She heard Juhani gasp behind her as her own grip instinctively tightened on the hilt of her lightsaber. Kenna walked forward cautiously. Something was not right here. And it wasn't just the black robes Bastila was now wearing that pushed that conclusion forward.
"Revan--I knew you'd come for me," Bastila began dismissively, "Malak thought you might be afraid to enter the Temple again, but he doesn't know you like I do. Not anymore. Not since you've changed."
"Quickly, Bastila--come with us!" Juhani urged. "We have to escape before Malak arrives!"
"Escape?" Bastila laughed scornfully. "You don't understand. I have sworn allegiance to Lord Malak and the Sith; I am no longer a pawn of the Jedi Council," she declared proudly.
Kenna felt her world collapse, as surely as if she had found the woman dead. No, no, NO! Bastila…no! Don't make me kill you, too! As much of a pain as she had been, Kenna knew Bastila had cared about her, worried about her falling, and now Bastila herself had fallen. Struggling to wrap her mind around this unexpected catastrophe, Kenna asked, "A pawn of the Jedi Council? What are you talking about?" Maybe she could talk her out of this; avoid fighting her. I don't want to fight--or--kill--Bastila! I can't!
"Surely you know what I mean, Revan. Look at what they did to you; they turned you into their puppet. The same thing they do to all who are strong in the Force. They speak of the dark side as if it is something to be feared. But in reality their only goal is to manipulate those who are strong in the Force."
And Malak doesn't do that? Kenna though sarcastically.
"The fear of the dark side is a tool to maintain control. Why do you think the Jedi forbid you and Malak from joining the Mandalorian Wars? They knew you would realize your true potential and break free of their domination," Bastila lectured. "Malak has shown me how the Jedi Council have been using me the same way they tried to use you. They've been holding me back because they knew one day I would surpass them all."
Reeling from what hurt worse than an hour in a torture cage, Kenna blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "No--I don't believe it! How could you betray us like this, Bastila?"
Her former friend smirked. "I resisted at first. I endured the Sith torments with the passionless serenity of a true Jedi; emptying my mind," she explained contemptuously. "But after a week of endless tortures I finally saw the truth. Malak forced me to acknowledge my anger and pain. He showed me the liberating power of these emotions. Then he made me see how the Jedi Council has denied me what is mine by right! They gladly used my Battle Meditation in their wars, but they still treated me like a child--like an inferior."
Maybe if you didn't act like a child half the time. Kenna remembered back on Taris, right after she rescued the Jedi from the Vulkars, when Bastila had laid into both her and Carth until he snapped back that she was acting like a spoiled child. Apparently, his warning hadn't helped. Kenna turned her attention back to Bastila's tirade.
"They were jealous of my power…of what I could become! They wanted me to bow and call them Master and follow their Code and obey their every order," she growled petulantly. "But all the while they were exploiting my Battle Meditation for their own use!"
"Don't be lured in by these Sith lies, Bastila," Kenna begged.
"Lies??" Bastila exclaimed incredulously. "You are the one living a lie, Revan," she spat. "The Jedi Council made you into something you are not; they programmed you to be their slave. You used to be Revan, Master of the Sith, but no longer."
You say that like it's a bad thing, Kenna smirked.
"You are simply a pawn of the Jedi Council and the Republic they serve…like I once was until Malak freed me from their shackles!" Bastila sneered. "A pity the power you once had is so diluted in you. You could have been as strong as I am now…stronger, even. But that will never happen now. With the power of the Star Forge, Malak will destroy the Republic and conquer the galaxy. And I will be the apprentice at his side--after I prove my worth by killing you!"
Oh, no, don't make me! Kenna thumbed on her lightsaber reluctantly. She didn't want to fight Bastila. There had been times, particularly on Manaan, she wanted to strangle the younger woman, but she didn't want to be doing this. Bastila, however, forced the issue with her rapid attacks. All three Jedi fought their former companion, and they beat her with relative ease.
"You are stronger than I would have thought possible, after what the Jedi Council did to you," Bastila admitted, breathing heavily. "Seems that Malak was wrong--the power of the dark side is not lost to you after all, Revan."
Kenna sighed. "Don't call me that. I'm not Revan anymore. I'm Kenna Tasman now." She was getting tired of telling people that, but resigned herself to it.
"You can deny what you are, Revan, but you are only fooling yourself," Bastila snorted. "I know the truth. I have seen the shadows inside your mind. Remember: I was there when you nearly died in the trap set by the Jedi Council. I used the Force to preserve your life, Revan. We are forever linked by my actions on that bridge!"
"That is how I know you will come back to the light," Kenna shot back, trying to remain calm.
"These are not your true feelings, Revan," Bastila scoffed. "You are speaking as a tool of the Jedi Council--as I once did. But now I see how the Jedi used us both. The Council tried to exploit the bond between us. They hoped I would draw out your memories to lead them to the Star Forge. We were slaves to their will--like all who follow the Jedi Code. But in our shared visions of the Star Maps I also felt the so called taint within you. I resisted it at first, but now I embrace the power of the dark side--your dark side!"
Feeling very nervous about where this was heading, Kenna asked cautiously, "What are you saying, Bastila?"
"You deserve to be the true Master of the Sith, not Malak. I see this now. Together we can destroy your old apprentice. Join with me and reclaim your lost identity!"
Kenna felt a small piece of her old self flare. The idea of such power was intoxicating. Before she could consider further, a memory pushed its way to the forefront, one from Kashyyyk, Carth telling her, "Despite whatever part of Revan is inside you, the darkness that must surely be there, it isn't who you are...you don't have to be Revan, you can be so much more." It killed any thought of even starting down that path again. She loved--needed-- Carth too much to even think about betraying him. "I'm not Revan anymore. I don't even remember those days."
"Your mind was too badly damaged to ever fully restore your memories, Revan," Bastila explained as if speaking to a slow-minded student. "But your power, your strength of will, the essence of who and what you are: these things still remain! Once, long ago, you defied the Jedi Council, freeing yourself from their control. You claimed your rightful title of Dark Lord of the Sith. Together we can defeat Malak and take back what is yours!"
Sure, and then you can slit my throat while I'm sleeping and make it yours. No thank you."Turn away from this path, Bastila," Kenna urged. "The dark side leads only to destruction."
"Bastila, it is not too late for you to be saved," Juhani chimed in. "The teachings of the Jedi can lead you from the dark side back into the light and a true understanding of the Force."
"You are beneath my contempt, Juhani," Bastila spat furiously at the Cathar. "When you felt the power of the dark side you fled to a cave like some cowering animal! You know nothing of the Force or its true potential." She turned her attention back to Kenna. "But you, Revan--the power of the dark side is yours to command! You can use it to destroy Malak! With my help you could rule over the entire galaxy!"
I don't want the entire galaxy. Or even an entire planet. Just Carth. That's it. The mere thought of him gave her the strength to reply, in no uncertain terms, "The Dark Lord Revan is dead. I am a servant of the light now!"
Bastila scowled and snarled, "You are a pathetic fool, Revan! Together we could have defeated Malak and ruled over an Empire, but I will be at Lord Malak's side instead! You will be crushed with the Republic and all the fools who bow down to the Jedi Council! No one can stand against the power of the Star Forge and the Sith Fleet!" She turned and ran to the small Sith ship sitting behind her, taking off and leaving the three Jedi behind before Kenna could say more.
Shaken as she was by the encounter, Kenna didn't have time to beat herself up for failing to save Bastila in time. The Republic Fleet had to be getting close, she needed to deactivate the disruptor field. And then they had to get to the Star Forge. She hoped the parts she'd found on one of the trips past the Temple fit the Hawk's hyperdrive. Kenna crossed the roof to the computer that controlled the disruptor field and punched the buttons to deactivate both the disruptor field and the Temple's force field.
"Come on, let's go." They headed back out of the Temple, prepared for a fight--just in case. Nothing happened, and Kenna sighed with relief as they emerged from the Temple. She wanted to get back to the ship. Back to Carth, if she was honest.
Mission had kicked him out. Even from the other side of the ship, she'd been able to hear Carth pacing, and after about four hours of listening to it, she'd had enough. "Carth, knock it off!" He tried, but he was too worried to sit still for more than a couple seconds. Within five minutes of when he resumed pacing, Mission was blocking his path, hands on her hips. "Carth, go do that outside before I throw you out myself!" she ordered, still in a bad mood because Canderous had beaten her at pazaak--five more times.
"Alright, alright!" Despite the fact he sincerely doubted she could throw him out, even if she wanted to, Carth headed for the beach. No point in ticking her off any more than she already was. Mission joined him outside after only a few minutes, though. "Still mad at me?"
She shook her head. "No. Sorry for snapping at you like that."
"That's okay. I know what kids are like."
"You old--" Mission sighed. "Guess I deserved that, huh?"
"Yes, you did." Carth stopped pacing and grinned at her.
"Y'know that's not gonna make her come back any faster," Mission pointed out.
"I know." The feeling she was in danger kept growing, and it was driving him mad because he couldn't do a single thing about it. Except worry. And pace. So he did both, Mission watching him from her perch on the bottom edge of the boarding ramp. Carth was pretty sure she was worried about Kenna, too, even if she wouldn't say so.
Over the next hour, the rest of the crew made their way out of the ship, drawn by a feeling something was about to happen. Carth kept pacing.
"I see them!" Mission hollered as Kenna, Jolee, and Juhani rounded the last bend in the path down to the beach.
Tired as she was, Kenna ran the final twenty feet to the beach. I did it. I stayed strong. I didn't give in to Revan, to the evil. I'm still Kenna and only Kenna. And I love him. He needs to know. She reached the Hawk and slowed to a stop.
"You're back! But where's Bastila?" Carth demanded. "Is she alive? What happened in that Temple?"
She had to tell him. He'd known Bastila longer than she had, so it would probably hurt him even more than it had hurt her, but he had to know. "Bastila has fallen to the dark side." The words came out in a rush; Kenna just wanted it said. "She fled to the Star Forge." I couldn't save her. Force forgive me, I was too late.
"The dark side? Bastila?" Words could not describe his confusion. She was one of the most hardcore loyal Jedi he'd ever met. The Council was always right, always, always, always. And now… he couldn't believe it. "No! No! How could this happen?"
"She was always in danger of being seduced by the dark side, Carth," Jolee explained, "Bastila was strong, but she was always impatient and headstrong. Malak preyed on her weaknesses. This planet is a tainted place, the Star Forge and the Temple have twisted the Force into an instrument of evil--just as Malak has twisted Bastila into a servant of the Sith."
"She can still be saved, can't she?" Kenna demanded, seeing her question mirrored in Carth's eyes as she asked.
Jolee sighed. "Malak has a strong hold on Bastila now--it will be difficult for her to break free of his influence. Especially considering her long association with you. Remember the bond that was forged between you when she rekindled the spark that was your life. Through that bond she touched your memories…and also the echo of the dark taint within you."
I knew it was my fault!
Carth saw Kenna shudder, saw the look in her eyes. She thinks it's her fault. Only her fault. Sith's blood, Kenna, it is not just your fault. "But there's still hope for her, right?" he asked, as much for Kenna's sake as his own. "I mean, Revan rejected the dark side so Bastila could too, right? We might still be able to save her."
I know I've thought this a million times, but thank the Force for you. Kenna could not express how grateful she was for that man at the moment. "We can try…and we will," she promised.
"I don't know what fate awaits us," Juhani commented, "but I sense Bastila still has a role to play in the events to come. I have no doubt she will be waiting for us on the Star Forge."
"No doubt," Jolee agreed. He turned to Kenna. "I must say that it is good to have you with us, my dear," he admitted. "For a minute there I thought you might decide… well, never mind what I thought."
Carth latched on the insinuation in the old Jedi's unfinished sentence. "Decide? Decide what?" he demanded.
"Bastila tried to tempt her to the dark side, to reclaim Revan's heritage," Juhani explained when Kenna wouldn't answer, finishing smugly, "She failed."
He would never in his lifetime be able to convey the intensity of the emotions that filled him when he heard those last two words. She did it! I knew she would! Joy, pride, relief…all three cascaded through him. "So…you did it?" He stepped closer to Kenna. "You turned against Revan once and for all? I knew she wasn't part of you anymore. I…I knew it!"
Kenna wanted to laugh out loud in sheer joy at the look on his face, sure her own was a mirror of the joy and relief. "I chose the light side," she confirmed. "It's true."
Carth stepped even closer, reaching out and brushing those rebellious strands of hair out of her eye yet again. "I told you that you would have to make a choice eventually, that you would be tested," he said tenderly. "I think that was it, I…I can feel it. And you did exactly what I'd hoped you would. It couldn't have been easy…I'm…I'm very proud of you."
He watched her blush. Sith's blood, she's adorable when she's embarrassed, he chuckled to himself.
"It wasn't easy," Kenna admitted, biting her bottom lip. "Bastila made a convincing case."
And you expected her not to? Carth smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm sure she did. I can't say that any of us wouldn't have been tempted." He needed to tell her. Right now. "I…" he swallowed hard, started over. "I love you. And I…I can't wait until all this is over with."
Now she really wanted to scream with joy. But Kenna settled for the simpler route. "I love you, too," she confessed eagerly, the happiness painting a grin across her face that nothing could remove. Or so she thought, until Carth pulled her close and kissed her.
He'd been wanting to do this for so long he'd lost track. Carth felt Kenna's hands slide up behind his head even as his own pulled her closer, the kiss deepening. It felt so right. So, incredibly, perfectly right. Why'd I wait so long to do this?
She never wanted to stop. Ever, ever, ever. Oh, Force…why'd I wait so long to do this? I had no idea what I was missing…
"Hey! Sheesh…get a room, will ya?" Mission demanded, bringing both Carth and Kenna back to the beach, slightly sheepish but still grinning unapologetically. Kids, Kenna grumbled to herself. Never understand… Half a dozen smart remarks about the Twi'lek's age filled her mind, but she didn't voice any of them, because Zaalbar was already chiding Mission. He informed her that it was a good omen that the two had found each other even in the midst of such turmoil, wasn't she pleased? "Oh, sure," Mission shrugged. "Even a good omen can get itself a room, don't ya think?"
"Well, I'm an old man," Jolee chuckled, "and I know you should take love when you find it. Good for you two, I say."
"Confidence is all well and good, Carth, but if we are going to catch up to Bastila we should leave soon, don't you think?" Juhani pointed out.
She's right. Hard as it was, Carth forced his mind off that kiss and onto the task at hand. "Okay--let's get going. The longer we wait the harder this is going to be."
Happy Valentine's Day fellow Carth lovers! :D 3
