I'm terribly sorry about the delay, my computer had been on its way out for a while and finally decided to die during the summer, taking the original version of this chapter with it. It took me ages to save up for a new computer and I found this section difficult enough to write anyway, even more so having to do it twice. I hope you like it, please keep reviewing! It really spurs me on!
Mist clouded his vision, terror seeped into every aspect of his mind, where was she? Why couldn't he see her?
"Logan! Logan help me!" He was beginning to panic now, the suffering in her voice caused the fear to grip his heart.
"Bastila? I cant see you! Bastila!" He franticly searched his surroundings but his vision was blurred.
"The dark side calls to you Bastila," A metallically tinged voice hissed in the darkness. "You hunger to taste it...become my apprentice and all of its power can be yours!"
"Do you think that torture can turn me?" A weak voice replied, the suffering it held filled the room.
"Torture? No?" The metallic voice chuckled. "This but a taste of the dark side to wet your appetite!" A thunderous clap of lightning erupted in the darkness, followed by a spine chilling scream,HER SCREAM! The smell of burnt flesh filled his senses, no! He had to save her!
"Logan please! Please help me!" He charged forward, ignoring the haze that blocked his path, his only concern was to protect her from the darkness that massed. He could see her now, Malak was torturing her! Before he could get to Bastila, a tall figure moved in front of him, the stranger's hands moved to his shoulders and shook him firmly. In place of a face the man sported a dark Mandalorian mask, a mask that had become so instantly recognisable throughout the galaxy, a mask that could only be identifiable with one person.
"Wake up Revan." The electronically modified voice of the man said as he shook Logan by the shoulders.
"W...What?"
"Revan, you need to wake up, your journey is not over yet, you are still needed."
"I...I..." Before he could finish his train of thought, consciousness washed over Logan, cold reality set in as he found himself in the medical bay of the Ebon Hawk, the weathered face of Jolee filled his vision and the concern it held made him feel instantly uneasy.
"Logan, are you awake?" He didn't want to reply, he simply wanted to forget the troubles of the galaxy, forget his nightmares, forget the truth, but he couldn't forget, he remembered.
"Are you awake? Are you all right?"
"Do I have to answer?" Logan croaked as he dragged himself to the edge of the bed, a single thought began to play on his mind as the fear quickly began to spread.
"Where is Bastila? Is she safe? Is she all right?"
"She's resting in her quarters, why?" Logan was on his feet immediately, his senses were returning to him now. Ignoring the protests of the old man, he powered through the corridors of the ship, desperate for conformation of her safety, in truth, he could feel her through the force, but he had to be sure, to see her with his own eyes. The relief he found at Bastila's slumbering form proved to be a cold comfort for Logan, he knew what he had seen, he knew it was a premonition, for how long could he keep her safe?
The mysterious eyes of Jolee silently observed Logan as he slumped into one of the seats in the main hold, his cheeky, carefree demeanour that he so effortlessly wore was gone, in its place was a dark, heavy semblance.
"You look as if you've got the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders kid." Jolee grunted as he sat on the seat opposite. He glanced up at the old man, the darkness that was evident seemed to extend well beyond his aura.
"Maybe I do...Billions of lives, the death of a planet...its like I can feel their blood on my skin...I keep having these dreams, visions maybe, each time he's there but this time...he spoke to me."
"Who?"
"Revan..." The word itself turned the air cold the second that it escaped from Logan's lips. "Each time I close my eyes he's there...its as if the walls between our minds are crumbling." Jolee stayed silent for a few moments, he didn't seem shocked by Logan's revelation, but his clear sidestep of the Revan issue left the young man feeling even more concerned.
"Visions you say?"
"Well...most of them have seemed like Revan's memories but the last one...it was different."
"What did you feel during this vision?"
"Fear, pain, suffering...darkness."
"Is it yourself you speak of?"
"...Bastila, she...she was being tortured," The mere thought of what Malak did to her made the words in his mouth turn to bile, he carried on regardless, desperate to share his fears with someone.
"She was calling out for me to help...I couldn't see her, I could feel her...I could feel the unbelievable pain she was in but I couldn't get to her...he blocked my way."
"He spoke to you?" Logan replied with a silent nod. He pressed his fingers deep into the sides of his temples as he spoke.
"I can feel him, all the time now...just behind my eyes...I don't know what's happening to me, I...I'm not even sure who I am any more. When he spoke to me, he...he addressed me as Revan. He's trying to take over, he's chipping away at my mind and sooner or later he's going to surface. I know! I know it sounds crazy!" Logan snapped after catching a glimpse of the old man's expression. He began to circle the room in an effort to drown out his worry but if anything, he became more agitated with every step.
"Just think about it," Logan continued after pacing past Jolee for the fifth time, "Revan was able to get into here..."He slapped the sides of his head as he spoke, in an effort to try and draw the poison out, but it was too late now, Revan had begun to take hold. "He was able to get into here because of my bond with Bastila...what ever spark of his life that remained has latched on to me, he's growing in strength all the time." Jolee stroked the sides of his goatee in contemplation, it wasn't his place to reveal the truth, he couldn't help but sneer at the supposed wisdom and compassion of the jedi council, how could they leave him fumbling about in the darkness like this?
"Look kid, I don't think I'm the best person to be talking to about this...perhaps Basti..."
"NO! No...I don't want her knowing about this."
"But surely she should be told..."
"I'm warning you old man," Logan's voice dropped to an unnaturally low pitch as he continued. "Don't say one word to her about this...I shouldn't of mentioned it, just...just forget I said anything." Jolee was left feeling completely disconcerted as Logan silently stormed out of the room, his future was drenched in mist and uncertainty, which path would the young jedi choose? No it was not his place to act, he would simply watch silently from the shadows and be ready to act if necessary. "Compassion? Ha! That boy's trapped in hell itself!" Deciding to meditated on this further, Jolee shuffled off towards his quarters, he sincerely hoped that he would gain more clarity on the issue before they touched down on Manaan.
Logan stood mutely over Bastila's dormant frame, he quickly became entranced by her shallow breaths. Her whole body seemed to sing to him as it skipped so fluidly from inhalation to exhalation. As soothing as her presence was however, he realised the inevitably of his situation, his thoughts were consumed by his dreams...and by Revan.
Exhaustion soon began to descend upon the troubled man, and with it fear, fear of what lurked in his subconscious. Revan seemed to be growing in strength all the time, his own memories however, were beginning to blur and fade away. Would still be the same man tomorrow? He began to roam the corridors of the ship in a desperate attempt to stave off sleep but he knew that his efforts would be in vein. He was panicking now as fatigue forced itself upon him, he didn't want to go back into that man's mind, he didn't want to feel like he was evaporating. Before sleep could claim him, he let out a defiant roar of no before slumping to the floor of the Ebon Hawk. Deep blues and murky greens coloured his vision, was he awake or dreaming?
"I won't go mad, I won't...IWILL NOT GO MAD!" Were the last thoughts that swam in his mind before the realm of dreams fully took him in.
"I...nk he's...wake..."
"d we try..o...ve him?"
"nt know...an...Lo..n...c..you hear me?" A haze of figures surrounded him, he strained hard to see them but he couldn't focus. His lids slowly closed as he forced himself to take in the world around him. The cold, harsh metal of the ship was grating mercilessly into his body, this was a stark contrast to what he felt pressing into his hand. Warmth and comfort danced across his skin as a gentle pressure from feminine fingers was applied to his palm.
"Revan wake up, you are still needed." An all too familiar voice whispered from the depths of his mind. His eyes shot open, ignoring the harsh light that greeted them, no...no he would not go mad. Dark lashes flitted from face to face, taking in the expressions of worry that came with them, finally, his green gaze settled on the wrinkled face of Jolee. His demeanour was one of muted concern and, was that pity? "Pity? No, no no that can't be right...He can't, I wont...wont let this...thing take hold."
"I'm all right, I just..just dozed off for a minuet." Logan mumbled as he shot to his feet, batting away any offers of help.
"Logan, you collapsed in the hallway, you did not just 'doze off!'" Bastila snapped, her pitch was unrecognisable, and she was clearly close to the point of tears. The very thought him in danger was...unbearable. Her sapphire orbs poured over his body searching tirelessly for any sign of ailment. "We need to get you to the medical bay."
"NO!" He instantly regretted his tone of voice, he knew she was simply worried about him, and her affection meant the galaxy to him, but still, she could never find out about his torments.
"I'm sorry Bas," Logan murmured in his usual husky, intense tone. He rubbed the back of Bastila's wrist with his thumb as he spoke, every minuscule movement was utter pleasure and relief for each party. "I just can't bare to spend another bloody minuet in the med bay, besides I'm feeling much better now and I'm sure that the fresh airs of Manaan will do me the world of good." He turned to Carth with a look of alert certainty in his eye, it was deliberately placed there in order to let everyone know he was fine, in reality however he was as far from fine as it was as physically possible to be.
"Have we touched down yet?"
"Y..yeah, about an hour ago, look Logan, if your not up to this I could lead the ground team."
"Thanks Carth but no thanks, Manaan may be a neutral world but there will still be a heavy sith presence and somehow I suspect we wont get a pleasant welcome, an all jedi party would be best for the direct mission, but don't worry, I have other plans for you." He finished with a wry smile. Carth was intrigued with what the man had planned now.
"OK, what are you thinking Logan?"
"All in good time," He chuckled while patting his friend on the cheek as he moved past. "All in good time...Jolee, Bas, grab your gear you're with me."
The three jedi patiently waited for the Hawk's ramp to lower, as it finally hit the floor, the unmistakeable sound of metal on metal resonated throughout the docking bay, this did little to distract two men that were engaged in a heated argument a few metres away from the ship.
"Lets go see what the fuss is about shall we?" Logan sighed as he began to traipse down the exit ramp. As he drew closer, he could see that the sparring parties were a sith and republic officer, "This is just ridiculous!" Logan thought to himself, "How can the Selkath think that neutrality is a good position to hold? There is nothing worse than apathy!"
"You Republic people are so pathetic," The sith snorted, clearly his venom was already in full flow. "Sitting around grovelling for any table scraps that the galactic senators decide to chuck you. It makes me sick!"
"The senators work for the good of the whole galaxy, not for individual gain!" The republic soldier protested, falling so easily for the bait that the sith had thrown him.
"Don't make me laugh, you gutless simp! It's the destiny of weak-minded fools like you to be ruled over by the strong, like we sith!"
"I'm warning you sith!" The soldier growled as he clenched his fists. "Don't push me, or you'll get just what you're asking for!" The sith gave the soldier a sadistic smile as he realised he'd won.
"Try it. Just try it, I'd love to see you throw the first punch. And with all the cameras around, the fish would be all over you inside of 30 seconds. You break their laws; you pay the price, Republic scum." The sith revelled in the hatred and frustration of his opponent, the only think that could be more pleasurable would be squeezing the life out of his body, but since that was not an option, he would have to make do with tormenting him instead.
"However it is clearly obvious that you're not enough of a man to back up your words anyway. But if you do ever feel like relieving yourself of your worthless existence, feel free to come by our enclave here. We have many, many ways to grant your wish."
Logan moved towards the republic soldier as the sith puled away, the man needed to vent his anger and had chosen his target before he realised just who he was.
"Yeah what do wa...? Oh I'm so sorry master jedi, please forgive my outburst, I shouldn't of been so rude." Logan raised his hand in an attempt to halt the apology.
"Its understandable son, the sith get us all flustered. Now what's the news on surface?"
"Well as you may of just gathered, the Selkath are still sticking with this dammed neutrality law, still intent supplying each side with kolto, greedy bastards!"
"OK, just tell me where the republic embassy is located."
"Oh, would you like me to show you?"
"Directions will be fine thank you."
"Well its near the visitor residences, you just go north from here, then south past the port official and the first courtyard, east into the second courtyard, north then east again. You got that?"
"Yup, that's perfect, thanks."
"It's been an honour meeting you master jedi." The young man said with a bow.
"No, the honour is mine." Logan replied while squeezing the man's shoulder. After he left, Logan turned to his companions with a look of hopelessness on his face.
"Well, this is going to be fun."