Part I
Out of the Blue, Into the Black
Chapter 10
Reunion
In his own memory, Revan had never seen Telos before. All he knew about it was that it was once a lush and beautiful world that teemed with life and robbed one of any and all negative moods or feelings. With the exception of the polar region, the planet was much like Alderaan. Long sandy beaches bordered the oceans and the ocean breeze loomed through the grasslands. The wildlife and productive forms of nature were completely passive and non-threatening. Carth had once spoken to him of how beautiful the planet was and how everything changed after the bombs started falling.
Revan did not look forward to seeing this world, knowing what had happened to it, but he was nonetheless shocked and awed when Lena brought the Ebon Hawk out of hyperspace and into the Kwymar Sector of the Telos System. The suffocation and desperation of the dying world was felt instantly by Revan and it also caught his eye all the way from the cockpit. Lena had no immediate reaction, for she had already seen this world before coming to Coruscant. Needless to say, the horror Revan experienced at the sight of this was exactly the same that Lena felt when she saw it a year before.
The destruction of the planet was the deed of Admiral Saul Karath, once a war hero of the Republic and the mentor of Carth Onasi. When Admiral Karath defected and joined Darth Malak, he proved his loyalty by giving the codes to bypass the Republic defenses and put forth his actions that led to the near-complete devastation of that world. Carth's wife Morgana died in the bombings and his son Dustil went missing. Such a traumatic loss nearly drove Carth to kill the Admiral in cold blood. Revan thought deeply about this, as well as the memories that he had gained back thus far.
His thoughts shifted to himself as the ship slowly approached the space station, which was nearly complete in its construction. Revan thought it rather ironic that even though he had achieved such a greater understanding of the Force, he was confused about something as low key as memory. This was no in depth analysis of the space time continuum, and yet the very nature of Revan's memories was perplexing nonetheless, due to which ones that came back first. He reflected back to the slow progression of HK-47's repairs before its full memories returned to it. The assassin droid's memories came back in a reverse chronological order, meaning they started with its most recent memories before it was purchased by the Ithorian, Yuka Laka. Revan's memories however, were much more complex.
"Are you alright?" asked Lena who had been keeping her eye on Revan since she pulled the ship out of hyperspace. "You're a little tense."
"I'll be fine," said Revan. "Just… wasn't expecting to see Telos like this."
"There's something else bothering you though," said Lena with an air of empathy.
"I'm just not sure about how I feel about seeing my friends again. I'm overjoyed, but at the same time worried. I'm coming back just to tell them I have to leave again. They're not going to like this. And I know I can't tell them the truth, otherwise they'll just force themselves on board."
"I think it's for the best that you don't," said Lena. "But it's up to you."
"I'm also just a little mingled in my thoughts, because I am basically preparing myself to lie to my friends and loved ones, especially about something as serious as this. They're going to think that I'm going alone to the Unknown Regions in search of some kind of phantom menace. I really don't like this."
"Just relax, and think about it," said Lena. "I'm confident that you in your renowned ability to persuade will find a way."
Revan sighed. It almost seemed hopeless in his eyes. He was so good at convincing others, and yet so unsure of himself at the same time. He knew that he probably had the ability to convince a hundred people to jump into a trash compacter, yet he was at a complete and utter loss for ideas.
"I just want this over with as quickly as possible. I don't want to drag this out and hurt them anymore than I have to…but I'm fresh out of ideas."
"You have anything in mind?" said Lena.
"I thought it best to leave some instructions and requests for Carth, Bastila, and Juhani. I'm not as worried about that."
"But you're sure you still want to see them?"
"Absolutely," said Revan. "I owe them this much. And I don't know when I'll see them again, and I'd like to be reminded again what we're fighting for."
"And you made prior contact I assume, right?"
"Yup," said Revan. "It's pretty much all taken care of. Bastila, Carth, Canderous, and Juhani should be there."
"Alright," said Lena. "We're in range of their communication sensors. You can send the transmission now." Revan looked at the controls.
"Uh," he stammered. "How exactly do I do that?" Lena was completely thunderstruck by this comment.
"You…you don't know how to fly a ship?"
"I can fix one," bragged Revan, attempting to make up, also remembering that throughout the quest for the Star Forge Carth and Bastila had done all the flying. "Maybe I knew once, and I don't remember." Lena calmed down after that statement. At this point, Revan was really venting his frustration at himself, but Lena seemed to understand.
"Flick that switch upward and then press the green button," she replied. "Then flick the switch back down to break the comm." Revan did as he was told and waited a few seconds. When the feed finally came through, he spoke.
"Ebon Hawk to Citadel Station, can anybody read me?"
"Roger that Ebon Hawk…ID signature confirmed. Go ahead…"
"Requesting permission to dock," replied Revan. "I have a message for Carth Onasi." There was no response for several seconds.
"Permission granted," replied the voice which oddly almost sounded like the voice of the late Taris crime lord, Davik Kang, which humored Revan a bit. "You may land in docking bay three. I'll let the Captain know of your arrival." Revan broke off communication as Lena set the automatic controls for landing.
"Alright Revan," said Lena. "Just like we talked about, I'll be under the floorboards in the garage after I'm done shutting down the droids. When you're finished saying goodbye, tap the floor four times."
"You're sure you're okay with this?" asked Revan. "I mean…I just think it would be better for them if they thought I was only taking the droids with me."
"It's alright," said Lena. "I know you have to do this. Just make sure they think you're going alone."
"Yeah," said Revan.
"I've set the controls for bay three. "Whatever you do, don't touch anything." Revan smirked as Lena left the cockpit.
"Alright, thanks," said Revan.
As Lena left her chair, she gently put her hand on Revan's shoulder. "Hey," she said. "Just relax. It'll come to you in the moment."
The Ebon Hawk landed in the bay and the loading ramp was automatically lowered. Revan stood at the very top and began to descend as the hanger bay door opened a somewhat middle-aged Republic soldier appeared to greet him.
"I'm Gunnery Sergeant Dol Grenn, Twentieth Republic Infantry Division" said the man, in a voice that Revan immediately recognized again.
"Thanks for clearing me to land," said Revan with a smile.
"No problem," Grenn replied. "What's the cargo on this vessel?"
"Just two droids," replied Revan. "They're shut down for now, and my ship's a little low on fuel."
"That's fine," said Grenn. "Captain Onasi told us to refuel the ship, and not to charge you for it."
"Oh," said Revan with an air of surprise. "I'll be sure to thank…the Captain," said Revan. "Where is he now?"
"I have orders to take you to him…if you will follow me please?"
"Alright," he said. Revan followed but lingered a few steps behind the man. Together, they headed for the monorail, to the Republic headquarters, located on the other side of Citadel Station.
Meanwhile…
Jolee hurled his lightsaber forward, sending it spinning straight into the assassin in front of him and leapt up into the air with a back flip avoiding contact with another assassin that attempted to stab him in the back with a vibroblade. Jolee summoned the lightsaber back to him as he landed, and the lightsaber cleaved through the assassin, dropping him to the floor.
Meanwhile, Orsaa was fending off a small group of assassins on the other side of the room. He struck down the assassin in front of him and then redirected a blaster bolt back at the assassin who fired while hanging from the wall. The assassin dropped to the floor lifeless. Putting himself onto the defensive, he ducked a high roundhouse kick and launched forward slashing through the assassin's side with his double bladed staff.
Jolee spun the lightsaber in his hand and twirled it in front of him, deflecting a storm of blood red blaster bolts aimed at him from three different assassins. After Force pushing the assassins backwards against the wall, He summoned the three blasters towards him and cut through all three in a single stroke of his blade.
Orsaa hit the wall as one of the assassins kicked him in the gut. Another assassin hurled a sai straight at his face, but Orsaa dodged it and the sai nailed itself into the wall. The assassin turned away and headed for Jolee instead. A group of four assassins formed a semicircle around Orsaa, as he stood cornered against the wall. The two in front of him were wielding vibroblades, while the two to his corner angles were bare fisted.
The four charged at once, at Orsaa who was no more than a few inches from the wall. Raising his staff high and blocking the two blades in front of him simultaneously, Orsaa jumped up and hit the two in the separate corners with a front kick at once. They retracted a bit, as the assassins in front of him pulled back and aimed separate strikes at him. Orsaa parried both in opposite directions, in a stroke so hard that he used the momentum to spin all the way and strike the assassin to his right downwards and to the floor. Before Orsaa could move towards the two on his front and left side, a straight punch from his right flank hit him in the temple and slammed him onto his side to the floor.
Although fairly winded by this, Orsaa rolled, dodging the ferocious downward strikes from the vibroblade of the assassin behind him. As he rolled again, the attacker was struck from behind by a green lightsaber.
Jolee dodged a kick from another assassin and caught his leg in the air. Jolee flipped him over his back and onto the floor with a hard thud, breaking his spine. As he did this, Orsaa leapt up to his feet, but before he had time to grab his staff, the assassin who had punched him had pulled the sai out of the wall. The assassin held the single sai in reverse grip and began to rain strikes at him. Orsaa backed up and dodged the strikes, until finally catching a forward thrust at his stomach. Orsaa yanked the sai towards his left side, pulling the assassin with it. The assassin was pulled straight into Orsaa's outward elbow, which was followed by a back fist, forcing the assassin backwards. Orsaa front flipped on the floor with his hands and knees and threw a barrage of seven sidekicks at the assassin all while slightly off the ground, sending the assassin crashing into the wall and rendering him unconscious, broken, and finished. Orsaa dashed backwards and grabbed his staff again, just barely dodging a blow from another assassin. He charged towards a small group of three assassins who were less than three meters away from him.
Meanwhile, Jolee had been battling an exceptionally skilled assassin with a pair of sais. Forced on the defensive by a set of lightning fast blows from the assassin, Jolee backed up and parried blow after blow, but the assassin persisted and did not give him an opportunity to intercept them. In desperation, Jolee aggressively aimed his saber forward and downward at him. The assassin intercepted his blow with both sais and held it firm as he drove his right knee into Jolee's stomach. As he bent over slightly from the knee, Jolee slid his saber out of the assassin's weapon grip and barely managed to dodge a front kick from his left leg. Jolee regained his form as the assassin charged forward again attempting to drive him back into the wall. The assassin extended both sais out in a double thrust at Jolee's stomach, but Jolee stepped to the side, causing the sharp edges to scratch his bare skin on the right side. Before the assassin could pivot to the right and face him, Jolee slashed his saber downward on his right side and cut his left arm off. The assassin let out a yelp of pain as Jolee drove a left roundhouse kick straight into his left temple. The assassin's head hit the wall on the other side as the rest of his body fell backwards as well. Still conscious, the assassin attempted to get up, but Jolee dealt him a straight punch with his right fist, crushing his breathing mask into his face. The assassin crocked and died right there, as Jolee shook the blood off his knuckles and moved on.
Orsaa spun and sliced across the chest of an assassin, killing him instantly and then dealt a backward thrust to the stomach of another from behind him. A flying dagger came straight for Orsaa's head, but Jolee dashed forward and caught it with his left hand. As the assassin who threw it began to run forward at him, Jolee ducked the sideways blow of another one behind him and sprung upward, slitting the throat of the charging assassin. As he turned, the assassin behind him kicked him in the head, forcing him backward and flat onto the floor with his lightsaber flying out of his hand. With his body heavily perspiring, Jolee summoned a large pile of weapons at the assassin who was advancing on him. The assassin pulled a Scout Blaster Pistol out of his right leg and fired at the weapons one by one disintegrating them individually. As he did this, Jolee summoned his lightsaber back to him and ignited it. The grass colored blade emanated from the hilt again, as he attempted to get back up on his feet. That same assassin dealt a series of rapid firing at Jolee, but he deflected his shots with ease.
As the assassin pulled out a sword from his back sheath, a blade penetrated his armor. The assassin stopped dead in his tracks, and the sword that had just stabbed him was yanked upward, cleaving him in half. Jolee's expression turned into a light smirk when he saw Orsaa standing where the assassin had died. Orsaa extended his right hand and pulled Jolee up to his feet.
"Thanks for that," panted Jolee.
"[Don't mention it,]" said Orsaa while also gasping heavily.
The two of them looked around the room, seeing the bodies of all thirty assassins that they had just killed. Although they were not keeping score, Jolee had taken out eighteen of them, while Orsaa had killed twelve. For several minutes, they simply stood back to back and attempted to catch their breath. Jolee had finally switched off his lightsaber. Orsaa sank to his knees and burst into a heavy set of tears.
Back on Citadel Station…
"Carth and your friends are in Conference Room B, just over there." said Sergeant Grenn as he pointed towards the door.
Revan nodded in gratitude and walked over to open the door as the soldier returned to his duties. He stood facing the door, knowing this would be his last chance to collect his thoughts before he jumped into the fire. The former dark lord took a deep breath and opened the door.
In the conference room were Carth Onasi, Canderous Ordo, Bastila Shan, and Juhani. Revan's immediate reaction was that he was pleased to see them again, but he was still unsure of what to say. He sat down on the opposite end of the table from them, and for at least a minute, there was absolute silence between them. They simply stared at him, and he stared back at all of them.
In an effort to break the silence, Juhani spoke in her usual Cathar accent of rolling 'r's and a hard pronunciation of 'th's. "There is something different about you Revan. I can feel it, but I cannot quite describe it."
"I feel it too," said Bastila. "Anything you want to tell us? After all, that is why we're here."
"Doesn't anybody say hello anymore?" said Canderous in his usual gruff voice. "Hey Revan; nice to see you; how are you; how have you been; how's your hammer hanging?" None of them laughed at this last remark.
Revan finally broke his own silence and said. "Hello everybody and the feeling is very mutual. It's great to see you all again."
The conversation was not beginning in the best possible way for Revan, but he was still unsure of what he would say to them. He was never used to being the bearer of bad news, as he remembered what it was like telling them that he was Darth Revan. In his fortune, the crew seemed to understand and sympathize, but he knew that the crew would react differently this time.
"So…how'd that training go?" said Bastila who seemed to feel just as awkward.
"It went well," said Revan. "It was pretty intense, but Lena taught me a lot. I'm stronger…and I think a better man for it. That's probably what you're feeling right now."
"You know it's times like this that make me glad I'm not a Jedi," said Carth. "You look exactly the same to me. What are you two talking about?"
"It's nothing really," lied Revan. "I'm just stronger. I'd show you, but I might accidentally set fire to the station."
"So you lost control?" said Canderous rather coyly.
"No," said Revan. "And I hope not to."
"So how come I have never heard of this "Lena" person?" asked Juhani.
"She's uh…" Revan paused for a moment. "She was a Jedi a while ago. She's kind of retired." Revan took absolutely no pleasure in lying to his friends, and it almost made him sick to his stomach. "Well…retired from teaching. She's actually gone to look for the Exile." This was an even worse lie, but nobody seemed to care, except for Carth.
"That's going to be tough," said Carth. "She's not likely to be found…I'm guessing she probably also doesn't want to be found. Wait…how did you know about the Exile?"
"She and Lena were friends before and during the Mandalorian War," said Revan, who felt slightly better now. "But actually, there's something else. And this is the real reason I wanted to talk to all of you."
"What is going on?" asked Juhani.
Revan sighed. "Look, you all know how I feel about you. You know how much I love and care for you all, and that I would take a laser blast to save any of you. I trust you with my life, and if I ever had children…I'd trust you all with their lives too. You're everything to me." Revan stopped to eye his friends to see their reactions. They all looked a bit perplexed.
"You are not a father…right?" said Juhani.
"That would be against the Jedi teachings…" said Bastila who was feeling horribly uncomfortable at the moment.
It had been almost an entire year since they had last seen each other face to face, and she remembered how she had told him that she needed time to sort things out. During their time apart, Bastila had suffered immensely. All she had to lean on was the Force bond she shared with Revan, in which she could sometimes tap into it and feel his thoughts or emotions, but she herself was a complete wreck. Just as Revan was able to take his mind off of Bastila by physical exercise, Bastila was able to do it either by practicing her Battle Meditation ability, or by training younglings. But she quickly grew to regret putting a hold on their relationship, for she too was feeling incomplete without him. She no longer felt frightened or uncomfortable with the idea of living a lie. In her heart, she knew that the love she shared with Revan was pure, noble, and worth preserving, and that the Jedi were wrong to ban it. It was the love she and Revan shared that saved her from the dark side of the Force. It was the love she and Revan shared that stayed Revan's blade when he could have just as easily ended her life as it was on the Star Forge.
The empty feeling she was experiencing was no different even while being in the same room with him and the others, because she could not yet say what she had wanted to tell him for months. Revan's comment about being a father seemed to touch a nerve.
"Yeah, yeah," said Revan. "And no, I'm not a dad. I don't think I'd make a very good dad."
"Nonsense," said Carth. "Maybe your old self…but not you as of now…"
"Yeah well again, I didn't come to talk about that. But since we're on that subject; how are things between you and Dustil…Captain Onasi?" he asked in a mocking tone.
Carth laughed. "Yeah I got promoted after Yavin. I don't even think I deserved it too, because we came up with nothing."
"Maybe Admiral Dodonna likes you…" said Canderous with a sickly grin.
"She's married you idiot," said Carth while slightly blushing. "And besides…you don't address your superiors like that…Commander."
Canderous rolled his eyes and made a quick and slightly disgruntled response. "I'm off duty."
"And I gave you the job," retorted Carth.
"Alright both of you, shut it," growled Revan sternly. Carth and Canderous immediately turned to Revan as if they shrugged it off completely at Revan's request.
"Still the ever persuasive leader," said Juhani with a smile. "Nice to see that you have not lost your touch."
"So," interrupted Bastila. "You were saying something about how much you loved, cared for, and trusted us?"
"Yes," said Revan. "Until I was rudely interrupted…" He gave Carth and Canderous a stare. "Where I was leading to was…" he paused for a moment and closed his eyes. "You can do it. C'mon Revan. Just say it," he thought.
"What?" said Carth and Canderous in unison.
"I've regained some of my old memories back," he blurted. Stopping to study their reactions again, the aura seemed universal. Everyone at the table was shocked. The next thirty seconds was filled with another uncomfortable silence. "Ah shit," thought Revan. "I probably should have told them to brace themselves…"
Canderous was the first to break the silence. "Didn't see that coming…"
"Exactly what do you remember?" asked Carth in a particularly cautious tone of voice that Revan identified.
"Relax Carth," he said. "I haven't fallen or anything. Ask Bastila or Juhani if you don't believe me." Carth looked over to Bastila and she replied with a simple nod.
Though she did so, Bastila was also somewhat concerned at a number of things. She could sense Revan's sincerity, but a small part of her could not help but to question his words. The biggest question floating in front of her mind was: "Is the man I love still in there?" Every instinct of hers said yes, but she still wasn't completely sure.
Revan explained to them the memories that had come back; how they were scrambled and indecipherable at first, but how they became much clearer over the last four months.
"That's strange," said Canderous. "I would have thought you'd have remembered everything in reverse chronological order…like that mechanical terminator you got." Revan smiled, humored at the parallels of their thoughts, but Canderous thought Revan was humored by his use of the term "mechanical terminator."
"Yeah, it confounds me some as well. But…there's something else."
"Does it have to do with you remembering something?" asked Juhani.
"Yeah," lied Revan. "It does."
"What do you remember?" asked Carth.
Revan opened his mouth but no words came out. He was thinking of what to say and for some reason, none of them could tell. "Damn," he thought. "I shouldn't have said I "remembered" something." He took a deep breath and then spoke the first thing that came to mind. "There is something...or was something…odd…about the Mandalorian War."
"What's odd?" asked Canderous who was becoming increasingly interested and had taken a much more serious demeanor.
"This is good…" thought Revan. "I just have to roll with it." He spoke again. "I think the Jedi Council may have been right… about there being some kind of hidden threat…but it wasn't me. It's something else."
"What?" asked Bastila.
"I don't know," said Revan. "But it's made me feel very uneasy these past couple of months." "Not the truth…but not exactly a lie either," he thought.
"Alright," said Carth. "I see no evidence of this at all. Are you sure this is real?"
"Absolutely," said Revan. "And that leads me to point C."
"Oh dear," said Juhani sarcastically. "Not another surprise please…"
"This is it…" thought Revan. "Be blunt… that's all you can do. No sugarcoating. Damn it! I can't!" Revan couldn't take it anymore. His stalling was killing him. He couldn't say it, but he could not be more scared of what their reactions would be, but he had to tell them something. He wasn't even making eye contact with them anymore. "NO! Don't cower out!" These thoughts were screaming in his head. "Be strong! Tell them! You have to! You have no other choice! Say it! SAY IT!"
"Spit it out already!" yelled Canderous. Unbeknownst to Revan, his thinking had caused him to stare at the floor for nearly thirty seconds, leaving his friends completely suspended.
"I've decided to leave the known galaxy. I'm going into the Unknown Regions, and I have no idea when I'll be coming back."
Revan could not have been blunter about it than this. The crew was completely taken aback by this. Their jaws all dropped at the exact same time. For another thirty seconds, they simply stared at him, and he had no choice but to stare back to prove his sincerity. It felt like hours.
"Did I hear this right?" said Carth sarcastically.
"I think we did," said Juhani. "Are you crazy Revan? None who venture there have ever returned!" Revan opened his mouth to use Lena to disprove her point, but common sense took over and he bit his tongue.
"What exactly are you looking for?" asked Bastila, who was finding more difficult than ever to burst out in tears. She had yet to fully determine if Revan was serious, but just the thought of his departure was heartbreaking.
"Well, I don't actually know…" said Revan. This was an even worse lie then before, but somehow everyone seemed to believe him.
"So…" began Canderous. "Let me get this straight. You're planning to go to the most dangerous places in the galaxy…places where no one has ever returned from…you don't know when you're coming back…and you don't even know what you're looking for?"
"I have some ideas," said Revan somewhat defensively.
"Yeah?" said Carth. "Like what?"
"Look," said Revan. "There are places in this galaxy that I need to walk; places I need to walk alone. I wouldn't risk the safety of any of you on a threat I know so little about. Look this isn't about me…but I just have to do this."
"I do not approve of this," said Juhani. "But I do not suppose we can talk you out of this."
"No," said Revan, and his next thoughts immediately became dialogue. "But I know there is something out there…something that could pose a serious threat to all of us…and I need to find it…and fight it. I don't know if I'll be able to return and see you all again, so that's why I wanted to tell you this."
"Well if you're going to make that kind of effort," said Carth. "Then you owe us an explanation."
"I agree with Carth," said Bastila. "What exactly are you looking for?"
"Fine," said Revan with angst. "Damn it," he thought. "They never make it easy…"
"Come on!" said Carth and Canderous at once.
"Like I said…it's about the Mandalorian War. My memories so far indicate that the Mandalorians could not and did not start that war on their own. Something else was driving it. Something… or someone was pulling the strings, and I need to find out what it is."
Revan turned to Canderous, expecting a punch in the face. The Mandalorian's face was completely stern. His arms were crossed and for almost a minute, he and Revan were locked in a staring contest. When Canderous finally blinked, he spoke. "Alright," Canderous said. "I'm in. When do we leave?"
Everyone turned and looked at Canderous. Carth, Juhani, and Bastila looked at him like he was out of his mind, but Canderous kept his eye on Revan, who returned the glance. Canderous already knew what Revan was thinking, but Revan said it anyway. "Sorry old friend; I have to go alone."
"You're hunting a ghost," he wittingly replied. "You know I can help you out."
"Canderous," said Revan, deepening his tone slightly. "You know that I trust and respect you, as I do all of you." He looked to all of them as he spoke. "But the only things I'm taking with me are the Ebon Hawk and the droids…and some supplies."
"That's not good enough!" growled Canderous, raising his voice. "You're telling me, that you think the Mandalorians…my people…those with enough strength and willpower to match a Jedi's, were manipulated and coerced into starting a conflict that nearly brought about their own extinction! And now you're asking me to sit this one out! I need a real reason!"
Something about his last statement suddenly triggered a flash of brilliance in Revan's mind. Though he did not let it show, Revan was now deeply immersed in his own thoughts. An opportunity had just come to mind, and Revan was aching in his efforts to hide it. "Wow…" he thought. "I am a genius…truly a genius. Let's see how this plays out."
"Is there any particular reason you're leaving everyone who cares about you behind?" said Bastila, whose voice alerted Revan almost immediately.
"Yes," replied Revan. "As I said before I won't risk the safety of my friends on this. The risk is mine to bear."
"Unbelievable," said Juhani. "You do realize the council is not going to be happy about this. Even Master Vandar will not be able to defend your actions this time."
"Yes I know. And that's something I will deal with if I have to." said Revan. "But there is yet another reason I'm here. There are things I need to ask you all. First off I need you all to keep this conversation to yourselves."
"That's not going to be easy Revan," said Bastila.
"You have to," responded Revan. "All of you know that I'm going after a threat that I've discovered…and Mission and Zaalbar know that I'm leaving too. But if the rest of the galaxy found out, it could start a panic, and that's the last thing we need. If whatever this threat is…has some kind of watchful eye on the activity of this galaxy, they'll figure out that I'm coming after it, and I need to keep my presence there a secret…at least for now.
"Not even the council?" asked Juhani.
"Not even the council," replied Revan. "They can't know of this, because it will shift their priorities. Their primary concern should be on rebuilding the Order…but if they find out that I've left because I'm hunting an invisible threat, they might divert their attention to hunting me, and that's the last thing I want." Revan was right about this, but he still did not feel good at all. Lying to his friends was getting easier, but the easier it got, the worse Revan felt about himself. "I'm a terrible person," he thought. "But Canderous is probably going to like what I eventually have to say…"
Revan turned to Bastila who he was worried about the most. He felt her thoughts and could tell how on edge she was, almost to the point of quivering. He knew that she was not taking this very well, but to his surprise, she made it public.
"You're being an idiot Revan!" blurted Bastila. "You've just earned the trust of the Jedi Order, and now you want to break it by going on some scavenger hunt in the Unknown Regions! What the hell has gotten into you! Did that Lena woman get you involved in something?"
"I already told you," said Revan, attempting to retract a bit. "Lena and I have gone our separate ways. And during this past year, all I did was train. And I would never…not…not with Lena. She's older than me." Revan felt stupid about slipping on these words, but he immediately thought of a fallback statement. "If I'm lying, may Darth Malak himself rise from the dead and strike me down!"
Now Revan felt worse than ever; almost to the point of hoping that Malak would burst through the door and attack him. The crew began exchanging looks at each other again, but this time a whole different mentality occupied their thoughts.
"Has Revan gone insane! He's actually planning on doing this… but for what possible reason other than this! Can we still trust him!" These were some of the thoughts that filled their heads, except for Canderous who was still fuming with anger.
"If I can't go with you…" began Canderous. "You better have a damn good assignment for me, other than training fresh Republic recruits. I can't do that forever."
"Actually," said Revan. "Aside from keeping my departure secret, I do have some individual favors for all of you. Canderous…" Revan paused to eyeball his Mandalorian friend again. "Let's take a walk."
Meanwhile…
It had been at least half and hour, and the overall situation in the Red Settlement had not changed. Jolee was still utterly exasperated and stretching out on the floor, trying not to think about the death of his friend Ll'awa. Orsaa was practically in a fetal position, utterly abhorred. For this entire time, neither one of them had said a word. It was a period of the longest uncomfortable silence either of them had ever experienced, but neither of them possessed the words to explain their sadness. Finally, Orsaa broke the silence.
"[Everyone else has been slain,]" said Orsaa, still in tears. "[It's over for us… my death will render the Elders extinct…]" Jolee could hear the depression and anxiety in Orsaa's voice. Despite being a skilled warrior, Orsaa was but a historian and philosopher. He had never experienced anything like this, and little did he know, but they had been fighting non-stop for over an hour. "[I do not know what to do,]" he pleaded. Jolee did not answer him, but merely nodded his head, understanding. "[I just…just need to check…on the library.]"
Orsaa began moving towards the library, which was the room that they were right in front of. As Orsaa was about to open the door, Jolee suddenly felt another blood wrenching disturbance in the Force. He called out to Orsaa.
"Orsaa! No! No, wait! STOP!" he yelled, but it was too late.
Orsaa had just opened the door to the library, and as if in slow motion Jolee saw the flash of a blood red lightsaber blade slice straight through Orsaa's torso. The last of the Elder Rakata stopped dead in his tracks and the top half of his body fell off the lower half and plopped to the floor.
Jolee's eyes immediately welled up with tears as he watched his good friend die, but this was nothing compared to the sight of the figure who emerged from the shadows and entered the large room, stepping on the top half of Orsaa's body.
The man who stood before Jolee was bald and his skin was dark-gray. He was shirtless, just like Jolee, but wore black boots and black pants with silver buckles on the sides below the knees. He had a degenerate appearance, so grotesque that it made Jolee's blood run cold, just by looking at him.
The man's face and upper body was cut, scraped, scratched, scarred, bit, beat, bruised, burned, fractured, and sliced thousands of times. Both the man's eyes were intact and unscathed, but the man's ear lobes were disproportionate, one of them being cut from the bottom a bit more than the other. This man looked like the type of person who enjoys sleeping with vibroblades. He was a veteran of war, violence, and to Jolee, it was unclear what was holding him together.
"Greetings, Padawan Bindo," boomed the man in a deep, raspy, and bass-like voice.
Without even replying, Jolee reignited his lightsaber and charged. As he swung, the man caught his arm and dealt him a swift uppercut in the stomach. Jolee's body lurched forward, but the man kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him back a few meters and then onto the floor. Jolee groaned as he slowly rose to his feet.
"Oh please, Padawan," pleaded the man in a highly sarcastic tone. "Do not waste your energy so frivolously. I have no desire to slay a man my age until he is properly rested and prepared."
"Your age?" said Jolee while coughing slightly. "Who are you and how the hell do you know who I am?" He panted for breath as he spoke these words.
"Ha!" exclaimed the man, following up with a hideously slow and evil laugh. "You are indeed Jolee Bindo: Former supply smuggler and Jedi Padawan; veteran of the Great Sith War; recipient of the Cross of Glory in the fight against Darth Malak; married once to Nayama Bindo…"
"Enough!" yelled Jolee.
"Ah," said the man. "It is indeed a sensitive topic for you, is it not?"
"You still haven't answered my question," said Jolee. "Who are you and how do you know all this?"
"She spoke of you, you know," said the man, who appeared to have ignored the question. "She told us all about you wooed her, how you trained her, and how you would not embrace the strength that she offered you."
Jolee was at a loss for words. Memories of his wife filled his head, but the most painful one of all stood in front of all of them, the moment she raised her blade against him. The other man seemed to be sadistically enjoying tormenting Jolee with the nightmares of his past.
"How the hell did you know my wife!" yelled Jolee.
"She was quite skilled," he replied. "And powerful; you trained her well. I remember watching her die on Yavin. Triple teamed; quite sad really." The man proceeded with another deep laugh.
"I've heard enough!" said Jolee. "After Force grabbing a brick from the wall, Jolee sent it flying straight for the man's head, but the man simply reignited his lightsaber and sliced the brick in half right at the face level.
"It is not your moment yet," said the man. Jolee retracted, for he had no idea what to do at the moment. He knew that eventually he would have to fight this man, but the prelude to the combat was dominated by the haunting visions of his past. He did not know which he dreaded more. "Tell me Padawan," continued the man. "After all that has happened, do you still not recognize me?" Jolee gave him a shocked look.
"We've met before?"
"Indeed," he said. "I slew so many Jedi at that last battle on Yavin IV, and yet I was destroyed by you in the end." Jolee gasped and gazed in horror. More memories flooded into his mind of the last battle of the Great Sith War that took place on the jungle surface of Yavin IV.
Jolee was in command of a battalion of Jedi Knights, and ironically none of them knew that Jolee had never passed the rank of Padawan. He had earned this rank due to his skill and his ability to keep calm and make decisions in the heat of battle. At the start of his mission, Jolee fought with everyone, but did not successfully kill any Sith. He merely did all he could to keep his friends alive. However, the sight of a single Sith Marauder murdering his comrades left and right like child's play drew him away. Jolee moved to intercept and got caught in a duel. The two of them had fought for what seemed like hours, but in the end, Jolee had vigorously cut him to shreds.
Now he realized who this man was. This was the same man Jolee killed so many years ago in the jungles of Yavin IV. Only this man wasn't dead; he had the look of one who had been killed thousands of times, but he was very much alive and dreadful in appearance. This Sith and Jolee Bindo simply stared at each other for over a minute, as if waiting for the other to blink. Jolee then deeply sighed and began to calm his mind.
"And yet…here you are," said Jolee.
"Yes," said the man. "My name is Darth Sion. I am the Lord of Pain. I am here to return the favor. You are a decrepit old fool Padawan Bindo, and your death shall mark the beginning of the Great Purge. In the name of the all powerful Sith Triumvirate, the time for your death is nigh."
Sion reignited his blood colored red lightsaber and held it against Jolee's.
"Who are you calling decrepit?" growled Jolee with a slight smirk, as he jumped back into action.
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