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Chapter 7: Clones, Droids and a Pissed off Sith Lord

Sand, it was by far Revan's most hated foe. The tiny grains of crystalline quartz seemed to coat every opening, seeping through collars and sleeves and cracks and microscopic holes in fabric to get, as Mission Vao had once said; everywhere. A lone figure walked at a fairly rapid pace under the sweltering heat of Geonosis' sun and for those who had known him as Darth Revan and had seen his face, their only response would have been to cower. Two brown eyes, dull and dark glittered dangerously over a dust and sand-covered face. The well-trimmed goatee of the former Dark Lord of the Sith was matted with sweat mixed with sand and was a peculiar shade of tan. Once clean and soaked, thanks to Kamino, antiquated Jedi robes that were a rich shade of black were now tan, perfect camouflage in the desert; more resembling a Tusken raider's robes than a Jedi's. A heavy cloak swayed in the slight breeze of Geonosis' reddish-brown sands, hanging heavily on the shoulders of its owner. The corners of Revan's mouth were perfectly straight, a small twitch working beneath his left eye and a slight tremble of barely restrained rage shook his shoulders. Two lightsabers were held in Revan's gloved hands, inactive as their cylindrical forms moved upward and downward in a calming gesture Revan usually followed through with by killing large amounts of sentient beings. Oh how he hated sand.

"Right..."

The once distant forms of Trade Federation starships were now towering over the former Dark Lord and providing him with some shade. A trail of footsteps were visible in the sand, behind Revan and stretching for miles. It had taken hours, nearly half of a day to get back to the Trade Federation ships and Revan was in the mood to destroy. A distant roaring echo of ten thousand cheers and shouts and roars echoed in the air and the deceptively calm face turned to stare at a towering arena, distant specks fluttering about it like an insect swarm. The blank expression on Revan's face was marred by a single, spasmodic twitch of his left eye.

"Right."

Revan repeated, taking in a deep breath. Bypassing stealth, Revan opted to activating his personal shield and moved to the base of the arena, one of his lightsabers hovering three yards in front of him and spinning in a circle as Geonosians were pulled by an invisible, impossibly powerful hand and into the spinning blue blade. Screams were drowned out by the roar of the crowded arena and the former Sith Lord was able to reach the interior of the arena, calmly killing the guards and spectators around him with brutal efficiency before his lightsaber stopped its spin and moved to his belt, deactivating as it fixed itself firmly in place. A shake of his shoulders brought forth a cloud of dust, but Revan ignored it, calmly brushing off his face and his robes before activating a single, crimson-bladed lightsaber and slicing through the gate barring his entrance into the arena.

To their credit, the two mounted arena guards noticed the red and black blur before they were cut off their mounts and the creatures were, through a subtle push through the Force, advised by Revan to be elsewhere. The cheers of the arena died down as all eyes turned from the two Jedi and single Nubian Senator fighting for their lives to the intruder. Revan's hand extended and in two seconds flat the three beasts attacking Obi-Wan, Anakin and Padme Amidala dropped in their tracks, dead. The arena fell deathly silent and the shaking in Revan's shoulders grew slightly as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Oh I'm sorry! Am I interrupting something?"

Revan's dark eyes immediately caught sight of the Separatist leaders and he broke into a Force-enhanced sprint, tossing his two extra sabers to two equally confused Jedi as he took a running leap into the air and landed beside Count Dooku and Jango Fett. Fett immediately went for his weapons, too slow as Revan grabbed the collar of the Mandalorian's metal chest piece and flung him over the railing and down to the arena floor. The Mandalorian reacted quickly and spared himself any serious injury but found himself at the receiving end of Obi-Wan Kenobi's borrowed blue blade. The Jedi Master held his gaze with the faceless visor and Jango held his hands out to his sides, not making a move as the saber inched closer to his neck.

"I wouldn't."

Obi-Wan threatened, his face calm and his eyes promising. Jango made no moves and waited for an opening.

"That was... impressive..."

Count Dooku stated calmly, though inside he was terrified. The blatant use of Force-energy seemed to only energize the young, mysterious man before him and the apprentice of the Dark Lord of the Sith swallowed and gazed at the lowered crimson blade.

"Who controls the fighters that chased me?"

Revan's voice was calm, even and polite and the former Sith Lord kept his eyes roaming for any moves, whether to fight or to flee. Dooku could hear footsteps behind him and looked over his shoulder, feeling at a loss. Two hundred and twelve lightsabers ignited almost as one, filling the silent arena with their recognizable humming and the Geonosians panicked, taking flight and abandoning their arena as the Jedi made their presence known. Mace Windu nodded to Revan, his saber inactive but firmly in his hand as he fixed his gaze with Count Dooku.

"Master Windu... How pleasant of you to join us..."

Mace's saber activated and hovered to the throat of Nute Gunray.

"This party is over."

Mace stated, his face stern. Revan had other plans in mind, his crimson blade rising and stopping as it singed Dooku's throat. Mace immediately stopped, his hard gaze shifting between the separatist leaders, the Sith Lord from the present and the Sith Lord from the past. Dooku cleared his throat, a tensing between his dark brows showing a hint of his frayed nerves as he calmly spoke.

"Brave... but foolish, my old Jedi friend.. You are impossibly outnumbered..."

Mace, answering moved his blade from Gunray's throat to join Revan's at Dooku's.

"I don't think so."

The Korun Jedi Master stated with absolute certainty. The distinct sound of Droidekas drew Mace into a defensive stance as the Separatists scattered and made way for their reinforcements to fire. Mace soon found himself heading to the arena floor, spinning in mid-air and tossing aside his cloak as he joined a dozen other Jedi in the sands of the arena to defend the onslaught. Revan remained, his saber still at Dooku's throat and the former Jedi Master turned an incredulous gaze to the younger man as the Droidekas fired a volley directly into Revan. A translucent blue field shimmered to life and Revan tilted his head, ignoring the alarm of his shield overloading. A crimson blade rose and pushed Revan's blade back from where it moved to decapitate the Count and Revan jumped to the railing, moving to the arena seats instead of the floor. A veteran of many battles, Revan knew not to give up the high ground. Count Dooku watched the movements of his mysterious would-be killer and rubbed a hand at the scorch-mark on his neck, wincing.

Two hundred and twelve lightsaber blades dropped quickly to a hundred as hordes of battle droids streamed into the arena. The battle had not lasted even a minute before half the Jedi present were dead and Revan, with a deep scowl decided to save the Jedi. A powerful wave of Force energy cleared a spot on the arena floor and Revan landed beside Aayla Secura, startling the nearly overwhelmed Twi'lek Jedi Knight. Aayla nodded her thanks to Revan as he cut down the droids around her and covered him as he deactivated his saber and attached it to his belt within a fraction of a second. The former Dark Lord's eyes flickered slightly as he lowered his head to the ground, extending both of his arms parallel to the ground and outward, forming a T with his body. The Force itself seemed to cloud the air as orange energy, similar to lightning shot from Revan's extended hands. Dooku's eyes widened at the sight and many of the Jedi and Geonosians fighting stopped completely to witness the spectacle as twenty battle droids smoked and sputtered, overloading from the unnatural energy shooting from Revan's fingertips.
"Not yet."

Revan shouted as Aayla too stopped. The Twi'lek immediately covered Revan, raising her blue blade to deflect the shots fired at both of them and a sandstorm rose from the arena floor, lifting lightsabers of fallen Jedi into the air. As one, the sabers ignited and a deadly whirlwind of blue and green blades spun in a spectacular display, destroying hundreds of battle droids. Revan felt his hold on so many weapons weakening and let them stop, using the last of his vast strength in the Force to hurl dozens of battle droids into one another. A pile of smoldering machines littered the circle of Jedi at the center of the arena and all eyes fell to Revan as the former Dark Lord laughed insanely.

"Impossibly outnumbered!"

Revan bellowed, his voice carrying through the sounds of dying machines and humming blades. Dooku's surprised and shocked features slowly relaxed as he saw hundreds more droids filter into the arena. With a single motion of his hand they all fell still and Dooku gazed not at Mace but at Revan as he spoke.

"You have fought bravely, worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi Ord-"

Dooku dropped all pretenses of calm when Revan moved, his form a blur of red and black as it sliced through dozens of droids and towards him. As if invigorated by the sight instead of shocked, the Jedi moved outward, slicing through the unprepared droids as they reactivated their battle protocol and opened fire. Easily a thousand droids fell before Dooku looked upward at the sight of transports and starcruisers swarming the sky above. Despite the interference of the powerful, mysterious stranger, his Master's plans were unfolding as predicted. Dooku and the Separatist leaders retreated from the scene before Revan could reach them and the former Sith Lord settled for turning the droids and Geonosians he found into smoldering scraps and steaming body parts. His powers were almost spent in the ridiculous display of strength, but Revan had taken down dozens, possibly hundreds of battle droids single-handedly through techniques forgotten to the Sith and the Jedi. Revan was not called the Heart of the Force for nothing.

Standing where Obi-Wan had hastily left him when the battle droids arrived, Jango Fett's expression was impossible to read through his mask. Torn between fighting and fleeing, Jango caught sight of his clone, his son and made his decision, his jet pack taking him from the arena floor and to his son's side.

"We're leaving."

Jango ordered. Boba, his face a mask of awe at the battle before him did not react and Jango grabbed his son, rocketing away and towards his ship. He'd get his son out of there and train harder. They stood no chance against the mysterious Jedi and they needed to grow stronger, more skilled if they were to challenge such a warrior.

Padme Amidala Naberrie had been fortunate, or unfortunate enough to end up in a clone transport with Obi-Wan and Anakin. None of the occupants commented on the impressive, impossible display from Revan and the Senator glanced back at the rapidly shrinking form of the arena. Revan hadn't made it to one of the transports and the last she'd seen he was still fighting. Silently, as she listened to Obi-Wan and Anakin shout strategies and plans, she hoped he was okay.

Jedi Knight Aayla Secura was standing back to back with Revan as the two Jedi's crimson and azure blades created an impenetrable wall, shielding them from the deadly blaster bolts around them. A gap in the defense, too small for the droids to exploit brought a pause to Aayla as she felt something pressed to her forearm. Glancing down as she allowed the Force to guide her actions she frowned at the wrist-shield Revan had somehow attached to her. Quickly activating the energy field the Twi'lek collected her energy for the escape she knew Revan was intending for them.
"Now!"
Revan shouted and as one the Twi'lek and human broke into a sprint, running across the arena floor to the side, cutting down droids as they went and deflecting fire back. Several dozen clones, left behind by the transports fired on the still advancing stream of droids and Revan and Aayla found a slight reprieve from the combat in the stadium seats as the clones steadily moved back with them.

"You fought well."

Revan complimented Aayla between gasps, panting for breath. The Twi'lek nodded, panting as heavily and soaked with sweat. She noticed Revan looked as bad as she did and to top it off was a shade paler than normal.
"You fought... ridiculously well."

The Twi'lek grinned at the human's blank look before Revan chuckled, finding for the first time in the strange time a familiar comfort. A comrade, an equal in battle joking at their exploits. He hadn't had that since Malak and Taya Kenobi. He'd been too attracted or angry or smitten with Bastila, too wary of Juhani and too annoyed with Jolee to feel that way. Canderous and Carth were both exceptionally skilled fighters but lacked the Force and Revan found it reassuring to know someone was able to watch his back as well as he could watch theirs. Without distraction. Speaking of distractions.

"Fall back to the corridors, we'll set up fortifications and hopefully bottleneck their superior numbers."

Revan shouted to the clones that had been sent to assist he and Aayla. The ranking clone, identified by a red marking on his otherwise white armor nodded, not having time for a salute as he returned fire with the droids on the arena floor and the two Jedi and dozen clones withdrew to the winding corridors leading to the arena, adding a hundred more droids to the scrap pile before Republic reinforcements arrived and relieved them of the immediate threat.

"Bloody Hell I could sleep for a week."

Revan muttered, brushing sand and sweat from his brow. Aayla laughed at that, unable to fully restrain the emotion as she silently agreed. Revan's amused expression sobered at the sight of dozens of Jedi and clone corpses. In the distance a Trade Federation starship was shot from the sky, dropping like a rock and exploding, creating a gigantic shockwave as debris and sand rained down. "We'd better get to it. The battle is just starting."

Leaning against a wall and still trying to catch her breath, Aayla nodded and half-stumbled, half-ran with Revan to a transport where both Jedi were taken to the heart of the fight on Geonosis.

On another part of Geonosis, an exhausted Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi had fought against and were defeated by Darth Tyrannus. Both Jedi were saved by the arrival of the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, Yoda, who dueled his former Padawan to a stalemate, unable to finish the fight due to Dooku's treachery. Late afternoon turned into night and the four primary moons of Geonosis hung above in the sky as Clones, Jedi, Geonosians and droids continued to battle for control of the world. Despite having no rank with the Republic Clone army the Jedi were regarded as the commanders and leaders and the Clones obediently followed their orders, in the end winning the Battle of Geonosis.

By the time the last clone returned to his ship or the last Jedi sheathed their blade, sixty thousand clones had fallen and a hundred and eighty six Jedi joined their clone comrades as killed in action. The Separatist losses were not catalogued but in the end, hundreds of thousands of battle droids were left as scrap in orbit or on the surface.

Siri Tachi joined her lifelong friend Bant Eerin in the hangar of a Acclamator class assault transport. The human Jedi Knight sighed heavily, rubbing her eyes as she opened the seal to her Jedi fighter and retracted the canopy. The battle over the world of Geonosis was as brutal as the one on its surface and the loss of life was staggering. Walking across the gray metal deck, Siri nodded to Bant as the Mon Calamari Jedi Healer climbed down from her fighter.

"Did you hear any word from the surface? My comms got fried during that last engagement."

Bant knew Siri was asking about their fellow Jedi and friends on the surface and the Mon Calamari frowned slightly, shaking her head. A Clone Captain approached the two Jedi and saluted.

"Healer Bant?"

The Clone asked, having been briefed on the Jedi arriving on the ship. The Mon Calamari nodded and the Clone continued.

"We've begun receiving injured from the surface and while we are equipped to deal with the casualties, your help would be most welcomed."

Bant nodded and the Clone saluted before rushing to a badly damaged fighter and helping to carry an injured Clone pilot. Bant turned to Siri, her brow furrowed at the blank look on her friend's face.

"Use your feelings... We- we lost a lot of friends today but- but Obi-Wan-"

Siri's blue eyes snapped to Bant's silver and the Mon Calamari stopped speaking, silenced by the glare.

"Who says I'm thinking of Obi-Wan?"

The young woman asked defensively. Bant sighed, moving past her stubborn friend and following the Clone Captain to where the wounded were being treated. Siri moved to the side of her fighter, staring at the scorches marring its once pristine surface and sighed, staring out of the hangar's opening and towards Geonosis.
"You'd better be okay, Kenobi. Or I'll kill you myself."

Aayla Secura sat calmly in the back of a fully loaded transport with Revan Bloodraven, her brown eyes studying the mysterious and powerful Jedi from the past. The display of power on Geonosis was almost ridiculous and the shields, she had no idea how he had come across such powerful personal shields but the Twi'lek was silently grateful. They had likely saved her life, or perhaps saved her a painful injury. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were not so lucky. Both Jedi were heavily sedated and in the transport ahead of them, going to the same ship. Glancing sidelong at the Twi'lek's stare, Revan sighed, asking.

"I suppose you want to know how I did all that?"

The Twi'lek rose a brow but nodded slowly, her eyes narrowed.

"I didn't know... anyone could do what you did down there... That was- that was just incredible..."

Revan huffed on a half-laugh, shaking his head.

"I come from a time when the Force was as clear as an Alderaanian stream. So easy to read, so easy to reach that you could just... let it flow through you forever. I could have done much, much more in my own time but the weapons and tactics of my time were made to fight against such things. Armor was designed on the basis of ancient Sith alchemy to resist Force-powers and a well-trained and equipped Force-blind was just as deadly as the most powerful Sith or the most serene Jedi Master. I suppose you could say the Force has atrophied and its students and the galaxy with it. I doubt I could have pulled something that ridiculous off in my own time..."

Half-smiling at that, Revan leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes and letting the Force soothe his aching muscles. A weak bond was forming between himself and the Twi'lek, similar to a training bond and Revan allowed a simple technique in his time, one of the most complex of the Jedi of this era to flow from him to Aayla. The Rutian Twi'lek sighed as the aching in her body eased and she nodded her thanks to Revan as the former Sith Lord opened his eyes and met hers.

"I can teach you and the Jedi a lot but it can't be told... it has to be experienced. By seeing what the Force is capable of, it will let the other Jedi explore their bonds with it, ignoring the barriers their mind place between what is possible and what is impossible. You must first let go of your restraints, let go of what you deem impossible. What I showed you and the others in that arena is but a fraction of what we, the Jedi are capable of. Close your eyes Aayla."

Obeying the command, the Twi'lek closed her eyes, reminded of her Master Quinlan Vos and his teachings. Revan's voice was calm, gentle, likely from exhaustion but he held no hint of irritation at having to teach. If what she sensed along their fledgling bond was any indication, he relished the thought of teaching, of passing on his knowledge.
"We will start easy. Find your weapon."

Aayla's thoughts immediately turned to her lightsaber attached to her hip and she closed her mind around the extension of her body, the tool of her trade.

"No, ease off. Look not only at your weapon but around it as well."

Revan's voice was gentle, patient and Aayla followed the direction, sensing Revan and his weapon as well.

"Look further now, but keep your mind's eye on your weapon and mine."

Revan instructed, smiling at how quickly the Jedi was learning.
"Good Aayla. Now, with your mind, not your hand pick up your weapon."

Aayla's lightsaber rose from her belt and into the space between herself and Revan and the former Sith Lord nodded, his smile growing. Reaching a hand down to his belt, Revan felt Aayla tense as he removed his weapon and raised it, keeping the blade inactive.

"Take my blade from me."

Revan felt a pull from the Force, infinitely stronger than his physical grasp pull his weapon away from his hand and both lightsabers hovered beside one another, mirroring a two-handed Nimian stance.

"Open your eyes."

Aayla opened her eyes slowly, her brow immediately shooting up as she saw her weapon and Revan's looking as though an invisible Jedi were holding them in place in an opening Jar'Kai stance. She had since lost her hold but Revan kept them where they had been and nodded to the Twi'lek, an encouraging smile on his face.

"Its only a simple matter of manipulating their movements to do as I did in the arena."

Revan focused the Force, moving the two weapons in a fairly simple opening stance while keeping their deadly blades inactive.

"Its- its so easy..."

Aayla's voice was confused but the young Knight was staring at the weapons with an open, accepting expression. Revan nodded, smirking.

"Ridiculously so if you know what to look for."

Sensing that Revan had been feeding her the instructions through their bond, the Twi'lek reached out, pulling her weapon from the air and reattaching it to her belt while Revan did the same. His other two lightsabers were lost, one sliced in half by Count Dooku in his fight with Obi-Wan and Anakin and the other taken by Force-knew who. He just knew neither Obi-Wan nor Anakin were armed... Anakin less armed than his Master when he and Aayla arrived to check on them after the battle.

"Practice on your own at a more appropriate time and we can find something more interesting to do. Like fry some droids."

Remembering the strange orange energy Revan had produced from his fingertips, Aayla nodded to that, feeling strangely excited over the thought of learning forgotten knowledge in the Force. Not a single ounce of dark energy had been sensed from Revan when he had unleashed that attack and Aayla knew it would do no harm to learn the technique. The Jedi from the past and the future fell into a companionable silence, both troubled by the battle and the loss of life but neither allowing it to hold back their thoughts.

Padme Amidala Naberrie glanced at the Mon Calamari that entered the medical bay of the Republic ship she, Anakin and Obi-Wan had been ferried to. Padme had been taken along to have the scratch along her back treated and the Senator rose a brow at the Jedi as she stopped in her tracks and gasped.

"Oh Obi, Anakin what happened?"

Obi-Wan, half awake, half asleep, mumbled incoherently as he shifted. Anakin sat motionless, his missing appendage bandaged around his wound. Padme, feeling the need to speak as she sat beside Anakin's bed, decided to answer.

"Count Dooku."

Bant sighed heavily, shaking her head as she looked around the room for any others that were critically injured. Obi-Wan wouldn't want someone else dying because she was treating him and she knew Anakin, despite his arrogance would likely feel the same way. Padme watched the healer move past the Jedi, at first angry at the thought of Anakin and Obi-Wan going untreated before she caught sight of a Clone missing half his face, a once white bandage wrapped around his head and soaked through with blood. Schooling her features, Padme glanced back at Anakin, laying a hand gently on his forehead and sighing to herself, not noticing a blond, blue-eyed human Jedi that stood at the doorway, staring at Obi-Wan with a concerned frown marring her beautiful features.

A shuffle of feet alerted Padme to new arrivals and she froze at the sight of Revan. While he had been terrifying in his armor and intimidating in his black robes, he was outright a walking apocalypse to her after what she had seen him do on Geonosis. She'd been enthralled by Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon when they had rescued her on Naboo a decade before and impressed, slightly awed by Anakin's powers but to see the sheer destruction the Force could unleash was, for lack of a better word, frightening. To think that there were beings out there with that kind of power, seeking to use it to destructive ends was truly frightening and she found herself hoping to never look upon another Sith Lord.

"How are they?"

Revan asked Siri Tachi as he and Aayla Secura came to a stop outside of the overburdened medical bay. Siri glared at Revan, seeing an outlet for her anger before she shook her head, restraining the childish impulse. Revan was a Jedi and at times like this, Jedi needed to stand together. That and the concerned look on his face all but abolished Siri's anger at the situation.

"Dooku cut Obi-Wan through his thigh and his bicep from what I can sense... severing his muscles. He'll need treatment in a bacta tank and some therapy before he's back to normal and Anakin... Anakin lost an arm."

Revan could sense a lingering dark energy and knew the boy had likely taken a big blast of Force-lightning to the chest too. Narrowing his eyes at the faint burns on the boy's neckline, Revan knew most of the damage was hidden beneath Jedi robes, though scorches and burns were visible in the dark brown material.

"And the Senator?"

Revan asked, knowing his mission had partially been to protect the Senator. Siri frowned, reaching out through the Force and sensing the young woman's concern for Obi-Wan but mostly Anakin and her fear. Glancing back at Revan, Siri rose a brow in question. Revan sighed, knowing the look Siri was giving him well from seeing it on Bastila's face. He'd either answer or suffer and he wasn't curious to find out how Siri was going to torture him for information.
"She's got a nasty cut along her back, treated already. I suppose she's here for emotional support or something like that."

The words were spoken softly, though coldly and Revan knew Siri was hiding something, likely the reason for her own presence.

"They'll live."
Revan muttered, spotting Bant and moving into the room with Aayla at his side. Aayla nodded to Siri as she passed, Siri distractedly returning the nod as she turned her attention back to Obi-Wan.

"Need a hand with anything? I'm not exactly a doctor but I do know a thing or two about first aid."

Bant nodded gratefully to Revan, smiling as best she could with the situation.

"Thank you."

Revan nodded, glancing at Aayla. Aayla nodded as well before she moved to the side of a Clone, readjusting him to a more comfortable position and checking his bandages before moving to another, and another and another...

AN: Happy Freaking Birthday Bjrn. I hope all you guys out there liked this chapter... It was fun to write but I had some doubts as to where I'm going... but like most of my stories it'll likely not get cluttered till the last chapter... if there's a last chapter!