the medical ward. No one gave her a second look as she navigated the twisting hallways. Finally, she found the nondescript door that Master Vandar had told her about. Entering in the lock code, she entered into a dimly lit hallway.
When she reached the end, there was another door, but it wasn't locked. Bastila twisted the knob and was shocked by what she saw. There was a kolto tank in the center of the room with a woman floating inside. Without all of her armor on, Revan looked small and insignificant. She was short, only a hair over five feet tall. Her black hair was long, floating wild in the kolto. Her tan skin was marred by bruises. In this state, Bastila almost felt sorry for her.
She walked over and placed her hands on the glass tank. "Why, Revan? Why did you cause all of this death and destruction? I have heard of you and your time with the Jedi. You were on a path to greatness and you gave it all up for this?"
Despite mentally repeating the Jedi Code, Bastila started to cry. She sunk to the floor and gathered her knees up to her chest. What the council had instructed her to do seemed impossible and she was overwhelmed. Being given responsibility had been nothing new to Bastila. Ever since her Battle Meditation power had been discovered, the Masters had paid particular attention to her. However, this time, it seemed to be too much. If she succeeded, then the war would end. But, if she failed, the consequences would be dire.
Bastila sat there for a long time, pressed up against the glass. Slowly, she was able to calm herself down and meditate. All along, she had known that it was her duty to perform the task that the Council, but it was a difficult pill to swallow. All Bastila wanted to do was succeed, but she wasn't so sure she could.
As she stood up and walked away, Bastila took one last look at the woman in the tank. "We can do this." she whispered.
What Bastila failed to notice as she left the room was the single tear that rolled down Revan's face. It dissolved quickly in the kolto, leaving no trace of its existence.