Disclaimer: I don't own Kotor.

That wasn't my first time on Coruscant, but I was still highly unfamiliar with the planet. The Temple looked much larger, bigger and greater than what I remembered. Eight years, I thought when I got off the 'speeder. I wasn't even sure I'd find my way to the Council chamber on my own. With unsteady knees I made my way up the large stairway leading to the enormous entrance to the Temple. People around me were glancing at me, but didn't seem to actually care why I was here. Better that way. To tell the truth, I wasn't sure myself, though I had an idea.

The entrance hall was plain with high ceiling and many columns along the walls. My steps were echoing softly as I went forward, my eyes on the person on the other side of the room. A tall Jedi with dark skin and even darker eyes was coming to meet me. I bowed before Master Dorak respectively, eager for anything he might have to say. His face betrayed none of his thoughts when he simply beckoned me to follow him. That sent a cold feeling down my spine.

"You arrived sooner than we anticipated," he said eventually.

"I took the first shuttle I could, Master," I said, still examining my surroundings. The Temple was different from Enclave in every aspect. Where the Enclave was modest and calm, the Temple had a scent of hurry and nobility. With so many empty placed to be found all over the Enclave, the Temple had even more of them crowded with Jedi, Padawan and apprentices. I couldn't remember seeing children of such a young age in the Enclave either. The Temple was an avatar of the endless city of Coruscant. The Enclave embodied grassy hills and plains of Dantooine. "I was told the matter was urgent," I added.

"It is," he agreed with me. Wordlessly he led me to a large room filled with soft gurgling. I'd never seen it before, but I could tell we were in the Chamber of Thousands Fountains. I turned to Master Dorak with a confused expression. "I thought I was going to meet the Council."

"You are, just not right now. The Council has other pressing matters to attend to. Like I said, you arrived unexpected. In the meantime, you can spend your time here, meditating to calm your racing mind. Yes," he nodded and smiled a little and finally I could see a trace of the familiar warmth in his eyes, "I can sense your anxiety, young Padawan."

I bowed my head. "As you wish, Master. I'll wait here, until the Council has time for me. However, could you let my Master know I'm here? I'd like to talk do her," I asked him in the most dutiful voice I could muster. Maybe Aren would know what it was all about.

Dorak took a slow breath. "I'm afraid, that won't be possible, Adrianne. The Council will tell you more." With that he turned around and left me beside one of the smaller fountains. I frowned and turned to it, suddenly annoyed by the tiny drops of water that were bouncing from the stone brim and splashing my hand.

I sighed and made my way to one of the benches, sitting down. A had a bad feeling about it. My eyes travelled to the exit of the room as if I could still see the chronicler. I wasn't stupid. I knew the Council had no other pressing matters. They just wanted me to wait. It was their game. Aren had told me, I might sometime find myself in exactly that position and advised me on how to behave. The advice was simple…Don't be yourself. Be patient and try to be respectful and don't interrupt their speech, no matter how long it would be. Use it as an opportunity to sort out your arguments.

That memory brought a soft smile to my lips. If only I knew what the matter was so that I could actually prepare my arguments. It could be thousand things. I hadn't been very obedient apprentice. Luckily for me Aren usually kept everything to herself. At least when it came to my biggest offence; when she had found out about my plan, she expressed her disapproval...and understanding when she returned the confiscated camera disruptors. But I was sure my plan wasn't the reason why I'd been summoned to come; the Council had no idea about my...intentions. The question was: what was the reason?

"Why aren't you dressed in the Jedi robes?" a voice asked me, breaking my chain of thoughts. I lifted my head to see a tall, muscular boy, probably several years older than me, standing in front of me. His posture was casual and relaxed, the thumb of his left hand was hooked behind the belt of his robes. Somehow, I could tell he was extremely bored. Probably he'd been sent here to meditate, but since he took the first opportunity – my arrival – to abandon such a praiseworthy activity, he wasn't very fond of it. That made us two of a kind.

"I don't wear Jedi robes," I said simply. Not many people were wearing them on Dantooine; the planet was too warm for them most of the year. Maybe only Masters, but they had never wanted us to wear them as well. Another difference between the Enclave and the Temple. But that was understandable. the Enclave was secluded, but the Temple had to represent the Order in the eyes of the Republic.

He shrugged and took a seat next to me, thought not close to me. "I wish I had your Master, then," he said simply. "Master Vrook's strict when it comes to these things."

I frowned. Master Vrook, the pain in the ass. "I can imagine. But he only wants what is best," I said despite myself. Generally I disliked the guy and his old-fashioned opinions about the Order.

"Of course, I never said he didn't," he nodded quickly. "Why are you here? Not for the training, I guess, otherwise you'd be already in some classroom."

God...can't you return to your meditating? I thought grimly."No, not for the training," I replied curtly.

He made a face. "Not in a mood for talking, I see. Then it's the Council."

That made me smile and turn to him. He had rich brown hair and grey and blue eyes with merry sparkles in them. His face could be considered handsome, especially when he was smiling the way he was. "That bad, huh?" I asked with a lop-sided smile.

He chuckled. "Not really, but…eh…yeah, sometimes."

"Great," I mumbled and shook my head. Then I turned my attention at him again, realizing his company wasn't that bad after all. "I didn't catch your name."

"Ehm…" he smiled nervously and touched the back of his neck. "It's…well, everyone calls me Squint."

"Squint?" I repeated and laughed. "What kind of name is that? I mean…I'm sorry, but…"

He simply nodded. He didn't seem offended by what I'd said. "It's a custom of my planet to have a second name after the village you grow up in. The name is…well, long. People just made it shorter."

"Long name? Now you've sparkled my curiosity. Spit it out."

"Squinquargeimus."

„What?" I laughed. "Wow…Okay, I'm not going to try to repeat it. Uhm, don't you happen to have another name by chance? Some normal, maybe?"

He shot me an amused look. "Alek."

"Much better," I returned the look and offered my hand. "Adrianne."

His hand grasped mine and shook it gently. "Nice to meet you."

The chill woke me up. I had goose prickles all over my body since I'd kicked the blanket away. The room was drowned in the dark and my eyes were vainly searching around me. "HK?" I asked silently, but the answer never came. Combing my dishevelled with my fingers I slowly sat up, adjusting Bastila's tunic. "HK?" I asked again, standing up, before I went out of the cargo hold. The lights in the corridor were off again, so HK had to be in the cockpit. I frowned and slowly made my way there, still half-asleep. I stifled a yawn behind my hand when I entered the the small cabin. I blinked, surprised, when I noticed it wasn't HK inside.

"Shaak and cheese sandwich," Carth smiled, turning in the pilot's seat. His hand pointed at the small plate laid on the panel separating pilot's and co-pilot's space. "This time with shaak meet," he added with a smile, "and with topato. I thought you might be hungry. I know I was."

Suddenly I was smiling broadly, fully awake now. "That was one of the better moments, huh?"

He paid me a questioning look.

"Taris," I explained. "We were fighting each other all the way from the planet, but that moment, after the Sith base, was…"

"I know what you mean," he nodded and took the plate in his hand, using the other to pat his leg.

I raised my eyebrow, cocked head to one side and crossed my hand over my chest. "Where is HK?" I asked, ignoring his request for the moment.

He nodded. "In the garage. I…well…I turned him off…again."

"He's going to hate you even more."

"I'm going to sleep with a shield on."

I laughed and my legs moved on their own accord. "I'm just hungry, don't presume anything," I said when I sat on his lap, taking the plate from him.

"Would never dream of it, beautiful," he answered with a smile, which earned him a playful slap when I took a bite of the bread. Carth was watching me while I was eating without saying anything, or actually doing anything, but his eyes betrayed how nervous he was. Deliberately, I took my sweet time finishing the meal, offering him a bite from time to time which he always turned down. Only after I was done I, in slow motion, set the plate aside, and looked him in the eyes. "So…?" he asked silently.

"It was delicious. Thank you," I smiled at him despite knowing that wasn't what he meant.

"You're...welcome," he replied and for a second a smile crossed his lips. "But I was...I mean...Why did you disappear the way you did?" he asked finally. "We were waiting for you in your quarters, but you never came."

I shrugged and suddenly felt very uncomfortable being so close to him. I rose to my feet. "I didn't feel like…moving around the ship, you know? Besides I had a very…well…queer discussion with Zhar and wanted to think about it a little bit," I lied. He'd never see through this lie, anyway. "Reminded me why I always hated being part of the Order," I added, turning my back to him so that he wouldn't see the worry all over my face.

"Then leave," he suggested without hesitation, standing up from the seat as well. I heard him approach me so it didn't surprise me when his hands gently took my arms. His palms were pleasantly warms on the naked skin of my arms and I found myself wanting to lean back into his arms. I closed my eyes for a moment, forcing myself into an empty laugh. "They're not going to let me," I whispered and turned around to face him, stepping out of his reach. "Not now, not after...not now."

"I see," he nodded and let his hands fall soundlessly to his sides. "You were a Sith Lord so they're going to keep you near. Just in case."

I nodded silently, my eyes travelling around the cockpit. All consoles and panels were off, the navigation map wasn't on either. After several months on board of this girl it felt weird for her to be so dark and quiet.

"Do you want to leave?" he asked. I looked at him for a moment and caught myself shrugging. "I don't know anything else, but the Order. Spent my whole life there. I wouldn't know what to do," I replied hesitantly. It wasn't a completely honest answer. There was something I could do and I had almost done it. However, Buddy stopped me. Again.

"You want to be with us again? We're fugitives now, Addie. And you're a Jedi no matter what you've just done."

"I would gladly abandon..."

"No! Adrianne, don't you...Addie, can't..."

"Don't Addie me, Buddy. I'm old enough to make my own decisions and I want..."

"...to return to the Temple. That's where you belong. Can't you see? You're made for better things than running from authorities. How many sixteen years old teenagers manage to break into prison on their own without being caught? You're special, Adrianne. And who knows, maybe one day you'll be a hero. You're gifted. Please, don't waste your talent. As a Jedi you can help. You can make the difference. No...no, no, no, sweetie, don't cry, just...hey, come here, come on here... You know I'm right, honey, and no amount of these tears of yours will make me change my mind. This is not a life for you. You..." "...must stay in the Order," I finished his sentence out loud, his voice echoing in my mind as if he was right next to me, talking to me the very moment. But when I looked around, he wasn't there.

"No you don't. You're not alone in this. What if...what if someone helped you with your future."

My eyes focused on him again, examining his face. There was fear written on his features, some sort of anxiety. When I didn't speak, he looked at the floor between us and took a slow breath before his eyes found mine again. "If I helped you?" he specified, probably hoping to finally get me to speak.

"It would never work," I whispered. "They would never let it work," I added and turned around, heading out of the cockpit. First, there was nothing, but when I was in the main hold, I heard his steps behind me. I bit down on my lip when I made my way to the garage, not sure if the steps echoing through the ship made me sad or happy.

"And since when do you need their approval?" he asked me, standing in the doorframe.

I stopped in front of HK. His head was bent down a little, his eyes dark and lifeless – if you could say such a thing about a droid. I reached up behind his neck to find the small button half-hidden beneath the armour. "Be quiet," I said to him immediately, turning back to Carth. "I should have obeyed them a long ago. If I had listened to them and followed the code, none of this would have ever happened; I would have never gone to the war, and to the Unknown Regions and...the rest would have never happened either," I shrugged.

He made a step inside the garage. "You wanted to protect the Republic," he said softly. "And who knows where we would have been if only Malak hadn't stopped you. Maybe we all would have been a part of the strongest Sith Empire ever, ready to crush anyone daring to attack us. Or maybe even on our way to attack them first. At least that much I've gathered from your plan."

I blinked in confusion. "What plan? Carth, what are you talking about?"

At that moment I noticed his posture changed; my question must have brought some relief to him. He visibly relaxed, his shoulders weren't so tense anymore. And he slowly closed the distance between us. "You had it all planned. Step after step, month after month…and with your knowledge of the Republic you'd gained in the war, I bet you would have conquered more than a half of the Republic right now. And with the Star Forge ships…no one could have stood a chance against you." Before I could ask anything else, because he wasn't making much sense to me at the moment, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a datapad. He gently pressed it into my hands, closing my fingers around it. "Terrifying read, but very educational. I mean…" he cleared his throat taking a step away from me. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

I looked at the datapad in my suddenly shaking hands and turned it around a few times. My fingertips touched the screen, tracing the old scratches. "You've found the password?" I asked incredulously, letting out a long breath while gingerly fingering the power button.

He nodded, then hesitated and grimaced. "Well, I have. But Dustil helped a lot.

"Dustil?" I frowned and lifted my eyes to him. "How could he help you? He doesn't know much about me."

He smiled at that. "He knows more then you, apparently. We were talking and, well…"

"Ended up talking about me?" I filled the silence when he took a pause.

"Naturally," he shrugged. "And then Dustil said something about you that made me think."

"What was it?"

"That you tend to do things no one expects you would," he explained.

I frowned and bent my head to look at the datapad again. "And what does it have to do with this thing?" I asked, waving it in the air. All at once I was afraid to turn it on.

Again, he smiled. "Everything. Do you know what the password was?"

I gave him a look and crossed my hands in front of me.

His grin grew broader after that. "Morry."

I straightened. "What? Nonsense. I'd never use something or someone from my personal life as a password. It's far too trivial."

"And yet you did exactly this," he stood his ground. "Don't you get it? Only people really, really close to you would know about your sister and the familiar nickname you were calling her. And such people would say precisely what you've just said. See? Brilliant in its simplicity."

I looked at the datapad again and focused on the glowering, twisted face reflected in the screen. Then I finally turned it on. When the window popped up, asking me to type in the password, I hesitated for moment, before writing my sister's nickname. In a heartbeat I found myself staring mutely on the screen that was displaying hundreds and hundreds entries, starting in the early parts of my life, to almost the last day of my reign as the Dark Lord of the Sith. Closing my eyes, I bit my lip and I could almost hear my sister's voice: "Of course I wouldn't say it to anyone, little sister! I wouldn't want you to have troubles, Ravie. Your secrets are forever safe with me."

Carth was grinning, when I opened my eyes again. I took a slow breath. "So…you read it all, which means you now know more about me, than I do. Heh, explains why you said the Council should have exiled me long ago."

He laughed. "Try to deny it. I'd love to see you breaking into that prison to free that famous Buddy of yours. But hell, you had that planned out too."

The eyes, as black as night, were bearing into mine as he reached out and touched me cheek hesitantly. The tips of his fingers were cold and shaking when they traced their way down my face, lingering on my neck for a moment. "Do my eyes deceive me…?" he whispered and soon his strong arms were around me, crushing me so tightly I couldn't breath, but I didn't mind at all. He was free again and that was all that mattered to me. "I was thinking about you every day, Addie," he said, his voice muffled as his face was buried in my hair.

"And I was thinking every day about how to get you out," I rasped out, the tears already in my eyes. They blurred my vision, so I could no longer see the rest of the crew grinning around us happily. I did it. I had broken nearly every law of my Order and some of the Republic, but I didn't care. My family was free again. And that was all that mattered to me.

I dropped my eyes and bent my head. "I was planning it for years, only was waiting until I mastered the Force persuasion." Then I smiled slowly and looked at him again. "After this, violating the first line of the code doesn't seem so terrible anymore."

"The first…" he started in confusion, but then my meaning hit him and he smiled. "So...you don't need their approval after all."

"I guess so," I shrugged. "I liked what we had before...I mean..." I bit my lip and looked away as if searching for help. "I'm not very good at this and..." I trailed off when Carth lifted his hand and rested it on the small of my back, pulling me closer.

"Statement: Master, each day you're confirming me of your meatbag status," HK said, but I wasn't listening to him. Carth's close proximity, his arms around me and his hot lips upon mine were far too overwhelming for me to notice the droid.

"You are," he opposed me when we broke apart, gasping for air. I smiled broadly at him and he lifted his hand to trace his fingers along my lips. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too," I whispered and kissed his fingers gently, then took his hand into mine. "Though...aren't you...you know, aren't you afraid of what your friends might think about the two of us?" I asked. "After all, they think Telos was my doing."

"I don't give a damn about what others think," he said immediately. "I know who you are, what you are like. Not because of the datapad," he added quickly. I wanted to gaze at it, but only then I realized I wasn't holding it anymore. I'd dropped it when Carth kissed me. "Ever since we first met in that comm room I couldn't stop thinking about you. I was confused at first, that's why I was such a jerk on Taris. Not to mention meeting you stirred unpleasant memories in me. I thought I was attracted to you because of Morgana, because you're so like her, but the longer I knew you the clearer it was that you were nothing like her. In a certain way. It's crazy. It was crazy," he added and moved his face away from me.

I quickly cupped his cheek and turned his head back to me. "I know what you mean," I nodded. "When I remembered my life, it felt wrong, but..." I bit my lip and shrugged. "You know, I really thought you resented me when I told you about my past," I said.

A sign of sorrow appeared in his eyes. I felt his hand on the small of my back pressed me closer to him, caressing me tenderly. "I never resented you. I was just…I didn't know what to think, what to believe. And you were right, you know? After Leviathan. I was angry because all I managed was getting you hurt. Instead of me it was the creature that saved your life. And you started spending so much time around him. I was…it was driving me crazy. Jolee even started making fun of me because of it."

"Wait, what?" I blinked. "Jolee was…"

"Lass, I'm an old man and my old eyes have seen many things. I simply noticed something which made me believe he wouldn't condemn Revan so quickly."

I closed my eyes for a moment. You sly old man… "I see," I breathed out slowly. I looked at him again and wanted nothing more than lean closer and kiss him again, but I was aware of the assassin next to me. I bit my lip. "Well, how about we moved somewhere more private to continue the conversation?" I asked him, pointing towards the cargo hold.

He chuckled. "I'd love that, but I thought you'd be more curious about that little datapad of yours than…" he never finished the sentence, cut off by the sharp sound of my heel crushing the datapad's screen under my feet. I shrugged when he gave me an incredulous look. "Well," I smiled, "I tend to do what no one expects I would," I purred, my hands playing with the zip of his jacket, slowly pulling the fastener down. "There was time I wanted to have my life back, but now...I don't care. I've been given a chance to make a new one."

...

"Hello," I said cheerfully, when I entered the infirmary. Bastila was up, standing, and Jasmine was helping her into her clothes. She had to be incredibly clumsy with just one hand, but she didn't seem to mind.

Jasmine was just making a knot on her right sleeve when I entered. She didn't look at me, and when she was done with the Jedi she turned away and went to her own business, but Bastila turned her head towards me and smiled. "Are we there?" she asked.

"It's just a matter of few minutes," I said and approached her. "Here, I've got something for you. I thought you'd want it back." I stretched out my hand presenting her lightsaber.

"That's…!" she didn't finish and used her left hand to grasp the hilt. She looked at it and for a second I could see a bolt of pain in her eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "Thank you, Adrianne."

"Don't thank me. Wouldn't want the Council think you are irresponsible and can't take care of your equipment," I replied nonchalantly with slightly raised eyebrows.

"Well, I've learned from the best," she said and hung the lightsaber at her belt, looking at me with her best stoic expression.

"No way…" I let out a long breath, a smile threatening to show on my face. "Bastila? Talking back?"

She lifted a corner of her mouth in a half-smile. "Your influence. You should be proud."

"I am," I nodded and bit my lip. "Anyway, why I came," I went on. "I talked with Master Zhar and he informed how our arrival's going to…proceed."

Bastila nodded, no expression on her face. "Go on," she bid me.

"We're going to arrive in front of the Temple. There will be politicians and soldiers and other welcoming party and cheering people, but we're going straight to the Council, so none of it should bother us."

"Bother?" she echoed.

"I hate politicians," I shrugged and looked away. Bastila laid her hand on my shoulder and squeezed lightly. "Do you think he's going to be there?"

"I…don't know. Maybe," I said evasively, but I was sure Cedric would be there. After all, he seemed keen on somehow gluing our relationship together, provided we ever had one. I could still remember his incredulous expression when he'd seen me that day after we had finally left Dantooine. He wanted to see me, I thought and stepped out of Bastila's reach. And he was troubled that I didn't recognize him.

"Adrianne?" Bastila talked to me, probably feeling what was going through my head.

He'd been troubled. He'd come to see me. He'd come to talk to me. "I just…need to think," I said weakly.

"Carth told me about Malak," she changed the topic suddenly, drawing my attention. "I know you weren't very fond of him, after what he'd almost done. But at the end, you were angry, because he…" she stopped and her eyes focused on Jasmine's back for a moment. There was no need to finish the last piece. I knew very well what she meant. "You think I should give him a chance?" I asked.

Bastila smiled and nodded. "A lot of things have changed, I assume. I am sure he's genuinely sorry for…everything. Besides, remember my mother. You know, when…when that thing with my arm happened, my last thought was of her, and how glad I was we'd had the chance to make up."

"One day, Bastila," I said after awhile of pause, "you'll make a great Jedi."

She smiled and took me completely aback, when she bowed before me. "If great Revan says so," she joked, merry sparkles in her eyes. "Oh, and when we're talking about making up…" she smirked…wait, she smirked? "How are things?"

"I take it back. Leave the Order. You're too intrusive to be a Jedi," I laughed, and that was all the answer she needed. "But come. They sent me to bring you and here I am, chitchatting with you like a teenager."

...

The descent through the Coruscant's atmosphere was slow. It wasn't easy to land with a ship of this size, so pilots had to be extremely careful. It seemed to take ages before the outer hangar door opened and our ship was allowed to take off. I was grateful we could at least make the journey in the Ebon Hawk. I was with Jolee, Carth and Canderous in the cockpit. I could hear the soft voices from the main hold, where Bastila and Juhani were keeping our guests company. The Admiral was there along with a few of her high ranking officers. Then Master Zhar and Master Vandar.

"It's stupid, if you ask me. Madhouse," Canderous said when we could finally see the magnificent spires of the Temple in the distance. But that wasn't the only thing we could see. The whole planet was rejoicing, people were dancing in the streets, on tops of skyscrapers. And as our ship made its way between the buildings together with our escort they seemed to be welcoming us, cheering for us.

"You can't blame them for wanting to have fun," Jolee opposed him. "They didn't have the opportunity to celebrate in years."

"And this time," Carth spoke up too, "you can celebrate with us, Canderous."

"Very funny, republic," he retorted, his eyes in front of us, locked on the Temple. "Quite a lot of people," he commented when we got near enough to distinguish the enormous crowd on the square in front of it. I bit my lip when I looked at the people as well, and my stomach did a somersault. I could feel the atmosphere outside, all the excitement and joy, but there was something else I couldn't quite put my finger on. Anticipation? Of what? My arrival, I realized and gripped Carth's seat tightly, sinking my fingernails deep into it. He had to feel the tug, because he turned to look at me. I smiled at him and planted a quick kiss on his lips to hide my anxiety.

Canderous leaned back in the co-pilot's seat and crossed his hand over his chest, letting Carth take the Hawk to the landing zone. I took a slow breath when he slowly turned the ship around to better position it, giving us a great view of all the people. I didn't miss there were soldiers stationed as the first line of the crowd, all of them armed and armoured.

"Look at them," Canderous smirked, noticing the soldiers as well. "See the shiny armour? Never seen a fight before."

"They are not here to fight," Jolee said and then put on a thoughtful expression. "Or they should not be," he added in a quieter voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, the war just ended. Let's talk about something nice for once," I asked them and turned around. The others were probably waiting for us to join them before finally heading out.

Just as we entered the main hold, Mission and Zaalbar emerged from the quarters as well. She had a broad smile all over her face, but Big'Z looked suspiciously grumpy. I paid him a closer look and noticed his fur was combed.

"Can we move off?" Zhar asked, looking over as all. His eyes were searching the room, until they found me as if to make extra sure I wasn't going to hide or something.

"Yeah," Mission said cheerfully. "Come, Big'Z, our big moment. Wow! I wish Gadon was here to see how far we've made it," she was talking to the Wookie, already going to the ramp. Canderous snorted and followed them. I was glad he'd decided not to carry his repeater this time. The mob would probably dislike armed Mandalorian no matter what his role in defeating the Sith Lord had been.

Carth soundlessly appeared by my side and took my hand in his. "Keep smiling," he whispered to me and watched the Admiral and her officers made their way to the ramp as well. Then he gave my hand a sharp tug, pulling me closer to him. His free hand wrapped around my waist as he kissed me slowly. Somehow I wanted it to last forever, but one second his arm was holding me tightly against his chest as if he never wanted to let me go, the other he was stepping away from me, smiling at me and still holding my hand.

"Not that I mind, but...what was it for?" I asked, ignoring the looks from both Zhar and Vandar.

"Well...we're going to part our ways for some time, and since you're uncomfortable with expressing your affection in public..." he shrugged and beckoned me to follow his superiors.

"How do you know?" I asked when the two us together with the rest of the Hawk's crew followed the Admiral, only the Masters of the Order were left standing in the main hold.

"The datapad?" he asked with a cocky smile that looked strangely unusual on his face, but I found I liked it. And he let go of my hand.

I slapped his arm playfully and, despite my nervousness, I was smiling broadly when we finally exited the ship together. The afternoon sun was pleasantly warm and bright, reflecting from the white of the mighty Temple towering above us. I expected the people to fell quiet and stare and whisper among each other, but they didn't. They seemed genuinely glad to see us.

"It's not that bad, huh?" Carth asked me, or rather shouted at me so that I could hear him, as if he was reading my mind.

"That's because they don't know me," I answered, but still agreed with him. "But look over there," I added, throwing my head towards where chosen Masters of the Council, Vrook and Zez-Kai, were standing. "See? They know me and they are glowering."

Carth laughed and his hand made a move as if to catch me around my waist. He stopped in mid-motion and instead rubbed the back of his neck. "I see your point."

I heard my name somewhere behind me. Bastila was urging me to go with the rest of them towards the Temple. I sighed and looked at Carth for one last time. "I'll call you when I'm done."

"Don't get long," he replied, smiling at me.

"Adrianne, we have to go," Bastila hissed next to me. I nodded and tore my eyes off Carth finally. Scanning our surroundings quickly my attention stopped on the line of people waiting for him and the Admiral to arrive. And he was there. Standing, waiting patiently, his grey eyes locked on me. The cheers became distant and I wasn't walking anymore. I was fighting the sudden urge to run to him and...and...I had no idea what would happen after that. Had Bastila been speaking the truth? Did he deserve to get another chance? Her mother never tried to kill her, but maybe it was time to let go of the past. My new life was waiting and...

Someone grabbed my arm. The touch startled me and my hand went to my belt. I felt the cold of my lightsaber in my palm when other hand covered mine. Zhar was standing beside me, his hand stopping me from drawing my weapon. "They are waiting for us," he said simply and motioned me to get going again. I nodded and without looking back I made my way to the two Jedi Masters at last.

I bowed before them when we arrived, thought if we'd been alone I'd have never done it. It was just a show for the public. "Master Ell, Master Vrook," I talked to them, deliberately addressing the younger Jedi first. And Vrook had noticed that. The way he lifted his chin slightly and clenched his jaw for a moment in non-Jedi-like manner brought me some satisfaction. He didn't say anything, however, and only motioned us to follow him into the entrance hall.

It was still the same, large, almost empty, with columns along the walls. Our steps were echoing through it loudly as the cheering died down slowly.

Once inside and out of everyone's plain sight, the elder Jedi finally started speaking. "Master Zhar, would you be so kind as to see our young Padawan to the infirmary?" he asked without actually looking at the Twi'lek. "Her Master's already waiting for her there."

Suddenly a thought struck me – who was Bastila's Master?

But before I could actually start remembering if I had ever met her Master, Zez-Kai spoke up too. "Master Vandar, please, take Juhani and Jolee to their quarters.

But surely I had to meet him...or her. On Dantooine, my thoughts went on. I was only partly aware that it was now only me walking with the two of them. Or maybe not, after Arren got exiled, I was mostly training here on Coruscant. Of course, I'd got to travel there from time to time, but not for a stay longer than several days. And usually it had been duty that had been filling most of my time, leaving little space for catching up with my old friends. And when I had been with them, asking about their Masters and training had been the last thing on my mind.

My thoughts were disturbed by a sudden halt. I nearly bumped into Vrook when he turned around to stop me when we were finally standing in the centre of the round Council chamber. Then he and Zez-Kai slowly went to their own seats, completing the Council.

They were all here, but still one seat remained unoccupied; the one belonging to deceased Master Lucien.

"So our prodigal knight has returned," a woman voice said. It made me wonder how something could be said in both soft and cold tone simultaneously. Atris had apparently mastered the art of rhetoric.

"I'm glad to see you too, Master Atris," I said simply, narrowing my eyes at her. She was almost of the same age as me. When she'd been offered a seat in the Council, she'd been incredibly proud. Finally she'd had something which had made her better than me. It would sound like something Darth Revan would say, but Atris was always jealous of me and my command of the Force. Secretly she had been competing with me, trying her best, while I was shirking whatever duty I'd been given and yet she had been far from my equal. But she'd had discipline and will. She'd been obedient and loyal to the Order. She'd always followed the Code.

And as if it wasn't enough, there was Jaden...another log to feed the cold hatred within her.

Anyway, here we were. She was here to judge me and she was aware of the power she was holding over me. Nevertheless, she was oblivious to the fact I didn't give a damn.

"Still the same," she uttered, ice dripping from her voice.

"Atris, please," another woman of the Council spoke up. Lonna Vash. Her greying hair grew much longer since I'd last seen her, but that was the only change on her. The same deadpan expression, the same way of sitting, with her left ankle hooked around the right one, her hands in her lap. The same strict gleam in her brown eyes. "Revan's lack of...proper behaviour is not why we summoned her."

Yeah, bugger off, I thought, but said: "Then why I'm here?"

"There are questions the Council wishes to ask you," Zez-Kai explained.

"Such as?"

Another Master, Kavar, leaned towards me, joining his hands and resting them against his knees. "What exactly happened on the Star Forge when you encountered Malak?"

I shrugged. "Well, when my team and I boarded the station he was as good as dead. I was trying to talk to him, but my words fell on deaf ears." I was choosing my words carefully. I wasn't that foolish to lie to the Council. I had to give them just enough truth to make the story seem plausible, but I had to be careful not to reveal everything. "If you want any other details, I'll give you a full report once..."

"We are not the Republic, Revan," Lonna said in her usual firm voice. "We do not require knowing every single step you made on that station. As we've already hinted, we're more interested in the exchange between you and the former Lord of the Sith."

Yeah, but why? "There wasn't much of an exchange," I said. "When I reached the observatory, it was more about survival than chatting. And no," I added and looked at Atris, "I didn't mean solely my survival. Lives of all the soldiers fighting for the Republic were at stake as well. I had to act quickly." I could only hope no words from the Republic soldiers that had been there with me had reached their ears yet. But again, if they had heard about all that happened, their first question would have been about the mysterious red-skinned creature, I was sure of that.

"Did you find him beyond redemption?" Kavar asked silently.

I nodded. "There wasn't anything I could do to help him. He was...lost."

"I sense you speak the truth, but I still find it hard to believe you. There's more to it than meets the eyes," Vrook stated. He was watching me intently as if searching for any kind of misbehaviour.

"Of course there is more than meets the eyes, Master. It always is," I started saying. I needed to buy myself some time. "I was given an offer to join the Empire again," I admitted, hoping it would satisfy him. "It wasn't easy, the temptation was great, but I'd learned from my mistakes. You have every right to doubt me, but here I stand. In this very room with you, not with Malak's minions on the Star Forge."

"The lures of the dark side are difficult to resist indeed," Kavar nodded. "It's pleasing that you've chosen to stay on the right path, Revan," he praised me and smiled at me kindly.

"I wonder," Atris spoke up again, "what exactly helped you stay? Was it really the strength of your will or the unwillingness to be someone's pawn?" She was talking in plain voice as if we were discussing the weather, but the accusation was there anyway. She was obviously trying to provoke me. Her blue, icy eyes were sinking into my face, waiting and searching for any kind of reaction. Her lips were pressed together in thin line.

"It was the right to do," I said simply, swallowing thousand biting remarks.

"The right thing to do," she repeated quietly. But whatever she wanted to add, she had to stay quiet when Lonna spoke up. "As Master Kavar said, the Council is pleased by your decision, Revan. We're sure the path couldn't have been easy."

"Far from it, Master. And unfortunately," I started saying in an effort to change the subject, "it didn't come cheap."

I didn't have to add anything else. Zez-Kai was quick enough to follow me. "The importance is Bastila's survived."

And Lonna was even quicker with asking another question: "We're concerned about what happened to her exactly. If I'm not mistaken, Zhar mentioned she was hurt before the attack on the station, was she not?"

I nodded. "She...was, Master Vash. Unfortunately, she was fighting a dark Jedi and the battle was...too much for her," I said evasively.

"Obviously the wound was made by lightsaber, we could gather that much," Zez-Kai said, sparing me giving a further explanation. "What happened to the Sith?"

"I killed him of course," I said without hesitating. "No one messes with my friends and gets away with it."

A frown crossed Lonna's face when the meaning sunk into her. "Vengeance is not a Jedi way."

"But it's my way!" I wanted to shout, but stopped myself just in time. "This...particular case wasn't about vengeance, Master Lonna. Well, not only about it, anyway. The Sith posed a serious threat to the mission and therefore had to be eliminated."

It was Kavar's turn to glower at me slightly. "We understand your reasons, Revan, but you can't deny it really was revenge that made you seek the Sith out and end his life."

That was tiring. "And despite it all I made the right decision when it counted," I said, finally dropping the deadpan expression and allowed myself to return all those scowling looks. "Despite my methods and believes I'm still here, not on the Star Forge's bridge."

"There is no emotion, there is peace, Revan," Vrook reminded me. But what offended me was when Atris echoed his words.

But I refused to repeat the line like they probably expected me. "You know my opinion and no amount of reciting the Code will change it. Unless you want to discuss anything else, I'd take my leave," I said sharply, slowly losing my temper.

"There is one last matter to sort out," Lonna admitted and for once she sounded careful. But it was Atris who blurted out the word: "Raenah."

Another chapter! :) and much longer than I planned, but why not? But it's almost the end of my story, I plan to write one more chapter. I'll try to get it done as soon as I can. Anyway, thank you all for reading :)