Okay, I am really REALLY sucking at this whole update once a week thing, which sucks since I do have this entire story finished. Anyway, I am finally getting this chapter up, even though it has definitely been way more than a week.
Well, here we are on the final chapter of the Manaan Arc. Next up is the Leviathan Arc, which will have a twist ending that still mimics what happened in the game but with a twist that one reviewer has actually already kinda figured out, not entirely but they did figure out part of what will happen.
Anyway, thank you to ivanruzic3758, Lawrence HBain, Bountyhunter1977, SW AU addict, TWD Jacob 11, ssj3gohan007, foxchick1, and Guest13 for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome as usual.
Guest13: I personally never liked Manaan. Korriban was fun, and I definitely had my fun with the Korriban Arc of this story. Korriban goes far different from the game so Revan won't actually get his hands on the Sith Sword, at least not in this story. The sequel is still up for debate since I'm still working on that one. Thank you for the review.
Well, I hope that you enjoy this chapter. And I promise that the next one won't take almost two months to come out (and, this time, I WILL keep that promise). Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
Chapter Eighteen
Hrakert Station, Sea Floor, Manaan
The first thing that Dustil noticed about the Hrakert Station at the bottom of the sea of Manaan was how badly damaged it was. Part of the roof of the submersible bay next to the one he and his companions had stepped out of had collapsed and corpses and various kinds of debris covered the floor. There was no one in the bay itself but that was to be expected given that the station hadn't sent any transmissions in a while. Dustil wasn't holding onto any hope that there was anyone still alive in the station.
"I can sense life forms," Bastila said as she stepped out of the submersible next to Dustil. "But their presences feel...off."
"I'm getting the same sense," Zhane said as he joined Bastila with Anakin and Luke right behind him. "But there is someone alive beyond those doors." He walked toward the door and walked past it, stopping when a green-skinned Twi'lek jumped and whirled around, eyes wide with panic.
"H...How did you get in? Did they send another submersible? Quick, we have to get out of here. We have to get away!"
"Why? What happened?" Zhane asked puzzled.
"No! No! We don't have any time. We have to leave now! I managed to close the door after they killed everyone else but I don't know how long it will hold."
Dustil frowned. The mercenary, for he was sure that was what the Twi'lek was, sounded so scared, so panicked as if he had seen something terrible and barely survived it.
"What happened here?" Luke said.
"The Selkath! They went crazy! They started killing anything that moved. Someone must have triggered the defense systems too, 'cause all the droids activated as well," the mercenary exclaimed, looking like he was about to bolt at any moment. "I was one of the mercs the Republic sent down here to find out what happened. We came down and secured the first couple of rooms...there were bodies everywhere...And the Selkath came out...screaming and croaking their fishy little war-cries!"
"The Selkath?" Anakin echoed in surprise.
"They swarmed out and over us. There was no way we could stop them! So we ran. But hardly any of us made it. I locked the door behind us b...but the others had already left in the submersible. The sharks...the firaxa out there and...worse...I heard an explosion shortly after the submersible left. They didn't make it. Just food for the sharks and the Selkath, like us!"
"There hadn't been anything out there when we came down," Dustil said.
"That doesn't mean it's not still out there, watching, waiting..."
"I think it might be time to get you back to the surface," said Zhane.
"Back to the surface. Yes...no! There's something out there. It got the other submersible already."
"Do you have an idea?" Luke asked.
"We can't leave until you do something. Blow up the entire station maybe. That might distract whatever it is long enough for us to escape to the surface. But all the machinery and stuff is in the southern half and that's been flooded. There might still be environmental suits around but..but...the Selkath might have laid their eggs in them."
"I am going into that station," Zhane said as he moved past the mercenary.
"No! I locked the door so that the Selkath won't get in. If you open it, we're all done for."
"I have no choice."
"If you go in there, you're dead! You're all dead! If you want to die, then go! You won't hear me mourning for you! I'll stay here and be safe until some sort of real rescue comes."
"He's scared, very scared," Bastila said as Zhane led the way into the station and she followed him.
"Considering what's happened here, I can't say I blame him," Anakin admitted, following Bastila with Luke behind him and Dustil brought up the rear, glancing once more at the terrified Twi'lek.
Pity went through him and he turned his head away, hoping that the Twi'lek would be able to find his way back to the surface, and soon.
They made their way down the hallway, using the Force to open the doors that were jammed together and couldn't open even when Zhane attempted to slice them. They encountered patrol droids that were easily enough to take out, since they didn't have any shields protecting them.
The insane Selkath that they encountered in another hallway were a different story.
"Be careful with their claws. They're poisoned," Zhane warned and Dustil could feel him using the Force to heal himself from the poison as he slashed through another Selkath.
"Got it," Anakin said as he Force pushed a Selkath into the wall and then speared it through with his lightsaber.
Bastila pivoted, slashing through the third Selkath while Dustil leapt up and forward, slashing through the neck of the fourth Selkath.
Once all four corpses fell to the ground, he deactivated his blade and wandered over to where he could see a crystal resting on the ground. He picked it up and studied it before tucking it away, since he figured he could use it to upgrade his lightsaber if he wanted to later.
The next room contained two assault droids that attacked almost as soon as the five of them stepped into the room. Luke took out one of them with a slash of his lightsaber while Bastila took out the second one by severing it in half with her lightsaber.
The room beyond that had mines and four insane Selkath. These ones were easier to take out than the others, though that was only because only two of them were using sonic pistols. The other two were just using their claws, which were easy enough to avoid.
"Hey, I found something," said Luke and the group moved over to where he was kneeling beside an open footlocker. He pulled out a memo, a medpac, and a sonic emitter. He opened the memo and read it out loud:
"In response to those firaxan sharks outside, I managed to whip up a little something in one of the workrooms. This is a sonic emitter, which should scare them off. The sound seems to work a lot better underwater than through the air. If you fix it on the outside of an envirosuit, just push the button every time they get near and you'll have no problems. So I'm just wondering...when am I going to get that raise?" Luke blinked and shrugged at those last words before he put the memo away and pulled out the small sonic emitter.
"We could use that to avoid getting eaten by those sharks when we go for the Star Map," Bastila said thoughtfully.
"It seems like it only works for one person though," said Zhane. "So only one of us will be able to retrieve the Star Map."
"Well, you've just been drafted, Zhane, since you are the one who figured out how to open the Star Map on Kashyyyk. You might be the only one who can open the one down here," Anakin said. "Just don't lose that sonic emitter."
"You should not be talking about losing items, Anakin. Need I remind you of the many times you've lost your lightsaber back in your time?"
Anakin's cheeks redden and he groaned. "I knew I shouldn't have told those stories to Mission," he complained. "I am never going to live that down now."
"Just like Angel," Zhane said.
Luke covered his mouth to hide his snickers.
"I was nine!" Anakin rubbed his temples in exasperation. "It seemed like a good thing to say at the time."
"I'm missing something," Dustil said, not sure why Anakin was reacting that way to that word.
"Anakin called his future wife an angel when he first met her," Zhane explained.
Wife? Anakin, a Jedi, was married? I thought Jedi weren't supposed to get married or something. The rest of Zhane's words registered then and Dustil tried, he did, but he couldn't stop the snickers from escaping his lips. "You called her an angel?" he managed to get out around his snickers.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Anakin grumbled, folding his arms across his chest as a faint pout crossed his lips.
Dustil was glad that his own father hadn't said something that cheesy to his mother when they first met, at least according to the stories that his mother told him.
He smiled sadly. He did miss his mother, just as much as he missed Selene, but, now that he was starting to let his resentment and anger go, he was kind of glad to be able to make amends with the last member of his family that he had left.
They moved onward, finding an environmental suit in one of the rooms, along with a whimpering locker. Apparently, there was someone in that locker who had locked himself in there to avoid getting killed by the insane Selkath.
The group just left him there and moved on.
The next room had six Selkath but they were too busy killing each other to bother on them so Zhane decided to just wait until they were done. That way they would only have to fight one of the insane Selkath and wouldn't get swarmed by the rest.
Once the room was cleared, they moved on until they reached the central airlock.
"We only have one sonic emitter and one environmental suit so Zhane is the only one that can go from here on out," said Anakin.
"Unfortunate though it is, Anakin is right," said Bastila, a worried look in his eyes.
"I'll be fine, Bastila," Zhane assured her, giving her a small smile.
She flushed and looked away. "Just...don't do anything stupid and get yourself killed," she said.
"Don't worry." Zhane moved closer to the airlock and, slipping the environmental suit on, he attache the sonic emitter to its front and slowly made his way out of the airlock.
"May the Force be with you, Zhane," Bastila said quietly.
"What do we do now?" Luke asked.
"The only thing we can do is wait," said Anakin.
. . .
Sea Floor, Manaan
Revan mused that he did not miss these suits. He really didn't. They were bulky and made it extremely slow going in terms of walking through the water and toward the necessary location to retrieve the Star Map. It had been just as slow-going and boring last time when he and Malak had gone to get the map, though Malak face-planting the ground because he actually tripped was a memory that Revan was glad he hadn't lost permanently.
There were a couple of memories during his time as both a Jedi and a Sith, during the Mandalorian Wars and in the first half of the Jedi Civil War, that he was glad he hadn't lost permanently.
Still, those firaxan sharks were annoying. He was glad for the sonic emitter, since it kept them at bay, and he was glad that it was still there. He, honestly, hadn't thought it would be there, given that it has been a few years since he was last on Manaan searching for the Star Map. It was a shame the scientist who created that emitter hadn't survived, likely killed when the Selkath went insane, whenever that was.
He liked that guy.
He pushed the thought aside as he continued his slow movement along the trench, using the sonic emitter to drive away two more firaxan sharks.
The mercenary that he came across was a bit of a surprise though. He hadn't thought there was any survivors on the sea floor itself.
"Who's there? You're not Selkath. I can see that much. Are you another rescue crew?" the survivor said.
"I'm Zhane. The Republic sent us down to investigate," Revan replied. It really did feel odd to be using that name, now that he knew what his true name was. It definitely felt foreign on his tongue but he did have an appearance to keep up for the time being.
"Oh, I'm a merc the Republic hired a couple of days ago to investigate but all we found was a bunch of insane Selkath killing everything that moves. All my companions are dead. The Selkath swarmed over us, there were dozens of them. And they...they looked wrong, somehow. Like something had changed inside them. Insane or something...Oh I'd have gone back to the surface long ago if this complex hadn't been overrun by all those crazy Selkath. There's no way for me to get to the submarine docking bay."
"What are you doing in this section of the facility?" Revan asked.
"I discovered a way to get to the bay and seal off the rest of the base. I just have to find the kolto harvester they built on the edge of the Hrakert Rift," the survivor said. "It's got an emergency override to open the doors to the submarine docking bay and I could get in from the outside. I figured my only chance was to slap on an environmental suit, head out onto the ocean floor, and check that harvester out myself. Besides, it's got to be safer out on the ocean floor than back in there with all those crazed Selkath mutants running around looking for dinner."
You'd be wrong there. If he didn't have a sonic emitter then the mercenary was going to end up being one of those firaxan shark's dinners. Unfortunate, though it was, there wasn't much Revan could do to stop that. The sonic emitter only worked for a single person, and Malak's had gotten broken upon their return to the facility back when they first found the Star Map.
He let the mercenary head out into the sea floor and followed, only because he was heading in the same direction anyway. He wouldn't be able to convince the mercenary to stay in the facility, he could already sense that was impossible and there was no point in try, so the only thing he could do was let the mercenary do what he wanted.
Maybe he would get lucky and reach the harvester before the firaxan sharks noticed him.
Revan could hope anyway.
He kept moving, going in the opposite direction as the mercenary, until he found Kolto Control. He kept moving until he reached the northeast airlock and he scanned the pressure chamber that lay beyond. There was a massive fan rotating overhead and a computer panel mounted on the southwest wall. A force field also spanned the northern side while a door was on its east wall.
The two people on the other side of the force field stopped what they were saying to each other and watched Revan with panic in their eyes as he made his way to the chamber. He moved over to the force field but that only caused the two to start panicking.
And to begin depressurizing the chamber.
Revan spoke quickly. "I'm not an enemy. I'm here to help you," he said.
"No...the firaxa...the…the Selkath! I can't...I can't let you in! They'll get us," one of the people stammered out.
"I'll keep you safe. I promise. But you have to let me in." Revan reached out with the Force as he spoke, easily slipping past the two humans' mental defenses and persuading them that he wasn't going to harm them.
"I...I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone." The man quickly stopped the depressurization sequence before adding, "I'll unlock the door but you have to come in quickly!"
The door opened and Revan quickly made his way into the room, removing the environmental suit once he was in the safety of the room beyond the force field. The two humans there turned to him, apology written on their faces.
"I'm...I'm sorry for what I did. I don't know what came over me. I just panicked when I heard someone outside the door." The man sighed. "Please, forgive me. I'm just so scared."
"We're both just scared," the woman said.
"When the Selkath went crazy, I thought everyone else, except me and Sami, went mad. We had a few people outside the station when it happened."
"The firaxan sharks just tore them apart...it was like they were frenzied..."
"The next thing we knew, our Selkath researchers started screaming and...and clawing at everything around them. My team...My team was torn apart and eaten before my eyes. Sami and me...I thought we were the only ones left. We heard the Selkath outside at the door every once and a while...and those strange noises echoing through the base."
"We thought everyone was dead, dead or insane. I must have been hysterical. I...I don't know what I can say. I truly apologize for the horrible mistake I was making."
"I am Kono Nolan, and this is Sami. We were scientists working here on the Hrakert Rift project," the man said.
Revan studied them but he could tell that they were sincere in their apology. They were just scared, no terrified, and I suppose I can understand why, given what happened to them. Hmm, this place certainly has undergone a lot of changes since the last time I was here, he thought.
"It's fine," he said out loud. The man's name sounded familiar anyway and Revan briefly recalled Wann mentioning something about a Kono Nolan being the head scientist of the project down here. He could have information about what was going on down there and why the Selkath had gone insane.
Revan didn't really need to know anything else, since he already knew of where to go for the Star Map, but finding out about the Selkath would help to explain a lot, and might even give him an idea of what he would be facing once he reached the Hrakert Rift. It was obvious there was something different about the rift than when he'd last gone into it and he needed to know what.
. . .
Submarine Bay, Hrakert Station, Manaan
Bandon stepped away from the ship he'd used to get to the ocean floor, his three Dark Jedi companions climbing out of it behind him. They moved forward, ignoring the corpses and debris that littered the area and Bandon scanned the area with the Force, trying to find the location of his targets.
They seem to be on the other side of the station, Bandon thought as he made his way deeper into the bay, heading for the doors. They will have to come back here in order to return to the surface so I will simply wait for them here. It would be easy for my prey to come to me then for me to track my prey down, especially with all those...off presences I am sensing.
"Are you the rescue crew?! You can't go in there! The Selkath...they'll...eat you! We have to get out of here," a green-skinned Twi'lek exclaimed as soon as Bandon and his three companions stepped past the doors into the room beyond.
Bandon activated his lightsaber and severed the Twi'lek in two without a second thought. He turned and began making his way down the corridor with the three Dark Jedi walking after him, using the Force to rip open the door and striding inside.
. . .
Near the West Airlock, Hrakert Station, Manaan
Anakin stiffened, lifting his head and frowning when he felt a dark presence, that same presence that Luke was sensing earlier. It was far closer than before, no longer above the planet or even in Ahto City itself. No, the presence felt like it was in Hrakert Station itself and yet it felt stationary as if it wasn't moving from where it had decided to stop.
Whoever that presence is, I wonder if they are simply waiting for us to go back the way we had come. That's the only explanation for why it's not moving. There are other presences around it so whoever that presence is, they must have brought backup, he thought.
"I feel that presence again," Luke murmured.
"I do as well," Bastila murmured. "A dark presence, here in the Hrakert Station, and yet it isn't moving closer to us. The presence is staying in one place, waiting."
"Probably an ambush," Dustil said thoughtfully. "They must know that we're down here and know that we have to go back to the submarine docking bay to go back to the surface so they are probably waiting for us near that bay."
"Unfortunate though it is, I believe the same thing," Bastila said. "We will handle that problem when we encounter it. I hope Zhane is all right."
"Concerned about your boyfriend?" Anakin asked and grinned when Bastila's cheeks went red.
"He's not...why would you...He is simply a comrade, a friend! That is all," she protested.
"I bet you wish you could get to know him better so that you two can become more than just friends."
"That's not true!" Bastila coughed and took a deep breath. "No, I will not let your words get to me. I am a Jedi. There is no emotion. There is peace." She repeated the Jedi Code under her breath while Anakin was fighting the urge to burst out laughing at Bastila's reaction to his words. There was no denying that Bastila was starting to like Revan as more than simply a friend and the time they had spent together on the Ebon Hawk while traveling from planet to planet was only aiding in that.
"Father, must you tease Bastila?" Luke chided.
"Hey, I'm bored. I may as well do something to pass the time."
"And teasing Bastila is how you're going to do that?"
"I teased Obi-Wan all the time back in my time when we were in a lull in a battle and had nothing better to do. He's better at banter than Miss Uptight Jedi Princess over there is. I miss him." Anakin smiled ruefully as he thought about his master and he found himself, for the first time in a while, wondering and hoping that his former master was all right.
Bastila sputtered. "I am not uptight!" she snapped before taking a deep breath and repeating the Jedi Code under her breath.
Dustil snorted. "Sounds to me like you are. Are all Jedi like her?" he asked.
"I'm not," Anakin said. "And Luke isn't."
"So are all Jedi, except you two, like her?"
"Some of them are worse."
"Worse?"
"Worse."
"Damn. Do you Jedi not do anything for fun?" Dustil said, raising his eyebrows. "I mean you've gotta do something for fun with your powers."
"Such petty and immature acts are unbecoming of a Jedi," Bastila scoffed. "I have had enough training to know not to do such acts."
"And that is why she is an Uptight Jedi Princess," Anakin said.
He found himself flat on his back a second later while Luke laughed at him.
"And you are such a Clumsy Jedi Knight," Bastila said, her lips quirking ever so slightly.
Anakin huffed and then smirked at the younger Jedi, briefly recalling her do the same thing to Mission on Tatooine. "Well played, Bastila, well played," he said and, accepting the still snickering Luke's hand, he pulled himself to his feet. "You should smile more often. You're far too serious all the time."
"This is a very serious mission," Bastila pointed out.
"That doesn't mean that we can't let loosen up every now and then," Anakin pointed out. "There is more to life than duty after all. My former master and I always try to make the most of the time that we have. We are in a war in our time, and we are in a war in this time, so there is no telling if our next day is going to be our last or not. We always try to ensure that we can do our duty while also making the most of our time."
"We were the same way in my time," Luke admitted. "We tried to make the most of our time in the galaxy since we didn't know of what the next day would bring."
Anakin gazed at his son sadly. He hoped that he would be able to change the future to where his son would never have to experience the horrors of the war that he lived through.
"No one knows if they are going to live to see the sun rise the next day," Dustil said. "My mother...she once told me that no day is guaranteed to come and you should live your life, have fun, and enjoy the time you have because it might come to an end at any moment. That's something that I don't think the Jedi really understand."
"They don't," Anakin said.
Bastila sighed. "I was born and raised within the Jedi Order," she admitted. "Such things, having fun, enjoy one's self, was something that was only done sparingly. I had fun sparring with my mentors, I had fun speaking with my fellow trainees about things other than our training, I had fun exploring the lands outside of the enclave on Dantooine and even some areas on Coruscant. This war...this war simply prevents me from having fun now."
"Don't let the war take that away from you, Bastila," Anakin said. "You know what? When we get back to the Ebon Hawk, I'm gonna teach ya how to play pazaak. It'll give us something to do while we're heading for Korriban."
"What's pazaak?" Luke echoed.
"It's a simple card game," said Anakin. "Like really simple, I learned it pretty quickly anyway while we were on our way to Tatooine after leaving the enclave on Dantooine, but it's not a game that's really played in my time, or in yours probably. Either way, we don't even have to make any bets, though that would take the fun out of it."
Bastila opened her mouth, almost as if to protest, and then closed it. She frowned to herself and then sighed, relaxing the tension in her shoulders. "It would be nice...to just play a game and not have to worry about anything else but playing that game," she admitted. "All right, Anakin, I will take you up on that offer."
"Great."
. . .
Sea Floor, Manaan
Revan stood in front of the kolto harvesting machine, studying it and then the large firaxan shark that was circling above the Star Map that lay at the other end of the metallic mesh bridge that Revan remembered crossing with Malak a few years ago. The harvesting machine hadn't been there then, nor had that giant firaxan shark, and he mused that Sami might have been right. The machine might have, indeed, been what brought the mother firaxan shark out.
And if the mother firaxan shark really was connected to the other firaxa as well as the Selkath, its anger toward the machine might explain the insanity that inflicted the Selkath within the Hrakert Station.
He turned his attention to the kolto control panel and thought about what to do. Both options that Sami and Nolan gave would work but he found himself agreeing with Sami. If he released that toxin to kill the mother firaxan shark then it could end up poisoning the water and the kolto. If the kolto was poisoned then that could prove to be disastrous for the war effort, not to mention Revan wasn't sure he liked the idea of killing the mother firaxan shark. She was only attempting to defend her home after all.
He glanced at the giant firaxan shark and back at the control panel before making a decision.
Accessing the control panel, he immediately went to the fuel tank pressure control and began working with it, following the instructions that Sami gave him until the fuel tanks were overloaded. He stepped back as the harvester malfunctioned and exploded.
Once the debris floated to the ground, Revan turned and began to slowly make his way across the metallic mesh bridge. He didn't need his sonic emitter since, now that the kolto harvesting machine was destroyed, the mother firaxan wasn't hostile anymore and didn't attack as Revan went past slowly.
These suits really are slow and cumbersome, he thought as he reached the Star Map and activated it.
He stored the data away and hummed to himself as he began to make his way back the way he had come. The Star Map may be interesting to see but Revan had to focus on returning to his companions and continue their journey.
It took him some time but he eventually returned to the airlock where Nolan and Sami were still situated. Sami seemed happy while Nolan was irritated, glaring at him as soon as he was within eyesight.
"I saw what happened on the camera and I can't believe what you did. How could you willfully destroy the kolto harvesting machinery?! That will set ups back years. I will have you know that when we get back to the surface, I'll have the Republic do a full inquiry into your actions. Now go back to the surface and get the Republic to send a real rescue team down for us."
"Oh don't listen to him," Sami said, glaring at Nolan. "Destroying the machinery was the right thing to do, for everyone. That creature...the giant firaxan shark, the guardian of the kolto or whatever it was, seems to have calmed down a lot. It may even be safe to go outside now. But we'll stay here and wait for the Republic rescue crews. Thank you for not making a huge mistake."
"I could not, in good faith, potentially poison the water and the kolto supply," Revan said and, ignoring the glare and the scoff Nolan gave him, added, "At least the mother firaxan shark is no longer a threat. I should get going now, I still have to meet up with my comrades. Once I get back to the surface, I'll tell the Republic that you're still down there."
"Thank you," Sami said with a kind smile.
Revan inclined his head before he turned and left the area, heading back to where he had left his comrades within the station.
. . .
Hrakert Station, Sea Floor, Manaan
"Okay, so he's managing to levitate seven items right now," Anakin said from where he was sitting cross-legged in front of Luke, who was meditating and casually picking up various pieces of debris that lay around. So far, he had a broken droid leg, a droid's head, a hydrospanner, a lockbox, two broken blasters, and a crystal orbiting around him like he was a small sun.
Dustil lifted a piece of twisted metal off the floor with the Force and floated it toward Luke. Luke used the Force to grab it and add it to the orbiting items, not once breaking his hold on the other seven items. "That's eight," he said.
Anakin reached for another broken crystal that rested nearby with the Force and guided it toward Luke who also took control of it and added it to the floating items. "Nine," he said.
Bastila leaned against the wall, reaching out with the Force and picking a broken vibroblade hilt from the ground and guiding it over to Luke. Luke casually took hold of it with the Force and added it to the orbiting items. "Ten," she said.
Anakin picked up the blade that went with the hilt with the Force and also guided it over to Luke who took hold of it with the Force. "Eleven," he said.
Dustil added another piece of twisted metal to the orbiting objects and, once Luke took hold of it without losing his hold on the other items, said, "Twelve."
Bastila added another broken blaster pistol to the orbiting objects. "Thirteen," she said when Luke was able to take a hold of it without dropping the other twelve items.
Anakin added another lockbox to the orbiting objects. "That makes fourteen," he said as Luke took hold of it with the Force as well.
Dustil added another broken vibroblade hilt. "Fifteen," he said.
Bastila added another piece of broken metal. "Sixteen," she said.
Anakin added the lid of a lock box. "Seventeen."
Dustil added a vibroblade that was broken in half. "Eighteen."
Bastila added another broken blaster pistol. "Nineteen."
"What are you guys doing?"
Anakin, Bastila, and Dustil turned as one as a bewildered Revan made his way out of the airlock, removing the environmental suit as he did so. The sudden voice startled Luke out of his meditation and, as his eyes opened, the nineteen objects that had been orbiting around him clattered to the ground.
Bastila smiled.
"We got bored waiting for you so Luke decided to practice with his control and we've been trying to see how many objects Luke could levitate and control at once before his concentration broke," Anakin said with a shrug before he sighed and added, "And you arriving broke Luke's concentration so Bastila won the bet."
"One more item and I would have won," Dustil grumbled.
"I just needed two more items to win," Anakin huffed.
Bastila's smile widened as she folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow. "Well, it would appear you two are going to be on cleaning duty once we get back to the Ebon Hawk," she said.
Anakin and Dustil grumbled to each other while Luke snickered.
Revan raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised she was willing to make a bet with you two to begin with," he said.
"I also got her to agree to learn how to play pazaak," Anakin said with a grin.
Revan's second eyebrow shot up to join the first. "I was only gone for two hours."
"It was three and a half actually," Dustil said as he stood up and stretched his arms above his head.
"Still."
Anakin shrugged. "I just reminded her that she doesn't have to be serious all the time and that she should remember that she can still have fun and enjoy life because life's too short to be serious and duty-focused all the time," he said.
"Even if I do not like that he called me uptight, his words did resonate with me," Bastila admitted as she stood up, stretching. "So I suppose I can, during calm times, do something fun."
"You should ask Zhane out on a date," Anakin said with a grin.
Bastila went red. "That is...I could not...how could you even...that's not...what?" she sputtered.
Revan rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. "Not that I would mind having a date with such a beautiful young lady, I think it would be best if we waited until the war was over and we had far more time for that than we'll have now," he said.
"Zhane!" Bastila protested.
"What? I would not mind having dinner with you, my dear. I know of a wonderful restaurant on Coruscant that we could go to if you would like. It's got a variety of foods from across the galaxy so I'm sure you'll find something that you'll like."
"That's...we couldn't...how could you even afford that? Jedi don't get paid beyond what is needed for our missions," Bastila protested.
"I wasn't a Jedi before Dantooine, Bastila. I have money. That won't be an issue. It'll be fun and I'm sure you'll like the restaurant. It's reminds me of Alderaan, honestly."
"You've been to Alderaan before?" Dustil echoed.
"Briefly, not long after I left Deralia before I enlisted into the military, I visited Alderaan," said Revan.
Anakin knew he was lying.
When was the actual last time you visited Alderaan? He sent through their bond.
'In the early years of the Mandalorian Wars, not long after I formed the Revanchists,' Revan replied. 'It had been a nice, if short, getaway before I was back on the frontlines.'
"We should go," Revan said out loud, apparently not pushing the 'date' that he'd mentioned, though Anakin suspected it was only because they had more pressing matters to focus on. "We need to get back to the submarine, and I can feel a dark presence between here and there."
"So do we," Anakin said. "There's someone down here and they aren't friendly."
"Obviously," Dustil said.
"Let's move," Bastila said.
The group began to move back the way they had come. They didn't encounter anymore insane Selkath or patrol droids but, when they reached the final hallway that would take them to the submarine bay, they did find someone.
The man was tall and bald, clad in the black robes favored by the Sith, with cold brown eyes. He had a lightsaber in his hand and a cruel sneer on his lips. At his side stood three Dark Jedi, clad in black-and-gray robes with their own lightsabers in their hands and their mouths covered by black masks.
"At least, my search is over! I was beginning to fear someone else had killed you and deprived me of the pleasure," the Sith exclaimed. "You have may defeated that pathetic bounty hunter my Master sent after you but you are no match for me. I have studied at the foot of the Dark Lord himself."
"Wait, how did you even get down here?" Luke said bewildered.
"Do you think those Republic subs are the only way to reach the ocean floor? Malak and Revan found a way down here long before the Hrakert station was built. I acquired a ship and followed the same route Revan and my Master used on their own journey. Then it was simply a matter of waiting for you to return for the Star Map."
So you acquired a ship and that's how you got down here? Anakin sent along the bond with Revan.
'Acquired...yes, let's go with that.'
Anakin had the odd feeling Revan hadn't exactly gotten the ship he used to get to the ocean floor legally.
He decided against asking.
"You're Malak's apprentice, huh?" Revan folded his arms across his chest and hummed. "I really am not impressed whatsoever." 'My own apprentice can take this fool down easily enough,' he sent along the bond.
You have such faith in me, Anakin sent back.
'I know it's not misplaced.'
"Your words mean nothing to me, unless you wish to beg for your life."
No one responded. Instead, five lightsabers simply activated at once.
"No? Then I shall try to make this both quick and painful!"
"Focus on the Dark Jedi, Luke, Dustil, so we don't have to split our attention. I have this feeling we can't afford to do that," Anakin said softly to Luke and Dustil.
"Got it," Luke said and, his green blade igniting, darted toward the first Dark Jedi.
Dustil nodded and, igniting his own crimson blade, attacked the second Dark Jedi while Bastila used the Force to leapt over Bandon and attacked the third Dark Jedi behind him.
"I'll leave you two to handle him. I have faith that you two can win," she called over her shoulder as she lashed out with the Force, pushing the third Dark Jedi away.
"It does not matter if it is two against one. You will die painfully," Bandon said, pointing his double-bladed crimson lightsaber at Revan. "And I will incapacitate you and take you to my master, along with Shan."
"So Malak is still trying to capture me and Bastila, huh?" Anakin mused. "He's stubborn."
"You have no idea," Revan deadpanned as he and Anakin lunged at Bandon together, their blades striking at the Sith Apprentice's. Each of their strikes were quickly intercepted by Bandon's blade and he wasn't above using the Force to attempt to break through their defenses.
He didn't seem to have access to Force lightning but that didn't stop him from using an ability that allowed him to drain energy from his three companions to revitalize himself. And then repeatedly used that ability to keep himself revitalized while slashing and slicing and forcing both Anakin and Revan on the defensive. Drain life was the short name for that ability and one that Revan has already offered to teach Anakin how to do.
It comes in handy if you are facing a powerful opponent and are running low on energy. And it doesn't harm them so much as it simply weakens them. That can only help if your opponent has more energy than you.
Anakin didn't want to use that ability now, not when Bastila was there, but he was definitely going to learn that ability from Revan. He was starting to feel tired from Bandon's repeated attacks and he could feel Revan's frustration. If Revan didn't have to restrain himself in order to not arouse suspicion within Bastila then he would have already defeated Bandon.
He had to admire Revan's restraint. To think that he knew about his past, about his time as a Sith Master, about all the abilities and techniques he had at his disposal, and yet couldn't use any of them so as to not arouse suspicion within the Jedi and he was managing it. That kind of self-control was amazing.
Bandon grinned as he lashed out with the Force. A whirlwind of Force energy slammed into Anakin and he hissed in pain as he was thrown backwards into the wall while Revan managed to avoid the blast, only to be forced to catch the burst of Force lightning that erupted from the hand of the Dark Jedi that had been fighting Dustil.
Wait, where's Dustil?
Anakin didn't get the chance to look for Dustil because Bandon was there, his double-bladed lightsaber stabbing downward toward Anakin's legs. He twisted out of the way just in time to avoid the attack and raised his blade up to catch the next thrust that was aimed at his side.
"I thought Malak wanted me alive," he said through gritted teeth as he caught a swipe aimed at his side.
"He does," said Bandon as he pressed the blade to where part of the blade dug into the metal by Anakin's head. "He never said you had to be unharmed though and he only said if it was possible to bring you back alive. I simply have to tell him that I could not retrieve you alive."
"You have such confidence in your skill," Anakin said.
"I have more than enough skill to defeat you," Bandon shot back.
A Force push slammed into his side, sending him flying off Anakin. He landed on his feet and whirled around and Anakin, scrambling to his knees, turned to find Luke standing next to him, his green blade held in front of him as he panted. He was covered in scrapes and his eyes gleamed with exhaustion but he still held himself high, not a single tremor of exhaustion passed through his arms.
"But he's not alone," Luke said firmly.
Anakin, getting to his feet, moved to his son's side. "You're exhausted, Luke," he said quietly.
"I'll be fine. I'm better than Dustil anyway."
"Is he…?"
"He's all right but that Dark Jedi managed to knock him out. He would have killed him had Bastila not intervened and shoved that Dark Jedi away. That Dark Jedi is fighting Zhane now," Luke said as he shifted his position, drawing his arms in to cover the openings that he had a tendency of leaving when in a fight.
"Two against one?" Bandon's lips pulled back in a grin and he lunged forward, his blade flashing, forcing Luke and Anakin to separate and use their own blades to catch the attacks that were aimed at them.
Luke's arm shook. It was slight, so slight that if Anakin hadn't been paying attention then he would have never noticed. He gritted his teeth and broke off the stalemate, slashing toward Bandon's side and then stabbing toward his leg, both attacks quickly blocked by Bandon's blade.
He's skilled with a lightsaber. There's no doubt about that, he thought as he launched attacks, stabs and slashes and thrusts and slices, all of which Bandon managed to block. Even if Anakin managed to push him back a few feet, and managed to give Luke a bit of a breather, it didn't take long for Bandon to push back.
Bandon broke off the bladelock that their blades got caught in and shot forward, lashing out with the Force. The energy slammed into them, sending them skidding backward a few feet, and Bandon unleashed another blast of Force energy that crashed into Anakin, sending him slamming backwards into the wall.
He gritted his teeth as he scrambled to his feet but, before he could lunge at Bandon, Bandon slammed another Force blast into him. He hissed in pain as the metal dug into his back as Bandon held him against the metal with the Force while advancing on Luke.
"You are the weakling of the group now," Bandon said. "Killing you will be easy enough."
Luke raised his blade. "I won't go down," he said firmly, though Anakin could feel his son's exhaustion through the Force and could see the way his son's arms were shaking. Luke wasn't used to fighting actual Sith. This was his first actual fight with an actual Sith and he just wasn't that prepared for it.
But he still held himself as a warrior ready to fight, still held his blade in front of him, still faced Bandon with a courage that made Anakin incredibly proud of him.
He struggled to break free from Bandon's hold though. No matter how courageous Luke was, he just didn't have the necessary training to actually hold his own against an actual Sith who has had more training than he has. Not only that but his exhaustion was only going to be a hindrance.
Anakin fought to break free from Bandon's hold, lashing out with the Force in an effort to distract the Sith apprentice long enough for him to break his concentration and let him go. It didn't work and Bandon continued to slice and slash at Luke, forcing Luke to twist his body or angle his blade in different positions to catch the rapid blows until Bandon managed to get past his defenses.
A scream of pain erupted from Luke's lips as Bandon's blade stabbed straight through his leg.
"Luke!" Anakin shrieked as Luke stumbled back against the wall.
Bandon grinned and raised his blade, slicing toward Luke's unprotected neck.
"LUKE!" The resulting Force scream that erupted from Anakin's lips tore through the corridor and slammed into everyone, including Bandon, sending everyone flying. Cracks appeared in the windows and the walls as the energy slammed into them.
Anakin, upon being released from Bandon's hold, surged forward, his anger spiking. He grasped Bandon through the Force and slammed him into the window, holding him there as he held his blade at his side.
Bandon laughed. "You know I am starting to see why my Master is so interested in you. You have such darkness within you, mingling with your disgusting light," he said and lashed out with the Force, slamming a push into Anakin that sent him skidding backwards.
The windows cracked more.
"Bastila, get Dustil and get into the next room. The windows aren't going to last for much longer," Revan shouted as he bolted across the corridor to Luke's side as the young man collapsed, unconscious from the shock, on his side.
Bastila nodded and, deactivating her double-bladed lightsaber, bolted to the unconscious Dustil's side and, using the Force, pulled him into her arms before bolting past the doors into the submarine bay.
Revan scooped Luke into his arms. "Anakin, move!" he barked out as he used the Force to increase his speed and darted toward the doors.
"I will not let any of you escape," Bandon snarled as he broke free from Anakin's hold on him and lunged forward.
Brilliant blue Force lightning slammed into him before he could reach Anakin, sending him, with a scream, flying into the doors on the other side of the corridor. Anakin whipped his head around to see Revan holding out a hand, brilliant arcs of lightning surging out of his fingertips, his eyes cold as he held Luke's unconscious form over his shoulder.
Bandon managed to bring his lightsaber up to catch the arcs of lightning, his eyes wide. "You..." he began.
Revan's lips curled into a small smirk. "I really am not impressed with you, Bandon," he said, eyes glittering darkly. "I'd ask you to pass on a message to my dear former apprentice but I doubt you'll live long enough to deliver it. Anakin, decide. Either finish him now or let the ocean do the job."
Anakin glanced at the windows and saw that Revan was right. The windows were starting to shake and it wouldn't be long before they gave completely and filled this entire corridor with water.
He glanced at Bandon and rose to his feet. It would be merciful to kill him now and, while Anakin was still angry with him for what he did to Luke, he also didn't want him to suffer. He was sure Bandon wouldn't have done the same thing for him but Anakin wasn't a Sith. He wasn't going to be a Sith, not so long as he had something, someone, anchoring him and pulling him back to the shades of gray in between whenever he delved into the darkness.
He strode toward Bandon as Revan broke off the Force lightning. With a quick swipe of his blade, he disarmed Bandon and pointed his blade at Bandon. "Consider this a mercy killing," he said softly and stabbed the blade through Bandon's chest. He retracted the blade and, deactivating it, whirled around and bolted toward Revan.
He dove past the doors alongside Revan and Revan whirled around and used the Force to slam the doors closed right as the sound of shattering glass erupted beyond the door. The sound of rushing water erupted beyond the door and Anakin winced when he saw that water was starting to leak past the doors.
"Move, to the submersible. We don't have much time before the water gets past the doors," Revan shouted to where Bastila, with Dustil over her shoulder, was waiting for them at the entrance to the submarine bay.
She nodded and, turning, bolted toward the submarine.
"Did she…?" Anakin began.
"No, she was already out of eyesight and earshot when I used that ability, and I was able to prevent her from sensing what I was doing. Blocking our bond doesn't always work but it did this time, though I'm sure it's only because Bastila's worry is distracting her."
Anakin nodded and glanced at Luke.
"We'll see to his wound on the submarine," Revan said.
"Thank you."
Revan hummed. "You held your own against Bandon rather well. He may not have impressed me that much but he was still quite powerful with the Force and quite a skilled duelist," he said. He smirked and added, "I'd say that you are a far better apprentice though. I am glad I chose to train you."
Anakin glanced at Revan in surprise but all he could see was a calm smile on his lips and feel the sincerity within the Force. He smiled as well. "I'm glad I choose to be trained by you," he said quietly. "I think...the Son was wrong when he said that my decision was the wrong one. I think that if anyone can change the galaxy, the future, then it's us. For now, let's go before we get swept away into the ocean. I don't know about you but I really don't want to go for a swim."
Revan laughed but nodded and darted toward the submarine, using the Force to slam the second set of doors to the submarine bay closed behind them. They darted into the submarine and Revan called, "Bastila, let's go!"
"I'm going," Bastila called back and, as Revan gently placed Luke's unconscious body on the ground beside Dustil, the submersible sank into the water and began its long journey to the surface.
. . .
Republic Embassy, Ahto City, Manaan
Revan applied the medpac to Luke's injury once again as the submersible crossed the final few feet it needed to in order to dock at the bay. Dustil had regained consciousness halfway through the journey and was helping Bastila to navigate the submersible toward the Republic Embassy while Anakin hovered anxiously at Luke's side.
"He'll be fine, Anakin," Revan said, giving his apprentice an exasperated look. Anakin had refused to leave Luke's side the entire journey back. At least he wasn't fretting anymore on how bad Luke's injury had been. "The damage might have been bad but there isn't any permanent damage. The medpac and my Force healing made sure of that."
"Force healing?"
"Yes. Remind me to teach that to you as soon as I can."
"All right."
"We're here," Dustil said as he and Bastila made their way into the main hold of the submarine. "How's Luke?"
"Still unconscious but he'll be all right," Revan said as he sat back on his heels. "He should be waking up any minute now actually."
A groan sounded and Anakin's gaze snapped to his son as Luke's bright blue eyes fluttered open. He gazed around as he slowly sat up, wincing as he stretched out his leg. "W...where…?" he began.
"We just landed in the submarine bay at the Republic Embassy," said Dustil.
"How do you feel?" Anakin asked, his worry coiling around him once again.
"Tired and my leg hurts but, other than that, I feel fine," Luke said and frowned. "What about that Sith apprentice and those Dark Jedi?"
"Dead," Revan said. "If they hadn't been dead before we left then they're dead now. When you got stabbed, Anakin released a Force scream that basically shattered the windows. He, Bastila, and I were just barely able to get to the submarine before the windows actually broke."
"It just happened," Anakin admitted. "I didn't even mean to do it but...seeing you hurt and Bandon about to...I just lost it. I just wanted to save you and...well...at least it got him away from you."
"And then some," Revan mused as he stood up. "It doesn't matter now. What's happened has happened. Right now, let's get back to Wann. We're going to have to tell him about what happened down at the station."
Bastila nodded, though she was studying Anakin closely before she turned to Revan. She waited until Anakin, Luke, and Dustil were out of earshot before she began speaking. "That was a powerful scream that he'd unleashed," she said quietly. "Anakin seems to be growing more powerful with each passing day."
"His level of control is also increasing though," Revan said as he started walking after his apprentice, Luke, and Dustil.
"Yes, that is true. Zhane...have you been training him?"
Revan didn't stop in his stride. "Why do you ask?"
Bastila fell into step beside him. "His emotions and his skills with the Force, they are so much more controlled now than they had been while we were on Kashyyyk, no, while we were on Mortis. He is still learning, yes, but his level of control is increasing, as you said, just as his power is increasing. He couldn't have learned that level of control on his own and yet I have not trained him. Jolee has been helping Luke learn so he couldn't have and Juhani has been focusing on her own retraining that I doubt she has so you're the only one who could have helped him."
"Is it a bad thing?"
"No, I do not believe so but if you have been training him, why didn't you tell me? I could have helped him as well."
Revan simply kept walking. "The kind of training that Anakin needs is not the kind of training you can provide, Bastila," was all he said before he vanished past the doors leading into the main lobby of the Republic Embassy. He wasn't going to bring up the subject again, primarily because he knew that Bastila was starting to get suspicious. Even if she wasn't reaching the right conclusion, that didn't stop the fact that she was starting to ask the right questions. He wouldn't be able to deflect her questions for much longer so he needed to stall, to distract her by focusing on the main matters they needed to focus on.
Maybe...Maybe after they have found the final Star Map, maybe then he would be ready to tell them. Maybe then he would have finally decided if he could trust his companions with the truth. He just didn't know if he could right now but, maybe, the time when he would be able to trust them was coming.
He wanted them to know because he did trust them. He had come to trust them, to cherish them as his companions and his friends, to care for them in a way that he has not cared for anyone. They weren't his followers, they were his friends. He cared for them as friends, as family even, and he did trust them with his life.
But he worried. He wanted them to know the truth, he wanted them to know who he was and what path he was walking now, but he was worried of how they would react. He knew that his actions were the reason why the galaxy was at war to begin with, even if he had only started the war to prepare the Republic for...something…
But that didn't excuse his actions.
He may not be a Jedi. He could never be a true Jedi with the scars on his soul, with the burdens that he carried, with the past that was part of who he truly was, with the actions that he would gladly do to keep those he cared about safe.
But he wasn't a Sith either. He couldn't be a Sith, not when he cherished and cared and loved, when he was willing to protect and defend the innocent, when he had friends whom he would admit he saw a family.
He wasn't a Jedi. He wasn't a Sith.
He was both.
And yet he was neither.
The Son was right. He really could be considered the Child of Dark and Light, the one with the potential to walk the fine line between the dark and the light.
And he hoped that his friends, his family, could accept him for who he truly was.
"You have returned!" Wann exclaimed upon seeing Revan as he made his way over to join him. Mission, Zaalbar, and Carth were talking with Luke, Dustil, and Anakin who were giving them the story of what happened down below. "I was beginning to fear that you, too, might have been lost. Did you find out what had happened down there at the facility?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Revan said. "The Selkath went insane."
"Insane? What did they do? And why?"
Revan explained the situation, ending with what happened to the harvesting machine. Wann seemed upset about that, stating that it might end up costing them the war since it would set their work back for years.
But, at least, they were all safe, the Star Map had been retrieved, and the scientists in the station could be safely retrieved.
All in all, it was a nice way to end the matter.
Revan wasn't a fool. He knew that wasn't how matters were actually going to end.
That was why he wasn't surprised at all when the Selkath officers apprehended him and his companions as soon as they left the Republic Embassy.
"Getting arrested twice in one day. It's a new record for me," he mused.
"Same," Anakin said with a nod.
. . .
Ahto High Court, Ahto City, Manaan
Bastila and the rest of her companions were allowed to sit in on the trial, mostly because they were part of it but Zhane was the one who was calmly representing all of them. When the head judge asked him what happened down in the Hrakert Rift, Zhane was honest from the very beginning, telling them about the giant firaxen shark that he had encountered. The only reason that Bastila even knew what they were saying was because of the translator droid that was next to them, translating everything the judges were saying. She may know some Selkath but she didn't know enough to follow the conversation so she was glad for the translator droid.
"A giant firaxan? Could it be...Impossible! It is only a legend," Judge Naleshekan gasped in shock.
"But he said he killed it, didn't he?" Judge Jhosa asked.
"You killed this shark, human?" Judge Shelkar demanded.
"I did not. I destroyed the machinery to save it," Zhane said calmly.
"The Progenitor...it must have been!" Jhosa gasped.
"Be quiet! That is merely a myth, and not fit for outsiders to hear!" Judge Duula snapped.
"But if it was the life-bringer...the ancestor of our species...think of what this could mean," Judge Kota said.
"If it always lived there...then perhaps the kolto…" Jhosa began.
"Enough! Off-worlders are not to hear such things!" Shelkar demanded.
"But he saved it. He destroyed the harvesters to save it," Kota demanded.
"Indeed. That casts your actions in a new light, human. This, I believe, will require more thought, both on your actions, and on what we must do in response. This court will adjourn while we deliberate."
"What do you think they are going to do?" Luke asked once the judges had disbanded and Zhane rejoined them. They weren't allowed to leave the court while they were waiting for the judges to respond.
"I'm not sure," Zhane admitted. "They seem to think this 'Progenitor' is very important so they might just let us go, since I did save it."
"One can hope," Bastila said, her brow furrowing. "I do hope that is the case."
"Don't frown, my dear, it will give you wrinkles," Zhane chided.
Bastila's cheeks reddened and she huffed and looked away. "Don't start, Zhane," she snapped.
"Start what? I could have always called you beautiful, since you are," Zhane said.
Bastila's cheeks reddened even more. "Flirting is unbecoming of a Jedi," she retorted.
Zhane moved to stand behind her and curled his arms round her. "Ah, but I'm not a conventional Jedi, beautiful," he murmured into Bastila's ear, causing her face to go even redder than before. She just reacted by slamming an elbow into Zhane's stomach and then Force pushing him into the chairs in the row behind them. A part of her did feel bad for her reaction, since she was supposed to have more control than that because she was a Jedi, but, at the same time, Zhane was just so infuriating.
Even if it did feel rather nice to have him hold her like that.
What are you even thinking, Shan?! Stop thinking like that! Bastila firmly shoved that thought out of her mind.
Anakin glanced over the chairs at the sprawled Zhane. "Did you have a nice fall?" he called with a cheeky grin on his lips.
"At least I didn't call Bastila an angel," Zhane shot back as he climbed out of the splintered chairs he'd crashed into and dusted the wood splinters off him.
Anakin groaned, burying his face into his hands as Luke, Dustil, and Mission began snickering and Zaalbar growled in amusement. "I really am never going to live that down," he whined in protest. "It really did seem like a good thing to say at the time."
"So cheesy," Mission giggled.
"Definitely," Luke agreed.
"Agreed," Dustil said with a nod.
Anakin gave the three of them irritated glares, that they completely ignored.
Bastila glanced at Zhane, biting her lip. She let loose a breath. "Look, Zhane," she began.
Zhane waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry 'bout it, Bastila," he said. "I overstepped my bounds so you were will within your right to do that."
"I should have controlled myself though and not reacted like that," Bastila insisted.
"We were both in the wrong. Let's just leave it at that."
"I...suppose so." Bastila fell silent and, oddly enough, she found her thoughts drifting to that brief talk they had in the Hrakert Station before they'd confronted Bandon. She made a mental note to remind Anakin and Dustil of the cleaning duties that they would have to do once they got back to the Ebon Hawk but there was that other matter.
That date that Zhane had proposed.
Zhane really was incredibly different from the person that Bastila always painted him as, the person that he was before he had been given this new identity, the person she had only ever learned about in books and the news.
Zhane...whom was really Revan, former Sith Master to Darth Malak, the same person who won the Mandalorian Wars but also started the Jedi Civil War.
Zhane...who was also the kind, considerate, compassionate young man whom helped the innocent, protected those he had come to care about, and was actively working with the Jedi to defeat the Sith.
Even if it was because of the Jedi tampering with his mind and his memories, Bastila wanted to believe that the person whom was standing behind her today was what Revan could have become had he not been seduced by the dark side, had he not fallen.
Can it be true? Can my belief be right? Can this person truly be what Revan could have become had he not fallen?
If that was the case then...did that mean that those feelings that she was trying so desperately to bury be true as well?
She didn't know but, at the same time, could she figure it out?
Anakin was talking about how she should loosen up, that she shouldn't be so serious all the time, that life was too short for her to be so focused on her duty.
Maybe...maybe she could...loosen up.
Maybe if she spent some more time with Zhane, Revan, maybe she could find out if the person he was now was truly the person he could have become. And maybe she could figure out her own feelings in the process.
"Zhane?" she said.
"Hmm?" Zhane glanced at her.
"About your offer...for dinner...when this war is over, I think...I think I'll take you up on that offer," Bastila said, suddenly feeling very shy and she darted her eyes away.
"Really? Great," Zhane said and, when Bastila glanced at him, she saw a bright, true, genuine smile on his lips.
And she found it to be contagious because her own lips quirked into a sincere smile as well.
"Zhane and Bastila, sitting in a tree," Mission sang.
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Anakin sang.
Zhane slapped Anakin upside the head and Bastila purposely used the Force to send Mission sprawling to the floor.
Luke and Dustil were trying, and failing, to hide their snickers while Carth just shook his head, though his eyes also glimmered with amusement.
The judges came back a few minutes later and, while none of them questioned the broken chairs, Bastila knew they noticed based on the puzzled looks they were throwing the group, and the broken chairs behind them. Thankfully, it was obviously the trial was far more important and Zhane was called back up.
"We have reviewed your actions and the situation, human," Judge Shelkar said. "We thank you for the destruction of the machinery and saving the giant firaxan, which, we believe, is the source of our kolto or, at least, its guardian. We will not detain you any longer. While we cannot show our gratitude overtly, know that you have earned our respect. This trial is now over."
. . .
The Ebon Hawk, Manaan
"Everything turned out for the best, I see," Jolee commented as the eight crew members who'd gone into Ahto City came back. All of them looked like they had taken a beating, especially Luke and Dustil whom Anakin and Carth were hovering over anxiously, but they, otherwise, looked all right.
"Relatively speaking," Zhane said as he made his way into the main hold. "We aren't banned from the planet at least so that's good. The Sith are probably going to be placed on restriction thanks to the information that Anakin found out about them and...we destroyed a station at the bottom of the ocean."
"You destroyed a station at the bottom of the ocean?" Juhani echoed.
"Well, I blew up a harvester and then Anakin pretty much flooded what was left of the station so, yeah, we destroyed it."
"Honestly, we cannot leave you kids alone for five minutes," Jolee muttered.
"Query: why was I unable to go? Addition: I could have aided in destroying meatbags," HK-47 protested.
"We weren't destroying...meatbags." Jolee didn't know why Zhane's lips twitched slightly in amusement as he said that word. "We were destroying a station. There's a difference."
"Statement: I do not see much of one, Master."
"A station is not a...meatbag." That time, Zhane actually snorted in amusement.
I have no clue why he finds that so funny, Jolee thought with a shake of his head, giving Zhane an odd look.
"Seriously, I am so punching the one who created HK in the face for making him refer to every living being as a meatbag," Luke grumbled. "It really is annoying."
"Same," Carth said with a nod.
"I've been around HK for only a few days and I already find him annoying so I'm with you," Dustil said.
Anakin seemed like he was trying very hard to not burst out laughing while Zhane, for some odd reason, had a look of wariness in his eyes that he abruptly masked.
"We should head out," he said and strode toward the cockpit.
"I'll fly," Anakin said with a grin.
"No!" Bastila, Juhani, Mission, and Carth all exclaimed as one as they darted forward and promptly put themselves between Anakin and the cockpit, causing him to pout.
Luke was already past them before they moved though. "I guess I'm flying," he said cheerfully and vanished down the corridor.
"Damn it, Luke! You're not flying," Carth shouted and bolted after the younger Skywalker.
Zhane hummed and then shrugged and strode after Carth. "If Luke's flying, I'm co-piloting," he shouted.
"Not on my watch!" Carth shouted back.
In the end, Luke ended up being in the pilot's seat and, after much arguing, Carth managed to, somehow, convince Zhane to let him co-pilot. Frankly, Jolee was sure that the only reason Luke was allowed to fly was, for one, because he was a better option to Anakin and, for another, no one could pry him out of the pilot's chair.
"He definitely has your stubbornness," Mission noted to Anakin.
"Mine and Padme's, since we're both incredibly stubborn," Anakin admitted.
"Wonderful," Bastila huffed.
Anakin chuckled and then turned to Bastila. "So what do you say about learning how to play pazaak now?" he suggested.
"You actually got Bastila to agree to learn how to play pazaak?" Jolee echoed in surprise.
"Yup."
"All right, Anakin. I did say that I would like to learn," Bastila said and the two of them moved toward the table.
They didn't get very far when the ship suddenly shuddered violently, throwing everyone forward and Bastila, puzzled, quickly darted toward the corridor that would take her to the cockpit. Anakin and Jolee hurried after her while the rest of the group crowded in the corridor to hear what was going on.
"What's happened? What's going on?" Bastila asked as she burst into the cockpit.
Luke was running his fingers over the controls while struggling to keep the ship steady while Carth was grimly running scans on his side of the cockpit and Zhane hovered behind them, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Sith Interdictor Ship," said Carth. "They must have been waiting for us on the hyperspace route. We're caught in their tractor beam."
"Do you recognize the ship?" Zhane asked, his voice soft but emotionless as if he was masking whatever he was truly feeling.
"Yes," Carth said. "It's the Leviathan. Saul Karath's vessel. My old mentor."
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: CLIFFHANGER! DUN DUN DUN!
Rey: given that you are transitioning into a new arc, this is a good way of doing that
Ben: it definitely makes me eager to read the next chapter
Luke: agreed
Jaina: I just started this story and I have to agree with Ben
Jacen: same
Ben S: yup, definitely! And why do I have an S in my name?
Blaze: to not confuse you with the other Ben
Anakin: defeats the purpose when the other Ben's last name is Solo and this Ben's last name is Skywalker
Blaze: ...you know you're right...I did not think about that
Legendary Ben: Legendary? Really?
Blaze: well, it could have been Legends Ben, since you are part of the Legends Universe, in the eyes of the current "new" Canon, but you will always be my favorite, no offense Canon Ben
Canon Ben: ...really?
Jaina: to be fair, this is probably the best way to avoid confusion
Jacen: agreed. Wait...how are we going to do Anakin though?
Anakin: wait, you're talking about…?
Anakin: yup, Jacen's talking about me
Blaze: ah shit, didn't think about that. This just got even more confusing! Okay, let's see…
Anakin & Anakin: (look at each other)
Anakin: Anakin Skywalker
Anakin: Anakin Solo
Anakin: Jaina and Jacen's younger brother?
Anakin: yup, and Leia's son
Anakin: I AM KILLING SOLO!
Han: (shivers violently from somewhere very far away) I have this odd feeling I should stay put
Luke: okay, this is soooo confusing!
Blaze: I've got it!
Anakin 1: really, Blaze?
Anakin 2: is that really the best you could come up with?
Blaze: hmmm, well, how about this?
Old Anakin: okay, now you are just messing with me!
Young Anakin: she's messing with both of us
Blaze: well, I guess I can do this
Canon Anakin: well, at least I'm not being called old
Legendary Anakin: might still get confused but, since I only exist in Legends, this might actually work
Blaze: (beams) perfect! Any character in Legends who has a counterpart in Canon will now be labeled as Legendary! It's absolutely perfect
Legendary Anakin: though this only works for me and Ben, since I think we're the only ones who have Canon characters named after us
Legendary Ben: who have last names starting with the same letter
Blaze: it still works! Anyway, Legendary Ben, end the chapter
Legendary Ben: okay. We all hope that you enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated!
