Well, here is Chapter Twenty! It's been more than a week but it's still up! Yay!

I hope that you like this chapter, and the slight twist that occurs at the end. I hope everyone likes it. It's necessary for the development of the plot.

Thank you to Bountyhunter1977, TaitanoRules555, Abyss Trinity, JumpingToaster, ivanruzic3758, Lawrence HBain, Nitroman98, and ssj3gohan007 for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.

TaitanoRules555: I'm going to go ahead and answer your question here as opposed to a PM so that all of my readers will know. Yes, I do plan on setting a story during the Clone Wars. It will be the sequel to this story and will follow the Clone Wars TV series from after the Mortis Arc through some episodes of Season 7 and then going on into the events of Revenge of the Sith. But it will be more complicated and far longer than this story.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.

Chapter Twenty

Hangar Bay, the Leviathan

To quote Obi-Wan, Anakin was having a very bad feeling about this. He could sense that the dark presence that had been steadily approaching the Leviathan was far closer than it had been previously. He had no doubt that meant Malak was onboard the ship, and probably on his way to intercept them as they ran.

It wasn't as if Anakin has never faced off against a Sith, because he has. He has gone against Dooku a few times since the Battle of Geonosis but, at the same time, Dooku was really the only Sith that he has ever actually fought against, with the exception of Darth Bandon in this time. But Malak was likely on another level, because of his willingness to do anything to achieve his own goals. Malak didn't have lines he wouldn't cross and that made him dangerous, according to Revan anyway.

But the main reason why Anakin was wary about facing off against Malak was the simple fact of his injury. Revan may have healed the majority of the damage to where the wound was no longer in danger of becoming fatal but that didn't mean that it was healed completely. It wasn't. It still hurt and the pain was starting to become near blinding again to the point where Anakin was having a difficult time walking. The pain that radiated through his form was as agonizing as when Anakin got his arm sliced off by Dooku and it was only because of Revan's Force healing and sheer stubbornness that Anakin hadn't passed out from the pain yet.

Yet was the key word though because he didn't know how much longer he would be able to push it aside, to ignore it, to release as much of it into the Force.

He didn't like being helpless though. He has never liked sitting fights out, watching as his comrades fought while he sat on the sidelines. There was a reason why he always preferred being on the frontlines, leading the charge against the enemy. It was because he didn't like not being able to help them, to fight alongside them.

He wanted to fight to protect those he cared about and loved. He would do anything to protect those he cared about and loved.

That is dangerous thinking, Anakin.

Revan had told him those words back on Mortis and mentioned how others could take advantage of it and that if he became too obsessed with fulfilling something then he would start slipping further and further into the darkness without even realizing that he'd fallen as far as he had.

He bit his lip as he limped after his comrades because he knew Revan was right. He knew of that line. All he had to think about was the person he had become in Luke's time to know about that line. He didn't know how Luke did it, how Luke brought him back after he had fallen as far as he had, even though he was sure, based on those visions, that he had definitely fallen past that line of no return.

And yet, somehow, he had still been able to return. Luke had helped him to return, in Luke's own time.

Anakin didn't know the full story of everything that had transpired in Luke's time but his visions of the future that he wasn't supposed to remember detailed a pretty horrific future, one full of darkness and pain and suffering, one that made Anakin cold all over just thinking about.

One that would always haunt Anakin's nightmares every time he closed his eyes, no matter how hard he tried to push them away.

There was nothing he could do to stop the memories he had regained, the memories he was never supposed to remember, and he knew that he was going to have to bear with the consequences of those returned memories. He would have to bear the weight of the truth that was bearing down on his shoulders, the truth of the person that he could become and the future that he could accidentally cause to happen if he wasn't careful.

But I have Luke, Anakin thought, a soft smile crossing his lips as he thought about the son that he had become so close to in the time they have spent together while trapped in this time. His son, the bright sun that shone in the Force. The boy who had such a great capacity to care, to love, to forgive. The guiding light that was his strongest anchor that would keep him anchored to the light while he delved into the darkness.

Of course, he had other anchors. He had other bonds. They also served to anchor him, to give him the lines he could use to pull himself back when he started to fall too far. His bonds with his friends and his family. With the crew of the Ebon Hawk, with Mission, with Revan, with Obi-Wan, with Ahsoka, with Padme, with Luke. All of those bonds, created by the Force or not, were his strongest defense against the darkness's corruption, were his way of preventing himself from falling too far to be pulled back.

He would always hold those bonds close to him. They helped to make him who he was as a person and as a Jedi, even if the Jedi Council probably wouldn't approve of the kinds of bonds that he had. They weren't training bonds. They were actually bonds of familial love and friendship.

The Jedi Council would see his bonds as attachment but he knew that they weren't.

"I can sense Malak's presence," Bastila murmured as they moved closer to the doors that would take them to the hangar bay. "He is close."

"That's not good," Carth said, tightening his grip on his blasters.

"No, it is not," Bastila agreed.

Revan's lips were pressed tightly together in a thin line. "I suppose it was too much to hope that we could sneak by without confronting him," he murmured. "I suppose this moment was coming but I was not expecting it to happen this soon." He gazed at the doors that lay closed in front of them, his hands resting on the hilts of his lightsabers that rested on each hip. "I suppose we may as well get this over with."

"Are you all right?" Anakin asked.

Revan let loose a breath. "I am not at my full current strength, Anakin. I used a lot of my energy to heal you but I should be able to buy you three enough time to get to the Ebon Hawk. Malak will focus on me for the mere fact that I should be dead to begin with and he will want to finish the job."

"You're crazy if you think I'm letting you face that psycho sleemo alone," Anakin said firmly.

"You're in absolutely no condition to fight, Anakin."

"I still won't let you face that psycho alone. You're my friend and my teacher and I'm not just going to leave you when you could use my help."

Revan let out a soft sigh, a rueful smile crossing his lips. "You know you have a lot of loyalty and a great capacity to care. I can see that Luke didn't just inherit that from your wife," he said. "Either way, you won't be able to fight with me with your injury. You'll only make it worse. Think about Luke before you do something stupid and make your injury worse."

"But..."

"Relax." Revan's lips pulled back into a roguish grin. "I'm rather stubborn too. I can hold my own."

"Wait, wait, wait, what the blazes are you two talking about?" Carth demanded. "You can't seriously be thinking of taking on Malak by yourself."

Revan gave Carth a long look. "I may not be at my full strength, or even my full current strength, but I have the one thing none of you have. I know Malak. I have known him for far longer than any of you have known him. I know his strengths, I know his weaknesses, I know how he fights. No matter how unpredictable he can be, I still have my knowledge of him that I can use to my advantage, no matter how slim that advantage might be." He turned his head. "We are wasting time. We will end up confronting Malak whether we like it or not. It is best if we get this confrontation over with. Anakin, stay out of the fight or I will personally tell Luke."

Anakin winced. The last thing he wanted was to see Luke's worry-stricken face again. It hurt when Luke had latched onto him, gazing at him with such worry in his eyes.

I just feel that if we separate now, I...I'll never see you again…

"All right, fine," Anakin said. He didn't want to see that worry, that fear, in his son's eyes ever again. He didn't want to do anything to cause that kind of distress in the son whom has already permanently claimed a large part of his heart.

Revan nodded before turning and striding forward. The doors to the hangar bay opened and Revan made his way into them with a frowning Carth and a wary Bastila walking after him while Anakin brought up the rear. They didn't get very far before the doors in front of them opened and the dark presence that Anakin had been feeling finally had a face attached to it.

Darth Malak was a tall pale-skinned man with blue-gray tattoos on his bald head and cool gray eyes. A prosthetic jaw stood in place of his real jaw and he was clad in tight red-orange body armor with a half-cape of black cloth draped over it.

"Darth Malak," Bastila said coolly and Anakin had to admit he was impressed with Bastila's lack of wariness in her voice.

"Down you go!" Carth fired at Malak and Anakin wasn't at all surprised when Malak simply deflected the blaster bolts and knocked Carth off his feet with a simple aimed Force push.

Revan gave Carth a deadpan look. 'Did he really just try to take Malak out with a blaster?' he sent along their link.

Unfortunately, yes he did, Anakin sent back.

'...di'kut...' Revan turned his gaze back to Malak as he began laughing.

"I hope you weren't thinking of leaving so soon, Bastila, Anakin. I have spent far too much energy hunting you two and your companions to let either of you get away from me now." His eyes traveled to Anakin and he smirked. "I do believe this is our first time meeting as well, Anakin. You are the one who caused that first disturbance I felt and I am looking forward to finding out just what happened there."

"Well, I guess you'll just have to keep 'looking forward' to that because I'm not telling you anything," Anakin said with a shrug.

"Oh you will find that I am quite patient," Malak said.

Anakin very distinctly heard Revan's silent snort of amusement as well as his 'that is bantha shit' that echoed along their link.

"But that can wait. For now, I also had to see for myself if it was true. Even now I can hardly believe my eyes." Malak's eyes were not fixed on Revan. "Tell me, why did the Jedi spare you? Is it vengeance you seek at this reunion?"

Revan smirked. "You knew this meeting was coming, Al-Al," he said with a mocking lilt in his tone and Malak's eye twitched.

"Ah, yes, that insufferable nickname," he growled. "I had thought you'd forgotten it."

"Before you betrayed me, I was planning on programming HK to refer to you as Al-Al Meatbag, you know?"

Carth whipped his head around. "Wait, you made HK?" He groaned and rubbed his head. "That is way too many revelations for one day."

Anakin snorted. "Wait until he decides to tell you about the gizka incident," he said.

Revan snorted. "Ah, yes, that incident. I still blame you for that one, Al-Al," he said.

"That was your fault and you know it!" Malak coughed and quickly regained his composure, though Anakin could still tell he was irritated, though he figured it was because of that nickname. "Anyway, I see that you are still a cheeky little shit, Revan."

"It makes life less boring."

"How long have you known?" Bastila finally asked the question that Anakin was sure had been on her mind since, likely, when she saw Revan using Force healing on the bridge.

Revan didn't take his gaze off Malak. "I've known who I truly am since Mortis," he said, "since the Son restored the memories you and the foolish Jedi Council decided to try to take from me and seal away."

"We did not take your memories from you. Your mind was wounded when Malak fired on your ship and you were badly wounded. We thought you were dead and your mind was destroyed so I used the Force to preserve the flicker of life in your body. I brought you to the Jedi Council and they were the ones who healed your damaged mind."

"That's bantha shit, Bastila," Revan said flatly, giving Bastila an unimpressed look, ignoring the surprise that flickered across the Jedi's face. "My mind was not as badly wounded as you thought, nor was it destroyed. If that had been the case, I would have never been able to regain my memories. I know enough about brain damage to know that if my mind had been as badly damaged as you said it was then I would have never regained my memories. And yet I did."

"Zhane...Revan..." Bastila began.

"I know that part of my mind was damaged beyond repair, that's why there are memories that I can't remember and will likely never get back, but the vast majority of my memories have been returned to me, something that should have never happened had the damage been as severe as you seem to say it was. The foolish Jedi Council didn't heal my damaged mind, they tampered with my memories and tried to turn me into someone else, into a puppet loyal only to them that they held the strings to!" Revan's frustration exploded along their bond, and clearly along his bond with Bastila who winced and took a step back.

"Revan..." she began, broke off, and tried again. "We had no choice. Revan, you, were too dangerous. But locked inside your mind was information the Republic needed: the secrets of the Star Forge. Your subconscious memories were supposed to lead me to the Star Forge. There was no other way to get the information."

"It is as you said, Revan," Malak said. "They made you their puppet, and Bastila was the handler pulling your strings."

"Until I decided to kriffing hell with that and started walking my own path after I regained my memories," Revan said. "The path I walk now is the one that I have chosen to walk of my own free will."

"And yet you are still aiding us in finding the Star Forge…?" Carth began.

Revan cast a sidelong glance at soldier. "And I have been since I found out the truth because this is the path that I have chosen to walk. Take from that what you will, Carth. As for you, Malak, I always suspected that this confrontation would happen eventually, I simply was not expecting it so soon."

"Indeed," Malak said. "The dark side is strong, my power is great. You are not longer a match for me. A small part of me has always regretted betraying you from afar. I always knew there were some who would think I acted out of fear, that I did not want to face you. But now fate has given me a second chance to prove myself. Once I defeat you in combat, no one will question my claim to the Sith throne. My triumph will be complete."

"That's supposing you can win. I am still alive, you know?" Revan said, his lightsabers falling into his hands.

"The Jedi Council were foolish to let you live. I won't make the same mistake. We shall finish this alone in the ancient Sith tradition: master versus apprentice, as it was meant to be."

And that was the last thing Anakin heard before he suddenly found himself unable to move. A quick scan with the Force showed him that Bastila and Carth were in the same predicament, leaving Revan to face Malak alone.

Shavit. If we can't break out of this stasis then we won't be able to get out of here while Revan fights Malak.

He closed his eyes and calmed down, since he knew that it would fade on its own. He just had to be patience.

Even if patience had never been his strong suit.

Actually, he was pretty sure he could count on one hand how many times he has actually managed to be patient with something and still have fingers remaining.

Well, shavit.

. . .

Revan grunted as he pivoted quickly out of the way to avoid the thrust of Malak's lightsaber, bringing up one of his blades to catch the next slash while slicing toward his head with his other blade. Malak quickly twisted his blade to catch both attacks, pivoting to the left to avoid another thrust. They were equal but Revan knew that was only because the fight was barely beginning.

Malak had more energy, more strength, than he did at the moment. Revan knew that he would have been able to hold his own against his former apprentice, and probably defeat him if he persevered enough because one of Malak's weaknesses was his impatience, had he been at his full current strength. But he wasn't.

He didn't regret saving Anakin's life, and he never would, but using that much energy to save Anakin's life had definitely drained him. He knew Malak well enough to know that he wouldn't be able to use his Drain ability on Malak, and he wasn't about to use that ability on his comrades, to revitalize himself.

That meant that Malak was at his full strength whereas Revan wasn't.

But he would hold his own. He just needed to keep Malak distracted enough for the Force stasis to wear off so that Bastila, Carth, and Anakin could get to the Ebon Hawk and he would follow as soon as they were safe. He wasn't about to just let Malak kill him after all. Anakin wasn't the only one who was incredibly stubborn after all and Revan was not going to die, not until he had completed this mission and not until he found out the truth, the truth behind those memories that he had yet to regain.

The memories of that moment when he had officially turned.

The memories of why he had been preparing the Republic and for what.

They were both important, very important, and Revan was not going to die before he found out why he felt that those memories were important.

He ducked out of the way to avoid another slash from Malak and lashed out with the Force, slamming a Force push into Malak that sent him skidding backwards. He was on him in a minute, easily falling into Niman, the sixth form of lightsaber combat. It really didn't surprise him now that wielding two lightsabers felt right to him. He now knew it was because this was the form, this was the practice, that he had trained to use during his Jedi Knight years, and even during his years as a Sith master.

Revan slashed both of his blades at Malak who quickly caught the slashes with his blade. Revan didn't stop there as he unleashed a Force push that slammed into Malak, sending him skidding backwards again. Another slash was blocked but Revan slightly altered his blade to shift Malak's blade slightly before stabbing his second blade past the break in Malak's defense toward his stomach.

Malak quickly jumped back, breaking the stalemate to avoid the thrust and his eyes flashed before he unleashed a powerful burst of Force lightning that surged across the walkway. Revan brought both of his lightsabers up to catch the Force lightning, gritting his teeth as he found himself pushed back a few feet.

"You aren't at your full current strength, Revan," Malak murmured. "Even if your full current strength wouldn't be able to stand up to my new power, the way you are now is far weaker and will not last much longer."

"You may think so, Malak, but that remains to be seen," Revan replied and jumped back, flipping backwards to land on the railing as he unleashed a Force storm of brilliant lightning, easily controlling it to where his comrades wouldn't get hit by the raging lightning strikes. The lightning crashed into Malak who, with a shout of surprise, was sent flying straight into the blast door behind him. He slumped to the ground, snarling in pain as the lightning continued to surge through and around him until it faded.

He swore and lashed out with the Force, slamming a Force wave into Revan that sent him flying backwards into the wall. He winced as he struck it and, in the moment that he was dazed by the impact, Malak jumped to his feet and, turning, bolted out of the blast doors.

"So he's running, huh?" Revan knew his former apprentice well enough to know that he wasn't running because he was a coward. He was running to regroup and plan. Revan knew that he couldn't let Malak get away, not when there was a chance Malak would attack them again while they were trying to make their escape.

He glanced at Anakin, Bastila, and Carth. While he knew that the Force stasis was going to wear off soon, he knew that he had to distract Malak until that happened, and then a bit longer to give his comrades time to get back to the Ebon Hawk.

'I can feel your exhaustion, Revan. Using that Force storm ability twice after using the Force to heal me drained you a lot,' Anakin sent along their bond.

I know but I will do what I can to give you three as much time as possible to get to the Hawk,Revan sent back as he turned and bolted toward the blast doors, darting past them and easily following Malak's Force signature to guide him to his former apprentice's new location.

He frowned when he felt his apprentice abruptly mask his presence in the Force. He's planning an ambush. He tightened his grip on his lightsabers as he slowly made his way toward the blast doors in front of him, his senses on high alert for anything out of the ordinary.

He made his way into the bay beyond the blast doors were metallic mesh walkways intersected at the center with columns rising in the pits that lay in between each walkway. Railings lined the wall and shadows crawled throughout the bay, making it difficult to see anything with the dim red lighting that barely illuminated the area.

His senses flared in warning and Revan whirled around, just in time to catch the blade that slashed toward his unprotected back. The force of the slash sent him skidding back but he held on, his teeth gritting together as his twin blades held Malak's crimson lightsaber only inches away from his face. He could see Malak's cool hate-filled gray eyes peering at him from beyond the crimson glow of his blade.

"You're getting weaker," Malak murmured, his vocalizer making his words even more guttural than before. "You are not up to your usual strength, Revan. The Jedi Council's tampering have turned you into a shell of your former glory."

"Maybe so but that does not mean that you will win," Revan said coolly.

"No?"

That single word was the only warning Revan had before a searing pain exploded in his stomach. His eyes widened at the second violet blade that rested, ignited, in Malak's other hand, the blade's tip piercing through his stomach. He gritted his teeth, not wanting to give his former apprentice the satisfaction of hearing him scream in spite of the agony that was ripping through him.

He lashed out with the Force, shoving Malak back several feet and jumping back. He stumbled and fell to one knee, one hand going to the wound in his stomach as a Mando'a curse escaped his lip. He barely managed to roll out of the way to avoid Malak's slash that was aimed at his unprotected neck.

"I knew I would have to be unpredictable when facing you, Revan," Malak said. "You know of what style I use, that I have always felt best suited for me, and I knew you would know of how to counteract it so I made sure to keep a surprise at my side."

Revan gritted his teeth and, pushing aside the pain, held his lightsabers in front of him as he got to his feet. "You may have taken me by surprise, Malak, but you won't again," he said.

Malak laughed. "I don't need to take you by surprise again, Revan. You are getting weaker and that wound is only causing you to grow weaker faster. It won't be long before I overpower you and truly claim the Sith throne by killing you," he said and lunged, slashing and striking toward Revan who was forced on the defensive. The pain was making it hard to focus but Revan fought past it as his dual lightsabers flashed, striking, parrying, blocking, to avoid the vicious onslaught of slashes, strikes, and thrusts that Malak aimed at him.

Malak grinned as Revan was pushed closer to one of the blast doors. He lashed out with the Force and Revan countered with a Force push of his own. Their energy clashed with each other until an explosion of energy erupted, sending Malak and Revan both flying in opposite directions. Revan slammed hard into the blast door behind him, hissing in pain when he felt something snap, while Malak flipped and landed in a crouch on the other side of the walkway.

Revan fell to the ground but, ignoring the pain in his back and stomach, barrel-rolled away from Malak when the Sith Lord jumped at him, using the Force to augment his jump and slashed downward toward him. He did a quick single-hand flip that brought him back to his feet and whirled around, barely catching the slash aimed at his side by raising his lightsabers.

An explosion of Force lightning erupted out of Malak's right hand and Revan bit his lip to keep the cry of pain from escaping his lips when the lightning struck his already injured stomach. He was sent skidding back and only barely managed to block another strike but Malak was quick, lashing out with both the Force and his lightsaber and managing to knock one of Revan's lightsabers out of his hand.

He jumped back, calling his second lightsaber back to his hand and crossing them in front of him just in time to catch another slash. He gritted his teeth because he could feel exhaustion dragging its claws through him. His adrenaline was the only thing that was keeping him on his feet right now, he knew, and even that was starting to fade.

I knew this would happen. He still didn't regret saving Anakin's life but using Force healing to heal the majority of Anakin's wound was part of the reason why Revan wasn't up to his full current strength, and was the reason why he was starting to feel the effects of this battle far sooner than expected.

I need to get stronger, I need to find a way to regain the full power that I once had.

But, for now, he needed to find a way to survive this battle.

Malak laughed. "I can see it in your eyes. You are fighting on pure adrenaline now. How long before that also fades?" he said and lunged, slashing and slicing at Revan who quickly blocked and parried the attacks, ignoring the way his arms trembled and the way his feet seemed to stumble as those claws continued to tear through him, coupled with claws of pain from the wound in his stomach and back.

He stumbled again, exhaustion causing his concentration to falter for a split second. That was all Malak needed to get past his defenses and a searing hot pain erupted in Revan's leg. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as he stumbled back, his leg nearly giving out on him from the agony that rippled through it.

"It won't be long now before you are finally defeated," Malak said.

Revan curled his lip into a sneer. "You haven't beaten me yet, Malak," he retorted.

"Don't make me laugh." Malak laughed coolly. "You are on your last legs. Even your adrenaline is starting to fade. Killing you now is going to be easy. You may have held your own far better than I thought you would against my power and strength but you have lost." He unleashed a blast of Force lightning that slammed into Revan's lightsabers with enough strength behind it to send Revan skidding backwards into the railing, his lightsabers deactivating the instant they hit the ground.

He struggled to get to his feet but his leg would not cooperate. Pain was radiating through his body, making it difficult to concentrate on getting back to his feet, and Revan could feel the dark wave of unconsciousness reaching out toward him.

No, not yet, not until I know my comrades are safe.

He fought against that rising tide, fought to get to his feet, but another Force push slammed him back into the railing again. He hissed in pain as he fell back to the ground while Malak laughed.

"You have always been incredibly stubborn," he said, "even now. You simply cannot admit that you have actually lost. This is the end for you, Revan."

Revan tensed and tried to get to his feet.

But he didn't get very far when the snap-hiss of a lightsaber igniting sounded in the doorway.

"It's not over yet. You still have me to deal with!"

Revan jerked his head up, surprised and irritated when he found who was standing in the doorway with his blue lightsaber held out in front of him, a look of firm determination in his otherwise tired and pained bright blue eyes.

"Anakin..."

. . .

A few minutes earlier…

Anakin groaned as the Force stasis finally faded away. He hated waiting. He really didn't have the patience to have to wait for the Force stasis to finally go away. Once it was gone, he knew that Revan was also gone as was Malak. He could easily tell where they were and he cursed when he felt that Revan was not doing well against his former apprentice.

It's because of me, because Revan used so much of his energy to heal my injury. If I hadn't been distracted and gotten injured then he wouldn't be in the predicament he's in, he thought and gritted his teeth. And he's losing! I can't let that happen.

Anakin didn't want to lose anyone else he cared about, not when he could still do something about it. He hadn't been able to save his mother and there were many people during the Clone Wars that he hadn't been able to save because he wasn't strong enough. He wasn't going to let that happen to his teacher, to his friend.

I won't let this war claim one of my friends, not if I can help it.

He knew that he didn't have much strength due to his injury. He knew that he wouldn't be able to fight for that long because of that injury but he would because Revan needed him.

"Anakin!" Bastila shouted but Anakin was already out of the bay, using the Force to slam open the blast doors as soon as he was close to them. He darted down the walkway, following Revan's Force signature as he wound his way down the winding corridors until he reached the blast doors beyond which he could sense Revan's presence.

He darted forward and used the Force to shove the blast doors open. Revan was struggling to get to his feet by the railing, panting as exhaustion rolled off him in waves. He had a severe wound in his gut and his leg and one of his hands was subconsciously resting on his chest.

"This is the end for you, Revan," Malak said as he strode forward, his crimson blade held in his hand and ignited.

Anakin drew his lip back slightly but simply moved forward, igniting his lightsaber and ignoring the pain that radiated from his side. "It's not over yet. You still have me to deal with," he snapped as he coolly reigned in his fury and calmly but firmly took control of it as Revan had been teaching him since they left Mortis.

He may not know a lot about controlling his anger and using it, he may not know much about manipulating his anger to where it could be used as a weapon without turning around and using him in turn. But he knew enough to not lash out and let his anger break free and take control of him as it had when he attacked the Sand People back in his own time.

He held his blade in front of him, gazing coolly at Malak who raised an eyebrow.

"Hoh? You think you can fight and beat me, young Anakin?" he said.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises." Anakin lunged at Malak, easily falling into using Djem So strikes, forcing Malak to back up due to the aggression in Anakin's strikes. Malak easily began to counter Anakin's moves but Anakin kept at it, slashing and parrying while driving Malak away from his teacher.

"You are strong, young Anakin," Malak said as their blades met in a bladelock and his eyes glittered. "Yes, you are indeed strong. You are definitely one that I will have at my side, along with young Bastila."

"I will never join you," Anakin retorted as he slashed toward Malak's side in a feint, changing the attack to a slice aimed at Malak's leg at the last second. Malak was quick though and angled his blade to catch the slice. He lunged toward Malak who unleashed a powerful Force blast that crashed into Anakin, sending him skidding backwards.

He stumbled, hissing as pain radiated from the wound in his side. Damn it.

'Damn it, Anakin. What the kriff are you doing here?' Revan's tired but irritated voice echoed along their bond as Anakin pivoted to avoid a slash aimed at his side. 'I can feel your pain. You're making your injury worse.'

I am not going to just stand aside and not help when I can, Anakin sent back as he dodged another slash, slicing toward Malak's side but Malak blocked it.

'You can barely help as it is.' Anakin could feel Revan finally managing to push himself to his knees in spite of the pain that radiated through him. He knew that Revan wouldn't be able to aid him in this fight but that was fine. So long as he could hold his own, so long as Revan could get out of there, then that was fine.

Revan, the galaxy needs you. You need to find the Star Forge. You need to regain your true strength. I was only sent to this time to aid you in ending this war. At the time, it was only because I wanted to get back to my own time but, now, I want to end this war for more than just that, and for more than stopping the suffering of others, but because I don't want you or any of the other friends I have made since I came to this time to get hurt or suffer anymore. Anakin clenched his teeth as he raised his lightsaber in the Djem So starting stance, his blade held above his head at an angle pointed behind him.

The galaxy needs you. If this is how I must help you fulfill your destiny then so be it. So long as you survive, I know that you can win. Get out of here, Revan. I'll hold Malak off for as long as I can but you must get out of here!

'Don't be a fool, Anakin!' Revan's voice hissed along their bond, since Anakin had sent that thought along their link. 'I am not leaving you. You are my friend, my apprentice, and I refuse to leave you behind!'

Malak wants you dead, Revan! He won't kill me. He wants me alive. I know that, I can feel that. He is interested in me, in my power, in the circumstances that led to me coming to this time and causing that disturbance. He won't kill me but he will kill you if this goes on. You have to get out of here!

'I refuse to leave you.'

Don't be stubborn.

'You're one to talk about being stubborn.'

Revan, the galaxy needs you! You are the only one who knows where the Star Forge is located! Weren't you the one who told me that you believe in fighting for a better future, for one not shrouded in darkness? That future cannot happen if you do not get to the Star Forge and end this war!

Frustration flashed through their bond as Anakin blocked another slash aimed at his side and pivoted to avoid a thrust aimed at his leg. The adrenaline that had kept him moving since he'd bolted from the last bay they had been in was starting to fade but Anakin kept on moving, kept on fighting, kept on defending.

He would ensure that Revan got out of there, if he had to use the Force and throw him out of the bay himself.

Malak chuckled. "Your friends do not give up easily, Revan. You always could inspire loyalty," he said.

The doors slammed open. "This isn't over, Malak," Bastila's voice shouted.

Anakin lashed out with the Force, slamming a Force push into Malak that sent him skidding backwards. While he was distracted, Anakin whirled around and lashed out with the Force, taking Revan by surprise as he was shoved out of the bay. He was sent skidding across the floor but Anakin didn't pause to see where his teacher had ended up as he pivoted and lunged at Malak who met his lunge with one of his own, their blades clashing together. Malak lashed out with the Force, striking Anakin directly in the chest with a Force blast that sent him, with a cry, flying into the railing. He slumped to the ground, hissing in pain.

"For the Jedi!" Bastila shouted and Anakin lifted his head in time to see Bastila's double-bladed yellow lightsaber spinning across the field and striking Malak's shoulder, causing him to grunt in pain.

"Carth! Get Revan out of here! I'll hold Malak off!" Bastila shouted over her shoulder as she ran forward, calling her lightsaber back to her hand while Malak, hissing, lunged at her.

Anakin jumped to his feet, ignoring the flare of agony that ripped through his side, and whirled around. He caught Revan's eyes as his teacher managed to scramble to his feet, in spite of the exhaustion and pain that rolled off him in waves, and inclined his head.

Take care of Luke for me, Revan. And...thank you for everything you were able to teach me, he sent along their bond before he used the Force to slam the blast doors closed and locking them so that Revan couldn't try to interfere.

'Damn it, Anakin. Open the door,' Revan demanded through their bond as Anakin whirled around and lunged at Malak, ignoring the pain that was still proving to be a bothersome distraction.

Get out of here. Find the Star Forge! Anakin sent back and promptly blocked the bond as he slashed toward Malak alongside Bastila, both of them working together to push Malak further down the walkway.

. . .

Carth had never heard such swear words as the ones that were leaving Zhane's...no Revan's lips but he couldn't help but pale a little. He shook his head because he knew that now wasn't the time to focus on just how many curse words Revan knew. Revan was clearly injured, badly at that, and Carth had no doubt that the only thing that was keeping Revan on his feet was adrenaline, and pure stubbornness.

"Let's get out of here," he said.

"I am not leaving them," Revan said.

"We can't help them. Not here. We have to get off this ship and find the Star Forge. That's the key to beating the Dark Lord. Bastila and Anakin sacrificed themselves so we could get away. We can't let their sacrifice be in vain. Come on!" Carth was getting close to just knocking Revan out and dragging him away to the ship, and he suspected that it wouldn't be that hard to do because of Revan's current condition.

Revan cursed again and let out a sigh, his hands clenching into fists. "I know," he said. "I know...It's just...Damn it. If only I had been stronger...What am I going to tell Luke?"

Carth winced. He hadn't even thought about what to tell the young man about what happened to his beloved father. He knew of just how close to Anakin Luke had become in the time they had spent together, not to mention Luke's unspoken fear of losing his father. To tell Luke that Anakin had been captured, if not killed, by Malak wasn't going to be easy.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it but we need to go now," he said.

"I know," Revan said, glancing at the blast doors. "Bastila...Anakin...may the Force be with you and let this not be the last time we see each other." He turned and started toward the door, only for his leg to give out on him and he probably would have planted his face into the floor had Carth not quickly caught him.

He blinked, surprised by his sudden movement. He knew who Revan was and yet he had still reacted instantly, catching the man as if nothing had changed between them, as if he still saw the other man as a friend.

Do I? Zhane was Revan. There was no denying that fact. Even Revan, himself, admitted to it, and admitted to knowing for a while that he was Revan.

And yet he hadn't changed. During the entire journey after they left Mortis, Revan hadn't changed. He still teased, he still spoke with the rest of his comrades like old friends, he still meditated with Bastila or dueled with Dustil or listened to war stories from Canderous or played pazaak with Mission or talked with Anakin and Luke.

Nothing about him had changed. He just…

He's always been Revan, he's never been Zhane Kando, and yet...which one is real? What am I to believe? The Zhane Kando that I became friends with or the Revan whom Zhane has always been?

He didn't know but, right now, he knew that he had to get off the Leviathan and he had to make sure that Revan got off alive as well. No matter his personal, and conflicted, feelings toward Revan, he knew Revan was the only one who could get them to the Star Forge.

And Bastila and Anakin had already sacrificed themselves to ensure that he and Revan could get away.

Carth could not, would not, let their sacrifices be in vain.

He hoisted Revan onto his shoulder, wincing because Revan wasn't exactly light and he had just passed out so now he was dead weight, and turned. He bolted down the corridor, weaving down the few curves and corners that he had to get around until he finally reached the hangar bay.

He bolted down the corridor and toward the boarding ramp of the Ebon Hawk. He stumbled into it. "We need to go, now," he shouted as Canderous glanced at him from where he had been guarding the entrance to the ship.

Mission jumped to her feet. "Is that Zhane?" she gasped.

"No time! We have to go while we have the chance," Carth said as he moved forward, gently lowering Revan's unconscious form to the ground. He found that, the more he thought about it, the more he thought about everything that had happened, the more he realized that he couldn't hate Revan. He couldn't hate him because…

Revan was Zhane Kando. Whatever the Jedi had done to him, they had given him a second chance, a chance to walk away from the path of a Sith Lord and Revan had taken that chance. Even after he had regained his memories, he still walked the path he first set out on after the Jedi had given him that second chance.

There was a darkness within Revan. He knew there was and yet he also realized that darkness wasn't who Revan truly was.

Revan didn't have to be the Revan of old, the Sith Master who tried to conquer the galaxy. Revan had the chance to become so much more, to become the better person who had the potential to end this war and save countless lives.

And Carth believed that he could do it.

Even if there would come a time when Revan would have to make a choice of which path to follow, of whether to stay on the path he was currently walking or not, Carth was confident that Revan would make the right choice.

And, if not, then he hoped that he could save him, from himself.

For now, let's just get out of here. Be safe, Bastila, Anakin, Carth thought as he bolted toward the corridor that would take him to the cockpit and threw himself into the pilot's chair. "I need someone in the gunner's station! We're gonna have Sith fighters pursuing us. I have no doubt about that," he shouted.

"Wait, what about Anakin and Bastila?" Mission protested as she, Luke, Jolee, and Juhani followed him into the cockpit.

"We have to go now! We don't have time!" Carth stated as he ran his fingers over the controls and quickly guided the Ebon Hawk out of the Leviathan's hangar bay. He didn't have the time to tell anyone about what happened. He had to focus on getting them all into the safety of hyperspace and then, then he would be able to talk with them.

"I'll tell you everything but we need to get those fighters off our backs," he said firmly.

"I've got it," Luke said, though Carth could hear the worry and fear in his voice. He winced again. It was going to be painful to actually tell Luke about what happened.

But I'll worry about that later. Right now, I need to get us out of here.

. . .

Anakin winced as he slammed back first into the wall and slumped down. He tried to get up but his exhaustion and the pain in his side was making it difficult for him to move that well. His movements were sluggish and Anakin could tell that the adrenaline was at its limit and he doubted he would be able to last any longer against the Dark Lord.

Bastila glanced at him in concern and jumped back to avoid the burst of Force lightning that surged toward her.

"You have a great amount of concern for that young man, even though you have only known him for a few months," Malak noted as he lowered his hand and held his blade in front of him.

"He is my friend, my comrade," Bastila said simply as she held her double-bladed lightsaber in front of him. Pants escaped her lips and sweat beaded on her forehead. Anakin knew that Bastila wouldn't be able to last much longer against the Dark Lord either.

"You have no need to worry, young Bastila, young Anakin. I have great plans for both of you and none of those plans involve killing either of you," said Malak.

"As I already told Karath earlier, we will not fall to the dark side nor will we join you," Bastila retorted.

Malak laughed. "Are you so sure about that? You will soon find that you are mistaken," he said and launched himself at Bastila, forcing her on the defensive as she struggled to fend off Malak's swift strikes.

Anakin, gritting his teeth, forced himself to his feet and called the lightsaber that had been knocked out of his grip to his hand. Using the Force, he launched himself at Malak, using what little strength and adrenaline he had left to try to drive Malak back. If he could just distract Malak long enough for Bastila to get away then there may be some hope left.

If Bastila could get away then she could find some way off the Leviathan and return to their comrades. The Republic needed Bastila's battle meditation skills. Anakin may be strong but he also knew that he was an anomaly, a Jedi displaced from his own time, and he wasn't what the Republic needed right now. They needed Revan, and they needed Bastila.

He had to find some way to ensure that the Republic was able to have both.

Swift strikes drove a surprised Malak backwards, away from Bastila, and that surprise faded to be replaced by careful consideration. "You really are full of surprises, young Anakin. I was not expecting you to be able to keep fighting with your injury and yet you are. I am impressed, even if you still won't last long. I can tell that you are on your last legs of strength."

"Even so, I have enough...strength to keep...fighting you," Anakin retorted and lunged forward while using the Force to wrench the blast doors behind Bastila open. "Bastila, go! Get out of here!"

"What? No, Anakin, I am not leaving you," Bastila protested.

"You have to! The Republic needs both you and Revan."

"They need you too!"

Anakin cast a glance over his shoulder and smiled softly as he locked Malak in a bladelock. "You know that's not true, Bastila. I'm just an anomaly. I don't even belong here. This war is not mine and yet I know that it is you and Revan that will win this war. You must go."

Bastila tightened her grip on her lightsaber. "I won't leave. This may not be your war but you are helping us in it, you are willingly fighting alongside us. I know it started out as an obligation, a way to return from whence you came, but I also know that it gradually turned into something more. You fight with us now not as an obligation but because you have found that this is a cause worth fighting for, that the friends you have made here are worth fighting for, that the people of this time are worth fighting for. You are not an anomaly. You are our friend, our comrade, and I refuse to lose a comrade to the Sith!"

"Bastila..." Anakin murmured, stunned by her passionate words. He knew that he had become friends with her and the rest of the crew of the Ebon Hawk but it was in that moment that he realized that it had become so much more than that. He hadn't just become part of the crew of the Ebon Hawk. He didn't even see them as just friends.

In the months that they had been together, fighting together like a closely knit group, he had come to see everyone onboard the Ebon Hawk as family.

Even if he hadn't realized it at the time, he had formed bonds with everyone onboard the Ebon Hawk, bonds that he hasn't formed with anyone except three people in his own time: Obi-Wan, Padme, and Ahsoka.

His time with the crew of the Ebon Hawk had caused them to slip into the part of his heart that only three others have managed to slip into, the part where his mother had once been and where Luke had instantaneously claimed a place in upon their meeting, the part where those he loved and cherished like family lived.

Yes, the Ebon Hawk's crew—Revan, Bastila, Mission, Zaalbar, Carth, Juhani, Jolee, Canderous, even the droids HK and T3—have become people that I care about and cherish in a way that I have only felt about so few people before.

Anakin snorted to himself. He didn't even know when it happened, or how the crew had managed to wiggle their way into that reserved part of his heart, but it had happened. Those bonds had been formed, even though he never had any intention of letting them form, of allowing himself to get close to them. He hadn't wanted to get close to them because he knew that he would have to leave them when he returned to his own time. He knew that, once he returned to his own time, he would never see them again. They would all be dust on the wind, a memory. They would all be gone.

Just like his mother was gone.

He didn't want that, to feel that pain again, so he had tried to just treat them as comrades, as an obligation to fulfill so that he could return to his own time.

But it hadn't worked. They all managed to wiggle their way into his heart, some without even knowing it, and he had become close to them, had formed bonds with them.

Those bonds…

Revan told him that those bonds, just like his bond with Luke, would be his anchors, would allow him to always remain anchored. They would be his line that could pull him back if he ever fell too far. His bonds would allow him to find balance within himself, to always be able to return to the shades of gray between the dark and light, even as he learned more about the dark. His bonds would allow him to…

...allow him to become the Chosen One that everyone in his time thought he was.

The one who will bring balance to the Force.

He was going to become that. He was determined to fulfill that prophecy because he was sure that doing so would create that better future.

And he wanted that better future for everyone.

Especially his beloved son Luke.

Luke, whom was his biggest and most powerful anchor, his precious guiding light.

He would fight, for his bonds, for those whom had become like family to him, for the child that he wanted to, someday, hold in his arms and raise to be the wonderful man he currently was in a future that was both bright and filled with happiness.

Determination flared through him, outweighing the agony that still ripped through him, and Anakin lunged forward, lashing and slicing at Malak in such rapid strikes that Malak was forced on the defensive. He had something worth fighting for, he had people worth protecting, he had friends, no family, he needed to return to.

Bastila joined him in his assault, slashing and slicing, forcing Malak even further down the walkway. The blast doors opened behind him as the two of them forced Malak into the corridor beyond, his blade moving quickly to block the slashes and thrusts and slices that Anakin and Bastila aimed at him.

"We leave together, Anakin," Bastila said firmly. "And we will rejoin our comrades together."

Anakin smiled. "Yes. We will," he agreed and the two continued their assault, pushing Malak further and further down the corridor. They may not have much hope of beating Malak on their own but, together, they were definitely proving themselves to be a threat, to, perhaps, be the one who could finally take Malak down once and for all.

Malak laughed as he blocked another slash aimed at his side. "I can feel your confidence, young Anakin," he said as he blocked another thrust. "And you both have managed to impress me yet again. Even in your weakened state, you have managed to actually drive me into the defensive, young Anakin. And Bastila, you are as powerful as I suspected you would be. Both of you are definitely going to be wonderful apprentices once I have broken you."

"What makes you think you will?" Anakin said.

"Yes. We will not fall. You will be the one to fall today, Malak," Bastila said firmly.

Malak laughed. "There is more than one way to skin a bantha," he said as Anakin and Bastila's strikes drove him into an intersection.

Anakin felt the flare of warning a second too late and a sharp prick suddenly erupted in his neck. His eyes widened as his body tensed and he found he couldn't move. His legs gave out on him and a soft gasp of surprise beside him told him that Bastila was experiencing the same thing. Both of them fell to the ground, their lightsabers deactivating as soon as they struck the floor.

"W...What did you...do?" Anakin managed to get out, trying but failing to get his body to move.

"A...A paralyzing...agent," Bastila managed to get out.

Malak chuckled. "As I told you before, Bastila, Anakin. I have used far too much energy hunting you two down. I am not letting either of you get away from me this time," he said and turned his head. "Cuff them and take them to my ship. Keep them paralyzed and take their weapons away from them. I do not want them to escape, understood?"

"Yes sir!" The Sith guards that Anakin hadn't noticed, and he cursed that lapse of attention, brief though it was, stated.

Father!

Anakin gritted his teeth as his son's worried, fear-filled cry echoed along their bond. He reached out with the Force toward his son, hoping to reassure him that he would be all right but he could tell that his son was getting further away.

Stay safe, my son. Take care of yourself.

Father, don't...please...come back to me! Please, father. I love you!

Anakin smiled softly inwardly, since he couldn't move, and felt tears well up in his eyes at his son's pained, fear-filled voice crying, pleading, through their bond. He clearly feared the worse and Anakin knew he didn't have the time to reassure him, to calm his fears.

So he responded with the only thing he could say in the limited time that he had before their bond grew too far for them to communicate properly.

I love you, my son.

The bond strained, stretching too far for Anakin to do more than feel his beloved son's presence within the Force. They were too far away now. They wouldn't be able to speak to each other now, not until they got closer, whenever that happened.

Anakin didn't know what would happen now, what Malak had planned for both him and Bastila, but he knew that it wasn't going to be pretty. But, for so long as he had his bond with his precious son, then he would be fine. His precious son, his guiding light, was the only bond that was strong enough for him to hold onto. So long as he had his bond, he would be fine.

Malak wouldn't get what he wanted. For so long as he had his light, the darkness would never be able to completely take hold of him.

He was not going to turn. He was not going to let Malak twist him and drag him into the darkness.

He was not going to become the person he was in the future Luke came from.

He refused.

For his son's sake, as well as the sake of everyone he cared about and loved, he would not fall.

No matter what Malak did to him, no matter what kind of torture Malak put him through, Anakin would hold on to his lights, to his bonds, and he would not fall.

He refused to fall.

The dark may be alluring, may be seductive, and Anakin knew of how tempting the darkness was since he'd taken steps into it during his brief training sessions with Revan. But he would not fall beyond that line, not so long as he has his guiding light and the rest of his bonds.

. . .

A/n what do you think?

Blaze: like I said, that is the twist. Next chapter, we get truths revealed (from both Revan and Luke) and I think we're heading to Korriban. Something like that

Rey: you don't know what's happening next?

Blaze: I finished Chapter 21 back in October of last year so, yeah, I don't remember. I'll have to read through it again

Canon Ben: it does sound interesting

Legendary Ben: whatever happens, I'm sure it'll be great

Blaze: Korriban is going to go very different from the game, including more OCs being used, Malak being a dickhead, shit blowing up, and sidequests, sidequests galore

Legendary Anakin: wonder what she means by that

Canon Anakin: who knows?

Palpatine: (laughs as he appears out of nowhere)

Rey: (pulls out flamethrower and promptly sets Palpatine on fire)

Palpatine: AHHH! I'M ON FIRE! (Runs off screaming)

Canon Ben: (raises eyebrow) good job

Rey: (throws flamethrower over her shoulder and grins) I do try

?: OW!

Revan: (bursts out laughing)

Canon Anakin: you hit Malak in the face with that flamethrower

Rey: good

Canon Ben: Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter.

Legendary Anakin: and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.