Chapter 10 Onderon
Carth took another moment to look at the viewscreen before giving the order. Everyone was standing by except Bastila, who preoccupied her mind with thoughts of Revan. She remained distant after she had heard that Revan was on Manaan at the same time she was. He was unconvinced about that himself, but the evidence Bastila presented him couldn't have been fabricated, despite the questionable word of the only witness that has claimed to see him in the last year and a few months.
Bastila's mother was not to be trusted. Helena knew Arman Clash when he was at his best on Tatooine and his relationship with her daughter had interested her ever since. It was all she needed to draw all the pieces of the puzzle together and play mind games with Bastila. However, the lightsaber… the tightly packed dull-silver cylinder was just as he remembered it. When Bastila activated it in front of him, he even remembered the sound it made. It was Revan's. Or at least Arman Clash's. Under the supervision of Jedi Master Zhar in the enclave of Dantooine, he had gathered the finest pieces he could find and erected a light-blue blade as symbol of guardianship within the jedi ranks. He was a warrior with a clean conscious, ready to jump into battle without concern of the effects it could have on the people who cared about him. Carth brushed aside the thought and concentrated on the mobile object floating in space as portrayed on the viewscreen.
"Fire." Carth finally ordered.
An impressive barrage of large flaming red beams impacted the asteroid and ripped it in shreds.
"Report" Carth asked calmly. He already knew the answer that he was about to receive, but he wanted to put a number to what his mind had already calculated.
"Still processing" The tactical officer said without letting his concentration slip from his console.
"One hundred and seventy percent sir." He finally answered when his team was done doing the math. Admiral Dodona had promoted him to admiral so that he may continue to command both the Proxis and the Vantage. It was not only safer having a proven ship like the Proxis around to provide support while Carth was running tests on his new attack vessel. He also remembered how he had reacted when he first saw it docked with the station; without the familiarity of the other republic cruiser and the message from Admiral Dodona, he would have thought the Horizon was under attack. Even now, the Vantage's existence was more or less a secret within the Republic fleet. Having the Proxis with him whould leave him much less explaining to do should anyone be nosing around his business. As he looked at the damage done to the asteroid, Carth felt uneasy.
"One hundred and seventy percent the damage the Corellians have prescribed in their ship's specifications… don't you find that strange?" Carth asked his Jedi advisor in a sarcastic way. They both looked at the fragments of the large asteroid float apart and bathe in the cloud of dust the explosions had created.
"They were obviously not completely responsible for its construction Carth." Bastila said smoothly.
"You're a Jedi, cant you get answers?" Carth asked.
"I'm sorry Carth, I have more important things to do." Bastila said. As much as she wanted to find out about the Vantage and who could have built it, it was just the kind of attention the Jedi council had warned her not to get into. She felt cheated by the Republic Fleet. Admiral Dodona was too eager to enhance her fleet and she was willing to overlook the political implications of Carth's new ship. If what Veer said was even half-true and her project was funded by an outside source, it could damage the Republic more than a single ship ever could. It was not worth it.
"I have informed her of my concerns and the decision was hers to make." Bastila said simply.
"You think she knows something." Carth asked his advisor.
"I'm certain of it. Whatever secret Jennifer Veer is protecting, Dodona knows about it and went along with it. If you want answers, you'll just have to ask her." Bastila said.
"Maybe we can look at…" Carth began before being cut off by the comm.
"Receiving a transmission from Queen Talia of Onderon sir." The comm. Officer said as he transferred the call to the head's up display over his Admiral's head. Carth took the call immediately and made sure his jedi advisor was facing the screens.
"Carth, Bastila, I'm glad you're there… I've just… the Sith have… I can't…" Talia's message was breaking down.
"Your highness, your message is breaking up, please repeat." Admiral Carth said.
"The Sith have… their fleet is moving… almost in range… Our counter… is… losing communication… with Vaklu…" The message was partitioned.
"Queen it is IMPERATIVE that we know how many ships the Sith have." Carth asked carefully.
"… Dozen… ships… fighter escorts…" The Queen said before the transmission lost connection completely.
"A dozen ships? That's half the Sith fleet." Carth said to his Jedi advisor.
"I need to speak to Admiral Dodona immediately." Carth demanded over the comm.
His commander's face appeared right away.
"Admiral Onasi, I'm receiving an emergency transmission from your location, what is it?" Dodona asked. The people around her were agitated and attempted to interrupt her in her conversation.
"Onderon is under attack by a dozen Sith ships… The queen is…" Onasi began. Dodona glanced at her instruments and allowed an officer to whisper to her.
"We have confirmed it, Onderon's communications have been cut-off by a Sith blockade." Dodona said.
"Admiral, we *need* to act now." Carth Said gravely.
"Onderon's not part of the Republic yet and even if it was, we can't match that kind of firepower at a whim…" Dodona began.
"Please, Admiral, we *can't* make the same mistaked we made at the beginning of the Mandalorian war. Besides, we've been waiting a long time for the Sith to show up and fight, we can't let this opportunity slip by. Just think of all the lives we can save if we bring this war that much closer to the end!" Carth said.
"I understand the value of such a victory Carth but the Sith are too strong; we can't…" Dodona began.
"Maybe we can, Admiral. Their ships are going to be busy attacking Onderon's surface and if their capital ships are partially manned as I suspect they will be, we might stand a chance at making a few critical strikes. With this new ship and Bastila's battle meditation, our main fleet can, at the very least, repell this attack." Carth said.
"Stand-by Carth." Admiral Dodona said as she made a quick exchange with the officer closest to her.
"I'm going to contact Chancellor D'saya. He has been the one overseeing Onderon's diplomacy. With his support, I might be able to grant your request." Dodona said.
"Please hurry. The more time we sit here debating, the less effective our conter-offensive will be." Carth said. When the transmission ended, he turned to the quiet Jedi next to him.
"I'd like to hear your thoughts right about now." The Admiral asked softly.
"All this time I have judged Revan for rushing into battle with the Mandalorians despite the hidden dangers that the force hints at. Now I feel I have stepped into the same situation. I agree with you, this might bring the war closer to the end and I know it to be the right choice. But I also know that it will not end the way we would expect." Bastila said.
"We can't count on the Jedi to help; so what's new? I'm asking if *you* are with us!" Carth demanded.
"The queen needs me. And so does the Republic fleet. I will do all I can to win this battle." Bastila affirmed.
"Good to hear it. Now all we need is the rest of the admirals and we'll be on our way." Carth said as he stared impatiently at the HUD.
"They will come. Onderon has always been of particular interest to the Sith sinse Malak was killed. We can't ignore this." Bastila said.
"I understand that they don't want Onderon to join the republic, but more than that, I don't get it." Carth admitted.
"Nor do I, I admit." Bastila said.
"If we can finally attack the Sith while they are after something they want, it will give us a tactical advantage we haven't had in years. Personaly, I can't wait to be the one to catch them with their pants down." Carth was pleased.
"Yes, though in truth, without understanding why they are after Onderon, it's more accurate to say they have the advantage. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to gather my strength for this battle. I will return when the time comes." Bastila excused herself.
"Commander Davis, you are in charge of the bridge. Proceed with the second test." Carth said as he entered the turbolift with his advisor.
The vantage was a large ship. Perhaps not as large as the sith cruisers like the Leviathan or the Shadow, perhaps half their size, but it was even stronger and more compact. After the first operational test was complete, Carth was certain that, in the proper hands, it was capable of challenging two sith cruisers simultaneously. The corellians had underestimated its specifications a great deal. Perhaps it was deliberate. It could have been just another cover up to keep its details a secret from the public. He agreed with Dodona for allowing such secrets. It was time for the republic fleet to have such an advantage and with all the systems threatening to abandon the republic, even the Admiral had to be careful about who she can trust. At the same time, however, he trusted his jedi advisor. Had she told him that the Vantage posed an immediate threat to his fleet or to the republic, he would have refused the post, but all she could say was that the force hinted caution. It was that caution that made Bastila retreat to the Proxis for meditation. She could not allow the confusion in the force to interfere with her battle meditation. The flight deck of the Vantage was large but mostly empty. The Captain was able to fill a part of it with republican darts. He wanted a small crew to keep this ship a secret and that meant sacrificing some pilot allocations. He also needed the extra space for Bastila's shuttle and perhaps other visitors he could trust to have on board his ship. Just below the rows of darts that were neatly stacked like honey in some durasteel honeycombs, Bastila's shuttle waited patiently for its passenger. It was rather dark on the flight deck. It was deliberate. The pilots needed to adjust to dim lighting before launching into space. Still, it was slightly uncomfortable when there was no battle awaiting them. It was quiet and dark like being in an underwater building. Around Baslitla's shuttle, lines of light switched on to indicate activity. The Vantage flight deck sensed the shuttle was about to receive passengers and the traffic lights were enabled. "I feel like I'm on Coruscant, at night. Are you sure this follows republic standards?" Bastila asked the ships captain.
"There are no standards to cover automatic lights, actually." Carth said.
"A lot of thought went into the construction of this ship. Be careful Carth." Bastila said more seriously while throwing her commander one last look before walking up the ramp of her shuttle.
"May the force be with you, Bastila." Carth said amicably and stepped back from the powered up shuttle. As the shuttle's ramp retracted, more lights switched on automatically, visually indicating the flight path out to the deck doors with white arrows of equal size to the shuttle's width reaching out to the now open deck doors. Through the doors, small chunks of asteroid could still be seen dusting up the space around the Vantage.
Bastila's shuttle floated towards the doors. She looked at the arrows of white light change on the deck as her ship hovered over them. She felt relief when she finally exited the beast. She was glad she was leaving that problem behind. The Vantage was a weapon; one that perhaps should not have been built. She was glad she could focus on more important things. She trusted Carth and knew the Vantage would not get the best of him. She did not look back.
"Are you certain this will work?" Admiral Dodona asked.
"Yes Admiral: They won't know what hit them." Carth answered seriously.
"Very well. This is your mission: You may proceed as you see fit. I wish you luck." The Admiral said.
Carth Onasi was ready to embark on the long awaited field test for his new ship, the Vantage. He was deeply eager to strike the sith where it would hurt. With his Foray-class ship, the Proxis, he was limited to chasing stray sith ships through space on the rare occasion he could find one. The Vantage allowed him to challenge new targets and gave him a tactical advantage over any unsuspecting enemy.
"Admirals Parry and Fraiser will be joining you as well as Captains Grant and Olsen. That's a total of nine Cruisers not including your own. You will be in command Admiral Onasi." Dodona said.
"What about you?" Carth asked.
"I am needed here on the Horizon. Good luck Carth." Dodona said before ending the transmission.
"Well, you heard the lady, tell the fleet to begin moving!" Carth ordered his comm. Officer Dalton.
He had eleven ships at his command for this assault, with his new ship, the Vantage as his flagship and his old ship the Proxis flying at his wing, he felt strong again. On the HUD above him, he could see the positions of all the ships under his command scattered through the vastness of space. Two of them had already begun travelling through hyperspace, bringing his fleet closer and closer to their destination.
"Admiral Frasier is on his way sir." Dalton reported.
"Let's time this to the second! I don't want the Sith to have time to prepare." Carth ordered.
"Yessir. But the City of Isis will be on the opposite side of the planet once we exit hyperspace." The radar specialist Jenkins said.
"We have no choice. As long as the fleet stands together at all times, we have a chance." Carth said.
"Twelve minutes to our jump sir." Dalton said.
Battle was near. Bastila made her way back to the bridge of the Proxis, under the HUD, where Carth's holo-projection could be seen. The Republic war hero was observing as the dots on the display flowed towards the planet in unison.
"Get ready Bastila, we exit hyperspace momentarily." Carth said.
"I am ready." Bastila assured her commander.
The Vantage exited hyperspace last. As it was the strongest ship in the fleet, Carth wanted it to be at the head of the fight. As it did so, the viewscreen switched from the navigational view of the republic's fleet to the tactical view provided by the radar for closer range assessments. There was a delay between what the ship's sensors where picking up and what Carth could see on his screen. He could finally see the planet at the edge of the screen but saw nothing else. He waited just a heartbeat before panic struck.
"Report!" Carth barked to his radar technician.
"Sorry sir, new information is being transmitted to you now…" Officer Jenkins apologized. Carth saw the screen switch views, bringing the planet towards the center of focus.
"I count twenty-four sith cruisers sir, just outside Onderon's range, on the edge of the planet sir." The officer said as the information was being represented as icons of different shapes and colors on the HUD in front of the admiral. The blue ship was the Vantage, the flagship of the Republic springing forth towards the planet at the head of ten green dots flying an inverted flat 'v' formation, closely behind. The red dots sitting behind the edge of Onderon were all facing the attackers.
"Twenty-four ships Carth! The Queen tried to warn us but the communication was unclear!" Bastila was ashamed that she did not forsee this.
"Two dozen sith cruisers. That's the entire sith fleet." Carth said with slight despair in his voice.
"They were waiting for us. They haven't begun to attack the planet, save for their communications satellites. They set a trap for us!" Bastila said.
"Agreed. We have to turn around." Carth said dazed at the HUD.
"Send a message to all the fleet to turn around and meet us at the rendezvous coordinates." Carth said regretfully to Officer Dalton.
"Wait sir!" Jenkins rose from his seat and waved at his commander to turn around and look at the HUD once more.
"Six more ships just exited hyperspace right behind us!" The radar officer tried not to yell.
"Impossible! The Sith *have* no reinforcements!" Carth stammered quietly to his Jedi advisor thorough his holo-projection.
"Some of ours?" Carth asked with hope. An image of his Admiral Dodona coming to the rescue at the last second had just crossed his mind.
"No sir. The hull configurations match… match… Sir the hull configurations match the Vantage, sir!" The Officer stuttered.
"IT'S REVAN! HE'S HERE!" Bastila burst out.
"Sir we're receiving a transmission from the commander of the new ships…" Officer Dalton reported.
"Patch it through." Carth asked as he turned to face the HUD once more.
"Canderous!" Carth spat as he saw the face of the commander of the vessels that covered his escape.
"I was wondering when you would show up. I hope you're not still planning on going back home." Mandalore said with a mocking tone. As he spoke, new dots and icons appeared on the HUD. It seems the mandalorians were deploying their fighters and assault shuttles already.
"I'm sending some forces to the palace to secure the queen. I suggest the rest of us work together to take care of the Sith fleet." Mandalore said assertively. Bastila pushed a quick button at her station that allowed her to communicate quickly and privately to her commander through his head-piece.
"Revan is heading towards the planet, I can feel it!" She whispered into his ear.
"Canderous, who are you sending to the surface?" Bastila asked quickly through her own hollow-projection.
"Otis Ordo and some of my best men. Don't you worry, we'll clean up the palace. You just make sure you use that battle meditation of yours to keep the Sith from escaping." Canderous insisted.
"But I…" Bastila started protesting.
"He's right; we need you here with us!" Carth said dryly.
"Carth, please! I…" Bastila began again.
"If he's here, he's not going anywhere. We can't let the Sith escape. This is our best chance at defeating them!" Carth said.
"I told you, there's more to this than that!" Bastila protested.
"All the more reason we'll need you here to help us get out of this mess…" Carth ordered. Bastila sighed and paused for a moment before bowing.
"Very well. I will begin my battle meditation now. Keep your eyes on Mandalore Carth, there's no telling what he will do once this battle is over." Bastila said quietly.
"Don't worry, I'll keep our distance." Carth assured his jedi friend.
As the jedi began her meditation, Carth could see the Mandalorian ships deploy their cruisers and starships on both ends of the republic fleet's formation, making a 'w' instead of an inverted 'v' with the new ships at every point.
"Admiral, how did the Mandalorians end up with the new Corellian ships?" Admiral Frasier was stunned.
"I *don't* know. Bastila tells me that Revan is behind this." Carth explained.
"Revan sir? I don't understand, I though he was dead…" Admiral Frasier said.
"It's a long story. Truth is no one here knows what's going on except maybe Mandalore. Just keep your distance and defend the line admiral!" Carth said.
"Yessir, Admiral Frasier out." He said before returning to his duties.
The edges of the 'w' formation had already engaged several Sith cruisers. It seemed Mandalore was far more ready for this battle than anyone thought possible. The smaller, more agile Corellian assault cruisers made quick work of the partially automated Sith vessels.
"How are you holding up Bastila?" Carth asked an update of his jedi companion as she sat cross-legged in her meditation.
"The Mandalorians are incredibly receptive to my influence. It's like guiding a fleet of jedi!" Bastila said baffled.
"It seems Mandalore has been very busy in the past year." Carth said with his arms crossed.
"Indeed; he must have maintained contact with Revan this whole time. Only he could have trained them to accept my battle meditation this way." Bastila said.
"Great… he wins the mandalorian war in the name of the republic and then he makes all our enemies stronger." Carth said angrily.
"Don't worry Carth, Mandalore is just a tool. Revan will use them to win us this war once again. I just don't understand why I get the feeling it doesn't end here." Bastila said with her eyes closed; looking for the deeper, more elusive truth.
"Admiral, the main Sith fighter force is heading towards our flagship sir." Jenkins reported.
"Good. Let's not let them get close. Weapons: increase plasma mixture by seventy percent and fire an aggressive-trajectory barrage pattern." Carth ordered his weapons station.
After flying evasive patterns, the Sith squadron leader could see very large and florescent blobs fly past him and obliterate some of his pilots.
The sith fighters continued towards the Vantage but as they approached, evading the large bolts of energy became very difficult. Their large size and seemingly liquid texture looked like an exaggerated swelling of a regular beam from a capital ship. They were proving very effective as counter-evasive munitions.
"Twelve more have been destroyed." Jenkins reported.
"Our battle systems are projecting that, if they continue on their course, they will all be destroyed before the capital ships are within support range." The intelligence officer reported.
"Good, let's hope they don't turn around." Carth said.
The other Captains were not as lucky. They had full fighter escorts as opposed to Carth's partial compliment, and had used them all up in the first assault to defend against the Sith's starfighters. Bastila's battle meditation had helped the Republic pilots take down their share of enemy fighters but where greatly outnumbered. The Sith where able to clear off most of the Republic fleet's fighters before their cruiser came into range. Luckily, Mandalore had an impressive number of starfighters zigzagging across the hammerhead republic cruisers from one end of the line to the next like a net covering every hole between the capital ships. It was as much thanks to their response to her battle-meditation as it was to their impressive military power.
Bastila rushed into the palace's main audience chamber to where she could see the queen and the corpse of her misguided cousin. The loyalists and some of the mandalorians already began evacuating the prisoners of war out of the room. The queen's blade was dripping with blood and she still hovered over the body. She took her eyes off her victim to look at the young jedi heading her way.
"It's done. Vaklu is no more. His trial did not go according to plan. I had no choice but to take action myself." Queen Talia excused her actions.
"You killed him…" Bastila said with slight disappointment.
"Like a mockery of justice, he used his trial as a diversion while his armies prepared Isis for invasion, spewing lies of Onderon's independence while the Sith gathered their fleet to enslave us all. The republic saved us though… and my people will remember this day forever thanks to you my friend." Queen Talia thanked the Jedi.
"I don't mean to sound rude, but the mandalorian leader… where is he?" Bastila asked rashly.
"Your friend Otis Ordo?" Queen Talia was puzzled.
"Yes Otis Ordo. Where is he? It's important." Bastila asked again.
"He stepped into the other room, just over there." Queen Talia pointed out a set of curtains leading down a long stairwell. Bastila bowed fast and descended down the steps behind the curtains. As she stepped fast down the steps, she could feel she was getting closer and closer to the one who has haunted her existence: the one who has marked her adulthood the most the one who inspired her to become a better Jedi and even a better woman, the one she had wished so hard to continue by his side as before. She desperately needed to know why things have changed so much between them and why, despite his disappearance, her bond to him has never been so strong.
When she arrived down the stairs, she befell a large empty room nearly as grand as the main audience chamber except this one was built to ascend to the skyramp by stairs and carpets and chandeliers all the way to the terrace that overlooked the edge of the skyramp and the whole city of Isis. At the top of the stairs was the small mandalorian man whose leadership single-handedly rescued the Queen from certain death and brought peace to Onderon. His shiny dull-gray and blue armor reflected the many flags and ribbons that carpeted the large room. It was as if the dust from battle could not touch him. Had his mandalorian pistol not been steaming with heat still, it would have seemed he had just arrived. He was looking down bellow into the city of Isis, lost in his thoughts. Bastila approached him slowly, delicately. Wearing her custom jedi robes and feather light boots, she could glide anywhere without making a sound.
Bastila stopped. She would have kept going, there was no indication the small mandalorian man was aware of her presence even as she was climbing steps not twenty feet away, but the call of her old companion had stopped: the force had finally guided her towards him. That force connection that she shared with him was the only remaining link to the man she loved. How often she had hoped that some day, she could feel him again through the force and follow his tracks like a scented trail. To find him again, to finally arrive at the same destination as he and at the same time, she wished…
As this feeling ended, she felt cheated. Revan had always been able to mask his presence from her and for him to do so while she was so close felt insulting. How her hero could turn on her so easily was just one of the great mysteries she desperately wanted to uncover. She drew a deep, relaxing breath and brushed away her feelings of loss. As she did that, the mandalorian man began to take off his helmet. She did not understand what motivated him to do so; she hadn't made as much as a ripple since she stepped passed the curtains of the queen's main audience chamber.
As the man turned around to face her, the feeling of being cheated returned again.
"It's you! All this time… it was you!" Bastila said softly and with disappointment as if she had lost something precious. She felt tears swellin. The weakness that the feelings had brought her sent shivers down her spine.
"I don't understand…why the mandalorians… why this duplicity, why not stay with the jedi, with me?" Bastila begged for an explanation. Revan extended his arm and dropped the mandalorian helmet to the ground.
"I am Revan. I have always worn a mask. As jedi, Sith, Mandalorian and even Arman Clash… I have always gone where I was needed the most."
"But the jedi need you the most. I need you the most!" Bastila cried.
"I have left the Jedi long ago. As for you: I was always close by. I have been watching you. I have given you strength when you needed it. And… I have waited for you. I would have waited longer, but time is running out." Revan said.
"Why would you do this? You were a great Jedi! Why abandon the Order again? And why pretend to be mandalorian?" Bastila asked.
"Even as a mandalorian I could accomplish more than a Jedi could. If there is ever anything about me that you should understand by now it's this: my goals cannot be accomplished in the simple ways of the Jedi. Even as Arman Clash, I simply could not fulfill my destiny. I am no more Jedi then I am mandalorian. As for you, I remember everything about you from when you turned me into Arman Clash but you do not know me." Revan began as he descended the two top steps in a sideways fashion. Bastila was gripped by fear. The image of the dark lord at the tomb of Freedon Nadd came across her mind as the man she loved climbed down the steps. She had involuntarily placed one hand on the hilt of her lightsaber. Bastila made a quick realization of the position she placed herself in and quickly distracted the man's attention back to the conversation:
"I may not understand you, but I do know you. The memories of Arman Clash may have been a fabrication but your personality, your essence, has always remained. You were a great man. Not just as a Jedi but also as Arman Clash." Bastila said carefully.
"You miss him don't you?" He asked.
Bastila flushed and looked down in a slight nod. She was tired of hiding her anguish.
"In a way, that is why I had to keep my distance. Though you are correct about my personality being similar to his, I am more like the man you have captured all those years ago. You were not ready for me, you still aren't." Revan said.
"Then why have you brought me here?" Bastila asked after gulping.
"We are running out of time. The longer I wait the harder it will be to move forward. Had I remembered why I needed the Starforge sooner, you and I could have avoided much of this pain we have suffered in the last year." Revan said regretfully.
"Just how much do you remember about your former self?" Bastila asked carefully.
"Everything. If there is anything I am starting to forget it's how to be Arman Clash. I know how important he was to you and I am trying to make you as comfortable as possible." Revan answered.
"But I am tormented, frightened and alone. I am anything but comfortable." Bastila said angrily.
"Much has changed within you since you have fallen to the dark side under Malak's tyranny." Revan said saidly.
"But you rescued me. I am no longer a slave to the dark side." Bastila affirmed.
"Did I rescue? Are you really free of its influence? What do you really think is responsible for your torment?" Revan asked.
"My torment comes from your abandonment of me." Bastila said.
"No Bastila. I have not turned you fully from the dark side. I am still protecting you from it as I have been from the time we fought on the starforge. I remembered much of my life and of my knowledge of the force when I rescued you but not enough to remove the taint completely." Revan said.
"If you remembered then who you were, why did you save me? And why did you destroy the starforge?" Bastila asked.
"When you were captured, all I cared about was rescuing you. I loved you. There was nothing I cared about more in the world. I would have done anything to get you back but the dark side of the force had begun to take you from me and trough our bond, it started to affect me as well but I resisted its influence like a good jedi. It did however awaken a power within me that I could not suppress and that's when my memories returned. By the time I had faced you and my old apprentice I had almost been completely restored." Revan began as he took another slow step down the stairs.
"So the man I faced on the starforge and the man who saved me was really you?" Bastila was confused.
"Only I could have brought you back and only I could have defeated Malak. The Jedi knew that but they did not want to believe that I had changed. They could not see it because they did not understand me. They did not understand why, had I reclaimed my title of dark lord of the sith, I would not have taken you as my new apprentice and used the starforge to conquer the galaxy but no one understood me or my purpose besides Mandalore." Revan said.
"I need to know Revan: do you still love me and are you or are you not the dark lord?" Bastila asked with all her courage.
"I command the dark side, yes, but the galaxy is not ready to know this." Revan answered carefully as he descended yet another step. He was so close now. Too close. Bastila was trembling. The man before her had only a small mandalorian blaster at his hip and her jedi instincts told her that in such a condition, he was no match for her. Yet her knowledge of the dark side of the force, as brief of an introduction it was, made her tremble in fear at what power lied beneath the shiny armor and familiar face before her. As the sith masters used the force to attack others, it could have been just as effective as a jedi's blade.
"Please. Do not come any closer." Bastila pleaded.
"I am not your enemy Bastila!" Revan yelled as he threw away his side-arm in fury, crushing it against the far wall to his side many feet away.
"How can I believe that? How can you serve the dark side and not be my enemy?" Bastila asked as the palm or the hand held against her hilt began to perspire. Heat and adrenaline began to coarse through her as the thought of battle passed in her mind.
"I have sacrificed much to prepare you and to keep you safe. It has cost me much time and many lives were lost for it. It was worth it, so long as you remain as you are." Revan said.
"I don't understand." Bastila was confused.
"All that I have accomplished and all that remains for me to accomplish pales in comparison to what I can achieve with your help." Revan said as he pointed to the young jedi before him.
"I have seen the power of the starforge and I know how great you were in war… what possible difference could my battle meditation have done for you?" Bastila asked.
"Ah, you do not understand!" Revan shook his head in disappointment and looked away for a moment.
"Your battle meditation is immaterial to my efforts." Revan said bitterly.
"You are not a tool of war as I am. Your destiny lies elsewhere and to accomplish our goals, you must remain as a jedi." Revan said after a short pause.
"Why do you do this? Why must you always fight? And why can't you answer my question: do you love me?" Bastila asked worriedly.
"I am a warrior. I have always been and will always be. I destroy those that are my enemies: that is my way." Revan admitted.
"As for my feelings for you… They are irrelevant." Revan said.
"So you do have feelings for me." Bastila said.
"You are a wonderful woman Bastila: powerful, beautiful, honest, courageous and very honorable. But I am not here to be your lover any more than I am your master. Together we share a destiny unlike anyone has ever seen. I have known this from the first moment I saw you onboard my command ship." Revan said.
"You mean when I captured you?" Bastila asked.
"Yes. I knew then there was much more I could accomplish if I placed myself in your hands, allowing you and your compassion to make our destinies as one."
"You make it sound like I created this bond." Bastila said.
"It was a combination of my need for self preservation and your healing power." Revan nodded.
"Understand Bastila, that you are now much like I was when the Mandalorians attacked. You are independent now, seeking your own answers and willing to go wherever your destiny takes you. We have much in common." Revan began. There was a pause while the man gauged the jedi's reaction.
"Does that trouble you?" Revan asked with his head tilting sideways.
"No. Not at all. But I feel I am at a disadvantage not knowing much about you. It would help me to know who you are from your perspective." Bastila said.
"You may ask me anything." Revan proposed generously.
"Tell me about your past. Tell me about your actions. Tell me of the wars." Bastila demanded. There was another pause.
"I had sacrificed much when I chose to lead the war against the mandalorians. Everyone will remember me for being the one that disobeyed the jedi council to do what is right and save the republic from certain doom… but they do not know what I and the Jedi council knew." Revan said.
"What did you know? Why did the jedi refuse to help the republic?" Bastila asked.
"No jedi could defeat even as simple an enemy as the mandalorians." Revan said carefully.
"Do not say that. Though you have disobeyed the jedi council, throughout the war you had remained true to the jedi ideals. It was the light side of the force that fed your natural abilities and ended that war." Bastila defended his past.
"You do not understand that it is by mere principle that no jedi could defeat the mandalorians. They were an enemy only because of the promise made by Exar Koon that they would have a chance to have a most glorious war, should they face the jedi in a war against the republic. Every jedi on the council could see that that was their true goals, their true purpose. It was without saying that the only way to defend against that kind of enemy is to deny them battle, at least for a time. But the wiser, more powerful masters saw much more than this. I too, have seen it. The Mandalorian war was a front from which the dark side of the force was striking. It was the Sith Empire who incited the mandalorian wars… a powerful force that cannot be fought in open conflict… and another war that cannot be won by any jedi." Revan explained.
"Did you know this war would bring you to the dark side?" Bastila asked worriedly.
"Yes, but not so much by mistake." Revan took a few more steps down.
"You wanted this?" Bastila felt pity.
"No. Desire is irrelevant. I did what needed to be done. I was faced with two distinct enemies who desired only to provoke me and the rest of the jedi. Both of which could not be dealt with by following the jedi code." Revan explained.
"I thought the Sith used their passion to fuel their conquest… but you speak as though it didn't affect you." Bastila was puzzled.
"Passion is part of the Sith code. I have researched the subject throughout the war and I have instructed all my army to follows this code to the letter when the war was over. Do you see the pattern here, Bastila?" Revan said as he descended the steps even further. He was so close now. Too close. Bastila was trembling.
"Please. Do not come any closer." Bastila pleaded.
"You could have destroyed me on the starforge and I would not have lifted a finger against you. You could do the same now! Don't you know what you mean to me?" Revan said furiously. He could see his anger had unsettled her further but he continued down the step. Bastila's posture became tenser.
"I don't particularly feel wanted by you the way I remember." Bastila cried.
"I am sorry, Bastila. I know who you are underneath it all. I know you mean well with your questions. I wanted to wait longer for this but I cannot!" Revan said with slight despair and hurt in his voice.
"I am running out of time. The longer I wait the hader it will be to move forward. Forgive me… for not being the man you need. Had I remembered why I needed the starforge sooner, you and I could have truly reunited by now." Revan said softly.
"The starforge was a tool of the dark side. It needed to be destroyed!" Bastila said.
"Eventually, yes, but not before I used it to lure my enemies. Now I must choose the slow and painful way." Revan said painfully.
"What are you talking about?" Bastila asked.
"Malak was supposed to fight me for it at the end of the war and create a vacuum of power in the galaxy. All the Sith lords who are still hiding out in the Sith Empire would have come out of hiding and challenged me for it. The starforge's history would have repeated itself and with all the changes I had made in the order of things, the Sith Empire could have been silenced for generations." Revan said.
"It would have destroyed you as well as the rest of the republic." Bastila said.
"Yes! Now you understand! There was no other possible victory. Not before I met you! Now the Republic does not need to suffer. Now I no longer need to be destroyed! You gave me a second chance and with you, the new republic can rebuild itself in a peace that will last countless generations!" Revan said.
"How? How is all this possible?" Bastila asked.
"By the end of this day, the Sith Empire will be convinced that the galaxy is theirs for the taking. Even if the mandalorians are no longer their servants and the republic remains without the jedi, all will be made to serve their will. Soon, they will gather their forces and attack the rest of the jedi. It will be my chance to strike at them as I was always meant to. The Sith who will flee just to survive will be made to follow my merciless rule and they will eventually vanish and all who have suffered in the wars will look to you Bastila, as will the rest of the Jedi. With your help, the new republic will be built free of war for generations to come! It was your destiny to rule the galaxy, not mine. I only have one battle to win and once I am through, the galaxy will not remember me." Revan said.
"What will happen to you after?" Bastila asked.
"I can no longer be of any use to you. All the knowledge I have gathered is to ensure superiority through power and skills in the force. Once I have conquered the sith lords, I will withdraw. If you want Arman Clash again, it will be within your power to draw me back… should you choose to be with me." Revan said with a slight smirk.
"You don't sound like a Sith Lord Revan. For what I know of them they can never let war end." Bastila said, unsure she was believeing what he was saying.
"I think you have met enough of them to know what happens after a true Sith dies. Those apparitions in the ancient tombs wouldn't sound much like Sith anymore to you than I do would they?" Revan asked.
"Your position has always made me doubt. I feel I can trust you and what you say but you are never as you appear to be. I don't know what you mean when you say you are the Dark Lord and you speak of rebuilding the republic and bringing peace." Bastila said.
"In a way I am immortal now. Like the ancient Sith you met buried in their tombs. Sometime I live outside of myself. The part of me that was Dark Lord will always remain, all in part because of you and our bond. You can think of me as simply being evolved as the force has had a chance to both live and die with me. Whatever I was I am better now, thanks to you." Revan revealed.
"It is a shame you are such a hurry to accomplish your goals. There I so much we have yet to do, so much we could learn from you. Why must you always be apart from everyone else? Why must you be apart from yourself and from me?" Bastila said sadly.
"Do not say that. I am a weapon, not much more than that. I have great power and I chose to use it to accomplish what no one else can. I do so alone and spare everyone the trouble of failing. But to alter one's destiny is a great power that you alone possess. You have presented me with a better alternative and allowed me to progress even more in the force." Revan said.
"I don't know how all this happened to you and how I helped but if I could, I would make you into Arman Clach now!" Bastila said.
"But you cannot. Not yet." Revan was so close he placed his hand on Bastila's shoulder.
"I need you." Bastila said simply.
"I admire you Bastila. I know how much you hurt and still you persist. I've grown very fond of you on the last year. Sometimes I can't tell if what I am feeling are really my own or just memories of Arman Clash." Revan declared.
"Is there a difference? Do you really think it didn't happen between us just because you had a different name?" Bastila asked.
"I suppose not. I had a better life with you as him." Revan said softly as he brushed his hand through her hair and felt awe at the comfort it brought him. Bastila let go of her hilt and took the hand that brushed her hair into her own.
"Then be with me." Bastila said seriously.
"Perhaps in time. Perhaps as a reward, when my life will be my own." Revan said as he let go of the woman and frowned. It was as if his heart turned to ice. She had him. She felt the joy that she brought him but she could not hold onto it. The man turned away from her and climbed a few steps.
"I want to help you." Bastila said.
"You are helping. Be the Jedi you were meant to be." Revan said as he turned to look over his shoulder.
"I need your guidance Revan. What should I do? Where should I go?" Bastila asked.
"For now, you must go to Coruscant and report to Jolee Bindo." Revan said as he turned around and faced the woman again.
"Jolee?" Bastila was surprised.
"Yes. I have sent him there under the pretense that he wishes to be part of the order." Revan said.
"So why is he really there?" Bastila asked.
"To prepare the remainder of the Jedi for war." Revan answered.
"War? War with the Sith Empire?" Bastila was stunned.
"The Sith lords are planning to strike the Jedi temple directly. Those who have not fled will have to face them." Revan said.
"That is madness!" Bastila said.
"They will have their revenge one way or another. But if we fight them at Coruscant and reduce their numbers, I can finish them off much more quickly. You must be there too. You must fight them and help the survivors flee." Revan said.
"Why would Jolee and I help the Jedi fight a battle that you know we will lose?" Bastila asked.
"Because you will lose much more if you do not fight this battle, believe me." Revan said simply.
"I believe you." Bastila nodded.
"While you are there, seek guidance from master Zhar. The other masters think they know everything and they mistake Zhar's silence for weakness. Zhar believes he is responsible for me and my followers. Do not allow him to remain silent. The others will subdue him but you must ignore them. Most importantly, do not listen to the council of Coruscant. None of the other masters can control you or your power: they will tear you apart. Listen only to Zhar." Revan said.
"Zhar can control me?" Bastila asked.
"You misunderstand: Only you can control yourself. Zhar can remind you of that. Listen to him." Revan explained as he squatted a bit to be more at her level.
"What about Carth and the others?" Bastila asked.
"When this war is over, Carth will be a changed man. He will find it much easier to trust people then. He will have the peace he requires but he must retire from the fleet first. Until he steps down from the other admirals, he can be of no more use. When the Jedi have suffered losses you will look to Mandalore for help, not Carth." Revan said.
"Mandalore? But he is a beast…" Bastila said.
"A beast you know precisely how to control. Trust me Bastila, you must win his respect soon rather than later. When things get rough, he will be the only one you can count on. You must trust me." Revan said.
"I trust you." Bastila said.
"What of the queen and Onderon?" Bastila asked.
"You must exploit this relationship you have with the queen. Make Onderon subject to the new republic. It will make it easier for you to accomplish your true goals." Revan said carefully.
"What true goals?" Bastila was puzzled.
"Once you become Jedi master, you will return here to recruit the descendants of Freedon Nadd into the order." Revan said.
"The descendants of Freedon Nadd?" Bastila was confused.
"Onderon is one of few natural resources in the force that has been left alone by the Jedi out of fear of the dark side." Revan answered.
"But the descendants of Freedon Nadd… surely they…." Bastila began protesting.
"They are no more prone to falling to the dark side then anyone. No one can understand this better than I. They have lived this long in peace and are capable of doing so for much longer, but you will need to replenish your numbers. No one must know this but you. The Sith who fought here today, my old apprentices, have no idea what I require this world for and it has done me well not to tell them. You must keep this from the jedi yourself for much the same reason. Onderon must remain a political affair in the eyes of both the Sith and the Jedi order." Revan explained.
"Very well. I will bring these descendants of Freedon Nadd into the order." Bastila promised.
"Good. I have begun to influence certain senators of Coruscant but politics are not my domain. In time they will reveal themselves to you. It will be up to you to make changes to the new republic." Revan said.
"What about you?" Bastila asked worriedly.
"I will cause dissention in the ranks of the Sith empire and climb to the title of Dark Lord once again. Until then, I will watch over you. Protect you and grant you whatever assistance you need to build the new republic." Revan said as he walked back up the stairs and picked up his mandalorian helmet.
"I do not doubt your power to rule the Sith but what will you do once you are there? Will you fall so far that you can no longer be saved?" Bastila asked sadly.
"I command the Dark Side even now. The Sith Empire does not know it yet. They will find it hard to accept and when I am finally crowned Dark Lord, there will not be much of an empire left, I promise you." Revan said confidently as he tucked his helmet under his arm and descended the steps once again.
"What happens after is up to you. You are the only one that can change my fate. You may let me end once and for all or you may choose a destiny that is different form that of a warrior. Revan can be no more." Revan answered.
"How can I turn you back into Arman Clash?" Bastila asked.
"You think it was the council who did that to me? It was only after they saw what you had done with me that they took the opportunity to rewrite my mind to their will. All along it was your gift that allowed me to live on and it was your power that forced your destiny into my own. You and I have a bond together, but alone I am too dangerous." Revan explained.
"I don't understand, with all this power flowing from the dark side, how can you resist its corruption?" Bastila asked.
"Perhaps another time. This knowledge will not do you any more good then it did Malak." Revan dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. Revan slipped on his helmet.
"I will contact you some other time, some other place. Do not tell anyone you have seen me in person except for Jolee and Mandalore, do we understand each other?" Revan asked.
"I do." Bastila nodded.
"I sense your pain Bastila. Do not fear. Your struggles will make you into the strongest jedi master some day." Revan said as he places his hand on her shoulder once more.
"I will miss you." Bastila admitted.
"Not for much longer now. Your search for me is over. You have much to occupy your time, and much to accomplish. I will always be watching. From now on you have the same chance as any Jedi to flourish. I suggest you don't waste any. Heed my advice about the jedi council and you will become great in no time." Revan said.
"Surely I cannot openly disobey them…" Bastila started.
"Dear Bastila, sometimes results are more important than methods. It's up to you to decide when that is. As for the council, if you need to lie to them, I assure you, they will not be able to see through you!" Revan assured her.
"Why must I do this?" Bastila asked carefully.
"You must do what feels right. If you do not KNOW, you may ask Zhar or even Carth or Mandalore would be more suited to answer you then the rest of the Jedi. But if you ask the council, they will waste you and they will all die with you." Revan said bitterly.
"If the Jedi do not understand your role, they need not know." Revan said in a more comforting voice.
"I understand." Bastila said.
"Good. Mandalore approaches. I must leave." Revan said swiftly as he climbed down the steps.