"Zez-Kai Ell, never expected to see you again. Can't say I'm glad to though," Lux stated as he looked over the Jedi Master. The man looked older and more careworn, but considering that the majority of the Jedi Order had been wiped out after Revan's disappearance, he had got off easy.
"When I first sensed your presence on this dark moon, I thought you had finally tracked me down to kill me. It seems I was mistaken. Maybe you have not taken Revan's path and given yourself to the cause of revenge," the Master spoke.
"I never wished for revenge. You were blind just as you were during my trial and before that when you refused to aid the Republic. It is always the same with the Council...they come to a conclusion and can never see past preconceptions, even when the truth is staring you all in the face," he spat, trying to keep his anger under control. "And because of that you nearly got some of my friends killed!"
"We are not omniscient, Lux. The Force cannot make everything clear," he explained.
"Never speak that name to me...call me what I am, and don't blame the Force for your own shortcomings. You failed the Republic when the Mandalorians marched unopposed, you failed your charges in the Order when you ran rather than stand up to the Sith, and you failed me that day at the Temple," he said coldly. "Someone like you never deserved to watch over the Order. That you could sit here in this disgusting hole and let these people suffer around you without even trying to help them...the honor of being a Jedi is wasted on you".
"Still so much anger in you. You would be wise to learn to control it lest you take Revan's path and fall assuredly as she did," the old man intoned.
"My anger at you is well-deserved, I think. I know better than you the danger the dark side poses; I have seen it first hand," Lux said dismissively, scoffing at the Master's words.
"Do you indeed?" Zez-Kai Ell questioned. "What of the young one who travels with you? The Force burns within her brighter than the fieriest star, but it is a cold flame, shrouded by darkness. A stray you picked up, perhaps? If so, you would do well to temper the hatred within her, or you will not be the only one burned when she loses herself".
"You speak of Revan's apprentice, Kallian Tabris. What she is and how I may go about teaching her is none of your concern. You abdicated any responsibility you once had to the Jedi when you hid on this Force-forsaken rock," he stated in a frigid tone, remembering how the Masters treated anyone who even had the slightest amount of darkness within.
"So Revan took an apprentice...I suppose it is the nature of the Sith and Jedi to pass on what they have learned. Some abilities though, are better left buried in the past. For your sake and hers, I hope you continue to follow the path of the light...even though a Jedi you may not be" the Master sighed.
"Adhering to the light isn't a path you walk, it's a battle you fight every single day. Just a word to the supposedly wise," he snarked, earning a withering look in return.
Kallian was getting impatient as she tapped her boot on the cracked and dirty ground. Lux had assured them that he would only need to speak to this Jedi Master for a minute, but that minute had gone on for a good half hour. She looked over the others, Zevran, the Echani, and Mira, all fidgeting or engrossed in mundane tasks as with Mira and her constant unloading and reloading of her blaster. There was not that much time to catch up as the Ebon Hawk sped toward the surface as she was confined to the medical room where her injuries were assessed.
"So bounty hunter, you hanging around for a reason? I guess you haven't been paid yet given how long Lux is taking," Kallian sneered, taking out her anger on the nearest convenient target.
"Worried you might have to chase after me again if I get into trouble?" Mira smirked, holstering her blaster.
"Yeah, because that worked out so well," she answered in a biting tone. "Next time I attempt to rescue someone, I'll have to remember that the point is not to need rescued yourself".
"Good advice for anyone," Zevran remarked. "Of course being captured can often present one with...unexpected opportunities, no?"
"Only when the person who captures you is dumb enough to take pity on the poor sod," she sighed. "Sometimes even I'm amazed at how much of an idiot I can be".
"Knowing oneself is the first step to enlightenment," the Handmaiden quipped, but surprisingly, her words seemed more like a friendly jest than a biting insult.
"All this vaunted Jedi wisdom seems to be employed more to mock than to teach. Revan was the same way...it must be a joy to be around you all," she replied sweetly.
"Sometimes wounded pride is the best teacher, as I know too well. But because you went off on your own, we found the missing Jedi, so the Force led us to our destination in the end. So you did not fail entirely," the Handmaiden concluded, the smirk not leaving her face.
"Enough of this, we're getting sidetracked again. Mira...what are you doing here?" Kallian asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Well you know that Nar Shaddaa's not exactly the upper levels of Coruscant...or the lower levels really," she trailed off.
"You must be joking. Surely this world must compare with the Golden City itself, what with all the willing and exotic women, plentiful wine or what have you...all we need is song," Zevran laughed.
Mira shot him a look but simply shook her head, "I guess with a trillion people here, odds are someone would like this place".
"Don't mind him, he grew up in Antiva. Criminal gangs, plentiful brothels, crowded conditions...it's like being home again," she shrugged.
"Huh, never heard of it, and Mandalorians have pretty much gone everywhere," Mira said before turning to Kallian. "I thought I might come with you. There's nothing here tying me down, and since I don't have a ship, I wanted to catch a ride".
"You want to come with us. Why?" Kallian asked, a little puzzled about her reasons.
"I just told you. This moon is like a black hole sucking all the life out of you. Mandalorians are nomads anyway...don't like staying in one place for too long," the bounty hunter explained.
"Why should we let you come with us? You're like every other Mandalorian who survived the wars, a hired gun who kills people for money. Disgusting," the Echani woman snapped. "Like Lux would ever allow you to come on our ship".
"What does Lux have to do with it?" Kallian cut in. "The Ebon Hawk is my ship, so he doesn't have any say who goes on her".
Zevran shot her a dubious look, which the Handmaiden quickly picked up on, "Your ship, so you can pilot it and everything? Color me amazed".
"Well...since it's technically Revan's ship, and since I am something like her apprentice, ownership falls to me. So yeah, she's my ship," she concluded.
"So I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other then," Mira said, grinning at an irritated Handmaiden.
Just then, Lux emerged from Mira's old apartment, his face bearing a thoughtful expression. "Zez-Kai Ell will be waiting for us on Dantooine once we've found the others Masters. Once we've gathered together, we can work out trying to rebuild the Order and deal with our pesky Sith problem".
"So where to next?" Kallian asked, not interested in what the old man had to say to the Exile.
"Onderon, I think. That's where Kavar was last seen," he answered before noticing Mira following after them. "So the Mandalorian's tagging along with us, huh? Might be useful, that system's always been teeming with their kind".
"I thought the Republic pretty much torched the entire moon to get to our forces on Dxun. I wouldn't expect that you'd find any stragglers hanging around, even Mandalore's pretty barren at the moment, or so I've heard," Mira said.
"Let's just say that if you had been there, you probably wouldn't be following us right now. Dxun was probably the worst battle of the war if you leave out Malachor. If you didn't get killed in combat, the beasts in the jungle would take care of that, and if you were really lucky, you might have lived long enough to die of some crazy disease. We had already lost about two-dozen divisions when Revan decided to burn the hellhole". Lux said, a shadow falling over his features.
"I was just a kid during the majority of the war. I came of age a year before Malachor, but Mandalore knew it was a lost cause by then and kept the younger generation out of it, so I never really saw any significant combat. My whole family died in the final battle, so I ended up with the rest of the refugees from the Outer Rim here," she said nonchalantly.
Lux looked deeply uncomfortable, but Mira was not fazed in the slightest. "I'm sorry about your family, but your people needed to be stopped," he said as sympathetically as he could muster.
"Maybe. There's no use dwelling on it now anyway. They were probably thrilled to be a part of a battle that will be remembered for centuries to come...it's what any Mandalorian would have wanted," she continued, surprising the group expecting a rant against the Jedi.
"I know you told me before that you didn't have anything against the Jedi for how it all played out, but you can't just brush it off and say that's how they would have wanted to go," Kallian insisted.
"Of course I was angry when it happened! Wouldn't you be if you woke up one day and found out you were alone?" she snapped. "But I got over it...you can't survive on Nar Shaddaa if all you do is dwell on how bad of hand fate has dealt you. This wasn't the first time I lost everything, you know. When the Mandalorians were kicking the osik out of the Outer Rim, they sacked my homeworld and took me as a slave. When you got a bad hand in Pazaak, it just means you have to play a little harder".
Lux nodded knowingly, aware of the cruel practices of the Mandalorians used to build their army, but Kallian was aghast. "You were their slave and yet you call them family? Are you stupid or brainwashed?"
She seemed a little offended at the cutting remark but also a tad bemused as someone wise would be when humoring an ignorant speaking about something they knew nothing about. "You don't know us. You're trying to apply your aruettise values to our culture. We're strong because we take the useful things we find on the planets we take, weapons, technology, tactics, even people and integrate them into our culture. I was strong enough to join a clan, and they welcomed me as a daughter. Family is more than bloodline...I wouldn't expect you to understand".
"And what do they do to the slaves who don't want to join up?" Kallian asked, not buying anything the woman was saying.
"I don't know...living shields?" she shrugged. "Look, I'm not defending some of the worst things they did during the war, but the idea you Republic types have of us as barbarians or something is bantha poodoo".
"And what would they have done if they knew you were Force sensitive?" Lux asked carefully, surprising the rest of the group.
"Did that Jedi mess with your head or something?" Mira scoffed. "If I could use the Force, I wouldn't be slumming it on Nar Shaddaa. I could've tricked some poor bastard out of ship and hightailed it out of here".
"The Master didn't ask you to watch over us because he heard gushing tales of your amazing skill...he hired you because of your latent Force sensitivity. Didn't it ever feel strange that somehow you just knew where to find your bounties? How else would a kid survive on this moon all alone without the Force guiding her?" Lux continued as Mira frowned.
"So now you're insulting me? I'm no kid, old man, and I certainly don't need any higher power watching over me to keep me alive," she snapped.
"I didn't mean it as an insult," he grimaced. "And I'm not doubting your proficiency at...whatever it is you do. Your employer also told me that you have a rather quirky way of going about collecting bounties: you refuse to kill. Could one without the Force even hope to fulfill that vow? I think it would be difficult to say the least".
"Yeah because Jedi are excellent at defeating their enemies without killing them; I guess Malachor was just the exception. A good bounty hunter doesn't need to kill her targets to bring them in plus bounty heads are worth more alive anyway," Mira said smartly.
Lux was not deterred, a smart comment halfway out of his mouth before Kallian cut him off, "She obviously doesn't want to answer your question. When will you Jedi learn that continually harping on something is not a good way to get a person to open up? It's annoying".
"We can talk later, I suppose," he shrugged, a self-satisfied grin plastered on his face.
As he walked ahead to speak with the Handmaiden, Mira came to Kallian's side, her face thoughtful and a little intrigued. "You have the Force...is he joking?" she asked furtively, trying not to sound too interested.
Kallian looked at her closely, reaching out with the Force to touch her, the energy within her connecting with a dormant power within the Mandalorian woman. "There is power within you, I think. All life is like a vast, interconnected web of light when you look at it through the Force, but those whom the Force is strong in shine...more brightly you could say. Lux and the Handmaiden are like that, and when I look a you, I can see the glimmer of power," she said carefully.
She snorted, "Only a glimmer? You say you're not a Jedi, but it's still all metaphors and cryptic words with you".
"I can't tell for sure. It's not something you can just look for and know when you see it," she said angrily. "Why do you care anyway? If we find any Mandalorians where we're headed next, aren't you going to go back to them?"
Mira thought about the question for a moment before answering, "I don't think a life spent fighting other people's battles for them is the life for me. I don't really know what I want to do; I just want off this world".
"We got that in common at least," she nodded as the group came within sight of the Ebon Hawk. Immediately, a feeling of wrongness passed over Kallian, like ice water was being dumped over her body. She looked to Lux, and from the look on his face, he obviously felt the darkness emanating from the ship. She stretched out with her feelings, trying to discern the source of darkness, but it seemed shrouded, as if an even greater power was shielding it from view. She heard screaming in the back of her mind, countless voices crying out inaudible words of despair. She flinched away as the voices grew louder, the corruption seeming to reach out to meet her touch.
"From that look, I take it that trouble has found us once again," Zevran commented as Kallian reached for her lightsaber.
Lux was quicker, activating his blue blade and moving to the fore of the group. "Nothing to worry about, just your common, everyday Sith assassin. I'll just have a word with him, and you all can stay out here until we're finished".
She watched as he darted into the hold, her mouth curling into a disdainful frown. "Yeah, that's not going to happen," she said to herself, igniting her bronze lightsaber and following after him.
Kallian could feel the darkness surrounding her, but it was almost as if it was not present, the source far away. Fear and despair felt far closer, but those were still strong emotions that the dark side could feed off of. Her danger sense awakening to a threat from behind, she spun, brandishing her saber to the unseen enemy.
Nothing greeted her but an empty corridor, the milky lights flickering, dark shadows moving like living nightmares. She saw no one, not even those that had been left on the ship, but she could still feel the living Force from them so the Sith had not finished with them yet. The silence of the vessel was creepy, not even the hum of machines taking away from the unbearable quiet. She was surprised that no attack came, her senses straining to uncover the intruder but only finding that vague sense of dread that seemed to permeate the inside of the ship.
The sound of lightsabers clashing snapped her out of these ruminations, the electric crackle echoing throughout the Ebon Hawk's low ceilings. She broke into a run, dashing toward the sounds of battle, arriving just before it ended. Lux was pushing back a red and black robed figure, his face a mask of determination as he locked his saber against that of his opponent. The Sith's arms were shaking, Lux's strength too much for the intruder to handle even as he continued to inexorably push both blades into the Sith's chest.
The Sith, a woman from what Kallian could sense from her, did not feel like the evil warriors dreadful stories had been told of. She was neither cold and ruthless like Revan, nor a maelstrom of fury and insanity as was the Sith who took her arm. The woman felt pitiful in a way, sorrowful and afraid, the darkness within her more akin to someone contemplating suicide than a powerful agent of destruction.
Kallian knew the intruder had sensed her presence, but she made no move to defend herself as she raised her saber to run the Sith through. Lux caught her gaze in that moment, his eyes sending a silent message to stop, the power in those brown orbs making her lower her weapon even before she realized what she was doing.
Lux wasted no time after that, allowing the Sith to push his blade away with a feeble strike even as he shifted his grip on that strange, curved lightsaber. With hardly any movement, he sent the humming, blue blade through the hilt of his opponent's lightsaber, sparks exploding from the severed weapon as she clutched her burned hand in pain. She fell to her knees before him, his saber tracking her fall, the point inches from her chest. She kneeled at his feet, the tension in her body revealing that she expected him to finish her immediately.
When the blow did not come, her head rose a fraction of an inch, a silky voice saying, "My lightsaber...you have destroyed it. I yield...master. It is as I sensed through the Force...you are far stronger than I".
The Handmaiden came rushing in seconds after her short speech, force pike in hand and her narrowed eyes fixed on the bowing figure before them. Kallian was a little taken aback by her surrender, the Sith almost inviting death by prostrating herself before them. Kallian roughly pulled her head back, removing the hood that hid her features, and instead of the yellow eyes she expected to see, blackened sockets outlined by jagged cracks in her pale skin looked up at her. The sight of the Sith made her shiver in revulsion, but Lux and the Handmaiden seemed more surprised than repulsed.
"A Miraluka? I never thought I would see one of your kind serving the dark side," the silver-eyed woman observed coldly.
"Please...kill me. I have failed in my task, and my life is forfeit," the woman spoke, sad resignation in every word. Her face was emotionless, but Kallian could feel the despair inside her, the desire for a release from torment. The scars on her body were nothing compared to the pain Kallian felt within.
"What kind of Sith begs for death? I thought a true Sith would fight till the end, stabbing their saber through the one who struck the mortal blow with their last breath, or am I wrong?" Lux asked wryly.
"You are wrong...a true Sith never dies," she spoke in a pained voice. "I am but a servant...a tool for my master to wield and cast aside. He is the embodiment of the dark side, greater than any Sith Lord who has come before. I could not bring you to him, so I am useless to my master now...without purpose. End it".
Kallian sneered at the pathetic woman as she spat, "Give her what she wants. She's already given up on life...killing her would be a mercy".
Lux responded in kind with a sharp look in her direction, resolving to have a little talk about the dangers of the dark side with her later. "I won't kill a defenseless opponent. You can feel how damaged she is inside...she can still be saved".
"No!" the Handmaiden cried, her eyes filled with disgust as she looked upon the Sith woman. "She has been corrupted by the dark side! Letting her live would be inviting a snake into our midst, ready to strike when we least expect. I understand that you believe everyone deserves a second chance..." she trailed off, shooting a knowing look at Kallian, "but sparing this woman, an avowed enemy of the Jedi, would be beyond foolish. If you let her go, she will just come after us again!"
"Listen to the Echani," Kallian agreed. "I know what it's like to fall into darkness, and the only way you come out is if you are strong enough to be saved. This woman is weak. Listen to her, she doesn't even want to be saved!"
Lux glared at the both of them, his voice filled with anger and disappointment as he retorted, "I'm surprised at the both of you. Handmaiden, you claim to support the Jedi and adhere to the Code, but you condemn anyone with even a hint of the dark side in them. I thought no one was beyond redemption, and what about how no one deserves execution, no matter what their crimes? It's not up to a Jedi to decide whether a person deserves to live or not. Considering a living being to be worthless so that killing them means nothing is a sure path to the dark side".
The Handmaiden looked stricken, her expression embarrassed and downcast as Lux turned to the smirking elf beside her. "And you Kallian, what if whoever redeemed you had considered you not worth saving? It's easy to dismiss others and tell ourselves that we are better, stronger, more deserving, but what if your savior had thought like you? See yourself in others, and maybe you won't be as quick to call them weak".
Kallian rolled her eyes, looking utterly unfazed by the criticism, but there was a twinge of doubt hidden beneath her outward indifference. She had fallen hard in the past, and it had taken Revan practically beating her to death before she realized how wrong she was. "Fine, do what you want. Just don't come crying to me when the Sith bitch stabs you in the back," she snapped as she walked away.
HK-47 was standing vigilant in the center of the main hold as usual with Mira facing away from him, a look of annoyance on her face. As she walked in, the bounty hunter called out, "If you don't do something about your droid, I'm going to have him melted down for scrap!"
"HK's not so bad...you just have to get used to him," she smiled, turning to the red-eyed machine.
"Or I could put a few blaster bolts in his head and shut him up for good. All that touchy-feely fawning is creepy, you know?" she continued, shooting the droid a dirty look.
Kallian was confused by the comment as HK was generally more known for murdering random people than fawning over them, but before she could contradict the woman, HK-47 interrupted. "Statement: Kallian! My servomotors were going haywire with worry over your safety. I am so glad that you have made it back to us in one piece!"
His voice sounded wrong, soft and comforting rather than arrogant and refined. She looked at him suspiciously before saying slowly, "HK, did something happen while I was away? Don't you want to eviscerate me or something?"
"Objection: How could you ever believe this peace-loving droid would ever harm a poor, defenseless meatbag! Such a horror would be unthinkable!" the droid responded swiftly, his voice filled with shock and hurt.
Kallian gaped at the droid before turning back to where Lux was still tending to the Sith intruder and snarling, "What did you bastards do to HK! I'll sodding kill you for this!"
"Query: Would it be possible to ascertain the problem with my personality chip that may be leading to your distress without resorting to physical assault and or murder?" HK said soothingly.
Kallian drew back from the droid, her expression horrified. "Don't come near me you...you imposter!"
"What seems to be the problem here?" Lux said dryly, now carrying the apparently unconscious Sith with the Handmaiden trailing behind. "Oh. I see you've discovered the improvements Bao-Dur made to your...friend".
"Improvements! You've killed him! This isn't HK...this is, I don't know what in the Force this thing is!" she yelled.
"Technically you can't kill a droid," Lux informed her, earning a murderous look in return. He backed off, holding up a hand in mock surrender before continuing, "Alright, I'll get Bao-Dur to fix him. He'll be good as new in no time".
"He better be, or I will show you the true power of the dark side," she said menacingly, the others wondering if she was joking or not.
Alistair could already hear the raised voices as they walked toward the great hall, and he inwardly cringed. It was difficult dealing with the nobles when Ferelden was not in imminent danger of being overrun by the armies of a faith it allegedly adhered to, but now he could hardly imagine how ugly the meeting would become. Elissa seemed to notice the tension within him as she smiled sheepishly and whispered, "Just pretend that everyone in the council is a darkspawn, and then maybe they will not be as frightening".
A smile tugged at the corners of Alistair's mouth as he fought to maintain his grim expression, but he quickly retorted, "Darkspawn are fairly obvious about their intent to kill you, but you never know with these sods. You might be right though. Have you seen Bryland's daughter? If there isn't a little darkspawn in that family, I don't know what to tell you".
"Might not want to mention that particular observation in the meeting," Elissa cautioned, grinning widely.
"I know how to turn on the charm when the situation calls for it," he said dismissively.
"With that kind of charm, I do not think the poor girl is the only one with a darkspawn ancestor," Leliana observed airily.
"Comes with being a Warden, I suppose," he shrugged.
"You know," Leliana began, "those in power actually fighting over their differences is refreshing in a way. In Orlais, raised voices are unseemly and a subtle insult is esteemed much higher than passionate rhetoric".
"I always thought Orlesians just agreed with what their enemies said and then sent assassins to silence them permanently," Elissa said darkly.
"That is true, but killing your opponent will never win you as much respect as making them look foolish," the Seeker responded, either unaware or purposely ignoring the sarcasm in the noblewoman's words. "I was involved in such things in my wilder days. There is a certain thrill to it, you know, getting close to your enemy so that you have him in the palm of your hand, never knowing that his life is to be ended at your whim".
Alistair and Elissa both stared at her, as Leliana seemed oblivious to their growing reservations about her. Alistair simply shook his head as he reached for the imposing, wooden doors, muttering, "Still crazy...not to mention terrifying".
As the carved doors opened, the sound of angry words rose from a faint echo to a bellow that filled the great hall. "What did your sister fight for Eamon if you are content to throw it away on the bastard son of a king who would have never even seen the throne if his betters had not perished defending this country?" Arl Wulff spat just as they entered the room, all eyes turning to them.
Apparently Eamon had managed to convince a good number of Ferelden's remaining nobles to journey to the capital with Teyrn Cousland, Arl Wulff, Bryland, Teagan, and a smattering of Banns both loyal and not. Conspicuously absent was Shianni, not that Alistair was particularly surprised that she had not been invited. Rather than look embarrassed at being caught insulting him, Arl Wulff held his gaze, a look of disdain apparent for all to see. Others seemed to share his disapproval, but they were less obvious about it, looking away and whispering to their fellows.
"Gallagher...we did not come here to exchange insults," Arl Bryland spoke carefully, flashing a look of warning at his fellow noble. "We came here to ensure that this country survives the coming days, and we will not accomplish that by sowing discord between us".
Arl Wulff glared at him but eventually nodded and sighed in assent, "Forgive me, Your Majesty. Things have been difficult as of late, and I have found it harder to keep my temper".
Elissa looked ready to cut the man's throat, but Alistair, used to the casual insults about his birth, intelligence, and leadership among other things, took the comment in stride. "We are all under a great deal of pressure, Arl Wulff. I understand".
He looked to the others in the room and recognized the Revered Mother, the scowling old woman flanked by a pair of faceless templars and another older woman wearing intricate red robes identifying her as a mage. She looked familiar, so he wracked his brain until a long-forgotten name emerged, his frown deepening as he knew she would have nothing good to say about him. "Wynne...I never expected to see you again," he said guardedly, wondering why she was here.
"Nor I, you," she responded in a tone like a disappointed parent. "I never expected the Grey Warden I followed through the tower would even defeat the blight...let alone become king. You have done well for yourself despite her influence, I see".
"And what are you here for? Don't tell me the Circle has become another abomination-filled deathtrap," he joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Senior Enchanter Wynne is here at the behest of the Chantry as one of the few who have seen the apostate known as Revan first hand. As for abominations, I believe the royal palace is more of a concern than the Circle...for the moment," the Revered Mother interrupted.
"Which is exactly why I have taken the liberty of calling this meeting, Alistair. The Revered Mother has no desire for hordes of chevaliers to fall upon our nation claiming to be serving the Chantry and enforcing the will of the Maker," Eamon explained in a tired voice, his face looking haggard. "But neither can Her Reverence simply overlook the presence of a known criminal and enemy of the Chantry being sheltered by the crown".
"Stop coddling the boy, Eamon. There is more at stake here than his affection for these maleficarum," Wulff interjected angrily.
"Gallagher, please...the importance of unity at the moment is too high..." Eamon cautioned before being cut off.
"To the void with your unity! The people do not care about appearances, they care that this country is being ably ruled, and most of us would agree that it is not!" he bellowed as many nobles nodded in assent. "This is not Orlais! The king is not an emperor who can demand our respect and continued support. The king receives his power from the nobles and the freeholders through consent, not through some idiotic notion of Maker given right!"
"You speak treason, Arl Wulff!" Elissa snarled. "It is only through the king's heroism that you still have an Arling to rule at all! You should be grateful, but instead you serve as the stooge for the traitors in the south!"
"What is left of my lands but blighted fields that will never produce crops ever again, burned out villages home to only bones and restful spirits, and that was before the Orlesians came to raze it for a second time!" he sneered. "Say what you will about Loghain...at least he loved this country to the end. We were ignored after the blight so that Denerim could be rebuilt, a city with no one left to live in it but a few elves!"
The southern Bannorn was in revolt...of course nothing could be done for the West Hills! Perhaps you should have remembered your duty to this nation and not made your bed with the Orlesians..." Elissa spat before Alistair placed a hand on her shoulder to quiet her down.
She glared at him but nodded as he began to speak, "Arl Wulff, you are right to be angry at how you and your kinsmen were treated after the blight ended. I failed to take adequate measures to provide relief in the chaos that followed, and for that I am sorry".
The man narrowed his eyes but nodded, saying in a gravelly tone, "We no more wanted the Orlesians invading our lands than a tyrant of a king ignoring our plight. Call a Landsmeet, and there we can discuss the ongoing problems still with us from the blight".
"A Landsmeet, is that really necessary?" Teagan asked. "Even if one is called, I doubt many of us even will make the effort to come. Many Banns have made their holdings into personal fiefdoms either with the support of the Orlesians or through neglect".
"The food shortage and the suffering of our people are not the only threats this nation faces," Bann Alfstanna interjected carefully. "The Revered Mother's concerns and other political issues need to be discussed more thoroughly".
"Even if the problem with this Revan is resolved right now, the Orlesians may still take the opportunity to launch another attack even without the backing of the Divine. The Chantry is all too caught up in the intrigue of the Empress' court for only one woman to be any obstacle to such a strategy. That is why we must stand together, now more than ever that we are facing renewed war," Fergus argued, looking at the contingent of recalcitrant nobles.
"It is easy for Highever and Redcliffe to speak of such things when they have unlimited access to the treasury and the ear of the king," Wulff grumbled.
"And what of the crimes of that maleficar knife ear, will the crown answer for the loss of our sons to her hand?" one noble spoke harshly as Alistair shot him a dangerous look.
"A word of advice," he growled, "I will accept all manner of slights and criticism toward myself, but I will not allow that slur to be spoken in my presence. You were saying?"
The noble looked quite taken aback, so much so that he could not immediately respond. Another man at his side with small, cold eyes was all too eager to voice his own complaint and said in a smooth voice, "Lord Braden should be forgiven for his outburst, Your Majesty. The loss of a son to your...mistress would harden any man's heart toward the elves. My own son died at her hands as well and Arl Urien's boy too...though he sadly is not with us to ask for justice".
"Lord Jonaley speaks the truth," Braden finally recovered. "We have mourned for their deaths, but they can never rest in peace until that knife...elf is punished for her crimes. And look at the brigands and thieves of the alienage, they were rewarded for the savage acts one of their number committed!"
"My own son was also cruelly tortured and murdered by that fiend," another noble spat, Alistair recognizing him as Bann Sighard. "I demand that justice be done".
Alistair vaguely remembered an arrogant boy by the name of Sighard being held in Howe's dungeon, but it certainly was not Kallian who was torturing him. He could not say that, however, as she had killed him, the corruption within her at the time demanding that all nobles be put to the sword. As for the other two, she might have killed them at some point during a battle or otherwise, but he remembered no time when she had outright murdered nobles outside the incident with Howe. The mention of Urien made him pause though, the vague words Kallian had spoken about the former Arl of Denerim, his son, and the incident that led to Duncan conscripting her rising to the forefront of his mind. She had never told him what really happened that day, her outburst in Andraste's temple the only thing of substance she had ever let slip, but he could work it out for himself what had happened that terrible day. He had no proof though, the perpetrators long dead and Kallian far away, so he could only voice suspicions.
"I am sorry for your loss, truly," he grimaced, trying to sound sincere. Somehow it came easy to him. "Unfortunately, Kallian is not here to defend herself from these accusations, so I can take no action".
"I just told you what happened! Our sons were murdered by that maleficar, and you dare to call us liars?" an angry Jonaley asked in disbelief.
"I do not doubt that you speak the truth, but since the accused is not present, we cannot get her side of the story. There might be circumstances that you are unaware of," Alistair said with an air of finality.
The incensed nobles did not take the hint though. "What does it matter what her story is. She is an elf! You would believe the word of an elf over the word of a noble?" Braden spat in an incredulous tone, the word elf rolling off his tongue like poison.
"She is an elf, but she is also the Arlessa of Amaranthine if you have forgotten. Even if she was not, however, the fact that she is an elf would in no way make her testimony carry any less worth than yours Lord Braden," he responded quickly, speaking the title with veiled disdain. "I have been reminded often in this exchange that we are not living in Orlais, and that is true. In Ferelden, power is granted to the nobles through the freeholders, not held by some all-powerful ruler and dispersed to those in favor. That means that the people's word is worth no less than any noble, despite any delusions of grandeur that they may be under".
Elissa smiled but before she could voice agreement, Arl Bryland interrupted, saying, "A fine speech, Your Majesty, but I am afraid I must concur with some of the concerns my peers hold with regard to your decision to make nobles of these...elves. I applaud your efforts to rectify the poor condition of the elves, and their inclusion in the nobility may do much to prevent the riots that have plagued our cities in the past, but...two elves holding two of the jewels of Ferelden is unacceptable".
Shouts of agreement went up around the gathering of nobles as Alistair grimaced, his eyes moving to an again hooded Leliana as she sighed in disgust. "Well, I see Shianni's not going to get any dinner party invitations from this lot," Alistair murmured to Elissa who responded with a hesitant smile. "I did find it a little odd that Shianni wasn't here when she lives an estate away. If you see her on the way out you might want to pull the knife out of her back. I thought Fereldans always looked their opponent in the eye during a fight".
"Alistair," Eamon said in that fatherly voice that made the king inwardly cringe, "The common folk are rightly skeptical when an elf is appointed to rule over them, something that the increased support from the elves cannot overcome. Denerim is more than our capital; it is a symbol of our power and strength. How can other nations, especially our enemies, ever take us seriously with, I'm sorry to put it so bluntly, an elf in such a high position".
"I am sure you came to the decision with the best of intentions, Your Majesty, but sometimes ruling entails putting your personal feelings aside. Sometimes you must put the wishes of the people above your own," Teyrn Fergus added.
"Alistair, I know you are very close to Shianni...like family even," Teagan began as Alistair looked at him with something like betrayal. "She can still hold a title, maybe something like Bann of the alienage, but the Arling of Denerim must be held by...a more traditional lord".
"More traditional," Alistair chuckled, his face red with anger. "We'll need to find someone who excels in rape and murder then. Shouldn't be too hard".
"So when you fail to get your way, you resort to slander?" Braden scoffed in a rude outburst.
"It is not 'you,' cretin," Elissa snarled, "refer to the king as His Majesty, or I will cut out that vile tongue!"
"Elissa, please. I think there's enough bad blood between us without actually drawing it," Alistair cautioned, but he could not hide his smirk.
"And what does the Lady Cousland think of all this, hmm?" Bryland asked.
As Alistair looked at her expectantly, Elissa knew she was in trouble. In all honesty, she had to admit that before it actually happened the idea of elves as nobles was humorous, something only a harmless crank would come up with. Her father had always ingrained upon her that it was a lord's duty to look after one's more vulnerable subjects, like a father would look after unruly children. Elves, being lazy, slow, and prone to crime, needed more looking after than most. At least, that was what she was raised to believe.
Being around elves, especially in Denerim, which was almost like the second coming of Arlathan, made those formerly perfectly reasonable beliefs seem a little silly. It made her uncomfortable when she caught herself condescending to an elf, like she was a bully. Kallian was different from the elves she had known before, as where they were clumsy and dull, she was cunning and fierce, like a wolf among sheep. It made sense that some elves would stand out from the vast majority, but the occasional anomaly did not make elves equal to humans, not by any measure. But if that were true, why did she feel so dirty admitting it? It was reasonable and most would agree that she was right, so why could she not say it?
She and Shianni had never been close, but she had been civil with her after going through an initial period of coldness. Shianni was like that around every human at first, her wide eyes always looking at them with suspicion and thinly veiled anger. She had never warmed up to Fergus nor to most of the others save Alistair, often being unbelievably rude even to the Chancellor. She had a tendency to alienate the other nobles without the added problem of her race, on one occasion scandalizing the court when an important official from Antiva attempted to kiss her hand, earning him a black eye and a sore jaw. She had nothing against her, but those who were bred for leadership should rule.
"I think," she began as she looked to Alistair and then away again. "I think that His Majesty's support of the elves has conferred a substantial benefit on this nation, and if it is his wish to continue with it...we should respect that decision". Lying did not make her feel as low as she thought it would. She rationalized her decision, repeating that it was her duty to support Alistair, and her own opinion was meaningless beside his own.
"Already the dutiful bride," Wulff said under his breath as Fergus gave her a look that could terrify darkspawn. "The issue of the Arling of Denerim can be left until the Landsmeet, but due to the absence of a certain undesirable apostate, Amarathine has no Arl. What of that city...do you intend to leave it leaderless forever, Your Majesty?"
"Amaranthine was left to the supervision of the Grey Wardens, Arl Wulff," Alistair reminded him.
"Yes, so good that you left our chief port in the hands of foreigners. A stroke of brilliance, I dare say," he mocked in return. "What of the Howes? Rendon's first son, Nathaniel I think his name was...I do not believe he fell in the war. Perhaps the city should return to its rightful claimant".
"The Warden Commander had the boy executed when he returned to Vigil's Keep, unfortunately," Eamon cut in gravely. "She thought it wise given the late Rendon Howe's past transgressions".
Alistair knew that the real reason was far more personal and not rational in the slightest. That worm Howe had murdered her father, and even if she had sworn off the dark side and rid herself of the corruption of vengeance, forgiveness was never easy to come by. The poor sod never had a chance even if he was innocent.
"Cutting off the head of the snake is not enough," Elissa sneered, glaring at Arl Wulff with hatred in her eyes. "The serpent must be made never to strike again".
"Elissa, there is no evidence that anyone beside Howe himself was involved in betraying our family," Fergus chided, his anger at Wulff held in check a tad better. "Do you really think Nate or Delilah were aware of his schemes? Why would he have sent him away otherwise? Would father really want you to keep holding that grudge?"
"Well maybe father could tell me himself if he had not been murdered by that lying snake," she growled.
"Lords and Ladies, I believe we have strayed too far from the topic that brought us here. Revan. I demand her immediate arrest and transfer into my guards' custody to answer for the crimes she stands accused of," the Revered Mother interrupted in an impatient tone.
"Your Reverence, you must understand that Revan is extremely dangerous. You will not be able to take her with a contingent of templars," Elissa argued.
"Or an army," Alistair added as the old woman shot daggers at them with her watery eyes.
"Even if concern for my safety was your real motive in preventing her capture," the old woman scowled, "fear of her blood magic does not excuse harboring this maleficar. One who aids a user of forbidden magic is just as guilty in the eyes of the Maker as the sinner herself!"
"Then I fear that we are an impasse then because even if I could give her to you, I wouldn't. I would never betray a companion even if...she is an evil witch," he resolved, earning shocked looks from the gallery.
"Your Majesty, I have tried to be reasonable, but this is madness," Arl Bryland scoffed.
"Has the blood mage already put you under her spell, boy? It's hardly surprising given your last choice of a lover," Wulff growled in disgust.
"Alistair, standing up for your convictions is all well and good, but this woman deserves none of your compassion," Eamon insisted. "She murdered my wife and Maker knows how many others".
"Do you wish for the Divine's armies to fall upon us all?" the old woman cried aghast.
"Maker save us," Fergus murmured, shaking his head violently.
"Revered Mother, if I may speak to this issue...I believe I can do much to assuage the concerns everyone has," Leliana spoke suddenly, bringing all attention to the hooded figure that had hovered quietly near Alistair for the duration of the exchange.
"I wondered when the silent sentinel would speak up, but I did not expect an...Orlesian," the Chancellor observed, "Might we have your name and your purpose here?"
"Wait, I recognize that voice," the Revered Mother gasped. "Sister Leliana, is that you. When you disappeared, I always assumed the worst".
"It is good to see you again, Your Reverence," Leliana said, revealing a smile as she pulled back her hood. "I heard of the destruction of Lothering...I am glad you escaped the darkspawn safely".
"You, a sister of the Chantry?" Wynne spoke incredulously. "You were a companion of the Warden and Revan. You did not even object when all those templars were slaughtered before your eyes!"
Leliana looked away, her face contorted in a pained expression. "Many terrible things happened during the blight, but the Maker still watched over us to the end. We must all seek our forgiveness from Him, but it is His place to condemn, not ours".
"I knew you wanted to join the Grey Wardens, Leliana, but you insisted that the Maker spoke to you. If that was true, why would He allow you to fight by the side of two rogue mages who spat in the face of everything we hold sacred?" the Revered Mother asked sadly. "Have you abandoned your faith completely?"
"The Divine asked me what I believed once, asked if my faith had been shaken from what I saw during the blight, but she believed in me enough to let me stand at her side," she said with fervor, the brown cloak falling back from the eye painted on her breastplate. "I am a Seeker of the Chantry and a defender of the Divine. My home is the Chantry, and I would not see it harmed".
"A Seeker, one of the Divine's enforcers? I thought that they were only sent to root out heresy within the Chantry itself or to bring recalcitrant leaders in line," Fergus spoke in surprise as crowd in the room tensed.
"How could the Divine already be aware of the incident with Revan to send one of her agents here?" Bryland asked as others shrugged.
"She is not aware. I came here to see Alistair and for no other purpose, but now that I know of this incident, I cannot just ignore it," Leliana explained. "I would ask you all to be patient and leave Revan alone for now. I will contact the Divine and reason with her. She is a woman of great faith and compassion and will not be so quick to levy war as her predecessor did".
"So you want us to leave the blood mage alone with our king and ignore her?" Eamon questioned sarcastically.
"Much of the Chantry's anger toward Kallian and Revan is targeted at their supposed use of blood magic. They are not mages; neither use magic as we understand it," Leliana said carefully, knowing how insane her words must sound. "In Revan's home...country, the people there believe in something called the Force, and as Alistair and I can attest, it is far different from any magic familiar to us".
Elissa looked like she wanted to dispute this but stayed silent as the Revered Mother asked, "Not mages? This is very difficult to accept as the truth, Leliana".
"Templar techniques are useless in suppressing their power, right? There's your proof," Alistair pointed out.
"Nevertheless, the murder of the Grand Cleric cannot simply be ignored. Mage or not, she must face justice," the old woman insisted.
"I think the dispensing of justice should be left in the Maker's hands, and besides, everyone deserves another chance," Leliana argued weakly.
"Revan's nation is said to be unbelievably powerful, and she is a person of some renown there. It would be folly to punish her and have a fleet of ships from far away waiting to invade in the name of retribution," Alistair lied.
"Well, I see you have begun to master the subtle art of politics," a voice said from behind him.
Alistair turned to the source and saw the slight figure of Revan walking slowly toward them, her unmasked face showing signs of irritation. Her gray eyes were bloodshot and watery, like she had been woken up from a deep sleep. She looked exactly the way he remembered save for her raven-black hair tied in an elaborate braid slung over her shoulder, and a still-healing cut on the bridge of her nose surrounded by discolored bruises under her eyes.
His eyes widened as she removed the silver weapon from her belt, both sides extending as she twisted and separated the two sabers. She tossed one side over his shoulder as he flinched, the unmistakable snap hiss of the blade activating sounding as it passed by. Several gasps were uttered as an electrical squeal filled the room, Alistair's eyes being drawn to the floating saber surrounded by lightning suddenly becoming buried in a dark figure's chest, sightless eyes of red glass flickering for a moment as the creature fell.
More red sabers activated around them as Revan caught one on her second weapon, the clashing red blades crackling as she pushed her attacker back, twisting its lightsaber around and severing both hands. She sent her saber through its midsection just as two more attackers converged on the snarling woman, their weapons blazing as she parried their strikes. She pulled the crackling energy blade above her head and blocked an attack aimed at her back and then ripped the screaming blade down, cutting down the opponent facing her even as it tried to raise its own weapon to mount a weak defense. Without hesitation, she reversed her grip on the saber and stabbed it behind her, the crimson blade burning through the infiltrator's gut. Lazily, she withdrew the weapon and spun, decapitating her attacker in one smooth stroke.
All gathered were standing with mouths agape at the unexpected carnage before them, the shining weapons and strange attackers taking them far out of their element. The black-garbed fighters seemed completely oblivious to their presence, focusing entirely on Revan as she cut them apart one after another. Only three remained, but the dark-clad figures seemed unconcerned with the loss of their comrades.
Revan's thrown lightsaber returned to her outstretched hand just as the trio lunged, the first being blown away by a blast of Force energy as she met the other two blade for blade. She wasted no time dispatching them, forcing one away with a brutal slash and holding the other in the air with a Force choke, her momentum spinning her around so that she bisected the floating creature, leaving a macabre ornament hanging in the air. Redoubling her attack, she batted her second opponent's saber away and stabbed both of her weapons into its chest, burning away organs as its black robes burst into flames.
She deactivated both weapons as the smoking body collapsed on the floor, her quick steps taking her to the stirring infiltrator she had sent careening into a wall. Her hand curled into a claw as she lifted the broken body off the ground, choking the remaining life out of it as her mouth curled into a manic grin. Revan removed the mask after the Force vanished from the lifeless corpse, her eyes narrowing as she looked upon the ruined face of the assassin. Alistair saw the look of revulsion on her face as she studied her attacker, but she blocked the corpse's features from view.
"As I thought," she sighed, still suspending the body in the air.
"Care to enlighten us?" Alistair asked, still a little shaken.
"Take a look," she said glibly, tossing the body into their midst.
He could see now why she had carried such a revolted expression when looking at this thing, and by the gasps and nauseated looks, he was not alone. The creature had gray skin festering with sores, the flesh cracked almost like it had been mummified. Its nose and ears were cut off, making the face look like a skull. From the sunken sockets over which its eyelids were stitched together, the creature obviously had its eyes removed, and the mouth was similarly sewn shut. Small horns stuck out from its bald head, scars covering every inch of its shredded flesh. "What is this thing...it looks almost like a darkspawn emissary," he asked in a horrified voice.
"A Sith assassin from the looks of it," Revan shrugged as she approached.
"Why does it look like that? Is this the extent of the corruption from the dark side you told us about?" Alistair asked.
"No. I told you, did I not, that the Force grants the user the power to see the universe as it truly is. Explaining it, as I have often said before, is like trying to teach the blind about color. These fools," she continued, looking at the body with disdain, "gave up all their senses in order to focus completely on the Force all living things carry within. They are unrivaled at tracking as they crave and gain strength from the Force sensitives they hunt. It is a sad, wasted existence where one is only a tool for a power far greater".
Alistair saw one of the nobles pick up a lightsaber and moved to stop him, but Revan was quicker, "Children should not handle dangerous things," she said sweetly, pulling the weapon away from him and striking it with a burst of lightning. She placed one hand above her head and unleashed several bolts, each aimed at one of the fallen lightsabers, the weapons sparking as the electricity fried their circuits.
"What is a Sith...what is going on?" Elissa cried out, the strange warriors wielding swords made of light deeply unnerving her.
"I believe Leliana was doing her best to inform you about the general details," Revan said, nodding at the red-haired woman. "My nation, the Republic, has forever been at war with one Empire of the Sith or another. These are the soldiers that make up their army".
"So your presence has brought a whole other army to our doorstep...perfect," Eamon sighed.
"They care nothing for your tiny plot of land. They are probably only here because they sensed a great presence in the Force, namely myself," she said airily before swaying and almost collapsing into Alistair's arms. "Fierfek, I think I reopened that wound". She placed an armored forearm to the melted gash in her armor, the beskar plate slick with blood when she brought it to her eyes.
"Maker, you're bleeding everywhere. Wynne!" he called out, looking to the frowning mage for aid.
Revan waved him away with a hiss, her eyes flashing yellow. "I need no help from the likes of you!" she snarled. "Ignoring the...distraction, I wanted to inform you that I would be leaving shortly, and seeing how much of the gnashing of teeth was on my account, I'm sure you will be pleased".
Alistair glanced briefly around the room, noticing the wary looks from most of the gathering present. Even after spending so much time with her, the way Revan's mood could violently shift from wrathful to sickly sweet still was disconcerting. He could only wonder what everyone else thought of her. "You're leaving? You told me your ship was destroyed, and you would stay here until your people came for you," he blurted out as Revan gave him a wry look, the scar on her cheek stretching as she grinned deviously.
"I lied," she said airily. "There is some power in the north that is calling out to me. It would be rude to simply ignore it".
"Could you be any more cryptic?" he asked sardonically.
"Why yes, I could have simply vanished into the night, but I would not want you worrying over me," she said with a brilliant smile. "I will not be going far, and I will return before you could even start missing me".
"Planning a long journey then?" Alistair continued in the same mocking tone.
"Wait! You still have not explained all this. We need answers!" Elissa exclaimed, several nobles grumbling in agreement.
"How can you ever expect to learn anything if all the answers are given to you?" Revan responded sweetly before calmly walking away. "And I need a new cloak. Black, preferably". As Elissa sputtered, Alistair could only shake his head.
The loud thump of an armored body impacting the cold, steel floor reverberated around the high-ceilinged observation deck, the steady thrum of a lightsaber continuing long after the sound faded. A cloaked figure stood above the cooling body, brown robes so dark that they were indistinguishable from black shifting as the figure lowered the weapon to its side, a red glow reflecting off a borrowed mask. The figure was armored, the plates resembling that of what the Mandalorians wore but perverted and stripped of everything that identified one of the warrior people with family and clan. No sound but that of a lightsaber filled the empty room, the silent figure waiting for a reaction from the one who stood before it.
Mandalore the Ultimate towered over the slight figure, blood-red cape concealing a massive frame covered by impenetrable armor and circuitry. A golden mask covered his features, the legacy of previous Mandalores etched into the ancient metal, the T-shaped visor bearing a reflection of the dark figure that stood before him. In one hand he hefted a beskar sword the length of his opponent and broad like the claymores still used on primitive worlds throughout the galaxy.
Neither of the fighters said anything, their battle beginning with an unspoken word between the two, a blade of pure energy clashing against an unyielding metal that legend told was indestructible. So they danced as a grand battle raged outside the viewscreen, millions dying as the Mandalorians launched their crippled ships into the armada of the Republic in a series of suicide runs, the warrior race still believing that their resolve could crush that of the weak Republic. But the ships of the Republic did not yield, more filling the gaps left behind as burning wrecks sank to the lightning-filled atmosphere of Malachor.
As hundreds of thousands of starfighters darted between each other in a frenzied swarm, laser cannons filling the darkness of space with flashes of red and green, the two combatants engaged in a more elegant dance. Each blow was measured, each swing calculated, each parry designed to bestow an advantage to the defending party. Their battle seemed to go on forever, neither fighter even coming close to grazing the other as the furious combat continued.
The dark figure was not one to take pleasure in the thrill of combat, however, as a terrible power gathered around its fingertips. Sensing the danger, the Mandalorian leader attempted one last, futile attack before he felt the power rip his body apart from the inside. He staggered, his life forfeit but his will still refusing to be overcome. He charged clumsily, broken bones and torn muscles grinding together as he leveled the massive blade toward the chest of his enemy, his opponent seemingly struck dumb by the unexpected display.
As he lunged, space exploded, the world of Malachor cracking apart as countless ships were crushed into its surface, the vast fleets of the Republic and the Mandalorians disappearing into the singularity. Billions of lives ended in an instant, an agonized scream sundering the Force as a world died. Mandalore's sword stopped only an inch from the cold armor of his opponent, its masked face turned to the horror outside one of the few ships remaining to the Mandalorians. The dark figure stayed motionless even as the sword stopped, its attention focused on something far more important.
"It is beautiful, is it not?" the figure spoke mockingly, the feminine voice cold and mechanical.
She turned to the dying warrior before her, waiting for one last meaningless taunt before he joined the rest of his worthless brethren in death. She smiled behind her mask, long years of fighting and suffering finally reaching a glorious crescendo.
The light of Malachor's end reflected off his mask as he turned to her, the motion slow and pained. She looked into the black visor, the glow looking like flames licking at the edges of his mask. He spoke slowly, deliberately, his voice holding no fear and, to his opponent's surprise, something that almost seemed like joy and awe. "More beautiful than you can know, Revan," the broken warrior spoke, his gaze never leaving hers even as the spark of life vanished from his shattered body.
Kallian's eyes snapped open, the image of fire reflecting off a glass visor slowly fading from her mind. Her head throbbed, the shrill scream made up of millions of voices still filling her ears. She tore at her hair, her teeth grinding together as she waited for the agony to pass. The pain gradually ebbed away, but the scene of chaos remained etched in her mind.
"Bad dreams?" a playful voice spoke up. Kallian ignored the annoying man for a few moments, testing her reaction to see if she was well enough to sit up. When she did not immediately feel a wave of nausea twist her insides, she looked up at the warm eyes of the man, seeing the concern hidden behind that goofy grin. It was not so much concern for her current well being, she saw, but more directed at a more insidious cancer that he thought he saw within.
"Don't you know how to knock?" she growled, looking away and grimacing. "And anyway, I thought I said I needed to sleep without anyone bothering me".
"You might have said something like that, but the way you felt in the Force, I figured you'd be up in a bit," he shrugged.
"So you like to watch unsuspecting people sleeping? Now there's an admirable trait," she said sarcastically as she spun her legs off the cot. "How's the Sith bitch doing? Get any useful information out of her?"
"She's sleeping for the moment. Her body was at the limit...I'm surprised she could even fight in her condition," he answered, a worried look coming over his face.
"What, you call that fighting?" she scoffed. "I call it suicide by lightsaber. If you weren't such a softy, we wouldn't have the problem of dealing with her now".
"If you want to look at her presence as a problem, so be it, but this is a real chance to save someone, to redeem them. Don't you think you should return the favor?" he asked her.
"I don't owe anyone anything," she sneered back at him.
"Kallian, I don't know why you find it necessary to put up this harsh front. I...hell pretty much everybody on this ship can feel the Force and can see right through it. You're not fooling anyone," he stated confidently, crossing his arms and adopting a self-satisfied smirk.
"Maybe your feelings deceive you, or maybe your arrogance blinds you, I don't know, but this is how I am. Keep your illusions if you want...it's none of my concern," she said dismissively.
"But you are my concern," he said, taking a seat across from her and letting her know that he was not going away. "If I'm misunderstanding something, set me straight. Tell me more about you".
"Why would I do that? We're not master and apprentice or friends or anything close to it," she responded quickly in a condescending tone. "And why should I be the only person regaling you with the epic tale of my life? Why don't you tell me all about you?"
"Well...what do you want to know?" he asked, a little uncomfortable but willing to go along with her avoiding of the issue.
"Absolutely nothing," she deadpanned. "What? You expected that I'd fall for your obvious ploy, so you could segue into interrogating me? Not going to happen".
She looked smug at his surprise, reveling in her minor victory over the man, but he quickly recovered. "I must admit you have truly outsmarted me this time. I wonder what it's like to be gifted with such wit and cunning in addition to your otherworldly beauty," he spoke with a sheepish grin.
"Really? Flattery? That's the best you can come up with?" she shook her head.
He smiled as he studied her expression, the wry glare she wore both parts irritated and joking. "You know, I heard about how you saved that girl in the refugee quarter. I was a little surprised after all the complaining you did about wasting time with the wretched refuse of Nar Shaddaa, but when I thought about it, it was so like you to intervene. You're fiery but insecure, and you do not like other people looking at you as weak. But being weak does not mean giving your life to serve others and being strong does not mean persecuting those you consider to be beneath you".
"You think you have everything figured out. You're so wise and know others better than they know themselves," she sneered, her blue eyes freezing cold. "I helped that girl because those bastards attacking her needed taught a lesson. Those brutes think they're strong because they can gang up on someone, but gather a bunch of weak fools together and you still have only weak fools. It's about what's fair, not about being some sodding hero! That girl didn't have a chance to become strong and protect herself. I gave her my blaster and gave her that chance. I don't want to help the weak and useless improve their sorry lot, I only want those who've been trampled by bullies their whole lives to have the opportunity to fight back!"
Kallian was yelling by the end of her rant, her face red and her eyes filled with fury. Lux looked at her closely as she remembered to breathe, her chest heaving as she cooled down. "There is so much anger in you. Your presence is like an exploding star in the Force...no wonder Revan was so intrigued by you," he said carefully. "But I worry where all that rage could lead you. You killed all those thugs with the Force, using a death field of all things! You have no idea how corruptive the power to drain life is...the essence of those you kill eat away at the Force inside you, destroying everything you once were. Only the most terrible of the Sith employed such heinous techniques, and it only led them to ruin".
"What's the difference? Either I kill them with a blast of lightning or cut their heads off with a lightsaber. They're dead either way," Kallian argued.
"The Force should never be used for destruction. Maybe Revan told you different, some nonsense about straddling the line between dark and light, but no one flirts with the darkness and comes out unscathed. The dark side grants you power, but it's a trap, a lure to make you its pawn," he said darkly, impressing upon her the importance of what he was saying. "I've seen great Jedi Knights fall, comrades turn on each other, heroes betray everything they've fought for all because they thought they were stronger than those who came before, that they would be able to command the dark side. Revan was no different. She thought she was stronger than Exar Kun and others like him, but she was humbled, and the Republic burned for her unchecked ego".
"It's just a tool, a convenient weapon. Force lightning kills just like a blaster would, with a burst of energy. There's no difference," she grumbled.
"Offensive Force powers are fueled by strong emotions: anger, hate, fear," he explained. "If you keep using them, you'll find that you always need a bit more power, forcing you to tap into the negative emotions that the dark side feeds on. It's inevitable...you gain more power but become a slave to the insidious will of the dark side. In the end, no matter how strong you become, you'll still be weaker than when you started as the Force will command you, not the other way around".
She stayed silent, thinking about what he said and thinking back to Revan's advice. The two philosophies were largely the same, both focused on mastering oneself and not letting the force dominate oneself. The means were far different though, as Revan taught her to control the dark power while Lux wanted her to avoid it all together. While she was thinking, Lux, sensing a breakthrough, continued his impassioned plea, "Kallian, I can teach you the ways of the Force, but to do that, I need to know what happened to you to give rise to all your rage. Help me understand. You have so much potential...please don't limit yourself".
She looked at him, avoided his intense gaze, sighed, and then finally met his eyes, "The humans on my world treat elves like we're rotting garbage on the street. Kill one, doesn't matter, he was probably a thief anyway. You're doing society a favor. Rape one, you're a hero doing your part to breed us out of existence. If you're lucky, she'll die in childbirth, so they'll be less knife ears packing the slums in the future," she said slowly and emotionlessly. "I grew up in a tiny alienage surrounded by high walls to keep us corralled like animals. The noble who ruled the city treated the alienage like his personal whorehouse, and the guards were all too willing to join in the fun. On my wedding day, it was my turn. He took me, my cousin Shianni, and some other girls to his estate for their entertainment. The guards killed one before my other cousin Soris helped me escape. She was praying to the Maker the whole time, but it didn't save her. We found my betrothed with his throat slashed after that, still alive and choking on his own blood. I could have healed him if I knew how to use the Force then, but instead he bled to death. I can't think of a worse way to die...still conscious but knowing that with every beat of your heart gets you closer to death".
She paused for a moment, reading the expression on Lux's face. He did not look shocked or sickened, but grim and uncomfortable, like he had seen things just as terrible but did not know how to respond to someone who had lived them. She continued in a matter of fact way, saying, "By the time we found Shianni, the bastard had already raped her. Her face was red and swelling from all the times they had hit her. They thought they were strong, three of them beating a girl half their size. That was the first time I felt the Force, when I butchered them. Soris said my eyes were yellow afterward...he was scared of me".
"Did it make you feel better, to kill them?" Lux asked softly.
"More than you could imagine...but it wasn't enough. I wanted to murder every noble after it happened. I wanted to torture every shem and make them experience what we lived through every day. I wanted revenge for a lifetime of being hungry, cold, and kicked around. I wanted them all to suffer like I had, like Shianni had," she seethed, remembering the murderous thoughts she held after being recruited by Duncan.
"But you didn't fall then...that came after, right?" he asked, snapping her back into reality.
"Yeah, I was recruited into a group tasked with fighting a certain old enemy, but that isn't really important. While I was with them I met Revan, and she started teaching me how to use the Force. There was a shem...a human traveling with me, Alistair...he was sincere, kind, trustworthy, and unlike any human I ever met. We fell in love even though it was insane for me to be with a human, but I didn't care about that," she recalled, smiling at the memories of goofy Alistair. "Alistair was the illegitimate child of the former king, and I thought that if I could make him king, things might be better for the elves. He was so good hearted...he didn't even want to rule, and I knew things would change if he secured the crown".
"Things didn't change, did they?" Lux asked, already knowing the answer. Shattered expectations and the passion of love were common precursors to a fall.
She surprised him when she answered in the negative. "No, they did," she said. "Not as well as I'd hoped, but probably better than I should have expected. But that's not important to what you want to know. To get at me, one of my enemies captured and tortured my father. I killed him of course...slowly, but it was too late for...my father. I lost it after that; when I heard that elves had sold out my father for coin I wanted to burn the alienage and kill everyone inside. It wasn't just humans anymore; I wanted revenge on the world for taking everything away from me. When Alistair tried to stop me from executing some elves, I hurt him badly. I told him that I never loved him, and that I could never love a human before I practically cut him in half. Then me and Revan dueled, and I got stabbed with a lightsaber. Fun times".
"You wouldn't be the first that challenged your master to a duel in the midst of a fall. It's kind of a Jedi tradition, dubious as it is," Lux joked, trying to lighten the mood. "I assume this Alistair survived though".
"When I saw him lying there covered in blood, I knew that I had failed at everything I tried to accomplish. I was so weak and stupid...I didn't even put up a fight against the darkness," she observed in a serious tone. "I was myself again, and he even found it in his heart to forgive me and still love me".
"Thank you for telling me. I'm sure it wasn't easy to just..." he trailed off. "Sorry, you know, for how I've acted toward you..."
"For all the shameless flirting? Relax, all you humans out here are like aliens anyway. It's hard to think of you like the shems on my world," she said dismissively. "And don't go treating me like I'm a delicate flower or something. I'm stronger than that. By the way, don't say anything to anyone about this unless you want to experience Force lightning first hand".
"Don't worry, I won't let anything slip...but if the unthinkable might happen, if you would be so kind as to not use the Force to kill me, I'd be grateful," he said in that smooth voice so annoying to Kallian.
"You know, I was so afraid to use the Force after it happened. It wasn't like I was a prisoner in my own body, unable to do anything while the dark side made me commit unspeakable acts. I liked it; I wanted to be consumed by the darkness," she whispered fearfully. "And it's happening again...I can feel it. I can't control myself, and I'm so afraid that I'll lose myself again".
"A Jedi must be constantly vigilant to guard against the dark side. For some of us, it's a lifelong struggle to master ourselves. That vision you just had, do you remember the flash of light that destroyed the fleets of both the Republic and the Mandalorians?" he asked, his voice becoming ragged, like it was hard for him to say the words.
"You know about that dream? What are you spying on my thoughts now?" she spat, a revolted look on her face.
"The Force draws those strong in it together and weaves connections between them. You saw a tragedy without equal, and those close to you could feel your anguish. Even the Handmaiden and Mira, who have little to no training, felt the waves of agony even if it was only a feeling of disquiet to them," he explained.
"What does this have to do with the dark side and how I might fall again?" she asked suspiciously.
"Every Jedi who was at Malachor either perished or fell to the dark side at that moment you saw...save one," he spoke darkly. "That one committed an unforgivable sin, a transgression against the Force itself. Revan and Malak were already on the dark path, but sometimes I can't help but think that I sent them over the edge".
Kallian looked at him and in that moment he looked crazed, manic even. She wondered what he could have done to motivate such self-hatred that suicide would be too good for him. "The Republic had a superweapon...a Mass Shadow Generator. When a ship travels through hyperspace, the navigator has to be careful not to plot a course through solid bodies like a planet or a sun because they leave shadows in hyperspace that will destroy any ship that flies into them. This weapon created a similar effect, drawing all the ships in orbit above Malachor V and crushing them into its surface, cracking the planet apart in the process. I ordered the weapon used, not Revan. They call her a monster, a betrayer and murderer. In the end she defeated Malak, saved the Republic, became the Prodigal Knight. I sent my friends and allies to their deaths, millions of them".
Kallian looked at him with contempt, her voice filled with anger as she spat, "You're nothing but a hypocrite. How can you ever teach me, teach anyone, to follow the light when you...you are the living embodiment of the dark side? All that's in you is murder and betrayal and fear and hatred!"
"It's true, but you are a far better person than I am, Kallian. You made mistakes, but your intentions have always been good. You wanted to help your people, and your anger at the discrimination you and others had to endure would be justified for anyone without the Force...but we don't have the luxury of being selfish," he told her. "The Force grants us the power to protect those we care about but also the power to destroy them. I wanted to punish the Mandalorians for their crimes in the Outer Rim, but I was proud and ignorant...I failed. You can be a better Jedi than I was. You, the Handmaiden, Mira, and others we haven't found yet...you can rebuild the Order. You haven't spent your life hiding from reality in a gilded temple, unaware of the galaxy's suffering, so maybe you can reclaim the Jedi's mantle of guardians of peace and justice, defenders of the weak and downtrodden so that it's not just a meaningless truism".
"Stop projecting your own desires on me! I don't believe in becoming a tool to protect the useless or dedicating my life to serving others. When this is all over, I will return to my planet and go about my own business. I won't be a pawn of the Jedi," she growled, her icy eyes staring into his.
"It is your destiny," he said softly.
"Only fools believe in destiny," she sneered. "I'll let you teach me, but it will be for me and no one else. I will gain power for my sake, so I can protect those I love, not to help this messed up galaxy".
Lux merely nodded, his brown eyes unreadable as he remained focused on Kallian's icy orbs for a long moment. When he finally left, Kallian fell back onto the cot with a sigh. She unhooked her lightsaber, holding the silver tube above her as she examined the stark metal of the weapon. Revan had said that this was not her lightsaber; it was the weapon that had slain Malak, wielded by a brainwashed slave of the Jedi Council. But it was also the weapon of a hero, the savior of the Republic. Though not through her own intention, Revan's will had been carried out with this blade, the hopes she had carried when setting off for war finally fulfilled. Kallian brooded on the appearance of the hilt, wondering whether Revan was happier when she held this blade than she was now, wherever she was.
A/N: Sorry for another long delay. I know where I want to go with this, but it seems to be hard getting there. I said Dxun would be up next, but I got wrapped up in finishing off Nar Shaddaa finally. Thanks to all who read. Thanks to Gogolu, Bugsquirt, and MrEmperor for the reviews and to BlackWarth for the review of my previous story. I'm glad you like Revan's characterization. I think I enjoy writing her the most. Bugsquirt, I can see where you are coming from with regard to DA2. I liked the game, but there were way to many flaws that kind of made it seem rushed especially the reused environments. As for everything being gray, I think they are trying to get away from the black/white morality systems of Kotor, Jade Empire, and such and go with more of a Witcher no one is truly good or evil kind of world. What especially made me mad was the way every mage you met was insane, like Bioware anticipated that most people would automatically side with the mages as the persecuted, downtrodden group, so they decided to punish you for it. The ending was also poorly done, as your choices were completely meaningless. I was fine with the way they changed previously written characters, especially Anders-he always seemed to be an Alistair clone to me, and as for making them open for all orientations, I think it is a good thing that game content is equal whether you are gay or straight. Maybe it would have been better if they created new characters rather than recycling old ones. MrEmperor, I think the best part of crossovers is seeing how the characters from different worlds react to each other and the new place they are in. That is why I love to read them.
