KOTOR: The Power of Choice

by Sith Lord Darth Revan

Alternate Universe story involving a male Revan remembering his true identity. Part I primarily following Revan Completed, Part II covering the second KOTOR and the Exile's tale in progress...

36. Chapter 35: Pawns

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Imagine this war as a game of deceit. Were we to face our enemies on even terms, we would overcome them. As true as this statement is, the great flaw in this theory is that we are outnumbered, a stark handful against the massed hordes of the Republic and Malak's Sith. In order for us to win, we can't face our enemies on open fields. We have to fight them wherever we can, where we have the advantage. Its why I attacked Korriban first and why we are leaving it as well. We must be faster and smarter than our opponents if we are to survive. Victory against the numbers we face is impossible if we face them alone or in the open. Its underhanded, I know, Canderous; but we can't afford the losses our foes can. Remember how I made Mandalore waste his forces on Dxun? Many, many more Republic soldiers died there than Mandalorians, but it was a precursor to Malachor V. We had the system and Onderon. We had more ships and we had the layout of the system. Malachor V didn't destroy the Mandalorians as you think. It was merely half of the equation. Half of a two-part battle that took away the advantage of the Mandalorians. If the battles fought on Onderon and Dxun did not occur, Malachor V would have still been the last battle of the war; but the victor would have been Mandalore. You know enough of war not to waste resources, I'd think. To know where to strike your enemy to cause them the most pain? This is simply that, Canderous. Do not think it dishonorable because we chose our battles. Honor has its place, but in this case it leads only to death."
~Revan Qel-Droma to Canderous Ordo regarding the tactics of the Revanchist Sith~

Chapter 35: Pawns

In chess, one has to remember the importance of the pawns. While they lack the finesse and power of the rook or the queen, their cunning lay in anonymity. If one can take the queen from their opponent they will, but regard is rarely given to the pawns and as with all forms of combat; the pawns are the pieces that win the battles. A leader's ability to manipulate the pawns as well as the more important pieces is what determines if the leader is worthy of their title, or simply a substitute for a greater mind.

Revan Qel-Droma had never played chess, had never heard of the game in fact; but he was intelligent enough to know that even a nameless soldier could win a battle if given the right opportunity. It was part of the reason for his diversion to the Reclaimer after leaving the Leviathan. The logs would show the transport from the Leviathan was en route to Dreshdae while it really went to the Reclaimer. Paranoia pays off sometimes and Revan was just paranoid enough to still be alive, yet he bore the scars of each attempt on his life. Each betrayal of a subordinate.

Malak had by far done the most damage of his betrayers simply because Revan did not expect it of Alec. Alec had been loyal to a fault and in Revan's own opinion the better man and Jedi. Alec had balanced out Revan's Mandalorian traits with Jedi sensibility and a sense of justice and what was right and wrong that left Revan confused and irritated at times.

Alec had gotten into his fair share of problems as a result of his unique sense of justice, but he had only once questioned Revan directly. That was over Malachor V and the assassin program Darth Traya had been left in charge of. Revan's trust in his former Jedi Master had been so absolute that when Malak had questioned his wisdom in leaving Kreia in charge, Revan had simply seen red and assaulted his best and at the time, his only friend.

Alec Squinquargesimus had died the moment Revan maimed him and what had emerged from the kolto tank and weeks of therapy had been a monster that mirrored the one Darth Revan had become. It was easy to lose sight of the big picture in the face of such rage. Revan had raged at himself and Alec. The Republic, the Sith and the Mandalorians. Anyone was a fair target to him in that time and it had been the accumulation of a great many dark deeds that had ended in Malak returning Revan's betrayal in kind.
It was part of the reason Revan never blamed Alec, never felt any blinding rage over what had happened on the Revenge. Alec had merely been returning the favor, responding to a far greater slight. To be maimed was a fate worse than death to a Mandalorian and that Revan had done such a thing to someone he once called a brother was one of only a handful of acts Revan did that had no greater purpose. It held no honor and it was a stain on the former Jedi Knight's soul, a scar he carried within himself that never quite healed. It would be difficult for Revan to face Darth Malak, which was why he planned to have Kaera Nurr bumble along in his stead.

Deceit as a tool of war and one Revan had employed many times. Viewing Deceit more as a feign in an attack, Revan saw no reason to question the honor behind such tactics and deliberately used any scenario to his advantage. It had kept him alive and in mostly one piece so it wasn't a tactic he would throw to the wayside.

"Maybe I should have played dumb on Taris to Bastila and just walked away once we got to Dantooine instead of the mess it turned in to."
Absently rubbing his left hand over his abdomen where Carth had shot him, Revan glanced at Sarna as the Sith soldier adjusted her armor and checked her weapons. They were approaching Korriban at a speed meant for tactical insertions into war zones and to Revan, that was all Korriban really was. There were enough escape craft from the Republic fleet to form a sizeable resistance and Revan decided that misdirection would be necessary. The Republic obviously monitored Sith communications channels and the Leviathan's outdated signals would have been picked up by any potential listener with a comms receiver and half a brain. The Reclaimer was operating on a secret code shared by the Revanchist ships from Roon and Revan checked his own weapons out of habit before the stabilizers shifted as the transport came to a hard and quick stop and dropped down into the Valley of the Dark Lords.

Yuthura Ban frowned as she checked the logs from the Leviathan a second time. Revan was supposed to show up at docking port 37-B in Dreshdae and that was supposed to be an hour ago. With a sigh, the Sith Academy Master clasped her hands together behind her back, waiting calmly for the Revanchist leader to make his appearance. A coded message to return to the Academy immediately drew Yuthura from the docking bay several moments later.

Unseen by the Sith Academy Master and the soldiers escorting her and acting as an honor guard for Revan, a Republic Soldier clad in slightly weathered combat armor cursed as he pulled his thumb from a detonator switch. The opportunity to assassinate Darth Revan had been missed and any potential damage that could have been done to the Sith on Korriban had been lost as well in the hopes that Revan's transport would land where it was supposed to. With a silent hand signal to a similarly-clad human the Republic soldier hefted an advanced sniper-rifle and moved with silent but quick steps towards a cliff-face overlooking the Sith Academy. If they couldn't get a shot at Revan, they'd take out the Academy Master.

Carth Onasi absently glanced over his shoulder as he walked through Dreshdae's streets. The small settlement was oddly quiet and the Republic Commander was at a loss to the reason. The answer came a moment later as bootsteps could be heard and Carth resisted the urge to dive for cover when a squad of silver-armored Sith soldiers rounded the corner with a gray-uniformed Dark Jedi at the head. The violet-skinned Twi'lek Sith didn't even glance at Carth as she passed, her face set in a frown as she pondered the reason Revan was calling her from the Academy and not an orbiting ship or transport. There was also a lingering sense of danger in the Force and the Academy Master tried to center her anxieties and follow the thin tendril of the Force that told her to keep her hand on her weapon and her senses alert.

"Hail the Evil Empire..."
Revan Qel-Droma mused to himself as he swept through the silent halls of the Sith Academy. Soldiers and students were gathered in the main hall and waiting for an announcement that was vital to their continued existence. The soldiers formed ranks, though they were at ease at that point while the Dark Jedi and students stood in varying states of unease, boredom and apathy. A complete and total lack of discipline was apparent in most of the students and Revan felt some disgust as he stalked into the main chamber of the Academy and watched through his mask as all heads turned to him.

"We have a problem."
Revan began, stalking like a predator through the solid ranks the soldiers and students hastily formed at his appearance. Raking his eyes along the gathered handful, Revan counted only a few hundred soldiers and students. It wasn't enough to sustain the Sith Empire, let alone the Revanchists if they ever actively engaged the Sith and the Jedi and Revan stopped in front of a young boy who's features were vaguely familiar.

"Care to offer a guess?"
Revan asked the boy, amused briefly at the flicker of fear in the boy's eyes. Swallowing, the Sith recruit tried to form a coherent sentence when faced with a Force-user who's skill was legendary amongst the Sith and simply something none of them could compare to.

"I- I don't know what you mean, Milord."
Dustil Onasi answered, fuming internally at being singled out. All movement from the Dark Lord ceased and a heavy silence filled the halls while Darth Revan's mask fixed on Dustil.

"You don't know what I mean?"
Revan's tone was amused, though an undercurrent of anger was clear to all present.

"Look at yourselves, gathered here in these ancient halls of knowledge. You turn against one another, revel in your own pathetic powers while your enemies watch you from afar, plotting your deaths. There is a platoon of Republic Special Forces soldiers in the wilderness around this Academy preparing an assault at this very moment yet you are all here at my whim, leaving this place unguarded. You- all of you are overconfident in your security. Simply following the leader of your Academy and saying you will follow me is not enough. I will not suffer fools in my army. Go out there into the wilds and kill those invaders. Immediately."
Revan turned his attention from Dustil to the other Sith, raising his voice near the end so all could hear. Silence fell upon the gathered Sith and Revan clenched his hands into fists, snarling the next part.

"Get the Hell out of here and prove yourselves or I kill you where you stand!"
Almost as one, the Sith immediately broke ranks and rushed out of the Academy, quickly forming search parties and strike teams to counter the threat of the Republic survivors. Crossing his arms over his chest, Revan remained inside the Academy, his eyes traveling to where Mission and Zalbaar were emerging from the bowels of the Academy. With the Academy mostly empty, Revan knew now was the opportune time for Carth or Kaera to make their passage. Something was keeping them on Korriban and if it wasn't the Starmap, Revan wanted to know what it was. You could never have too much information when fighting a war, especially one of subtlety and the former General nodded to Mission as the Twi'lek approached. Sarna was still at the transport, keeping an eye on the Republic signals the fleet had picked up and ready to call in a squadron of fighters if necessary while Revan went to the Academy to raise some Hell.

"Are you two going to make yourselves useful or do I need to offer you the same treatment?"
Revan snarled at Mission, causing the young Twi'lek to flinch. Zalbaar growled under his breath, their rehearsed behavior painting a picture of reluctant servitude to a Dark Lord. Beneath his mask, Revan smirked when Mission nodded shakily to him and rushed away, the Wookiee following her and casting him a convincing glare over his shoulder. Seeing the Sith student he'd singled out following the two with his gaze and a thoughtful frown, Revan shook his head in apparent disgust, stalking away from the Academy and down into the quarters formerly held by Uthar Wynn.

The old Sith Academy Master had some interesting documents and artifacts that Revan wanted to sort through without prying eyes. Mission and Zalbaar would create any necessary distractions and Yuthura was likely outside the Academy and trying to regain a semblance of control over her underlings. Without opposition, Revan easily gained entrance into Uthar's quarters, unaware of the stealthed form watching him and following in his wake.

Few possessed a natural talent for stealth like the Cathar and with her Jedi training and a childhood filled with fleeing and terror and pain, Juhani was more than adept at her skills in concealing herself within a Stealth field generator and the Force. Even Mission wasn't as good as the Cathar and as she followed Revan's aura, disguising her own in his excess power, Juhani spotted her prey. Juhani didn't need a holo or Dak's help when she could smell Dustil from where she stood, hidden within the cloak of a stealth field. The boy had his father's scent and Juhani pondered the wisdom of confronting the boy when he was alone.

Dustil Onasi was following Mission and Zalbaar with his eyes, confused as to the presence of such an odd pairing and their connection with Darth Revan. With a glance in the direction Revan had gone in, Dustil followed after the Wookiee and Twi'lek, deciding a few questions as to the supposed new leader of the Sith of the Academy wouldn't be a bad idea.

Having tagged Dustil without putting Dak at risk for assisting, Juhani turned her attention to Revan, curious as to why he was so strict with Mission when it was completely unnecessary. During her time with the others on the Ebon Hawk, Juhani knew enough of Mission to know the girl adored Revan and thought of him as a friend.

"Perhaps the man Revan is becoming is as much a bother to her as it was to me."
Remembering well the darkness she had sensed within Revan, Juhani saw how very meaningless her own fall had been. She had murdered only her torturer while Revan was responsible for the deaths of countless innocents. When she'd looked into his eyes in the Grove on Dantooine, she'd seen evil the likes of which she could not fathom. Revan's eyes held the answers to his actions and Juhani had seen in Revan's eyes a man who placed no value on life and a man who felt nothing over the horrors he'd unleashed upon the galaxy.

Had she not known of the good man he'd been when he'd saved her on Taris years before, Juhani would have felt compelled to attack Revan, for his good as well as that of the galaxy. Such remorseless killers could not walk the galaxy unopposed. They should certainly not be in positions of power and with a silent sigh, Juhani resolved to carry out her task.

She was there to appeal to the good in Revan, not scorn the evil. She had been a Jedi, but she had touched darkness. She knew of the crimes done by the Jedi Covenant and what the Jedi Council had done to Revan's mind and she was not going to betray what Revan had done for her when he'd saved her from Xor so many years ago. She would save him if she could, or die trying.

"Stealth field generators light up my mask's sensors like a bloody solar flare you know."
Revan commented as he glanced up from the datapad he was perusing in Uthar's former quarters. He'd spotted Juhani as soon as she stepped into the room, but the Cathar was good enough in her stealth skills to have gotten into striking distance of him. Uneased slightly at that, Revan set the datapad down and crossed his arms as he gazed at the distortion his mask's heads-up-display was locked on. A sigh from the invisible Cathar drew a slightly curve to the edge of Revan's lips before it fell away. As much as he enjoyed being a cheeky bastard, it wasn't the time to get side-tracked. Juhani was stalking him for a reason.

"What do you want, Juhani?"
Revan asked, his voice flat but holding a hint of wariness. Juhani had betrayed his trust by not informing him of Jolee Bindo's presence and while that was normally grounds for a prompt execution, Revan had saved Juhani's life twice and when one saves a life, one has to take responsibility for that life as well. Bastila had done as much for him and it was the least he could do for the young Cathar who he suspected was on her way back to the Jedi Order. She had killed Xor in anger, but such things weren't as unforgivable to Jedi as they were only a few short years ago. The Jedi were beginning to feel the end of the war and they were beginning to realize that they wouldn't survive it. Perhaps Malak's Sith wouldn't either, Revan hadn't decided anything concrete as of yet, but he was going to be killing a lot of people in the near future and Light or Dark, hero or not; Revan was finished watching from the sidelines as the war continued. Vima Sunrider had told him all that needed to be done in preparation for the True Sith had been done. That was enough for Revan.

"There is a student in this Academy that I wish to... arrange a meeting with."
Disbelief crossed Revan's features but the effect was lost by his mask and Juhani shifted uncomfortable as a heavy silence descended between them.

"Dak Vessner. No, I don't think so, Juhani. You failed to inform me of your other Jedi companion and I've lost a valuable Fleet Commander as a result. I think I'll just go kill Dak. Do you want to watch?"
Tossing the datapad he'd planned to read aside, Revan smirked at the horror on Juhani's face. Did she think he was completely ignorant of those he commanded? He'd sensed the connection between the Cathar and the Sith student and he'd show Juhani, indirectly the cost of betrayal. Plus Dak had pissed him off during their brief encounter.

"Master Ban? Have Dak Vessner killed. Immediately. Thank you."
Flicking off his wrist-communicator, Revan turned his attention from the device to the horrified Cathar before him. With slow, practiced steps, Revan closed the distance between them, invading the Cathar's personal space as he leaned in and brought his mask inches from her gaping face.

"Twice I have saved your life. This is the last time, Juhani. Leave and never try to manipulate me again or I will have your head."
Brushing past the Cathar, Revan ignored Uthar's belongings. There was nothing of vital importance in the former Academy Master's quarters and nothing that couldn't be replaced. The only thing of interest to Revan within the quarters had been a Sith Torture Mask that he had briefly pondered throwing over Juhani's head just to see what would happen. Cruelty was a weapon, a tool that Revan used as a means to an end and found no enjoyment in. Still, his curiosity would have been satisfied.

There hadn't been enough time to act to save Dak's life and Juhani shivered violently when she felt her connection with her friend vanish. A cold void grew in the Cathar's mind and she struggled to overcome the darkness that was rolling about like an enraged beast and crying out for blood. With a shuddering sigh, Juhani suppressed the urge to follow and try to kill Revan when the Force shifted slightly and her attention fell to the datapad Revan had carelessly tossed aside. Taking the device with a frown, Juhani's eyes widened at the information on it before she reactivated her Stealth Field Generator and sought out Carth's son. She'd managed to convince Carth to stay in Dreshdae, but she doubted it would last.

Yuthura Ban shrugged to herself as she considered the implications of the order passed on to her. Being the Master of the Academy in the wake of Uthar Wynn's swift end at Revan's hands, the former Twi'lek slave understood the necessity of following orders. Dak was one of the more competent of her students, but not the best and his loss would not be her loss. The Dark Jedi was so occupied with her own thoughts that she barely sensed the intent of the Republic sniper in time and a blasterbolt sped past Yuthura as she lunged to her side, rolling into a crouch and activating her lightsaber. Turning her head from side to side and not really looking with her eyes but her Force-enhanced senses, the Twi'lek deflected the sniper's second shot and cursed under her breath as she determined the angle of the attack and moved to the nearest cover which happened to be the Academy entrance itself. Yuthura nearly missed blocking a near-fatal shot when the doors to the Academy opened and Darth Revan emerged.

Clad in his black and red battle robes and armor, the Revanchist leader was the picture of the Dark Lord of the Sith he'd been over a year before. With casual, unhurried steps; Revan moved towards Yuthura, drawing the fire of the Republic snipers. Due to the alarm he'd raised within the Academy shortly before, the Sith soldiers and students scouring the surrounding wilderness around the Academy and Dreshdae quickly zeroed in on the sniper and Revan moved as if he knew precisely where the shots would head, not even dodging the three shots the Republic sniper was able to send towards him before being forced to concentrate on a threat to himself. Revan simply walked towards Yuthura, calmly shifting and allowing the blasterbolts to pass him by, the deadly bolts of energy missing him by scarcely an inch each time as he avoided them with a natural ease that stunned Yuthura. The way Revan avoided the blasterbolts was so natural, so instinctual that it left the Academy Master at a loss. Power like Revan's was rare and to see first-hand the Dark Lord of the Sith in action was simply astonishing.

"The alarm has already been raised, Yuthura. I need to see a log of all your students in the near future and preferably their files. The Revanchists can't accept just anyone into their ranks, regardless of how outnumbered we truly are. I'm sure you understand."
Yuthura could only nod numbly, her eyes wide and fixed on the emotionless facade of Revan's mask. Without another word, Revan turned from Yuthura and returned to the Academy, a frown hidden beneath his mask as he glanced over his shoulder at the Twi'lek Sith instructor. He rarely flaunted his powers in the Force, rarely drew on them entirely but he'd done so in just then to avoid the sniper's shots. It was a ploy of course, to let Yuthura know exactly who she was dealing with but it all left a rather foul taste in the former Jedi Knight's mouth.

The Lightside of the Force only truly opened up to a Jedi when they surrendered themselves fully, allowing it to guide them without hesitation or doubt. A moment's doubt or a moment's lapse of concentration would break the flow of the Force and subsequently break the Jedi. Likely into many pieces if the artillery the Republic had just been shooting at him was any indication.

Sneering slightly at the errant thought of yet another nameless person getting a shot on him, Revan had allowed himself to tap in to the massive well of power he'd been born with and had used the Force to guide his actions. He never surrendered to the will of the Light anymore, nor did he embrace the Darkside. The Darkside offered power for power's sake. Like those who drew deeply on the Lightside of the Force, the Darkside required one to surrender to its will, to follow the raging flow of passion and emotion and while in the heat of melee that held your life in the balance would allow a Darksider to accomplish great and near-impossible feats there were devastating drawbacks. If the connection to those passions, if the sheer rush of adrenaline was lost the connection would fail and the body would suffer withdrawal as if craving a drug and it was... very painful when one succumbed to the dangers of the Darkside.

The balance as Jedi called it, or a gray Jedi as some Sith did was a state of being so intuned with the Force that the user had near-endless power. His previous failings that led to grievous injuries were a result of an imbalance within that corrupted his unique hold on the Force and Revan walked through the silent halls of the Sith Academy with the frown on his face clearing to a decidedly neutral expression. A state of nothing, of neither the emotions or the feelings that Jedi received through the Force or the passions that fueled the Dark Jedi and Sith was quickly becoming a natural state of being to the Revanchist. It lacked the intoxicating high of the Dark and the unifying comfort of the Light. The Force merely felt like a cool blade in his mental hand, a tool and not a lifestyle for him to bend to his will.

"Its as if I am free of its influence..."
Remembering his wish to fool the True Sith into believing him to be the Sith'ari and his own musings over such a fate, Revan felt no satisfaction at the result. The Force felt almost dead in the state his senses were in and while it was a mixed blessing, it offered him no comfort or distractions as the light and the dark respectively did. It sucked as Mission would remark and Revan rolled his eyes at his mental degeneration. It was a good thing, yet it was also a terribly unnatural thing. The end result of a lifetime of training and two contrasting viewpoints on the same Force. He'd been a Jedi and a Sith, a hero and a villain and he'd fallen; quite recently into the middle.

"Freedom from the flow of the Force."
With a mental shrug at the thoughts plaguing him, Revan relaxed his iron-hold on the Force. The last time he'd truly felt the influence of the Lightside of the Force was when he'd been training with Bastila on Manaan. The care of almost obsessive perfection he demanded of himself while training the young woman who had saved his life required a focused connection to the Force and Revan's self-control had logically picked the light over the dark when dealing with Bastila. He had no intent to harm her and while she did intrigue him, the burning passion that had consumed him and driven him to madness during the Mandalorian wars had simply lost its fire. He had too much respect for Bastila Shan, felt too indebted to her to expose her to the dangers of the Darkside unrestrained. Such things had led many a great Sith to their tombs and the thought of his own tomb in the Valley of the Dark Lords was a depressing and all-together unsavory outcome to a life spent in the service of the greater good.

Quite simply, Revan Qel-Droma wanted to live a life free of the flow of the Force and the influences of the galaxy, yet he chose to sacrifice such a life of anonymity to protect the galaxy from the True Sith. Jedi would fall and Sith would be redeemed in his war, their connections to the Force would become as corrupted as his own and they would become a new Order that would be neither Jedi nor Sith, yet both. The Gray Order was too cliche a title and with a disgusted scowl, Revan decided the Brotherhood of the Balance would be a terrible name as well for the new Order he was building. The Revanchists would have to do, egotistical though the name was. Revan had always seemed arrogant to the Jedi Masters but they had mistaken his confidence for such and the Mandalorian-raised former Jedi and Sith Lord never saw the importance of himself when it came down to it.

"Who I am is not important... but my message is..."

He'd said as much years before and he stood by the theory. A man was only as big as the ideals held to his name and Revan was all things in that regard. He had to be so in order to inspire so many to follow his cause and the Jedi Civil War had spawned plenty who saw no appeal in the Jedi Order or the Sith Empire; yet held the powers to make them successful in either Order. The flawed principle of the Sith and the Jedi's views on the Force was simply the distinction between black and white. There was no room for change in either Order and their teachings stifled those who would otherwise flourish if given leniency. The Jedi shunned the darkness and the Sith despised the light. They were both part of the same Force, two sides of the same credit-chip yet neither could abide the other.

A third Order dedicated to the pursuits of both divisions of the Force, to the state of balance Revan found himself in for the first time in his life was long overdue and Revan decided as he exited the Sith Academy and made his way to his transport to rejoin the fleet in orbit that the Revanchists should give the galaxy that option. The Jedi Covenant had proven how dangerous blind commitment to the Light could be and the Sith... well the dozens of dead worlds still smoldering in the ashes of their former inhabitants spoke for itself.

It all fell back to chess, really. Revan was neither a pawn nor even the king. Revan was the player, both players in fact. The light and the dark pieces moved against one another, manipulated by his commands and weakening one another and ignorant of anything but themselves and their foe. That singular focus that was in the heart of all Jedi and Sith who committed fully to their respective Orders would be all the opening he needed to lay waste to what remained. To break down the towers both sides had made and build from the rubble of both weakened Orders his own.

Suddenly bored with his singular focus on the Balance of the Force, Revan absently reached along the bond that had formed in his mind when Bastila Shan had saved his life. The distance between them was enough that actual words and thoughts could not pass between them unspoken, but Bastila had been strong in her own right and the power she had gained by tying her aura to his had given her the potential to be his equal. Twitching slightly at the thought of a foe he could neither vanquish nor fall to, Revan allowed himself a small smile as he pulled his thoughts from the subtle and blunt manipulations of those around him. Searching for emotions within himself, Revan opened the bond and passed on what the bond would allow.

Pushing his thoughts through the Force and the bond forged between a once Dark Lord of the Sith and a turned Jedi Padawan, Revan opened his mind to Bastila, sending what he could to the former Jedi.

In the Temple of the Ancients on Lehon, Bastila Shan's gray eyes snapped open, glazed slightly from her recent immersion into the Force. With bleary eyes, the former Jedi Padawan turned her eyes towards the Star Forge, calmly filing away the distance it had passed in the sky since she had began her meditation.

It had been several hours at least and the vibrant blue sky that had been present when she had slipped into the flowing tides of the Force and embraced the newly opened dark tendrils had darkened to a deep violet. In the distance, Rancor-beasts bellowed in outraged hunger, the Darkness recently awakened within the Force with Darth Revan and Darth Malak's arrival in the Rakatan system filling their primitive minds with an endless hunger brought forth by the corruption of nature and the balance long lost by the reawakening of the Star Forge and the Sith.

The Bond had filled with an unnamed emotion and the turned Jedi Padawan took in a steadying breath. Revan had tried to contact her, had sought her out through the Force and whatever the emotion had been, it was so distorted that she could not find the reason behind it. Still, it had comforted her tumulus thoughts slightly and reassured her that she was of some importance to Revan if he would seek to reassure her in such a way.

A flash of hatred crossed Bastila's deceptively soft features, marring the young woman's beautiful face into something harsh and ugly. Revan would avenge her fall, she knew. It was more than just revenge that drove Revan towards her and while she had recoiled weeks before from such thoughts, Bastila embraced the darkness within her and the power that came from it.

The torture of Malak would always leave its mark on her soul, tainting the light she had once held above all else and she turned her back on the Jedi teachings. She had seen enough of the flaws in the Jedi Code through Revan's thoughts and experiences and she would not be taken for a fool again.

Lifting her black cloak from a nearby crate and deciding that hunger had priority over meditation, Bastila moved from the rooftop of the Rakatan Temple, the bright sunlight of Rakata diminishing and finally disappearing entirely as the ambient lighting of the Temple's interior offered just enough light for a human to see their way by.

Drawn to the bowels of the Temple, Bastila secured her meal and lost herself to the currents of the Force once more, the thoughts Revan had sent through the bond compelling her to search the sublevel of the ancient structure. Years had passed since Revan Qel-Droma and Alec Squinquargesimus had first set foot in the cool and dark depths of the temple and Bastila could feel the lingering tendrils of the Force; the scars left in the Force by both men's passage through the temple and Bastila came upon an ancient puzzle, the glowing Rakatan glyphs tantalizing a memory sealed within the depths of her mind that was purely not her own.

Revan's memories had scalded her mind with their intensity and while many months had passed since the forming of the bond, burying the memories deep within her mind they were coming to the front when she saw the familiar yet alien surroundings.

Troubled slightly at the thought of her mind not being entirely her own, Bastila shivered and reaffirmed her actions on Dantooine when she had helped Revan evade capture by the Jedi Order. Despite her turn, the guilt had plagued her and even her fall had not freed her of the thought of how much damage Revan could do unrestrained. She had kept as close to him as she dared, seeing a greatness within the man, a destiny that couldn't be contained despite the interference of the Jedi Masters.

A familiar pattern played out over the glyphs and Bastila started as an ancient passageway opened suddenly, the stale air of the sublevel heavy in her lungs. Pressing on with a hand on her saberstaff, the newly appointed Apprentice to the Dark Lord of the Sith stepped into the undisturbed catacomb, her eyes settling upon an ancient and still active console.

Lowering her eyes to the ground, Bastila took in a deep and calming breath, resisting the urge to cough violently as the damp weight in the air assaulted her lungs. Even so a gasp overtook the young woman and she felt the Force shift subtly.

Revan had been in this place and more recently Malak. The console glowed in the darkness of the ancient catacomb and the bones of long-dead souls lay about, fossilized by the passing of thousands of years. Even so, the smell of rot was thick in the air and Bastila took hold of the Force, allowing it to shed proverbial light upon the mystery of her surroundings.

"Subtle though my strategies may be. They all hinge upon a single event."

On Korriban, Revan was sitting in the co-pilot's seat of the transport he had taken to the ancient Sith world, his thoughts diverted to the bond he shared with Bastila Shan. He'd passed along as many hints as he could to the young woman and Revan shifted uneasily. Malachor V had been the end of a long and sordid strategy that had hinged on his presence.

It had been a fantastic failure that had destroyed the Mandalorians as well as many of the less reliable soldiers that had been under his command. It had been left to a trusted General, the third in Command of the fleet and answerable only to Malak and himself that had been given the duty of using the superweapon.

Revan had instead been delayed from the battle and the massed Republic fleet had been divided when the full might of the Clans had descended upon the now shattered world.

Malachor V had been the last battle in the war, but Revan had planned the battle, had staged the war to weaken the Mandalorians enough that when he chose to draw them to Malachor that victory would at least be possible. Even with the Jedi that had followed him, the Mandalorians were worth ten, even a dozen Republic soldiers.

Dxun had been a strategy, a means to devastate the Mandalorian's numbers and while it had been costly to the Republic, the Republic's superior numbers had brought victory.

Dxun had been a world where many an inexperienced Republic recruits met their ends and massed armies of battle droids had become nothing more than molten slag. Even so, the world had been a good training ground. Hardened by the battles within the hellish jungles, the soldiers that stood at Malachor had been enough to match the Mandalorians. Or at least they should have been.

With a scowl, Revan pulled away from the thoughts of past failures and misplaced trust. It was a lesson for the future, not just a mistake and Revan pressed his lips together in a thin line. Doubts would only lead to hesitation and Revan had no intention of hesitating. He had the utmost trust in Bastila Shan and when she became more privy to the plan he had formed, he knew she would see the logic as well as the benefits in such an arrangement.

He could not doubt that for a second or Bastila would know and she would fail him as Taya Kenobi had over Malachor V.