Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars

Having obtained the coordinates from the Star Map as well as the means for Freyyr to end Chuundar's reign, Revan and his companions left the Shadowlands. They returned in time to aid Freyyr in his bid to retake his place as chieftain of the Wookiees. With Freyyr now as reigning chieftain, the Wookiees learned of Czerka's slaving operations. Enraged, the Wookiees proceeded to bodily throw Czerka off of Kashyyyk.

Leaving Kashyyyk as the turmoil began to calm, Revan lifted off from Kashyyyk with one more companion. Jolee Bindo, for reasons of his own, has decided to join them in their fight against the Sith.

Finding a moment alone with his master, HK-47 informs Revan of a communication he received….

"Recitation: Master, the project is in its final stages, and can be used immediately upon your return. Also, your strongest supporters among the Sith have been informed of your return and are gradually spreading the old code. Even now they are beginning to sound out those closest to them and informing them of the changes. So far, we have learned that the majority of the responses are most favorable to your return and the intended changes. Your followers stand ready to rejoin you and we await the order to stand by your side once more. Your Crusaders have requested that you be informed that they impatiently await the day of your return. End message."

Revan sat in silence, pondering his next move, as HK-47 concluded the message. Coming to a decision, he said, "I am pleased to hear of your progress and I, too, await the day we stand together. Though I am not yet ready to reveal my presence, I cannot be certain of how long I will remain unrecognized. I now travel to Manaan, which has a Sith presence. You are all ordered to stand ready as my hand may be forced in the near future. Force willing, I will be ready before that happens. End Message. Thank you HK," Revan paused, and held out a datacard. "One more thing. Here is a message that, when I tell you, you will transmit on all Sith frequencies. You may go now." HK-47 acknowledged his orders and left.

He did not feel ready to reveal the truth to his companions. Ideally, all of them would follow him once they knew that he was Revan and not Kev, but he knew better than to trust in an ideal situation.

Carth had improved a great deal when it came to trusting anyone besides himself, but Revan knew that the revelation of his true identity would stress whatever trust Carth had to the breaking point. More than likely he will return to the Republic. Though…that may be where I need him the most. He is loyal to the ideals of the Republic.

Bastila is different though. She had warmed up to both Revan's identities. Including the side of himself that she identified as Darth Revan; the side she commonly saw in their dreamscape conversations. She is the one I am least sure of what she will do. At this time, she will probably go back to the Republic and the Jedi Order. Perhaps during our next dreamscape conversation I will merely shadow my face with my hood instead of wearing my mask, just to see how she will respond.

Juhani will most likely follow me, as well as Mission and Zaalbar, those two were almost always together. Canderous is a Mandalorian and will definitely follow me. Jolee…is an enigma. Something I should change, Revan concluded.

Standing up, Revan proceeded to make his way towards the Ebon Hawk's medical bay; Jolee's chosen place of residence since joining them. A strange choice for a strange, reclusive old man.

Crossing the threshold of the medical bay and closing the door behind him, Revan exchanged a few brief greetings and minor chit chat with Jolee about the coming search on Manaan when Revan cut to the heart of his visit with Jolee.

"Why, exactly, did you decide to leave your home on Kashyyyk and come with us?"

Jolee, unfazed by the direct question, responded, "I just wanted some adventure."

"I find that hard to believe, coming from the man who lived in the Shadowlands for several decades," Revan stated. "Honestly, why did you come with us?"

"What's the best way to approach this?" Jolee wondered aloud. "Ah, a story." Revan lifted an eyebrow in surprise, causing Jolee to look at him sternly. "You're going to get a story whether you like it or not."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it," Jolee responded. "Now where was I? Ah, yes, the story. In a small village a young man sees a terribly venomous snake. Nervously, he watches the snake until it leaves the village. Following it into the forest he begins to clear the path and help it over obstacles. He even helps keep it fed. Many days pass and eventually he follows the snake into the great desert. In the desert, the snake grows hungry and bites the young man. As the poison quickly makes its way through his body, the snake asks him, 'Why were you foolish enough to follow me into the great desert?' The young man looks at the snake and answers, 'Was I following you? I thought I was leading you away from everyone else.' Then he died."

Revan sat quietly for a moment with a mild expression on his face. Calmly, he asked, "Am I the snake?"

Jolee looked intently at Revan, "that is what I want to see for myself."

"I see," Revan said. "You are not afraid of dying, then."

"I've come a long way," Jolee answered with amusement, "and I'm going to die anyway; so it doesn't bother me in the least.

"I can see you have destiny before you—but you still have the power to write your future." He stated firmly holding Revan's gaze. "Nothing is decided until we make our choice."

Standing up, Revan turned to open the door. Looking over his shoulder he said, "the young man does not need to fear the serpent's venom. That is saved for enemies to itself and all it holds dear." He nodded to Jolee, "Thank you for answering my questions." Activating the door release, Revan left Jolee to whatever the old man had been doing before he arrived.

**********

"Do you love me?"

Bastila had just arrived in Revan's dreamscape rendezvous, the Jedi Archives, when Revan asked the question.

"What?!" She sputtered, completely caught off guard by the question as well as the lack of Revan's iconic mask. Color flushed her cheeks as she glared at him for the impertinent question.

"I just wanted to see the expression on your face," she could hear the amusement in his voice and see his lips quirking in a smile, though his hood shadowed and hid most of his face. "Now, what can I do for you?"

Bastila's irritation was evident on her face. Taking a deep breath she recited to herself, "there is no emotion, there is peace. There is no…"

"Peace, yet emotion is what I use."

"Excuse me?"

"Peace, yet emotion is part of the original Jedi Code," Revan answered. "I like to use the original. It makes more sense. The modern 'refined' Code is a lot harder for your average Jedi to understand. It leads people to deny various important aspects of their personalities and life."

"What do you mean by that, exactly?" Bastila was curious now, her anger at Revan's original question deflected.

"Let us take what you were just saying," Revan motioned to Bastila. "There is no emotion, There is peace. This would imply to many who hear it that Jedi are cold-heart living machines who only live for justice, never mercy. They would also think that a Jedi could never be at peace as long as they felt any emotion."

"That's not true," Bastila protested, "We are supposed to render mercy to the innocent and the oppressed."

"Yet mercy is born in the emotions and feelings of sympathy and compassion," he countered. "Without sympathy and compassion, you will never feel the desire to render mercy or kindness.

"As to never feeling at peace while feeling emotions," he continued, "I can tell you that assumption is false from personal experience. When I was a Padawan back on Dantooine, before the Mandalorian Wars, I was quite happy and at peace learning the ways of the Jedi." Bastila's expression was thoughtful as she pondered Revan's feelings on the Jedi Code. She could hear the resolution in his voice.

"Bastila…may I ask you a question?"

"You may," she hesitantly answered, a little wary after Revan's initial question.

"When we first talked like this, you said that it was impossible for me to be speaking to you because my mind was shattered." Tilting his head to one side as he asked, "Who told you that?"

"The Jedi Council. They said that your mind was too badly damaged to be restored."

"Yet they were able to create the Kev personality."

"What are you getting at?" Bastila asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Bastila, what do you do with a droid who's computer core is damaged enough physically that it causes the core programming to become irreversibly corrupted?"

"You buy a new one," Bastila stated, frowning at the change in direction of the conversation. Revan's tone was also confusing her; he sounded subdued or sad.

"Or you have a skilled and experienced programming expert spend a very long time repairing the damage. Even then, the physical damage to the core prevents a complete recovery.

"Now, according to the Council, the explosion that allowed you to capture me, damaged my 'computer core'," he said tapping the side of his head, "they then claimed that my 'programming' was irreversibly damaged. Now, instead of trying to repair the damage, they erased the old, and tried to replace it with a brand new one that still had limited access to stored memories."

"What are you getting at?" Bastila asked. A small corner of her mind whispered to her that she already understood what Revan was saying.

"I am saying, from the standpoint of droids, what the Council did was impossible. If my mind was damaged enough that they could not repair it, they certainly could not have created a new personality on the broken foundations of the old. That is also assuming that the whole Council are experienced experts in the field of creating new personalities. If they are, they have even more sins to atone for than I do."

Bastila felt a sense of horror at the implications of Revan's words. They made perfect sense, but it was almost too horrible for her to accept. "Please tell me you're lying. That the Council didn't do what you say they did," she whispered.

What little of his face she saw under his hood was expressionless, but his voice was sincere and honest. "I have programmed an advanced protocol droid from the ground up. I have also looked into my mind and into the minds of others. The minds of sentient beings are far more complex and advanced than even the most advanced droid. You also have the words of Master Vrook, when he initially opposed my Jedi Training as Kev. He warned that if they trained me, Darth Revan might return. How could that be…unless," Revan stepped forward, crossing some of the distance between him and Bastila. "Vrook knew that enough of him survived to make it possible? My impression is that 'Kev' was an attempt to alter my mind enough that I would answer to the name and memories of a stranger. That I would never believe that I was once the man called Revan; once a Jedi and later a Sith. Why else would 'Kev' be so similar?"

Reaching out, Revan placed his hands comfortingly on Bastila's hunched shoulders as she grappled with the horrifying realizations of the Council's crime. Revan moved his head so Bastila was looking straight into his shadowed eyes that glittered with some of Bastila's pain that he felt through their bond. He spoke in a soft, comforting voice, "Bastila, I have never lied directly to you. Though, there is still one lie of omission between you and me. I want to prepare you for when I tell you the complete truth. You are almost ready, and I look forward to when I can tell you. But right now, you are still trying to come to terms with this horrifying truth."

Gently Revan guided Bastila into a chair that stood behind her. Stepping back, he sat down in another chair. Leaning forward, he said, "When you are ready to talk about this or anything else, I will be right here."

Many moments passed as Bastila sat, gripped in her mental turmoil. Many times she looked at Revan as he sat calmly, waiting for whatever she chose to do. Finally, she asked, "Did you use something similar to convert so many Jedi to your cause?"

"No," he solemnly replied. "Before this current war, all the Jedi who have followed me, either fell gradually to the Dark Side during the Mandalorian Wars, or followed me from pure loyalty. As for when I was Darth Revan at the beginning of this war, I turned some of the Jedi I captured using various forms of torture." Bastila looked at Revan with a confused look, asking without words how torture could turn one to the Dark Side.

"It is actually quite easy to turn the weaker Jedi," he answered. "All you need to do is put them in minor constant physical pain, and offer them the power to protect the innocent victims and punish the perpetrators. The power to accomplish what ever you need or want, no matter the costs. The power of the Dark Side is quite desirable when presented in as merely a means to an end.

It might surprise you how many chose death over the Dark Side. Over half of all the Jedi captured tried to escape at least once, and one almost succeeded. Not one of those ever gave in to the Dark Side, and most are now dead by Malak's impatient hand.

When I had been doing these things, I had fully or almost fully given myself over to the corruption and evil of the Dark Side. It is truly incredible what you are willing to do when you let the Dark Side possess you. The worst thing of all," he added, regret plainly heard in his voice, "is that you want to do it, you're not forced to do it. That is why you will not need to fear the return of Darth Revan, because I never want to be there again. It is a terrible, dark, and lonely place. Ambition and hatred are the only things that thrive there."

"That is why you promised me you would never try and force me to the Dark Side," Bastila said, remembering the end of their first meeting.

Revan nodded. Standing up, he stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I have given you much to think about. I will leave you alone, now." He turned to walk away, stopping as Bastila grabbed his forearm.

"Please, stay." She asked, her eyes pleading with him. "For a little while longer."

"As you wish," he answered crouching down by the side of her chair. "For as long as you need."

Author's Note: Here it is, chapter 12. As promised it came before the end of the week. I attribute the beginning of this dreamscape sequence to my beta reader, when I came to her pleading for help in how to start this particular conversation. She looked at me and said that very line in complete jest, although I started to bounce it around and it ended up sticking. I hope you readers also enjoyed it. As usual, I welcome any comments and suggestions.

Bob: Thank you for pointing it out and actually it is mostly deliberate. When I created Revan, I was trying to make someone as smart as Thrawn, crossed with the most powerful Jedi you could possibly imagine. I blame this impression I have on wookieepedia. They said Revan was a brilliant strategist as well as warrior. Kriea also said that he looked like the Heart of the Force.

Candle in the Night: I thank you for your compliments and I blame(in a good way) the lack of typos and spelling errors on my kind beta reader who pulls out her "Red Pen of Death" and...deals with the errors she finds.