Coincidences
Chapter 10: Tension

As Revan had expected, the apartment's main room was empty when she and Marth returned. Link was no doubt asleep and she couldn't sense Malak anywhere within. Crossing the room, she sat down before the table and took out the plans she had started. At this point she might as well just throw them away. Force, this wasn't good. What was she to do?

Looking up, she saw Marth still standing in the doorway. "Marth, you may contact your master if you so wish and tell what you have learned. There should be comm. in this place." She needed time to think without another in the room, time to reflect on all of this.

xxx

Nodding absently, Marth wandered around the apartment until he finally came across the comm. Going into the room, he went over to it and set about making it contact his master. Moments passed then a small hologram of Master Vackar appeared. Marth bowed tiredly, "Master, I've called to report what I've had learned."

"Very well," Vackar gestured for Marth to continue. His eyes locked on Marth. "What have you learned about the senate?"

Marth straightened, running a hand through his hair, "I've learned from the few senators I saw that the senate does not support the Revanchists as whole-heartedly as they used to. When General Revan went to see the Chancellor this morning he seemed…deeply irritated with her and our cause. We have been ordered to not participate in the coming attack on Coruscant. Also I believe, but this is only a guess, that the Chancellor has been in more frequent communication with the Council. Masters Vandar, Atris and Vrook were with the Chancellor before General Revan and I arrived to see him."

Vackar rubbed his chin, looking at his padawan as he thought. After several moments pause, he gave Marth a slightly amused smile, "Yes, but that wasn't the assignment I gave you, my padawan. I asked you to look at the structure of the senate not their viewpoints on the Revanchist. Though you did do part of it by telling me the Jedi High Council was there."

Marth glanced down embarrassedly at the toes of his boots, "I have been unable to see the structure of the senate yet. We did not stay long at the senate building." Marth winced, "And it is difficult to view the structure of the senate when one's self is considered a Revanchist. They are not very…open around us. Also I do not believe at the moment that we are allowed to leave the apartment the Chancellor has placed us in."

Several moments passed in silence before Vackar replied, "Speak with Revan on the structure of the senate then. She will know it very well at this point, having worked closely with them. You have done well thus far, my padawan. May the Force be with you." With that Vackar ended the transmission.

Marth blinked and cocked his head to the side. Had his Master just….but he had always referred to General Revan as master or something else along those lines. And it really wasn't like his Master to suddenly change how he addresses another. Nor for that matter, was his Master usually so abrupt. He had been expecting a lecture on the structure of the Senate, not, "Nice job, but you failed, now go away." It just wasn't like his master. Not at all.

Still mulling over what his Master had said, Marth left the room and returned to the table where Revan sat, "Master?"

Revan looked up sharply as if she had been lost in thought. "Yes, Marth?" she asked, leaning back in her seat and turning her masked gaze on him.

"Master Vackar has just told me to find out the structure of the senate from you. But-I…something feels wrong. My master was very short with me, and he never is," Marth trailed off then shook his head, "But you seem busy. I'll let you get back to work."

"I am not busy," Revan stated, looking away from Marth. "I was only thinking on the situation which can wait." She placed her hand on her chin. "Your master was short with you," she said more to herself than Marth. "Perhaps he has other matters on his mind at the moment, though I have received no information from the front since our arrival and I sense no major conflicts at this moment." She looked at Marth, "I confess I do not know your master well enough to tell why he might have acted the way he did. As for the senate, there is not much to the structure. There is the Supreme Chancellor who resides over the senate and who the Jedi Council speaks with most often. He has power over the Jedi of the Order and can use them to end internal conflicts within the Republic. In a sense the Jedi Order are like his police force. Then there are the senators who are representatives of their worlds. They have several underlings at any given time and must work closely with their world and their allied worlds. Other than that there is not much more to say on this matter."

Marth sighed but then abruptly frowned, "Wait…it's really that simple. B-but, why would my master give me such a simple assignment? Usually there's some hidden lesson or…," he rubbed his forehead hard, "Oh, I really do not like politics."

Revan laughed, but cut it short. "There is more to politics than the structure of the senate, much more. It is a game both sides are unwilling to lose, much like war. Senators do not take kindly to slander against their worlds and will fight through voice or black mail in order to get what they want."

"But it's not just the senators who do so. The more I think about it, politics are everywhere. It's so hard to tell when someone does something for you because they want to or if they want something from you."

"Which is why the Supreme Chancellor is wary of us," she said, removing her hand from her chin. "He believes since we are not part of the Jedi Order we will wish for power or riches in return for our aid in this war. Most of the time the senate does not realize the Jedi of the Revanchist are still Jedi."

Marth rolled his eyes, "Power and riches. If we wanted that wouldn't we have already started to ask for it? It's not like we haven't already participated in a few battles."

"More than a few, the Revanchists have been part of the military for over a year now," she said. Her masked gaze moved to the door.

"And we have been trying to gain allies for over two years now," Malak had entered the apartment and crossed the room to them. He passed Revan a data-pad. "It took them awhile to realize I wasn't in the apartment, so I managed to get the information you wanted, Revan."

"Thank you," Revan bowed her head to him and set the data-pad on her lap, not looking at the information. Her gaze returned to Marth. "Our situation has improved greatly over the past two years. Two years ago they would have sooner locked us in jail than listen to us."

Marth chuckled, "Well, I suppose this is an improvement then. An apartment is much nicer than jail."

"Or the streets, right, Revan?" Malak looked at her and she shifted. "Oh come on I was joking."

"Unfortunately your joke is the truth," she stated, picking up the data-pad and looking through it. She was trying to ignore them by the looks of it, or just didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Rev?" Malak sat down next to her, "Was that really what happened at the start of this?" he looked at her, concern in his blue eyes.

"It is unimportant. The past is the past, what happened at the start of this no longer matters. All that is important is that we are here," she didn't look up from the data-pad.

Marth, sensing this subject was a delicate one, said quietly, "I think I'm going to go check up on Link now. Make sure he's okay." Then he quietly padded away and slipped into Link's room. The door shut softly behind him.

xxx

Revan watched Marth leave thankful he had not tried to press the matter. Most would have been curious at the very least, but he hadn't been. She looked away from the door and back at the data-pad, skimming through the information there. It looked as Malak had gotten most of what she had asked for, including a detailed layout of the hangers. This was very good; yet, a twinge of guilt shot through her. What she was about to do would put her further at odds with the senate and perhaps cost her much of the position and trust she had gained over the year. It didn't matter, there was no other way and she had to show the Chancellor he was not always correct.

xxx

His ear twitched as he heard the sound of a lock clicking, but Link already knew who it was that had come in. Out of his three…companions, it seemed only Marth felt comfortable enough with him to be willing to intrude. The fact that Marth would rudely roll him out of bed if he overslept made Link feel something that he hadn't in a long time.

It made him feel human.

Forcing his eyes open, Link yawned expansively, stretching, and sat up in his bed to regard Marth curiously, "Hey Marth, what's up?"

Link watched Marth fidget for a moment before the padawan walked across the room and sat on the edge of the bed, "I just wanted make sure you were feeling okay. And since you're awake I suppose I should let you know that we won't be participating in the upcoming battle and that for the moment we've been confined to this apartment."

Link blinked, "So I'll take this to mean that the meeting with the…whatever he is didn't go well."

Marth shoulders slumped, and he looked miserable, "Three of the Council members were there before us. I think that they were telling the Chancellor about the attack and that he couldn't trust us. And I didn't help our situation either. Master Revan told me not to speak before we went in but me, being the idiot I am, contradicted the Chancellor."

Link eyes filled with sympathy, and crawling down the bed, he laid a comforting hand on Marth's shoulder, "You're not an idiot. You just made a mistake. You're allowed to do that every once in awhile."

"Really?" Marth looked searchingly in his eyes before the lines of stress around his mouth relaxed and he smiled thankfully, "You're right. It's just…I don't know. Something just isn't sitting right with me. But I can't figure out what it is."

"Well I do." Link said firmly, "It's that nasty military rations stuff you constantly shove down your throat. That's more than enough to wreak havoc on a dodongo's stomach."

Marth laughed, "You really hate that stuff, don't you?"

The look Link shot at Marth was incredulous, "How can you not? But yes, I despise it. Though I suppose I've been spoiled over my many years. I've dined with royalty on more than one occasion and a well-cooked buck is enough to make anyone's mouth water."

Marth shook his head, still laughing, "Sometimes I'm convinced that all you can think about is food, sleep, going to the bathroom, then some more food and sleep. You're like a lazy kath hound."

"Thank for the compliment." Link grinned cheekily at him, "And do you know what I think about you?"

Marth lifted a questioning eyebrow. Still grinning Link scooted closer to Marth, keeping his eyes locked with Marth's, "This."

Marth felt something wet and gross be pushed into his ear and he yelped indignantly, jerking his head away. Laughing Link bounded off the bed and dashed into the bathroom that was connected to his room before Marth could even think about retribution. For his part, Marth rubbed disgustedly at his ear then stormed up to the bathroom door, threatening, "Link, get out here now! That was dirty!"

Inside the bathroom, Link was leaning against the door, eyes bright with laughter, "Point being? And if you want me to come out, you're going to have to force me."

Growling Marth kicked the door then started to push on it, determined to force it open.

"You are never going to open a door that way," Marth whirled around to see Revan leaning against the door into the room. "On a more serious matter I would like you and Link to join Malak and myself in the main room. There are matters to be discussed," with that she turned pressing the door panel.

"Sometimes…she scares me."

Marth whipped back around to glare at Link, but Link grinned cheekily at him again, "If anyone's scary, it's you."

Link put a hand over his heart, fluttering his eyelashes, "More flattery, how lovely. Well then, my determined suitor, let us go and join the others."

Before Marth could stop him, Link linked his arm in Marth's and dragged him out into the main room. At the table he stopped and stood leaning against Marth, his head on Marth's shoulders. Glancing up surreptitiously, he chuckled at the blush that was dusting Marth cheeks; it was so much fun to mess with the padawan. Dropping his eyes back to Revan, Link said, "So what is it that we all need to discuss?"

Revan's back was to them, she stood behind the seat she had been in earlier. "I am going to be leaving in the morning. I would like the three of you to pretend I am still here." She turned to them, "Tomorrow is the day of the battle, and they are early."

"Whoa!" Malak leapt to his feet, staring at Revan. "Don't tell me you're planning on doing something completely insane? You could just speak with the Chancellor again and not do something insane."

Revan slowly turned her masked gaze on Malak. "Insane or not it must be done. I took a vow to stop this war, Malak. On Cathar, I swore I would be the person the Republic needed until the justice was survived and the Mandalorians defeated. I am not about to go back on my word."

"Yes, but suicide isn't the answer either," snapped Malak, sweeping his hand through the air. "Let the mandies come, the Republic—"

"What did the Republic do for Cathar? What did the senate do at the start of this mess when the outer rim worlds were under siege? Nothing, they ignored the pleas from those worlds and my warnings that it was only the start. Now they have cast aside our consul once again. I will not stand idly by and watch as this world burns. I will not hear the peoples' cry as they die," she stopped then and turned away from them once more. "Do not worry, Malak, I am not about to commit suicide. I know the risks."

Link stared wordlessly at her; he had lifted his head sometimes during her words. He knew better than to argue with her. He, personally had no ground to stand on in this issue. He had done what Revan was going to do countless times. But he still had some questions, "How are you going to get a ship? I assume that's where this battle is going to occur right? In space?"

Malak looked from Link to Revan, horror in his eyes. "Revan, you've never piloted a fighter," he warned, taking another step towards her. "Not to mention, none of the soldiers would let you near one and shuttles would only get you killed."

"I understand that, Malak," she stated her back still to them. "I know how to go about this and sharing that plan would not be wise at this point in time."

"Damn it," Malak glared at her, "I'm not going to stand by and watch you do this. Ever since the start of this I've stood by you and know you're asking me to let you kill yourself. I won't let you. Even if I have to knock you out, drug you, and tie you down, I will stop you from doing this." Before anyone could react, Malak leapt at Revan. Quickly she back flipped landing on Malak's back in midair. A loud thud sounded through the apartment as Malak hit the ground.

"Do not get in my way," Revan said in a low voice. "I must do this."

"You don't have to do a thing, Revan!" shouted Malak. "You need to understand that! You're not the last hope for the Republic; you don't have to kill yourself for them!" He flipped around, aiming a kick at Revan's head. His leg slammed into her arms and he hissed in pain as his leg slammed into the device holding Revan's lightsaber.

The move forced Revan to roll off of him and leap to her feet. "You seem to think I will stop just because of this," she stated calmly as Malak leapt at her again. She dodged, but he was ready for this, grabbing hold of her sleeve and using the momentum to slam her into the wall.

"I'm your friend and as your friend I'm, telling you enough is enough! You need to stop before get yourself killed!" Suddenly Malak was blasted away from Revan even though she hadn't moved. Whipping around, her mask fell from her face as did her hood. Her features were calm even though the situation was anything but.

"I will always put the people of the Republic first," she stated as Malak got to his feet. "Even if I have to go through my best friend to do so!" her eyes narrowed and a glazed look came over them seconds before Malak whipped out his lightsaber.

Whipping it around him, he charged, "I will never let you do this, Revan!" he shouted. Faster than a speeding blaster shot, Revan dodged Malak's blade and took hold of his throat. The blade clattered to the ground and rolled away as Malak aimed a punch at Revan's face. She was forced to release him and leap back in order to dodge the blow.

Link, dragging Marth with him, moved away from the fight, putting distance between them. Desperately he shook his head hard and started to retch, his body rebelling against him. He couldn't be here, not with Revan and Malak fighting, not with all these emotions weighting the air.

Beside him, Marth watched the two friends go at each other, his eyes wide. He didn't know if was supposed to do something, stop them. He was a padawan for the Force's sake; there probably wasn't anything he could do. Hopefully Marth turned to look at Link, but stopped as he saw Link leaning heavily against the wall.

Sweat pouring down his forehead, Link closed his pain-clouded eyes. He couldn't handle this. In a ragged voice, Link shouted, "Please Revan, Malak, stop. For the goddesses' sakes, stop."

Malak ignored Link's shout and leapt at Revan once more. Revan had looked towards Link her unsettling gaze worried and this coasted her greatly. Malak rammed full force into Revan, pinning her to the wall, his arm pressed against her throat and other arm holding her tightly with the Force. For several long seconds Revan gasped for air, her body twitching as she fought against him. A strange energy filled the room as she fought and the glazed look in her eyes increased until—a huge wave of the Force shot through the room, blasting Malak back. He slammed into the wall, his head smacking against it as the furniture in the room hit the windows. Glass flew everywhere, spraying shards out across the balcony.

Revan took one step forward before she collapsed to the ground. Suddenly she let out a cry of sheer agony as the Force continued to vibrate through the room as if trying to tell Marth something. Malak was gritting his teeth as he looked towards the ceiling. "T-they wouldn't," he gasped.

"Stop!" Revan shouted her voice no longer emotionless. Tears poured from her eyes as she twitched in pain. "P-please stop it," she curled into a tight ball, her hands clapped over her ears. "They do not deserve this. Leave their world ALONE!"

Marth felt the pressure of the Force that was filling the room to bursting. He clapped his hands over his ears, trying to shake away the cries and screams that were echoing in his head.

At once Malak leapt to his feet only the horror in his eyes remaining after whatever had happened. "Revan?" Malak looked around the destroyed room and saw her still on the floor. She was muttering the code quickly under her breath as if trying to push aside what had occurred. Her eyes were shut and the words blurred together from the speed she was saying them.

Then slowly she spoke in an audible voice, though it cracked as if she hadn't had a drink of water in months. "The world is dead," she said softly. "They refused to give Cassus what he wanted and he destroyed the world. Nothing can live there now."

Link whimpered, his fingernails digging bloody crescents into his temple and forehead and stared with crazed eyes at Revan, "How can so many be gone at once? It's not possible."

Slowly she stood, summoning her mask to her and replacing it. "Ships surrounding the planet fire down on it. The cities collapse, crushing those under the weight. If they do not die from the fire and collapsing buildings they are killed slowly as the air becomes impossible to breath. Hundreds of ships must have done this," her voice was detached as if she didn't want to linger too long on the thought of how it was done.

Lowering his hands, Marth sighed and turning, he helped Link to his feet. Link, for his part, was sweaty and shaking, and his eyes kept sliding in and out of focus, the pupils dilating and un-dilating as he looked at Revan, "Technology? Technology allowed that to happen? Oh Nayru, Farore and Din."

Marth sighed, "What happens now?"

"We stop them from doing this to Coruscant," her voice was determined as she looked at Malak. "We stop this from ever happening again."

Malak slowly nodded. "And you learn more control over the Force right before something like this happens again," he cast an eye over the wrecked room as he tried and failed to joke.

The noise of a speeder parking outside stopped anyone from replying. Revan tugged up her hood and the next second a person entered the room. He was a soldier, his hair hidden by the helmet he wore. He cast about the mess the room had become, but wisely said nothing about it. "General Revan, the Supreme Chancellor asked me to give this to you," he spoke nervously as he looked around the room once more. He passed Revan a data-pad and hurried from the room as if he feared they would come after him.

"It is leave to leave the apartment if we have a soldier with us," said Revan as she looked at the data-pad.

"Good, seeing as you destroyed most of this room and we wouldn't have a place to eat," stated Malak, summoning his lightsaber to him. "We should call a soldier and get something to eat before the day gets much later," he looked out the window at the sun which was high over head. "And before the taskforce gets here, demanding what happened."

"This would be kind of hard to explain." Link laughed weakly and detaching himself from Marth he went into his room. A few moments he re-emerged with his scimitars buckled to his hips as he slung the leather strap of his baldric over his shoulder, his sheathed sword settling on his back. He came back to Marth's side and leaned against him slightly, "What kind of food are we talking about?"

"Kath hound." Marth muttered, jostling Link's shoulder.

"No one would be insane enough to go to Dantooine and try to kill one of those things," laughed Malak before he crossed the room and called a few soldiers, telling them to wait outside of the apartment. "I know of a small diner close by, really inexpensive, but the cathar who cooks there makes some of the best food in the galaxy."

Revan shifted as she looked through the wreckage of the room for the data-pads. "This would not be Candar's diner, would it?" she slipped the data-pads into the pouches around her belt as she straightened.

"Yeah, it is, but I didn't think you had ever gone there," he looked at her curiously. "Or did you just hear about it from a few Jedi?" he teased, smiling as they started for the door.

"I went there once, did not enter. I was hiding from the media at the time. He really needs to think of a better location than close to the Jedi temple," she followed Malak as she spoke. "Rarely do people head in that direction unless they have business with the council and that is rare."

"Which is why it's cheap, because his only customers are Jedi," he shot her a smile. The four of the exited the apartments and were greeted by several soldiers.

"Where too?" asked one of the soldiers once all of them were in the backseat of one of the larger speeders.

"Candar's diner," Malak said with a glance at Revan. The soldiers were looking at the four of them as if they had never seen Jedi before and at Link because they had never seen one like him before.

xxx

Revan glanced around the diner from where she sat at one of the tables. Malak was beside her with Link and Marth across the table from them. The soldiers sat nearby, sipping at the dinks the droid had served them. The six of them were the only ones in the entire diner at the moment despite the fact it was lunch time.

"What can I get for you?" asked the serving droid as it rolled up to the table.

Malak and Marth both ordered at once. Personally she couldn't have eaten at the moment, her mind still turning with what she had seen and what had occurred just before the planet had been destroyed. She barely heard Malak order something for her and Link. It disturbed her that Malak and she had fought. Sure they had practiced together, but this had been different, this had been real. He had even pulled his lightsaber on her as if he would have killed her himself instead of allowing a mandalorian to do so. Kreia's words echoed through her mind, "Heed this, the path you walk is one steeped in betrayal. Trust is for fools. Never stop watching those you're closest to, for they will be your death." Before she hadn't thought it possible, but after what had happened she was beginning to think she and Malak were slipping away from one another and it was only going to get worse. Would he really try to kill her in the future? Perhaps, but it was too hard to tell at the moment.

"You're sure this food isn't anything like the military stuff, right?" Link asked warily, glancing between Marth and Malak.

Malak smiled, "It's nothing like military food."

"And Candar wouldn't like it if he heard you say that," a man with short black hair and mismatched eyes walked up to their table. "It's good to see someone come in after all this time," he gave them a small smile. "I'm Ojar, Candar's mechanic."

"Soon to be fired mechanic if you don't get back to work," the shout came from behind the counter in the next room. "I swear half this stuff works even worse after I let you take a look at it!"

Ojar laughed and looked at Revan. "Don't mind him; he's just in a bad mood after lasts night mess with a few soldiers. It's good to see you again Revan," he held out his hand to her.

She straightened, caught off guard at the sound of someone addressing her. "Ojar!" she smiled and took his hand. "It is wonderful to see you again. How have you been?"

"Fine, thanks to you," his smile widened. "I would be better though if Candar would stop getting on my back about those damned droids of his. Mechanics really is boring, how Viya ever enjoyed it is beyond me. I would have rejoined the military in a heart beat if not for my age and the fact it would tell the exchange where I am."

"You're running from the exchange?" asked Malak, looking at him curiously. "And where did you meet Master?" his eyes narrowed as he looked at Ojar even closer. It was just like Malak to be suspicious of everyone.

"Years ago on Telos, she helped me escape the exchange before I made a huge mistake," he frowned. "I saw you briefly in fact, but I doubt you would recognize me even if I told you flat out who I had been."

"What's the exchange?" Link piped up before Marth could stop him. Marth squeezed the bridge of his nose.

Ojar scowled and Revan stiffened. It was Malak who replied, "The exchange is an organization which specializes in the slave trade among other things."

"Throughout history they have been known to place bounties on Jedi for them dead or alive," stated Revan her voice hard. "They go after children in order to sell them to wealthy buyers outside the Republic as slaves. They are not people to cross."

"I discovered that the hard," stated Ojar with a glance at Revan. "They will chase down those with debts to them and black mail or kill them if they no longer have use for the person in question. Through threats they can turn even the loyalist of soldiers against the Republic."

"Ojar, get in here this insistent. The damned severing droid is shot!" Candar shouted, causing Revan to smile softly to herself. It did appear Ojar was doing just fine at the moment.

"Coming!" Ojar shot back before muttering, "If I had a blaster I would show how wrecked a droid can get." In a louder voice he said, "It was good to see you again, Revan. The next time you come here I'll have to go on break." Nodding to them, he smiled before he turned and vanished behind the counter to where the serving droid stood, sputtering.

The rest of the time spent at the diner was many spent with the three boys eating their fill. Revan didn't touch her food many because the soldiers kept looking over at them, waiting for her to take off her mask. At the moment she would rather them think her an old hag than someone her actual age.

By the time they left Malak teased Marth and Link on the amount the two had eaten. Over all it appeared the three of them had loosened up and even forgotten what had occurred before they had come to the diner, several hours ago. Malak and the other two had been so caught up in talking they hadn't noticed how late it was getting. At last Revan had managed to state they all should head back before the sun set and Candar tried to push another meal on them. After both Revan and Malak's credits combined could only pay for lunch. It wasn't like they were getting paid on a daily bases anymore. Both Revan and Malak would only get credits from a thankful citizen now.


(Note for Authors': After some time both blackfang and I have agreed that the two chapters we never finished will not be finished. We decided to post what we have seeing as the over all story was finished, but both this Revan and the idea of this Link are old as is seen by my newest fan-fictions on Revan: Masks and Mandalorian Wars.)