Chapter Fifty-two
"Dropping out of hyperspace."
A hushed silence descended across the cockpit of the Ebon Hawk as the crew crowded together to stare through the front viewport. As the pulsating rock appeared in the distance, Atton began a series of scans then let out a long slow breath and leaned back in his seat. "Weird."
Mira frowned at the back of his head, then slid into the co-pilot's seat and muttered, "That's not the word I would have chosen…."
"Hmm?" Atton glanced at her, then back to the planet as if he'd forgotten for a moment that they were all there. "Oh, sorry. It's just that…most of us were here last time around, weren't we? I was stationed on a ship that was the last wave of reinforcements to arrive. We were one of the few that was far enough away not to be dragged in when the weapon went off."
Canderous gave him a strange look before he spoke slowly, "My ships were positioning to cut off the Republic reinforcements. It was a last minute decision – if I'd hesitated, we'd have been wiped out too."
"I was on one of those ships," Mira said quietly. "I was…just a kid, scared out of my damn mind, listening to the Comm chatter, rumors that Mandalore had been slain. But I just kept making grenades, mines, anything to keep myself from thinking about it. I just…knew something was about to happen. Something…huge."
Atton shook his head, his eyes fixed on the distant planet as images from his past flickered through his mind. "I never thought I'd say this, but what a waste of life. At the time it felt…right, I guess. We couldn't let them win. But…it wasn't just enemies…there were friends, allies…."
"No." Every eye turned to watch Revan, although her gaze did not waver from Malachor as she spoke with both regret and stark honesty. "They were not friends and allies. They were all enemies. My enemies."
The scoundrel swiveled his chair to face her fully, his voice carefully controlled. "What?"
Revan's eyes were sad but calm as she looked at him. "Did you truly think that I would use such a trap with such a weapon without realizing the outcome? I knew they would all die. The Force had shown me. It was my plan from the start." The former Lord of the Sith took a long breath and explained, "Their loyalty was in question. I could sense that there was enough division in their hearts to cause me future grief, to damage my plans. I could not allow that to happen."
Mira's face was a mask of horror as she whispered, "So…you just killed them all? Like…like nothing?"
Visas sounded sympathetic as she pointed out, "It was an efficient, if ruthless plan."
"I make no excuses for what I was. Every leader, every Jedi, every Republic ship was hand picked by me to be there in that specific moment at that specific place. When Mandalore took the bait, I knew my plan had succeeded."
"Every leader," Canderous echoed as he watched her with a calculating stare. "Including Aeryn."
"Aeryn was…so much more than a common enemy," Revan said plainly, but the pain in her eyes was obvious. "She was my rival, but worse, she was the only one who could stop me. Her bond with Malak caused doubts within him, and the Force had already shown me that I needed him. I…brought her here to die as well. I had no idea what…that she would…" she shook her head and faded off. "Excuse me."
As Revan hurriedly moved away down the hall, Canderous followed, leaving the others to share concerned looks amid the thick silence. "How exactly are we supposed to land on that thing?" Mira asked by way of changing the subject.
Atton sighed and looked over the ship's sensor readings. "I don't have a clue," he admitted. His eyebrows shot up suddenly and he leaned in closer to the panel. "I think…I think I found the Raven's energy signature, though. Look."
Mira rose to lean over his shoulder, but paused as her eyes fell on Visas standing pale and drawn against the back of the cockpit. "Visas? What's wrong?"
"Bao-Dur…" the Seer breathed, her mouth turned down in pain.
-
Aeryn stood before the massive doors of the garish academy, for a moment awed by both the size of the place and the dark power that emanated from within. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, but there was no way to find her center in a place such as this. She raised her foot to start up the stairs, then froze mid-step as the doors slid open in silent welcome.
Lightsaber hissing to life in her hands, Aeryn crouched low, preparing for an attack, but nothing stirred in the empty hall before her. Suspicious, she remained still for several long seconds, trying to ignore the itchy tightness of the dried blood caked down the side of her face, before moving cautiously up the stairs. The doors closed behind her with a soft click, leaving her alone with only the sound of her breathing and the hum of her 'saber.
Nothing moved within the dim interior, and Aeryn deactivated her weapon as she crept down the hallway, her eyes moving up and down the impressive architecture. How could this place have come to be here, on this barren waste of a planet? As if to prove to herself that the place was truly real, Aeryn reached out and ran her hand over the cold marble walls, letting her fingers trace over the symbols carved there.
A sudden but distant sound made her freeze once more, her grip on her weapon tightening as she crept down the hallway. She leaned through the doorway into another twisting hall and cautiously appraised the two large rooms at opposite ends, the distinct sounds of fighting reaching her ears from the eastern wing.
"Put some effort into it you scum!" Aeryn shrank back against the cold stone wall at the sudden shout but quickly recovered from her surprise and sneaked forward as quietly as she could. "I should kill you all now and save the Master the annoyance of doing it himself!"
A small but savage looking woman continued to bark orders as she paced near the back of the room close to Aeryn, her mottled, grayish skin covered in scars. Her right eye was nothing but a ruined, empty socket, but her single yellow eye missed nothing as she worked a small group of Sith recruits through a combat training exercise. Most of the recruits were young, barely more than children, but Aeryn refused to let herself feel any sympathy for them. They'd made their choices.
"Sloppy!" the woman snarled as her hand strayed to the hilt of her lightsaber, her irritation so palpable that Aeryn wondered if the Sith commander wouldn't lose her composure and carry through with her threat to kill the recruits. "Fools! Laziness will not be tolerated. And I…."
Aeryn had been trying to calculate how she could cross the room without being noticed and had not realized something was wrong until the woman froze, her twisted face swiveling to stare hard at the Exile as she sensed her presence through the Force. The commander gripped her 'saber for a moment, but the gesture seemed reflexive, and instead of attacking, the frightening woman smiled darkly at the other.
Confused, Aeryn remained rooted in place in the shadows of the doorway, her lightsaber ready in her hand, the Force practically pulsing around her as she waited for the Sith to make a move. And a move came, but not from the direction she'd been expecting. One of the young recruits happened to glance up and notice the object of his trainer's attention. Perhaps seeing an opportunity to prove himself, he swung his sword into a firmer grip and threw himself toward the Jedi Exile.
Aeryn dropped back a step and spun her weapon into action, but the boy's body jerked to a stop before he was within reach. His brow twisted in confusion and he seemed to be struggling to breathe. With a horrific wet crunch, his body twitched and the tip of a crimson 'saber appeared through the pit of his stomach. Her face twisted in a sneer of fury, the Sith commander gave the dying recruit a hard kick as he slid off her weapon before turning her harsh gaze back to Aeryn.
"Anyone else wish to defy the Master's will?" she growled in a voice that carried loudly through the now silent room, her one-eyed gaze never leaving Aeryn's face even as she addressed her underlings. The other trainees wisely stayed utterly still, but Aeryn could feel their hatred and rage through the Force as they watched her. "Excellent." The Sith commander stepped back a few paces and offered a mocking gesture toward the far door across the room. "He awaits you," she murmured for Aeryn's ears only.
Aeryn's eyes moved from the woman to the young Sith and back again, trying in vain to sort out just why they would let her pass. A part of her wanted to question the other woman, to make sense out of the situation, but most of her was simply eager to press on, to finish the job and complete the mission.
Cautiously, she crossed the room under the hard gaze of the gathered Sith. As she reached the far door, she turned to look back at the Sith commander and caught the malicious smile on the woman's face before she returned to berating her troops.
-
Revan sat down on the hard bunk and ignored the burly man standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. She'd expected returning to Malachor to be difficult, but the memories that came crashing back to her were worse than she'd expected. There was an odd air of detachment that she experienced each time her old memories began to surface, but to remember the cold hatred she'd felt toward her sister, the twisted satisfaction she'd gained from the destruction of so many lives was difficult for her to rationalize.
"You didn't remember, did you?" Canderous spoke softly, moving across the room to crouch in front of her.
"No," Revan whispered, her forehead wrinkled in pain. "How could I have been…so…" she sighed as she trailed off with a dismissive shake of her head. "No, it does not matter now. There is no time to be wasted on wondering on the past."
Canderous offered her a gentle smile that he reserved only for her as he stood and helped her to her feet. "We should gear up. I have a feeling all hell could break loose at any moment."
Revan nodded, but instead of moving away from him she rested her head on his chest for a moment, relishing the feeling of his powerful arms closing around her slender frame. He couldn't suppress a thrill of worry at how thin she still was, but the speed of her recovery made him proud that she was his. There was no woman better suited to stand at Mandalore's side.
The couple both sighed regretfully as the Comm crackled. "You two get back up here," Atton said, his voice sharp and filled with some dark emotion that made Revan frown. "We found something."
Without a word, they broke apart and started toward the cockpit. Revan nearly collided with Mira as she rushed into the security room, her face buried in her hands, and sealed the door behind her. "What is wrong?" Revan demanded of the other two as she and the Mandalorian arrived.
"We found the Raven," Atton stated flatly, his emotions buried deep and hidden safely behind his mental walls. He nodded to a panel that displayed a scan of a small section of the planet's surface. "It's been completely destroyed."
Revan stiffened as worry shot through her, but she shook her head and insisted, "But Aeryn is alive. I can sense her."
"We all can," Visas assured her, though her soft voice was laced with sadness. "But Bao-Dur did not survive."
Revan's eyes widened, her shoulders slumping as she tried to absorb the words like a physical blow. Although she had not been particularly close to the Zabraak, she knew well that he and Aeryn were very close. "Aeryn must be…devastated," she murmured aloud, grateful for the supportive touch of Canderous beside her.
"Yeah," Atton agreed but he could not hide the guilt in his eyes.
"There will be time to mourn him later," Canderous said firmly. "Now, can you land near the Academy?"
"I think so," Atton said without much confidence, still struggling to rein in his emotions. "Give me a few minutes to make sure my calculations are right, then we'll see if we end up like the Raven."
A/N: I cannot even apologize enough for leaving this story hanging so long, and for coming back with such a short chapter. The last few months have been insane for me (my son in school, several birthdays, holidays, etc, etc) and it's taken me a while to get my brain sorted out. It's my intention to get this story finished in the next few weeks now that I'm finally able to focus on it for more than a few minutes at a time. I promise the next chapter will be longer and have some nice action as well. Thank you all for the reviews. :)
