Hello again! Oh, my God, it's been a long time since I have updated this story. I apologize for that but I have many things that keep me busy right now. You know, I have an overhaul at home, had some hard time in my relationship (I broke up with my girlfriend), and lately I've returned to working out and swimming, cause I have to do something with my broken back, so most probably, until the summer holidays, the frequency of updating won't increase. And as always I ask for reviews, favorites and follows! With this said I invite to the chapter 28 of the 'Price of the Sacrifice'!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Chapter 28

"Jolee?" Revan asked with the look of recognition on his face. In front of him was standing a tall, black man. He was wearing something that resembled the brown Jedi robe and had a silver lightsaber handle clipped to his belt. He was wearing grey trousers and knee-high, leather boots. He had a pair of brown gloves and dark-green gauntlets. He didn't have any hair on top of his head, only grey mustache hair that was coming down to his jawline, and a single strip of a grey beard. The man had a small smile on his face, that clearly showed that he didn't have any hostile intentions.

"I'm happy that you still remember the old man" he replied, with his smile growing even wider. "But, I must say it, your sudden appearance here surprises me a lot. I didn't think that you would come to the Shadowlands again, and especially not after what you have done. You have some guts to come here, Sith Lord" he said, but his voice lacked the trace of hostility when he named Revan by his mantle.

"So, you've heard the news?" Revan asked, teasing him a bit.

"Of course I have" Jolee replied. This time the smile has gone from his face. "I know what you have found, and I know that it is not the tool of the Light Side. Besides, the screams of the entire Galaxy are possible to hear in the Force. Your deeds brought many deaths and sufferings, Revan" he said, this time much more calmly, as it didn't truly bother him. "I've heard about Telos and Taris not from the witnesses, but from the Force. It sent an echo of billions of beings dying.

"And do you hear the echo of these events in me?" Revan asked in the same calm tone. "I'm not responsible for these massacres. I haven't ordered the bombardment of Telos, nor Taris. Actually, when it came to the destruction of Taris, I wasn't in charge of my Empire anymore."

"And why is that?"

"I was betrayed by Malak" Revan replied simply. "He fired upon my ship, the Jedi captured me, and he took the mantle of the Dark Lord to himself."

"And how are you not responsible for Telos, hmm? You were the Dark Lord right then."

"I gave the order to conquer this planet, yes. But it was Malak who commanded the fleet. He simply ignored my orders and instead led the bombardment of Telos. I can't say it didn't bother me."

Jolee seemed to be in deep thinking after hearing that. He was eyeing the younger man carefully, trying to find any sign in Revan's expression that he was lying, but he could not find any. The Force wasn't shifting around him – an evident sign that he was telling the truth. The old man sighed heavily.

"I remember the first time when we met," he said, looking at Revan. "The Force was strong in you, as it is right now. But the Dark Side is not rampaging in you, as it did years ago. You've changed. It is still possible to sense it in you, but now it's much… calmer" he more stated than asked.

"I came here to find the Star Map once again, Jolee" Revan replied, earning a questioning look from the older man. "I have to get to the Star Forge."

"In order to reclaim the mantle of the Dark Lord of the Sith? To bring even bigger chaos and destruction to the Galaxy, than you already have?"

"You know nothing about me or my actions" Revan replied angrily. "I've done it out of necessity, trying to save the Galaxy from..."

"Save? SAVE?!Your deeds brought nothing to the Galaxy, but pain and suffering" Jolee interrupted what Revan was trying to say.

"You cannot judge me. You have no idea of what led me to make such decisions. I am doing what is right" Revan replied, clenching his teeth and fingers. An anger was emanating from him in waves – almost possible to touch. His Force Aura was shifting uncontrollably around his form – easily sensible for Jolee.

"What is right? Or what you think is right? That's a difference, Revan. You do control yourself, I cannot deny it, but the Dark Side is still strong in you" Jolee replied, taking a step forward.

"The Dark Side?" Revan mocked the older man after realization struck him. "From what you have told me years ago, I can say that there is no Dark Side, nor the Light Side, there is only the Force" he replied, quoting the old man's words. "If I am not mistaken, you are the one who first told me The Grey Code."

"And I will do what I must to keep the balance" Jolee replied, using the Code's words, as Revan did. "There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish. Last time when you came here, you were looking for the Star Forge as well. If only I knew what was about to happen after you reached it, I would have never helped you."

"Do we really have to go through all of this right now, Jolee?" Revan asked in irritation. "We're wasting time here, and time is something I do not actually have. I know that I have got into mischief previously, but now I'm working to undo what I have done."

"I may be old, kid, but I'm not someone who can be fooled twice" Jolee replied in a peaceful tone. "You tricked me once, but I won't allow you to do it again," he said, igniting his green lightsaber. "You need something more than just words to convince me, Revan." With that, he took a defensive pose, keeping his blade parallel to his shoulder.

Revan sighed in frustration. He wondered how it happened that everywhere he went, he met some obstacles. Perhaps the Force hated him, or it was some cruel joke from whatever lesser gods that existed in the Galaxy. He had no idea, but the fact that Jolee wanted to fight him seemed too unreal to him. The old man was always kind and easygoing – never the one to pull out his lightsaber first. And yet here he was, challenging Revan to fight.

Revan ignited his own lightsabers again. His expression was lightened by the blue and red lights, coming from his weapons. The former Dark Lord was holding the blades close to the ground, so the tips touched the ground. A small smoke was coming from the spots where the lightsabers made contact with the forest floor.

"Even now your behavior speaks for you," Jolee said. "Even if I don't fully believe in Light and Dark Side of the Force, it is obvious to me that the red lightsabers are used by those who claim to follow the path of darkness."

"You seem to be wise, and yet your words sound foolish" Revan replied. "The red color was used originally by those who claimed to follow their emotions. Even amongst the old Jedi Masters, there are still few who are using them. And what have you told me years ago? Ah, I remember now: serenity, yet emotion. Usage of the red lightsaber doesn't mean I'm corrupted."

"I know that, kid, but emotions in you are not uncontrolled. Your inner anger is perhaps tempered, but everything else is rampaging in you. Love, hatred, guilt, sadness, longing, all of this speaks through you louder than any of your words. Even if what you're doing is right, I cannot allow you to save the Galaxy, unless you bring balance to yourself first. I know your past, and I know what drives your emotions, but you cannot allow it to blind you, Revan. Until you understand it, I cannot allow you to pass. You must fight your way through me."

"So be it" Revan simply replied, launching at the old man. His lightsabers met Jolee's green one with a clash, that sent an echo throughout the dense forest of Kashyyyk. Many of the smaller creatures gathered around them ran away in fear.

Even if Jolee was an old man, his skills with the lightsaber were incredible. He deflected with ease Revan's every blow as if they were the intrusive flies. He parried every strike without breaking a sweat, scoffing Revan's efforts by keeping his left hand behind his back. He wore the same, emotionless expression, almost bored as if he was playing with a small child that is learning how to use the lightsaber.

After few minutes of such game, Jolee made his own strike. Only one, but precise, making contact with Revan's destroyed skin on his left shoulder. The man growled at the sudden impact, dropping his red lightsaber.

"This is where all your emotions are being ignited, Revan," Jolee said, using the moment. "Your Mandalorian nature hunts you down, never letting you go."

Jolee's words reminded Revan of his time as the Mandalore's captive. The pain he felt when he was tortured, the incredible agony when the Mandalorians ripped the skin from his left shoulder – where he had the symbol of Raven Clan. At least Jolee didn't hit his right shoulder. The wound was still far from being healed, and, if it was hit, it would most probably make Revan lose his consciousness.

The former Dark Lord strengthened his grip on the blue lightsabers he was still holding in his right hand. The smoke that was coming from the burned scar on his left shoulder was coming to his nostrils, blocking the already thin air, and to his eyes, blocking his vision. It was his time now to be on defense, as Jolee attacked him with his own series of strikes. The old man's blows were swift, but none of them were directed at his body.

It is a test, Revan realized after a moment. The way Jolee was fighting, his strikes, and all that was some kind of a test, that resembled a little the Jedi Trials. Its purpose was to find out if the student was going to use the Dark Side in order to win the duel. And Jolee was now doing exactly the same thing, as Revan's masters did to him years ago.

"I haven't come here to fight you, Jolee," Revan said when they separated in order to catch the breath. "Strike me down, if you have to. I'm not going to participate in this pointless duel, just because you do not believe in what I say. I do not need you to lecture me about my paths or my deeds" he added, turning off his blue lightsaber and clipping it to his belt.

Jolee mimicked Revan's moves, turning off his own weapon. His face was then lightened by a warm smile, that spread itself quickly on his lips, reaching his eyes. A small chuckle was what came from him next.

"I'm sorry, kiddo, for that wound," he said after seeing Revan smiling slightly as well. His tone was now friendly and had no trace of the previous hostility. "But I hope that you understand what I have done? I had to make sure that what you have said were not only the empty words but that you truly meant it."

"Never mind that, Jolee" Revan replied in the same tone. "I guess that I have deserved it at some point" he added with a small chuckle, similar to the old man's one.

"Come to my place, I'll see that wound. The lightsabers burns are the tricky ones. Better not to ignore that."

Revan nodded at that and came closer to the old man. On his way, he picked up his second lightsaber, clipping it to his belt. Jolee patted him lightly on his back when he got close enough. Revan smiled again at the warm gesture.

"So, since I have no real contact with the outer world, would you like to narrate what has happened through the past year?" Jolee asked as they were walking side by side towards Jolee's cabin. "I'm really interested in what has bypassed me."

Revan agreed to that, describing what has happened since his last visit on Kashyyyk. He told Jolee about the rest of his quest to find the other Star Maps and what he and Malak had found in the Unknown Regions, in the Rakata System. The old man was taken aback when he learned about the Council's proclamation as to Revan's fate. Now he seemed to understand a little better what motivated the younger man to begin his own war against the Republic.

From the Star Forge Revan moved to the events of the Jedi Civil War, describing as he was conquering the world after world, almost reaching the Core Worlds. He even didn't spare Jolee the descriptions of how he and Malak were breaking the Jedi that have somehow fallen into their hands. The old man grimaced at the images that appeared in his mind, as Revan kept on telling the story.

The former Dark Lord now described how the Jedi set a trap for him in the Sernpidal System, and how Malak used this opportunity for his act of betrayal. Jolee was once again taken aback when he learned about Revan's fate during his time as the Republic's captive. He would never assume that the Jedi Council would agree to such a thing as the interrogation with using of strength, but he didn't sense any trail of a lie in Revan's words. But his surprise was far from over when the younger man told him about the Council's decision.

After a moment of walking, they reached the place where Jolee lived through the past twenty years. It was a small cabin carved in a root of the Wroshyr tree. It contained a wooden door with a small circular window and two rectangular windows in the walls. The bright, yellow light was coming from it, enlightening the darkness of Kashyyyk's surface. The outside of the cabin was covered in some sort of spider-web, and some smaller creatures were crawling on the walls.

Jolee opened the doors, inviting Revan inside. The younger man lowered his head in order to not hit the frame with his head. The interior of the cabin was cozy. A small fire was burning in something that resembled chimney, casting light on the inside of the house. There was only one room, and it consisted a bed and some kind of a kitchen. A strange smell was coming to Revan's nostrils, most probably being something that Jolee was cooking. To put it simply: the old man's cabin was pretty much the same as it used to be almost two years before.

"It might be small, but it's still home," Jolee said, coming closer to a small jug that was standing on the fire, and stirred whatever that it was inside. "Please forgive me the little mess that is here, but I haven't expected any guests" he added with a small chuckle.

"Well, at least it didn't change any bit since last time I was here" Revan replied, with a similar chuckle. He knelt on the floor next to the chimney. He watched in amusement as the older man sipped the stinking content of the jug. He grimaced unwillingly.

"What?" Jolee asked. "Not having a woman can be very helpful, but sometimes, especially when you're making food, it's… difficult."

"Well, I can see your point" Revan replied with yet another chuckle.

"Now, let's see your wound, kiddo," Jolee said, putting back the small jug. Revan discarded his robe, tossing it to the side. He then rolled up the left sleeve of his tunic up to his collarbone. The mark after the lightsaber wasn't deep, in fact, the blade barely touched the skin, but it was enough to leave a burn.

Jolee brought a wiper soaked up probably with water and applied it to Revan's shoulder. The younger man hissed when the material made a contact with his skin.

"Well, the burn itself isn't a nasty one, but I'm more concerned about that ravaged skin of yours," Jolee said after he cleaned the wound.

"It's nothing" Revan replied with another hiss. "A souvenir from the Mandalorian Wars" he added, hoping that Jolee would give up on it, but the old man seemed unconvinced.

"There's more than what you're telling me, kiddo. I sensed that earlier, and now I would appreciate if you told me."

"Can you stop calling me 'kiddo'?" Revan asked in annoyance. "I'm not that young. I've seen many things in my life, and by all standards, I'm an adult."

Jolee laughed at that. "Sorry about that, but when you reach my age, everyone younger seems to be a kid. So, are you planning to tell me the story behind that scar?"

"I got it when I was in Mandalore's hands" Revan replied calmly. "I was their prisoner through the last month of the war. I had the skin from my shoulder ripped by the person who was torturing me. Apparently, he couldn't stand the fact that I had a symbol of a Mandalorian Clan on it."

"And what would that one be doing on your shoulder?" Jolee asked intrigued.

"I was born on Mandalore" Revan replied, earning a surprised expression from the old man. "I was taken from there by Jedi when I was five years old."

"So, you fought your own people during the war. Must have been difficult for you."

Revan laughed humorlessly upon hearing that. Jolee watched the younger man, waiting for him to stop. After a minute or so of laughing, Revan has calmed down, looking at the old man.

"Difficult? I have killed my own family during this war. The person who was torturing me was my own uncle, the brother of my father. Earlier in one of the campaigns, I have killed my own cousin" he said with a humorless smile. "I brought my own clan to extinction. I'm the last living member of the Raven Clan."

"Raven Clan?" Jolee asked surprised again. "Wait, isn't it connected with your name?"

"What an observation" Revan mocked. "But yes, hence my name. In our culture, the children are given names at the age of eight, and I have no idea why. Till then, we carry only the name of our clan. So, when I reached the proper age, I've given myself the name."

"Would you like something to eat?" Jolee proposed, changing the topic. "I've cooked it minutes before" he added, pointing at the jug. Revan grimaced slightly at that.

"No, thank you" he replied with a false, polite tone. Jolee seemed to not notice it.

"But you won't mind, if I…?"

"No, no, no, not at all" Revan said quickly. "Feel free to eat as much as you want" he encouraged him. The old man took a small wooden bowl and poured the content of the jug into it. Revan unwillingly held his breath, trying to not breathe the smell of the stew. Jolee then took a spoon and put it into the bowl, taking some of the food into his mouth.

"Since we're already at that" Jolee said with his mouth filled with the strange stew. "Could you please tell me something about your childhood? I'm most intrigued in how you ended up in the Jedi Order."

"As I have already told, I was taken from my homeworld at the age of five" Revan replied. "Even if I was a small kid, I do remember practically everything that happened that day. Few Jedi Masters have arrived, along with some Republic soldiers. My parents didn't agree to give me to the Order, so the Council decided to take me the hard way. My father and mother died in the battle, protecting me. At least they have died an honorable death – being outnumbered by the enemy, with weapons in their hands."

"Do you seek revenge on the Council then?" Jolee asked after a moment. He seemed surprised upon seeing Revan shaking his head.

"No. At least the Jedi guaranteed my parents a death worthy of a warrior. That's more than I could ask for. Anyway, for the next three years, I told no one my name, until I have given myself one. Simple changing of the letters and the Jedi Masters had no problem with accepting it. Even if I was growing up amongst the other Padawans in the Order, I still was interested in the culture of my own people. After countless hours spent with the old teachers, I was learning the ways of the Mandalorians, trying to learn what my parents haven't managed to teach me. By going to war I have only learned more about my own kind, than what was in the datapads and the archives."

"So, if you are the Mandalorian, and you bested Mandalore in combat, then…"

"I am the rightful leader of the Mandalorians" Revan finished for Jolee. "And I'm planning to reunite the Clans under one banner, just as my predecessor did decades ago. There is still the way for my people to regain honor, without breaking the terms of the treaty, I forced upon them. And this is also the reason why I'm looking for the Star Maps once again, Jolee."

"Feel free to tell it" the old man encouraged him with a small smile.

"On Mandalore's ship I learned that the Mandalorians were tricked into that War," Revan said. "After months of searching, Malak and I have found a world in the Unknown Regions called Dromund Kaas. It is a planet where the surviving Sith from the Great Hyperspace War took shelter. They have rebuilt their Empire, preparing for the revenge. Mandalorians were supposed to test the defenses of the Republic military structure, and the Sith Emperor certainly didn't expect me to show up. When I and Malak faced him, we were immediately defeated by him. I have no idea why he spared us that day, but he sent us back to the Known Regions in order to find the Star Forge – a device that is available for creating an enormous fleet out of thin air. With its help, the Sith Empire wouldn't have any problems in conquering the Galaxy."

"During our journey, though, Malak and I somehow set free from the Emperor's influence. As I said before, I even contacted the Council about what I have found, and yet they named me Darth Revan. Their arrogance and blindness were good enough reasons to begin a new war. But I never intended to rule the Galaxy. As ridiculous as it may sound, but I wanted to save it from the Sith from the Unknown Regions. And in order to do so, I had to make the Republic and the Jedi Order stand back. They are too weak and corrupted to face this threat."

"And now you're looking for the Star Maps, because?"

"Malak doesn't share my point of view. He wants the Galaxy for himself, but he is going to be wiped out when the True Sith arrive. I have to regain control over the Star Forge and my Empire to prevent the Galaxy from doom. And here comes one little problem. No computer contains the coordinates of the System where the Star Forge is located since it is in the Unknown Regions. I have no other choice but to find the Star Maps once again."

"Your story seems to be a little unreal to me" Jolee replied after a moment of silence and deep thinking. "Some things are just farfetched, but I do not sense you're trying to lie to me. In fact, the Force speaks through you. Even if I would want to, I cannot deny the truth behind your words."

"Does that mean you'll help me once again, old one?" Revan asked with a glimpse of hope in his voice. He was watching Jolee with anticipation, studying the man's expression. Finally, after what felt like hours, but in fact was only a minute, Jolee broke the silence:

"It's never too late to move a little these old bones. I'll help you, kiddo. I just hope I haven't sealed my own fate by this decision" he said with a small smile dancing on his lips. Revan grinned in response.


Well, this is it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you all for the patience. I tried to make the scene of Revan and Jolee meeting as realistic, as possible but you are the ones who have to judge it. As I said, the frequency of updating won't be any better right now, so please (and I'm sorry for that) be ready to wait around a month for the next update, though I'll try to write the chapter a little bit faster. See you next time ;)