Part I
Out of the Blue, Into the Black
Chapter 3
Crossed Paths
"My lord…it's good to see you again."
"I'm sorry..." said Revan. "What?"
"Come on," the Twi'lek said. "We need to get out of here in case there are more of them out there."
She turned and started to run but Revan reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "You're not going anywhere," he said. "Not until you answer my questions. Who are you and how do you know me?"
"Revan..." the Twi'lek said. "You are indeed my master...Darth Revan?"
Revan put one hand behind his back, gripping Heart of the Guardian again. "That depends on who's asking."
"Good joke my lord. It's me..." she said. "Lena...Lena Verado."
"I'm not joking," said Revan, his expression very serious. "Yeah okay, I am Revan. But I'm not a Sith Lord...not anymore. I'm a Jedi Knight."
Lena looked at Revan with the utmost bazaar expression. "I had heard something about that..." she said. "But knowing you, I would have never believed it. Though...now that I'm looking at you, there is something different about you." She briefly pondered that last statement.
"If I was your master," said Revan. "Then I'm sorry. If you think to bring the Sith Lord back, you've got the wrong man."
"'If I was your master?'" she said. "Are you telling me you don't even remember your past? Did the Jedi have a hand in this?"
"I'm asking the questions," said Revan in a stern voice. "Don't worry...they're fairly straight forward. Why were those people attacking you?"
"Those weren't people," said Lena. "They're monsters, deadly in the Sith arts of assassination." She took a breath. "A lot more has changed than Cede told me...even after what I did," she mumbled. Revan barely heard it, but he didn't care.
"So you're a target of the Sith," said Revan. "Yet you used to serve me...I'm not following you here. Did Darth Malak capture you or something?"
Lena scoffed with a light laugh. "Malak couldn't capture me if he tried," she said. "This isn't even about him. This is about something much less immediate, but far worse...far deadlier than Malak ever could have been."
Revan rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. His right hand was still clutching Heart of the Guardian, but with a much more relaxed grip. There was no deception he could sense in her, but given the power he felt in her, she seemed capable of it. Looking at her was almost like staring into a small haven of the Force, an odd but similar feeling that he felt when he saw his armor again.
"I see," he finally said. "You and I clearly have a lot to discuss. As nice a job you did mopping up those goons, I'd rather you not have to do the same to the police when they get here. Let's go."
"Thanks for saving my life," said Lena. "I should add...for the sixteenth time."
"Forget it," said Revan as he begun moving. Lena followed his lead. "Since you've been through hell, I'll buy you a drink and I'll fill you in on what's happened...to the best of my bare bones knowledge."
"Sure," said Lena. "And don't worry. Right now, I feel like I'm still looking at my leader. I've got one hell of a story for you, but I promise you right now...none of this is made up."
"Yeah alright," said Revan. "Ten months back, I woke up aboard a Republic Vessel - the Endar Spire..."
Meanwhile,
The remnants of Malak's forces, being reduced to nearly a quarter of its original size dropped out of hyperspace in the Yavin System. They had been fleeing the Republic since the Battle of Rakata Prime and they were desperate to gain rest and recovery. As the Sith Flagship, the Leviathan led the other battered vessels closer into the system, finally eluding the Republic fleet.
"My lords, we've received word from Manaan. The Selkath and the Republic have assumed control of the planet and have shut down our kolto supply."
"No matter," said one of the three shadowed figures standing on the deck of the bridge. "There is nothing to achieve with direct confrontation now."
"Indeed," said another. "We must rally on Yavin IV at Exar Kun's Temple. We can recuperate there and figure out our next moves. We'll be damned if the Republic takes us."
The Sith fleet touched down on the jungle moon of Yavin IV around the dark Sith Temple and all slowly assembled on the surface of the moon in front of the temple. The Sith Troopers stood in perfectly formatted blocks before the structure. The remaining dark Jedi gathered on the lower levels of the temple. A single isle of space between the two main large blocks of Sith Soldiers was occupied by three dark figures walking together through and up the stairs of the temple to the second highest level.
The sun was brightly shining over the surface of the moon. It was the late afternoon and up on the temple, the three black dressed individuals turned and faced the silent masses. Simultaneously, all three of them slipped off their robes at once and the crowd began to roar. They were three dark Jedi. The one in front was dressed entirely in black and grey. the one behind him to the right was dressed in a somewhat bloody crimson outfit, while the other one in the back was dressed in a dark navy blue suit. Their eyes were red as the skies of Kessel as they loomed over the stagnant masses.
"DARTH MALAK IS DEAD AND THE STAR FORGE HAS BEEN DESTROYED!" yelled the gothic dark Jedi in the front, in an earth shattering voice that silenced the crowd once again. "We Sith are in disarray, but we shall return, ever stronger, and claim the galaxy for ours once again!" The crowd roared once more in passion and anger.
"We Sith never go long without newer and stronger leadership. Unless there is anyone who wishes to challenge the three of us, we shall assume full control, and lead the Sith to victory once again!"
"I may have something to say about that…" said a mysterious cryptic female voice from a higher point.
The three warriors spun around and drew their lightsabers. The black dressed one ignited his two sabers, the red dressed one ignited his double bladed lightsaber, while the dark blue one ignited a single blade. Five red beams all glowing as the sky began to turn red with the setting sun. The sight they saw standing above them nearly made them laugh hideously. An old woman stood at the very top of the temple. She was dressed entirely in black robes and a hood shielding her gray eyes. Her pose was not threatening, but it was not friendly either, for she left no sign of any intentions.
"Who are you, you old hag!" yelled the red dressed dark Jedi.
"And what chance do you think you have of overpowering us?" added the blue one.
"One you are not likely ever to see practice the rookie practices of direct confrontation again." "Tell me something. How familiar are you with the arts of betrayal?"
Back on Coruscant…
Revan had told the twi'lek the full story from his awakening on the Endar Spire to Malak's defeat as they walked through the streets of Coruscant in the midst of the crowd.
"And you don't remember anything at all before that?"
"Small flashes and pieces of my previous life, but otherwise, nothing," lied Revan.
"Damn…this whole thing just got a lot more complicated," said Lena. Revan laughed a little and rolled his eyes. They walked into the cantina on the left side of the street and sat down at a table, waiting for the waitress to come.
"Can I get you anything master Jedi?" said the waitress almost eagerly.
"A glass of Jawa Juice please," said Revan.
"Make that two," said Lena. "I could really use one after the hell I've been through," she whispered to Revan.
"Two Jawas coming right up;" The waitress left the table and went on to taking other orders.
"Alright Revan," she said. "I've been doing a little bit of thinking now that I finally know what happened to you. I have one question for you, in a small pattern I've detected in your epic adventure. Why exactly…did you only carry no more than two people with you at once?" Revan laughed.
"I was worried about tight corridors, if you know what I mean," said Revan. Lena laughed as the waitress returned with the drinks.
"Here you go my friends," said the waitress.
"Thank you," said Revan smiling. They took small sips out of their mugs but Revan could tell the Twi'lek was deeply pondered in her own thought and she was very difficult to read.
"I have come to the conclusion that while it may not be imperative to restore your memory, it is of absolute utter necessity that you be enlightened and prepared for the crisis to come." Revan nodded his head, looking at her with a spark of curiosity. "It concerns the True Sith; not Malak or any of these pitiful human dark side trash we've been fighting throughout our lives, I'm talking about an entire group of Force sensitives, fully adherent to the higher mysteries and the extensive power of the dark side.
"True Sith…" said Revan, looking at her even more curiously.
"Yes," said Lena, as she took another sip. "By the way, if I ever come across as pushy or stubborn...do not worry. I know."
Meanwhile, on Exar Kun's Temple on Yavin IV
The bodies of two of the three dark Jedi Masters lay decapitated on the summit of the temple; their heads had rolled down the steep stairs to the jungle floor. Kreia, otherwise known as Darth Traya stood at the top, holding the red dressed Sith in the air with a tight grip of the Force. As the dark Jedi helplessly lay suspended in the air, his eyes filled with tears of fear, she spoke.
"You are more worthless than a Jawa looking for loot!" she said. "Do not bother us again."
Kreia summoned her lightsaber back to her and threw it, impaling the red suited Sith straight in the chest. Kreia pulled the lightsaber out and dropped him lifelessly to the ground. She then put away her lightsaber and stood out before the bewildered crowd.
"You may now bow to me and address me as the Dark Lady of the Sith, for I am here to assume control of all of you in the name of the Sith Triumvirate." Kreia pointed at them with her right hand. "Bow!"
The crowd fell to their knees and bowed their heads down before their new leader.
"I am going to Malachor V, and you are all coming with me. If you do not, then I will break you, and then you will die a painful and regretful death. I grant mercy for no one! We leave tonight."
Back in the cantina on Coruscant…
"The threat of the True Sith was something that you discovered towards the end of the Mandalorian War, and when you assumed command of all of us, you became the Dark Lord of the "Sith" only out of necessity. You recognized this danger, but you had no knowledge of their whereabouts or their power. You did evil things, but it was all for the greater good."
"So…if that's the case…then I was never actually evil?" said Revan with a very surprised look on his face.
"That's right," said Lena. "I know this seems like a lot to take in, but I have been looking for you for a week now. I would not have done that if I didn't believe that it is your destiny to learn more, gain more, become more, and ultimately destroy what is without a doubt the greatest threat this galaxy has ever seen. Exar Kun, the Mandalorians, and Darth Malak are nothing compared to the real Sith. A single True Sith Warrior could take on at least four above average Jedi Knights…and there are thousands of True Sith out there." Revan raised his eyebrow.
"What about the Jedi Masters?"
"None of them would stand a chance," said Lena immediately. "They are too stodgy and arrogant in their radical light side ways to understand the power of the Force, let alone the power of the True Sith."
"I don't believe you, but whatever. I have never really liked the Jedi Council, especially Vrook. With the exception of Master Vandar, I never regarded them as anything special or anything worth learning much from except the ways of the light side of the Force in its early stages, but I never realized for a moment that they were actually wrong about me," said Revan.
"Revan you will find that just as a Jedi holds certain standards and qualifications far above that of a common soldier, the True Sith hold standards and qualifications far beyond anything a normal Jedi could ever achieve. However, for certain few people like you and I, it's much different. We gained our power during the Mandalorian War, and we discovered much more of the Force through combat than any of the Jedi Masters. For people who do not possess the attitude of the Jedi Masters and subjection to the will of the Force, there is so much more out there for them to discover. I discovered this somewhat by accident a short while ago, and I can teach you. I can train you to become more powerful than you ever have been before. I can show you the Force in ways that no Jedi or Sith ever could. I can make you see the Force for what it really is, but you must open your mind." Revan sighed deeply.
Revan looked at Lena with suspicion. "One does not just appear into someone else's life...again just for the sake of selflessly setting them in a new direction. What's your angle here?"
"No angle," said Lena. "I'm a soldier loyal to you, and only you. Even though you don't remember anything, you are still the only person I trust. I think that eventually your memories will start returning to you...if they haven't already. And I think that when they do, you will be even more confused than you are now. The Jedi wiped your mind, but they could never destroy who you really are."
"Okay," said Revan throwing up his arms, as if he was giving up at a game of dejarik. "There's something else I should probably tell you. During the journey back here on the Ebon Hawk, I had a long nightmare of a dream in which I saw a lot of things, including you."
"Yeah?" said Lena, hinting to Revan that she already knew.
"Yeah…" said Revan with a snigger. Revan explained in detail the visions he had aboard the Ebon Hawk.
"Did Bastila have this same dream?" she asked Revan laughed, because Vandar had asked him the exact same question when he explained it to him.
"No, I don't think she did. I've kept her in the dark about this, though I was probably going to tell her sooner or later."
"I can't say I'm sure of how this works exactly, but I'm speculating that this vision may be the start of memories slowly coming back to you." Revan nodded, unsure of what to make of that. Together they finished their mugs of Jawa Juice and set them down in front of them.
"Alright, this is a little hard for me to fully wrap my mind around, and I still do not trust you."
"I'd be disappointed if I could persuade you that easily," said Lena with a smile.
"So, here's a bunch of questions for you. Who are you? What special assignment did I send you on? How did I discover the True Sith? Enlighten me...would you?" The green twi'lek took a deep breath and looked into Revan's eyes.
"Alright Revan, I'll start by telling you my story from the start of the Mandalorian War up till now, which will probably answer most of your questions a lot better.
"I was one of the first of the Jedi Guardians that you recruited to join the Republic…"
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