Sorry about the wait. Now that my computer's fixed I can actually post this chapter. : ( Computer problems can be hell sometimes, but it's okay now. NOTE: I have an announcement at the end of this chapter concerning a new fic.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or KOTOR.
Chapter 10: Arrival
The Ebon Hawk soared through the Stratosphere of Coruscant and into space. Within moments of exiting Coruscant's atmosphere, the Ebon Hawk disappeared into hyperspace toward Dantooine. Up in the cockpit, Revan leaned back in his chair and unstrapped himself.
"Well, Atton, the Ebon Hawk's now in your hands. Just don't do anything stupid or HK will have his fantasy fulfilled." He patted Atton's head mockingly. He switched on the intercom and announced that they had reached hyperspace and could unfasten themselves.
"Wonderful," Atton replied sarcastically. "Yeah, you can go and have fun in the main hold with that bloodthirsty droid of yours. I'll be up here in the nice comfortable cockpit with lots of fun things to do."
"And that's why we've brought you along. Have fun." Revan exited the cockpit and headed for the main hold, where Bastila, Quaid, and Jolee had just risen from their seats. "Well, until we reach Dantooine, we'll have to make due with what we have aboard this ship," he said as they stretched.
"Revan, we should probably sharpen up on our dueling in the meantime. With Atton at the controls, we should have more time to do that," Bastila suggested.
Revan nodded. "All four of us should practice our dueling. It can't hurt." He faced Quaid. "I'm sorry we don't have a lightsaber for you, but if we face Sith in battle, we might be able to get you a used one, if you get my drift."
Quaid stifled a chuckle and nodded. "It's alright if you can't get one. I've gotten pretty good with a vibrosword lately. Facing the Sith aboard Peragus was excellent practice."
"Well, I think it's right you have one. I don't care what anyone says, you're still a Jedi in my book."
"Thanks, Revan."
"Well, before we get into a big dueling frenzy here, can we eat first?" asked Jolee. "I could use some of that gunk that comes out of the synthesizer."
"I think we all could use some food," replied Revan. "I'll get some out of the cargo hold." As he turned to leave, Bastila called out.
"You may want to get some for Atton, in case he wants some."
"Alright."
Upon arriving at the cargo hold, Revan stooped to retrieve some food from the storage crate. As he was opening the lid a sudden disturbance in the force caught him off guard. His senses heightened and he quickly surveyed his surroundings. He sensed a presence in the room. Someone was in there with him.
He slowly rose and gripped the lightsaber strapped to his waist. "Who's there?" he called out.
No answer.
He drew the lightsaber from its sheath and ignited it. The blade shot from the hilt and illuminated the air in a bright blue glow. While he was more of a Jedi consular, he had always preferred the color of the guardian. "Who's there?" he called out again more fiercely. "Come out or I'll--"
"Wait! Don't hurt me!" a young, feminine voice cried. "It's me! Mission!" Her small, stooped azure form appeared next to the wall as she brought herself out of stealth. The sight of her practically made Revan leap out of his skin.
"Mission!" he yelled with a mix of anger and shock. "You…where…how did you-"
"Please don't be mad at me," she whimpered. "I couldn't help it."
Before Revan could say anything Bastila appeared in the entrance. She caught sight of Revan's green lightsaber. "Revan, what's going on he-…Mission? How in the force did you get here?"
"Please, don't be angry at me! I couldn't think! I just couldn't help myself."
"Slow down, Mission," Bastila replied calmly. "What are you doing here?" She walked over to Mission and stopped beside her. Regaining his equilibrium, Revan switched off his lightsaber and stuffed it into its holster.
"Mission, what are you doing here?" Bastila repeated coolly.
"I'm sorry," Mission replied meekly. "I wanted to come with you guys so badly. Carth was leading me away from you guys, but he got distracted. When I saw my chance I…I just couldn't help it. I snuck away and boarded."
"Mission…" Bastila shook her head. Revan approached and stopped over Mission. He and Bastila both had to force themselves not to laugh.
"My dear Mission," Revan began. "You truly never stop amazing me." He noticed her smile slightly at his comment. "But I must impress upon you the seriousness of this."
"Please, don't make me go back, guys!" she pleaded. "I promise I won't get in the way of anything! I'll help out if I can, just please don't take me back!" She knelt down on the ground begging.
"We'll think about it if you tell us how you got on," Revan replied.
"I snuck on before you guys lifted the entry ramp. After that I hid in the cargo hold before you blasted off. Jolee said I could hide in there if--"
"Jolee? What did he have to do with it?" asked Revan surprised.
"I talked to him earlier, and he 'suggested' that the cargo hold would be good if I didn't want to attract attention while boarding."
"Well, at least we know someone had an idea of what was happening," remarked Bastila.
"So, what now?"
"Well, it's too late to take you back anyway," Bastila folded her arms. "Don't worry, you can stay. Just try not to get into too much trouble."
"Really! Oh, thank you, guys! I promise you won't regret it!" She tackle-hugged Revan and Bastila.
"I here Atton loves pazaak, Mission. At least you and he will have something to do on the trip. That, or you could watch HK use him for target practice."
She giggled. "Thanks again, guys." She turned her head as Quaid and Jolee leaned in to see what was going on.
"Meet our newest crewmember, guys," Revan joked.
"How did she get here?" asked Quaid shocked.
"She managed to sneak past security before we lifted off. That, and she had a little assistance boarding." Revan arched an eyebrow at Jolee, who raised his hands and feigned innocence.
"What? What are you looking at me for?" he joked.
"Hmph. Never mind. Let's eat something, alright? I'm starving."
A little while later, after everything had settled, Quaid, Revan, and Bastila had resigned to conversing in the starboard dormitory. The conversation had drifted from childhood to the Mandalorian Wars to the present.
"Quaid," Revan asked after some hesitation. "What did Kreia tell you on Peragus? She said to remember what she told you."
Quaid looked up from his vibrosword. "She told me many things while we were there. Among them, she talked a lot of the force."
"Do tell," added Revan curiously.
"She told often of how the force acts through all things, yet it does so for reasons that might not seem clear to us. That both the lightside and darkside work through things."
"Well, that's not exactly new to Jedi philosophy, Quaid," Bastila reminded.
"Yes, but she said how the lightside and darkside are only two sides of one thing. They are in the end, one and the same. That there is no lightside or darkside except what we make of it. There is only the force. And it is something that we can manipulate to whatever end we choose."
"That sounds like the Sith teachings, too me," remarked Revan with increasing interest.
"That's what I thought at first. But she often said of how what we may think of as 'the right thing' may turn out to be the wrong thing. Take helping out a poor person in the street. You may think you're helping them by giving them aid, but are you really? If by doing that, would you only teach them to become dependant on others and not to look after themselves? Would you only be hurting them in the process?"
"Interesting. Go on."
"She also talked of our allies. She cautioned strongly against forming any bonds with your allies. She said that how they are to be used only when they are beneficial. Kreia spoke of how allies may only be a hindrance to some because we become too dependant on each other and then can no longer be self-sufficient. And if we're not careful, keeping allies around can only slow us down in our rise to power."
"Strange. And what do you make of this?" Revan asked.
"I really don't know. Kreia has this strange ability to sound like the word of the force itself when she speaks. I don't really know what to think. Needless to say, it's left me torn. What about you."
"I don't know, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with it," Bastila said hesitantly.
"Whatever she meant by it, I'm a little torn myself," Revan replied. "But I don't think it's something we can dwell on now."
Quaid shook his head. "Nevertheless, I can't help but wonder sometimes. Kreia is a strange old woman, that is for sure." The trio managed a weak laugh.
"Not as strange as Vrook," Revan joked.
"It's a pity though," Bastila muttered gloomily. "Some of the council have grown short-sighted, recently. Coming from one who once had blind faith in them, that is saying something. Of course, ones like Vandar and Kavar lend their wisdom, but others like Vrook are becoming an obstacle to others."
"You are right, I'm afraid," Revan replied. "But between them and the Sith, I still prefer them. Well, except maybe Vrook. But he doesn't count." Quaid and Bastila chuckled. "But we can only hope that they outgrown their fear toward change. Then, I think, the Jedi will truly be what they are meant to be."
Quaid and Bastila both nodded. Bastila stretched her arms.
"I'm tired. I could do with a good sleep. I'm going to turn in." She stood up and headed away from the dormitory.
"Goodnight, Bastila," Revan called.
"Goodnight, Revan," she responded.
After she had left, Revan noticed Quaid shoot him a devilish smile. "You know Revan, I have to hand it to you. You really know how to pick 'em."
"Who, Bastila?" Revan asked, playing dumb.
"You're lucky, Revan. I could tell she was a rare one just by looking at her. Ever since I was an apprentice and we were distance acquaintances, I could sense something special about her, and I'm not just talking about looks, although she is a pretty one."
"Yeah, well, hands off," Revan joked. "Have you ever been, er, involved with someone?"
Quaid shook his head. "Not really, I'm afraid. Being a Jedi, a war hero, and then an exile doesn't leave much time for relationships. I've had crushes and fantasies, of course, but not anything like what you'd call a 'relationship', and nothing close to an engagement."
Revan let out a long sigh. "Unfortunately, Bastila and I won't be able to marry until this whole thing with the Sith is pacified."
Quaid nodded. "I know. It's not fair that you and she should be thrust into this conflict so soon, and at the worst possible time. But still, you should count your lucky stars you have someone you can call your fiancé."
"Yes, you're right," Revan breathed. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "And don't worry, Quaid. You'll find someone. And if your luck is at all like mine, you might find it in the most unlikely place."
"You really think so?"
"If there is justice and a lightside, I'm sure of it."
"Well, here's to hope."
Bastila looked fearfully around her. All she could see was black. The blackness seemed to pierce her skin smother her. She looked desperately around for something…light or any way out of the blackness, but there was none.
Then she sensed something. Something malevolent was behind her. Slowly, she apprehensively turned to face whatever was behind her. The sight practically made her scream.
It was the eyes again. Those large, blue, inhuman eyes stared at her in the darkness. Slowly the eyes drifted toward her. Gradually a shape emerged around the eyes, revealing a creature that vaguely resembled a human, but the darkness prevented her from making out anything else. What happened next chilled her to the core.
As the creature moved toward her, it's eyes turned from bright blue to a bloody red. Bastila sensed that the creature intended to harm her. Before the creature could draw any nearer, a blue light illuminated the darkness. She turned and beheld Revan with his lightsaber drawn, running to defend Bastila, who instantly felt a wave of relief.
The creature leapt away from Bastila, but then knelt down and stood still. Revan stood his ground, preparing to strike the creature if it moved again. Then, something else happened. A shape emerged next to the creature. The darkness moved to form a tall figure clad in deep black robes. Bastila's fear resurfaced. She felt the figure had once been human, but now it was something horribly far from it.
Where the face should have been was a pale, corpse-like mask with red lines running across the sides, which reminded Bastila of blood streaks. The eyeholes were empty and seemed to be bottomless pits of darkness. Bastila looked at Revan, who seemed unsure of what to do. She focused once again on the creature with red eyes, which knelt next to the dark figure, only…
There were now two sets of eyes. Then four…then eight…soon there seemed to be hundreds of creatures in the darkness. They encircled the two Jedi, trapping them. Bastila sensed they were somehow being controlled by the masked figure.
Revan raised his lightsaber and leapt out to attack the masked figure, but soon collapsed on the ground and was gasping. Bastila felt her desperation rising. The masked figure seemed to be draining the life out of Revan. He was helpless, and the creatures moved closer to take Bastila.
Bastila struggled. She wanted to help Revan, to attack the creatures, but she was unable to move. She was helpless. She could only watch in vain as Revan lay before her, dying, and the creatures moved in for the kill. Tears welled in her eyes. With one last outburst of desperation, she raised her head and cried out.
"REVAN!"
Her own cry jolted her awake. Once again she was greeting by the gray interior of the Ebon Hawk. Mission, who had been sleeping, sat up suddenly to see where the cry had come from.
"Bastila? Are you okay?" she asked with concern.
Not wanting to alarm Mission, Bastila nodded her head. "I'm fine. It was just a…a bad dream. It's okay. Go back to sleep."
Mission wanted to ask more but decided against it and lay back down. Bastila slowly stood up from her bed and exited the dormitory.
Revan awoke when he felt Bastila's emotions surge through their bond. Sensing her fear, he emerged from the dormitory to look for her. He found in the main hold on one of the seats, crying and shivering in the darkness.
"Bastila? Bastila what's wrong?" He sat down next to Bastila and wrapped his arms around her. "What happened, sweetie?" he asked sincerely, trying desperately to calm her.
"Did…did you see it?" she asked through her sobs.
"See what?"
Her eyes met his with a renewed fear. "You didn't see it? Oh no…"
"What did you see?"
She lowered her gaze. "A-a horrible dream…or a vision. It was horrible. You were there…and I saw…I saw it again! The eyes!"
Revan felt worry rising in himself. "What happened? What did you see?" he asked again, trying to sound calm.
Bastila related to Revan through her tears all that she had seen in her dream. She told of the creatures and the tall, masked figure, and what had happened to him.
"And you were dying, Revan!" she cried. "And I was helpless! There was nothing I could do!" Tears still rolled down her cheeks. Her ocean-blue eyes were outlined in red from all the sobbing.
Revan calmly hushed her. "It's okay, Bastila. I'm here." He held her tightly to him, sending comfort to her through words and through their bond. He felt a small sense of relief as her tears slowly faded.
"I'm frightened, Revan," she muttered at last. "Why didn't you see it? Normally we share visions such as these. What does it mean?"
Revan was unsure himself. "I don't know, Bastila. But can we be sure it was a vision? Perhaps it wasn't."
"But it felt so, so real!" she protested. "I felt like I was really there."
"Shh. We all have vivid dreams, Bastila. Maybe this was one…I hope that this was one. If this was indeed a vision, then we cannot be sure that is even sure to happen. Don't forget, the future is not written, and whether or not visions become real is up to us."
The last of Bastila's tears fell from her eyes. She sniffled and managed a weak smile in the dark. "I know. It was just so…terrible. I love you, Revan. I don't want to lose you."
"I don't want to lose you either. It's okay, Bastila." He kissed her on the cheek and rested her head on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked after a short while.
"Yes," she answered softly. Her eyes closed as she rested contentedly in his arms. Revan felt sleep overpowering him as well. Before they knew it, they both fell asleep in the main hold.
The pair was discovered by Quaid, who decided not to disturb them. The crew didn't ask what had happened when they were discovered. Revan didn't tell Quaid until later what had happened. The rest of the trip passed without incident, the strong-willed Bastila managed to recover from the shock of her vision, and soon the crew arrived on Dantooine.
"Alright," Revan addressed the crew after their landing. "Bastila, Quaid, Jolee, and I have to meet up with the others. We're on a very important mission, and we cannot afford to take risks. Atton and Mission, I'm afraid you'll have to stay here.
"Stay here and do what?" asked Mission, disappointed.
"You wanted to come here, Mission," Revan huffed. "You'll have to do as you're told, even if it means staying here until we find out what you can do." Mission folded her arms and scowled. Bastila had to cover her mouth to conceal her laugh.
"So I guess I'll just sit here, too? Lounge around until we have to fly this crate again?" Atton asked with monotone.
"Unfortunately, yes, but don't even think about trying anything funny. When we get back, this Hawk better still be here. HK!"
"Acknowledgement: Yes, master?"
"While I'm gone, make sure Atton here does nothing to Mission or with the ship. If he does, you have my full permission to blast him."
"Exclamatory: Oh, yes, master! Very good! It would be more than fun to watch his entrails spill all over the interior of the vessel."
"Um, right," Atton eyed the droid nervously. Just then, a loud beeping noise emanated from the cockpit. "That would be a signal for you, master," Atton said with heavy sarcasm in the last word. Revan ignored him and headed toward the cockpit.
Upon reaching the console, he pressed a button and the image revealed the very familiar face of Carth, looking quite stressed.
"Revan! Is Mission with you?" he asked, not bothering to stall the point.
Revan staggered for an instant, but then replied with a grin, "Yes, she's here Carth. The little sneak managed to board my ship." He noticed Carth breathe a huge sigh of relief. He perked up his eyes and looked behind Revan. Sure enough, Mission had stopped in to listen, no doubt after hearing her name.
"Mission!" Carth yelled, laughing heartily. "Geez, you are one slippery gizka. I had people searching Coruscant for you, though I'll say I'm not surprised to find you here at all. Glad to see you're okay, though. I'll have to say, some of you reminds me of Dustil."
"Aw, thanks Carth," Mission replied with a sickly-sweet voice. She then blushed slightly. "Sorry, by the way. I wasn't really thinking. Sorry I worried you so much."
Carth shook his head. "Well, as long as your okay, kiddo. And I figured you were with Revan, anyway. You just take care, Mission. And that goes for the rest of you!" He nodded toward Revan. "So long, guys. Good luck!"
"Farewell, Carth," Revan said.
"Bye, Carth!" Mission waved. The two then re-entered the main hold.
"What did Carth want?" asked Bastila, although aware she didn't really need to ask.
"He was just worried about are little blue gizka, here," Revan replied.
"Hey, Revan!" Mission blushed.
Revan turned his attention to Bastila, Quaid, and Jolee. "Well, they said that Dustil and Yuthura were in the Khoonda settlement. We'd better get a move on and meet them."
A short while later they came to the government building, which was located on what used to be the Matale estate. The scenery reminded Revan of when he was caught between the huge family feud between the Matales and the Sandrals. Where they were now, he had no idea. If they survived the bombing of Dantooine, they made no attempt to resettle there.
It didn't take them long to find a group of Jedi inside the mansion. Near the group stood two familiar faces: a violet-skinned Twi'lek and a black-haired teenager. Yuthura Ban and Dustil Onasi.
"Greetings, Yuthura. Hello, Dustil," greeted Revan. Dustil responded with a nod.
"Greetings to you, too, my friends. It's good to see you all again." She shook each of their hands and looked at Quaid curiously.
"I don't believe we've met before. You are?" she asked him.
"I'm, um…Quaid. Quaid Darin."
"Oh," Yuthura seemed to hesitate for a moment. Revan's stomach tightened. While she didn't recognize the exile, she had certainly heard of him. He hoped that Yuthura didn't share the same disdain for Quaid some of the other Jedi had. "It's good to meet you, Quaid. Welcome back." She shook his hand warmly, which Quaid returned with a smile. Revan let out a breath of relief.
"I've heard much about you. You helped save the Republic in the Mandalorian Wars, did you not?"
"Well, there's a story behind that," Quaid said uneasily.
"Hmm. I'm curious as to what you've been up to lately. You'll have to tell me your story sometime."
"Yes, I'll have to," Quaid replied, once again at ease. Yuthura focused her attention to Revan and Bastila. Before she could begin, Dustil motioned at Quaid.
"Quaid, could I see you for a moment?" he asked.
Quaid, with a look of confusion, nodded and followed Dustil out of the room. Once they were in private, Dustil drew out a cloth wrapped around a long, slender object. Quaid felt his stomach tighten and his heart leap at the sight.
"It was sent to me from one of the masters, but I don't know who. He or she wanted me to give it to you." He unwrapped the cloth to reveal a lightsaber. Slowly, he handed it to Quaid. "Can't say I disagree. You've been away from our order too long. I know the feeling, having been with the Sith. Besides, the vibrosword looked ugly, anyway. I was also told to tell you that it was a gift." He folded his arms and grinned warmly.
Quaid looked at it, holding it gingerly in his hands as if it was a delicate antique. Slowly, he pressed the button and a brilliant green light shot out from the hilt. It's soft hum seemed almost alien to Quaid, who had not held a lightsaber for so long. It was like being reunited with an old friend.
He remembered that his lightsaber was green before…before he went red and into darkness. He was more of a guardian than consular, but he had always liked the color green. He slowly twirled the saber, the feel of it returning quickly to him. With awe in his eyes, he pressed the button and the blade withdrew. He once again regarded Dustil.
"Thank you, and thanks to whichever master sent it to me." He didn't realize it, but he was close to tears. The lightsaber was more than a weapon: it was status. Some member or members considered him worthy to rejoin, yet could not get it to be official. His mind flashed at once to Vandar and Kavar.
With a nod toward the door, Quaid and Dustil left the room to rejoin the group. Once arriving, Yuthura finally addressed the crowd. Revan and Bastila both took notice of his lightsaber. Their eyes widened considerably almost simultaneously, a site which made Quaid almost laugh out loud. Remembering the Mission, the three of them focused intensely on Yuthura.
"Master Vandar put me in charge of the strike team until you two arrived," she said. "Come with me." She led them to a room lined with computer consoles. They stopped at a large screen showing what appeared to be a map the region of Dantooine they were in.
"The Sith arrived shortly before we did. We tracked one of their ships landing near the old Jedi enclave." She pointed at a black shape on the map, which represented the ruined academy.
"We have every reason to believe they were looking for something inside the ruins. Our first task is to go and investigate the enclave, and then secure it, a task that will not be easy. Most likely they have left forces behind to take care of any Jedi on their trail, but if we're careful, we will be ready for them. Once we're done, we can track where the rest of the Sith have gone."
"Well, let's not waste any time, then. The sooner we get to the enclave, the better," Bastila said.
Yuthura grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that. Let's go."
They returned to the group of Jedi and called them to attention. "Everyone, you will now give your attention to Revan," Yuthura commanded. "He is now your leader for this mission."
"Everyone!" Revan called. "The Sith have resurfaced, and they are here on Dantooine. They have tried to remain covert, but fortunately they have not succeeded in that. We are to go to the enclave, eradicate any Sith presence, and find out where they are headed. If we succeed, we will stop this menace before it resurfaces."
The crowd of Jedi applauded. Revan raised a hand to silence them. "We will go in three teams. First team will come with me, second will go with Bastila, the third will go with Yuthura." He eyed Quaid, meaning that he meant to know how he came into possession of a lightsaber. Quaid felt more than happy to comply when the time came.
A short while later, the group of Jedi emerged from the building and headed off toward the Jedi enclave. Despite their caution, the group was unaware that blind eyes were watching them.
"Too many," Visas thought. "Too many for me to handle alone. No matter." She shifted her attention back toward the rest of the Khoonda settlement. "I can strike them from other places."
And there it is. I know the exile has to build his own lightsaber, but I couldn't wait to give him one and I thought it added a nice touch. ; ) And now for the announcement: I'll be posting a new fic soon, but it won't be a KOTOR fic. My next fic will be an (hopefully shorter) homage to Teen Titans and War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. If any of you are fans of either, you can check it out. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update it, since this is still my main fic. Adios.