Author's Note: I know it has been a while, but real life has legitimately been taking me to task lately. I have been busier than ever before and see no signs of anything getting less busy anytime soon. This isn't a bad busy, not by any stretch, but it has definitely been a trying time for me. Learning new things, balancing new responsibilities with old. I'm being counted on more than ever before and as a result, my writing time has gone down to a 0.
This chapter skipped two chapters that I had plans for, but I didn't feel right giving up on this story without giving you this chapter. We will talk more after, happy reading.
The Throne Room Invaded
Revan was sitting in the Chancellor's office turned throne room on Coruscant. Out of necessity, Revan had taken the Republic capitol building as his HQ in an effort to retain some contiguous government across the galaxy. Certain planets had joined Revan and his empire willingly, but there were other planets that were wary to say the least.
Bastila entered the room and bowed in front of Revan.
"You summoned me, Revan?" Bastila asked. Revan looked down at her and thought about his words for a moment.
"Have you had time to reflect on the battle yet, Bastila?" Revan asked. This time it was her who hesitated.
"I have" Bastila told him, not raising her head.
"And?" he asked. His expression was neutral, but Bastila knew he wasn't upset.
"You were right. I tried to reach further into the dark side and I felt as powerful as normal. Malak told me all throughout my torture that the dark side was strongest, that no Jedi could stand against a Sith" Bastila told him. He didn't say anything, so Bastila continued.
"I kept thinking about what you said, about balance. And I didn't want to believe it because it went against everything I had ever learned from the Jedi and then again from Malak. But this was you, my first friend amongst the Jedi Order" Bastila told him. She paused again, taking a long breath.
"So, I used both sides of the Force. And I felt my strength increase, more than I believed possible. You were right" Bastila told him. Revan reached through their bond and knew that she was telling the truth.
"So, are you ready now to fully be my apprentice?" Revan asked.
"Yes, Master" Bastila said. Finally, the Dark Lord smiled. He stood up and walked over to Bastila and ignited one of his purple lightsabers. He held it in his right hand over her left shoulder.
"You are truly, Darth Bastila. Now, you can finally reach your true potential and experience power you didn't know you had" Revan told her. Then he lifted the lightsaber over her head and put it over her right shoulder.
"As your master, I pledge to train you to the best of my ability. I will hold nothing back. You are my lover first and apprentice second" Revan said. Then, he turned off the lightsaber and attached it back to his belt.
"Rise, my apprentice" Revan ordered. She did so, and he cupped his hand on her cheek as he flashed her a smile.
"Are you ready for your first lesson?" he asked. She nodded, allowing him to step back a few feet.
"The Gray Jedi are something that Kreia taught me about when I was younger. Do you know anything about them? Have you heard their code?" Revan asked. She shook her head to both questions and he took a deep breath.
"Flowing through all, there is balance. There is no peace without a passion to create. There is no passion without peace to guide. Knowledge stagnates without the strength to act. Power blinds without the serenity to see. There is freedom in life. There is purpose in death" Revan told her. But, before he could finish, he was interrupted. But, it wasn't Bastila who interrupted him. Instead, it was a hooded figure in the doorway.
"The Force is all things and I am the Force!" the hooded figure exclaimed. It was a woman's voice. Revan sensed confidence and saw that stance of a warrior.
Both Revan and Bastila instantly turned toward the figure and Bastila ignited her red double saber. She charged at the figure in the door only to be trapped in a stasis field before she could reach her target. The hooded figure didn't even move. Only after Bastila was knocked out of the way by a small blast of the Force did the hooded figure move toward Revan.
"I gave orders that we were not to be disturbed" Revan snapped. The hooded figure stopped 10 feet away from Revan.
"I'll let you know when I care about your orders" the hooded figure replied. Her voice was calm and relaxed, far contrary to Revan's.
Revan extended his hand and shot a prolonged blast of force lightning at her. Instead of moving out of the way, she merely raised her hand and absorbed it as it hit her hand. Revan bit his lip and pulled more of his power into his lightning attack. It didn't even affect the hooded figure. She took all the lightning into her hand and used the force to absorb it just as fast as it got to her. Revan growled and charged his attack, holding it in his hand before shooting it at the hooded figure. But, right before the attack would have hit her, she disappeared.
"Missed me!" she teased. Revan spun around to see the hooded figure 10 feet behind him. Revan was shocked, he had never met anyone before who could teleport, but it was clear that this woman had a knowledge of the Force that exceeded his own.
He ignited one of his twin purple lightsabers and sprinted at the woman, aiming to catch her off guard, but she saw it coming. Before he could get to her, she Force pushed him away. He lost his lightsaber as he rolled back away from her, skidding to a stop near where he started. The woman gave him a smile from under her hood and put her fingers close together, clearly saying that he was close but not quite.
At that point, Bastila ran past him and flew at the woman. Bastila landed two feet away and took a swing with her lightsaber, aiming to cut the head of the invader. But, when the lightsaber was an inch away from the woman's neck, it stopped. Bastila reached to the Force to move the blade, but it was no use. The woman raised her hand and used the Force to push out at Bastila, sending her head over heel, stopping right at Revan's feet. The lightsaber never moved as Bastila flew back. The woman grabbed the blade out of the air and shook her head.
"A crudely made weapon. Who constructed this, an ewok?" the woman teased. Bastila got to her knees and the woman tossed her lightsaber back to her and Bastila caught it. She stood up next to Revan and he put his hand on her shoulder quickly before releasing it.
"Who are you?" Revan demanded.
The hooded figure pulled their hood away. Immediately, Revan recognized her from the picture in his quarters.
"What are you doing here, Meetra?" Revan asked. The tension in his voice was clear. He didn't know what she was doing and what her plan was, so until proven otherwise, she was an enemy.
"Oh, just came to pay you a little visit. Its not every day that you learn that your Dark Lord of the Sith baby brother conquered the Republic" she told him. She attached a teasing tone when she called him the Dark Lord and Revan took a deep breath.
"Revan, I recognize her from the temple. The Council called her the Exile" Bastila said through their bond. He didn't respond. He wouldn't even take his eyes off her.
"And do you come as an ally or an enemy?" Revan asked. She laughed and shook her head.
"Well, I think that would be up to you" she told him. He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Bastila, follow my lead. Be ready for lightning" Revan said through their bond. He waited a few moments and then shot lightning out of both of his hands. Bastila dropped her lightsaber and shot lightning out of both her hands as well. The power of the attack sent Meetra sliding back across the throne room, but she stayed on her feet.
Revan and Bastila kept the attack going as long as they could, engulfing Meetra with as much lightning as they could before they couldn't keep up the attack any longer. It took her a few moments longer than when Revan attacked her, but again Meetra absorbed all the lightning sent at her from the two Sith.
When the lightning was gone, Meetra glared at the two. Revan expected a counter attack, but it never came.
"Is this what you really want, little brother? Do you desire me as your enemy?" Meetra demanded.
"You invade my throne room! You give me no reason to trust you and now you expect me to believe that you want to be allies?" Revan exclaimed. Meetra let out a chuckle.
"I ask you again. Do you desire me as your enemy?" Meetra asked.
"If you are not here to join the Sith or the Empire, then why are you here?" Revan asked instead. Bastila stood strong next to him, readying herself for a fight.
"I am here to find out what you are doing. You have conquered the galaxy. Are you done?" Meetra asked. Revan hesitated for a fraction of a second.
"All we can do now is stabilize the Empire. The galaxy is mine" Revan told her.
"What about the unknown regions?" she asked.
"What is to gain by expanding to the unknown regions? Nebulas and uncharted territory? I have nothing to gain from pushing my forces into that territory" Revan answered. It was the answer he had prepared for the press, but when Meetra rolled his eyes, he knew it wasn't good enough.
"You know the secret to running a convincing bluff, Revan. But, I have known you your entire life. I changed your diapers before we went to the Jedi. I know all your tricks and all your tells. I know when you are lying" Meetra told him. Revan put his hand on his remaining lightsaber, but Meetra laughed and shook her head.
"That won't be necessary. I now know all that I need to know. I have other things that I need to do, but don't you worry, you will be seeing me again before too long" Meetra told them. She started to walk toward them at that point, as they were standing between her and the only exit. Bastila put her hand on her lightsaber as Meetra walked through them, intentionally knocking into Bastila with a shoulder first before knocking into Revan right after. She got to the door and turned around quickly to see Revan and Bastila both with hands still on lightsabers.
"One more thing before I go, Revan, if you would indulge me" Meetra asked. Revan gave her a curt nod.
"Don't ever forget the debt you owe me, little brother. It will not go unpaid for much longer" Meetra told him. He raised an eyebrow.
"What debt would that be?" Revan asked. Meetra laughed heartily at that.
"You really don't remember? That's so cute. How far you have fallen" Meetra teased, wiping a fake tear out of her eye.
"Either tell me what debt I supposedly owe you or just leave my throne room. I don't have time for these games" Revan snapped.
"Malachor" Meetra said simply.
"What are you talking about?" Revan demanded. His sister started to laugh, shaking his head at him.
"You mean, you don't remember? You don't remember how you left me with the mass shadow generator while you went to Mandalore's command ship? How you chased glory and left me to have my connection to the Force severed, seemingly permanently? You don't remember how you left me to command the battle, the final battle, so you could challenge Mandalore?" Meetra told him. He was silent, didn't know what to say. Meetra shook her head.
"You did what you had to do at the time. I'm not mad at you for that, but you didn't take me with you to the unknown regions. You know why I go by the Exile! It isn't because of the Jedi Council. I am an Exile because of you!" Meetra snapped, sparks exploding out of her hands. But her anger was not the greatest in the room.
Incensed, Revan gathered all his power and launched a force wave at Meetra. After a fraction of moment, Bastila did the same thing, joining her power with her Master's. Meetra put her head down and used the Force to block their attack. She used the Force to counter their attacks and when all their attacks ceased, Meetra was left standing with her hand on her hips while both Revan and Bastila were knocked on their backsides.
"I will be back, my Lord" Meetra snapped, throwing as much sarcasm as she could on Revan's title. She turned on her heel and left the throne room, leaving a livid Revan on his knees next to a shocked Bastila.
Author's Note: I am very proud of this chapter, despite the lack of humor I was able to include. As I said in the original author's note, there is no way for me to keep writing given my current circumstances. I won't go into detail here, but there are a few of you (who know who you are) that I have been talking to as I have been writing this story and some even before that. To all of you, I do apologize for not being able to finish this story as I intended; I have a habit of doing things like this it seems.
I'm not unhappy with how my life has turned out. I am actually quite pleased with the results to say the least. I don't particularly like how this story has been abandoned as so many of my previous ones have, but here I am doing it again.
To all reading this, I want to say thank you. Your encouragement has helped me to keep writing and writing was one of the things that at times helped me through fits of depression. I doubt this is goodbye forever. There's no telling what will come in the future and I might start writing one-shots as I get more used to the way my life has turned recently. I will still be responding to direct messages; I won't be forgetting about that.
this isn't goodbye, but it's time for me to take my leave. I'll see you soon, but if not, I'll see you later. And for those of you who have been with me all these years, for myself and for our favorite couple, and all the rest of these characters who impacted our lives, keep your stick on the ice.
