Title: Coup D'etat
Genre: Action/Adventure
Main Character(s): Malak and Revan
Rating: T/PG-13
Disclaimer: As usual, kotor and all related characters and such and such does not belong to me.
Date written: July 28, 2006

Forewarning: Strong language and violence are contained in this fic. Nothing beyond PG-13, and I hope it doesn't restrain you from reading the fic, but I think I should warn you beforehand just in case you are one of those who prefer to avoid violence and language.

Great big thanks for noneko for beta-ing. She did a fantastic job, so the fic wouldn't be as nice as it is (presuming it's nice) without her help. :)

XxXxX

Coup D'etat

XxXxX

Too long. He had been waiting too long. He glanced at his chronometer, knowing that if his other companions didn't show soon he'd have to go on without them. They didn't have that much time. And time was key.

His lip snarled in frustration as his right hand massaged the lightsaber hanging from his belt impatiently. What's taking those frackers so long?

A gasp nearly escaped the impatient man's lips as he felt a group of presences approach him in the darkness. He could feel them through the Force before he could get a look at them. Nine companions in all, clad in black robes, a few with dark tattoos or other things painted on their faces. A glowstick was lit and Malak caught a good look at their faces. A few were smirking, but most had hard, resolute looks on their faces.

"Are we late, Malak, or do you always look this nervous?" asked one of the smirking Dark Jedi.

Malak growled angrily and tapped his index finger on his lightsaber. The sound could be heard among the light breathing of the ten men and women in the dark corridor. Malak laughed. "I'm not nervous, Javaan, I'm just trying to keep myself from killing you. I just hope that if Revan kills any of us, she'll take care of you in the most painful way possible."

The Dark Jedi named Javaan laughed again. "You know this is a suicide mission as well as we do," he told Malak, stretching out his arms casually in front of him, fingers locked.

"This is not suicide," hissed Malak, taking a step closer to Javaan so that he was nearly in the shorter man's face. Javaan could see Malak's pale brown eyes glowering at him, even in the darkness. Traces of yellow were etched in them, clearly a mark of how engrossed Malak was in the dark side. It was a frightening sight. Javaan did not let himself become intimidated though.

Javaan laughed again. A few of the other Dark Jedi were probably wondering how long it would be before Malak stuck him with his lightsaber. But Malak did nothing of the sort. "It's not?" asked Javaan. "Huh, could've fooled me."

"She knew this day would come eventually," stated Malak simply, crossing his arms and in the process finally taking his hand off his lightsaber. "The apprentice challenges the master, remember? Happens all the time."

"Yeah, and one of them dies," added Javaan. "I have a feeling that it's going to be you."

Malak, who had begun to turn away, froze, his hand in mid-gesture towards the other Dark Jedi. He turned back around, his lips thin, clearly frustrated with Javaan. If it had been any other day, under any other circumstances, Malak would've killed the man on the spot to teach a lesson. But he couldn't afford to kill one of his fellow fighters, not now. This was too important.

"If this is such a suicide mission," said Malak deathly quiet, "then why are you coming along? Think you're tough enough to survive this? Think Revan will spare you? Like hell she will, you know what she's like. You said it yourself. Tonight one of us will die, and I'm betting all my chips, I'm fracking betting my life that it'll be her."

Javaan just kept smirking and shook his head casually. Frack, this guy is infuriating, mused Malak as his right hand fell back on his lightsaber.

"Maybe I've got a death wish," answered Javaan, crossing his arms and shifting his weight onto his right hip. "Maybe I just like killing things. Maybe I'm not afraid of death. Maybe I hate Revan's command. Why the hell do you care, Malak? As long as I'm here to kill as many of Revan's guards so you can get to her yourself, you shouldn't bother asking me any questions about my reasons for being here. I could ask you the same thing."

Malak rolled his eyes and groaned impatiently. He glanced down at his chronometer and didn't move for a moment. "Come on," he muttered, gesturing for them to follow him as he began to walk in the direction opposite of where Javaan and the other Dark Jedi had come from. "You were late. We don't have time for pointless conversation."

"That's right," hissed Javaan from behind Malak. "We've got a date with death to keep."

"Just fracking shut up!" whispered another Dark Jedi, a woman, sharply. "Nobody gives a rancor's ass about what you have to say, Javaan, let's just go and do this thing, alright?"

Malak could hear Javaan's chuckle from behind him. "Whatever you say, Rhiorda," murmured Javaan. "Whatever you say."

Javaan stayed silent as he, Rhiorda, and the other seven Dark Jedi followed Malak silently through the corridors of the upper levels of the Star Forge.

XxXxX

"Tonight will be a night for betrayal, for new ownership," Malak had spoken earlier to a group of Sith he knew were against Revan's rule and supported him. Javaan and Rhiorda had been among them. At that point in time, Javaan's face had been a pale white. Rhiorda had been listening with a cool, determined air about her. Another Dark Jedi Malak was quite familiar with, Kuu, had his arms crossed proudly, a look of pure dedication on his face. Kuu fancied himself a future apprentice of Malak's.

"Tonight, we will break the chains that Revan has bound on our wrists," Malak had said, his voice sharp and his eyes narrowed in resolve. "Revan has no reason to let us remain here while she plots our next move. We should be able to do as we wish for the good of the Sith Empire. We do whatever Revan says to and what do we get? Nothing! We don't even get to make our own choices. Not even I, her apprentice, get that luxury. So I say a new leadership is in order.

"Tonight, I will strike down Revan and claim the title of the Dark Lord of the Sith for myself. Now… who's with me?!" Malak had ended in a shout of sorts. Cheers erupted from the ten or so Dark Jedi assembled and Malak swelled with pride. Finally, he could get the recognition he deserved… as soon as he disposed of his number one obstacle: Revan.

XxXxX

It was fairly silent aside from the low humming sounds created by the many machines on the Star Forge. The footsteps of the ten Sith were fairly quiet and in a light rhythm that nearly matched that of the humming machines. Their breathing was paced and it sounded like there couldn't actually be ten grown Dark Jedi hurrying their way to the bridge and the quarters that were located just off the bridge… the quarters in which Revan slept.

Late at night, Malak hoped that Revan would be sleeping. He couldn't be sure that she wouldn't wake up, or even that hope that she hadn't been informed of this coup, but he had to be prepared for anything. He swore to himself that the only way he'd be surprised by Revan would be if he came upon Revan in bed with that awful technician that had been repeatedly flirting with her lately. Surely, Revan would've taken care of such a fool, but then again she might be using him for informational purposes. It would be like her, not to waste such a potential resource.

Malak would've killed the brute right away, but that must have been due to their style differences. Malak gave no more thought to the matter than a strong belief that his method was the correct method.

They were getting close now. Straight down a corridor, a turn to the right and then a turn to the left would take them to the bridge. Right before the last turn, Malak would attempt to see if anyone was on the bridge, or at least anyone who wasn't adept at hiding their presence with the Force.

He moved quickly down the corridor, took the right, and then reached the end of that corridor. He held out his left hand to signal the Dark Jedi behind him to freeze. One was about to say something, ask Malak why they were stopping, but Malak snapped the Sith's mouth shut with his hand.

"I can't sense anyone," hissed Malak to the rest of the Dark Jedi, finally releasing his grip on the Sith's mouth. He stretched his jaw after it had been nearly crushed. "It may be a trap. She may have learned of our plan ahead of time. Regardless, we will continue. Don't stop fighting until we've won or you're dead."

Javaan shook his head behind Malak and chuckled again. "We're going to lose."

Kuu had stayed silent long enough. "Then you'll fracking die, alright?" hissed the dark-skinned man, his hood draped over his head. His teeth were blackened and he nodded his head at Malak. "You came along. You sacrificed your life voluntarily. There's always time for you to turn around and run back to your bed, crawl in, and pretend not to know anything about this. Of course, if we win, we'll kill you."

"Shut up, just because I'm pessimistic doesn't mean I'm not going through with it," muttered Javaan.

Malak turned his head around enough to give them all a look that clearly told them to shut their mouths. After complying with his wishes, the Dark Jedi were silent as they followed Malak around the last bend to the bridge.

XxXxX

"Dark Lord of the Sith," whispered Revan, leaning her forehead on the arm that was on the viewscreen that showed the galaxy in front of them, and more closely the planet Rakata. "Dark fracking Lord of the Sith."

Malak watched from behind her with resentment etched into every part of his face. Dark fracking Lord of the Sith indeed, he thought bitterly to himself. He smiled as he planned out his future in his mind, fanciful images of him holding Revan at his mercy, his lightsaber at her throat, listening to her beg for mercy. Malak would torture her, make her beg soon after for death. But he would grant her no mercy. He would make her a part of the Star Forge, never let her rest.

"What do you think, Malak?" Revan said as she turned around to face him. "Master and apprentice. Fitting, don't you think?"

Like hell I think it's fitting, you fracking schutta, he thought to himself. But shielding his thoughts and putting on a false smile of approval, Malak looked down at the much shorter woman in heavy armor styled after the Mandalorians' style of armor. "Of course, Revan. Very fitting, indeed."

XxXxX

Malak gripped his lightsaber tightly as he activated it. He could see about a dozen of Revan's finest guards on the bridge, their lightsabers activating as Malak and his followers rushed onto the bridge. Malak yelled out in a battle cry. A few others followed suit, including Kuu.

And so the coup properly began.

Red and red clashed, the occasional purple and orange lightsabers joining the fray. Malak himself struck right for the heart of the closest guard, knocking him down with brute force and forcing the lightsaber straight through the Dark Jedi, a man he normally would've considered his ally. Tonight, all those who didn't fight with him would suffer. He would make sure of that.

"Tonight will be a night for betrayal, for new ownership."

Malak moved quickly towards another Dark Jedi, his face covered completely in yellow tattoos. He moved quickly, his double-bladed red lightsaber parrying every move Malak's single-bladed red blade made. Malak's opponent's technique seemed perfect, but he was also small and Malak was a large man. It was a battle of nimbleness versus power. Malak took the opportunity that arose when the smaller man had to parry Malak's strike from above his head, leaving himself open. Malak took the chance and slammed his shoulder in the other man's chest, knocking him off balance, Malak took this advantage and sliced off both of the man's arms before decapitating him.

All around the room, cries were heard as men and women shouted "For Malak!" or "For Revan!" Some took another route and simply cried out "For the Sith!" not showing who they believed would make a better Sith Lord out loud, but knowing in their hearts who they trusted to make the better decisions, with whose strategies they agreed.

Javaan was cockily challenging two guards at once. Rhoida had already fallen in battle; her chest contained several holes in it, considering that the guard who had struck her didn't believe she was dead until she was down on the ground, unmoving. Kuu was mimicking Malak's movements, being nearly as big a man as Malak was.

But Malak had to have been the most admirable of all the fighters. Revan's guards were not untalented wenches and men without skills, whereas some of Malak's followers were simply men and women who chose to die for their dedication to Malak. Or, perhaps as Javaan had suggested, they simply wanted to die.

"Tonight we will break the chains that Revan has bound on our wrists."

Malak kicked out both his legs at an oncoming enemy, his left leg nearly getting cut off by the outstretched lightsaber in the now knocked-down male guard's hands. The lightsaber deactivated as it flew away from the guard's hand. "Bastard," muttered the guard right before Malak struck at the man's throat. Malak kicked the dead body to the side as held up his lightsaber to block another oncoming opponent.

Shit, she called for reinforcements, noted Malak as six more guards ran into the room filled with dead bodies. And then there was Malak, Javaan, and Kuu standing in the midst of the room. All the other Dark Jedi on Malak's side had already fallen.

"Want to take me down, tough guys?" challenged Javaan, wiping a trace of blood away from his mouth where had been punched before he killed the guard who owned the fist. "Take your best shot, bastards." And with that Javaan leapt forward, twin red 'sabers in hand, screaming nothing in particular as he landed in the midst of two guards, decapitating one while the other managed to parry his second lightsaber. Javaan engaged in a duel with the guard as Kuu hung back, waiting for a guard to come and challenge him with his double-bladed purple lightsaber in hand.

Malak ran ahead of Kuu, shouting as Javaan had as he reached the remaining four guards. One ran past him towards Kuu, but the other three decided to attempt taking down Malak. An unfinished cry of "Long live Mal-!" that came from Kuu's mouth signaled the ambitious young Sith's death. Javaan was still alive, fighting madly against the guard with his twin 'sabers, however, while Malak fended off three guards at once.

"Tonight, I will strike down Revan and claim the title of the Dark Lord of the Sith for myself."

It was difficult, fighting off five blades with a single one, but difficultly was for other men. A man without Malak's strength. Using the Force, Malak reached out with his left hand to choke one of the guards while using his right hand to knock back the other two guards with a rather weak Force push. They stumbled backwards but Malak didn't have enough time to finish off the choking guard and had to simply let the man catch his breath while Malak dealt with the other two guards.

Malak ran away from the two guards, towards the corner of the room. He knew what the two guards must've been thinking, because under opposite circumstances, he would have been thinking it himself. How could he be so incredibly stupid as to lock himself into a corner like that? Malak smirked to himself though as the two guards approached (the third still gasping for air, barely having escaped death for the moment). Their wrongful assumption would be the last thing they ever knew. As soon as they got within a meter of him, Malak gave a great shout and a leap over their heads and slashed his lightsaber across the mid-section of one guard. He fell to the ground, breaking into two pieces. It was rather grotesque, but then again there were already nearly two dozen dead bodies on the ground so another corpse was no real deal.

The Sith knew death would come to all of them, and when it did, it was something they learned early on and either embraced or ran from. For the men and women who had died during Malak's struggle for power, well, that simply happened to be when death came for them.

"Fracking imbecile!" shouted the guard next to Malak to the guard just beginning to get back up on his feet across the bridge. "Can't even handle a little pain!?" Javaan was still busy with the third living guard near the entrance to the bridge.

"Lock down the doors, Javaan!" shouted Malak to his only remaining companion. "Don't let anymore reinforcements come in! I'd like to deal with Revan herself, not her stupid minions."

Javaan heard Malak and gave an affirmative cry as he stabbed the door control station on the inside of the bridge with one lightsaber while he continued to parry his enemy with his other 'saber. Malak grinned. They could still win. Javaan didn't seem like he was giving up, not yet. It was two to three. And when Revan joined them, and she would, Malak was sure he could defeat her.

"Now who's with me?!"

It didn't take much longer for Javaan to finally kill off his enemy and for Malak to destroy the other two guards. But the real challenge hadn't even begun yet. Javaan was favoring his right leg and had a scorch mark on his left leg which showed that he was in no condition to battle Revan, much less anyone else. Malak would have to do it alone.

He grinned. The thought excited him, to face his master, lightsaber to lightsaber; Master versus apprentice. The way it should be.

She appeared with the light tap of her boots as she walked onto the bridge. She wasn't clad in her usual full armor, but instead what appeared like it was surely the inner shell of her usual armor. She looked wide awake, despite it being the middle of the night and her usual sleeping hours. Her face was crackled with veins in numerous locations along her jawline, but to someone like Malak she still appeared more beautiful than ever. A more dangerous beautiful, a deadly, disgusting sort of beautiful only some could appreciate. Her eyes glowed yellow in the darkness of the bridge. She stepped gracefully over the corpses strewn around the bridge. She was within three meters of Malak when she stopped moving.

He couldn't help but notice the way her under-armor hugged her gorgeous curves. Her hands were covered in black gloves, her jet-black hair was pulled back into a bun on the back of her head and her pale skin that was only visible on her face seemed to illuminate her.

Revan smiled, an eerie smile, nothing like the polite smile a Padawan gives to their Master when issued a task or command. Then the smile faded into a blank expression.

"So, you have decided to finally let your rage out and aim it at me, Malak?" asked Revan. Malak didn't answer and Revan didn't expect him too. She looked around the bridge and her eyes roamed over the dead bodies. "Kuu… he was so determined to live through this little coup of yours and become your apprentice if I remember correctly. And Alder, a personal favorite guard of mine. He was very talented." She looked up at Malak and gave him the same eerie smile she had worn as she had entered.

"Your rage is admirable, your anger and fury are beautiful things, but directing them at me…" she trailed off as she spotted Javaan standing near the doorway, his mouth slightly open as he stared at Revan looking so casually, at this woman so fatally attractive. Revan had no patience for Javaan, however. "When you see the devil, you can gape at him too," hissed Revan as she struck out her right hand, an open palm, and lifted Javaan's body into the air. She then clenched her hand into a fist and Javaan's body seemed to collapse inwards with a disgusting snapping noise.

Revan dropped Javaan's broken body to the ground. "So you're here to kill me?"

"I'm here to take this power away from you," spat Malak angrily. His eyes narrowed as she turned back to him. "You never deserved it! We were equals, until we arrived here, and then you decided you wanted to be in charge. Well, Revan, we played this game for a little while, but right now it's no longer your turn to be in charge around here. Your power will be mine."

"Long-winded as always," said Revan icily. "The power and leadership around here is something I do deserve, Malak. If you want to try and defeat me, however, be my guest. You will fail. This coup today? You lost your faithful followers and now it's just you and me."

"I will crush you!" shouted Malak as he ignited his lightsaber and rushed towards Revan. Smirking, Revan pulled out her red lightsaber, nearly a twin to Malak's.

A dance begun between the two, Revan moving swiftly around Malak's strong blows and fighting back just as aggressively as Malak was fighting. Occasionally one would attempt to strike the other with lightning or use the Force to drag some item lying around to harm the other with. But all of those attempts failed.

They moved and moved and both were sweating, their foreheads glistening with perspiration. Malak would attempt to knock Revan down with his strength but despite her smaller size, she was just as strong as Malak with her practical uses of the Force. She did not fight just defensively, however, finding herself knocking Malak back on his heels more than once.

The battle continued, for how long neither was sure. Nothing changed in the area around them, they moved all around the bridge, and they avoided tripping over any of the corpses. Revan kept staring at Malak's eyes, but he knew what she was trying to do. He knew she was trying to get inside of his mind, use Malak as a weapon, to control his mind and confuse him, something Malak knew she could do.

"GRAH!" exclaimed Malak as he squeezed his eyes shut to try and block Revan out of his mind. He reached out with the Force to parry Revan's blows and fighting back against her. "I won't let you use me as a tool, you stupid schutta!"

Revan snarled as Malak had to take another step backwards. "You won't win, Malak! Not this time, maybe not ever. I am the Dark Lord of the Sith! Me! Not you!" she hissed. Malak continued to keep his eyes shut tightly, refusing to weaken himself. Revan struck out with her lightsaber at Malak's side.

"I'll fix that shortly, Revan," he muttered back at her, blocking her blow in the process. He swung his own lightsaber at her legs.

"Face me!" growled Revan, as she leapt over Malak's lightsaber and his body as well, landing gracefully behind him. "Face me, you coward! Only cowards hide themselves, whether it be behind a planet or behind their own eyelids. Show yourself to me! You fracking bastard, show yourself!"

"I'M RIGHT HERE!" screamed Malak, her egging getting at him. He twirled around to face Revan, opening his eyes in the process. He knew it was a mistake the moment he did it, knowing that she was just trying to get a rise out of him. And it worked.

Malak could feel her inside his mind almost immediately. He tried to close his eyes, but he couldn't. Revan just stood there, her yellow eyes blazing as she stared straight through Malak's eyes and delved right into his mind. As soon as she had settled herself in there, no matter how much Malak blinked, no matter if he ripped his eyes out, Revan was now safely nestled inside his consciousness. She leapt at him, screaming as her lightsaber clashed with his.

Back up slowly, shuffle backwards, don't step over anything…

No there are dead bodies! I'll trip over them!

Do it! I command you to obey! I control you! Now fracking do it!

Malak tried closing his eyes, knowing it wouldn't work. He felt his feet shuffling backwards and his body falling backwards over Kuu's corpse. His grip on his lightsaber lessened and using the Force, Revan threw Malak's lightsaber to the side. Malak was helpless on the ground, and immobilized by Revan's usage of the Force.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Revan circled around him, like a hawk and its prey. "You really shouldn't let your ego get in the way. Just couldn't stand being called a coward." She smiled as she leaned down and batted her eyelashes in a way that would have been seductive had they been in any other position than this.

Malak had a few choice words for Revan, but considering he was frozen, he couldn't speak them.

"I could kill you, but then you wouldn't learn anything from this experience," explained Revan as she deactivated her lightsaber and clipped it onto her belt. "So, I will simply have to find another way of punishment. I am sure I can think of something."

She was still, kneeling over Malak, her hands inching themselves closer and closer to his face. And then it was incredible. A extravagant pain seared through Malak's jaw, through his throat, though his mouth. He tried to scream, he desperately wanted to scream, but he couldn't. No noise came from his mouth. And then Malak could see it as Revan lifted it into the air with her hands. It was his jaw.

She had ripped out his fracking jaw.

"I think that punishment will suit you well," commented Revan, the same eerie smile on her face. "Now, I will let you lie here for the night, and don't even dare trying to come after me and kill me in my sleep because you will die then. If you want to live, I suggest you stay here until morning. I'm sure the cleaning crew will bring you to the medical bay and let them deal with you there."

Revan began to trail out of the room, rather pleased with herself. "Sweet dreams, Malak."

XxXxX

"And in the end, as the darkness takes me, I am nothing."

XxXxX

I would love it if you reviewed, whether or not you enjoyed the story (even though I'm rootinf for the 'I enjoyed it!' angle). Concrit is love, flames are the devil, and I would like the credit the character Javaan is based off of (he's a small-charrie from an RP) to Kitome who created the name, PhantomMenade who introduced the character and MissCora who played Javaan. Except, it's not the same Javaan 'cause this one's deaded and the other one is alive about ten years after this incident. XD Loads of love again to noneko for her beta-ing skills. And THANK YOU for reading this. I apologize if it seemed too long and I really hoped you enjoyed it. :3