If you don't want to hear me complaining about KOTOR II, just skip straight to the story. Anyway, I thought KOTOR II was a big letdown. With its long loading screens, confusing story, incomplete quests, boring environments (cough)Peragus(cough), underdeveloped (and sometimes annoying) characters, and a cliffhanger ending all topped off by a major lack of accomplishment, I felt the developers dropped the ball. And just what the hell is a "wound in the force" anyway? Anyway, that's why I'm making this story an AU. I did like some of the characters, though, which is why I'm combining characters from both games. Well, I'm done whining for now. Here you are.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or KOTOR or anything else with George Lucas's name on it.
Chapter 3: Old allies
"Whoa, I think I struck gold! You mean you both know him?" Carth asked in astonishment.
Bastila responded before Revan did. "Why, yes! He was the one the council banished from the order after the Mandalorian Wars!"
Carth motioned with his hands. "Wait, back up a second. Just what exactly makes this guy so special? Didn't the council exile a lot of Jedi after the wars?"
"Actually, no," Bastila corrected. "After the war was over, many of the Jedi and the soldiers who served under Revan disappeared with him into the unknown regions of space. Many of the other Jedi who stayed had become Sith and retreated to Korriban or other worlds where they could remain hidden. Still, other Jedi who had not fallen decided to go into hiding, afraid of the council's punishment for going to war. Of all the Jedi who fought with Revan and Malak, only he came back to face judgment."
"And why did he do that?" Carth asked.
"I'm not sure. The council, like many things, kept his jury a secret. Only his punishment, that is, exile, was made known. I always felt that he had been deeply regretful of his decisions to go to war."
"Why is that?"
"I can answer that," Revan chimed in. "He did not go to war for the same reasons Malak and I did – to help others. He went to war for revenge. He hated the Mandalorians. He wanted to kill them all and watch them suffer. He saw the war as a chance to get them back and to test his combat skills. Oh, and if you want to know his lightsaber's color, it was red – red as the blood in our veins. Nevertheless, he proved himself a powerful warrior. He was very skilled at both combat and strategy. A great leader in the field, and a great employer of tactics. I chose him to lead my ground assaults in many battles because of this. It's a decision I both approve of and regret at the same time."
"Wait a moment!" yelled a shocked Carth. "I thought you couldn't remember anything from your past!"
"Actually, my memories have been returning, albeit slowly. I remember a lot from the Mandalorian Wars. I also remember some of my Jedi training but very little from my childhood."
"And um, anything from your days as Darth Revan?" asked Carth cautiously.
Revan shook his head. "No, nothing yet. Anyway, the last I remember of Quad Darin, or 'the exile', is shortly after the battle of Malachor V."
"Oh." Carth winced. "I've heard of that." He looked down with regret in his eyes. "It won us the war, but it cost us so much."
Bastila spoke up. "From what I heard, the planet was destroyed! How is that even possible?"
"It's kind of complicated," Revan explained. "We had developed a weapon known as the 'mass shadow generator'. I cant' remember much about it, but it's actually separate devices that act as one when activated. We planted these devices on the surface of Malachor V. When the Mandalorians came, the Republic and Jedi forces met them on the surface of the planet. The two sides fought for ages." Revan sighed and shook his head. "Many died, and neither side could gain an advantage. After so much fighting the situation looked hopeless. Quaid Darin was leading the troops that battle. The situation grew desperate. He had to do something fast. With retreat out of the question and no end in sight, Quaid ordered the activation of the device."
"How did it work?" asked Bastila.
"The device worked by multiplying the gravitational field of Malachor V. When activated, they strengthened the gravity of the planet by nearly tenfold. All life forms on the planet were crushed to death. All the Mandalorian ground forces were wiped out, but so were all the Republic forces that had stayed on the planet. The gravity was so great, the planet actually imploded on itself, and was for all purposes destroyed. Malachor V is still there, but barely. The planet is split into fragments that barely hold on to each other. As for the device, it's destroyed as well. We never made a new one."
Carth looked up at him. "What happened to the exile?"
"Quaid was orbiting the planet in his capital ship. Although safe from the devastation of the device, he was still affected by it. As a Jedi, he felt the deaths of every person on the planet. It hurt him greatly. He was scarred by a planet's worth of pain and the torment of knowing he ordered the destruction."
Bastila finished the story for him. "The battle left its scars on him. He had been craving for the fight the entire war, but that one event proved to be his breaking point. And when the war was over and Revan disappeared, he went back to face judgment. I believe he was truly sorry for his actions. He felt the true effects of war, and wanted to give up fighting. Perhaps he hoped the council would execute him. The council does not kill, however. They banished him from the order, and he surrendered his lightsaber. I remember hearing rumors that he had stabbed it right into the center stone. I… I think he was glad to be rid of it. When he finally left, I was afraid he would never return."
"So," said Revan faking a smile, "Does that answer your question?"
"Sure does," replied Carth gloomily.
"Well, what does the council want us for, then?" asked Bastila.
"As I said, they wanted Revan to see him. The council thought it was appropriate since he served under you and Malak in the wars. Besides, when we questioned him about the destruction of Peragus, he was mostly quiet. Mostly he just asked to speak with you. He did, however, say it wasn't his fault."
"Do you believe him?" Revan asked.
"I really don't know what to believe. Things have been a mess lately. What I'm most worried about is Telos. Without Peragus, we've lost a major fuel source. 'sigh' Telos was going to be a model for all worlds scarred by the wars. If Telos dies, then the other worlds stay dead."
"We deeply regret this, Carth. We want to help in any way we can," said Bastila, trying to assure Carth.
"I doubt there's much you can do, unless you can come up with a new fuel source for an entire planet." Carth's depression showed plainly. "Oh! I almost forgot! The council wanted to see you too, Bastila, but they didn't tell me what for."
"Well, that's rather informative," remarked Bastila sarcastically. "Any idea when we must leave?"
"Two days from now. As I said, the exile's been moved to Coruscant, so you won't be making the extra trip to Telos."
"Well, looks like our little vacation's over," remarked Revan. "So, Carth, what did you want to talk to us about?"
"Actually, you answered a lot of the questions I had for you. I hoped to ask you if either of you knew him or knew about his history."
"I had met him before he went to the Mandalorian wars," said Bastila. "He and I trained together sometimes as padawans. He always seemed like a good person, and he was quite charismatic. Unfortunately, we were only distant acquaintances. The last time I remember seeing him before the Mandalorian Wars was when Malak gave his famous rallying speech on Coruscant." Bastila noticed Revan wince.
She continued, "I remember at the time he had grown quite disgusted at the council's lack of action. He soon hated them as much as the Mandalorians. I remember he was among the first to step up and join Malak. I begged many of the Jedi there to stay and heed the council's warning, but that was to no avail." Bastila sighed. "Beyond that, I can't tell you anything except what we've said earlier."
"I see," said a rather solemn Carth. "Well this certainly sheds light on the subject. Thanks for your help."
"No problem, Carth," chimed Revan. "By the way, did Quaid have any companions with him?"
"No one much. Just a cranky old lady who never talks and some whiny pazaak-playing pilot who talks way too much. Not exactly the kind of company I'd expect him to keep."
"Hmm. That is interesting," pondered Revan. The sudden beeping of Carth's communicator broke his thought.
"Great. Seems like the Admiral needs to talk to me about something. Look, I'm sorry, but I need to go. I have to leave Dantooine today. Duty calls, you know."
"Alright, then. It was nice meeting you Carth."
Don't worry, we'll probably meet up again on Coruscant. So long, you two."
Revan nodded. He and Bastila said farewell to Carth and he left for his ship. Suddenly Revan remembered something and called out to Carth before he left the cantina entrance.
"Wait! What about Mission?"
Carth turned and half-smiled at Revan. "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure you two can look after her."
"Yeah, thanks a lot, Carth," replied Bastila sourly. Carth waved at them and left, leaving the two Jedi to themselves. Bastila turned to Revan. "Well, looks like we now have another thing to take care of."
Revan looked back at her. "What, Mission? She can take care of herself. She's not a baby. The most she'll need from us is a place to sleep, and I can give her that easily enough. Or do you have a ship of your own?"
"Actually, Revan, I took a shuttle here. My ship had a faulty hyperdrive boost and needed repairing. I was originally going to take the next shuttle off this planet, but then again, I did not expect to have to leave here so soon." Bastila crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Revan. "So, it looks like Mission and I will have to leave with you."
Revan chuckled and performed a mock-bow. "I am always honored to escort you anywhere, my beautiful Jedi princess."
"Revan,…" Bastila smiled slightly at his jest.
"And don't worry about Mission, Bastila. I've had her on my ship once, I can easily make room for her again."
"Well, we better go find her and tell her the great news." The two Jedi nodded at each other and left the Cantina.
Upon exiting, they walked down the streets of the new settlement and talked some more about the council's sudden summoning. The two Jedi eventually ended up discussing the exile again, pondering his new situation.
"You know Bastila, I'm kind of curious as to why he was found with two companions. The pilot I can understand, but what about the old woman?"
"I'm just as confused as you are Revan. But I'd like to ask you something: do you believe he destroyed Peragus?"
"If he did, I believe he would have done it by accident or because there was no other choice. I find it highly unlikely that he was the culprit, though."
"If he wasn't, then who was?" asked Bastila.
"That's the part that frightens me."
Bastila looked earnestly at Revan. "Do you remember the incident at Katarr, eight months ago?"
"You mean the Miraluka colony?" He nodded solemnly. "Yes. Ironically, I was just thinking about that. An entire colony of force-sensitives here one moment and gone the next. How peculiar is that?"
"As peculiar as it is tragic." Bastila sighed. "The Jedi council had gone there to meet. They were going to discuss plans for rebuilding the order and the Republic. But then they felt a great disturbance in the force and left. Some of the Miraluka left with them -"
Revan finished her thought " –But the rest stayed behind and were all wiped out very soon afterwards. They were extinguished by a threat that no one saw coming or going. They never found out who or what caused it."
Worry spread over Bastila's face. "I'm scared, Revan. What if the Sith are returning? If so, then they intend to finish what the Jedi Civil War started. They will seek revenge, and that means they will be looking for us…for you!"
Revan hushed her and drew her close to him. "I'm scared too, Bastila. But if the Sith are returning, then we must do as we've always done – fight them. As long as we remain true to what we believe in – the force, the light, ourselves, each other – then we will emerge victorious, one way or another. I promise you." He stared straight into those ocean-blue eyes, and she stared straight back. He felt his and Bastila's mind relaxing and passing into a brief moment of ecstasy.
Their moment of bliss was cut short when the world around them changed. They beheld a frozen landscape. Snow swirled around them in a thick, white wall. The wind bit into their skin and sent shivers up their spines. The snow cleared and they beheld it once again – the mountain. The scene changed again, only this time to a place they hadn't been before. A rocky wall, perhaps a Cliffside, against which lay a huge boulder. The boulder was not there naturally – it had been put there…to block something. Then they saw it again – the face. They saw its huge blue eyes, in which they beheld a peculiar energy. Was it the force? As quickly as it appeared, it was gone.
It had been another vision. Revan looked around to see if they had attracted attention. He looked at Bastila and noticed she had her eyes closed and was breathing heavily. Revan was surprised to find himself sweating. Bastila opened her eyes and looked nervously at him.
"Revan…"
"We should get back to the ship, Bastila."
Bastila nodded in agreement and the two hastily made their way to the Ebon Hawk.
"What does this mean, Revan? What does this mean?" Bastila asked him anxiously, nervously pacing around the Ebon Hawk's dormitory.
"I don't know, Bastila! You think I understood one bit of it? I'm just as in the dark as you!"
"But why are we receiving them? It just doesn't make sense!"
"I know, Bastila. This whole thing confuses me, too. I just don't know!"
"Revan," she walked up to him, "do you think we should tell the council?"
"I…I am unsure. I want to tell the council, Bastila, but I keep getting the impression that we shouldn't tell anyone, and I have no clue why."
Bastila shook her head and sat down on the bed next to Revan. "The galaxy just keeps getting more unusual by the minute. As if rebuilding the Republic and dealing with the Sith wasn't enough."
Revan threw his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "You have my agreement there. Then again, that's what we get for being Jedi."
Bastila laughed slightly and looked at Revan. "No, that's what I get for being bonded with you."
Revan smiled at her. "No, that's what I get for loving you." He pulled Bastila's face toward him and kissed her lightly. She kissed him back, and Revan leaned back on the bed, pulling her down with him. Bastila laughed softly and kissed him again as Revan wrapped his arms around her. At last she broke away and rested her head on his chest, letting out a deep breath. She lay down on top of Revan as he ran his fingers up and down her body.
She closed her eyes and nuzzled against him, smiling contentedly whileRevan gazed at her lovingly. He could feel his own eyes closing as he watched Bastila resting peacefully on him. Within moments, the two Jedi both passed into the land of dreams.
Revan slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Bastila's warm body was still on top of him, sleeping as peacefully as ever. Revan wanted to move but hated to disturb Bastila at this moment. Noticing that it was still light out, Revan glanced at the clock. It was after 5:00. He closed his eyes again when he heard T3 beeping outside, followed by the young voice of Mission.
"Tweet, deet deet!"
"Yes, good job! Thank you so much, T3! You can go back to the patrolling the ship now."
He heard her footsteps approaching the dorm. Revan was tempted to move but realized it was pointless. The smiling face of Mission soon appeared in the doorway.
"Oh, Revan, I didn't wake you, did I?" she asked quietly, noticing Bastila was still sleeping.
"No, not at all Mission. Umm, could I get back to you in a couple minutes?"
Mission nodded understandingly and left. Revan was loathed to do it but he gently nudged Bastila, awaking her from her peaceful repose. Her sleepy eyes looked up at him.
"Don't tell me its morning already," she said sarcastically.
"Nope. I think we should get up, with Mission being here and all." Bastila quickly lifted herself off Revan and looked to make sure Mission wasn't there.
"Too late, she caught us. Just be glad we were smart enough to keep our robes on."
"Right."
"She's outside. I'm not sure how long she's been back, though. Come on, we'd better tell her about Carth."
The two Jedi slowly got up and emerged from the dormitory. When they found Mission she was in the main hold playing a game of dijarik with T3. Mission momentarily lost interest in the game upon seeing them enter the room. She stood up and folded her arms with as ahalf-smile shown on her face.
"So, anyone care to explain where Carth went?" she asked.
"Sorry we didn't tell you earlier, Mission, but we couldn't find you, and we became a little…distracted," said Revan, trying to look innocent as possible.
"Right…."
"Carth had to return to Coruscant. I'm afraid he couldn't take you with him, so it looks like you'll be staying with us until we leave."
"That's alright, I guess. I'd rather stay with you two anyway. Don't get me wrong – he's a great guy, but it's kinda hard hanging around with someone who's perpetually stressed out over practically everything. I can't begin to tell you the number of hours he spent talking about how the Telos project worried him." Her expression then changed as she realized something. "Wait - you said we're leaving? When?"
"Two days from now we leave for Coruscant," Revan told her.
"Coruscant, huh? I've never been to Coruscant, before!"
"Well, think of this as our special treat for you – your first trip to Coruscant," Bastila replied.
"Wow. This is great! I've always wanted to see it!" She paused and she looked at them nervously. "I'm sorry if I'm becoming a burden to you two. I didn't mean for you to have to drag me around everywhere. I was going to leave with Carth, but-"
"Hey, no problem. It's not as if this is the first time you've been a passenger on my ship, anyway." Revan placed a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, you don't think I'd want to say goodbye to my favorite blue Twi'lek so soon, did you? Just try not to get into too much trouble, okay?"
"Sure! And don't worry. I promise I won't be a bother. I can take care of myself easily enough. Thanks a lot, you guys!" She tackle-hugged Revan and then Bastila and skipped off excitedly toward the port dormitory.
"Deet deet breep boop!" T3 called to her.
"Oh, I quit, T3, you win!" Mission replied from the dormitory.
Revan and Bastila smiled at each other. Upon realizing they really hadn't had anything to eat all day, they decided to retrieve some food from the cargo hold. Revan briefly wondered what Mission was "thanking" T3 about but shrugged off the thought.
The rest of the day passed quickly. Night came and went without another vision for Revan or Bastila. The next day they retrieved some more food and supplies for the trip to Coruscant. The entire two days passed mostly without incident. Finally, the Ebon Hawk lifted off from the Khoonda settlement and blasted off to their next journey – the capital world of Coruscant.
At last, it's over! This chapter gave me severe writer's block. The fact that this chapter is a transitional chapter made things difficult. Sorry if this chapter is a lot of talking, but explanations are necessary, unfortunately. Anyway, as always, please r & r. Request: if anyone knows what the surface of Coruscant looks like, please tell me if you can. (Just a brief description) I'm not an expert on the Star Wars universe. Note: I reset the story to two years later instead of one, because one year after the Star Forge seemed to short to write this story properly.
