Unfortunately, the One had eyes everywhere. A war party waited on the beach outside the Rakatan Enclave. "We have seen you, interloper! You are a servant of the Elders. By order of the One, you must die!" the leader spat angrily before all five Rakatan and three rancors attacked.

The battle was longer than it needed to be, and incredibly draining. Kenna and Juhani felt they were sucking the last dregs of a long-dry cup when they called on the Force, and all three were exhausted when they finally struck down the last of the rancors. Fortunately, however, their injuries were minor; cuts and scrapes all around, and Carth was sure his side was entirely black and blue from getting thrown into rocks multiple time by that last fracking rancor.

"You alright?" Kenna asked, watching him massage the bruise.

Carth nodded. "I'm fine, beautiful."

"You sure? No broken ribs or anything?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm fine, I promise. Just bruised. Now let's get going."

"Let's, flyboy." Kenna smiled and made for the door.

They had to fight their way through the settlement into the chambers of the One. When he saw them, he scowled. "The Black Rakata shall never fall to you!" He pulled a lever, releasing three rancors from their cages. No more rancors! Kenna wanted to scream, but focused instead on killing the beasts. When the last of them fell, she let Juhani handle healing again, having drained herself entirely healing during the battle. She needed it the most. Carth and Juhani had taken a rancor apiece, but that still left one to attack her while she was focused on the One. She'd already been exhausted when she finally killed him, but immediately having to face a nearly uninjured rancor almost did her in. She simply stood there and let the healing energy of the Force slide over her.

Once she was strong enough, she headed for one of the side rooms. The Elder scout was there, badly wounded but still alive.

"You…you have saved me from the savages and their war beasts," he groaned when Kenna approached him.

"I was sent by the Council to save you," she assured him.

"I don't know what I would have done if you had not come. I suppose I would be dead now, like the others they captured with me." He looked sadly at the bodies impaled on spears in the corner of his cell. "Thank you for saving me. I shall attempt to return to the Enclave on my own. I will tell the Council of what you have done." Limping heavily, he crossed the main chamber and disappeared toward the door.

"Well, I guess we're done here. Let's go. I want to get this over with." Kenna turned and followed the wounded scout's path.

Kenna didn't waste any time returning to the Elders' Enclave. She really did want to be done with this. She went back before the Council, hoping she had changed their minds.

"Revan, you are back. Our scout told us of how you rescued him. His injuries are severe, but we believe he will survive. We are grateful for what you have done."

"So now will you help me?" Kenna probed.

"Risking your own life to save our scout seems to prove that you have changed significantly since the last time you were here, Revan. But you have deceived us before. We must discuss this in greater detail. We must have some privacy, Revan. We will return when our deliberations are done." The Council left the room to deliberate. They were gone for what seemed hours but was in reality only one. Kenna paced the whole time, so lost in thought Carth decide against interrupting her.

Finally, the Council returned. "Revan, you have rescued a member of our tribe from the One at great personal risk to yourself. We believe this actions shows you have truly changed since your last visit here. The Council has decided we will trust you once more. For many generations we have sought a way to enter the Temple and discover the means to destroy the Star Forge. But only those who command the Force--those like you-- can enter the Temple of the Ancients. We no longer have that power. That was why we helped you when you were here before. But you cannot enter the Temple without our help, Revan. Only the ancient rituals of our people can lower the shields for you to enter. You need us as much as we need you."

Nearly collapsing from relief they would help her, Kenna replied, "Looks like we'll be working together, then."

"For our own sake, and that of the entire galaxy, we hope you truly mean to atone for your past evils. When you are ready, Revan, we will take you to the Temple. But the Temple is a place of sacred power. If you are to enter you must do so alone, in the tradition followed by our Rakata ancestors for the past thousand generations."

But I don't want to go in without help. Especially without Carth. Kenna's heart rebelled at the mere thought. "Why do I have to go in alone?"

"We believe you truly mean to destroy the Star Forge this time. But the lesson of the past is not easily forgotten. We will not defile the sacred ritual a second time; only you may enter."

"When I am ready, I will enter the Temple alone," Kenna acquiesced reluctantly. How in the world am I going to convince Carth to let me go alone? The man's got a protective streak a mile wide.

"Then it is done," intoned the Elder. "You have only to let us know when you are ready to enter the Temple."

Might as well get it over with, Kenna muttered to herself. "I want to enter the Temple now."

"The time has come for you to atone for your past crimes, Revan. But the task ahead will be difficult. Those you call dark Jedi-- followers of your old apprentice--now dwell within the Temple."

Well, that's an unforeseen complication. "There are dark Jedi in the Temple? How did they get there?"

"The last time you and Malak entered the Temple you must have found the controls to raise and lower the shields," explained the Elder. "those inside can lower the barrier to allow other Force users to enter and exit the Temple. But they will not be able to prevent us from using the ritual to gain you access," he assured her, "Once inside, however, we can do nothing to help you. Go to the Temple now. We will meet you there once the ritual has been prepared. Remember: in accordance with ancient Rakata tradition you must enter the Temple alone."

Kenna nodded and left, trying to figure out how she was going to get Carth to agree to let her go alone.

"What did they say?" the pilot demanded as they followed the path to the Temple. "What's wrong? Aren't they going to help you?"

"Yes, they'll help," Kenna said softly. "They agreed to let me in the Temple."

"Then what's wrong??" Carth repeated, turning her to face him. "Kenna?"

"They'll let me in, but I have to go alone."

It took a second to sink in. "Like hell you're going alone," Carth scoffed when it did. "I'm coming with you."

"You can't." Kenna rubbed one hand against the stubble on his face, wanting nothing more than to be able to take him with her. "For one thing, only Force users can go in."

"Then--" he began. At least take Juhani. I really don't want you going alone.

"But their traditions state only one person may enter. They were incredibly firm on that. I had to promise to go in alone. And despite what Revan thought of promises, Kenna keeps them." Kenna hugged him desperately tight. "I don't like it any more than you do, Carth. But I'll be alright. I promise. Now," she stepped back, " when we get to the top of the path, you and Juhani go back to the Ebon Hawk and wait for me."

"Nothing doing. If I can't go in with you, I'll wait right outside."

"Carth, please. I can not be wondering if you're alright while I'm in there. Promise me. Promise you'll go back to the Hawk."

He stared at her silently for a long moment before answering. "I promise." It was the hardest promise he ever made. But he kept it. When they reached the Temple, he hugged her close, kissed her forehead, and headed for the Hawk. Juhani followed him.

When they reached the ship, Carth headed for the cockpit and plunked down in the pilot's chair. He kicked the console in frustration, wishing more than anything that he could have gone with Kenna. But even if she was allowed to take companions inside with her, only Force users could go in, effectively eliminating any chance he could do any more than wait. Carth groaned in frustration and abandon the chair the pace the hallway joining the cockpit to the main hold. Juhani had sat down next to Jolee, and the two Jedi were meditating. Wish I could be that calm, Carth grumbled to himself when he caught sight of them. Jolee suddenly went rigid, and then he and Juhani looked at each other and scrambled to their feet. They dashed for the boarding ramp.

"What just happened? Where are you going?" Carth demanded.

"Kenna cannot go in there alone. We're going with her. We had a…vision," Juhani explained.

"Good luck convincing the Rakata," Carth muttered. "They made her promise to go in alone."

"I know that! But we have to go with her. She's going to face something in there that she can't handle alone!"

I knew it! "Well, take care of her for me."

Juhani nodded. "We will. I promise." Then they were gone.

Kenna watched Carth and Juhani until they were out of sight before approaching the Elder ritual guide.

He bowed to her slightly in greeting. "I will begin the ritual. It will take many hours, but when it is complete you must be ready…the shields will not stay down for long." Kenna nodded, and the Elders knelt and began the ritual, chanting in their language. Suddenly the guide looked up. "Wait…someone is coming!"

Jolee ran up the path, Juhani right behind him. "Wait…you can't go in there alone!"

"What're you doing here?" Kenna demanded in confusion.

Juhani explained, "We have had a…a premonition. The Force has given us a vision. There is great danger within the Temple. We cannot let you face it alone."

"You might be walking into a trap," Jolee elaborated, "maybe Malak himself is waiting inside. Even if he isn't, that Temple will be crawling with Dark Jedi. You'll need all the help you can get."

Much as she would appreciate the help… "Jolee--you can't come. The Rakata won't allow it."

The old man shook his head. "Your destiny--maybe the fate of the entire galaxy--could be forever changed inside that Temple. I'm not about to let you face that alone. Not after my premonition. There's a reason I had that vision."

Juhani nodded her agreement. " Jolee speaks for both of us. You must enter the Temple, but we must go with you."

"So you just tell that guide of yours to do whatever he has to do to get us all inside the Temple," Jolee insisted.

Unsure how he would react, Kenna turned to the guide. "I'm not going alone, after all. Lower the shield."

"No!" the Elder said adamantly, "You must enter the Temple alone! I will not lower the shields!"

"I don't know what he said, but it sounds like your guide is being stubborn," Jolee commented. "We don't have time for this. The Republic Fleet is on the way and we're stuck on this planet until we deactivate that disruptor field. You have to convince him to get us inside that Temple!"

Kenna gave it her best shot. "I cannot destroy the Star Forge alone. They must come with me into the Temple."

The guide thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "I…I believe you. The Elders have said you wish to destroy the Star Forge and end the terrible legacy of our ancestors. If you need help to do this, I will not stand in your way. I will resume the ritual now."

Jolee sighed. "Why do I get the feeling this is going to take a while? Still, we better stay ready. As soon as those shields go down we need to get inside the Temple."

They stood waiting as the Rakata resumed the ritual. Finally, the shields went down, and the three Jedi raced inside. As they crossed the threshold, Kenna heard a voice echoing in her mind, unmistakably Malak's. "My new apprentice is nearly ready." She inhaled sharply as the echo faded. No. No, Bastila would never…would she? Kenna shook her head at herself and turned to her companions. "Let's go." Although both were curious what just happened, they simply nodded and followed her. Kenna walked up to the massive door straight ahead of them and tried to open it. The lock wouldn't give her an inch, no matter how many times she tried, she could not get it to open. Finally, nearly cursing in frustration, she headed down one of the two hallways by the door.

The rooms were full of dark Jedi and sentry droids. Kenna was extremely grateful she had Jolee and Juhani with her. She was strong, but going through this whole Temple by herself would have taxed her to the limit. She fiddled with the security lock on the next door until it popped free and the door slid open. The two Dark Jedi in the room jumped up.

"Who dares intrude on our meditations?" the woman spat. "You know the penalty for…Revan--you are back!" she exclaimed in shock.

Kenna shook her head. "I am Revan no longer. I serve the light and the Jedi Council now."

The woman shook her head. "Malak told us what happened to you. The Jedi Council has stripped you of your power. You are a shell of what you once were."

The man spoke up. "You are not fit to rule the Sith anymore, Revan. Darth Malak will reward us greatly for destroying you!" They attacked.

I wish people would stop saying I'm no longer powerful just because I serve the light. You wanna see what I can still do?? Kenna found herself fighting the anger rising in her chest as she battled the two dark Jedi. They would never have even managed to beat her if she had been alone. With Juhani and Jolee's help, she was basically invincible. After the two fell, Kenna explored the hallway behind the room. It led to a small room, empty save for a slab of rock leaning against the wall catty-corner. This is where Malak tortured Bastila, Kenna realized, matching the few available features of the room to images burned in her memory from that cursed vision. Oh, Force… She turned and left the room without a word.

They finally found their way down through the catacombs to a chamber housing a computer. It greeted her with, "Welcome back, Revan. It had been some time since you last accessed my database. I was beginning to wonder if you had been terminated."

"You recognize me?" Kenna asked in surprise, deciding not to bother correcting the machine that she was no longer Revan.

"Of course," the computer replied in the Rakatan language, "The Builders constructed me with a full range of sensory input systems to compliment my fully aware and self sufficient programming. I recognize your appearance from your last visit, which is stored in my databanks. However, I am detecting some significant changes in your composition since your last visit. Your neurological patterns exhibit subtle yet substantive alterations in both thought patterns and information processing. These changes have been noted and recorded in my databanks."

"Your databanks?" Urgent as it was to disable the disruptor field, Kenna was curious about this computer.

"I am a completely self-sufficient, autonomous, interactive database constructed by the Rakata to record and store the entire history of the species. However, after the collapse of the Infinite Empire, there have been few events worth recording, and nobody has sought to access the information stored within my database…until you came along. Due to my systems ability to monitor and repair themselves, you will find all the data within my archives has remained fully intact. Please choose the topic you would like information on."

Since there was really only one at the moment, "How can I shut down the disruptor field around this planet?"

"The Disruptor Field was constructed as the Star Forge's primary defense against enemy attack, and can only be deactivated from the upper levels of the Temple."

The door hadn't opened when she tried it. "How can I get to the upper levels of the Temple?" Kenna asked.

"My systems control the doors to the upper levels, allowing only those who are worthy of the Rakata legacy to pass. The last time you were here, Revan, I unsealed the doors for you. However, the subtle neurological changes I detected earlier likely caused a failure in the recognition system that would have opened the doors for you. I have updated my database to recognize the new configurations in your mind, Revan. The doors to the upper levels will once again open for you."

Glad she had what she came for, Kenna decided it was time to go. "I'll be going now."

"As you wish," the machine replied, "Please return if you find yourself in need of the information stored in my database." Kenna nodded, even though she wasn't sure the computer could see her, and left the room. They made it back to the door without any surprises. Kenna tried to open it again. This time it slid open without hesitation. Kenna sighed with relief, not even caring about the sentry droid on the other side. Jolee fried it with Force lighting before she could even activate her lightsaber. She thanked him and headed up the ramp. There were no rooms on the upper level, just a large covered area with a doorway to the open roof, which was probably where the computer to disable the disruptor field would be. Kenna headed for it, then stopped in her tracks facing the one sight she would never have predicted seeing here.

Bastila.