"I look forward to meeting to you, Revan's Heir."
I stared in horror and astonishment as the hologram. Who was this guy? How did he know me? Who was "us"? Why had they been watching me? For how long? Why did they want me?
A confusing array of emotions swirled through me. Part of me felt violated, like my entire life had been manipulated against my will and if there was one thing I hated, it was being manipulated. On the other hand, I felt curious to know what they knew about
"REVAN!" Satori's harsh voice shook me back to reality.
Blinking I looked around at the others who were all staring at me. Even Atris looked shocked and she never looked like anything. Suddenly I realized that they were blaming me!
"An explanation would be nice," she demanded, hands on her hips and a wicked glare in her eyes.
Anger ripped through me like a tidal wave. "I don't have one," I exploded. "I don't know who this guy is or how he knows me. I still don't have answers for any of you. In fact, I have even more questions than you. It is my life that this person and whoever he's with has been manipulating, not yours."
It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. No one said a word; no one even looked at me.
"Which way are the Enclave Ruins?" I ground out to the officers.
"Uh, a little west and south of here," Ronan answered after a pause.
"Stay here until I get back," I ordered as I stormed out.
I got halfway to the speeder when I felt Atris's presence behind me.
"Stay here," I repeated. "I'm going alone."
"I don't blame you," she said quietly.
I stopped and sighed. "I know," I replied without turning around. "But what you and Jaden and Rosh have been saying suddenly makes sense. The Force was telling you something. It was telling me something for that matter; I just didn't listen."
"Your visions?" she guessed.
"Yeah," I confirmed. "I don't know what they all mean, but they are connected. I do know that the Force is guiding me. There is something bigger going on here than just a simple kidnapping and I want answers. They took Creenar and his family to get to me. Not to Reeko, but me. That means they've been stalking me long enough to know when and where I'm at my most vulnerable. I need to know how and why. I don't like being manipulated, but I have to see this through, if only to get some answers."
"I'm coming with you," she stated.
"No," I shook my head. "Jaden and Rosh were right; this is my test and my battle. None of you can help me. I have to do this alone. Stay here and keep the others from doing something stupid."
"I understand," she said in her flat monotone.
"Thanks," I nodded, glancing up at the waning sun. "I'll see you in a couple of hours, hopefully before it gets dark."
"May the Force be with you, Revan," she said quietly as I hopped on the speeder and drove off.
00000000000000000000000000
The ruins were hard to miss. Mostly it was a grown-over crater with the remnants of ancient foundations and a few low walls. Where the central room, perhaps the council would sit, had been stood a small knot of people, including Creenar, Saala, and Maasa.
"Greetings Revan," the man from the hologram stepped forward as I approached. "I was beginning to wonder if you would ever get my message."
"You I'll deal with in a moment," I snapped at him before looking past to Creenar and family. "(Are you guys okay?)"
"(So far)" Creenar said from the middle of the knot. "(They've been good hosts, cuffs aside)" he raised his hands, bound. He and his family were sitting on the ground, their wrists cuffed in front of them with electro-cuffs.
"Excuse me," the man said sharply. "But I would appreciate it if you dealt with me."
"As you wish," I turned back and faced the young man.
For the first time I really appraised him in person. He was of average height, about my age, maybe a year or two older, and decked in out black robes. His skin was unnaturally pale, almost translucent with cruel, yellow eyes.
It was then that I first felt his presence in the Force; it was like getting a bucket of ice water getting dumped on me. I thought I had felt the dark side before when Satori or I or even Atris got dangerously angry, but now I knew how wrong I was. That was nothing compared to what I was sensing now.
The Force felt cold but at the same time wild, like a tempest of ice. I had to struggle to suppress a shiver. At the same time, it felt different than what I had always been told the dark side was like. I had always been told that it was fueled by hatred and anger, but this guy wasn't angry. Instead he was consumed by something else: a passion so strong it could only be described as lust, pure lust for power. Hatred and anger I was prepared to deal with, but this…this was something different entirely. It legitimately frightened me.
Taking a deep breath, I focused myself on the task at hand. "You wanted me and you got me so let them go, now," I commanded.
"Direct and to the point," the man looked amused. "You are Revan's Heir."
"And you're stalling," I cut through his veil. He was trying to get under my skin and I wasn't going to let him. "Before you get anything from me, you let them go."
"You are in no place to make demands," the man replied, his voice dropping several degrees. It was I who was getting under his skin now.
"Quite the contrary," I countered, a cold smile forming at the corners of my lips. Dramatically I looked around, taking in the half dozen mercenaries standing guard with the young man over the three Rodians. "You seem to have gone to a lot of trouble to meet me," I noted casually, "which means that this is more than a meet and greet," I turned my eyes back on to the young man. "Which means you need me, don't you?"
"We, uh, we…"
I narrowed my eyes, a full smile spreading across my face. "Oh but it gets better," I continued, the whole picture falling into place. "You're not the one in charge, are you? You're just a lackey, a messenger. And if you lose me…" I glared right into his eyes, feeling the prick of fear that struck his hear. "Well, you know what awaits you if you fail. So either you release them or I leave."
"I," he started. I could feel the fear and anger building inside of him, putting him on the verge of doing something stupid. I was clouding his judgment, but I didn't want him losing control. Subtly I placed my hand on my lightsaber in case things got crazy. I needed to calm him down.
"I'll tell you what," I said gently but confidently. "Let the two women go and then we can talk. After that, you let Creenar go."
"Very well," the man gave a sharp nod to a pair of mercenaries. They helped Saala and Maasa to their feet and removed the cuffs. The two Rodians scrambled over to me as fast as they could
"Take the speeder back to the house," I told them. "You do know how drive, yes?"
Maasa nodded, her face a pale green. I guess that is the Rodian version of turning white. I couldn't really blame her or Saala for looking so sick; it had been a long day for both. The daughter led Saala, who was semi-comatose, by the arm to the speeder and they took off at top speed.
"You came alone, I see," the man commented after they had departed.
I shrugged. "If you wanted to kill me, you would have done so a long time ago," I commented.
"What makes you say that?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You yourself said that you've been watching me," I explained casually, sitting down on a plasteel container. "And you knew enough about me to know when and where I'd be and how to make me do what you want. If you could do all that, killing me should be child's play. So the question is what do you want with me?"
"Let me first introduce myself," the man took the seat across from me. "My name is Darth Malak of Revan's Sith Empire."
"My Sith Empire?" I raised an eyebrow.
"No, not yours exactly," Malak shook his head. "Tell me, what do you know of Darth Revan?"
"I've heard of a Jedi named Revan," I answered, remembering Atris's reference to Jedi with purple blades, "but other than a name, I don't know anything else."
"The Jedi Revan and the Dark Lord Revan are one in the same," Malak explained. "He was a Sith that lived more than 4000 years ago. He was originally a Jedi Knight and was instrumental in leading the Old Republic to victory over the Mandalorians. But after the war, Revan discovered the true power of the dark side and embraced it. He and his apprentice, Darth Malak, turned on the Republic and nearly destroyed it. Unfortunately Malak turned on his master and killed him. Without Revan to lead the Sith, they soon self-destructed and Revan's glorious empire was never completed."
"Fascinating history lesson," I commented dryly. "What does this have to do with me?"
"Have you heard of the Disciples of Ragnos?" he switched the subject again.
"Yeah," I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to keep up with the constant switching of topics. "They were a Sith cult about seventeen years ago that tried to resurrect a dead Sith lord, Marko Ragnos. What does…Wait, you aren't trying to resurrect Revan, are you?"
"No, no," Malak shook his head almost sadly. "Ragnos's staff was destroyed by your master, Jaden Korr. Even if it wasn't, we don't know where Revan's body is, assuming there is a body to resurrect.
"The reason I ask about the Disciples of Ragnos is because that is where our cult got its start. Our leaders were two of the few legitimate Force users in Tavion's group. Fortunately they weren't at Korriban when Tavion was defeated. After the staff's destruction, they went into hiding, fearing the Jedi and that is when they both had a vision."
"Still waiting to find out what this has to do with me," I scowled. The day wasn't getting any younger.
"Be patient," Malak scowled back. "In this vision, they heard a voice repeating these lines:
With Revan's blood and Revan's power shall Revan's Heir be born,
At the Galaxy's weakest hour shall he rise from her blackest pit,
In Revan's footsteps shall he seek that which is lost,
And with Revan's blade shall he finish what his father had begun."
"And that means what, exactly?" I questioned.
"That's what our founders wondered too," Malak continued. "So they researched everything they could on Revan and his empire. They discovered that the vision was actually a repeat of an ancient prophecy that predicted the return of Revan's empire."
"After all you've gone through to meet me," I glanced around at the mercenaries, "I'm going to guess that I'm Revan's Heir in this scenario and Revan's Heir is to follow in his footsteps to seek that which is lost. What does that mean?"
"We believe the lost item is the Star Forge," Malak supplied.
"The what?" I raised an eyebrow.
"When Revan left the Jedi, he found records of an ancient, even by his day, device called the Star Forge," Malak explained. "He followed a series of five star maps, one of which is here on Dantooine, to its location. Revan then used the Star Forge to spearhead his invasion of the Old Republic."
"So was the Star Forge a weapon, like the Sun Crusher or Death Star?" I asked, my own curiosity rising.
"No one knows for sure," Malak disappointed. "The records of what happened back that far are sketchy at best. Even exactly what happened to Malak, Revan's former apprentice, are unclear.
"But we don't think the Star Forge was a weapon. There are no records of it being used in any battle, even the pivotal ones. What seems more likely is that the Star Forge was a massive factory or shipyard of some kind that could produce ships, weapons, or whatever else at an awesome rate," Malak hypothesized. "What we do know is that Revan disappeared from known space shortly after the Mandalorian War and the returned with a massive armada. The question has always been where did Revan get his army."
I frowned as I listened. Then the pieces suddenly clicked into place. "You are planning to conquer the galaxy, aren't you?" I didn't wait for an answer. "Of course, it makes perfect sense. After the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Galactic Alliance is still weak. Thousands of systems are still reeling from the devastation the Vong unleashed. The economic infrastructure is still rebuilding and the military is still weak. The Galaxy is ripe for the taking. If you can find the Star Forge, even a small group of people could build a force strong enough and fast enough to conquer the galaxy."
"Very good," Malak smiled. "You are Revan's Heir."
"The only issue I have with your plan is me," I crossed my arms. "What exactly do you need me or Revan's Heir for in the scenario? If you know where the Star Maps are, just follow them and find the Star Forge."
"We don't know where the Star Maps are," admitted Malak. "We only know where this one is because Malak attempted to destroy it when he attacked the Jedi Academy that stood here. He wanted to cover the path to Star Forge."
"Apparently he failed," I dryly commented.
"So it would seem," Malak agreed, "and fortunately for us too. We can use this Star Map to find the others and thus lead us to the Star Forge."
"Fascinating," I replied. "But that still doesn't explain why you need me? Why not just go in and get the Star Map and move on? You could've gotten to the Star Forge without anyone knowing and conquered the galaxy in less than a week."
"We can't get in," Malak explained. "Don't think we haven't tried. But it seems that Revan's Heir is the only one who can enter the mound. In addition, the Star Maps are relatively small devices on planets. Only the Force could guide us to them and only Revan's Heir has the connection to them to find them."
"That is, of course, assuming I actually am Revan's Heir," I pointed out.
"You are Revan's Heir," Malak firmly replied. "Of that there is no doubt."
"Let's just say I'm not convinced," I scowled.
"Consider the markers of Revan's Heir," Malak raised a finger. "One, he will possess Revan's blood; in other words, he will be a descendant of Revan. Two, he will possess Revan's power; they say that looking at Revan was like looking into the heart of the Force. Three, he will rise from the galaxy's blackest pit; I can think of no better description of Nar Shaada. And four, he will bear Revan's blade; Revan's lightsaber."
"And how does any of that relate to me? I'll admit Nar Shaada is about as miserable a place as there is, but there are lots of people that live there. I just have this old lightsaber, I'm not that powerful in the Force, and I'd love to see you prove that I'm a descendant of Revan; I don't even know who my parents are," I countered.
"But we do," Malak gave me a cold smile. "We know you lineage, even if you don't. We have known since you were born that you were Revan's descendant and thus have watched you closely since. As for your lightsaber, that relic did indeed once belong to the Revan himself, although the crystal is not the typical red. And your power," he looked hard at me, "let's just say that until you can feel yourself in the Force, you have no idea how much power you truly possess."
Although I didn't want to believe him, I couldn't find a way to rationally dispute his points. In the end, I resigned to myself, it didn't really matter. He believed that I was Revan's Heir and thus Creenar's life (and mine too) depended on me acting like.
"For now, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt," I said, standing up. "What is it that you want with me right now?"
"To enter the mound and open the Star Map," Malak answered simply.
"Very well, I accept your terms," I replied. "Now let Creenar go."
"Not until we have what we came for," Malak rejected. "You may be Revan's Heir, but that certainly doesn't mean we trust you. We will keep him for collateral, in case you try anything foolish."
"As you wish," I shrugged. "So do I go in alone or does someone need to babysit me?"
"I and the Rodian shall accompany you," Malak answered.
I shrugged again. "Let's go then," I looked around for a speeder.
"This way," Malak led me and Creenar to where a sleek speeder was waiting. "I trust you know the way," Malak questioned.
"I don't think I can forget it," I grumbled back.
0000000000000000000000000000 000
The sun had long set by the time we got to the mound. Above us the twin moons shone brightly, illuminating the ancient structure in their pale silvery light.
"So how does this work?" I asked. "Is there some sort of password that I say or something?"
"You Revan's Heir," Malak shrugged. "You figure it out."
"Do you want the Star Forge or not?" I snapped. Malak ignored me and leaned against the speeder.
With a sigh I walked up to the massive stone doors. I could feel the power of the Force, especially the dark side, radiating from the mound. Strangely, I also felt a certain connection to the place. A pit began to form in my stomach as for the first time I considered that Malak just may have been right; maybe I really was Revan's Heir.
That, I decided, was a worry for another time. Right now I needed to focus on getting into the mound. Studying the design of the door, I noticed a square peg in the center. On a whim, I pressed it.
It didn't budge, but I felt something in it, like it was supposed to move. Drawing on the Force, I tried again. This time, the peg slid into the door and the stones began slid open, like a giant mouth opening up into a dark pit.
"Well that isn't creepy at all," I commented sarcastically, staring into the dark hole.
"Excellent," Malak cackled from behind me. "Carry on." With the Sith and Creenar in tow, I descended down the slope into the belly of the mound.
"(It's dark in here)" Creenar mumbled nervously.
I pulled my lightsaber from belt and ignited it. Instantly I felt Malak tense behind me as he reached for his.
"Oh relax," I told him. "It's the closest thing we have to a light." I could sense that he was still tense, but his hand wasn't on his blade.
Life Lesson 114: Lightsabers make terrible flashlights.
The purple blade barely illuminated stuff a meter in front of me and more than once I stubbed my toe on a stray rock. But within a couple of minutes, we made our way to a dimly lit room. Waiting for us was a droid.
The details of the conversation are tedious and boring. To sum it up, the droid had to cycle through a dozen languages before we found one that I recognized. It then proceeded to give us a history lesson about something called the Infinite Empire that existed around 30,000 years ago. It also referenced the Star Forge, though it refused to elaborate, much to my and Malak's irritation. The droid ended its spiel with this warning.
"(Only those who are worthy may go further.)"
"And how will we prove our worth?" I asked, annoyed. Why couldn't we just walk in, look at the map, and go?
"(The proving grounds are to your left and right)" the droid answered in something akin to Wookie.
"(And if we don't prove our worth?)" Creenar piped up nervously.
"(Then you die)" the droid answered matter-of-factly. "(No one has been worthy in 4000 years)"
"Wonderful," I sighed and walked through the door on the left and was quickly reminded of Life Lesson 91.
Never just walk into a dark room.
All around the world exploded into flames. Only with Force-aided reflexes was I able to dissipate the flames before getting barbecued. Blinking away the tears, I scanned the room for the source.
Scuttling like a kinrath was a spider like droid similar to the overseer droid in the central chamber. Only this one appeared to be equipped with a flamethrower.
"Get Creenar out of here," I ordered Malak.
"But he's my hostage!" protested my sort of ally.
"He's an anchor that'll get us both killed," I countered, lighting up saber and ducking behind a pile of rubble just as the droid let loose another gout of flame. "And if something happens to him, then you can forget me helping you find the Star Forge."
Malak didn't answer, but from the shuffling I heard, my guess was that my argument convinced him.
I peeked over the fallen blocks to find my adversary. It wasn't hard; his metal feet on the stone floor made him as easy to track as a rancor (and yes, I've had some unfortunate personal experience with that). Apparently the droid was smart enough to figure out where I was and now was attempting to flank me. I needed a plan and fast.
Thinking at light speed, I flipped over the rubble just as the droid turned the corner. A moment later, the spot I had been crouching was engulfed in flame.
But now the droid's back was turned to me. I didn't know if it had 360 sensors though at this point it didn't really matter. Tapping into the Force, I shot forward towards the droid. I rounded the corner around the rubble just at the droid turned to face me.
I swung my blade up, guided by the Force, and connected with the nose where the flame thrower was. It sheared off and I followed that up with a downward slash that cleaved the robot in two.
That was about the time Malak showed back up.
"I see you took care of the droid," he said flatly.
"No thanks to you," I snapped. "There's a computer terminal over there that I think we're supposed to check it out." We walked over to the terminal and stared at it.
"So, uh, what do we do?" he questioned.
"How the hell should I know?" I growled. "This was your idea."
"Right," Malak studied the terminal.
"You guys really didn't think this through, did you?" I crossed my arms as he continued to examine the ancient terminal.
"There have been a lot of unforeseen complications," Malak admitted. "There's a slot here that a datapad could fit in. Put yours in."
"Why mine?" I said. "Use yours."
"I don't have one," Malak retorted. "Besides, you're Revan's Heir."
"That has nothing to do with this," I exclaimed.
"Just stick it in," Malak snapped.
I gave him a curious look. "You might want to rephrase that," I suppressed a chuckle.
"Grow up and put your datapad into the slot," Malak shot me an annoyed look, which with his tattoos was humorous.
"As you wish," I handed him my datapad and he slid it in to the slot.
Malak put the pad into the slot. The terminal whirred to life for a moment before regurgitating my datapad.
"I guess that didn't work," Malak sighed.
"Wait," I held him up. The screen suddenly blinked to life. It then listed six geographic areas: volcanic, grassland, desert, ocean, artic, and tropical.
"Choose the three death giving zones," the terminal commanded.
"Uh, okay," I shrugged and selected volcanic, desert, and artic. The computer blinked off.
"Is that it?" I asked Malak.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "I guess so."
We walked back through the central corridor, passed both Creenar who was content to just sit on the floor in front of the overseer droid, who was content to ignore us.
When we got to the door, I stopped. "Let's be smart about this," I told Malak. "The other room had a psycho droid, so I'm willing to bet that this one does to."
"What do you suggest?" Malak questioned.
"You go right and I'll go left," I suggested, igniting my lightsaber. "He can't go after both of us. Whichever of us is free takes out the droid."
"Okay," Malak agreed, lighting up his blade.
"One, two, three," I counted and we burst through the door.
On cue a spidery-looking droid scrambled out from the Force knows where. As my luck would have it, it zeroed in on me. I sprinted to my left, making for the wall.
I didn't make it.
Instead of torching me with a flamethrower, the droid was kind enough to freeze me with some sort of cryogenic ray, which was a new experience for me (as I have been stabbed, burned, punched, thrown off buildings, run over by speeders, bitten by all kinds of animals, and even kissed by a crazed Gand [don't ask; it's a disturbing story], that is saying a lot). My muscles locked up and I slammed into the wall, unable to move.
Either because he still needed me or he wasn't the complete jerk I took him for, Malak actually followed the plan and saved my butt before it was turned completely into a Jedicicle. With the droids focus on me, he calmly let loose a torrent of lightening that essentially scrambled the droids circuits, causing it to shut down.
"Need a hand," the Sith offered.
"Yeah," I grunted, taking his hand and struggling to my feet. I could move, but my joints were screaming. "Let's get to the terminal."
We repeated the process at the second ancient terminal, except this time it asked for the life-giving zones. I entered grassland, ocean, and tropical and the terminal blinked off.
Returning to the central chamber, we were greeted by the overseer droid.
"(You have successfully passed the test)" the droid informed us. "(You may proceed.)" Behind it, the massive stone door shuddered and slid open.
"At last," Malak seemed to breathing a sigh of relief. "The Star Forge is ours."
"Hold you dewbacks, son," I cautioned. "There's no guarantee that this thing still works."
"Have some optimism," Malak told me as we walked into a long chamber.
At the end of the chamber, there was a strange looking device that looked like a three-finger hand that was closed. As we got closer, the hand opened up and a black sphere floated to the center. It began to glow as a chart of the galaxy, though significant chunks were missing.
"Where is the Star Forge?" demanded Malak.
"It isn't here," I stated flatly.
"I don't understand," Malak continued to stare at the map.
"You yourself said that Revan had to follow five Star Maps to find the Star Forge," I pointed out.
Looking at the map, I noticed four systems highlighted. Without thinking, I blurted out, "These must be the locations of the other Star Maps," I gestured to the systems. "Kashyyyk, Manaan, Korriban, and Tatooine."
"Thank you Revan," Malak turned a cold smile on me. "We appreciate your service to Revan's Reborn Empire."
"Dammit, dammit, dammit," I swore. I had screwed up big time. Maybe Malak would've noticed it anyway, but essentially I had just told a new Sith threat how to find a superweapon or something equally bad. I was going to catch so much crap for this.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Malak said simply as he started back for the central chamber. "In fact, you could turn this to your advantage."
"Really?" I snorted derisively. "Master Skywalker is going to have my head on a stake."
"What if you joined us?" Malak offered as we got exited the Star Map chamber.
"Joined you?" I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"The last line of the prophecy says that you, Revan's Heir, will lead the way," Malak answered. "With his blade, you will finish what your father, or ancestor Revan, began. You will defeat the Alliance and conquer the galaxy at the head of the Sith Empire. Join us, Revan. Embrace the power of the dark side. With the Jedi, you'll be nothing more than a pawn to be jerked around by the Order or the Alliance or whoever else hires out the Jedi. But if you join us, you will be our emperor. You will become the most powerful man in the galaxy, ruler of it all."
"So let me get this straight," I crossed my arms. "You're offering me the position at the head of the empire, to be your dark lord or whatever? All I have to do is embrace the dark side?"
"Yes," Malak implored. "Can't you feel its power in this place? The raw, untamed energy. Imagine that power as yours to command. The galaxy would be yours to control. Worlds would live and die at your word. All you have to do is embrace its power and join us."
I could feel the power of the dark side and Malak's entreaty was passionate and earnest. Even without the Force, I could feel the sincerity in his plea. He meant what he said. And I knew I was going to get in trouble for spilling the beans when I got back to Ossus. So naturally I did the most unexpected thing I could have.
I laughed.
"What is so funny?" Malak demanded angrily.
"I'm sorry," I wiped my eyes. "What makes you think I want that power? I can barely stand to lead around that sorry group of students. Why would I want to lead an empire?"
"But you would have billions worshipping at your feet," a flabbergasted Malak stuttered. "You would have everything you could want."
"What I want is to be left alone," I countered, chuckling. "Leading an empire would ensure that I was never left alone. I'm sorry, but you're asking the wrong guy. I have desire for power or conquest. I want to live a simple, quiet life of peace."
Malak just stared at me in shock. Even Creenar looked a little stunned from his place.
"No one has ever said no to power before," Malak finally whispered.
"There's a first for everything," I shrugged.
"This leaves us in an awkward position," Malak said, studying his right foot.
"It does," I agreed. "We both know the locations of the Star Maps which will lead to the location of the Star Forge, which means we can't let the other one leave."
"Indeed," Malak straightened himself up and shook off his black outer robe. Drawing his lightsaber, he lit it up and took a stance.
Suddenly I was in a very bad position. Standing between me and Malak was sitting Creenar. If I went for my blade, then Creenar was toast. If I tried to protect Creenar, then I would be vulnerable. Either way, I needed to remove Creenar from the equation.
Leaving my lightsaber on my belt, I reached out with the Force and grabbed Creenar, hoisting him into the air. The Rodian let out a strangled cry as I tossed through the open door of the first room we went to.
Now that Creenar was safe, more or less, I needed to take care of myself. In the time it took me to get the Rodian clear, Malak had covered the distance between us. Thanks to the Force I was able to dive right, narrowly missing his blade as it came flying down. I barely got my lightsaber up in time to block his next attack.
Tapping into the Force, I directed a telekinetic blast right into his gut, launching the Sith across the room, slamming into the rock wall. It wasn't enough to stun him, just shook him up a little, but it did buy me enough time to get back to feet.
That was the time Malak needed to shake the cobwebs loose. By the time I got my blade up, Malak was bearing down on me.
This time I was ready, or at least readier. Malak started jabbing and slashing with terrifying ferocity. Slipping into Soresu, I barely managed to deflect his relentless stream of strikes as I began to retreat.
I was in a duel unlike any other; this was real. All my other saber duels had been just practice, but this guy was actually trying to kill me. Ducking, I slipped under a slash at my neck and then tried to strike at Malak's unprotected midsection.
He was too quick though, deflecting the stab away. It did buy me some time to analyze Malak's style. The Sith was using a combination of speed and power, trying to batter through my defenses. It was an aggressiveness and ferocity that I had never seen before; I could feel the dark side rolling off of him in waves.
With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I realized that he was using Juyo, the seventh and most aggressive of the old combat forms. I had never practiced against anything like that before. So far I was holding out, but I didn't now for how much longer. I needed a plan.
In rapid succession, he swung at my legs, my head, and then thrust at my belly button. I managed to block the strike at my legs, deflect the swing at my head, and jumped out of the way of the stab.
Breathing hard, I knew there was absolutely no way I could keep this up for much longer. The idea of Soresu was to wear down your opponent and then strike at an opening, but that wasn't going to happen. He too skilled to make a mistake and too well-conditioned for me to outlast. I needed to go on the offensive, but I dare not lessen my defenses in the slightest. I needed space.
Malak made another stab at my chest. I swatted the blade away as hard as I could and then added a push move with the Force, moving my opponent back several paces. He shook himself and got ready for another charge.
In that brief pause, the answer struck me. Malak was pouring all of his concentration and Force focus into attack, which left him vulnerable to Force attacks. He wasn't prepared for it at all.
Zeroing in on my enemy, I tapped into the Force as he barreled towards me. He leapt towards me, saber scorching the ceiling with the tip of his blade. That was when I unleashed my attack.
I reached out with the Force, grasped his left ankle, and jerked.
Malak's eyes went wide as he felt himself get thrown off balance. Caught completely off-guard, he couldn't react and began tumbling towards me. Bracing myself, I waited until he was close enough and swung my blade in a wide upswing towards my enemy, but the Sith managed to torque himself out of the way.
Mostly.
Even though he got his body out of the way, somehow I managed to connect with his lower jaw, slicing it clean off.
With a garbled scream of pain, he crumpled into a heap on the floor, dropping his lightsaber in the process. Before he could recover his senses, I used the Force to retrieve his lightsaber, lighting up the blade. Striding towards him, I leveled my blades at him.
Wild eyed, Malak staggered to his feet as I approached. There was a sudden tingling in the back of my head as the Force warned me of danger but even then I didn't get the sabers up in time as Malak unleashed a storm of lightening. The blades managed to absorb most of the shock, but plenty still slammed home.
It felt like the hardest punch in history as the lightening tore through my chest. My clothes and skin began to hiss and sizzle and I was thrown back against the far wall. Even before I hit, I was already reaching out the Force to heal my damaged body.
"We will meet again, Revan," the Sith hissed to me through the Force as blood pulsed from the wound in his mouth. "And when we do, prophecy or no, I will have my revenge." With that, he turned and raced up the corridor to the exit.
I stumbled after him, but I was in no condition to give chase. Then I heard one of the worst sounds imaginable: falling rocks.
Dust and rocks filled the corridor as Malak collapsed entrance. Coughing, I cleared away as much of the dust as I could and examined the damage. I could use the Force to clear away the rubble, but it would be several hours before I was well enough to try. By then Malak would be long gone.
Dejectedly I staggered back down to the central chamber where Creenar was waiting.
"(Are you okay?)" the Rodian asked, staring at the burns on my chest.
"(I'll live)" I answered, using the Force to release his bonds. Gratefully Creenar rubbed his wrists, glad to be free for the first time in hours.
"(Did you win?)"
"(Yes and no)" I answered looking back up the ramp. "(I drove him off, but got us trapped down here.)"
"(We're trapped?)" exclaimed Creenar.
"(For now)" I sighed. "(At least until I've had some rest. Then I can probably clear away the rubble and get us out of here.)"
"(Then why the long face?)" Creenar looked confused.
"(Because I may have handed the most powerful item in the galaxy into the hands of a madman)" I replied, slumping against a pillar. "(Life Lesson 74: always think before you speak.)"
"(A good rule)" Creenar acknowledged.
"(When it's followed)" I agreed.
I was tired and sore and depressed. I had failed miserably because I couldn't keep my mouth shut. It was going to be a long night.
Just then I felt a familiar presence in the Force.
"Revan, do you need some help?" Atris called to me.
"Atris?" I practically shouted back. "Yes! Where are you?"
"Just outside the mound," she answered. "Salty and I followed you."
"I told you to stay back at the house," I grumbled.
"Since when do you listen to Rosh and Jaden?" she countered. "We've learned to ignore orders from you."
"I'm a fantastic role model," I groused. "Since you guys are here, could you clear the mound entrance? Malak did a number on it."
"We saw," Atris replied. "What happened down there?"
"Long story," I answered. "Time is of the essence here."
"Hold on," she said.
"Come on," I told the Rodian. "Help has arrived."
It was ten minutes before Atris and Salty got the entrance clear enough for us to squeeze out. I have never been so happy to see anyone as I was to see Atris. Without thinking, I gave her a huge hug.
"Good to see you too," she mumbled into my robes.
"By the Force, what happened to you?!" Salty exploded when she saw my scorched chest.
"Force Lightening," I answered sharply. "Come one, we need to catch Malak before…he gets away," I finished softly as I saw a small ship take off from the direction of the Enclave Ruins. The Force confirmed what I already knew; Malak had escaped.
"What is it?" Atris followed my gaze.
"Our lives just got a whole lot more complicated," I replied sadly and slumped to the ground.
