"You were out for a while."

Carth watched as Bastilla awoke from her slumber. He had found the young Jedi collapsed next to the Sith Lord Revan. It was a miracle that they had recovered his body, as Malak was inches away from destroying their ship. It was in large part to Bastilla's special force ability that they were able to hold off the opposing fleet for long enough. Thanks to the resilience of the Jedi Knight, they were able to take down half of the Sith dynasty.

"How long was I out?"

It seemed as if only mere hours had passed, as Bastilla still possessed lingering fear over Revan's fate. While it was likely the Sith Lord had died in the heat of battle, something was off. Despite her belief that he was dead, she could still sense him as if he was standing before her. She needed answers.

"You were out for a couple days, Bastilla. That Sith Lord Revan sure put up a good fight, didn't he?"

Glancing down at her lightsaber, Bastilla sighed. At least if he wasn't dead, he was at least subdued. It scared her, how much destruction the man had caused for just the audacity of disagreement. She would confront the detestable beast, making him answer for his unspeakable crimes. The Sith Lord needed to be brought to justice. That could bring her the closure her soul desperately needed.

"Is he alive?"

Bastilla was almost afraid to ask. If he was dead, she would not get the closure she desperately craved. If he was alive...

"No. The rescue team recovered his body, and surrendered it to the Jedi council."

If the Sith Lord was truly dead, then why did he seem...alive?

-— -— -—

Revan's head was pounding. After the encounter on the Endar Spire, he hoped that Bastilla had finally started to question the Jedi way. As he grew older, he knew all too well that nothing was simply black-and-white. Standing up, he gripped his head. For some reason, it seemed that his memory was starting to fail him. It became increasingly harder to remember where he was. With great difficulty, he struggled to even remember who he was.

"The council has decided to spare the Sith Lord. On the condition that he is stripped of his memories as Darth Revan."

Bastilla looked upon the council in shock. Although it was not the Jedi way to kill, it was not the Jedi way to purposely harm either. Wincing away in terror, the young Jedi felt an agonizing disturbance in the force. Despite the fact that he was the most ruthless Sith she had ever crossed paths with, even Revan was not deserving of such a fate. It was one thing to die. It was another to be completely stripped of your identity.

Bastilla begged the council to reconsider. This was not a light matter, especially since it concerned the potential breach of the Jedi code.

"This is not the Jedi way!"

She protested, clearly distressed by the events that had transpired before her. Despite the fact that he was a vile, cruel man, he still deserved to retain a shred of his identity.

The council left quietly, ignoring the pleas of the young Jedi. They could not risk the Sith Lord reaking more havoc across the galaxy. Revan had already inspired enough uprising, leading some of their best to abandon the Jedi Order in favor of the passion and anger of the Sith. Sometimes, drastic measures needed to be taken. Measures that tiptoed the line between light and darkness.

-— -— -—

Bastilla didn't want to admit it, but maybe Revan was right. It pained her to see that the council had not made a second thought about the Sith Lord. She wanted to serve the Republic in the most honorable way possible, and this incident was not a good start. It didn't help that she had just passed her trials, and was now a fully-fledged Jedi Knight, expected to take up a padawan any day now. With her luck, it would be the most difficult of the bunch

Heading to meet the council once more for her new assignments, she stopped at the large, white doors before her. In mere moments, she would have to face the council again, doubts and all. Entering the chamber, Bastilla took a knee. She half-expected a reprimand for her behavior at the last meeting. She had let the dangerous emotion of anger get to her. Now, she needed to keep her emotions in check.

"The council has decided to bestow on you a special padawan. You are to train Aven Rin, the man formerly known as Darth Revan. You will retrain him in the ways of the light, you will locate the Star Forge, and you will lead him against the forces of Darth Malak."

Bastilla was furious. Now, not only did the council want her to teach the former Sith Lord, but also use him as a pawn in the strategy of the Republic? It disgusted her, using a broken man to achieve victory. This certainly went against the code. Even if it didn't, it went against her own good judgement to go through with such a task.

"I will do no such thing. It is not the Jedi way!"

Bastilla could not take much more blasphemy by the council. What they were doing was wrong, yet she was too small and insignificant to change their hearts. The were too set in their decision.

"It is not a request."

The council threatened her with exile if she did not comply. Sighing, Bastilla begrudgingly accepted her assignment. Closing the large doors behind her, she rushed to find Carth. Sprinting down the hallway, she noticed he was pre-occupied by a Republic Naval officer. Gesturing for the young pilot to follow, he followed her into an empty room.

"What is going on, Bastilla?"

Carth could sense that something was bothering the young Jedi. He didn't have to be force-sensitive to figure that out.

"I was assigned a new mission by the council..."

Bastilla paused for a second, unsure of how much she should reveal to her friend. The situation with Revan was complicated, so Bastilla decided to keep it simple.

"And a new padawan."