-Hello-

I updated faster this time for the cause of an overdose on sugar.

This one may not be as long, but I still think you may find it quite a bit interesting. Thanks to Dante-Revan and SilverSentinal21for the reviews!

Chapter 10

So Many Questions

"General Renar, it's been a long time." An unintelligible voice emanated from the corner.

This is it. The exile concluded. "No offense, Commander, but not long enough."

"Likewise." A hooded figure moved from the dark corner of the room. The place was a twin to every other unit in the Residential Module. These lights were dim, if not off, to grant the illusion that it was vacant of conscious tenants. The figure slowed to a stop in the middle of the room while Zen staying a mere meter from the door. He saw her drop her hood and had to squint to capture her features.

What stood out were the gentle curves along her cheek bones. Her small jaw was firm yet relaxed for the moment with chapped lips. Her eyebrows looked as if they've been groomed by a blind Rodian, for they were thick and moved natural. Next to her left eyebrow she wore a pinkish brown scar. An inch in length, Zen guessed. The most vivid component on her face, though, was her mud-puddle brown eyes. Eyes that opened up to the soul of Revan, both of the Republic's and Jedi's downfall and up rise. Now, Zen took in her full view. Yep, still beautiful. Only Revan could keep her magnificence at its peak throughout so many wars. He also noticed, though, that she was excessively thin. Probably from whatever's in the water in the Unknown Regions. He made a mental note to stock up well before taking off.

As he finished his full scan of the woman, he glanced up at her eyes only to notice that she's been doing her own analysis on him as well. After three heartbeats, she spoke in a more calming, feminine tone. "What shall I call you? I doubt you wish to keep title you had during the war."

"You may call me Zenith, or Zen." He said. "When people are angry, they usually call me Renar." He didn't know why he put the last part in. Most likely because he didn't want there to be any long silences between them.

"I'll note that."

"What name do you go by now? Do I still call you Revan?" Zen hoped he hadn't probed a sensitive topic upon her. He had heard the truth of what the Jedi Council did to her. He also had heard the truth of how and who told her of her true identity.

If the question bothered her, though, she showed no signs of it. "In public, or under possible watch, you may call me Alora Regana. That was the identity the Council had given me. I still have that Identi-Chip, so I'm still able to use it as a passport along the trade routes in Republic Space. However, when we're alone… you may call me Revan." There was a moment's pause as Zenith absorbed the new info. "You must have many questions you want answered."

"Yes, actually, I do." Seeming to have been given permission, he started to form his first question in his mind.

Her voice intruded his thoughts. "In time, they will be answered."

Damn. Don't tell me I have to go on another year long journey with another cryptic woman…

"At least I'm nice to look at." Zen looked up and noticed the muscles constrict slightly, revealing a smile on her face. Just then it hit him that she had read his mind. His head tilted downward and his cheeks went pink, which caused her to smile a moment longer.

"Alright," He said, tipping his head up when he was able to control the blood flow in his cheeks. "Enough mind tricks." His tone altered from friendly to serious. "What now? Where are we going? I'll follow you until the Force says no."

"I'll guarantee you this, Zenith, the Force won't say no until a very, very long time."

He nodded his head slowly and solemnly. "I understand, Revan."

"No, Alora. While we're on this station, you will call me Alora."

"Right, sorry."

'Alora' went straight to telling him the game plan. "First, we need the droids."

Droids? What droids?

"HK-47 and T3-M4. They traveled with you, did they not?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow as she went to a footlocker.

She had read his mind again. "Yes, they have. But what use are them to you? Kreia had said that you'd left behind the droids and your ship because you didn't need them."

"It's true; I did leave the droids behind." She began taking the few items in her footlocker and placed them in hidden compartments under her cloak and armor. "Though, I had to shut down HK, for he would loyal himself to no other 'meatbag'. So I kept him hidden in the storage compartment if he ever came in use again. As for T3, I was… told by a friend to keep him." For the first time in her presence, he noticed her hesitation. "He, he even told me to take the ship. He knew I'd need it to reach my destination."

Pieces of a puzzle began clicking inside his head. "The Ebon Hawk? That was your ship? Wasn't it being attacked by Sith remnants after the Harbinger picked it up?"

"Questions with answers that will come in time." She finished stocking herself and knelt by her bed, lifting the cushion. "Otherwise, we need those droids. I've placed vital information into them. T3 has stored in his memory core the safest hyperspace routes I've charted in the unknown system."

"Speaking of which, where exactly are we going?" Zen noticed Revan pull out 3 med packs from under her cushion along with a thin cylinder-looking object that she clicked into her belt.

"So. Many. Questions!" She droned as she stood up to face him. "Look, how about this? I'll answer all your questions once we're boarded on a ship with the droids and have plotted our course. Does that work with you?"

"Well-"

"Good." Now she walked over to another bed cushion and lifted it.

"Wait. There's a problem." He stated somewhat regretfully. "I… I don't think we'll find the droids… unless it's a microscopic piece of them."

Revan stopped her search under her bed for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

Zen sighed and rubbed his heating neck. "The rescue crew had never found them. They may have been tossed out of the ship during the crash, broken up and split apart during the Hawk's spin, or overheated and simply blown up. The chance of finding any piece of them worthwhile to you is very close to-"

"Don't tell me the odds."

Zen took a deep breath. "…Right, sorry."

Revan remained in the same knelt position for a few seconds, then continued her search under the cushion. It took a minute until Zen guessed she'd found what she'd been looking for. She held it out in her hands so he could see it.

It was cone-shaped, like a pyramid. It was a dark shiny black with distinct silver lines jaggedly gracing its sides. A holocron.

Zen wasn't even aware of it when he noticed he Force-pulled the object into his own hands. There was something about this ancient piece of tool that attracted him. His fingers grazed over the smooth material, the only friction was caused by the silver lining.

Unconsciously, Zen sat down at the edge of the bed where the holocron had been kept. At the bottom of the cone was a level button painted to match the rest of its body's exterior. Zen pressed it and watched the blue light emit from to top of the splitting cone to reveal…

…'Stand by?'

A little upset, he states, "It's empty."

Revan, who was now leaning back against the bed on the floor, acknowledged, "It's yours."

"Mine?" He gave her a perplexed look. "Why would I need a holocron?"

"Holocrons are the most old-fashioned technological technique used for communication. They are made to last for centuries. Once you place a code on them, they are a lock that cannot be picked. Don't make the same mistake I had when I left."

Zen's brows furrowed deeper, "I don't understand. What mistake?"

"I never had a proper farewell with my friends." Realization once again hit Zen. Revan gave him this holocron so he could record a message to his friends. To confirm to them that he is taking full grasp of his destiny, and for that, he may not come back. He could give them their orders; tell them that they're the Lost Jedi, and that they need to rebuild the order. But, more importantly, he could say thanks.

And goodbye, in a more suitable fashion.

Zen looked down at the empty holocron in his hands, its beam still glowing blue. He closed it, "Thank you."

"No problem," she replied as she stood up and walked over to the door. "Hey, I'll go scout out those droids. I'll leave you to your message. You'll have to find a way to deliver it, though, but don't take too long. Hopefully, I can get us a ship when I get back." The door hissed open with her touch. "Just be careful, we can't stay here for long. The security is thick, and they know I'm on station." She pulled her hood over her face.

Before the door had shut behind her, Zen whispered, "May the Force be with you, Alora."

'Isn't it always?'