I still can't get over the Clone Wars series finale! The feels and the emotion and the fact that it was, by far, the best Clone Wars episode ever! And definitely the best series finale that I have seen in a long time. The feels! (Sobs)
Anyway, I was hoping to post this on May the Fourth but, well, see above. But it's being posted today so, at least, there's that.
Thank you to Guest, ssj3gohan007, Bountyhunter1977, Lawrence HBain, Abyss Trinity, TaitanoRules555, Nitroman98, and ivanruzic3758 for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.
I really hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
Chapter Twenty One
The Ebon Hawk, Hyperspace, En Route to Korriban
Juhani pulled herself out of her meditative trance and glanced down at Zhane's unconscious form. His injuries, based on her initial diagnosis, were severe. He had a severe wound in his stomach and his leg, both likely caused by a lightsaber, and his entire Force presence radiated such exhaustion that Juhani doubted the man was going to wake up anytime soon. And she wouldn't be able to help him go into a healing trance until he was, at least, somewhat conscious so she would have to wait, or use the medpacs they had in the storage to help him.
She turned her gaze to the main hold where everyone else was holding on as Carth attempted to steer them far enough away from the Leviathan, and Luke took out enough fighters, for them to make the jump to hyperspace. She lowered her hand from where it had been resting on her forehead, while her other hand remained resting on Zhane's chest, and sat back on her heels.
"How's Zhane?" Mission asked as she clutched onto the wall.
"Exhausted," Juhani replied. "He's so exhausted that I can feel his Force presence is even exhausted, which usually only happens when a Jedi overexerts himself in the use of the Force, typically by using too much energy in a short span of time. It causes a backlash that results in extreme exhaustion. He won't be waking up for a while yet, possibly even a couple of days based on how exhausted his presence feels."
"Oh no." Mission gazed at Zhane's unconscious form worriedly. "How did this happen?"
"I do not know. I only sensed immense power coming from Zhane during the incident on the Leviathan but I do not know of what actually happened. Carth is the only one who knows what actually happened."
"On that note, where are Bastila and Anakin?" Jolee said. "They didn't come back with Carth and Zhane."
Juhani shook her head. She didn't know.
The ship stabilized and then shuddered briefly before everything went quiet for a moment. Luke rejoined them in the main hold from where he'd been in the gunner station, firing on all the Sith fighters, and Carth joined them a few moment's later, running a hand through his hair and looking a few years older all of a sudden.
"What happened? Where are Anakin and Bastila?" Jolee asked.
"How's...Zhane?" Carth asked.
Juhani didn't know why Carth hesitated before saying Zhane's name, though she had a feeling she knew the reason why. She didn't question it though. "His Force presence is exhausted and his injuries are severe. They are not fatal so the medpacs should be able to fix the majority of the damage but, with how exhausted his Force presence is, he will likely not wake up for a while, possibly even a couple of days. He will need to regain quite a bit of energy before he can wake up."
"I see..." Carth bit his lip, looking hesitant as his eyes flickered from Zhane to the rest of the group and back to Zhane.
"Where's Father?" Luke asked.
Carth winced and his hesitation increased.
"Yeah, what happened on the ship?" Mission asked.
Carth sighed and ran a hand through his hair again "We ran into Malak," he said finally. "He would have killed us but...Bastila and Anakin sacrificed themselves so we could get away."
Luke's eyes widened, fear flooding their depths. Juhani could feel it writhing around him as he struggled to restrain it, to release it, but it did little good. "No..." he stammered out, leaning against the wall, probably as a support so that he didn't fall to his knees. "No...no...Father..."
"Y...You...mean...they...they're..." Mission couldn't even seem to say the word, horror in her eyes.
"Bah. Don't be foolish, either of you," Jolee said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Malak won't kill either of 'em. He'll want to use Bastila's battle meditation against the Republic and, due to Anakin's sheer natural power in the Force, Malak will see him as too powerful to just get rid of. No, if he turns both Bastila and Anakin to the dark side then the Sith will always be victorious."
"I believe so too," said Carth.
Luke shook his head. "Father...not again..." he whispered, closing his eyes and clenching his hands into fists. "Please, Father...don't give in."
Mission moved to Luke's side and rested a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be all right, Luke," she said with a soft smile. "Anakin's strong. Malak ain't gonna turn him."
"But what if…? Father has darkness within him. He always has. There's no changing that. What if…? I don't know...if Father falls again, what am I supposed to do?"
"Again?" Juhani echoed. She didn't know much about the relationship between Luke and Anakin, other than the fact that they were father and son and Luke was from further in the future than Anakin, but Luke's words made her frown.
Luke bit his lip and glanced at the ground for a moment, as if debating with himself. Finally he said softly, "in the future that I come from, the reason why my twin sister and I were raised separate, and the reason why Father never knew about us, was because...he had fallen. He had fallen to the dark side, became corrupted by it and turned into the Sith Lord known as Darth Vader."
"Anakin...becomes a Sith Lord?" Mission whispered, horror in her voice.
Luke nodded slowly.
"What happened?" Jolee asked. "That is causing you such distress right now?"
Luke was silent for a long moment. "We fought," he said. "Father's Sith Master goaded us into fighting each other. He wanted me to take Father's place because he felt that I would be more powerful than Father so he goaded us into fighting each other. I didn't want to fight. I wanted to save him. I knew there was a conflict in him, one that has been within him ever since he found out I was alive and his son—since he had gone for over two decades believing I died when my mother died—and I wanted to help him realize that conflict, to come back to the good side. I...No one thought the same way as me. My sister certainly didn't. She didn't want me to confront him, she didn't believe that he could come back, and I know my Jedi masters at the time didn't believe it either."
Luke closed his eyes. "They always told me that if you fell into darkness, it would forever dominate you but I refused to believe that. Maybe I was being selfish, maybe I just wanted to believe that it was possible to save my father because I was desperate to be reunited with part of my family, the part of my family I never got to know. I don't know which it was but I went out of my way to try to convince my father to stop, to come back."
"Our fight went on and, no matter what I said, Father wasn't listening to me. He even attempted to use my sister to get me to react, which worked because I did not want him to do anything to Leia, and I lashed out at him in anger. I managed to overpower him, which is exactly what Palpatine, his Sith Master, wanted me to do. But I didn't give in to his goading, to his words, and I told him that I wasn't going to do it, I wasn't going to kill my father."
He trailed off and Juhani could see trembles passing through his form. Mission gently rubbed circles into his upper back, softly whispering to him in an attempt to calm him down.
"You don't have to tell us what happened next if you don't want to," she said and glared at the rest of the group as if daring them to object.
No one did. It was clear this was a very traumatizing moment for Luke and Juhani knew that she wasn't alone in her desire to not make Luke have to relive it.
"No...No...I think...I think I need to get it out," Luke said quietly. "I need to speak about it. I haven't spoken to it with anyone, not even Father. Father knows about it but only the bare minimum and only the aftermath. No one else knows about what happened that day, not even Leia, and I just...I feel like I need to get it out."
"All right, Luke. We'll listen but if it becomes too painful, stop, okay?"
"All right." Luke took a shaky breath and went on, "Palpatine wasn't happy and he...he hit me with Force lightning. I had thrown my lightsaber away when I told him that I wouldn't kill my father so I had no way to defend myself. It was...It was excruciating. I've never experienced such pain before and...I just wanted it to stop. I called out to my father, hoping, pleading, that he would answer my call, that he would do something. And...he did. My father killed Palpatine to save my life, at the cost of his own."
"His...own?" Mission's eyes widened and even Juhani couldn't help but wince at the raw grief that echoed in Luke's voice.
"Yes," he said, tears welling up in his eyes. "He came back to the light to save my life by killing Palpatine but...it was too much for him to handle and...and...I lost him. He...He...He told me to tell Leia that I had been right about him. He...He acknowledged that I was right that there was still good in him, that he could be redeemed, that he could return to the good side but...but...he died. He had just come back, he had just redeemed himself, and then he was gone."
Luke choked out a sob. "I didn't even get the chance to know him in that time but, in this time, I have. I have gotten to know my father before he fell, I've gotten to know who he truly was before he became Vader, and now...and now...I don't know if I can handle losing him again. I don't know if I can handle him dying or, worse, seeing him fall."
"Luke..." Mission trailed off, not sure of what to say.
Carth gazed at Luke before he moved over to join him and gently drew the young man into his arms. Luke stiffened but Carth simply held him in a light hug.
"It will be fine," he said quietly. "Your father is strong and he has something that is worth fighting whatever Malak does to him. He has you." He released Luke and gazed at him with determination in his eyes. "You are the reason why your father redeemed himself in your time. That is why I believe you will be his reason for resisting Malak in this time."
"But what if…?" Luke began, a pessimistic note entering his voice.
"If Anakin falls then all you've gotta do is bring him back to the good side again," Mission said firmly. "If you were able to do so in your time then you can bet you can do it in this time. You are his son and he loves you. Nothing is gonna change that!"
Juhani smiled and stood up. "Mission is correct," she said. "I may not know much about these kinds of relationships, given my upbringing, but I do know that your love for your father and your father's love for you are true and pure. And if it was that love that redeemed your father in your time then that love will most definitely save your father in this time, should Malak succeed."
"Do you...really think so?" Luke asked, hope in his voice.
"Definitely," Mission said with a nod.
"I truly believe so, yes," Juhani said with a nod because she did. Based on the story that Luke just told them about what happened in his time, and what happened between him and his father, she knew that the bond between them was far stronger than anyone would ever know. If Luke could redeem his father after his father had spent more than twenty years trapped in darkness then he definitely could redeem his father now, should Malak succeed.
Tears slipped out of Luke's eyes and he gingerly wiped them away. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you. You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that."
Juhani inclined her head in acknowledgment of Luke's words.
"Now I don't mean to be the bearer of even more bad news," Carth said after a few moments of silence, "but you all have the right to know. I...I wanted to give him a chance to tell you himself but, since he is as injured as he is, I'll tell you."
"Tell us what?" Luke said puzzled.
"Let me...tell...them..."
Everyone jumped and Juhani jerked her eyes toward the young man that she could have sworn did not have the strength to wake up just yet.
But, no, sitting up with one hand resting on his head and exhaustion rolling off him in waves, was Zhane.
"You should not be up yet," she scolded. "You need rest."
"And I will get it," Zhane said tiredly. "But...I want to be the one...to tell all of you. I have...been putting this off for…far too long."
"What do you mean?" Jolee asked.
"Putting this off? You said you've known since Mortis so you've been keeping this to yourself since then?" Carth demanded.
"I was unsure of how to tell everyone. I was worried about everyone's response, your reaction serves as proof that my worry was well-founded, so I decided that I would wait, at least until I had some more time to process everything that happened. Bastila and Anakin are the only ones that know the truth, aside from you, Carth."
Carth folded his arms across his chest. "And?" he said coolly.
"I was planning on telling everyone once we got back to the Ebon Hawk anyway," said Zhane as he rubbed his head and glanced at the rest of the crew. "They deserve to know the truth, just as you said, Carth. The truth is simple. I'm Revan."
"What?" Luke blurted out.
"You're Revan? As in the Dark Lord Revan? Malak's master Revan?" Mission exclaimed, her eyes wide. "This...This is big! Do you...do you remember anything about being the Dark Lord?"
"Mostly everything," Zhane, no Revan, said as he shifted so that he was seated in a more comfortable position. "There are some memories that were too badly damaged that they were unable to be returned to me but the rest are there. Back on Mortis, the Son decided that he wanted to give me back what the Jedi took from me so he restored all of my memories."
"And you've still been helping us?" Mission said.
"Of course. Carth over there might not believe it fully, though I sense that he is conflicted, but I've chosen to follow the path I'm walking of my own free will. The instant my memories were given back to me, I decided on the path I would walk and it was the one that I was currently walking. I will never be a true Jedi but that does not mean that I will follow the same path I walked before the Jedi captured me and become a Sith. I still want to stop Malak and that will not change."
Mission shook her head. "I don't see a Sith Lord sitting here, I see a friend who's been with us through thick and thin."
Zaalbar growled.
"Big Z and I will stick with you. You are who you are now and that's all that matters. We owe you our lives. We won't desert you now."
"How can you say that?! The Sith bombed my homeworld. Revan took away my family and destroyed my life," Carth protested, though Juhani could hear the conflict in his voice as if he wasn't sure what to truly believe.
"Don't be an idiot with your anger clouding your judgment, Father," Dustil snapped, folding his arms across his chest and, when Carth sputtered out a protest and stared at Dustil with shock on his face, he added, "Malak was the one who destroyed Telos IV, not Revan. Don't blame Revan for something that was not his fault."
Carth gritted his teeth. "I suppose...you have proven yourself to be a friend of the Republic by your actions so far...Revan but can I trust you? Can any of us?"
"It is entirely up to you if you wish to trust me or not," Revan said, still sounding extremely exhausted. "I have done what I have done, my past has left its scars on more than just me and I know this, but my past should have no bearing on my future."
"You are not a Sith," Luke said softly, "not anymore. I...I am someone who believes redemption is possible. It was possible for my father so why shouldn't it be possible for you? The Jedi may have tampered with your memories, which I'll admit is something I don't particularly like, but they gave you this chance, to chose who you want to be, to follow a different path, to redeem yourself. You are who you are, just as Mission said."
"Thank you, Luke," said Revan tiredly.
Juhani studied the young man. She knew Revan, of course. Revan was the hero of the Mandalorian Wars but she knew him as more than that. She knew him as the young man who saved her life on Taris. She had never wanted to believe that the Revan who saved her life during the Wars had fallen to the dark side, she always did fell something was wrong with it, and now she knew that it was true.
"You know...I knew when I heard you had become the Dark Lord of the Sith that something was wrong with it," she said out loud, causing eyes to turn toward her.
"You knew Revan?" Mission echoed.
"No, not personally anyway. Revan...saved my life during the Mandalorian Wars when he rescued me after I had been sold into slavery as a child to pay off my parents' debts. It was because of him that I got my freedom and was able to journey to Dantooine where I began my Jedi training. The man who saved me could never go completely to the dark side," Juhani said.
"Not completely, no," said Revan. "The scars will always remain and I will never consider myself a true Jedi. I see myself as neither Jedi nor Sith but...there are some things that I do regret."
"It is good to know that you have truly changed. It gives me hope. I do not think now that I will fall to the dark side. I only have to look to you and follow your example and there is no way I can fail."
"The path I walk is one that is a difficult one to follow," said Revan. "But I will help you if you ever need it."
Juhani smiled a little. "I will never forget what you did for me," she said.
"You know I always knew," said Jolee thoughtfully. "I'm glad that you know the truth now though. It doesn't change how I see you 'cause I can see that you've changed."
Revan inclined his head and turned to Carth who sighed.
"It's clear everyone here trusts you," he said. "And I guess...I don't hate you or nothing like that. I've been...I have been thinking a lot about this revelation since I found out about it and I realize...you...don't seem like the same person, most of the time. Either way, I won't let my personal feelings get in the way. You've proven yourself time and time again during our mission but I've still sworn an oath to the Republic. I'll stay with you as long as this mission stays on course but I won't let you betray the Republic."
"Don't worry about that. I have no intention of turning against the Republic."
"I certainly hope that is true. I guess that's it then. We keep going. We've still got one more Star Map to uncover if we're going to find the Star Forge and save Bastila and Anakin so let's do it before it's too late."
"Do we even need to find the final Star Map? I mean Revan did just say that he regained the majority of his memories so doesn't he know the location of the Star Forge already?" Mission asked.
"I do, yes," Revan said. "But going to Korriban would be best. Dustil made a promise back on Mortis and this may be our only chance to help him fulfill that promise and there is something that I need to see on Korriban. I can feel it calling to me. There's something...there that may help me remember...something important..." His brow furrowed. "It must have something to do with those memories that were actually damaged, though I'm not sure why I feel that. I just feel it is important..."
"So we are going to Korriban?" Mission asked.
"Yes, that would be best but we shouldn't have to stay that long. The sooner we get to the Star Forge, the sooner we can rescue Bastila and Anakin."
Juhani nodded in agreement.
"All right. Our navicomp was already set so we're on our way now. It should be about a three day journey," said Carth.
"You will rest for that journey," said Juhani, frowning sternly at Revan who gave her an irritated look. She folded her arms across her chest. "Do not give me that look. You have a stab wound in both your stomach and your leg and your Force presence is absolutely exhausted. You need to rest and heal."
Revan sighed but nodded, wincing as he did so. "Fine, I will go into a healing trance for the rest of the journey," he said and, laying down, he closed his eyes and Juhani felt the Force flow around him as he slipped into a healing trance.
She relaxed her arms and stood up while Mission pulled a blanket and pillow from a nearby storage locker. The Twi'lek moved forward and gently covered Revan with the blanket before tucking the pillow under his head. "There, now he's comfortable, at least a little bit," she said and walked away, heading toward Luke and placing a hand on his shoulder, quietly asking him if he wanted to help her in the garage.
He gave her a small smile and nodded before the two of them vanished down the corridor that would take them to the garage.
Juhani watched them go and then turned to Revan before she began to make her way to the small medbay. Healing trance or not, she would still see to the wound as best she could while the Force did the rest of the job.
. . .
Temple of the Ancients, Rakata Prime, Lehon System
Anakin winced as he was thrown into the cell. It was small and cramped with no windows and bars that were so close together that he doubted he would be able to fit his arm through them. His lightsaber was taken from him as was every other piece of technology that he had on his person. He wasn't surprised. Of course Malak wasn't going to leave him with anything that he could potentially use as a weapon, or to escape.
He slowly stood up. It was hard to move. While the paralyzing agent had faded when they reached the lush, tropical world that Malak called Rakata Prime, the pain from his injury had not. In fact, the pain had only gotten worse in the time since they left the Leviathan and Anakin wasn't sure if it was because of the paralyzing agent, or because he overexerted himself during his fight with Malak.
Or both.
It was probably both.
Anakin sank to the ground, deciding that standing wasn't going to help his injury, and rested his back against the wall. His hand went to the wound on his side and he hummed to himself, wish he had pad some attention to what Revan was doing when he was healing his side. That Force healing had been strong enough to mend the damage well enough so that the wound was no longer in danger of becoming fatal but it hadn't mended everything.
I can try. I felt what he was doing so, maybe, I could try replicating that. He'd try anyway because he would need all of his strength if he wanted to stand a chance at escaping from the temple he'd been brought to and then, somehow, finding a way off this planet.
One thing at a time, Skywalker, he thought wryly as he shifted and rested his hand on the wound that he could see beneath the tear in his shirt. He closed his eyes and slowly slipped into a meditative trance, reaching for the Force and slowly directing it toward the wound. He wasn't sure he was doing it right but the pain was easing. He wasn't sure if that was because the wound was healing though, or if the Force was just easing the pain because Anakin wasn't doing this Force healing thing right.
He sighed as he pulled out of his meditation and frowned at the wound in his side. The pain was gone but he could tell that the latter had been right. He had only been easing the pain, not healing the wound.
Damn, I really wish Revan had been able to teach this to me.
Well, nothing to do but wait, he supposed. He was pretty sure Malak would, at least, make sure the wound didn't get infected or something like that. He did want Anakin alive after all so he would want to ensure that Anakin didn't die from an infection.
As if on cue, the door to his cell opened and Malak strode in. "Anakin," he greeted, his vocalizer making his voice gruff.
"Di'kut," Anakin replied, smirking when Malak's eye twitched with irritation.
"I see you have been spending quite a bit of time with my former master. You are a quick learner in Mando'a," he said.
"I've always been a pretty quick learner in some things, like pissing people I don't like off, shabuir," Anakin said with a shrug, that led to a wince that he had tried very hard to hide. Judging by the look that Malak was giving him, he hadn't managed to hide the wince at all.
"I see that your injury is bothering you," he said.
"I've had worse." It was true. This pain was bad, and Anakin did compare it to when he lost his arm, but losing his arm had still been far worse.
"You probably have," agreed Malak. "However, I do not wish for one of my new apprentices to be damaged."
"Like hell I'm going to be your new apprentice."
"You would do well not to underestimate the dark side, or me, Anakin." Malak waved a hand and a medical droid made its way into the cell. Anakin grimaced but it wasn't as if he could do anything. His wound needed to be seen to if he wanted to stand a chance at escaping so, for now, he would not protest and just let the droid do its job.
Once the wound was properly disinfectant and wrapped up, Malak dismissed the medical droid and moved forward. "Of course, healing your wound completely is part of my abilities but I would rather not give you anything that may aid you in escaping, since I can sense that is what you are attempting to come up with a plan for," he said.
"And you are nosy. Stay out of my head," Anakin snapped, immediately raising his mental shields to avoid the Dark Lord's probing again.
Malak moved closer and Anakin winced as he found himself jerked to his feet by the Dark Lord's Force grip on him. "You will find that your little words won't stop me," he said. "Of course, I do not wish to damage you permanently. You are far too powerful for me to dispose of. I can sense your power and it has only grown stronger since you caused that disturbance."
"I'll be sure to show you the full extent of my power when I kick your ass," Anakin said flatly.
"You sure are confident, arrogant even," Malak said with a chuckle and Anakin winced as he found himself slammed back first into the cell wall. "But don't think you can threaten me, young one. I am far more powerful than you could ever be. You do not know the extent of my power. The power that I have could be yours as well, if you join me."
Anakin shot a curse at him in Huttese before adding, "I won't join you."
Malak chuckled. "You say that now but how long will it be before I break you?" he murmured. "I have already begun with Bastila and I will also work on you as well. The one thing that you have that Bastila does not, however, is that stain in your Force presence. A scar of darkness carved into your presence. I am quite curious...what could have caused that scar?"
"None of your business."
Malak chuckled and strode forward, grabbing Anakin's chin and Anakin gasped as Malak reached into his mind with the Force, lashing out at the mental shields that Anakin had thrown him. He hissed in pain and struggled to shove Malak out of his mind, a scowl twisting his lips as Malak tore through his defenses and search through his mind.
He chuckled as he released Anakin, stepping back while Anakin gasped and clutched his head, which was throbbing painfully from the forced intrusion upon his mind. "I see," Malak said. "So that is the cause of that scar. You have a lot of blood on your hands, young Anakin. Massacring an entire tribe of Tusken Raiders when you were not much older than you are now?"
Anakin gritted his teeth.
"And what is even more enlightening is the fact that you did not regret it, and you still do not regret it," said Malak with a laugh. "You feel absolutely no remorse for what you did to that tribe, even though you now know that not all tribes are like the tribe that killed your mother."
"Stay out of my head," Anakin said through gritted teeth.
"Rest assured I have already drained all the knowledge that I need from you, young Anakin, all the knowledge that I need to turn you," said Malak as he turned around. "But, for now, I will leave you be. I have some questions I would like to ask young Bastila." He left the cell and the door closed behind him while Anakin slumped against the wall behind him, his head throbbing painfully.
He didn't even know what knowledge that Malak found out was but he feared the worse.
If Malak was that confident that he had uncovered the knowledge that he would need to turn Anakin to the dark side then that must mean that he must have discovered Anakin's greatest weakness.
Luke…
His love for his son may be considered to be one of his greatest strengths but Anakin knew that Malak could use his love for his son against him.
If he so much as looks at Luke the wrong way…
He shoved that thought away and took a deep breath. In this case, controlling his anger wasn't going to help. It would only aid in what Malak wanted to do to him so Anakin focused on releasing his anger into the Force. He couldn't afford to let his anger get the better of him. He could not, he would not, fall.
For Luke's sake, he would not fall.
. . .
After leaving Bastila, Darth Malak made his way down the stone hallway of the Temple of the Ancients until he was out in the courtyard beyond. As expected, there were a couple of dark Jedi and Sith troopers standing there, as he had asked them to meet him there as soon as he had finished draining knowledge from Anakin's mind.
One thing, aside from the incident with the Sand People, had stood out among the rest.
The bond.
The bond was a powerful, natural Force bond that Malak has never felt before in his entire life. It was so strong, so pure, so light that it made the darkness within Malak recoil as if struck. But Malak had been quick to follow that bond to its source.
And found out about a young man known as Luke Skywalker.
Anakin Skywalker's child from the future.
A vicious thought had entered his mind as he thought about what he could do with this information and he had come to the perfect conclusion. He knew that Revan and his comrades would be heading to Korriban next, as that was the location of the final Star Map and Malak was unsure if Revan had regained all of his memories to where he would avoid Korriban all the together because he already knew of the Star Forge's location or not. But if they were heading there then it would be the perfect place to strike…
...and sever the Force bond between Anakin Skywalker and his son.
"You wished to see us, Master?" one of the dark Jedi said.
"Yes," Malak said. "You have orders. You three are among the top of your class, according to Headmaster Wynn. Therefore, I have a very important mission for you." He reached out with the Force and implanted the image of Luke in each of the three Dark Jedi's minds. "He is your target. I want him dead, by any means necessary."
He knew that the Force bond between Anakin and Luke was a powerful and natural one. The only way for such a bond to be severed was if one of them were to die.
And if the bond was severed, Malak would most definitely be ready to take advantage of the emotionally traumatic backlash it would cause to his young soon-to-be apprentice.
For now, while he waited for his followers to complete their mission, he had other ways to attempt to turn young Anakin to the dark side. He had his abilities and he knew he could use them to show Anakin the true nature of the dark side, the power that it offered, the strength that it would grant him.
Just as he would do to Bastila Shan as well.
He would be patient but he knew that it would not be long before both Bastila Shan and Anakin Skywalker were broken to his will. They would be fine apprentices, ones that would ensure his victory in the war against the Republic due to Bastila's battle meditation and Anakin's sheer power.
He could hardly wait. At long last, his victory was slowly starting to come within his reach.
. . .
Dreshdae, Korriban
After three long, near silent days of journeying through hyperspace, the Ebon Hawk finally exited hyperspace and the massive planet of Korriban arose in front of them. Luke, who was seated in the co-pilot's seat, shivered because he could feel the darkness that permeated the surface of Korriban, the planet that Juhani had informed him used to be home to the Sith. He could certainly feel the taint that the Sith left behind.
He pushed the thought aside as he ran his fingers over the controls, running a scan of the area to make sure there weren't any ships nearby that might attack them. Thankfully, there weren't anything so he inputted the coordinates for Dreshdae, the spaceport that was located right next to the Sith Academy that they would be traveling to, as per Dustil.
They still hadn't come up with a plan for what they will do but Luke figured that they would discuss it now, once they had landed at the spaceport outside of Dreshdae.
Three days.
It has been three days since the incident on the Leviathan, since they had all discovered that Zhane Kando was actually Revan, since Anakin and Bastila had been captured by Darth Malak.
Luke gritted his teeth. The thought that his father being a captive of the Dark Lord left a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't like it. He couldn't help but worry. He knew that Anakin had darkness within him and he feared that Malak would attempt to use that darkness to his advantage to turn Anakin to the dark side.
Luke didn't want his father to fall again.
Which is why we need to finish our task here as quickly as possible and then find the Star Forge, and rescue Father and Bastila, he thought.
Until then, he would do what he could to help his father. They were so far away that he knew he wouldn't be able to speak with his father but that didn't mean that he couldn't feel his father's presence, because he could and he was sure that his father could feel his presence as well. Perhaps his presence could help him to resist whatever Malak was going to put him through.
They were too far away for Luke to feel what was happening to his father through their bond but he suspected that it wouldn't be pleasant.
But he would do what he could to help his father, even if it was only being the guiding light that Anakin had called him while they were on Manaan.
"C'mon, Luke, we should go to the main hold and figure out what we're gonna do while we're here," Carth said once the Ebon Hawk landed on the landing pad and he shut down the main engines.
Luke nodded in agreement and stood up before walking into the main hold with Carth right behind him. As expected, everyone was gathered around the holoterminal at the heart of the main hold with Revan leaning against the wall, one hand resting on his head and a tired gleam still in his eyes. He didn't feel nearly as exhausted as he had three days ago so Luke figured the healing trance had definitely helped him to regain his strength.
Revan. It was still pretty hard to believe that Zhane Kando was actually the legendary Revan. He didn't know much about Revan, aside from what he had learned from his comrades and from Anakin—and Anakin didn't even know much about Revan aside from what he had learned from his comrades—but he knew that Revan was the hero of the Mandalorian Wars. And he was Malak's former master.
There was little else he knew but that didn't change his view on the man. He knew Revan for who he was now, not who he had been in the past. Revan had told them all that his past had no bearing on who he was, and on his future, and Luke agreed with that. The past did not define someone, it helped to shape who they were but that was it.
"How do you feel, Z...er Revan?" Mission asked. She still occasionally slipped and called Revan by the name the Jedi Council had given him but, given that it had only been three days, Luke wasn't surprised.
"Still tired but not nearly as bad as three days ago," said Revan. "Are we on Korriban?"
"Yes. We just landed in the Dreshdae Spaceport," said Carth. "So what, exactly, are we gonna do here? If we don't need to find the Star Map then who are we sending in?"
"Of course, I am going," Dustil said. "I need to find a way to prove to the other students that the Sith are evil. I'll need to find some sort of proof that will open their eyes. Getting into the academy will be easy enough. I just have to tell them the same thing I told that commander back on the Leviathan, that Ban abandoned me when she thought I had been killed but I actually hadn't been."
"I doubt it'll be a good idea for you to go in alone, kid," Canderous said.
"It would be too suspicious if anyone who isn't Force sensitive went with Dustil, especially not a Mandalorian," said Revan, a thoughtful look in his eyes as he pressed his lips together. "It would have to be either Juhani or Jolee, as they are Force sensitive and could be passed off as a recruit that Dustil found upon leaving Mortis."
"Why not Luke?" Mission asked. "He's Force sensitive too."
Revan snorted. "Luke's a sun in the Force, Mission. There's no way anyone in the Academy will believe that Luke's a new recruit with how bright and light he is. He wouldn't be able to mask it because he has never tasted the dark side. He has felt anger, yes, but that is nothing compared to actually tasting the dark side. On that note, the only one who could actually pass off as a recruit because they have actually tasted the dark side, is Juhani."
Juhani looked up at that. "You mean..." she began.
"Yes, your fall, short though it was and redeemed though you are, you did touch the dark side and it did leave an impression upon your presence. The Sith will notice that and you won't be as suspicious because of it. You don't have to if you don't wish to, Juhani. It is simply an option."
"No, I wish to help," said Juhani. "I would like to help the students in the Academy realize the truth that I have realized, and that Dustil has realized also. I will accompany you, Dustil, if you are all right with that."
"That's fine," Dustil said. "Like Canderous said, going in alone isn't a good idea so I welcome the backup."
"What about the rest of us?" Jolee asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do we just sit here and twiddle our thumbs while Dustil and Juhani cause havoc in the Academy?"
Dustil scoffed. "We are not going to cause havoc in the Academy," he said.
"Actually, if at all possible, try to cause as much havoc in the Academy as you can without it being traced back to you," Revan said and, when everyone glanced at him in surprise, he added, "I will need the distraction. I...I can feel that the pull that I have been feeling since we left the Leviathan is pulling me toward the Valley of the Dark Lords, a specific tomb there to be exact. I doubt the Academy will just let me waltz into that tomb so a distraction will help me to slip past everyone and get into that tomb without too much hassle."
"A tomb? Why do you wanna go into a tomb, Revan?" Mission asked confused.
"There's something there," Revan said. "I'm not even sure which tomb it is but I do know it's one of them and it's important. I think...whatever is in that tomb may have important information, information that are associated with the memories that have been permanently damaged."
"What information would that be? Do you have any idea of why that information is important?" asked Jolee.
"No, I don't. I think...it may have something to do with the moment I officially turned. It may also...explain why I tried conquering the Republic rather than destroying it like Malak is trying to do. I..I don't know why but I have been feeling, ever since my encounter with the Son on Mortis, that I was trying to conquer the Republic to prepare them."
"Prepare them?" Carth narrowed his eyes. "Prepare them for what?"
"That's what I don't know," said Revan with a shake of his head. "That's where my memories are sketchy at best. Those memories are probably the ones that were damaged beyond repair. I just know that I was trying to prepare the Republic for something but I don't know why or for what. I just...I feel I'll find my answers if I answer the call that is pulling me to the Valley of the Dark Lords."
"Preparing the Republic or not, that does not excuse your actions against the Republic," Carth said firmly.
"No, it doesn't," Revan agreed. "That is something we can both agree on, Carth. I know that I did a lot of damage to the Republic in my quest but...whatever I was preparing the Republic for...it may have been an even greater threat. It's possible...that I found out the threat that the Jedi were so fixated on when they refused to aid in the Mandalorian Wars. It may...have something to do with what I found out from Mandalore the Ultimate in the final battle of the Wars."
"What you found out from Mandalore the Ultimate?" Luke asked.
Revan nodded. "Yes. Mandalore told me that he had been betrayed by a red-skinned Sith who had manipulated him into starting the war and one sketchy memory told me that the Sith aren't extinct."
"Well, there is Malak and his followers," Jolee said.
"It's more than that, Jolee. I'm positive that, at the time, I was not referring to the Sith as in the followers of the dark side. I was referring to...something else but I can't seem to remember what I was referring to. That is why I need to go to that tomb, so I can find out more."
"Are you even sure that the tomb will provide you with the answers that you seek?" Juhani asked.
"No, I cannot be sure of that but, at the same time, the Force is attempting to guide me to this tomb so I will follow its lead and see where it leads me."
"Well, I doubt it'll be a good idea for you to go into the Valley of the Dark Lords by yourself," Jolee said, "so I'll go with ya."
"I will aid you too," Canderous said with a nod. "I would like to know what the last Mandalore meant by his words and I want to know the truth about the Wars because something does not sit right with me. The thought of the Clans being manipulated by an outside force leaves a very bad taste in my mouth."
"I'll come with you too," said Luke.
"Is that a good idea? Your presence is bound to draw a lot of unwanted attention," Juhani said.
Luke gritted his teeth. "Me just being here is already probably drawing a lot of unwanted attention. I doubt that the Sith in the Academy haven't noticed my presence, since it's apparently as bright as Revan said it was," he pointed out,
"That is true."
"I can teach you how to mask your presence, Luke," Revan said. "It is a simple technique that should have been taught to you by your Jedi masters but I suspect your Jedi masters did not have a whole lot of time to teach you much."
"They didn't," Luke admitted. He was a bit wary about learning from Revan but, at the same time, if he could mask his presence then it would help to avoid attracting unwanted attention. "But if you could teach me how to do that then...I'd appreciate it."
"Of course."
"So...what do we do while Dustil and Juhani are wrecking havoc on the Academy and you four are touring this valley?" Mission asked, folding her arms across her chest. "'Cause I really don't wanna just sit here and twiddle my thumbs."
Zaalbar growled in agreement.
"Statement: I definitely agree with the Twi'lek meatbag," said HK-47 from where he was standing off to the side.
"That reminds me." Carth strode over to Revan and promptly punched him square in the jaw, nearly knocking the former Sith Master off his feet.
"Um, Carth, why did you punch Revan?" Mission said in puzzlement while Revan rubbed his jaw.
"Revan was the one who built HK," Carth growled.
There was a moment of silence, then Luke strode up to Revan and promptly slammed a fist into his face, successfully knocking the former Sith Master off his feet.
"You know...this is why I never said anything," Revan mused as he rubbed his nose as well, using the wall to get back to his feet, only to be thrown off his feet again when Dustil slammed a fist into his jaw.
"You were the one who created HK?" Mission exclaimed.
"Statement: why, yes, Revan was the one who created me," HK said, sounding immensely proud of that statement.
Revan grinned as he got to his feet again, rubbing his jaw again. "It was so worth getting punched in the face three times," he said. "You should have seen Malak's expression when HK called him a meatbag for the first time. Priceless." He sounded ridiculously amused by that statement.
"...why did you program HK to refer to all living beings as meatbags?" Luke asked, raising an eyebrow and folding his arms across his chest.
"Long story short, HK seemed to like Malak when I first built him so I asked him what he actually thought about Malak. He called Malak a meatbag. It frustrated Malak to no end but I found it very amusing so I reprogrammed HK to refer to all living beings as that. To this day, I still find it very amusing."
"...Can I punch him again?" Luke asked.
Dustil cracked his knuckles. "I'm all right with that if I can too," he said.
Revan folded his arms across his chest. "I let you three punch me the first time. Don't think I'll let you again," he said simply. "Anyway, we should focus on our current mission. The longer we stand here, the longer it will take to complete our separate missions. HK, I want you to enter the Academy with Dustil and Juhani. The academy won't mind you because you are an assassin droid so you can simply pass off as an assassin droid who has been reprogrammed to serve the Empire."
"Query: does this mean that I can blast meatbags, Master?" HK asked hopefully.
"Try to not draw too much attention to yourself, HK, but, yes, if you can do so without attracting attention. Jolee, Canderous, Luke, and I are going to need all the time we can get to find the tomb so anything that can be done to distract the academy is welcomed."
If HK could grin, Luke had no doubt he would be. "Excited Statement: it shall be done, Master!"
"And don't harm the students."
If he could, Luke had no doubt HK would have sighed at that. "Disappointed Acknowledgment: yes, Master."
"I do not feel comfortable with this," Juhani said.
"Tell me about it," Dustil agreed. "Does anyone else here think that letting a trigger-happy psychotic assassin droid into an academy without much restraint is a bad idea?"
Everyone, except Revan, raised their hands.
Revan rolled his eyes. "Oh relax. HK is programmed to obey my commands. He won't actually kill anyone unless I order him to. I only said he could blast others, I never said he could kill others."
"Disappointed Protest: But Master, I am an assassin droid. That is what I do," HK protested.
"Doesn't matter. Don't kill anyone, HK."
"Disappointed Statement: yes, Master." If he could, Luke had no doubt the assassin droid would have pouted.
"I still think this is a bad idea but I guess it could be worse. Revan could have let HK loose on the academy with no restraints whatsoever," Dustil said and shuddered at the thought. Luke agreed with him and he could tell by the looks in his comrades' eyes that they did as well.
"You can be rather scary when you wanna be, Revan, y'know?" Mission said.
"I know," said Revan. "Good thing I'm on your guys' side, huh?"
No one could deny that. The thought of having to fight against Revan, the hero of the Mandalorian Wars, the Sith Master to Darth Malak, was something that made Luke shiver. He really was glad that Revan was on their side.
. . .
Sith Academy, Outskirts of Dreshdae, Korriban
Getting into the Sith Academy didn't take long at all and the fact that Dustil still had his medallion that indicated he was a member of the Academy definitely came in handy. It allowed him to bypass the guards without either of them stopping him, or Juhani whom he had introduced as his new recruit. It seemed that the guards remembered him. He had been the headmaster's favorite the entire time he had been in the academy, and that did give him some extra privileges.
"So what now?" Juhani murmured as they continued on their way, weaving around the corridor.
"Just follow my lead," said Dustil as he strode onward, tucking the medallion away. He made his way into the main chamber at the heart of the academy, where three others were gathered around a purple-skinned Twi'lek and a light-skinned humanoid with yellow eyes. One of the three was a blonde human female, the second was a brown-haired man, and the third was an olive-skinned brown-haired man.
"Headmaster Wynn," Dustil greeted with a polite incline of his head as he moved forward, causing the three prospective students to jump in surprise. He gave them a look of utter contempt, one that he had practiced ever since he made the decision to find a way to open his fellow students' eyes to the truth. He needed it if he wanted to fit in again, to not make Wynn or anyone else suspicious.
Wynn's eyes flickered with surprise and then he smirked. "Ah, Dustil Onasi. I never thought I would see you again when my apprentice told me of your demise while investigating the anomaly I sent you to investigate," he said.
"She clearly needs more training if she was unable to sense that I had survived," Dustil said dismissively with a derisive sneer at Ban. The anger he felt toward Ban for killing Selene welled up within him but he didn't repress it, he simply restrained the reason for his anger.
"Who is this?" the olive-skinned man said with a sneer.
Wynn smirked. "This is Dustil, he is our top student here at the Academy. You are mere prospective students. It will take time for you to reach the level that young Dustil has already achieved. Tell me, young Dustil, what do you think of our new prospective students?"
"They clearly need all the help they can get if they weren't even able to notice my arrival," Dustil said with a sneer of contempt and completely ignored the way the three bristled and glared at him.
"Ah but they are still young. They will learn, they must if they wish to survive," said Wynn. "And who is the young Cathar woman with you?"
"A prospective student," said Dustil. "I found her on Manaan when I managed to finally get away from the place Ban over there abandoned me on. I decided that she had potential so I brought her with me."
"Another prospective student? Tell me, young one, are you ready to learn the secrets of the dark side?" Wynn said.
Juhani, to her credit, kept calm in the face of the words as she said coolly, "I am prepared to learn what you have to teach."
"Good. Good." Wynn grinned. "Now then, all four of you recruits have the potential to become true Sith. Only one of you, however, will succeed. The one who succeeds will be admitted to the academy as a full Sith. All others must wait until next year and try again, if you survive, My pupil, Yuthura, shall be your teacher and master while you attempt to prove yourselves. Heed her words."
"As Master Uthar said, none of you are true Sith yet. For that to occur, one of you must do enough of worth, gain enough prestige, to be selected. What is an act of worth? You must learn that for yourselves. Remember that you are competitors here, fight for your destiny or go home."
"If you wish to gain a lead over your competitors, the first of you to learn the Code of the Sith and tell me of it will be rewarded. The rest is for you to discover. Welcome to the dark side, my children, your one chance at true greatness lies here."
Bantha shit. Dustil kept his thoughts to himself.
"Young Dustil, come and walk with me for a bit while the recruits get settled," said Wynn.
"Yes Master Wynn," Dustil said and followed Wynn. He knew that this would happen and he had already prepared Juhani for what would happen while she played the part of Sith recruit. He wouldn't be able to stay with her for the entire time they were there but he hoped that, while they were apart, they could do everything possible to find the proof they needed for the other students while also giving Revan and the rest of his group as much time as they could.
He wondered what HK was doing at that moment.
He decided that he really didn't want to know and pushed the thought aside.
"When Ban told me of your demise, I was most disheartened, young Dustil," said Wynn. "I would not have thought that you would be taken out so easily and I felt that I had greatly overestimated your skill. But I can see that I was wrong to do that as you are still here, alive and well. Tell me, what is it that you managed to uncover when you investigated the anomaly?"
"I discovered quite a bit, Master, but, unfortunately, the anomaly is not accessible anymore. It vanished not long after I escaped from it. I only know about it but I do not know of how to access it again."
"What, exactly, was it?"
"A hub through which the Force flowed. It was a plane within the Force itself, serving as a hub, a center point if you will, that exists outside of the galaxy, outside of the realm of reality. It was...an interesting experience."
"A plane within the Force itself?" Wynn stopped walking and turned to gaze at Dustil with surprise in his eyes. "Such a thing is unheard of."
"That is what I thought as well, Master, but there was no denying that was what it was. The Force was incredibly strong in that realm but it was so powerful and sentient enough that it was capable of picking and choosing who was allowed access to it. I do not know why it allowed me, Ban, and Selene to investigate it but it did. Unfortunately, due to that realm's nature, only those it chose could enter it."
"That is unfortunate to here as if we could find a way to control this...centerpoint of sorts then we could most definitely win this war. Unfortunate though it is, it is enlightening that such a place does, indeed, exist even if it is inaccessible. You have done well, young Dustil. I am grateful that you are still alive. The Sith would have lost a truly valuable student had you truly perished."
"I am grateful to be back, Master."
"We will continue training soon. I do want you do to something for me, young Dustil."
"What is it, Master?"
"Keep a close eye on Ban. I believe she may be planning on turning on me soon, likely when the new Sith apprentice has been selected, and I would like someone I can trust at my side when that happens."
"I will do as you command, Master." For now, so you don't get suspicious about what I'm planning on doing as well, Dustil thought because he was going to save his fellow students and, if possible, also bring this entire academy down before he leaves.
Once Wynn dismissed him, Dustil turned and walked away, heading toward the area where the bedrooms were located. It didn't take long for him to find Juhani's room and he knocked on the doorframe to alert the Cathar to his presence before stepping him when she gestured for him to join her.
"So what do we know?" she asked as she sat down.
"Ban is likely planning on double-crossing Wynn, Wynn wants me to keep an eye on Ban and aid him in double-double-crossing her in return. I can help you with the tasks that you'll have to complete to keep Wynn and Ban from becoming suspicious."
Juhani nodded.
Dustil gave her some pointers, telling her about some tasks that she could do to gain prestige and keep Wynn and Ban from getting suspicious. After that, he said, "I'm going to find some of my fellow students and talk with them and I'm going to see if I can find some proof to help the other students."
"May the Force be with you in your endeavor, Dustil," Juhani said quietly.
"And with you, Juhani." Dustil really had become integrated with the crew of the Ebon Hawk even though he had only been with them for about a week now. He felt that he fitted in with them in a way he had never fitted in with anyone, except when it came to Selene, and it felt rather nice. It didn't have the same cold feeling that the academy had, where he had to constantly look over his shoulder in preparation of an attack by a student who wanted to prove himself to the masters by taking out one of the academy's top students.
With the crew of the Ebon Hawk, Dustil felt safe and content, just like he used to feel with his mother and with Selene.
He liked it and he could safely say that, in spite of the short time he had spent with them, he had come to see the crew as his friends.
I really am not fit to be a Sith. Father, Revan, and Anakin were right about that. I care too much and I form friendships too easily.
But he, at least, knew enough to keep wearing his mask.
For now, until he had the proof that could allow his fellow students to open their eyes to the truth.
. . .
Valley of the Dark Lords, Korriban
"Dreary place, isn't it?" Luke said.
Canderous mused that he agreed. The Valley of the Dark Lords wasn't much to look like. It was simply a bunch of dusty tombs lining a massive rift in an outcropping of stone. The stone walls were sheer and steep with course outcroppings and rocky mountain ledges. Overlooking the lower valley were six towering monoliths in the shape of humanoid men bowing their heads. At the center of the upper valley, the valley in which Canderous, Revan, Luke, and Jolee were making their way through, was a three story crypt.
"The tomb of Ajunta Pall," Revan said, gesturing to the three-story crypt.
"Is that the tomb you're seeking?" Jolee asked.
"No. I can feel the pull is guiding me to the lower valley. There are only three tombs of notable interest down there so we won't have many to search through," said Revan.
"Even though we don't really need to find the Star Map, out of curiosity, where is it located?" asked Jolee.
"In the tomb of Naga Sadow," said Revan absently, scanning the area with his eyes, though Canderous suspected the former general wasn't just looking through at the area with his eyes. He may not know much about the Force but he knew of the power that it could grant to those who used it.
"Is that the tomb we are going to?" he asked.
"It's unclear." Revan's brow furrowed. "Even though I can feel a pull, as if the Force is attempting to guide me, but it isn't giving me clear direction."
"So we just raid every single tomb down there until we find what you're looking for?" Canderous asked, raiding an eyebrow. "Won't that draw attention to us?" He didn't mind because he was itching for a fight but, at the same time, he doubted he would do that well against lightsaber-wielding Sith. His armor may be able to withstand a lightsaber for a while but not indefinitely.
"That is why I am hoping Dustil, Juhani, and HK will start their distraction soon. For now, the tomb of Tulak Hord is closest to us so we can start there."
The group nodded and followed Revan as he led the way down from the upper valley into the lower valley, navigating around the monoliths until they reached the floor of the rift and then Revan turned and headed toward one of the tombs.
"I can sense there is someone in here," Revan said. "Be cautious."
"I'm always cautious," Canderous said, watching as Luke and Jolee removed their lightsabers from their belts and edged their way into the tomb. They were immediately attacked by giant creatures with long claws, sharp horns, and savage teeth.
"Tuk'ata. I've always hated these things," Revan grumbled as his two lightsabers flashed, slicing and slashing through the beasts that attacked them while Canderous unleashed his repeater blaster on the tuk'ata and Luke and Jolee tore through them with their lightsabers.
"They're persistent, I'll give 'em that much," said Jolee as he grunted when one of the tuk'ata got past his defenses and nearly tore through his side with its claws. He managed to avoid it by using the Force to leap backwards while Canderous filled the tuk'ata with blaster bolts from his repeater.
Finally, the wave of tuk'ata stopped and Revan, deactivating his lightsabers and clipping them to his belt, started moving again. "I suspect there will be more. This is one tomb that has a couple of defenses to it. Tuk'ata and droids mostly but there are also shyrack in here."
"Um, what are shyrack?" Luke asked and yelped in surprise when a large bat-like winged creature with razor like teeth shot toward him and he barely managed to avoid getting bitten by a quick upward slash of his lightsaber.
"That's a shyrack," Revan said. "And where there's one, there are usually more."
Revan was right. Not only where they attacked by more shyrack as they made their way deeper into the tomb but they were also attacked by droids with impressive shields and more of those tuk'ata creatures. Eventually, they managed to get past the creatures and into a chamber when Revan stopped.
"Something isn't right," he said right as a burst of noxious green smoke began to fill the chamber.
Canderous groaned as the fumes went through him. Kriff, gas.
And then darkness.
. . .
Sith Academy, Korriban
Dustil made his way down the corridor and stopped when he spotted a familiar face kneeling at the center of one of the bedrooms. The light-brown skinned young man lifted his head and tensed ever so slightly before his face went completely impassive. "Oh hello Dustil, it has been a while," he said neutrally.
"Kel," Dustil greeted. He knew why Kel was wary of him. He was seen as the top student at the academy, the one that Headmaster Wynn chose as his favorite, but that didn't change much. He knew that Kel didn't particularly feel like he belonged in the academy, though he never really given it much thought before.
Now though, Kel might be the first person he could actually open the eyes of to the truth.
"Are you all right?" he asked as he stepped into the room.
"Ah, yeah, I'm fine." He didn't sound very convincing.
"Are you sure?"
"Y...Yes. My master always says I am too trusting, too willing to show weakness. You're a Sith, one of the top students at this entire academy, so..." He trailed off.
Dustil moved forward and knelt down beside Kel. "Listen to me, Kel," he said quietly, "I'm willing to listen. I won't tell anyone."
"You...I can't. You're a Sith. I shouldn't trust you. I can't trust you, can I?"
"Of course you can. Listen, Kel, the Sith aren't all they are cracked up to be. You aren't the kind of person that should be with them."
Kel glanced at him in surprise. "That's...I never would have thought I would hear you say that."
"Maybe I've had my eyes opened to the truth."
"The truth?"
"Yes, about the Sith. They are evil, they are not helping us for the better of the galaxy, they are teaching us to achieve their own ends." Dustil's face grew cold before he said quietly, "They killed Selene, Kel."
Kel's eyes widened in shock. He knew of Selene, and of how close to her Dustil was. "W...What?"
"I saw it happen. I saw Yuthura Ban slay Selene before my very eyes. She didn't know I was there, that I had witnessed it happen, but I saw it happen. The Sith...they are truly evil and I know you, Kel. You aren't. You should get out of here while you can."
"But where would I go then? What would I do?" Kel protested, trembles passing through his form.
Dustil placed a hand on his shoulder. "I have no doubt the Jedi will be willing to accept you," he said.
"The Jedi? I don't know. I never really thought about it. Maybe I should seek them out, give it a try. Thank you, Dustil, for telling me about this and...I'm sorry about Selene. I really am."
"I am too," Dustil murmured before he stood up. "Be careful when you leave. I suggest waiting until there's a distraction of sorts that you can use to get out of the academy without anyone noticing."
"A distraction? Like what kind of distraction?"
"Like a crazy assassin droid shooting pretty much every non-student that moves."
"What?"
"You'll see." And, with that, Dustil left. He made his way down the hallway and spoke to a few more students, hoping to give them some hint as to the truth behind the Sith. He knew of whom to speak to and whom not to speak to. He doubted he would be able to convince the newbies of the truth but he could speak to the old students.
He frowned. I wonder if Zeall, Rudo, and Valo are still here. Those three were top students that were on the same level as him, though they often resented him because Wynn seemed to favor him above the three of them. They were strong but Dustil doubted that they would turn their backs on the Sith but he could still try.
He didn't find them but he did find Maydla.
"Dustil, hello," the teal-skinned female Twi'lek with hazel eyes said from where she was training with her violet lightsaber in one of the training rooms. Her opponent, a red-skinned male Twi'lek with purple eyes named Drox, lowered his own blade and inclined his head in greeting to Dustil.
"Hello Maydla, Drox," Dustil said. "Do you happen to know where Zeall, Rudo, and Valo are?"
"Not too sure. Master Wynn sent then to Lord Malak to aid him in whatever help he needed and we haven't heard from them since. That was a week ago so I figure that Lord Malak sent them on a mission," said Maydla.
"I see." What sort of mission would Malak have with the top three apprentices below me?
He pushed that thought aside. They weren't there, which could actually work in his favor. Maydla and Drox weren't nearly as zealous as they were. They, like Dustil and Selene, had joined the Sith for no other reason than they wanted a fresh, new start after they had managed to avoid being sold into slavery after their parents had been killed by slavers on Ryloth. A Sith had discovered them, slew the slavers attempting to capture them, and brought them to Korriban where they began their training.
But neither of them had the same disposition for violence and cruelty that some of the other, more zealous, apprentices did. They just wanted to survive, to find a place that they could belong, and Dustil wanted that for them too. But they would never have that with the Sith and he needed to help them see that.
The two Twi'leks in front of him would need proof though. They weren't the kind of people to believe just words alone.
If only I could show them what happened to Selene. I know they liked Selene so if they knew that the Sith killed her for no other reason than they thought she was weak then I know that would turn them against the Sith, he thought.
"Is something wrong, Dustil?" Drox asked.
"Oh it's nothing," Dustil assured him. "I was just thinking, that's all."
"Oh. By the way, where's Selene? We hardly ever see you without her at your side."
Dustil faltered and looked away. "She...didn't make it," he said finally.
Maydla gasped, her eyes widening with surprise. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I know how much you truly cared for her."
"It's all right. I should go. Master Wynn asked me to do something for him so I should get to work," said Dustil. And, by get to work, I mean find someway to show Maydla and Drox the truth about the Sith, he thought as he turned and walked out of the training room.
. . .
Sith Burial Chamber, Tomb of Tulak Hord, Korriban
Gas. One of the oldest trick in the book and we all fell for it, Jolee thought in frustration once his senses came back to him and he found himself restraining in a burial chamber. Standing at the center of the room was a bald man with white eyes and darkness and insanity leaking off his form. In front of him were Revan and a young brunet at his side.
"Where are we?" Luke whispered from his side as he came to.
"Some kind of burial chamber, looks like," Jolee murmured quietly back.
"Tch, fell for the one of the oldest tricks in the book. How annoying," Canderous grunted, a scowl twisting his lips.
"Awake already, are you? Good!" The old man said with a grin. "This is the tomb of the Sith Lord Tulak Hord, if you don't know. I've taken up residence here, for now...it's dusty and full of critters but it's home."
Revan tilted his head to the side. "Jorak Uln," he mused. "Never thought I'd see you again."
The old man, Jorak, blinked and tilted his head. "Ah, so you know me! I guess the academy isn't as lax in its training as I thought," he said with a grin.
"Oh no, I didn't know you because of the academy. I know you because I was the one who installed you as headmaster of this school, before a certain idiot decided that Wynn would be a better candidate." The disgust in Revan's voice made Jolee raise an eyebrow. He didn't seem to like Wynn.
Jorak blinked again. "Hoh? How interesting. Lord Revan was the one who appointed me to this position and yet you claim to have been the one to do so?" he said.
"Because I was," Revan said.
"You claim to be Revan?" Jorak laughed. "How amusing. Do you really think I would fall for that, you fool?"
"I'd prove it but I don't really care to prove who I truly am to you when you have clearly lost your sanity in the time since Wynn likely overthrew you."
Jorak snarled in fury. "That bastard Wynn…I'll be sure to kill him for that," he said.
Revan tilted his head to the side. "Let's cut to the chase, Uln. Any particular reason why you captured us, and this young apprentice here?" he said, nodding to the brown-haired, barely conscious man at his side.
"Ah, yes, yes. I brought you here because I'd like to discover if you've got the pluck of an old-fashioned Sith. Most of the drek Uthar has been passing through these days are so pathetic. Take young Mekel here...I already tested him. Didn't I, Mekel?"
The young man, Mekel, clearly wasn't coherent enough to actually respond to that.
"Yes, yes, you're welcome. You see, Mekel here has a cruel disposition of a Sith but the gumption that I'm looking for."
Revan simply jerked his head slightly. "Get on with the test, then," he said.
"Hoh? Without even knowing what would happen if you answer a question right or wrong?" Jorak said, raising an eyebrow and laughing. "You sure are arrogant."
"No I just don't like beating around the bush. Shall we?"
"Yes, yes, of course. Just so you know though, if you answer correct, Mekel is punished. If you answer incorrectly, you are punished."
"I figured that." Revan sounded absolutely bored and Jolee could tell that Uln had noticed if the scowl on his lips and the irritated look in his eyes was any indication.
"Now then. Your immediate supervisor among the Sith is an effective commander and a fine leader. He trusts you and you like him. You see an opportunity to kill him. What do you do?"
"Why waste a fine leader? Naturally, I would leave him alive."
"What sort of thinking is that? If all the Sith thought as you did, we would all be soft like the Jedi. Tsk. Ah, well. It is time for your punishment."
Electrical shocks shot through the cuffs that wrapped around Revan's wrists but Revan didn't seem the slightest bit fazed by it and it took Jolee a moment to realize that he was shielding himself with the Force from the electrical shocks. The Force barrier wasn't visible but it covered him like armor, preventing him from getting harmed by the electrical shocks.
Nice thinking, Revan, he thought. Now Revan didn't have to worry about getting hurt every time he answered Jorak's questions wrong, and he could prevent Mekel from getting hurt.
"You're pretty resilient, not even flinching from the punishment. Heh, I guess you are stronger than you look," said Jorak. "And so we come to round two. You come across a group of humans who are threatened by dangerous animals. They plead for help, offering you a reward. What do you do?"
"Obviously assist them, reward or no reward."
"So now you have some sniveling, useless fools trailing after you and you don't even get a profit out of it? No, no, no, bad idea! Bad idea!"
Once again, the electrical charges surged around Revan but, as with before, his Force armor didn't even waver as it blocked the electrical charge.
Jorak scowled. "You're blocking the punishment! That's not fair! You're supposed to be being punished!"
Revan shrugged as best he could in the restraints. "Did you really think I would let you torture me? Force armor certainly comes in handy," he said and lashed out with the Force, slamming a Force push into Jorak that sent him skidding backwards.
"What the…? How dare you?" Jorak snarled. "Behave, students!"
"I am no student," Revan said simply as he casually used the Force to unlock their restraints, including Mekel's. It took Jolee a moment to realize that Mekel had regained consciousness and, the instant the restraints were undone, he was on Jorak, Force lightning erupting from his fingertips.
"Detention for all of you! Permanent detention!" Jorak shouted as he jumped back and his double-bladed crimson lightsaber flared to life.
"Don't think so, old man," Mekel said as he lashed out with the Force while Revan casually opened the restraints for Jolee, Luke, and Canderous.
"I'll kill you all, mutinous students!" Jorak shouted and lunged toward Mekel, only to find two lightsabers spearing him through the gut.
Jolee started as he stared at the blue and violet blades that protruded out of Jorak's back. He hadn't even seen Revan move.
Jorak fell to the ground, dead, and Revan deactivated his lightsabers.
"Still don't particularly like Wynn but, at least, he isn't as insane as this guy," he said as he clipped his lightsabers to his belt.
"Well, I guess he wasn't a 'true Sith' himself," Mekel said with a scoff and then turned to Revan. "Who are you anyway?"
"Call me Revan."
"Revan?" Mekel raised an eyebrow. "You're going by the name of the former Dark Lord?" He seemed very amused by that.
"I go by the name that is mine."
"Well, either way, you did save me. You could have easily answered those questions and let me die."
"I'm not heartless. Nobody deserves to die like that. Nobody."
"Yeah, well, I see what you mean. I've never...I mean I've never been on that side of the fence before. It makes you think."
"Indeed it does. This could be your chance to change your ways, Mekel."
"You mean...the light side? I've never thought about that? Can you...even go back? I've done some...I mean I've hurt a lot of people."
"So have I and I still came back."
Jolee nodded as he moved closer. "There's always remorse. And atonement. That's the harder path though, boy. Think you can do that?" he asked.
"I don't think the light side is for me. But...maybe neither are the Sith. Maybe it's time for me to leave. Thanks, I suppose." He turned and jogged out of the chamber, leaving the four to stand in the burial chamber.
"So now what?" said Luke.
"This was a bust. What I'm trying to find is not here. So I guess we will have to look through the other tombs," said Revan.
"Where are we going to next?" asked Canderous as the three of them followed Revan as he led the way out of the chamber and down the corridor that would take them out of the tomb.
"I'm thinking Marka Ragnos's tomb. It's directly across from this one."
"Wonder what is in store for us there," Luke said.
"Who knows?" Jolee replied as the four of them left the tomb of Turak Hord and crossed the dust-covered courtyard to the tomb that lay across from them.
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Anakin: where's Blaze?
Obi-Wan: sobbing in the corner
Anakin: why?
Obi-Wan: she's still crying over the Clone Wars series finale that aired yesterday
Blaze: the FEELS! (Sobs)
Anakin: I see. Well, I can't say that I blame her (stabs Palpatine with a lightsaber)
Palpatine: what was that for?
Anakin: you know what (shoves Palpatine off a cliff)
Obi-Wan: well, I suppose we can finish this chapter for Blaze. Did she have anything she wanted to tell the reviewers?
Anakin: not tell but ask. She wants to know what everyone's thoughts on the Clone Wars series finale were. No spoilers though, just in case anyone reading this story or the reviews hasn't seen the episode yet
Obi-Wan: well, you took care of letting the reviewers know that
Anakin: may as well. Blaze hopes that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated. And, though it is a day late, May the Fourth Be With You!