Bastila's heart was in her throat, but somehow going to face Malak with Jade at her side wasn't terrifying. She would finally get to see the man that had caused her so much pain and watch his defeat. Even though she knew the thoughts of revenge were part of what had led to her fall, Bastila couldn't help but want to see that he received justice.
She could sense Jade's curiosity about what Malak had done to her, but chose not to show the soldier. There would be time for that later, and she didn't want to be a reason for Jade to get angry and give in to her hatred.
Beneath them, the elevator slowed, and they exchanged an anxious look before the humming stopped and the doors slid open.
Jade released her hand and led the way into Malak's large factory room, toward the Sith leader. Every step seemed to echo in the room that dwarfed even Malak, and the walk to meet her former Master took an eternity.
"Well done, Revan," Malak spat as they neared, turning around with a flip of his cape. "Not only have you managed to find your way to the Star Forge, you've managed to convert my apprentice back to your pathetic light side."
Jade nodded stiffly. "I'm not a coward, Malak. I'm not going to hide away and wait for the fight to come to me."
Malak bristled and narrowed his eyes at his former Master. "I see. Attempting to rile me with words. Perhaps there is still something of worth in you after all. I could capture you alive and break you, just as I did your precious Bastila." The Sith's eyes darted over to where the Knight was standing and he sneered. "You would be a better apprentice than Bastila, but the risk of capturing you may be too great. In time, you would betray me just as I betrayed you."
"You're making the mistake of assuming you could capture me, or that I'm going to let you hurt Bastila." Jade's tone was cool and Bastila glanced over, half afraid that Jade had succumbed to the dark energy swirling all around them. The soldier stood tall and strong, the warmth of the light side still rolling off her.
Bastila breathed a sigh of relief and turned to face Malak once again, the anxiety at facing her tormentor easing slightly.
Malak scowled at her. "You are weak, Revan. Bringing backup to fight me? Especially the shell of a woman that I formed Bastila into. How does it feel, Bastila, to know that you will never be the same again? I broke you, used you, and sent you off to die at Revan's hand. How can you possibly think you can return to anything like what you once were?"
The words cut deep and the truth in them hurt. Bastila paused and couldn't help but wonder if Malak was right. All the things that Jade had said… Wanting an ally in the final battle against Malak would make sense.
No, Bas, he's wrong. Jade's voice was frantic in her ears. He's just trying to turn you back to the dark side. Don't listen to him.
Bastila looked at the soldier again, seeing desperation in Jade's face.
"How cowardly, Malak," Jade tutted, her eyes lingering on Bastila. "Are you too scared to attack me directly that you have to attack Bastila instead?"
Malak turned a fierce glare on Jade. "Surely you remember the way of the Sith, Revan. The greatest attack is not a physical one. Damaging what one holds dear is the purest display of control and power there is."
The Star Forge shook underneath them again and Jade grinned. "So I guess having the Republic outside to blow the Star Forge into space dust is a pretty good attack, then."
Malak growled and grabbed for his lightsaber.
Fear pulsed in Bastila's brain and she looked between the blood-red blade and the soldier. Jade stood there defiantly, her eyes darting from the Sith Lord to Bastila.
Don't let him get to you, Bastila. Stay with me.
Bastila saw Malak ignite his blade and focused on Jade's presence in her mind. The soothing gentleness of Jade enveloped her and Malak's taunts seemed trivial and unimportant. Thank you.
Jade smiled and returned her attention to Malak. "All these mind games you're playing are running you out of time. Any minute now, the Republic will break through your lines and attack the Star Forge directly." The soldier's smile grew when Malak seemed to swell with aggravation. "Just go ahead and surrender, Malak. It's your last chance."
Malak roared in answer and lunged toward Jade.
A split second later, Bastila had her lightsaber out and was rushing toward Jade, who was locked in combat with the Sith.
The air was filled with grunts and the sharp noises of crashing lightsabers. Malak didn't seem terribly thrown off by having to battle both of them at once, delivering powerful blows that would send one of them reeling while he attacked the other.
Bastila knew it was dangerous to lessen her focus on the battle before her, but in the back of her mind, she tapped into her Battle Meditation and used it for herself and Jade. The soldier's attacks seemed to be more precise just seconds later, and Malak was nearly caught off guard. Jade threw a powerful Force attack at him, and Bastila snuck in with her lightsaber, cutting through Malak's armor and into his skin.
Malak twisted away, avoiding the worst of the attack. He shot Bastila a fierce glare, flinging his hand out at her. Lightning erupted from his fingertips and arced toward her, and Bastila lifted her blade, trying to let her lightsaber absorb as much of the energy as she could. The hilt heated up rapidly in her hand, burning her skin in a matter of seconds.
Bastila yelped and dropped her weapon, only to have Malak's attack burn through her body instead. It was as if she was back in her torture chamber all over again, and there was a sharp pain in her knees as she fell to the deck.
"Get off of her!" Jade yelled from far away, and Bastila was vaguely aware of the sound of lightsabers crashing as the pain faded.
She reached for her lightsaber shakily and dragged herself to her feet, trying to shake off the dizziness she felt before moving to help Jade.
The soldier had just launched a brutal flurry of attacks when Bastila arrived, and working together, they managed to find a hole in Malak's defenses that was just wide enough for Jade's lightsaber to dart in and severely wound the Sith.
Malak snarled and stumbled away, knocking the Jedi away from him with a burst of the Force.
Bastila and Jade scrambled back to their feet and started after him, but Jade caught Bastila's arm as Malak ran over to a stasis cage.
"Wait," Jade panted, frowning as Malak deactivated the cage and levitated a body out of it.
"You may think you have me beaten, Revan," Malak taunted, "but you never realized the true power of the Star Forge. Look around you. See the bodies?"
Bastila followed the sweeping gesture from Malak, aware of Jade's sickened gasp. Scattered across the chamber were more cages, all with the ghostly outline of bodies hovering inside them.
"You might recognize them from the Academy," Malak continued. "I salvaged their nearly-dead bodies when my forces attacked Dantooine and brought them here. The Star Forge allows me to feed off of them, using their power to magnify my own."
Malak focused on the corpse in front of him for a moment, clenching his fist slowly. The body suspended in the air shuddered, then collapsed in on itself, the shriveled remains falling to the deck and disintegrating. Malak pulled the energy of the Jedi through the air and into his body, seeming recharged almost immediately.
Bastila was both horrified and outraged at the sight. These people, suspended so near death and prevented from joining the Force, were just like she had been: a thing for Malak to use and discard. The Sith Lord had spared her the same fate, attempting to use her in far more malicious ways, but it wasn't hard to imagine herself in the same position.
Jade shot Bastila a cautionary look at the emotions that went through their bond, looking positively ill at what Malak had demonstrated.
"You will never defeat me, not while I have these Jedi at my disposal!" Malak laughed, whirling his lightsaber around himself before charging toward the women.
Shit. Jade growled, ducking away from a swing of Malak's lightsaber. We don't have time to fight him over and over again.
Bastila raised her blade and blocked a blow aimed at her neck, straining against Malak as he leaned into the attack. She twisted away and let Malak stumble, trying to strike while he was disoriented, but he blocked her attack easily and backhanded her. Bastila felt herself hit the deck and crawled away from the Sith, getting back to her feet as quickly as she could.
Panic came through her bond with Jade, and Bastila looked up to see Malak holding Jade in the air, slowly squeezing the life out of her. Bastila cried out and lunged at the Sith, only to be met with Malak's unconcerned parries while he continued to attack the soldier. The Knight changed her tactics and blocked a wayward strike before delivering a solid kick to Malak's armored stomach. He grunted and scowled down at her, his focus shifting to the brunette.
Bastila heard Jade fall to the floor behind her and allowed herself a moment of relief before all her attention went to deflecting Malak's blows. She had never been on the receiving end of such a brutal attack, and it took every bit of strength she had to keep her arms from giving out under the strikes. She drew upon the Force to keep her reflexes as quick as she could muster.
Malak saw her muscles weakening and his eyes took on a predatory glint. "You were a fool to allow Revan to turn you," he hissed, crashing his lightsaber into hers. "You threw away all the power the Star Forge could grant you just to die."
"No," Bastila retorted, "I let her free me from the destruction I was hurtling toward, and I let her free me from you. I threw away nothing, and even if I die, I'll die at peace, knowing I've gained back everything."
Malak snarled at her and sent a disorienting pulse of the Force through her. Bastila paused for a split second and tried to shake off the attack, jumping away a moment too late. The red lightsaber took a large chunk out of her right knee, and Bastila cried out but managed to remain standing.
Malak descended on her with a hail of powerful strikes, but Bastila defended herself despite the searing pain.
Just when she was about to be overwhelmed, Jade appeared beside her, blue blade arcing toward Malak. She diverted enough of the Sith's attention to allow Bastila to start healing her knee, but the Knight didn't focus on herself for long, sensing an opening in Malak's defenses.
With a burst of Force energy from Bastila, Malak was caught off guard long enough for the Jedi to each launch an attack at him. His reflexes allowed him to escape the worst of the damage but Malak scowled and leaped away, running for another body to drain.
Jade was panting, but turned her attention on the Knight. "How bad...?"
Bastila looked down to check, disturbed by the deformation of her knee. She could still put weight on in, albeit gingerly, and did her best to ignore the pain. Jade pushed a medpac into her hands, looking over her shoulder to where Malak was deactivating a stasis cage.
"We've gotta find a way to keep him from doing that," the soldier grumbled as the station shook underneath them. She reached out to steady Bastila as the brunette staggered, looking like she wanted nothing more than to escape the Star Forge and let the Republic finish Malak. "Can you check out one of those cages while I try and hold him off?"
Bastila wanted to protest, not wanting Jade to risk getting injured, but saw the sense in the request and nodded. "I can try."
Jade offered her a half smile that didn't reach her eyes before the sound of Malak draining the corpse reached their ears. The soldier's face darkened and she released Bastila reluctantly. "Good luck."
Bastila echoed the words and watched helplessly as Jade turned and drew her lightsaber, running off to face Malak. She turned away and headed toward the nearest bank of stasis cages as quickly as her knee would allow. The sound of smashing lightsabers was distracting, but Jade seemed fine through their bond, so she did her best to focus.
The stasis cage was ancient and well-designed, and Bastila could see no easy way to interact with it. The body inside was still, but Bastila could feel the faintest breath of life from it. A sense of longing came from the Jedi bordering on death, and Bastila searched the cage for any sort of power source to disable it.
Please...
Bastila jolted in surprise at the foreign voice in her mind. She looked at the body in the cage before her, sensing the Jedi reaching out to her.
Don't let him end me that way.
That the Jedi were aware of their purpose was chilling, and Bastila reached out with the Force, cradling the wounded Jedi's weak mind. She could feel where the life support was forcing the broken body to stay alive, enclosing one of the connections with her mind. She gently cut off the connection, aware of the other systems fading. Relief filtered through the Jedi and she received a fleeting sense of gratitude before she felt the presence fade. The stasis cage holding the body blared out a warning signal and Bastila barely had time to move away before it exploded.
Surprise came through her bond with Jade, but Bastila immediately quelled the soldier's concern. They're still alive, Jade. They know what's happening to them. Close off their life support, and they join the Force. She looked across the deck to where Malak and Jade were locked in fierce combat. The soldier caught a glimpse of her between blows and nodded.
Bastila studied the combatants for a moment and threw her lightsaber toward Malak's back, hoping to catch the Sith off guard. Her board soared toward Malak, who sensed it at the last moment and whirled around to deflect the weapon coming toward him.
Jade took her opportunity and swung her lightsaber at the huge Sith, her blade cutting through his armor and into his side. Malak roared, the sound almost unbearable through the bionic mouthpiece, and flung Jade away. He staggered toward the nearest cage, grunting with each step.
I'm fine, Jade assured her immediately. So just find and deactivate life support?
Block it off with the Force. Bastila turned and hobbled toward a bank of stasis cages, deactivating the support sequences for all three Jedi as quickly as she could.
Awesome. How many are left?
Bastila scanned the deck and counted, pleased with the number she came up with. Four.
The Star Forge shook more violently than before, a sign that the Republic was making progress and time was running out.
Across the deck, Jade shot her an anxious look. The soldier's eyes darted past Bastila to the last full bank of stasis cages and back to the Knight. Can you get all those in time?
Bastila could see the other cage off behind Jade, near where Malak was busy feeding off the waning energy of a Jedi, and nodded. I'll be fine. Distract him and I'll try and come get the other cage, as well.
Jade looked ready to protest, but Malak started laughing and she turned to see him drawing energy from the air around him.
"You cannot win, Revan!" he thundered, raising his arms high into the air and sending electricity arcing up toward the ceiling. There was still a gaping wound in his side, but it didn't appear to bother him as Malak ran toward Jade.
"Go, Bastila!" Jade yelled, raising her lightsaber in time to block a blow before leaping away from the Sith.
Bastila started toward the stasis cages, pain burning up her leg with every step. She could feel the dark side all around her, taunting her with promises of healing and strength to wipe out Malak singlehandedly, but Bastila ignored it, keeping her eyes on her goal. As soon as she was within range, Bastila began deactivating the cages, releasing the Jedi from their torment and allowing them to join the Force. It didn't take her long, and Bastila was glad, turning around to head for the last cage.
A burst of distress came through their bond and Bastila looked over instantly. Jade ducked away from a near-fatal blow and used the Force to jump out of Malak's range. The soldier nearly landed wrong, stumbling and nearly falling over.
Malak saw an opportunity and took it, hurling his lightsaber toward the disoriented soldier.
Bastila flung up a barrier with the Force, but Malak's lightsaber punched through it, hurtling toward Jade with alarming speed. She watched in horror as the soldier turned and saw the crimson blade rushing at her, unable to find her voice to call out a warning.
Jade tried to jerk away but couldn't escape the weapon, and a split second later, the blade neatly sliced through her left arm, severing the limb above her elbow.
The soldier let out an agonized cry and searing pain came through their bond, nearly crippling Bastila in its intensity. Somewhere off in the distance, Malak was laughing, but the only thing Bastila could focus on was Jade. The older woman's thoughts were a disjointed mess, tumbling over one another as Jade tried to block out the pain.
Bastila's own injury was forgotten and she raced toward Jade, who crumpled to the floor.
Malak towered over the soldier, pulling his lightsaber back into his hand and raising it high above his head. He chuckled and shook his head. "You see, Revan," he began, unable to continue when Bastila all but tackled him, throwing everything she could muster into the attack. Her weight was barely enough to knock Malak off balance, but she tried her best, jamming her lightsaber hilt up against his chest and igniting the blade.
Malak jerked and staggered, dropping to his knees with a raspy curse. Bastila's hands were shaking as she yanked her lightsaber from his chest and kept it aimed at him, still fully aware of Jade's pain. The soldier moaned from behind her, and Bastila could sense Jade trying to stand up and failing. Everything in her wanted to go to Jade, but she didn't dare take her eyes off the Sith.
"How..." Malak choked, his eyes wide as he looked up at Bastila.
"You chose this path, Malak," Jade ground out from behind Bastila, finally dragging herself to her feet and staggering closer to stand at Bastila's side. She took a few shallow breaths and barely restrained a whimper before speaking again. "The minute you chose the Sith, you doomed yourself to destruction."
"Still spouting the teachings of the light side," Malak mused, sounding almost calm as the color drained from his face. "You always were a charismatic one, Revan, fighting for what you believed in." He shook his head and coughed. "And here I am, left to what destiny has brought me."
Jade seemed to have an answer ready, but Malak started coughing again, and gave a few ragged gasps before he slumped forward and moved no more.
The moment Malak's corpse fell to the floor, Bastila extinguished her lightsaber and turned to Jade. "Jade, what... Are you..." She took in the sight of Jade's missing limb, startled by the lack of blood. "You're not bleeding."
The soldier shook her head weakly, still obviously in pain. "Heat sealed it off. It just really fucking hurts."
Bastila reached out to heal the soldier, shaken off when the Star Forge shook violently and an alarm started blaring.
Jade frowned and looked out of the factory windows, her eyes widening slightly. Bastila followed her gaze and was amazed at how close and how numerous the Republic fleet was.
"We've gotta go," Jade realized, "or we're gonna get blown apart any minute now."
Malak was something tangible to fight against, but the invisible timer that was counting down the seconds until the Star Forge was overrun was not, and that made their position all the more terrifying.
Bastila swallowed and nodded, nudging Jade toward the elevator through which they'd entered the factory.
The soldier hesitated and looked at the younger woman. "There's no way that thing will take us all the way back to Deck One, is there? I don't think we've got time to run all the way back through this thing to the hangar."
Bastila's mind went blank and a moment of panic nearly overwhelmed her. Malak had often been able to access ships without heading through the entire Star Forge; there had to be a way out of his lair. The Knight looked around, spotting two walkways sloping down from the factory floor. She reached out with her senses and realized both were elevators, nearly fainting with relief. "Down there," she said, pointing to one of the elevators and hoping it was the most direct route to the Ebon Hawk.
Jade followed her gaze and brightened slightly. "Can you run?"
Bastila wasn't sure, but she nodded anyway. "I'll do my best."
Jade nearly fell over as the station rumbled under their feet, catching Bastila's hand and starting toward the elevator. Bastila kept up as best she could, trying to block out the pain in her knee and motivating herself to push through it. Momentary pain was better than dying on an exploding space station.
The elevator door slid open for them as they arrived, and the pair scrambled inside it. Bastila hit the button for the hangar and sagged against the wall, gasping for breath. Jade released her hand and paced around the elevator, muttering about how much time the ride was taking.
After what felt like more violent explosions than the station could withstand, the elevator finally slowed and the doors hissed open.
Bastila's heart sank when she was greeted with the sight of an empty hangar. They were too late.
"Wrong hangar," Jade grumbled, stepping out of the cab and looking for a door. "It's gotta be the next one over; this is shaped backward to where the Hawk was."
The hope that had nearly disappeared came back to life in Bastila's chest and she guided Jade to the door. "This way, let's go!"
They ran to the door and into the corridor, met with frantic Sith soldiers. Jade grabbed Bastila's hand again and led her through the mass of people, finding the other hangar entrance and ducking through it.
Bastila had never been more grateful to see the drab brown of the Ebon Hawk's hull in all her life. It was only a second later that she realized the engines were powering up and the ship's hatch was starting to close.
"Shit!" Jade yelled. "Onasi, I swear I'll kill you with my bare hands if you leave us here!"
The Ebon Hawk started to lift off and Bastila swallowed horror.
"This is our only chance," Jade said with a panic-stricken look at the Knight. She focused her attention on the hatch and the closing door slowed slightly. "Ready?"
What Jade was planning occurred to Bastila only a second before the order left the soldier's mouth.
"Jump!"
Bastila knew jumping would probably injure her knee beyond repair but it was that or stay on the Star Forge and be blown to space dust. She launched herself off her good leg, aiming her body with the Force and flying neatly into the barely-open hatch. The brunette skidded along the metal floor, safely inside the Ebon Hawk.
Jade landed beside her with a grunt. The hatch hissed closed and the engines roared as the ship took off.
Bastila rolled over and winced at the throbbing pain in her knee, but then Jade's panting reached her ears and she pushed herself up on her elbow and reached for the woman beside her. Her fingers brushed against Jade's shoulder and Bastila dragged herself closer, only vaguely aware that she was gasping for breath as well.
Jade managed a smile when Bastila's palm cupped her cheek, and she reached up and held onto Bastila's hand. "We did it, Princess."
There was the sound of a far off explosion and the Ebon Hawk shook as the shock wave of energy passed over it. Jade gripped Bastila's arm a little tighter until the rumbling had stopped, then slipped her arm around Bastila's neck and pulled the Knight close. She kissed the brunette soundly, breaking away when the sound of a blaster powering up reached their ears.
"Thought you could catch a ride with us, huh?" Canderous growled as he stepped around the corner and leveled a blaster at them, swearing in surprise when he saw the two Jedi. Mandalorian words fell from his mouth without him realizing it, and Jade scowled up at him.
"That's the kind of greeting you give us after we had to chase you guys out of the hangar?" Jade scoffed and grinned slightly when the Mandalorian laughed.
"They made it!" Canderous called, and a chorus of surprised cheers filled the ship.
Bastila buried her face in the crook of Jade's neck, not caring who saw as footsteps came clamoring toward them. She and Jade were alive and Malak was defeated. Nothing else mattered.
Jolee's gruff voice filled her ears a moment later, and the old man's gentle hands pried her away from the soldier. She leaned back against the wall, still recovering from their run to the ship. Not even a minute later, Mission nearly knocked the breath out of her with a hug, then saw the wound on Bastila's knee and started rifling through Jolee's medical supplies for a medpac.
Jade tried to sit up only to have the crew give horrified gasps at the sight of her missing limb. Jolee set to work with painkillers all around the stump of Jade's arm and Bastila was glad to feel the ache ease through their bond.
"Someone go tell Carth to radio for a medical team," Jolee barked, muttering to himself about his meager medical skills barely being enough to fix everyone's every ache and pain, much less accidental amputations.
Mission got up and ran for the cockpit while Canderous crouched down beside Bastila, grabbing a medpac and opening it for her.
"Not bad," he admitted with a cocky grin. "For a Jedi." He tore open the rip in her pants leg just enough to expose more than her wounded knee, then injected the medpac into her leg. The medicine felt both cool and warm as it tingled through the wound and Bastila exhaled slowly.
"Hands off my woman, Ordo," the soldier joked, shaking Jolee off and sitting up slowly. She crawled over to Bastila and settled beside her, reaching across herself to grab one of Bastila's hands.
Jolee gathered up his things and moved over to check Bastila's knee, nudging Canderous out of the way. The Mandalorian got to his feet and brushed himself off before excusing himself to the cockpit to teach Carth how to fly.
Everyone laughed, and Jolee deemed Bastila's injury stable enough to wait until they could get a Republic doctor to look at it. He finally offered them a grin and congratulated the pair. "Sounds like you two put my old adventuring days to shame. This'll be one for the history books so kids thousands of years from now can whine about studying it." He chuckled and gave Bastila's shoulder a squeeze before getting up and returning his supplies to the medbay.
"Told you we'd be okay," Jade murmured as soon as they were alone.
"Are you?" Bastila countered gently, very aware of the loss Jade had endured and the absence of her arm between them.
Jade was quiet for a moment before she shrugged. "We'll see. I'm better off than a lotta guys, I guess, since I've got the Force. But," she added, "we're both alive and that's good enough for me." The soldier turned her head and pressed a kiss to Bastila's cheek. "Thanks for being so stubborn and coming with me, Bas."
Bastila gave Jade's hand a squeeze. "Thank you for saving me."
They sat there together quietly, trying to relax after everything they had been through, and Mission finally came bounding back to where they were sitting by the hatch.
"Carth says the admiral's gonna send down her best team of doctors," the young blue alien announced. "And that he's sorry for tryin' to fly off and leave you there. Oh, and some Jedi Master wants to see you." She scratched her nose and grinned at the Jedi. "You two are cute together."
"A Jedi?" Bastila repeated, not sure if she was more amazed or concerned. That anyone had survived the assault on Dantooine was news to her, and news that she was glad to hear, but she couldn't imagine the Jedi had anything nice to say to her.
Jade stroked the back of the brunette's hand with her thumb. "Thanks, Mish."
The Twi'lek beamed before glancing toward the dormitory. "I guess I should see if I can get Big Z out of his bed, huh? Poor guy was terrified. Imagine that, a Wookiee terrified of a space battle!" She winked and walked off to the dormitory, calling out to the Wookiee teasingly.
Bastila sighed and tried not to think about all the punishments the Jedi would have for her, focusing on Jade's hand in hers and the gentle presence of the soldier beside her.
"Don't worry, Princess," Jade murmured in her ear. "Everything's gonna be fine."
Bastila wanted to scoff, but sitting there beside Jade, it was easier to believe the words than fight them, so she nodded and turned to kiss Jade. "I love you," she whispered, trusting and caring about the woman beside her more than anything the Master had to say.
