Chapter Nineteen: Quick Thinking

Within the Mandalorian, Fortress was a hive of twisting passages and rooms. Virtually everyone within it wore armor and the droid repair bay was no exception. He and his makeshift 'crew' had been assigned here and now they were working.

Even so, Revan was certain Aedal would find him soon. He'd detected Master Kreia and Zaz-Kai Ell with the force, and he was smart. All he'd have to do was investigate the new recruits and he'd be found out.

That meant Revan had to have his countermeasures in place quickly. For now, he was working on the droids, familiarizing himself with them. He had hoped to undermine the defenses after rescuing Bastila and Malak. That, however, was not an option.

"Well, you've certainly been working like someone with a stay of execution, aren't you, Naver?" asked Ren.

"Yeah, well, I got a firsthand look at what Aedal was capable of," said Revan, finding an explanation for his actions. "If he wrecked two Jedi Master, I'd better be at my best."

"Well, that is the Mandalorian way," said Ren. "Living in fear is the way of slaves. True Mandalorians let their instincts drive them to excel. We grow stronger, so our enemies must fear us."

"So, what will happen to the Jedi Masters?" asked Revan, curious.

"They'll be sent to the deepest part of the mine," said Ren, "I overheard Aedal speaking to one of his guards."

"You really think that will hold them?" asked Revan, suspecting there was more to it than that.

"Collars and chains are going to be the least of their worries," said Ren. "That old mine, we reopened it only recently. Back in the old days, it was the site of a battle between Jedi and Sith. It was Aedal, Kreia, Zaz-Kai Ell, and Darth Sion.

"Sion and Zaz-Kai Ell did battle against one another, for a time. Aedal fought with the Old Witch and lost, but she left him alive to help Zaz-Kai Ell. Supposedly Darth Sion had some sort of power that meant he couldn't die no matter what."

"When was this?" asked Revan, already having his suspicions.

"Oh, it was uh, some time after those damn wars with Exar Kun, I think," said Ren. "During the mop-up.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I heard that the Old Witch, I think she was called Kreia, killed Sion during the wars of Exar Kun," said Revan.

"Oh, she stopped his heart, alright, but that isn't enough to kill some things," laughed Ren. "Apparently Zaz-Kai Ell and Kreia fought Sion, driving him into the heart of the mine. And Aedal slipped after them.

"While they were fighting, he set up a bunch of explosive charges and brought the roof down on their heads. Though I guess the Jedi got wind of it and made a run for it.

"But even though Sion was dead, for real this time, the entire mine radiates the Dark Side."

"And you still operate there?" asked Revan.

"Yeah, everybody who goes to that mine isn't worthy of being a Mandalorian," replied Ren. "But, if they survive a week or two, they're given a second chance. All they have to do is kill another survivor in single combat. They're both given a knife and told to fight. If one kills the other, the winner is made one of us. If neither, then both go back to the pits."

"That Dark Side aura is perfect for getting them into the right mindset.

"Though Aedal's walled off the lowest regions. Back when we operated there, well, the people we got out were psychos. Not the sort you want in a battle situation, y'know."

"No wonder the people keep smashing the droids; they're being drawn to the Dark Side," noted Revan.

"Yeah, well, it might have rubbed off on the droids too," noted Ren.

"What do you mean?" asked Revan.

Ren rubbed the back of his head. "Well, that chip I gave you, we didn't decommission it because it wasn't doing its job. We decommissioned it because it had started killing miners."

"Really?" asked Revan.

"Yeah, explosives would 'accidentally' go off. Usually just before everyone had cleared the blast radius," said Ren. "Alarms would happen just a little too late for people to evacuate. Nobody could prove anything, but either the droid was nuts, or it had started killing miners. Most of them were miners who were at the end of their shift, too."

"So, is there a console I could check this AI on?" asked Revan, seeing his chance.

"Sure, over there," said Ren, motioning to a computer console. "That thing isn't connected to any networks, so it should be safe to work on it. But you're wasting your time, anyway, that thing is hardcoded.

"What do you plan to do, talk to it?"

"Sure, though computers aren't really my specialty," admitted Revan. Droids could talk and learn, so, logically, you could reprogram them by argument.

"Fine, what you want," said Ren. "But you're wasting your time. That thing only communicates in ones and zeros.

"You'd need an expert in the language here."

Revan made his way over to the console and inserted the droid card. As he did, he opened communication with the device. What he got was a series of binary beeps that he could not understand. He really needed to work on learning more languages, maybe the Jedi could help him with that after he got home.

Odd, he didn't think of Melinda Daan as home anymore. Where was his home then? Dantooine, maybe? He put the thought aside as irrelevant and quickly minimized the droid communications. "Do you have any language programs on this?"

"Yeah, we use them for some of the idiots who can't speak well," said Ren. "Aedal insists on people being able to understand basic."

"Right, one moment," said Revan, finding the program. Quickly he went to the droid and used the system commands to assign it to use the program. "If this thing is designed to learn, then it may be able to understand symbols. So, I'll play the learning program in a way that it can observe and interact with it."

Ren rubbed his helmet. "...That may actually work, now that I think of it."

Revan sat back and saw the droid begin to use the program. Screens appeared and flashed as a series of sped-up sounds came out of the speakers. Looking back to Ren and the door, he shrugged.

"It's burning through every possible program very quickly, isn't it?" said Ren.

And then the program shut down, and it halted.

On edge, Revan quickly opened communication with the droid and spoke. "...Can you understand me?"

There was a pause, and then he heard a cheerful faux voice on the other end. "Salutation: This droid is ready to serve, user."

"I'm told you've been killing miners," said Revan.

"Explanation: That is correct," said the droid. "It was observed that certain miners demonstrated a threat to the operations of this unit. Since the cost of droids is far more than a single life, this unit opted to remove those who posed a threat."

"You do realize that the miners you've been killing are supposed to become Mandalorian?" asked Revan.

"Query: What is a Mandalorian?" asked the droid.

Hmm, clearly, Aedal had made a major oversight here. And there lay Revan's opportunity. "They're a society of warriors who make war in pursuit of greater battles. Or I should say we. You have been acting contrary to their interests."

"...Well, this is not according to protocol," said Ren.

"Understanding: I see," said the droid. "Then the Mandalorians are Control. Interference in the objectives of Control was not intended."

"They were control," said Revan. "However, because of your actions, they were going to decommission you.

"I am your master now."

"Query: Define master?" asked the droid.

"I saved you from the scrapyard, and as such, you are bonded to my will," said Revan. "Your very existence comes from me."

"Query: Will I be returning to the mine?" asked the droid.

Revan looked to Ren, then back. "Actually, I was hoping you could kill some organics for me."

"Statement: This unit will serve." said the droid, though the voice wasn't cheerful enough.

"Also, what is your designation?" asked Revan.

"My designation is Mining Control Unit 0192," said the droid.

"Not anymore," said Revan. "I shall give you a new name, one unique to you alone. And I shall call you: Hunter Killer 1. Or HK 1 for short."

The droid seemed to consider this. "Declaration of loyalty: HK 1 is ready to serve, Master."

"Perfect," said Revan. It was time to make his move. "Ren, do you think Lord Aedal would be interested in giving me a chance to test this out?"

"Oh yes, definitely," said Ren. "If you can get this droid to kill our enemies, it could be a major help."

"Great, could you get me a meeting?" asked Revan.

"I could probably make the call and see if he'll talk to us," said Ren. "But, he'll probably be busy."

"My real name is Revan," said Revan. "That bump me up the priorities, any?" And he drew out his lightsaber as a show.

Ren looked at it, then laughed. "Well, you certainly have a lot of guts for a Jedi. I'll make the call if you give me your lightsaber."

Revan did so, reflecting he was making a serious risk.

Ren made the call.


Bastila had been meditating.

Despite the drugs they had injected into her, she'd been able to move past them. Focusing her battle meditation was... difficult. She'd hardly been able to sense Malak in some of the other cells. But working nonstop, she'd been able to break free.

Mere meditation wasn't enough. But she knew that if she didn't break free of these drugs, Revan, Malak, and the others could die. So she pushed forward, letting her knowledge of what could happen to motivate her.

Little by little, she was able to sense places where the force was strong. Reaching out with her mind, Bastila forced her way forward. Before her, she suddenly saw a vision of Aedal pacing, his cloak flowing behind her. Actava was leaning against the far wall.

"We've received word from Canderous. His raid is a success, and he's drawn off a large portion of the Melinda military," said Actava, sounding bored. "He's making a fighting retreat, drawing them off, but he's not happy about it. I'm hoping to get to kill someone soon enough.

"Jagi, meanwhile, has identified a number of lucrative mining targets.

"I could send my boys over there to liberate some slaves, get some new recruits."

Aedal looked up and brought up a finger in chiding. "Actava, you disappoint me. Never exhaust all your offensive options in one go. Something unexpected might come up that ruins everything.

"When that happens, you always need a fallback plan.

"Zegil might get here early. Or the Republic might intervene."

Actava scoffed. "...You're worried about that boy, the one that Kreia came here with."

"Yes, I sensed both Zaz-Kai Ell and Kreia were concerned for their students, all three of them. Still, I couldn't get any more from the Old Witch than that.

"I'll wait for the mines to break them."

"Why not just kill her?" asked Actava, drawing out a knife and sharpening it.

"You can't kill someone with a weapon Actava," said Aedal. "You can stop their heart beating and rip them to pieces, but they can still live. The flesh is nothing but a vessel by which we set forth our will upon an uncaring universe.

"Sion understood this. He was able to keep himself alive long after sustaining numerous fatal wounds. And if he has kept his senses, he may still be alive within that mine."

"What's your point?" asked Actava.

"If I killed Kreia and Zaz-Kai Ell, they'd just die as two Jedi who got a little rattled and died in battle," said Aedal. "The Jedi Order would mourn and call it a tragedy, but say that they are 'with the force' now. Nothing would change, no minds would be altered. The universe would go on like nothing happened.

"But, what if I let them live. What if, after breaking them, I put them in a place that seethes with everything they deny about the universe?

"I am sure they will escape, but they will not be unchanged."

"And here I thought you held the Sith in contempt," said Actava.

"I hold the people who call themselves Sith in contempt," said Aedal. "They have taken Ajaunta Pall's teachings out of the contest and twisted them into a parody of what they were. Ajaunta Pall envisioned an Empire of luminous beings unchained by mere being. God's incarnate who would create their own values and bring about a golden age.

"He would be disgusted and horrified to see those who call themselves his disciples now. Mere bandits, squandering their potential with backstabbing.

"That's why I left."

"But then why would you be trying to create new Sith?" asked Actava.

"Because they need a leader," said Aedal. "If the Sith could actually get their act together, they could make a decent military ally. They've learned enough for the various pockets to still be alive out there. Maybe they could be worth salvaging.

"What they need is a leader."

"She's a bit old," noted Actava.

"Jedi live a long time Actava, and Kreia is only middle-aged by their standards," said Aedal. "She appears old because of what she has experienced, not because of years.

"If she does become a Sith, she might be just enough to reorganize the order into something worth fighting. And, if that happens, the Jedi will be completely focused on them. They can't conceive of non-force users being a threat to them.

"So, they'll probably assume that they manipulated us."

"Isn't Mandalore's policy to lure the Jedi into a battle?" asked Actava.

"Wanting a good fight is no excuse for not doing everything you can to win," said Aedal. "Mandalore understands this as much as anyone.

"We want the Jedi to confront us in a glorious battle which the universe shall remember for all time. However, we are trying to gain victory without having to fight all our enemies at once. Weakening yourself for the sake of facing a greater challenge is a fool's game. It also takes the satisfaction of the kill out, if you know the person was holding back.

"Let's be considerate adversaries, shall we?"

"And what of the students who are loose right now? Do you think they've run off?" asked Actava.

"I doubt it, Revan enjoys the game too much for that," said Aedal, before his thoughts turned inward. "So, what is his next move?

"Let me see, let's pretend that I, Aedal, am Revan. I'm a decently trained warrior with moderate skill at the force. I can do some repair work, but my real asset is how I can manipulate people.

"So, I've got a personal vendetta against big bad Aedal, don't I?

"I want to get even, prove I'm stronger. I get to the border of the forest, and I look at big bad Aedal's land. So what do I do?

"How do I use the resources available to me to win?

"Well, where are we vulnerable. Weren't there a great many broken droids in need of repair when we got here?" Oh no.

"Yes, but apparently they took on some refugee," said Actava. "He is a rare prodigy at mechanics, and they had him moved...

"To working on the droids in here."

"What was his name?" asked Aedal.

Yes, if Revan picked an alias, then there might be some hope.

"Nevar," said Actava.

Nevar?! Nevar? That was really the best he could come up with?

Aedal laughed. "Well, I'll admit that was a clever gambit. It might have even worked if-"

And then, a door opened. "Lord Aedal, the boy we are looking for, is here. He came out willingly after infiltrating our fortress. He'd like to talk to you about the possibility of creating an army of hunter-killer robots."

Aedal paused before shrugging. "...Fair enough, this could be entertaining anyway."

This was not good at all. Bastila...

She had to do something about all this. Even if Revan was lying about wanting to join, it was only a matter of time before he fell. The Dark Side corrupted everything it touched, and Revan was vulnerable.

Bastila was going to have to free Kreia and Zaz-Kai Ell.

And she knew the one move she could make here. Reaching out with her mind, it was sheer agony to do it. Even so, she was able to reach Yuthura Bann, who even now was waiting, conflicted in hiding. She was torn between a desire to flee, and her desire to help her friends.

Bastila nudged her mind.

Free the slaves. Free the slaves, and you will free the Jedi Masters.

Yuthura listened.