Revan left the thunderstruck Bastila and proceeded to his spacious chambers. She was almost his, a few more days and she would completely turn her back on the Jedi as the last of the shell they had created fell away.
He was enjoying this immensely. Every time he saw Bastila, it pained him to see the woman she should be fettered by the Jedi teachings. Removing those chains was extremely satisfying. Soon, Bastila would finally be completely free of the Council's lies.
He paused in his walk. Lately, it seemed his motivations had shifted from wanting Bastila for her Battle Meditation to simply wanting her. The more he saw of what she was really like, the more he liked what he saw.
She was intelligent, witty, compassionate, attractive, and (though it wasn't fully unleashed yet) full of passion. The Bastila he talked to today was far different than the one he had captured a week ago.
He couldn't be growing….attached to her. Could he? The more he thought about it, the more he realized he probably was. His thoughts were on her constantly, and they weren't all about how great an apprentice she would be. He found himself eagerly awaiting the next time he saw her. Just being in her presence was refreshing. The moments when she smiled and laughed lingered in his mind.
This worried him.
It wasn't that he was one to run away from his feelings. Revan wasn't an emotionless Jedi puppet. It wasn't that he was afraid that she wouldn't reciprocate. He had read her mind often enough to know that she might feel the same way.
What worried him was what could come of it. The galaxy would soon be plunged into the largest war it had ever known. His enemies might learn of a relationship and target Bastila to weaken him. That was the last thing he wanted.
Bastila will be targeted anyway, he reminded himself. Her Battle Mediation would be a key asset to his plans and one that his opponents would seek to neutralize. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew that was inevitable. That was why she needed to be trained, so she could take care of herself without Revan standing next to her.
In all aspects of combat, she was wanting, at least by his standards. Her Battle Meditation was exemplary, but in a conventional duel even a Jedi Knight would overwhelm her. The Council's teachings burdened her even more than they did the other Jedi.
They feared her power. They feared what she could become. They hoped to use her for her Battle Meditation and keep all of her other skills weak. Her potential frightened them.
They were right to fear it, at least, now they were. She would advance quickly when training under him. She would surpass them all. And it wouldn't even take long. Within a year, two at most, Bastila would be more than a match for any Jedi.
He could sense she was apprehensive about training with him, especially after what he had said, but she would do it. Bastila enjoyed their time together as much as he did.
She would learn, she would join him, and she would become his apprentice.
It was only a matter of time.
GAP
Bastila sat on her cell bed, fuming. How dare he insinuate that she was already his apprentice! Sparring with somebody was a lot different than being their apprentice. She would just practice with him….and learn from him. Nothing like being his apprentice at all!
Would that really be so bad? a voice in her mind spoke. Bastila sighed. Maybe not. She admitted to herself that he wasn't the man she thought he was. A week ago, Bastila had feared that he would violate her. Today, he had saved her from being violated.
Revan wasn't like what the Council had described: a sadistic, albeit intelligent, power-hungry maniac who lived to hurt others.
But that didn't mean he was right.
Still, she would train with him, and if her skills improved, all the better. If she ever went back to the Jedi, increased talent with the blade would surely go a long way to convincing the Council to make her a Knight.
Can you even see yourself as a Jedi anymore? the irritating voice asked again. A life with no emotion, with nothing but the bare necessities. A life spent wondering if Revan had been right after all.
GAP
Over the next four days, Bastila sparred with the Dark Lord of the Sith. True to his word, for at least an hour each day Revan practiced with her. He made no mention of her being his apprentice, which Bastila was grateful for. But, knowing about his powerful telepathic abilities, Bastila knew that he was aware of how the thought stayed in her mind.
She enjoyed every duel they had, even though she always lost. Each time, he would show her what she did wrong, and how she could improve.
And improve she did. In just four days, her skills increased considerably. Several critical flaws in her form were pointed out and corrected. On top of this, Revan also taught her several offensive and defensive techniques that would be useful in a variety of situations.
To each aspect of her form, Revan seemed to make at least slight adjustments., such as telling her to pull her elbow in tighter while making a block, or to hold her blade higher during an overhand strike. Each one felt right the instant she tried it.
Bastila still couldn't land a hit on him, or even come close to doing so. Despite what she had learned, she knew that Revan could still crush her in seconds. But now it would be due to his strength, and not just errors in her movements that would allow him to do so.
She did her best not to use her passion again. But sometimes, she couldn't resist. When desperate to perceive while her strength was failing, it was a simple matter for her to reach into that untapped energy and bolster her powers. Despite what the Masters said, it only served to strengthen her, rather than ultimately hampering her like she had been told it would.
But she still couldn't dent Revan's defense.
"How are you so good?" Bastila asked exasperatedly on the fourth day. She was exhausted, drenched in sweat, and ready to pass out. In contrast, their battle seemed to have barely fazed Revan. He seemed completely undrained, as if defeating her took absolutely no effort at all.
He shrugged. "Potential, practice, and the use of both sides of the Force," he said. Bastila shook her head. "It just doesn't explain your abilities. Before I met you, I had no idea someone could be this powerful. Even the Dark Lord of the Sith," she said.
"I could say the same about you, Bastila," Revan said with complete seriousness. At her incredulous look, he continued, "I never thought someone could change the course of massive battles with Will alone. I would never have believed that someone could influence the minds of tens of thousands and change the course of war."
Bastila smiled. Maybe he had a point. No one in recorded history had been as skilled with Battle Meditation as she was. Only a very small minority of Force-Users were born with the ability to use it. No one that she knew of had been able to use it on the scale that she did.
"But to answer your original question, it is simply because I was born with it. I have been able to hone my gifts to become as powerful as I am today, just like you will," Revan said.
"I already have!" Bastila protested. Revan shook his head. "There is so much power within you that hasn't been unlocked. The only proof you need is your Battle Meditation. Out of all the Force-Users who have been gifted with it, yours is the strongest. Why? Because you are the strongest person who has ever been gifted with it," he claimed.
"I'm not even a Jedi Knight! Many younger than me achieved that rank long ago," Bastila argued.
"True. And do you know why? Because the Council has intentionally held you back. They know what you could become. Your Battle-Meditation is so strong because that is the one area the Council didn't stifle your progress in. Out of necessity, they let it become strong, unlike all of your other skills. You can become as powerful in conventional combat as you are in Battle-Meditation. You just need to break free of the Council," Revan told her.
Could she? Could she really grow as strong as Revan said she would. His theory explained why her Battle-Mediation was disproportionally strong compared to everything else. But would the Council really do that?
They had never encouraged her in anything except her Battle-Mediation. Whenever she asked to progress to more advanced techniques or learn new powers, they always said she wasn't ready. When she protested, they said that impulsiveness was a sign of the Dark Side. And she had always listened.
"The Council uses fear of the Dark Side as a tool to maintain control. They knew you would become stronger than them, one day. Out of petty jealousy, they made sure it could never happen," Revan argued.
These horrible possibilities. She couldn't decide if she believed they were true right now. "Just take me back to my cell. I'm done for toddy," said Bastila. Revan nodded and escorted her back without mentioning the subject again.
GAP
As soon as she returned to her cell, Bastila laid on her bed and sank into meditation to restore her strength. Hours turned to minutes as she entered the currents of the Force.
Was Revan right? Did the Council really see her nothing more as a pawn that had to be controlled? The questions lingered in her mind despite her attempts to ignore them. And they began to make more and more sense.
But something else began to bother her. On Naboo, Revan had told Liana something, something about why he was at war. What was it? Was it simply a dark secret about the Republic, or something far worse?
After several hours of meditation, the door slid open, jolting Bastila out of her thoughts. As always, Revan stood in the doorway. "Don't you ever knock?" Bastila asked indigently. Revan laughed. "Isn't this my ship?" he said defensively.
"Good point. So what do you want?" Bastila asked. "I know you'll be interested to learn that we will be docking at the Star Forge some time tomorrow," Revan began.
Bastila's eyes widened. "Will I be coming on it?" she asked. "Eager, are we?" Revan asked with mock-surprise.
"he Star-Forge is a Force-Construct with untold mysteries. It may be the most powerful weapon in the Galaxy. Of course I'm interested," she said.
"Good, because we'll be staying there for a week. Perhaps I will show you around. Until then, I will see you tomorrow, Bastila," Revan said, turning to leave.
"Wait!" Bastila said. He turned around. "Yes?" he asked. Bastila crossed her arms. "I want you to tell me," she said simply.
"Tell you what?" Revan asked without humor. Bastila snorted. "I'll bet you've been in mind often enough. You know what!" she said. Revan sighed. "You mean what I told Liana? Trust me, you do not want to know," he said.
"I have a right to know!" Bastila retorted angrily. "What right do you have? Last I checked, you're my prisoner. I don't have to tell you anything!" he cried, becoming quite agitated.
Since when did he act like this? "Why can't I know?" Bastila asked with determination. "Because you're not ready, not yet. The knowledge would terrify you," he asserted.
So he was trying to protect her. Despite herself, his intentions palsied Bastila. "I'm not a child, Revan. You're only four years older than me, if the Republic's records are correct. I assure you I am prepared to deal with whatever you tell me," she argued.
Revan sighed. "Perhaps I cannot expect you to join me if you don't know my true motivations," he consented. "Tell me Bastila, what do you think of my reasons for going to war? Do you believe my cause is just" he asked.
She didn't.
Bastila knew that he wasn't waging this war for mere power like the Jedi claimed. But that didn't make him right. "No. Maybe you are right about the Republic and the Senate. In fact, seeing how Taris joined you so willingly, you probably are. But is the Republic's corrupt system justify going to war with it. Is it worth it to kill billions of beings just to end the Republic. No, it's not. You may not be evil, but you are misguided," she said.
Revan was silent for a long time. At last, he spoke, "You really think that is my only reason? I fight to protect the galaxy from an overpowering evil. Something you and the Jedi remain ignorant of," he claimed.
"What are you talking about, Revan?" Bastila asked uncertainly. "If I don't win this war, the Republic will be slaughtered. Not simply defeated and reorganized, as I intend, but crushed to the last man. It shall fall like paper as the galaxy enters a reign of tyranny too terrible to imagine," Revan retorted.
That didn't sound good. "You're exaggerating Revan. What could possibly do that to the Galaxy, other than yourself?" she questioned.
Revan seemed uncertain if to continue. His eyes met hers. "The True Sith," he answered.
Bastila backed up into the wall. "The True Sith. You are the Sith!" she cried. Revan shook his head. "Years ago, a lesser-known apprentice of Marka Ragnos, reorganized the Sith after the Hyperspace War. He was a heretic, but a powerful one. He tricked hundreds of Sith into sacrificing themselves, granting him immortality at the cost of an entire planet. Unbeknownst, to the Republic, he established the Sith again on Dromund Kass, with himself as their Emperor. They have been rebuilding their strength, planning their revenge for over a thousand years. Malak and I met the Emperor after the Mandalorian Wars when I ventured into the Unknown Regions," he revealed.
"What happened?" Bastila asked fearfully. "He tried to convert us to his side, to help him invade the Republic. His Sith are not the same as mine. They are evil, pure evil. I refused. By this time, I had already discovered the true nature of the Force. Like now, I used both sides of the Force freely. My full potential had nearly been reached, and his lies couldn't swat me. Malak, consumed with hatred, having abandoned all of the emotions of the Light, unlike me, had fallen to the dangers of focusing solely on the Dark Side and become a monster. He was a second away of accepting the Emperor's offer. I knocked him unconscious before he could," Revan continued.
"After that, it was the Emperor verses me. I'd never faced an enemy so strong before. It had been a long time since a single opponent could challenge me," he said.
"Did you lose?" Bastila asked, terrified. She didn't want to meet an enemy of pure evil who could overpower Revan.
"Have some faith, Bastila. We proved evenly matched, neither of us could gain an advantage. It was the moat grueling battle I've ever had, but it was the same for him. He tried to dominate my mind, but I was able to resist. Unfortunately, several of his guards arrived to aid him. They were selected from the most powerful Sith Lords in the Empire. When they entered, I was overmatched. I did the only thing I could, fled for my life I still had some hope that Malak could be saved, and I was able to revive him. We barely escaped," Revan explained.
"You know the rest. I found the Star Forge with knowledge discovered during my travels, formed an army out of the forces that remained loyal to me, and declared war on the Republic. It is corrupt and inefficient. It will have no chance to stand against the Emperor's Forces. But if I can defeat it without too much destruction, I can form an Empire out of its remains, an Empire that can stand against the True Sith. I have to do this, despite the costs," he finished.
Bastila remained silent. She was stunned. The Sith had remained, all this time? They stood poised to crush the Republic? Her heart sunk as she realized it meant yet another war.
"One far worse than this one, even if my plan does succeed. That's why I need you, Bastila, to hasten this war's end and help me with the next one," he said.
If he was telling the truth, than his war was more than justified. It was the only choice he had, even if the Jedi would never agree.
"How do I know you're telling the truth. You're so strong in the Force that I wouldn't be able to detect any lies from you. So how can I know?" Bastila asked.
Revan sighed again. "I can't giver you concrete proof this time. I've told no one else the full details, Liana only got vague hints. You'll have to trust me. Become my apprentice, and we can forge this Empire. You know it's right," Revan said.
"Please, Revan. Let me..let me meditate on this. I just…don't know," Bastila professed.
Revan nodded. "I understand," he said. He turned to leave, then spun around. "But I doubt the Force will be able to tell you. Look in your heart, Bastila, and you will know the right choice."
He shut the door behind him, leaving Bastila with her extremely conflicted thoughts.
AN: Next chapter Bastila finally makes her choice as the story picks up.