Okay, a combination of work and laziness prevented me from getting this chapter out as soon as I wanted. Please don't hurt me. I'm sure you're wondering what happened to Bastila in the previous chapter, and what that 'statue' was. Well, read and find out.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.

Chapter 13: Past Revealed

Revan didn't even think about what he was doing. All he knew was that he had to get to Bastila. Before he knew it, he was inside the Ebon Hawk. Mission, who had been in the medbay, heard Revan running inside and rushed out to meet him.

"Revan!" she called. When he faced her, his look of fright caught her off guard. "Revan, what's wrong?" she asked nervously.

"No time," he answered distantly. "Tell Atton to get this ship ready for takeoff."

Too worried to object, she dashed to the cockpit to relay the message to Atton. Just as she left, Revan heard footsteps clanging up the Ebon Hawk's entry ramp.

"Revan!" Quaid's voice called. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

"It's Bastila. Something's happened to her." Revan made his way to the cockpit, but paused.

"Quaid, get a hold of Jolee on the communicator and tell him we have to make an impromptu departure. If you can, please ask him to secure this sight before he and the rest of the team leaves."

Quaid nodded. Before Revan turned, he remembered one last thing. "Oh, and make sure the Sith is secured into her bed in the medbay. I doubt she'd appreciate being thrown around while this thing lifts off."

With that said, he rushed to the cockpit. On the way, he practically collided with Mission in the narrow corridor.

"Mission, you might want to go and strap in," he said without even looking at her. "It won't be long before this thing takes off."

In the cockpit, Atton had already brought Ebon Hawk's engines online and raised the entry ramp.

"Atton, I think I'll fly the Ebon Hawk over this time." Revan said.

"Are you in a hurry?" Atton asked.

"Yes," Revan responded hastily.

"You want to get over there fast?" Atton asked again.

"YES!" Revan said angrily.

"Then let me fly us over there," Atton said as he flipped a switch.

"Atton, I-"

"Please, just trust me!" Atton said, finally looking back at Revan. "Don't worry, I'll get you there fast."

Too much in a hurry to argue, Revan resigned and sat in the co-pilot seat. A few minutes later, the engines of the Ebon Hawk rumbled to life. "Everyone buckle up, cause this crate's gonna fly in a few seconds." The rumbling grew louder as the engines picked up speed. Soon, the ship lifted into the air and blasted off toward Arturus's tomb.

The site of the tomb came into view. Below, Revan could see the Jedi shuttles on the ground, as well as the black Sith ship that had come here. The Ebon Hawk slowed and descended as Atton brought the ship down to land. Atton brought the ship smoothly down to a bare patch of land near the other ships.

Almost as soon as the Ebon Hawk touched down, Revan unbuckled and dashed out of the Ebon Hawk, with the rest following close behind. What lay before Revan was a grim scene that was also disturbingly quiet. He saw Jedi that had been a part of Bastila's squad standing outside of the entrance to the tomb and one of the shuttles.

Revan focused through his bond once more. Bastila was alive, yes, but her end of the bond felt faint…weak. This frightened him. He rushed over to the two Jedi that were standing outside the Tomb's entrance. One of them had already took noticed of them and ran up to meet him.

"Where's Bastila?" Revan asked him.

"She's inside that ship's medbay." He pointed to the shuttle with the Jedi standing near the entry ramp. "We were expecting you'd arrive here."

"What happened here?" Revan asked him.

The Jedi paused for a moment and seemed nervous. He mumbled for a moment before he said, "Something…came out of the tomb."

"What was it? Sith?" Revan asked anxiously.

The Jedi seemed to be at a loss for words. "We don't know."

"But what was it?"

He paused again. "You may want to ask Bastila."

Just then, Revan noticed the land around him. Above all, he noticed the cliffside. Next to the entrance, he saw a large boulder that had no doubt been rolled away from it. Revan suddenly felt dizzy as he remembered the vision he and Bastila had shared their last time on Dantooine. The horrible realization came to him that this was the same one he had seen in his vision. The cliffside with the large boulder rolled against it. They had both seen it.

"Are you alright, Revan?" Quaid asked from behind. Mission was as worried as ever.

Revan nodded weakly. "Where is Yuthura?" he asked the Jedi in front of him.

The Jedi shook his head sadly. "She's fainted. We took her to the medbay with the other two that accompanied Bastila and her into the tomb. They've received some serious burns."

"Burns?" Revan asked in shock. "What in the force happened here?"

"I don't know," he answered flatly.

Revan did his best to control his anger. He clenched his fists and turned around after saying a hasty "Thank you" to him. He made his way over to the ship that held Bastila and approached one of the Jedi outside it.

"Where is Bastila?" he asked again.

"She's in the medbay inside. You should go quickly."

Revan wasted no time and proceeded up the entry ramp into the inside of the ship. He walked through its white corridors until he came to the medbay's entrance. A female Jedi stood outside it.

Seeing him, she motioned inside. "Bastila's in there," she said, knowing what he was going to ask. "She is not well. She almost didn't want you to come in. She didn't want you to see her like this."

Her very words chilled Revan. He said nothing, but proceeded inside the medbay. It was larger than the one on the Ebon Hawk. There were six beds on the inside, three on each side. Four of the beds held an occupant. Revan saw two Jedi with what looked like charred marks on their bodies lying down. He saw Yuthura's purple body lying unconscious on one of the beds.

And at the corner, with a medical droid hovering over her, was Bastila. Seeing him, she turned her head in his direction and smiled weakly at him. The very sight of her almost brought Revan to tears.

"Bastila…" he said as he approached and knelt beside her.

"My love," she whispered back.

Bastila's appearance almost made Revan cry. Her skin was pale, and to Revan's sadness, almost as white as the sheets she lay on. She seemed drained of color altogether. Even her blue eyes seemed to have grown dull. He felt her presence in the bond and it felt almost non-existant. It seemed as if something had stolen a part of Bastila's soul. Revan took her hand in both of his, and found they were eerily cold.

"Bastila," he said again and kissed her hand. He brought his face closer to hers and looked her straight in the eyes. "What happened to you?" he asked her. She said nothing. Instead, she closed her eyes and focused.

Revan gasped as the world around him disappeared and was replaced with a dim room. He looked around and realized it was the tomb Bastila had been in. He could see her, Yuthura, and two Jedi entering the room. Yuthura and the other two went further in, but Bastila remained fixed on something else inside the cave. Revan turned and saw a sarcophagus in the very center, but that wasn't what she was staring at. Behind the sarcophagus, standing upright, was what appeared to be a statue made out of gray stone.

It resembled a human at first, but Revan could tell it was not. Its hands, which were folded across its chest, were large and four-fingered; its feet had only three, pointed toes. Embedded in it in several places were gray crystals. A line of them ran up the spine, over the head, and ended right above the eyes. The face also, was not human. Its ears were long and pointed, its nose was merely two slits like a serpent. The mouth was just a line carved into the stone. But the most noticeable feature was the eyes. They were very large and elliptical, and were also made out of the gray crystals.

The sight of the eyes terrified Revan. He had seen them before, but where? Bastila slowly approached the statue with her hand extended. As she neared it, Revan's sense of fear increased. Yuthura noticed her, and asked her a question. Bastila didn't even notice, and kept walking toward the statue. Her fingers were within inches, and before he knew it, they touched.

Suddenly, a blinding flash of white lightning erupted from the spot where Bastila's fingers touched the statue. Bastila was in pain, and she was screaming. The lightning died down and the room went dim. Bastila staggered and fainted. Revan's eyes moved to the statue behind her, and the sight practically gripped him. The crystals embedded in the statue now glowed a bright blue, but that wasn't what caught his attention. The statue moved! Its arms unfolded from its chest, and its head looked around the room.

Revan saw for that its eyes had changed color. They were now a bright blue, and he at last remembered where he had seen them. The vision. The one he and Bastila had seen more than once. He felt weak, and was afraid he might vomit. Nevertheless, he kept watching. The statue that now seemed to be alive moved around the room. It's mouth opened. Revan could see the other Jedi were dumfounded and utterly terrified at the spectacle.

The living statue bolted for the exit, and in what seemed to be a mad attempt, the other two Jedi rushed to stop it. Noticing this, the statue turned and released a wave of force-lightning at them, knocking them both down. It became increasingly clear to Revan that this thing was no statue. To his right, Revan noticed Yuthura faint and fall to the ground. The creature ran and was seen no more.

The flashback ended, and Revan was once again back in the medical bay. He looked back down at Bastila's weak form and realized that tears had already formed in his eyes. He then realized that this was no ordinary injury Bastila had suffered.

"Bastila, did that thing do this to you?" he asked her.

She nodded weakly. "Revan, I'm sorry."

He couldn't guess what she was sorry about, but all he knew was that Bastila was no longer herself. That thing, whatever it was, had stolen a part of Bastila. That became increasingly clear to Revan, along with another horrible realization. She had lost her connection to the force. And even more than that, she was missing a piece of her own life. Suddenly, Revan remembered her vision on the Ebon Hawk. "I was helpless…" he could remember her saying. And the creatures she had seen. The very same ones. It was a vision all along, not a dream. Revan's grief was then mixed with pure fright.

"You'll be okay, Bastila," he said to her sadly. He didn't even notice that his hands were trembling.

"Revan, I'm…" Revan knew what she was going to say.

"No! Don't say that!" he almost was shouting. He didn't want to hear those words. He couldn't hear them. But he knew it was so. She was dying.

"No, Bastila. Please don't go," he said.

She merely smiled weakly. "Revan, you must do this…without me."

"No, Bastila! I can't do this without you! I, I…"

She placed a hand on his. "You must be strong."

"I can't, Bastila! I can't lose you again! I'm not…I'm not strong enough," for the first time he broke eye contact and lowered his gaze in grief.

To his surprised, she gently raised his head to meet her eyes again. "You can do this. Please, be strong for me."

Revan wasn't even aware that Quaid, Mission, and Atton were standing behind him, observing the sad spectacle. Quaid's expression was one of grief, and Mission had already burst out crying. Atton seemed to display a kind of uneasiness and, strangely enough, fear. The sight of her brought up memories Atton wanted to forget. Everyone else was too focused on Bastila and Revan to notice his discomfort.

Revan suddenly felt helpless and alone. At that moment, everything else didn't seem to matter. All that mattered was that the one he loved more than anything was dying. Nothing else mattered. Not the Sith, the Republic, or the entire galaxy. He knew that if he lost her, it'd leave a wound inside of him that would never heal.

"Revan…" she whispered again, sensing his anguish. "Do not lose hope. Trust in the force. Trust in yourself. Trust in your friends. You're never alone, Revan. You have your friends, and you have me, even when we're not together. Our bond still remains. Please, Revan, do not throw away everything for me. Do this for me."

Revan was helpless to hold back his tears. He nodded weakly. "I will." He held her hand even tighter, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. After that, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. For as long as he could, he simply held her there, as if letting her go would finish her off. Finally, he spoke: "Is there nothing that can be done?" Revan asked the medical droid without releasing Bastila.

"I'm afraid I cannot diagnose her injuries," the droid responded sadly. "She seems to be fading. I cannot assess her problem, though I have tried over and over. It's almost as if she has lost a piece of herself."

Lost a piece of herself. Those words rang in Revan like a bell. His mind flashed once again to that blue-eyed creature that had mysteriously sprang to life in the tomb. It had taken part of Bastila. Just then, a small glimmer of hope shone through Revan's cloud of grief. Maybe there was something he could do. That living statue – that creature – or whatever it was – he had to find it. It would give back to Bastila whatever it stole, or it would pay dearly.

"Bastila," Revan whispered to her. "I have to go. I have to leave you for a while, but I'll come back! I promise you, Bastila, I will save you! You won't die!"

He gently released her and stood up but still held on to her hand. "Bastila," he heard Mission sobbing from behind. Revan almost jumped. He was so stricken with grief he hadn't even noticed his friends behind him. The little blue Twi'lek came from behind and hugged Bastila on her bed. Her tears rolled down her face and fell onto Bastila's robes.

Bastila placed a comforting hand on Mission's forehead. "You be strong, too, Mission." She turned to Quaid and Atton who were standing behind Mission. "Please, help Revan. All three of you. Do not abandon him."

Quaid, Atton and Mission nodded. Revan stepped forward and gently pulled Missoin away from Bastila, and then brought her into a comforting hug. As he held Mission, Revan was eternally grateful that he had them by his side. Bastila was right – he wasn't alone in this. Not yet.

"We will have her taken over to the hospital in the Khoonda settlement. This medical bay is not adequate to properly maintain her vitality for very long," the droid informed Revan.

Revan nodded grimly. Letting go of Mission, he turned back to Bastila. "Bastila, I will come back to you. I will save you. I promise." He placed a final kiss on her lips. When he pulled back, he found that she had tears forming in her eyes as well.

Revan wanted more than anything to stay with her. But he also knew that the creature that had hurt her was probably the only chance of saving her. He didn't know what it had done, but it had now jeopardized her life. Bastila's life was fading, and she had lost her connection to the force. He also knew that by looking for it he risked having the same done to him, but it was a chance he was willing to take. And the sooner he looked for it, the better.

"Farewell, Revan," Bastila whispered.

"So long, Bastila," he whispered back. Mustering himself, he turned to the others.

"Quaid, Atton, Mission," Revan addressed, "I'll need your help."

The four of them exited the shuttle and stepped once more into Dantooine's sunlight. Looking around, Revan noticed the sun was now on a downward path toward the horizon. Revan was at least grateful it was summer in this region of Dantooine, and that would afford them more daylight.

"Revan, how are we going to search for this thing if we don't even know where it went?" Quaid asked him.

Revan sighed. "All I know from the other Jedi is that it headed that way." He pointed toward a stretch of rolling hills speckled with trees. "That way is our best bet."

"But how do you exactly plan on finding an individual being on an entire planet?" Quaid asked him. "We need a plan."

"Man, we could use a bounty hunter about now," Atton sighed.

Just then, an idea occurred to Revan, an idea that was a long shot, but gave him hope. "That being seemed to suck away Bastila's energy," Revan said. He focused with all his might and reached out through the force. He searched and searched for a hint of Bastila's presence. As he suspected, he found it in two places. One was on the shuttle, the other seemed far away in the direction the creature had traveled.

"This way," Revan pointed, smiling. He stopped. "But first, we'll need some assistance. Speed is essential."

Five speeders zipped across Dantooine's surface. The Jedi had fortunately brought speeders with them on their shuttles, and Revan promptly borrowed them for his pursuit. He also enlisted two of the able Jedi to assist him in the search. One the way, he explained out loud to them in detail everything he had seen in the vision Bastila had shown him. This account earned a couple gasps and surprised looks from the rest. Quaid, Atton, and the two other Jedi each rode in a landspeeder of their own. Not having an extra one available, Revan allowed Mission to sit behind him on the way. As he rode, the Twi'lek sat behind him with her arms wrapped tightly around his torso.

"Revan, what exactly are we looking for?" she asked as the wind blew in her face.

"That thing, whatever it was, sucked away some of Basila's essence. Because of that, it's carrying a part of her with it! I can sense Bastila's presence in this direction, even though she's back at the ship. It's because that thing is carrying her presence as well! Are you getting that?"

"I guess so," Mission replied.

Revan searched for Bastila's stolen presence in the force, sensing it growing nearer with each passing minute. He was surprised that the strange being had managed to travel this far already. Finally, they came to a river that divided the land in front of them. Behind it was a dense forest of trees (a rare occurrence on Dantooine) that jutted up from sharply-rising hills. Revan and the other four landspeeders slowed to a stop just short of the river. He sensed the presence was close.

Revan's eyes scanned the river and spotted an old bridge erected over it. He motioned with his hand and signaled for the rest to follow him. They all carefully drove their speeders over the bridge and deeper into the trees. Here, the hills were especially steep and seemed to enclose them on both sides. Revan suddenly felt the presence spike, and he practically jump out of his seat. He was very close now. In the distance, just through the trees, he spotted a hill with a rocky cliff jutting out of it.

The group slowly approached the hill. As they got closer, Revan noticed an opening at the base of the cliff, and the presence grew even stronger.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Mission whispered from behind.

"Well, be sure to let us know if it gets worse." Revan wasn't even sure if he was joking or not.

The five landspeeders slowed and halted right alongside the cliff. Revan and Mission dismounted. Revan still wasn't sure why he brought Mission along. Perhaps he had done it because of Bastila's request. But he wasn't sure he liked the idea of bringing her into a potentially dangerous situation.

Something told him, however, that he didn't have to fear for her. After examining the cliff, he figured the opening must have been an entrance that lead underground to a cave or some animal's burrow. That must have been its hiding place.

"In there." Revan pointed to the cave entrance. "Quaid, follow me." Just as the exile stepped forward, Mission shot Revan a puppy-dog look.

"Okay, you can come too, Mission. But stay behind me and Quaid, just in case," he added.

Mission gave a silent "Yes!" of satisfaction.

The two Jedi and the blue Twi'lek climbed into the cave's entrance and into the dark, cramped walls.

"Look!" Mission pointed. In the dirt they could catch glimpses of three-toed tracks.

"There's are objective," Revan said.

"We should be on our guard. This thing might be hostile," Quaid cautioned.

The path in the cave inclined down, steadily growing darker as they walked. Revan motioned for everyone to stop. The tunnel turned sharply to the left, and from around the corner Revan heard a noise. It sounded like something scuffling, but it stopped as soon as it started.

"Be careful," Revan whispered. He drew his lightsaber and ignited it. Quaid did the same, and Mission pulled out a blaster pistol she had been carrying. Revan drew closer to the corner and felt sweat beginning to gather on his forehead. Whatever it was, it was right behind the corner. Revan pressed his back against the wall right next to the corner. He could feel the cold, moist earth even through his robes.

Revan took a breath, tensed himself, and leaped around the corner. In a flash, he beheld a small, cramped cave which must have been some animal's den at one time. Bones and scraps were littered about, but in the very center toward the back was a dark-cloaked figure. The figure spun around revealing a set of large, blue-glowing eyes. Revan was caught off surprise as a force-wave lifted him off his feet and sent him and Quaid against a wall.

"Yikes!" Mission yelped. "It's a monster!"

"MONSTER?" an inhuman voice erupted. "Rraah! Who's the monster here!"

The cloaked creature leapt forward and pressed the frightened Mission against the cave wall. Its huge, blue eyes stared straight into hers.

"I have done nothing wrong!" the creature spat. "Yet you and your kind all wish me dead!"

Mission was paralyzed with fear as its glowing eyes seemed to pierce her flesh. Revan leapt back to his feet and sent a force-wave of his own at the creature, which sent it crashing into the wall hard.

Mission darted away from the spot she had been standing against and ducked behind Revan.

"Force! What the heck is it?" Quaid shouted as he stood up.

To Revan's surprise, the creature didn't stand back up, but merely cowered against the wall. It seemed to be frightened. Revan cautiously approached the creature with his lightsaber drawn. Revan took a small opportunity to notice the cloak it was wearing. Revan didn't know for sure, but he had the distinct impression it had gotten it off one of the Sith Bastila's party had killed.

"What in the force are you?" Revan asked it.

The creature lifted its gaze and looked at Revan. "I am…my father's creation."

"What? What are you talking about?"

The creature paused. It looked at Revan, then at Quaid, then at Mission, who was still cowering behind Revan.

"I am sorry, little one. I didn't mean to frighten you." Mission said nothing in return, but did manage to step out from behind Revan.

"Now, let's try it again. What are you?"

"I told you. I am my father's creation," it responded.

"Your father? Okay, I'll play along. Who was your father, then?"

The creature paused again. Revan couldn't believe it, but its mouth moved as if it were flesh, and the inside was actually hollow, just like a real creature's mouth. "He was one of your kind. He was the one who created me. He did it out of his desire to help, but he was condemned for it."

"Okay, this is getting weird," Mission muttered.

"I do not expect you to understand, but you need to know," the creature continued. "I have done a terrible thing. I have now placed you all in danger."

"Danger? How?" Quaid asked it.

"They have been looking for me!" it said. "The dark ones whom you call 'Sith'." They are looking for me!"

"Why?" Revan asked.

"Because I am the key to my father's machine," it said, its eyes widening.

"Wait a moment, let's restart," Revan said, waving his hands. "What did you do to Bastila? Do you realize what you have done to her?"

The creature made a sound that might have been a gasp. "I know. I couldn't help myself. It is something I never should have done. I used her to awaken myself."

"What did you do!" Revan asked, now growing frustrated.

The creature backed further against the wall. "Please, let me explain," it said. "My father, one known as 'Arturus', created me. He used what you call 'the force' to bring me life!"

Revan and Quaid's minds flashed back to ancient myths they had heard of a member of their order bringing life to things, but they, like everyone else, had thought it was a child's tale – a fable.

"So it's true," Revan gasped.

"Yes," it said sadly. "But it was not to last. My father's work was discovered. The Jedi would not see my existence in their world. They said I was a threat. Only now do I realize why, but I had been unable to see it at first."

"But what happened?" Revan asked impatiently.

"They said I was too dangerous to allow to live. So they cut me off from the force – the thing which had given me life. And then, they buried me along with my father when he died."

"So that's why you were there," Quaid observed.

It nodded. "I was, for all purposes, dead. But I was not really dead."

"Explain."

"My father could give me life, but not a true life. I would have been a shell of a living being. To make me complete, he put a part of himself into me, so that I might have a soul. It was because of that that I had a mind of my own. My father made me complete by putting some of himself into me, and it was for that that they could not kill me completely. For though they cut me off from the force, they did not destroy that part of my father within me, and thus I retained my mind. I was not dead, I was imprisoned."

"Force…" Revan gasped, almost dumfounded with shock.

"I was buried and forgotten. I realized I would not see the light of day for a very long time, so I slept. I slept for ages until I was awakened. I was awakened when I felt a large disturbance in the force. Something like thousands of souls dying in one fell swoop."

"Malak!" Revan remarked. "The bombardment of Dantooine!"

"Yes," the creature nodded. "And I was for the first time in ages, aware. And I knew my time was coming. The years of being a prisoner had driven me mad. I was determined to be free, no matter what the cost. And then, I felt you, rather, I felt the two of you."

"Bastila and I," Revan realized.

"Yes! But you were bonded, so I felt your presence in the force stronger than anything else! I realized when I felt you that you could free me. So I called out to you."

"You sent us those visions?" Revan yelled. "It was you who had been getting into our minds all along? Force!"

"I was desperate! I was so mad with desire, I no longer cared about anything else except my own freedom! And then, you left. But I knew you would return. Eventually, the one you call 'Bastila' found me. When I sensed her, I called out to her. I meant to take some of her connection to the force to give me my life back, but…"

Revan finished for him. "But you took it all."

"Yes!" it said sadly. "I felt her, and I had grown mad with hunger! When she touched me, I took everything away from her! I drank too deeply and left her nothing. And now, she is dead for it." It buried its head in shame. "And when I was free, I was in a blind fury. When your two allies tried to stop me, I defended myself without even thinking. I hurt them, as well."

Revan, Quaid, and Mission didn't know what to make of it. This had been an incredible amount for Revan, Quaid, and Mission to take in at once. Revan still couldn't believe what he was hearing. Even still, Revan knew only one thing: they had to get this 'thing' out of here, preferably back to Bastila.

"Well, it may relieve you to know that she is not dead," Revan told it. The creature perked up at this.

"Really?"

"Yes. She is not dead, but she is fading. I must ask you: is it possible to save her?"

The creature, to Revan's joy, nodded. "I can save her," it said. "But it will require my own life. But that will be for the best. I cannot go on living, as much as I would like to. I am too dangerous."

Without thinking, Revan bent over and grabbed it. "But why are you such a danger? I still don't understand!" He paused, and then thought of something he should have asked in the first place. "How did Arturus create you?"

The creature seemed to grow afraid. It's stone lips seemed quiver. "I…he…" it stammered, but was cut off by Revan.

"On second thought, hold that. We need to get out of here. You can explain on the way. Like it or not, you're coming with us."

The creature nodded weakly and stood up along with Revan. It must have been almost seven feet tall when it stood fully erect.

"I'm sorry," it said again, looking at Mission.

"No problem," she stammered, still staring at it.

"Let's get out of here, guys!" Quaid shouted. With that, the group of four turned to exit the cave.

Ugh…sorry I didn't get this posted sooner. I'll try to get the next chapter in soon! Key word: try. :) Hope you liked this chapter! As always, read and review.