Planet Lucazec, Surface.
The officer looked nervous as he waited. To his credit he did not flinch at loud explosions of artillery in the distance, nor the sound of heavy fighting all around them. He had just delivered his report and now he was waiting for Revan's response. As much as these soldiers praised her as a hero they were still nervous at delivering bad news.
Deep down she knew they were afraid of her. They all knew what she could do, although she had never actually done anything terrible to anyone under her command—force knew she wanted to sometimes.
Revan turned from the officer and looked back to the large planetary display. That damn coward had potentially cost them this battle. Their left flank was now completely exposed and the Mandalorians were rushing towards her command post right now. If they took this position then all communications would break down and command would crumble.
The most logical course of action would be to deploy her reserve troops to counter the Mandalorians and shore up the line. However, her foes had also made a mistake. They were overzealous in their charge, eager to kill her and destroy the Republic command. They had diverted the majority of their reserve units to push through the hole in her lines.
If what she was seeing was correct… "Malak give me a report," she demanded, speaking into her com.
"That bastard Voran pulled back and the Mandalorians are heading right for you," said the gruff voice of her apprentice. Revan could hear blaster fire in the background, the shouts of soldiers and the screams of the dying.
"I was just informed. What's your situation?" Revan tried to hide the irritation in her voice as she spoke. Malak should have known that information had already been passed along.
"We're still moving forward, they moved off their reserve units to push through the gap. Only a token force is trying to roll up our lines though. The majority are pushing towards you, I can— Get the fuck back into formation!" Malak screamed to his soldiers. "I can send a company your way to delay them at least."
"Negative, I'm deploying twelfth company to your position. The Mandalorians weakened their position. Push forward and move into the city. Coordinate your attack with Danton's men." If everything went well then they would smash through the weakened Mandalorian lines and get to the city, cutting off the retreat of the forces heading towards her.
"Copy. Think you can handle all those Mandalorians yourself?" asked Malak with a chuckle.
Revan grinned in response. "I'll show them how a real Mandalorian fights." Malak was one of the few people who knew her true heritage. Most people just assumed she wore the armor of a Mandalorian because of its superb quality, which was partly true she supposed. If she hadn't had her own suit then she probably would have procured one by now.
"See you in the city. Malak out."
The com went dead and Revan turned back to the officer. She had almost forgotten the man was there.
"Strip Voran of command and throw him into twelfth company, then order them to Malak's position," Revan said, moving past the officer and heading out of the tent.
The officer saluted and ran off. Hopefully Voran would go down fighting one way or another. She quickly pushed thoughts of the coward from her mind as she headed towards the edge of her command post, summoning her officers with a quick signal on the com.
Her position was on a cliff side that over looked the battlefield. From the ground there was only one approach and her forces were massing there, taking up firing positions behind the well-constructed barricades. Revan always insisted on a well-fortified CP in the field, a decision that had proved invaluable on multiple occasions.
There were roughly fifty soldiers present to defend the location, including the officers. She would keep com staff and other specialist out of combat unless absolutely necessary. It was always a pain in the ass when one of them got taken out.
As she neared the front, four figures detached themselves from organizing the defenders to present themselves before Revan. Two Jedi, both male and wearing the robes of the order, but a suit of republic trooper armor was visible underneath. The other two officers were non-Jedi, one male and one female, clad in heavy suits of armor. All of them saluted at her approach.
Revan nodded to them and they all relaxed "We're going to hold off the Mandalorian advance here. I have ordered our remaining forces to push forward and secure the city. We must either route the enemy or hold on long enough for aid to come."
The officers all saluted again in their answer, not a second of hesitation from any of them. Revan smiled to herself—they were a very loyal bunch. She returned the salute before dismissing them.
She walked through the assembled defenders, nimbly leaping on top of the front most barricades to look out across the field. She could already sense the enemy closing in—they were filled with hated and anger. Yes, they were very eager to kill her. Revan grinned; they would be reckless in their attack.
Her advanced HUD was able to zoom in and make out a dozen tanks storming ahead of the main infantry advance. They would be fools if they tried to charge up the hill. The size of the road up the hill meant only one of the large vehicles could pass at a time. No, they would hold back and be used more as an artillery unit; they would hammer this position before the infantry attacked.
"Allik, Polin, on me," she spoke through her com, immediately sensing the two Jedi moving to her side. "We need to take out those tanks. Allik protect us from incoming fire. Polin, you know what to do."
Neither of the Jedi were as powerful as her, but they were still a force to be reckoned with. The tanks were not in range, but they were close enough for her. Revan reached out with her left hand, and almost instantly one of the tanks lifted into the air, its treads still moving. She closed her fist and watched as the machine crumpled into a twisted ball of metal.
Keeping the large ball in the air Revan jerked her hand to the side, watching as the remains of the tank slammed into its neighbor, crushing through its body and turning it to scrap. The tanks had gotten closer now and Polin had begun to work his own powers, ripping the turret from one tank, rendering it useless.
Revan threw the two tanks she had destroyed; they crashed into the advancing infantry, easily killing a dozen. Now that the machines were closer she could use her powers to an even greater effect.
Reaching out to the rear tank, she rotated its turret towards the lead machine, then she activated the firing mechanism. The super-heated plasma slammed into the unprotected rear of the lead vehicle, tearing through the body and into the main compartment, killing the crew.
She smiled as the formation was thrown into chaos. She fired at another tank, hitting it in the side—it took two hits to bring it down. By now the other vehicles had opened fire on the rogue tank, destroying it in barrage of plasma. Polin had also racked up two more kills in this time.
The remaining vehicles continued towards the CP. Now within range they opened fire. Three of the four shots smashed harmlessly into the mountain side, while the final one headed straight for the line. Before it could impact the bolt veered to the side, hitting only dirt and rock.
Revan ripped one of the tanks in half, using the remains to pummel a second into a heap of scrap. Polin pulled off the remaining two turrets in quick succession. Revan lowered her hands and looked over to the two Jedi.
"Good work, now get ready for the real fight."
The two Jedi nodded and moved back to rejoin the front line. Revan turned to face her assembled soldiers. "Soldiers of the Republic! Let's show these fools how real warriors fight!" Revan ignited her lightsaber as she spoke, holding it high above her head.
There was a resounding cry from her soldiers that made her smile. These were soldiers she had personally picked for her command retinue; many often accompanied her into battle. These were real warriors. These men and women were more Mandalorian than most of the soldiers in the army they were fighting.
Revan turned to face the charging enemy. The infantry were close enough to open fire now, but they were at maximum range. The few shots that would have hit she easily deflected with her lightsaber. As they got closer she finally jumped off the barricade and took her position and moved to the front line. Her soldiers opened fire as the enemy came closer, and the concentrated wall of blaster bolts brought down the leading Mandalorian soldiers in quick order.
It only took a few moments before the enemy pulled their act together and returned fire in a disciplined and effective manner. The Republic soldiers took cover behind the barricades, while Revan and the other Jedi pulled back behind the front lines. Standing at the front would be a pointless endeavor-there would be too much blaster fire for them to turn aside. Besides the barricades would provide good protection for the soldiers. They didn't need the Jedi for that.
It was still too early for them to charge forward. The enemy numbered around two hundred; they needed to thin their numbers before engaging in melee. Luckily this location meant they had to charge the Republic positions head on, as there was no other way around. They would have to move into what was essentially a funnel, right into a perfect kill zone.
One of the Republic soldiers fell, howling in pain—a bolt had struck him in the center of his chest. Revan could still feel that the man was alive, but the wound was bad. She quickly reached out with the force and began healing the wounded trooper.
"Thank you sir," said the soldier, grunting as he rose. Without hesitation he retook his former position and continued firing down at the Mandalorians.
Revan felt a surge of pride at seeing the soldier's dedication. Yes, she was surrounded by true Mandalorians. Almost as if the enemy were reading his thoughts a shout went up from the Mandalorian lines.
"Die Aruetii!" shouted one of the Mandalorian sergeants. He was organizing his men to steadily push forward.
Rage began to course through Revan at the shout. That scum dared to call her soldiers non-Mandalorians? These bastards had no claim to the honor of being Mandalorian! They were honourless butchers! The men and women with her were true examples of Mandalorians!
Revan ignited both her lightsabers—their ranks had been thinned enough. She pushed to the front line and used the force to propel her into the enemy ranks; she came to a stop right in front of the Aruetii sergeant. With one swift motion she had removed the scum's head and stabbed another soldier through the heart.
She spun to the side, avoiding a hail of blaster fire, coming to a halt in the midst of another group of enemies. She slashed one across the chest while cutting a second's arm off before decapitating him. One of the enemy tried to pull his sword free but Revan ran him through before he got the chance. Without even looking she deflected the sword descending on the back of her head. Pulling her lightsaber from the enemies' chest she spun at a crouch, slicing her attacker across the gut.
She didn't watch the foe fall before she moved to the next one. They blocked the lightsaber going for their neck but they didn't even see the second one that was rammed up into their chest. Revan spun to avoid the bolt going for her head. She reached out with the force and snapped the shooter's neck as she came back to a rise.
Polin and Allik had followed her into the fray, cutting through the enemy with her. The soldiers at the barricades had fanned out along the cliff's edges and were firing down on the enemy, while a squad of troops trained specially by Revan had followed her into the fray; they gripped swords in one hand and extremely powerful blasters in the other.
Revan grinned at seeing them charge into the midst of the enemy. They were just as fierce as any Jedi. She ran further into the enemy, the Jedi and her elite squad following her in. The enemy were still numerous and pored a torrent of fire onto her at every opportunity. Where her agility and powers fell short the few shots that got through were easily turned aside by armor.
She had just decapitated another soldier when she opened her com in response to the feeling she got through the force. "What are you doing?" she demanded gruffly as she drove her knee into an enemy's gut before stabbing them through the back.
The response she got was twofold. First came a strong feeling of irritation, but deep down was buried concern. Next was a streak of fire from the sky that headed straight for the battle. The Mandalorians looked up, obviously thinking it was a Basilisk. Their hopes would soon be crushed.
Revan continued tracking the object in her peripherals as she cut down three more of the enemy. The object slammed into the middle of the enemy ranks—it was no Basilisk. What it looked like was a large teardrop shaped cargo container with thrusters. Which is essentially what it was.
The doors of the object blew off and a dozen figures came storming out. All of them were outfitted like Revan's elite squad, save for the figure in the lead. The double silver blade was a blur as it cut down the enemy as if they were nothing.
Revan quickly jumped back into the fray, cutting the legs out from a hulking enemy soldier before stabbing him through the heart. Just what was she doing down here? She was supposed to be commanding the space battle!
Revan wanted to be mad at her; this was a serious breach of protocol! She was essentially abandoning her post! But try as Revan might she could not muster any anger towards her for more than a few seconds.
Revan spun, her foot connecting with a foe's face, knocking the man back, and she slashed across a woman's chest before her sword could strike home. Revan threw a lightsaber through the chest of the man she had kicked, turning to deflect a high chop of a sword; she thrust out her free hand, pulling the lightsaber back into her hand then she slashed across the attackers exposed midsection, severing them in half.
Her immediate area clear she glanced over to Meetra. She had thrust her lightsaber through the chest of an enemy; she then spun in a full circle, the double blade cutting down two more of the foe who tried to advance on her.
A red armored sergeant charged her with a sword, while another came up behind her. She leapt into the air, both feet kicking the sergeant in the chest, throwing him back and propelling her backwards where impossibly she landed on the shoulders of her rear attacker. She wrapped her legs tightly around the enemy's neck and with a single fluid motion she twisted sharply to the side. The soldier went limp and as they fell she easily threw the body over her, using the momentum to land at a crouch, where she impaled the sergeant with her silver blade.
As always Revan was awestruck as she watched her fight. It sent Revan's heart racing and completely entranced her every time. Meetra was without a doubt the most beautiful sight she had ever seen in her life. As the smaller woman decapitated an enemy with a flourish their eyes locked and Revan felt her heart beat even harder.
By now the enemy was in full retreat. They had lost almost two thirds of their forces in the attack, and by now Malak should have secured the city. This battle was over. Revan gave a quick order for her forces to regroup at the CP and see to the wounded. As the soldiers began moving back she nodded to those that passed, but her eyes never left Meetra. She stood staring at Revan, nearly twenty feet away.
Revan could sense Meetra's anger and frustration towards her. It was as easy as feeling her own emotions. Their bond was so strong that Revan could sense her from across the galaxy; this meant that feelings and emotions flowed easily between them. Revan also knew exactly why Meetra was upset, partly because of their bond, but also just because she knew the other woman.
Despite her anger, Revan still found herself distracted by just staring at the smaller Jedi. She was wearing a deep grey and red suit of Mandalorian armor. It matched Revan's helmet perfectly, because they belonged to the same person. One of the few Mandalorians who still had honor.
She had died trying to stop that scum Cassus Fett from murdering the people of Cathar. Revan had found her mask on the shore where she had died alongside the innocent populace. It was that day that Revan vowed to destroy these so called Mandalorians. She vowed to see them pay for their crimes. She wore this helmet in honor of that Mandalorian, for the sacrifice she had made. They had found the armor the next day and Meetra had worn it ever since. She had said it was to honor the woman but Revan knew there was something more to it.
Meetra was walking towards her now. Her chestnut hair was pulled up into a tail—she had never liked the Jedi tradition of braids. Her eyes were a stunning mixture of brown and green. The color would often shift to favor one or the other, right now they had shifted to a more brown tone, almost taking on a beautiful red hue.
She stopped right in front of Revan, not saying a word, and she could tell that Meetra was purposely masking her emotions from the warrior. She reached up and pulled Revan's helmet free, staring directly into her eyes.
Revan found herself frozen in place. It amazed her how easily the smaller woman could do this to her. How easily she could send Revan's heart racing, make her mind blank and think of nothing but Meetra. A smile tugged at soft lips and Revan finally let out the breath she had been holding. She was then slapped across the face.
"Are you stupid?" Meetra demanded, glaring at her. She stopped masking her emotions and the anger and annoyance flooded back through their bond. However Revan could feel that her surface feelings were born of concern.
"What?" Revan asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible. She couldn't resist teasing her now.
"Next time call for reinforcements, you damn fool!" Meetra growled, clearly not amused.
"We could have handled it. Just what the hell were you thinking, abandoning your post?" Revan felt her own flicker of annoyance at remembering the other woman's actions, although she was certain it was partially due to Meetra's feelings influencing her. Otherwise Revan wouldn't have been upset for more than a few seconds.
"We already won the battle! The Mandalorians pulled out of the system. Then we got a transmission that your command post was under attack and you diverted the reserve units to the front!" Her voice was quiet but was still bristling with anger.
"We were handling it just fine. We had an excellent position and—"
"You should have called for reinforcements!" she shouted, her voice finally breaking from an angry growl. "You were heavily outnumbered, what if you had…" her voice fell away and so did her anger, the concern suddenly rushing to the surface and overpowering everything else. "I am not going through that again, I will not." Her voice took back its hard tone as she fixed her eyes on Revan again.
So that's what it was all about. It had only been a week since she had been captured and nearly executed, and ever since then Meetra had been on edge. The fact was if it hadn't been for her, Revan would be dead. But it was also the reason they had to come back and retake this planet for a second time.
Revan quickly pushed those thoughts aside, once more her inability to be upset with Meetra winning out.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, leaning forward to rest her forehead against the shorter woman's. Revan was usually against showing this level of affection in public. But she could feel how upset Meetra was. She also supposed that the other woman was right. The enemy had been numerous, and there was a chance they would have been overwhelmed.
She leaned into Revan, foreheads still touching. "I…I know I shouldn't doubt you like that, it's just—"
"It's okay, don't worry about it." Revan pulled back, a faint grin on her face. "I guess it's about time someone tried to keep my stupidity in check." She poured her feelings through their bond, letting Meetra share in the happiness that she felt because of her.
Meetra smiled back at her, mood beginning to lift. "I was the only one with the patience," she mumbled, still trying to sound angry but failing miserably.
"Wouldn't want anyone else."
Her smiled broadened and she surprised Revan by leaning forward and pressing their lips together. It only lastde a few seconds but the warrior savored every bit of it. The act showed just how concerned Meetra had truly been, also how much she cared. They never did anything like that in public.
Revan just let her feelings pour over their bond and almost immediately all Meetra's previous feelings were gone. They now mirrored Revan's own. As they walked back up to the command post she was pleased to see Meetra's trademark smile was back. Her emotions were so powerful that it made Revan smile. She quickly put her helmet back on before the troops could see.
By the time they arrived in the city the crowds had already gathered to greet them. Revan marched with Meetra and her remaining forces; they wound through the crowded streets towards the main government building.
"Okay everyone get some rest, we move out tomorrow at oh-eight-hundred." Revan spoke into her com as she and Meetra entered the large building. Her troops quickly saluted before moving off towards the military complex just on the edge of town.
There were still numerous blast marks on both the outside and inside of the building. Republic soldiers were still clearing away the bodies as she walked through the halls, all of them giving a sharp salute as they passed.
When they entered into the interior reception area, Malak was waiting. His arms were crossed as he spoke with two officers. His red armor was scorched by blaster fire and he had a small cut above his brow. His bald head turned to look at Revan and Meetra as they entered the room. He said something to the officers before they saluted and left for their duties.
"I see you're still alive," Malak said with a nod to Revan. "Although I guess you did have some help." His face contorted into a sneer as his gaze shifted to Meetra, who did not react in the slightest. She was still perfectly calm.
"Good work today Malak." She was still smiling as she spoke to the taller man.
"I trust you didn't abandon your post in the middle of battle again?"
Revan just rolled her eyes, holding in her sigh. To say Malak was not a fan of Meetra would have been an understatement. The man detested her; he had from almost day one. Revan knew that it was all born of jealousy. The fact of the matter was that Meetra was more powerful, skilled, and a better commander. It also did not help that Revan had given her command of nearly half of all the Republic and Jedi forces, whereas Malak only commanded a small portion by comparison.
"The battle was well won and over when I came to Revan's aid." Meetra's pleasant demeanor hadn't faltered at all, and she was still smiling at Malak. "By the way, excellent work on capturing the city. I understand you did it in very short order."
Malak's sneer only deepened. His inability to annoy the woman frustrated him further. "Bah, they had only a token force in the city. The fools had thrown most of their troops at us outside. Once we smashed through their lines it was simple." He finally looked over to Revan. "The deposed government is on the way here, those that still live at least. I'll let you deal with them."
"Good work Malak. Go rest up and see to your troops. Make sure they are ready for departure tomorrow."
The tall man nodded to Revan and threw a final sneer at Meetra before stalking away. Revan didn't hold in her sigh this time. That man really got on her nerves sometimes. There wasn't any logical reason for him to hate Meetra, but then Malak was not a creature driven by logic—he was ruled by his emotions. Although his emotions had become increasingly dark the longer this war went on. More and more her friend was filling with hate and anger.
This war was changing everyone; Revan was not blind to that. Even she was changing. She had never fully agreed with the Jedi teachings. There were many rules that were narrow minded and born of fear and ignorance. The Jedi had refused to fight in this war; they had refused to stop the slaughter of millions. The day they had denied that had been the day when what faith she had in the order died.
How could they call themselves guardians of the people when they stood by and let the people be butchered? They were hypocrites, stuck in their old ways that had no place in this galaxy anymore. They truly believed that acting against the Mandalorians would have done nothing. They were fools.
Those that had followed her to war, they were Jedi no longer. One could not be a considered a Jedi and still fight this war the way it needed to be fought. This war was changing all of them, some more deeply than others. None would walk away from this without scars.
Revan looked over to Meetra; she was talking to a group of soldiers. Revan felt herself frown. Even Meetra was being affected. She hid it very well, but their bond made it almost impossible for her to keep such a thing hidden. She was everything that the Jedi should be; she was the best of them all. But this war was getting to her; Revan could feel her pain every time she ordered soldiers to their deaths. It broke the warrior's heart to see it. In her mind it was one of the Mandalorian's greatest sins in this war.
She had become the reason Revan was fighting so hard to put an end to this war. She represented everything that was being lost, everything that this war was costing them. It was because of her that Revan would do whatever it took to end this war. No matter the cost she would end the Mandalorian threat, then they could finally be done with all of this. Meetra could be herself again; no longer would Revan have to watch her slowly be torn apart by all this death and destruction. She would stop at nothing to make it come to pass.
The room was quiet, the only noises coming from Revan working at the console. Meetra was sitting on the edge of the bed, meticulously cleaning her armor and humming quietly. Revan had been watching her almost the entire time. She had a smile on her face as she cleaned the armor's surface.
She was genuinely happy right now, at peace. They rarely got to spend private time together, and even rarer did they share quarters. Revan had taken the former Mandalorian commander's quarters, which had belonged to the previous governor before they were killed in the city's capture. This meant that they were away from the majority of Republic forces, and since Meetra had technically been given one of the adjacent rooms no one would even know.
Revan couldn't help but smile as she watched the smaller woman. Both the act of watching her and feeling everything that she was feeling made it impossible for Revan to not be happy as well. This is what she could never understand about the Jedi. They would surely damn the both of them for their relationship, force them to give it up or cast them out of the order, not that she cared about being part of the order anymore.
This just reinforced her opinion on how narrow minded those fools were. They claimed Jedi needed to avoid all emotional relationships because it would lead to the darkside. That was bullshit. It was because of Meetra, because of their relationship that Revan felt strong enough to keep going. Meetra filled her with hope; she gave strength when Revan felt she couldn't go any longer.
She reminded the warrior of who she was and what she was fighting for. How could anyone view such as thing as evil and something to be avoided? Revan loved her. That did not make them evil, that did not corrupt them. If anything, Meetra was what kept her from faltering, from becoming something she was not. If it weren't for her then Revan would probably be much more like Malak now.
"You are brooding again," said Meetra suddenly. There was a faint clang of metal as she gently stacked the now clean gauntlets with the other armor. They locked eyes as she looked up.
"It's nothing," Revan replied, smiling at her. It was a smile her love could actually see as she was the only person Revan didn't wear her helmet around.
Meetra gave her a dubious look but the warrior let her feel that she truly was okay. Meetra smiled back at her and began cleaning the breastplate; that gentle humming again filled Revan's ears.
Revan completely forgot the little work she had left as she watched her lover. Meetra's sun streaked chestnut hair was unbound; it tumbled down past her shoulders to the middle of her back. She was wearing the grey suit under her armor which hugged her body fairly tightly. She was still dirty from battle. Dirt and grime were visible on her clothes and she had a dark smudge on her cheek. This did nothing to diminish her beauty though—she completely entranced the warrior. She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman Revan had ever seen.
"I haven't even showered yet," Meetra said, not looking up at her, cheeks flushing.
Revan just grinned. It was fairly easy to embarrass the other woman with her thoughts. Meetra was under the foolish assumption that she was not beautiful. She didn't think herself ugly, she just thought herself plain. As far as Revan was concerned, she had yet to actually find the right words to fully capture how beautiful her love was.
"You are so full of it," muttered Meetra, cleaning her armor even more intently as her cheeks reddened further.
Revan grinned as she watched her reaction. The warrior hadn't realized she had let her guard down enough for Meetra to read her thoughts so easily, although that did happen quite often when they were alone. She could feel how happy the other woman was though; as much as she was embarrassed Revan knew that it filled Meetra with joy to know how she really felt about her.
Meetra finished cleaning the breastplate and very carefully set it on the floor along with the others. Anyone could see the care she took in the action. Every time she handled the armor it was with extreme care. Her diligence in maintaining it was the same as any true Mandalorian.
"Why do you wear that armor?" Revan asked softly. "I mean really. I know you said it's the same reason I wear the helmet, but I know you didn't tell me everything." They had no secrets from each other, and while this wasn't exactly a secret per se she was still curious as to what Meetra wasn't telling her.
Meetra didn't answer right away; her barriers went up slightly, her thoughts more guarded. She looked down at the armor, staring at it intently for a moment.
"I wear it for you," she said quietly, still looking at the armor.
Revan just stared dumbfounded, why would she wear it for her? Sure, Revan wanted her to have good protection, and beskar was the best anyone could get. But she had never insisted on her wearing it. Meetra had done it of her own accord. Revan was about to ask her what she meant but she continued.
"I can see how much this tears you up inside, seeing what your people have become. I know how it makes you feel, seeing everything they have done." She looked up at the warrior now. "Revan I know how much it hurts you. I know you want nothing more than for this war to end, how much you want for your people to turn back into who they should be. You wear that helmet because you honor that woman's sacrifice, because she represents what is good about your people. I wear the armor for that reason; I am fighting for you, for your people and who they once were. I swore to myself that I would not rest until Mandalore and Cassus are defeated and your people regain their honor."
Revan knew without a doubt that she truly meant every word she said. It was impossible not to feel all the love she poured through their bond. Revan had no response at first. She knew that Meetra loved her, just not how much she cared, that she was doing all of this for Revan.
Meetra had not been born Mandalorian. Yet when she found out about the warrior's heritage, and as they grew closer, she had begun to take great care in learning the traditions and ways of Revan's people. Now she was fighting to restore what her vision of her people was. Revan didn't bother questioning what she had done to ever deserve this amazing woman, she was just immensely thankful that she had her.
Revan got up and crossed the room. Her lover read her intentions easily and was already standing when Revan got close. Revan kissed her passionately, holding onto her tightly. She had no words to properly express how she felt, but she hoped she could at least show her.
Revan knew that Meetra could also feel everything, her reaction to both the warrior's touch and her emotions as she pressed her smaller body closer, deepening their kiss. Revan's entire body felt alive, like a current flowing through her, making her tingle all over. She was truly happy.
"I love you," Revan whispered, breaking their kiss and staring into those eyes she loved so much.
"Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum," Meetra replied, a smile on her face. Revan felt herself smile even broader upon hearing the words. She had never actually taught Meetra how to say 'I love you' in Mandalorian—she must have taught herself.
As Revan looked into her eyes she re-swore that she would end this war. No matter the cost, she was going to stop the Mandalorians, she would do whatever it took. She was going to end this for her love, so she didn't have to carry these burdens anymore. Revan would fight with every ounce of her strength—nothing would stop her. She would end this so they could finally live a life of peace. Together.
The Normandy, crew deck.
"Shepard I was there. It took you six shots to hit him," said Garrus, giving a faint chuckle.
"That's because some jackass couldn't keep his sector clear and I kept taking shots from the left while I was trying to aim!" Shepard shot back, giving her friend a playful glare.
They were sitting around the table eating breakfast with most of the crew; even Jack had shown up and stayed at Shepard's insistence. The young woman looked very uncomfortable and kept shooting glares at the Cerberus crew, especially Miranda, who was doing a fairly good job of ignoring it.
"Your Alliance test scores in marksmanship would support Garrus's claim," said Miranda, giving her a faint smile.
"Those are old test scores!" Shepard tried to defend her honor. She admitted that she did used to be a shit shot, but she had gotten better.
"Explains why you love the shotgun so much," Garrus teased.
"I will kick your ass bird boy!" shouted Shepard, shaking her fork in a threatening manner. "Wrex told me that fried Turian is a good meal, so don't you test me!"
This actually earned a laugh from Jack; the woman seemed to enjoy a good threat or insult. Shepard had spoken to her after she had settled in on the ship. She definitely wasn't easy to trust and she was still wary of Cerberus, but she did seem to respect the fact that Shepard was also a powerful biotic. Although she was certain Jack could still completely destroy her if she really tried.
"I wouldn't mind seeing that," said Jack with a wicked grin.
"She would miss me way too much," replied Garrus, elbowing her gently in the ribs. "Besides she needs my aim." The Turian quickly leapt of his seat as the fork jammed down where his hand had been. He laughed as he moved to clean his dishes.
"Dick!" Shepard shouted, earning several laughs from around the room. She was actually quite pleased with how things were turning out. The crew was coming along nicely and once Jack had more time to adjust then everyone would be getting along again. Shepard let herself smile slightly; things finally seemed to be getting better.
She began finishing up the last of her breakfast; it wasn't until her last bite that she noticed several of the crew were staring in the same direction. She looked over her shoulder to see Revan coming from the showers. What she was sure everyone was staring at was that Revan was not wearing her armor, or her helmet. She only wore her black robes, the hood pulled up to obscure most of her face, but Shepard could still make out the strong jaw line.
Shepard had to take a moment to actually look at the unarmoured form of Revan. The robes were still pretty bulky, but Revan didn't look much smaller than in her armour. So, was she really that big? Or were the robes that bulky? Still, she cut a damn nice figure. Several lingering stares confirmed that.
Not wanting to be one of them, Shepard waved. "Morning," she said cheerfully, turning in her chair so she wasn't staring but could still see the warrior.
"So laser lady wears a dress too? We get it, you're a girl," Jack said with a laugh.
Revan stopped, only giving Jack a glance before she looked back to Shepard. "Commander I've ordered many components that I can use for various upgrades. They should be waiting for pickup on Omega. If we could stop and retrieve them I can get back to work."
"Yeah I'll get Joker to plot a course; we still haven't got the next round of dossiers so we have time." Shepard looked at the hooded woman curiously; her tone was very…neutral, devoid of absolutely all emotion.
After their talk yesterday she had felt like Revan was starting to open up a little more. At the very least she had seemed to be getting more comfortable with the redhead. But now she was standing perfectly straight and speaking very formally.
"Thank you," Revan replied, giving her a faint nod. Her voice was still very detached.
"So you trying to be butch or lady like? You should probably decide," muttered Jack, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"She just has different customs Jack." Shepard was surprised to hear that it was Miranda defending Revan. "It would be wise for you not to insult her; I guarantee she is more powerful than you. Or any other biotic for that matter."
Shepard agreed with everything Miranda said. She was just surprised to hear it coming from the Cerberus officer in the first place. She had been doing a very good job of not confronting Jack on any issues even when the younger woman tried to get a rise out of her. Shepard had to fight the grin that tried to form on her face. Did Miranda have a crush on Revan?
"Please, unless she's an Asari I doubt she could do shit to me," scoffed Jack, folding her arms over her chest and switching her glare from Miranda to Revan.
"Your arrogance will get you killed one day," said Revan, her voice still perfectly neutral.
"You don't scare me butch." Jack was glaring even harder now, but her slouched posture showed that she genuinely wasn't scared of Revan at all. She seemed to get a thrill out of riling other people up.
Everyone in the room was completely shocked when all Revan did was flick her hand and Jack went flying across the room, slamming into the medbay windows where she was pinned to the wall by an invisible force. Revan was holding her hand out in Jack's direction, slowly tightening it into a fist and Shepard could hear Jack begin to gasp for breath. Her eyes were wide and her face began to change color as she was unable to draw in air.
Shepard shook herself free of the shock and jumped to her feet, grabbing Revan's arm and throwing her back a step. "That's enough!" she shouted.
Jack fell to the ground, landing heavily on her hands and knees where she began taking in ragged breaths. Shepard looked back to Revan. What the hell had that been about? She never got the chance to ask as the warrior simply turned and left the room without a word.
"I am going to kill that fucker!" growled Jack, rising to her feet, her body already glowing blue with biotics.
"Jack stand down!" Shepard snapped, stepping in front of the raging biotic. She could also see Garrus moving up behind the much smaller woman. "You provoked her, and while I don't agree with what she did you certainly had it coming. I'll talk to her but you are not to go near her. Do I make myself clear?"
Jack just gave her a hateful look before storming away.
"EDI lock Jack from going down to the cargo bay," Shepard ordered. Well this day had turned shitty very quickly. Looks like she had a whole new problem to deal with—maybe it was a good thing she didn't have any new dossiers. If she didn't get things sorted between Revan and Jack then it was going to be bad. Those two would destroy this ship in a fight; she would need to get things sorted as quickly as possible. She really didn't want to see the bill for a third Normandy.
A quick note, I know some people don't like my authors notes, well that's okay, if you don't then just don't read them. I like doing them. If I ever have anything very important to say I will either put it at the start of the chapter or flag it in the bottom. Otherwise its just going to be my musings about the writing and addressing reviews.
****IMPORTANT**** (see this is what it will look like)
Seriously this is an important note though as it is addressing a concern the vast majority of you have brought up.
I will not reveal if Revan and Shepard will be paired with each other or someone else, as I am undecided on that.
*** END OF IMPORTANT***
I hope you all liked my portrayal of Meetra! I am just making her how I always envisioned her to be. Also just to address the concerns of a few people, I will not be overusing flash backs. I agree that many stories use way too many of them and it just gets annoying. This entire story will contain no more than 4 or 5, most will be Revan's but one will probably be Shepard's.
Also with my portrayal of Jack, I just wanted to show that in the beginning she is a bitch and kind of annoying. This is just a reflection of my own opinions of her character. I really didn't like her at first and just found her annoying but after a while she grew on me.
HK should be making his arrival soon after Horizon...so 2 or three chapters!
Thank you all so much! Please keep reading and reviewing!
You stay classy!