Chapter 21
Run
"Bastard," Clara openly wept, chained and confined in her and Syl's new prison cell far away from the others. Every second she spent apart from Revan tore at her like a dagger, simmering once again the deep hatred which lay entrenched and dormant within her heart.
The dark figure which loomed over the two women answered back in a hoarse tone. "I have done you a favor, Lady Clara. I strongly believe that you should be grateful to me at this moment."
Clara glared at him. "Grateful for what, you son of a bitch? For tearing me apart from the love of my life through lies and deceit? For making him and his friends believe that I betrayed them? For forever preventing me from having the free life which I so dreamed of ever since I was reunited with him?"
"For saving your life."
Clara jerked her head sideways. "My fate is my own. I will not let you or that fucker of an emperor determine my destiny from here on out."
Gerome cackled darkly and took two steps towards them, leaning forward against the metal bar with his hand. "Oh, is that so? And what power do you believe yourself to possess to change any of the events which are about to unfold? The Emperor's gargantuan fleet is on the move, gathering and marshalling from the farthest corners of the Empire over Dromund Kaas. Scourge's ragtag band of a force is fleeing and hiding wherever possible, and will ultimately be destroyed in detail. In time, you will come to understand that through my actions, I have provided you salvation. Not only understand, but appreciate it, even. I know that deep down, you haven't the slightest care what happens to the Republic. You only care about Revan, do you not?"
"…" Clara did not answer, but slightly trembled in nervousness.
"I shall take your silence as an affirmation. I have long suspected and known, and so have the Emperor and Scourge since you and Revan's interrogation at my hands, that your true loyalty and heart lies with Revan and not the Republic. But now, I am willing to offer you an olive branch: you and Syl may voluntarily co-operate in our new mission, for which you will be greatly rewarded. I am more than willing to convince the Emperor to stay his wrath upon Revan and grant him mercy, as well as a new life with you. Should you refuse, then…"
"I will refuse. You know that all too well," Clara spat.
Gerome sighed and continued. "Then I am afraid that another round of torture on my favourite chair awaits you, until the day you finally agree to my conditions."
Clara looked at him with fiery eyes of determination. "I will not betray Revan. My word is final."
The interrogator chuckled and turned away, the heels of his boots clicking against the metal floor as he departed.
"The torture chair it is, then. I shall see you again soon, milady."
After the four guards accompanied Gerome out of the prison block, the automated door shut and locked firmly, trapping the two captive women with no hope of escape. Her heart finally giving in to sorrow, Clara's once indomitable show of strength to Gerome faded away, replaced by mournful sorrow as she fell against Syl's lap, dampening it with her tears.
"You were very brave, sister. I am proud of you," Syl commended, wrapping her arms around Clara in a warm embrace.
"I don't want to lose him…I can't," Clara sobbed, her body trembling with fear. "I don't want him to suffer…to die."
Syl opened her mouth to speak words which would soothe Clara, but couldn't summon up the courage to deliver. She was only able to put her arms around her best friend, providing her what meaningless comfort she could in the limited time they had remaining.
-o-
"You're kidding me," Meetra shook her head in disbelief, her hands trembling with concern as she reacted to the words of her commander and best friend. "You're sacrificing an entire battalion of soldiers…for her?"
"Did you not hear my order, Meetra?" Revan coldly replied to her, too occupied to even turn his head as he stared down at his holo-map in the command deck of his flagship. "I have specifically instructed you to take your squad down to that jungle and extract Clara immediately."
Meetra was still unable to compose herself and bring herself about to fully comprehend what Revan had just spoken to her. Once his words had settled in, she stormed up to him and surprised all who stood around them by slapping him across the cheek. All seemed to go silent as the entire crew around Revan and Meetra stopped what they were doing and fixed their eyes upon them.
"This woman really means that much to you? That you would sacrifice hundreds of brave soldiers just to save her? What are you going to say to their widows back home when we return to the core worlds? What the hell am I going to say to a friend of mine back on Coruscant who asked me to keep her son safe, when he's one of the men who are in that battalion which you are so unremorsefully sacrificing just for the sake of the life of Clara? What the hell's the matter with you?!"
Revan answered with a tinge of frustration arising in his tone, albeit seemingly unfazed by the slap which left a sore on his skin. "I am simply acting in a pragmatic manner, Meetra. That battalion has advanced too far and too fast into enemy lines. Sending you and your team to extract them will only result in failure and unnecessarily lost lives. Clara has gained important intelligence regarding the Mandalorians' next move in the Draalan Sector. She has managed to get herself in a highly defensible position in a valley, to which our forces have a clear route to. I highly suggest that you take my advice and take your squad on a shuttle to bring her back immediately."
"Liar," Meetra grunted. "You know that that battalion can be saved. You know that it consists of some of the best of the forces we have remaining with us. You know that they are worth more combined to the cause than Clara. You know that the situation they are in is a result of your own mismanagement. You know that their blood will be on your hands, and your hands alone. You know that you are doing the wrong thing, and that I care for your heart and soul just as much as I care about the lives of the people you are about to forsake…You know what you must do."
Revan simply looked at her blankly, taking deep breaths and remaining silent for what felt like an eternity to all as he stared down at the holo-map. Once Meetra looked down, she saw that what she said was nothing but true: the battalion of brave souls were still battling valiantly against waves upon waves of Mandalorians, never giving up hope of victory despite their consistently dwindling numbers, and was on the verge of making a breakthrough southward to rendezvous with a company of Republic soldiers. Clara, on the other hand, was in a most dire situation, with enemies swarming in around her and forcing her to move from cover to cover in what would ultimately be a fruitless action which would only result in her death.
And yet, Revan remained unflinching and resolute.
"You have your orders, Meetra. Carry them out. Your shuttle is waiting for you."
Meetra sighed, a tear rolling down her fair face as she silently turned and left the sight of Revan and all who surrounded them.
-o-
"Meetra?" She was startled awake at the sound of her lover whispering into her ear. Her eyes fluttering open, she saw Atton looking with concern upon her, his hand fondling hers tenderly.
"It's…it's nothing, Atton. Don't worry about it," she tried to shrug it off.
Atton remained unconvinced. "That's what you said last time while we were waiting for contact from Mira, Juhani and Yuthura. Something's on your mind, darling. I can sense it. Please, just tell us what's on your mind."
"You…really want to know?" Meetra sighed, looking painfully upon her lover who nodded in confirmation.
"I believe it is for the best, Meetra," Bastila agreed. "I cannot help but somehow feel that…you remember something from your past with Revan. I think that because I too experienced the same feelings, the doubt and uncertainty, when I shared visions of Revan's past with him during our quest to destroy the Star Forge. Please tell us."
"Alright, then," Meetra answered, holding her pounding head with her trembling left hand as she spoke. "I've been having visions of my past, as you suspected. The images in my head are still as clear as day. And frankly, Revan, they are of you."
Revan stared at her in curiosity. "About…me?"
"Yes. I still remember to this day the deeds that you and I committed during the war against the Mandalorians. I still remember the heart-crushing decisions you made me commit to. I still remember the countless lives you sacrificed – not only that of our soldiers, but billions of people across Republic space – to defeat the enemy. But above all, I remember the day when you sacrificed an entire battalion of troops just to save her."
Revan's heart sank as the words settled into his conscience. "I…I did that?"
"You did. Over four hundred lives lost in a single day of action on a jungle planet that is now nothing more than a smouldering graveyard. You sent me with a strike team to extract Clara, sacrificing the whole battalion for the sake of saving her life. You said that she possessed vital intelligence about the Mandalorians' future plans, but after I barely managed to bring her back to you following the loss of my entire squad, she did not have on her a single shred of enemy intelligence. You lied to me, just to save the woman you loved."
Carth remained optimistic. "If there's one thing that I've learned through my time and experiences with Revan, it's that people can change. Surprise you, even. I think we all learned to make peace with Revan's past in the days following our escape from the Leviathan. What matters is that we focus on the present."
Revan did not speak, but merely gave Carth a smile of appreciation.
Bastila curled herself into a ball against the cold fibreglass of her surrounding confines, burying her face in her knees as she fell into a dilemma. Despite the fact that she was Revan's wife, she could not find it in herself to openly trust him now that more truths of his chilling past had been revealed to her.
"Bastila?" Her eyes wandered to Revan who was looking at her with concern.
Mira gave a smirk to Bastila. "He's your husband, honey. He deserves at least some trust, don't you think?"
Bastila nodded weakly, still considerably fazed by the revelations which continued to ring in her head and ears. Seeing that Bastila was too shocked to respond, Revan spoke to Meetra.
"I promise you, Meetra. I give you my word that my loyalties lie first and foremost to accomplishing our mission."
"Would you be willing to prove that, Revan?" Meetra pressed him. "Should Juhani come around and get us out of here, would you be willing to confront Clara? Will you be willing to step forward and defend Bastila from her if and when she comes to end our lives? Would you be willing to kill her by your own hands to save your wife and your friends?"
"…" Revan could not answer.
Meetra crossed her arms. "I can only hope that you'll be able to answer that before it is too late."
"I've got a feeling it already is," Atton sighed in disappointment, fondling Meetra's hand. "The guards are coming back."
He was right: four pairs of heavy footsteps approached them menacingly from down the corridor. Bastila fearfully embraced Revan, the past memories of being dragged away to be tortured by Malak within the Rakatan Temple suddenly coming back into her mind. Her hands shivered and her lips trembled as she buried her face into her husband's chest, clenching her eyes shut as if she was wishing that she could open her eyes again to find herself back in the safe haven of their home on Telos.
Her heart seemed to stop the moment the footsteps stopped in front of the door, which soon opened to reveal, as expected, four heavily armored Sith guards with blasters and chains at hand. One stepped forward – presumably the superior officer – and pointed his hand towards Revan, and then to Meetra, and his underlings walked forth accordingly, preparing to bind the two Jedi in chains. One of the Sith quickly advanced and opened up the cell, into which the other two entered and pulled Revan and Meetra out of. Bastila lay helpless as her husband was taken from her, her hand slipping despairingly from his as a guard shoved her away.
But the moment Revan and Meetra set a single foot each out of their confines, they were taken aback as a flurry of blue light came over them, swiftly despatching the two unaware Sith who stood behind. A breath of relief escaped from Bastila's lips as she realized what had just transpired.
"Juhani! Thank the Force."
"Come, there is no time for this," the Cathar hastily said, using the Force to free Revan and Meetra from the suppressant collars around their necks which bare hands couldn't loose. She then crouched down by the body of one of the slain Sith, and removed from his uniform what was presumably a security keycard. "All of your equipment is being held in a storage compartment some ways from here."
Releasing her friends from their collars, Meetra concurred. "They probably already spotted us in their camera feed. Let's go."
Keeping their eyes on Juhani who took the head, the rest of the party followed behind at quick pace, Atton, Mira, HK-47 and Carth remaining vigilant with the blasters they took from the dead Sith guards. As expected, an entire squadron of Sith soldiers soon came charging at them from the other end of the corridor, blasters blazing as Juhani ignited her lightsaber to deflect several of their shots, leaving a number of them dead.
"This way!" Juhani cried out to them above the ruckus of combat. She quickly sped westward, dispatching another score of Sith troopers with a tremendous Force Push after redirecting their attacks. Atton and HK took full advantage of the situation, shooting the dazed Sith dead before they could recuperate.
"What is this place?" Bastila questioned Juhani. "It looks absolutely nothing like the second floor which we fought through!"
Juhani explained. "They had taken you all to the fifth floor which holds the main detention blocks after you were incapacitated. We must move quickly if we are to make it out of here."
Hearts pounding and minds spinning, they soon came face to face with a tightly shut metallic door which presumably held all their equipment. Juhani quickly took out a keycard from her pocket and threw it towards Atton who immediately caught and swiped it against the small console which lay beside the door, successfully opening it.
Taking heed of the dozens of Sith who now descended upon them like a swarm, Revan decided to stay beside Juhani while the others rushed in to grab their gear out of the numerous lockers which held them. At first, Bastila looked back at her husband with incredulous eyes, but once she recalled her memories of his extraordinary talents in the use of Force Deflection in the course of their quest to destroy the Star Forge, she nodded in assurance at him and joined the others in quickly breaking into the lockers. With no time to spare for delicate lock-picking, HK-47 and Bao-Dur used their sturdy mechanical arms to smash in and tear out the locker doors, enabling them and their friends to re-arm themselves.
"Revan! Catch!" Mira shouted in his direction, then threw at him the first lightsaber she got her hands on. With swift reflexes and without looking, Revan caught the weapon before initiating a swift advance towards the Sith who continued to press the attack from the eastern section of the corridor. He was soon joined by Juhani, who saw that she could afford to support him after she caught sight of Brianna and Yuthura running to cover her after managing to extract a lightsaber each.
"The transponder! Find the damned transponder and call T3!" Jolee yelled abruptly as he continued to scramble through a locker in search of a lightsaber.
"I can't find it! Where the hell is it?!" Meetra panicked, her eyes darting and heart pounding as her shaky hands rummaged through another locker, knocking about equipment in desperation.
"I've found it! Meetra, here!" Atton exclaimed and threw the communications device towards her. Without a moment's hesitation, she immediately made contact with T3 back at the Ebon Hawk. Scrambling to her feet so that she could join the others, she ran out after HK-47 grabbed hold of his repeating blaster rifle and grenades, and charged forth to engage the enemy.
As soon as she stepped out of the room, Meetra's lightsaber arm jerked instinctively in order to deflect a flurry of blaster shots which came in her direction. Looking side to side, she took quick notice of what was going on around her: one half of the party was hemmed in in the western part of the corridor, unable to move, while Revan, Juhani and the others were on the verge of withdrawal, their advance growing ever slower by the passing second as the Sith seemed to renew their ferocious attack. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead as she blurted into the transponder in panic.
"T3! T3, this is Meetra. Do you read?!"
The droid did not immediately reply, serving only to create more discomfort for the Jedi.
"T3! Come in right now!"
Seconds later, a series of toots and beeps sounded back to her from the transponder.
The moment the droid's response came, Meetra screamed into the device. "Get the Hawk over here now! Fifth floor! Blast a hole through the west portion of the facility!"
T3 protested vehemently, fearing that it may cause harm to his friends.
"There's no time, dammit! We'll be fine, don't worry! Just blast that damned wall down! That's an order!" Meetra turned off the transponder and rammed it hastily into her robe pocket.
Bastila, now armed with a lightsaber and standing by Meetra's side, shouted above the ruckus of battle. "Do you even know what the Hawk's cannons could do to us? If it destroys the frames of the building, it could very well send the entire building collapsing onto us!"
"It's a risk we have to take, Bastila!" Meetra yelled in frustration. "It's now or never! We're not going to make it if we go down floor by floor! We'll be killed!"
"Commentary: That sounds exciting indeed, master!" HK piped in in a grossly inappropriate time.
"HK! Not! Now!" Atton fumed, desperately fending off blaster shots aimed at his loved one.
With their plan of escape established, Revan's mind immediately diverted to a personally pressing issue.
"Juhani! Where's Clara's cell?"
Meetra's heart sank at the sound of Revan's words. They could ill afford any time searching for Clara while Sith were swarming around them, let alone launch a rescue attempt.
"I said where's Clara's cell?!" Revan yelled, his temper growing thin as he impatiently sent a wave of a combined Force Lightning and Push at a squadron of Sith.
Seeing that Revan would not relent, Juhani obliged to answer him. "She is being held in the east section of this floor, down this corridor. But we won't be able to make it if we—!"
Her mouth gaped open, and so did that of the others, as they all saw Revan irrationally bounding in the direction that Juhani pointed in, quickly using the Force to take from Atton the keycard that stuck out from his pocket.
"Revan! What the hell?!" Atton shouted.
"Meetra! Take the others to safety! I'll meet you at the ship!" he shouted as he charged right into a mob of Sith troopers, dispatching the shocked and surprised enemies with sheer speed and power.
"Statement: Time flies while you're having fun, meatbag!" HK joyously remarked, running after his master and covering him with supporting fire.
"What's he doing? Does he want to get killed? He's not going to make it!" Bastila shrieked, horrified at the thought of losing her husband.
Just when she thought things couldn't become more hectic, Bastila saw Juhani and Yuthura run after Revan, with hardly a hint of hesitance.
"Where are you two going?!" she cried out. The two Jedi did not answer, but merely continued to accompany in silence the man whom both of them owed their lives to, and so now sought to return the favor.
Mira grunted in irritance. "Oh, for the love of—! Meetra, get that ship ready! We'll bring him back!"
"Are you crazy? You won't make it!" Carth shouted.
Mira retorted. "This mission isn't going to count for shit if Revan dies! He's the only one who can save the Republic! Now get your asses moving!" She joined in in the perilous rescue attempt that was almost certainly doomed to failure.
"Let's move! Everyone follow me!" Meetra called out to those who remained behind, endeavouring to lead them to the western side of the facility after they opened up a clear path for Revan and his followers with covering fire.
His heart pounding and mind racing, Revan's mind did not do as much as even register the threatening presence of the Sith troopers around him. His focus set solely on saving the woman whom he loved so dearly, slaying the enemies who charged at him seemed to be nothing more than cutting blades of grass in a meadow. Juhani, Yuthura and Mira were amazed by the sheer ease with which Revan dispatched the foes which they themselves found so difficult to defeat, while HK's eyes glowed and shimmered in frustration as he saw his potential targets eliminated.
Although Juhani felt that she should take the lead in order to guide Revan to Clara's confines, she was taken aback at how Revan seemingly did not even require it of her as he bounded relentlessly to his intended destination, using the Force to find his way to the woman with whom his powerful bond was reawakened. It was then that she realized just how deep Revan and Clara's connection truly was, and soon she began to wonder what this could mean for Revan's relationship and future with Bastila.
"Revan! Can't we just think this through for one minute?" Mira groaned, struggling to keep up with his speed all the while deflecting blaster shots which came hurtling in their direction from the foes who stood between them and Clara's cell block.
Revan did not answer, the fire in his eyes burning with passion as he drew closer and closer to Clara's cell, the bodies of his victims piling up in a trail behind him. Rushing up to the metallic door, he rammed the keycard into the console, only to find in dismay that they were not compatible with each other.
"Why isn't it working?!" he yelled irksomely, repeatedly pulling and pushing the card within the door controls.
"They must have different access keys for each of the cell blocks! Dammit!" Mira gritted her teeth, shifting across Revan to protect him from the blaster shots which hailed from his left down the hallway as yet another squadron of Sith guards advanced upon them.
Losing patience as she covered Revan's right side with HK while Mira and Juhani watched his left, Yuthura suggested a different course of action. "Forget the card! Just ram your lightsaber through the door! And hurry!"
Revan heeded her advice and stabbed his lightsaber into the door, making slow but certain progress in cutting a rectangular hole through the door. As his weapon burned through and melted the thick surface, he could barely recognize the cries coming from within from his lover whom he was determined to save. He could hear her beating her fists against her thick fibreglass cell, which only drove him to commit all due haste in freeing her.
"Revan, get me out. Take me away from here…"
He could have sworn he heard those tearful words escaping Clara's lips, even through the racket of blaster fire and smouldering iron that surrounded his ears.
Sweat began to run like a torrent down Revan's brow as he unceasingly persisted in his efforts to free Clara, although in his heart he couldn't help but feel that it would be in vain. New reinforcements bolstered the Sith ranks as quickly as they fell, advancing without even the slightest hint of fear to their certain deaths as Yuthura, Juhani and Mira deflected their attacks back at them.
Don't panic, my love.
Don't panic.
Just a little bit more time, and then…
And then…
"…" Revan felt his heart stop the moment two pairs of hands yanked him away from the door, just as he thought he was about to finally cut through in order to rescue Clara. His cries of anguish were muffled and drowned out by a thunderous racket that emanated from the western parts of the facility, presumably caused by the assault of the Ebon Hawk piloted by T3 and Zaalbar.
Struggling against the grips of Juhani and Mira, Revan angrily shook his head and attempted to free himself in protest, never for a moment losing the will to save Clara from a destiny of misery.
Angered by Revan's repeated attempts to return to his fruitless endeavour, Mira yelled into his ear to put some sense back into him. "Revan! Snap the fuck out of it! We need to get out of here! Now!"
"I can't leave her!" Revan shouted back.
"Revan! Listen to me! There is no hope left! There are too many of them!" Yuthura insisted.
"Statement: The master's will is my command. I will follow his instructions to the letter," HK stubbornly said, firing another volley at the Sith.
"He's in no position to give orders!" Mira grunted. "You're not going to have a master if he dies! Now get the fuck over it and give us some covering fire while we try to get out of here!"
The reality of the situation sinking into his reluctant mind, Revan at last began to move on his own accord, taking one final tearful glance over his shoulder at Clara's cell before he ran with them to rendezvous with the others. The pain that he felt was like daggers piercing his heart, weakening him until he felt as if he could no longer carry on.
Hope seemed to fade with every passing second as they saw that all of corridors they had cleared and advanced through were now brimming once again with enemies who descended and ascended from every floor of the facility in order to prevent their escape. With few remaining options, they charged down one aisle that appeared to offer a more viable route back to the Ebon Hawk, where less Sith were present in comparison to the aisles they had passed through previously.
After dispatching the squad which pressed forward seeking to trap them in a co-ordinated attack with the Sith who attacked from both sides of the alleyway, the group proceeded to make a break for the Ebon Hawk which hovered in the distance with its loading ramp down, through which the rest of their team were evacuating themselves from the facility.
All except Yuthura.
"Yuthura! What do you think you're doing!?" Juhani questioned as she turned around.
The Twi'lek answered in a sombre tone, her back turned against them as she raised her lightsaber in preparation for what was to come. "There are too many of them for us to defend ourselves while running to the ship. Go now, and I shall cover your escape."
"No way! I'm not leaving you here to die alone! Get your ass over here now!" Mira ordered.
Revan, Juhani and Mira were shocked to see Yuthura slowly turn to face them and give them a melancholy smile, particularly directed to Revan. Before they could react, Yuthura sent them and HK hurtling away with a powerful Force Push, and then quickly ran away back into the main corridor from which they fled.
"Yuthura!" Revan cried out, bringing himself up in order to rush to her aid.
"Revan, no!" Juhani held him back by tugging at his robe. "She has bought us the time we need to escape! Don't let her sacrifice be in vain!"
His head pounding with pain and his breathing growing erratic, Revan finally heeded Juhani's words. With heavy hearts and great reluctance, the Jedi ran with all possible speed back to the Ebon Hawk, to which the path now lay clear. They could hear the torrent of blaster fire behind them, but as Revan turned his head, he saw that the fire was not directed at them, but instead at Yuthura who was now out of sight.
"Revan, come on!" he heard Atton shout at them from the loading ramp before rushing in to the cockpit.
Then, in a moment which sunk his heart, he heard the gunfire from the main corridor cease altogether.
"Hurry up! They can't keep waiting for us forever!" Mira puffed, pushing her body to its limits in order to fight another day. Just as another barrage of fire came from the Sith troops who now advanced from all sides of the facility, Revan was the last to leap onto the loading ramp which hastily closed shut as the Ebon Hawk departed with its crew, abandoning the Sith shuttle in desperate haste.
"Revan!" He could hear Bastila calling out to him from the map room. Suddenly taken by a piercing pain in his side, Revan collapsed against the wall, clutching at an area just below his left rib. Bastila fell to her knees the moment she came to his side, and was accompanied by the now awake Mission who was just as distraught to see Revan in his current state.
"Jolee! Jolee, he needs your help! Right now!" Mission yelled. "T3, come to the medical bay! We need kolto!"
"What?" Jolee replied as he rushed to their aid, and then stared in shock at the wound that had been concealed beneath Revan's robe. "By the name of the Force, boy, this is why I always tell you to not do stupid things! Get him over here quickly!" He ran into the medical bay to make ready the bed and supplies he required, as T3 came in and supplied him with kolto from within his storage compartment.
Moments later, Meetra came rushing in from the cockpit, her facial expressions full of anxiety. "What's wrong? Is he hurt?"
"Got grazed by several rounds of blaster fire, it seems," Jolee inspected the wound. "It's serious, but not life-threatening. Don't you worry about him."
"Wait…," Meetra noticed, "Juhani, Mira and HK are back, but…where is…"
"…Yuthura…," Mission noted as well, concerned by the absence of her friend, teacher and kinswoman. "Where is she?"
Revan sighed, seemingly not even taking heed of the pain in his side as Jolee tended to him.
"She's dead."
Mission drew back, shaking her head once again in denial as the words settled into her mind. Having already lost her brother Griff, to hear of the loss of one whom she regarded almost as a surrogate mother, such was the care she had received from her, was nothing short of devastating. Tears started trickling down her cheeks once again, and she was silently led away to the starboard dormitory by Meetra.
Feeling his eyes growing heavy, Revan instructed his wife of their next course of action. "Bastila…we need to return to the Republic…and find Canderous…with all due haste. Tell Carth and Atton to…to…"
Bastila could only look upon her husband with fear and uncertainty as he slipped into unconsciousness, exhausted from his ordeal. Letting go of Revan's hand which she had fondled in hers, she departed the medical bay with a heavy heart to relay his instructions to Carth and Atton.
-o-
"My, my…such a pity and shame," Gerome sighed as he stood over the broken and dying Yuthura, who no longer had the strength or will to fight on. With dozens of guards surrounding her with their weapons at the ready to end her life, Yuthura knew that any further struggle would be pointless.
An aide-de-camp walked up to Gerome, questioning his master as to their next course of action. "Sir, our hidden scouts in the system stand ready to intercept the Ebon Hawk. Shall I give the order to pursue?"
The dark figure merely chuckled beneath his mask. "There is no need. I already have my prize, and soon I shall put her to good use. It is only a matter of time. But for now…" He looked down upon Yuthura, then glanced up at the three guards who stood directly over her. Responding to the discrete order, two of them forced Yuthura up onto her knees by pulling her up by the arms, while the third yanked at her lekku, causing her pain as her head was jerked backwards, exposing her neck.
The aide-de-camp intervened. "Milord, shall we not first take her in for further interro—"
"No. Clara is the only one I need. This one is unneeded. Expendable. A burden…"
Yuthura closed her eyes, having finally made her peace with death. What regrets she had for not being able to fulfil her dream of liberating from the Hutts the slaves that were dear to her were now gone. Having the utmost trust in Revan, she knew deep down in her heart that her sacrifice would not be in vain, and would mean so much to the entire galaxy than she could ever possibly imagine.
Opening her eyes once again, she saw Gerome pull from beneath his dark cloak a concealed lightsaber of his own. She looked on calmly and fearlessly as the weapon activated and hummed barely inches from her neck.
"And what a shame it is. Such power…such prowess…such beauty…And all for nothing," Gerome clicked his tongue, stroking Yuthura's cheek with his gloved hand. "It is not normal for me to grant my clients a quick death, but…I shall make this one brief, for your own sake."
Prepared to meet her fate, Yuthura took her last breaths and closed her eyes as she heard Gerome lift his lightsaber up, presumably to grant her the quick death he spoke of with a single strike of his saber. But then, a throbbing and lasting pain struck her very core as she felt her stomach being pierced with another weapon. Opening her eyes, she looked down to see a cortosis-weave dagger protruding from her stomach, her deep red blood dripping onto the floor from the blade's hilt.
Gerome snickered and crouched down to speak to her at eye-level, lifting her chin upwards until he could see the light fading from her eyes as he whispered to her.
"I change my mind…"
Yuthura gasped and hoarsely breathed in pain the moment Gerome pulled the dagger out of her abdomen and cleaned the blood off of it against his robe. The last of her strength having left her, she crumpled face-down onto the floor once Gerome gave the order for the guards to release her.
"Prepare the fleet. We shall depart and rendezvous with the Emperor in four hours," Gerome commanded his troops, who dutifully carried out his orders to the letter. Once he and Yuthura were all alone, he gleefully sought to rub further salt in her wounds with mocking words.
"I cannot thank you and your friends enough for all that you have done. Because of you, the Sith shall now reclaim what has been long lost to us. My ambitions, my goals, my darkest dreams…they are now about to be fulfilled. All thanks to you. I do not doubt that you believed that by rescuing Revan a long time ago, you had sparked a new hope for the galaxy. I cannot imagine what you are feeling right now, knowing that you have, contrary to your intentions, almost single-handedly doomed all that you love to destruction and despair. But for now," he smirked as he turned to return to Clara's cell, "I bid you farewell. My prize awaits."
Yuthura's vision grew hazy and blurry as her murderer walked away in triumph. The excruciating pain soon grew dull, her body drawing closer to finally granting her the peace of death. Her last thoughts were of the man she so desired to protect, and to whom she could never express the true depths of her affections, gratitude, and love.