Chapter 21

The pilot of the shuttle would have to have exceptional skill to navigate between the floating hunks of melted durasteel and other obstructions from the battle that had just taken place. He was one of the very best in the entire fleet, navigating through that field really wasn't a problem for him. His problem lay in his ability to keep his mind and business to himself and to ignore the conversation that was going on in the main body of the shuttle. Well, it really wasn't a conversation, it was more of an extremely unnerved Dark Lord of the Sith barking orders into the holocom. He hadn't known Lord Revan to be maniacal, evil or downright intimidating all of the time, but this was indeed one of those times and he pitied that poor Admiral that was on the business end of Revan's wrath.

He was speaking of some unknown threat to the Empire, and Revan was practically demanding that every single ship and officer in the fleet increase their awareness. Apparently he didn't know that you had to offer the troops and fleet officers' incentive to do that. But what he said next quelled his dry thought. Revan was a genius after all. If the rumors were true and if the Pilot's perception of his master was correct, he would know that if you couldn't off the masses of Troops positive incentive, you could always threaten them with blinding violence. Revan's idea of blinding violence was certainly creative.

"You make it clear Vice Admiral Braxton that if they do not keep a closer eye out, for anything suspicious, for anything that remotely resembles actions by a Jedi or even a Sith for that matter, that they will pay dearly for their carelessness," Revan hissed into the projection field of the holocom.

The sweating Admiral nodded shakily and saluted, "May I speak freely sir?"

"You may," Revan waved off his discomfort and prepared to answer.

"What are we under threat from?" Admiral Braxton asked, again shakily.

With that, Admiral Yarr marched to the Holocom Control and glared holes into that of the lower ranking Admiral who oversaw the Sith Jurisdiction that covered the Unknown Regions. She couldn't believe the nerve of the man, to ask Lord Revan such a blunt question, when in her Master's rant he had expressly chose not to reveal it. She didn't even know, but she was fiercely protective of her master's wishes, "Vice Admiral, unless you wish to be tossed into a Gundark's Nest the next time I see you, you will not ask our Lord such a bold question. Do you understand that Admiral? Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes, Admiral Yarr," Braxton said and he saluted to the both of them once again.

Revan glared once more at the man before reaching forward and deactivating the cross-Galaxy Holocom. He didn't know what he was going to do, he wasn't fearful, he wasn't frightened. He was simply unnerved. Arenna Kai was more concerning then Malak, by far, but yet he wasn't afraid of what she could do, such as he was with Malak. In the end he would break her neck with his hands and he would end this threat to his rule. The fools couldn't comprehend what was lurking beyond the Unknown Regions and he needed to fortify this Galaxy quickly to stand even a chance against them. He turned back to Bastila who was in one of the seats and studying him intently. He still had her to worry about. She was his, that much was clear, but he couldn't have her face Arenna Kai with the training of a Jedi Padawan.

No, Bastila needed more work. Revan only needed to figure out how he could give her enough experience so that she could at least defend herself against Arenna. Malak was different, very different in that he was physically, if not mentally, unprepared to face the rage that Bastila had against him. She wouldn't fair well with Arenna. If anything Arenna had a rage that only he could stand against, the way the Jedi treated her after the war was disgraceful. Being forced to trundle about from unknown world to unknown world, going from being a talented Jedi and General to a messily Exile, if he had been put in that position, he would have been enraged as well. He turned back to Admiral Yarr, sensing her confusion. He let a slight smile come over his face, "Is there something wrong Yarr?"

"Sir, if I may ask, as Grand Admiral, what is this threat?" She tried to put an official and positive spin on it and Revan would reward her for her cunning.

Revan folded his arms over his chest, "When I was a Jedi, along with Malak I was trained with someone who was younger than us, but who we developed a close friendship with. Arenna Kai was her name. We became so close that at one point we even developed a romantic relationship. When the Mandalore Wars started, she was among the first to come with us and our romantic relationship continued. But when we reached the end of the war, she was the only one to go back to the Order after Malachor V. They exiled her and that's the last time I ever heard from her, but she's contacted me, that's what that was."

He almost smiled with the following realization that when he said the word romantic, Yarr's Lekku twitched and a flair of jealousy went through Bastila, "Master, If you and this …Jedi Exile were close, why did it appear that she was attacking you?"

"She's fallen to the Dark Side of the Force," Revan answered back, "She wants my mantle and my Empire."

"We'll crush her," Yarr clenched her fist, and Revan laughed this time at her overzealousness.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Bastila spoke softly from the seats.

Revan looked back to her and grinned, "We have an accord then, let's get to it."