It is all that is left unsaid upon which tragedies are built. – Kreia
The journey from the Temple to Kashyyyk was an interesting time for Revan. Despite the repeated vows of poverty and renouncement of material wealth, as a Master of the Jedi Order Zhar was entitled to one of the finer small transports the Republic Military had to offer for the mission. What the ship had in speed and maneuverability, however, it sacrificed in space. The ship had been built to comfortably accommodate four, but due to Malak's impressive size it seemed to have barely enough room to hold the three of them.
Essentially, unless she was prepared to lock herself in the tiny fresher for the entirety of the voyage, avoiding any of her fellow passengers was simply impossible. This had its benefits as well as its draw backs. While it was true she and Malak were forced into contact with each other for nearly every waking moment, Zhar was also a constant presence between them. With the serene Master around, both Padawans were incapable of uttering any kind of offensive or backhanded insults, and any non-Jedi sanctioned activities that Revan may have otherwise indulged in were forgotten during the closely supervised trip. Relative days and nights, as there was no true time in space, were spent only in peaceful meditation and thought provoking discussion between the Masters and his Padawan's.
Despite her misgivings, Revan found the time around Malak tolerable, if nothing else. When kept focused and on target by the Master, the discussion between the two Padawan's on issues ranging from the Code, to the relations between the Republic and the Jedi, to the advantageous of various lightsaber techniques, were not only civil, but lively. Both had the sharp mind and wit that, in addition to superior Force or fighting ability, set them apart from their fellow students. When their personal differences were forced aside by the Master, their debates were nothing short of enlightening.
Like all good things, however, Revan had no doubt the heavily enforced truce between the two of them was bound to end eventually. Having landed on the surface of Kashyyyk nearly an hour ago, the Padawans waited by one of the largest worshyr trees in that particular area of the swamp covered Shadowlands while Master Zhar scouted ahead. Having grown bored of gazing into the abyss like fog that covered the ground after only a few minutes, and with no real grasp of what they were supposed to be searching for, Revan had quickly sought other ways to amuse herself. Shortly after Zhar's departure she had cheerfully climbed up the trunk of the tree, and was currently testing her balance by walking along its lower branches and draped, sagging vines. Even at the lowest level, she still towered dozens of feet above the pacing Malak who, in typical boring fashion, stood at the base of the trunk, glaring up at the girl.
"Revan, come down from there."
Sticking her tongue out at the boy below, Revan placed her hands on the branch before her and, lifting her feet off the tree, proceeded to continue forward hand-walking.
"I mean it. I know how this works. You're going to fall, and I'm going to be the one punished for it."
A shot like lightening went through her spine at that statement, and Revan's right hand slipped off the branch, the rest of her body following rapidly after it.
For an instant, she could see nothing but dark gray fog around her; hear nothing but the ragged drags of her own breath. The sharp smell of blood and metal, sizzling flesh and burnt clothing did not make sense to her. And faintly, as if from a distance, words that more floated through her brain than were actually heard formed.
If you had not led me down the dark path in the first place, what destiny would I have found?
Without conscious thought, her other hand shot out, grasping the nearest vine. Revan swung down from the tree, landing gracefully on one of the projected roots below. She whipped her head around viciously, eyes wide. Everywhere, the Shadowlands remained. The thick wall of fog that had clouded her vision was replaced by the light mist and wild landscape, the thick perfume of rotting wood and blossoming flowers existed where only an instant before the stenches of battle had been. Still over ten feet above Malak's head from her position, Revan covered her face with one hand before he could see her wild-eyed expression.
What was that?!
Her mind raced, trying to think of anything she had felt before remotely like the sensation that had just coursed through her. It was if for an instant she hadn't been entirely on Kashyyyk, she was also somewhere else, some time other than the current one. She had heard the expression of feeling like someone was walking over your grave, but never before had she experienced it.
Something touched her shoulder and she jerked forward instinctively. Rolling along the root, she came up quickly several feet away, drawing both her long and short vibroblades as she turned to face the threat.
Malak stood before her, one hand still raised to where it had rested on her shoulder, a perfect mixture of confusion and annoyance covering his face. She turned away from him with a shaky breath, tucking her blades back into their sheaths. Wrapping her arms tightly around her chest, she closed her eyes, fighting to gain control of her frantically pounding heart and racing mind.
What was that?
"Revan…are you alright?"
"Revan?"
"Revan."
"Nymada!"
She jumped at hearing her first name, clutching her arms more tightly around her.
"What?"
"Are you alright?"
"Yes. I mean...maybe. I don't know…I…I think…"
She heard him take a deliberately noisy step closer to her. Like she was some kind of wild animal, he was trying not to make any sudden movements. She didn't know whether to be insulted by the comparison, or relieved she wouldn't have to find out how apt it was if he snuck up on her again.
"Yes?"
"I think I…" she turned her head slightly, enough so he could see the side of her face, while her gaze remained locked on the Shadowlands before her. "I think I may have remembered something that didn't happen."
"Like a vision?"
"No. I…I don't know. I was…" she rubbed her face with one hand, "I've had…flare ups before, dreams, but nothing like…I don't know."
"Does this happen often?" The wary skepticism lacing his voice was not overly welcome at that exact moment. She released a frustrated sigh, spinning on her heel to face him fully, her arms still wrapped securely around her torso.
"No, Malak, if it did, do you think I'd be freaking out for your amusement?"
"Trust me, dealing with psychotic women is hardly my definition of fun."
"I am not crazy!"
"Alright, alight! Whatever you say."
She snapped her upper body away from him instantly, scowling into the swamp. Of all the people in the Galaxy, her visions had to start intensifying in front of him. Something was nagging at the back of her mind, something important, but try as she might she couldn't grasp it. Each blink brought a flash of deep gray mist, shoving whatever meaning may be trying to surface further away. A pounding was starting in her brain and her eyes flickered around wildly, trying to find something, anything, other than the pain to concentrate on. Malak moved closer again, a blur in the corner of her eye.
"And where the bloah do you get off calling me by my first name, huh?"
"What?"
"My name, my first, detested name. Who the frack do you think you are to be calling me that?!"
"You are insane. I don't know what I was thinking, trying to act in some kind of civilized sentient manner when dealing with you."
"Well, Sarevok, since we're all so close here, I have no idea what you were thinking either!"
The insult made no sense, even to her. She just needed the distraction from the pulsing occurring behind her eyes. The act of arguing with Malak was familiar to the point of being automatic. A little more attention to the activity would have resulted in far more sensible replies, but for now it would do.
He shook his head in agitation, taking another step closer with his mouth opening to reply. Revan took a deep breath, mentally begging him to simply carry on the argument, for something, anything to stop the throb. He paused, however, his head tilting to the side as he focused on something on the ground beyond her. He muttered a curse and drew out his single vibroblade.
"Crazy time's going to have to wait for now. We've got trouble."
Turning to find the source of Malak's distress, Revan's eye quickly widened as well. A pack of katarn charged towards the tree, the first of them already preparing to leap from the ground onto the base of the root they stood upon. The pounding in her head raced downwards, he heart now thundering in her chest at approaching creatures.
Be careful what you ask for.
Malak grabbed her arm, wrenching her to the side and adopting a defensive pose in front of her. His free hand shot out, sending the lone katarn into a wild spin in the air before it had a chance to land on the root.
"Oh, we're in trouble."
From her new angle of observation, Revan could see another part of the pack coming up from the side and, she was fairly certain, another batch would be charging from their other side if she cared to look. Looking around desperately, her eyes settled upon a nearly twenty foot rotted branch several yards from the pair. Raising one arm into the air, Revan felt the familiar flood of energy pour into her as she called upon the Force. The branch snapped in half once it reached a yard above the ground, and her second hand flew forward, catching the tumbling piece before it reached the ground. Swinging her left arm in a powerful arc, the first half sailed through the air and plowed into the pack charging from the right side of the root. The creatures yelped in pain as several of them were driven to the ground, and a second wave of cries was pulled from the remaining katarn as the other half of the branch followed quickly after.
Several of them were already shaking off the impact as she turned back to Malak. Three katarn spun in the air a few feet before him and another splattered blood across this robe as his blade drove through it in mid-air. He swung his blade quickly to the side, sending the mortally wounded creature flying into the Shadowlands, instantly returning the weapon to a defensive position before him. Revan raised her hand once more, shoving one of the next two charging creatures back to the ground, and quickly catching it with the Force once more before it had time to hit the dirt, throwing the creature with all her might against a near by tree. The second spray of blood caused by Malak's blade splattered on her face and robe as the creature managed to climb closer than any of its pack mates before his sword hit home.
"We can't hold this!" The words had come out as a yell, but the growls and screams from the attacking animals nearly drowned her voice. She held up both hands, freezing the two nearest creatures as she met Malak's eyes. Understanding passed between them, and without another word they turned as one to the tree. Launching themselves forward with the Force, the two climbed the massive tree, leaping from branch to branch, turning back only to shove or freeze their pursuers with the Force.
Revan paused when she heard Malak growl with pain. A few branches behind her, Malak clung to the trunk of the tree with one hand, his other viciously swinging a blade at the katarn latched onto his calf. A second katarn quickly joined the first, pouncing upwards to bite deeply into his weapon bearing arm. The sudden imbalance of weight shifted his body forward, his tenuous stance ruined as he tumbled off the branch back towards the ground below.
Revan reached after him with the Force, slowing his rapid decent until he landed on branch only a few dozen feet about the ground. Her attention to the other Padawan was cut short as one of the creatures charged at her, only to impale itself on the short blade she quickly braced before her. Sneering at the few katarn snapping at her from their position on the trunk, Revan shoved herself off the branch. Tucking her arms tightly against her body, Revan fell past the advancing animals, and landed in a crouch next to the bloodied Malak. Snapping the blades up before her, she regarded the advancing pack of creatures, many still climbing up the trunk towards them, several leaping off higher branches to land near them or be shoved off course by the Force and crash to the ground below.
Malak had made quick work of his two attackers once he had landed, and was already putting his blade into action, dispensing whichever katarn managed to land near them. Revan tucked her blades away, trusting her companion to deal with any animal close enough to be struck by his sword. She released a deep breath, centering herself as she called upon all her remaining reserves of energy to shape the Force around her. Ignoring the weariness starting to creep into her limbs, she shot her hands forward, lifting, shoving, freezing, throwing, and twirling as many katarn as she could, as quickly as she could.
They kept coming. One managed to leap upon Malak, sinking its teeth into his shoulder before she managed to shove it away from him, another landed only a foot from her, knocking her to her side as it landed a swipe to her right leg. A shower of blood fell on her as Malak swiftly removed its head, the lifeless body slumping to the side and tumbling off the branch.
As Revan shoved herself back to a standing position, a flicker of light briefly caught her attention. Her heart soared, a new energy rushing into her, as she identified the source as a swinging lightsaber. Her concentration faltered, however, and a katarn fell short of its intended destination at her distraction, landing gracefully on the ground instead of in a broken heap against the base of another tree, as she noticed the color of the weaving blade.
Purple. Master Zhar's blade is yellow.
"Revan!"
The cry came too late, her moment of distraction costing the Padawan dearly. A katarn had launched itself from above, sinking its razor sharp teeth into Revan's still extended arm on its trip down. The sudden weight jerked her arm downwards, flipping her forward in a head-over-heels decent towards the ground.
Malak's expression of shocked horror was the last thing she saw before her head smashed into a gnarled root below, an explosion of light and pounding finally faded completely away as her vision turned to black.
A/N: While doing some wookiepedia research for the next chapter, I came across the fact that while in Jedi training Malak's name was Alek Squinquargesimus. Wow. Obviously, we can add the fact he is called Malak during training and the new first name I gave him to the growing pile of what makes this story AUish.
To give credit where it is due, the name Sarevok is blatantly stolen from the amazing game Baulders Gate (If you haven't played it, I suggest you get to it, especially the sequel). Before I knew what a monstrosity Malak's real name was, I thought an equally harsh sounding first name would fit, and I've always had a soft spot for that name.
