Alright ladies and gentle creatures, the Force has guided me to being able to put out yet another chapter, and tonight we've got a doozy on our hands. A final showdown with Bastila, Revan v. Malak, and maybe even a little bit more. We're finally coming to the end of the first game, and where I will begin to take more liberties with the story line. It will still remain very heavily influenced by the second game, as well as the Revan book, so expect to see many of those events come about in new and hopefully interesting ways.

But, I suppose we'll burn that bridge when we get to it, yeah? So, without further ado, let's get back into it!

The farther we went, the more amazed I was by the Star Forge. This thing had been created by an ancient civilization that predated everything that we knew, but was still so clean, so sleek, and so much more advanced than anything we had in the Galaxy today. Whoever these Builders really were, they definitely had a way with machines. Thousands of years, and not a single spot of rust.

There were, however, a couple hundred Sith troopers, officers, and droids between us and where Revan was certain that Malak would be. Sprinkle in about two-score red sabre wielding maniacs, and I had been starting to feel a little worried. My Master, on the other hand, didn't even seem to break his stride. Whether he was slicing through the chrome domes like a plasma cutter through bantha fat, or using the Force to sweep entire squads of unsuspecting soldiers off of the bridges and into the seemingly bottomless pits below, there was a particular allure to the way he was moving.

"Our Master seems especially unforgiving on this day, does he not?" Juhani purred into my ear as we stood shoulder to shoulder, easily dispatching the few troopers that tried to run up behind us. As one, we glanced over our shoulders to see his viridian staff whirl through the air, cutting through nearly a dozen of the mirror plated cannon fodder before one end stuck into the stomach of the lone dark Jedi that had been leading them. Before the woman had even had time to scream, Lightning had arced across the space between them, his sabre acting as a lightning rod. She fell, nothing but a blackened husk, the staff back in his hands before she had hit the ground.

"Yeah." I answered, a little breathless. "He's all kinds of extra ruthless."

"Does it not excite you? Knowing he does this for the sake of someone who holds a dear place in his heart?"

"And that he would do the exact same for either of us as well? Yeah." I replied, a smile on my face. "It gets me all kinds of tingly and itchy."

Her own smile became slightly seductive. "Indeed. And I can not wait for him to scratch my itch."

My thoughts about him scratching my itch were interrupted by Mar's voice in my mind. +If you two are quite done back there, perhaps you would like to catch up?+ And though his voice was firm, I swear I could hear the vague amusement as he stood in the hallway beyond the bridge we stood on. Slightly embarrassed, I ducked my head, but my Cathar partner seemed unaffected as she moved to join him.

The next bulkhead opened, and we were met with the sight of the room's turrets firing on the troopers that had been waiting for us. "I see Zalbaar's team has completed their objective." Mar mused.

A crackled of static in our ears confirmed this. "Onasi to Sunborne. Be advised, IFF for automated defenses has been disabled, and will now fire on anything that moves."

That turn of events cut our remaining opposition nearly in half. And we were able to breeze through the injured survivors without even breaking a sweat.

It wasn't until we came to a door that was at least twice as large as the ones we'd gone through previously that we finally stopped. The blast door itself was massive and thick, but the warning tingle in my lekku is what really had me nervous. "Mar?" I cursed myself for the amount of fear in my voice.

"I know, Mission. Bastila. She's on the other side." His voice was quiet and grim, and his mouth was set in a determined frown. Setting his shoulders and gripping the hilt of his disengaged weapon, Revan drew on the Force and practically tore the door open. The metal whined as the iris was forcibly opened. +No matter what happens in here, do not interfere. If I am to reach her, I will have to bear everything for her. I just ask that you have faith. If not in me, then in the Force. It will guide us to harmony.+

I didn't like the way he said that, but there was no time to argue with him. In the middle of the very large, round room we now found ourselves in, floating in a meditative pose, Was Bastila, in all her creepily pale glory.

But she wasn't alone. Standing just in front of her were two dark Jedi that seemed to be rolling with power. The man was large, and nearly as broad as Canderous, but where Candy was just gruff and firm, this guy looked like he had a rabid wamp rat clawing at his backside. Seriously, why did every bald guy I came across have to be so angry looking.

The woman, though… She didn't have the same unrestrained rage and hatred that Baldy did. She was focused, something greater than her own emotions guiding her, though it was easy to tell that she was deep into the Dark Side. The effects were evident on her face and in her yellow eyes. She was tall and slender, her short hair so black that it seemed to absorb even the harsh lights of the Forge. She was definitely going to be dangerous if it came down to a fight.

"Kill the women, Revan is mine." Bastila ordered, making very clear that it was definitely coming down to a fight. Immediately, the big baldy strode toward Juhani, a predatory grin on his face. Too bad for him, he was facing off against a true predator in my Cathar partner. That left me with the woman. As she stalked closer, I became aware of the Power that was rolling off of her, she was definitely strong in the Force. She had training, like, real training. It was easy to tell she'd been training in the ways of the Force for years, while I'd only been at it for a couple of weeks.

Luckily for me, I had a kriffing good teacher. Once she was about ten paces from me, I ignited my lightsabre, slipping into a very loose variation of Makashi's primary stance. She also lit hers, unsurprisingly red. "Aww, look at that." She taunted. "The little worm-head playing at being a Jedi."

I sighed. Really? Worm-head? Was she a youngling? I'd heard better insults from toddlers in the Lower City. I guess going Dark doesn't automatically make you a master manipulator. I smirked, though, showing her I was unperturbed by her stupid barb. "Why don't you show me how it's done then, ferrocrete face?" Hey, not my fault that she had a face like cracked pavement.

She growled, lunging at me, her blade working furiously to take my head from my shoulders. Being quite attached to it, I did everything I could to block her, my violet blade snapping up in short, precise movements. Even then, I was barely a match for the speed at which she was striking. She was pressing me almost as hard as Juhani did during training, but her form wasn't nearly as tight, and I could see openings here or there. Now, if only I could actually exploit one of them. She just kept hammering away, though, and managed to singe my robes in a few spots.

I flipped backward when she tried to take out my ankles, giving myself a little space. She was better than me, there was no doubt in my mind. She could definitely kill me if I even gave her half the chance. Right, kill me. This wasn't a spar with Juhani or Mar, I wasn't training right now, this was a legit fight to the death, and I had a few tricks that I could not have used in a friendly spar. I reached out to the Force, not just within myself, but also the ambient energy that was saturating the room. There was just so much there, and it let me tap into it, rushing around me in an excited storm.

Focusing harder on the fight, I started to Push and Pull at her. From every angle I could think of, I buffeted her with energy just as she tried to charge me again. It put her off balance, and I was able to begin my own assault, Lightning sizzling along the length of my blade.

A thrust to her heart was barely brushed aside, a fork of lightning licking at her cheek as my blade passed. Her next swing was deflected down, and I used the momentum to spin myself around and whip my boot up into her stomach, knocking her backward. She screamed in rage, and Lightning shot from her fingertips. It had come so suddenly that I had no time to react.

I'd never been so glad for the augments in my hilt. My blade was so highly charged that it had become a natural lightning rod, practically pulling it from her hand and away from my body. As she bombarded me with Lightning, she pressed forward, likely hoping to mow me down while I was busy. Seeing this, I knew exactly what I could do, but I'd only have one chance at it, and discreetly activated an energy shield.

Once within range, she directed a thrust at me, aimed between my heart and left shoulder blade. I let it hit, draining my shielding completely, but it had the desired effect of pushing me back. I twisted my body, going with the momentum, crouching as I came full circle, and unleashed the energy that had built up. It cracked like a whip made of pure lightning, scorching it's way across her midsection, torching her robes and leaving burned and bruised flesh behind. The scream of complete agony hurt my ears, but I watched impassively as her every muscle twitched, the hilt of her sabre, and her knees falling to the floor.

I summoned her weapon, crossing it with my own at her neck. "Surrender now, or face the judgement of Lord Revan."

Ferrocrete's breath was ragged as she tried to get her spasming body back under some semblance of control. Her glare, underlit by the sabres, was little more than a grimace before lowering her eyes. "I surrender to your whims." She wheezed out before going completely limp, and I just barely avoided taking her ear off with her own weapon.

Juhani was not quite as fortunate as I was. Baldy had simply refused to submit, even after she had taken his right arm off at the elbow. She was forced to kill him, and did so by bisecting him at the waist. The scent of burnt meat and hot waste filled the room. We locked eyes, making sure we were both okay, before turning as one toward Mar and Bastila.

We had been expecting them to be locked in battle, already. Instead, we found them standing, still five meters apart, staring each other down. Both had their staves in hand, but neither had them ignited.

"You led the Republic directly to the Star Forge, Revan!" She spat at him, unadulterated rage on her face. "I knew you were lying!"

"No, Bas…" He quietly insisted, doing his best to both remain calm and project his concern for her at the same time. "Those fools on the Council did not trust that I would follow in the shadow of their manipulations. With good reason, I might add."

"No lies, Revan. I know you are a puppet of the Jedi." She hissed. Her yellowed eyes were narrow and sharp. She truly believed that nonsense she was spouting.

"I will not lie, Bastila. Nor will I continue to follow those wrinkled fools who can do naught but see darkness beyond the tips of their noses. I am no longer the Sith Lord you brought back from the brink of death two years ago. Neither am I Mar'Kul Sunborne. If I ever was." There was a sadness to his voice as he said that. He had reminisced during my training about how he had enjoyed living as Mar, where his greatest concern had been rescuing the princess from a Swoop Gang and escaping Taris before it was glassed. "I am Lord Revan. Grandmaster of the re-emerged Grey Order, Avatar of Balance in the Force, and a man desperately in love with three women." His voice had started off, full of power and conviction, nearly shaking the walls. But the utterance of that final thought, though little more than a whisper, was spoken with the strength of a rancor crashing through Felucian underbrush. He took a purposeful step forward, holding his free hand out, palm up in silent offer for her to come to him, to us. "I love you, Bastila Shan. As I love the two that stand behind me. Is it too much to ask for us all to live happily together?"

She stumbled backward, her eyes not leaving the proffered hand. And, despite the hardened expression, I could see a hint of longing in her eyes. "You lie." Her voice was strained, evidence of her internal war. "Your love does not exist, Malak tells me so. You seek to use me and throw me away once I'm no longer useful to you. I will not be the toy of a liar!" The fact that she couldn't see that she was literally describing ol' Tin Jaw's plans for her was beyond frustrating. His manipulations and projection were so obvious, and here she was believing them.

Before he had a chance to reply, She ignited her staff and rushed him with a flurry of strikes. He met her, blade for blade, easily blocking and deflecting her rage-filled strikes. Bastila closed the distance and their blades locked. She leaned in, sneering at him. "So, you finally desire to fight me, Revan?"

"I will not strike you, Bas."

"Then you will die!" She roared, blasting him back with a Wave of Force. The metal panels that were the walls began to squeal and whine as they were ripped from their mountings and hurled at him. Dozens of meter-wide slabs of steel hurtling toward him impossibly fast. With the barest movements of his off-hand, he batted them aside, going so far as to stack them neatly behind him. Kriffing show-off.

"Open the Bond, Bastila. Feel the truth of my words, the strength of my love, the surety of my heart." He begged of her after she had stripped the walls bare. Even though he was not focusing that intent toward me right then, I could still feel it for myself and Juhani, sitting just behind his active emotions.

She lunged at him again, a crimson blur being held off by his viridian defense. "Lord Malak has severed the false bond we shared, Revan. You used it to weaken me, and now I am free." Lightning arced from her fingertips as she leapt backward. Mar, though, didn't even bother to defend against it with his staff, or even meet it with Lightning of his own. He simply let it dance over his body, the purple energy enveloping him.

He strode forward in spite of everything she was throwing at him. "When Malak turned his guns on my command deck, Bastila, it was you who saved my life. You pulled me back, stopped me from becoming One with the Force when your orders were to destroy me. You could have easily left me to my fate as I lay there, helpless.

"Since that day, my heart beats because of you. And, over the course of our mission, I've found that it also beats for you." He finally brushed aside the Lightning, his robes not even singed, and put away his blade. "If you truly despise me, as you say, Bas, then strike me down." He closed his eyes, arms held down and out, palms facing toward her. "Right here, right now. For life without even one of you is not a life worth living at all."

I wanted to run forward, scream at the top of my lungs that he was being stupid, to shake him like a loose hyperdrive. Something, anything to show him just how I felt about his decision.

Juhani stood at my side, a subdued expression on her face. Only the harsh grip of her hand on my shoulder belied her feelings on the matter. "Be calm, Mission. Our Master has faith that the Force will see us through this ordeal. We too must have faith in his decision."

Bastila screamed, an unholy mixture of rage, anguish, passion, and pain that nearly brought me to my knees. Tears streamed from her eyes as she rushed forward, one end of her staff driving forward and piercing his left shoulder. I could feel a shadow of the searing heat in my own shoulder, and I almost cried out, but Mar didn't budge, didn't even let out a grunt of discomfort. As always, Mar was a durasteel column.

Bastila, though, she couldn't do anything but stare at what she had done, her hands shaking as her blade hissed off, hilt clattering to the floor, leaving a smoking hole that framed her face from where I stood. "Why?" She asked, breath shuddering out of her. "Why didn't you stop me?"

He turned his head to face her fully, a pained smile on his face. "Because I love you." His right hand cupped her cheek, much as he had done before. Quickly, he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips fully against hers, actively pushing the entirety of his emotions into that single action. At first she seemed to be struggling against him, though whether to get away or to inspect the damage she had done, I couldn't tell. Quickly, though, she began to melt against him, hands bunching in his robes' lapels and eyelids fluttering.

Mar deepened the kiss, his working arm sliding down Bastila's side and looping around her waist to pull her tighter to him, and I could feel the ecstatic joy that filled him through the Bond. Behind it was a pull, a compulsion of the Force. It was Willing itself, toward completion, toward Balance. Seeing Juhani stalk toward them, I knew that she felt it, too, so I followed her lead. Just as her hands found skin on both of them, so did I. And while her hands roved Bastila's upper arm and Mar's neck, my own entwined with his fingers, careful not to jostle his injured shoulder, and my other threaded into the brunette's hair. Just the way he'd wanted to.

The effect was immediate. The initial opening of the Bond had been a flower blossoming in my heart, soft and new, fresh. This, though, was more akin to a hyperdrive switching into gear; a brilliant corona of light and heat that was almost wholly overwhelming in its intensity. There was a oneness, a feeling of absolute completion as the swirling Force energy settled within us, Each of us keenly aware of the other three and their desires. My wish to be loved and cared for in ways I never had been, both as a person, and as a woman. Juhani's dual nature; a predator on the hunt for what she wanted, needed, while seeking to submit fully to the ultimate predator. And now, Bastila's passion, long denied by the Jedi, and then twisted by Malak, now free to shower her one and only in the love she holds.

All of which coalesced, joining together with the sheer joy and contentment that radiated from Mar. His love for each of us could be felt, even as he slowly broke the kiss, a gentle smile on his face. "That was totally worth it." He said finally.

"I do not advise using that strategy on Darth Malak, My Master." Juhani remarked with a throaty chuckle.

He replied with a laugh. "Don't worry, Kitten, planting a wet one on Tin Lips is not high on my list of things to do."

Bastila slowly shook herself out of the kiss-induced stupor she was in, and glanced over my shoulder. "Thank you for sparing Tanis, Mission. She is powerful, and loyal to me above Malak."

I shrugged, busying myself with checking on the functionality of Mar's damaged arm, though I stopped moving it after I heard a sharp breath. "I'm not completely heartless, Princess."

"Yes, thank you." Came a soft, if strained voice from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see the woman I had faced limping toward us, left arm gingerly holding her singed stomach. "Your strategy was very unexpected. I didn't realize it was possible to manipulate Lightning that way."

I gave her a small smile, proud of my accomplishment. "Just a little side-effect of the augments in my hilt." I extended my hand to her. "Mission Vao."

She took my hand. "Tanis Shaderush." The shy smile she had on her face definitely did not match up with her Sithed out features. As she released my hand, she turned toward Mar and dropped to one knee. "Lord Revan."

Even nursing his shoulder the way he was, he still cut an imposing figure as he stared down at her. "You gave my apprentice quite the fight, Tanis." He remarked.

"I was simply doing as my Mistress commanded me."

He looked over his shoulder at Bastila, and eyebrow quirked. "Is that so? Tell me, what are your loyalties to Malak?"

She didn't raise her head. "My loyalties are to Mistress Bastila and those she serves, Lord Revan."

"Then rise, and be glad, young Tanis, for you are now of the Grey Order." He said in his commanding voice. When she did, He reached out with his right hand and the Force, and Healing energy wove around and though her wounds. She sighed as the bruises and burns began to fade.

"Thank you, my Lord. I will not forget this kindness."

He just gave her a soft smile as Bastila, Juhani, and I began fussing over him again. He was just going to be so infuriatingly noble while injured like this? Bastila seemed to be feeling exactly the same, and huffed as she tried to examine the hole in his shoulder. "You say that you aren't Sunborne anymore, yet you are still so Force-damned stubborn. Honestly. Do you expect to fight Malak with one arm?"

Revan chuckled as he carefully tucked the limp arm into the folds of his outer robe. "Don't worry about a thing, Princess. You just made it a fair fight." He pulled away from us and summoned the lightsabre from Juhani's fallen enemy. "I'll return once I've taken care of an old friend." And with that, he strode purposefully through the blast door to the command deck.

I smiled through my worry, knowing without a doubt that Mar would succeed. Tanis, on the other hand gawked at the door. "D-did he just walk into the lair of a Sith Lord with only one working arm?"

"Indeed." Juhani replied with a nod and a smile. Her faith in Revan's ability even stronger than my own.

"Will he be alright?"

"He will be fine, Tanis. Revan has always been stronger in the Force than Malak, and has only grown more in his time as Sunborne." Bastila assured her, and even I felt better hearing that. I knew that he was strong, but I didn't have the kind of reference that people like Bastila and Juhani did. Seeing and hearing their confidence bolstered my own in ways that I didn't even know I needed. She then turned to us, a speculative arch of her brow. "Now, why don't you tell us about this Grey Order of his?"

Juhani nodded. "First, I would like to recite our code.

There is no Light without the Dark

Through Passion, I gain Focus

Through Knowledge, I gain Power

Through Serenity, I gain Strength

Through Victory, I gain Harmony

There is only the Force

"These are our tenets." She continued. "We seek to learn all we can about the Living Force and maintain balance, not only in ourselves, but in the universe at large."

I smiled, then. "Because as nice as it would be to eradicate all the sleemos and scuzzbutts out there, good can not exist without the bad. Doesn't mean we need to let it flourish. We're gonna push back against every Spacer trying to stamp out the good in the Galaxy."

Juhani cleared her throat after my little outburst, obviously perturbed by my interruption. "Thank you, Mission. Before that, however, each member of our Order will need to find balance in themselves, gaining control over their emotions, their truth, and their purity, learning to harness the power inherent in them and how they manipulate the Force as it flows through us."

Tanis let out a low whistle. "Control over the purity of emotions? Really introspective, isn't it?"

"It really is." Bastila added. "Not for no reason, however. As Jedi, we were taught that emotions were a dangerous thing, and they can be. But to shut yourself off from them, you risk losing the only thing that allows you to empathize with others. You become cold and distant, even to those you thought yourself close to. To say nothing of the first time you do feel a strong emotion, being completely unprepared for how it can warp your thinking." She ducked her head slightly, the shame of her recent actions flaring briefly. "Of course, the opposite extreme is just as bad. Letting our emotions run wild within us allows them to help us justify evil behavior, and malicious use of the Force is also known to affect one's physical body."

I couldn't help myself, and a snort of a laugh escaped me. "Yeah, and pale and veiny is totally not your look."

"Not funny." Was her dry response. "And what is our plan following this? Do we continue operation of the Forge? Where will we go when the Jedi learn of our defection?"

"There has not been much talk of the future." Juhani replied. "Our main focus, other than returning you to our side, was to train Mission in the ways of the Force. Though, he has instructed the droids to use the Forge to create a flagship worthy of the Grandmaster of an entire order."

"Well, he did say something about returning to Korriban." I added. "But whether to destroy it or repurpose it, I have no clue."

Bastila tapped her chin, pondering the options. "Well, turning an entire academy full of Sith hopefuls into Grey Jedi would be greatly beneficial. But we would have to be very careful, and neutralize those who are too far gone, too deep into the Sith teachings to change."

"Such as the Purple Twi'lek that Master left in charge. I fear that her lusts will overpower any attempts to change her way of thinking."

I nodded along with Juhani's thinking. "She was always eyeing Mar like he was a piece of meat."

I let a mischievous smirk cross my lips. "Good thing he's already our piece of meat."

"Mission!" Bastila let out a scandalized gasp. "You shouldn't talk like that, especially since you haven't even gone all the way." She eyed Juhani. "Right?"

The Cathar nodded. "We have kept our underclothes on, if only just." There was a small flash of disappointment that crossed her face. She had wanted to be taken by our Master for longer than I had, and we were both getting increasingly frustrated with his ironclad will. "He has wanted you returned to us before attempting to advance our relationship further."

"But you've shared his bed." It wasn't a question. The look in her eyes told me that she had understood the flashes of memory that came with the opening of the Bond. Well, that, and the dusting of pink on her still pale cheeks. "The touches, the ecstasy…" her voice trailed off wistfully.

"And all with our modesty protected, Princess." I assured her. "But you should have seen him after the fight at the Relay. He looked lost. Broken. We resolved to do everything we could to remind him that he was loved. No matter how we pushed, though, there was still that line that he would not cross. His control is…" I waved my hand, trying to find the right word.

"Remarkable?" Bastila supplied.

"Frustrating." Juhani countered, earning a nod from me. "Admirable, however. He had not wanted any of us to have an advantage over the others. Unfortunately, we could not sit idle as he wallowed in despair, unable to sleep for an entire week." Her lascivious grin widened. "I am certain that our Master will give you an equal amount of attention should you ask it of him, Bastila."

The brunette could not decide whether to continue to feel scandalized, or to focus on Mar's worrying mental state. "I- I had no idea. The first thing Malak had done was to sever the Bond. Once I could no longer feel that warmth, it was so easy for him to convince me that Revan was using the Bond to weaken me, siphoning power from me in order to assist in his rise to power. He told me that in order to become strong again, I would need to kill him, kill Mar'Kul. He told me, and Force help me, I believed him." She fell to her knees, heavy, anguished sobs wracking her entire frame. "And I almost did it. I nearly killed him!"

Juhani and I cradled her, rocking as she wept. The third pair of arms snaked around her waist, and Tanis cooed gently into the crying woman's ear. "It will all be alright, Mistress. Lord Revan loves you, he has said so, himself."

After a long couple of minutes, she finally began to calm down, her shoulders barely shaking as she got back to her feet. Telling us she needed a moment to clear her head. She made her way over by the stacked wall panels and began to meditate.

I sighed, beginning to feel a little emotionally drained. It had been a hell of a day. I turned my attention to the raven-haired woman that seemed so completely devoted to Princess Fussy-Britches, noting that she was much less pale than she had been during our fight. That was good, because the Lower City walkway look wasn't doing her any justice.

"So, what's your story?" I asked, earning a confused eyebrow from her. "I mean, how'd you end up apprenticed to her?"

She glanced over to where Bastila floated. "I had been captured by the Sith as I was attempting to escape Dantooine during the attack on the Enclave. They held me in a cell, deprived of sleep and given little to eat. I became angry at everything: The Sith for what they were doing to me, The Jedi for abandoning me to my fate, and myself for allowing myself to give in to my anger. My Mistress found me in the cells, felt my anger, my rage, my Power. We connected through our feelings of having been spurned by those we had trusted and our hatred for the Jedi. I pledged my life to her and swore myself to her service."

She sounded every bit as loyal to Bastila as Big Z is to me, which is pretty cool, I guess. At least our Order was starting with more than just the four of us. I looked toward the door Mar had gone through. "He's been in there a really long time, don't you think?"

"We knew the battle would not be easy, Mission. But our Master will prevail. Of that, I have no doubt." Juhani replied calmly as she closed her own eyes for a moment of meditation. I was just about to do the same when I heard a brief crackle of static. Someone had turned on a communications system on the Forge.

"Attention, everyone aboard the Star Forge. Grandmaster Revan of the Grey Order speaks to you now. Darth Malak lay slain at my feet, having finally answered for his crimes against the Galaxy and the Force as a whole. The Forge is once again under my control." His voice was calm and strong as it came out of the hidden speakers, but there was a weariness that I could feel in my heart, hidden from everyone else that could hear his voice.

"The Republic, led by the supposed Leader of the Light, knock at our door, seeking to subjugate us to their ideals, just as Malak sought to subjugate the Galaxy to his will. The Jedi Masters feel that a tool such as the Forge can not be in anyone's hands but theirs. They would see the Galaxy defenseless while enemies of us all bide their time beyond the Outer Rim.

"I have faced the Enemy in the dark depths of Uncharted Space. They are formidable, but we are Legion. If we are to stand against this Enemy, we must be united!" His voice steadily rose, taking on a timbre and command that I can only imagine he had used as a general in the Mandalorian War. "The bulk of the Republic fleet knocks on our doorstep. Knock back! Fight to cripple their fleet, force them to surrender, and when the last of their ships has powered down their weapons, bring their commanders to me. Not as prisoners, but as guests. They must know why we fight if we are to have any hope to protect the Galaxy, we can not afford to be fighting each other. You fight today to begin the path toward Galactic peace. A Galaxy where our children's children need not fear the darkness of the Reach. You are no longer slaves to the Sith, but warriors of the Grey Empire, Champions of Balance!"

Those last words were delivered with such heat, strength, and fervor, that I doubted even the most hardline Sith commander would be unmoved by his speech. Tanis turned to me, her eyes a little wide. "Were I not already sworn to my Mistress, and through her, him, I would follow Lord Revan into anything. He truly has an amazing way with words."

I laughed, having felt the exact same thing, once upon a Taris morning. "Just imagine if he'd made that speech in person." He would have been able to weave the Force into his words, inciting emotions that would drive men to fight to their fullest for him. With him.

Just then, the doors to the Command Deck wooshed open, and out he walked. Okay, so he was limping, whatever. His left arm was once again dangling loosely, his right leg was bent at a weird angle, and half his face was a crimson mask, blood flowing feely from a wound near his hairline. Bastila, Juhani, and I rushed over to him, easing him over to the stack of panels closest to him. Getting him seated, we began tending to his wounds. Bastila knelt down, and with a sickeningly loud pop, set his knee. She wrapped it up as best she could while I dabbed at his face, hoping that none of them would scar. Juhani was valiantly attempting to close the hole in his shoulder, but there was simply too much damage for her to make much progress. Mar would definitely need professional medical attention soon to fix that.

I don't know how long we tried to fix Mar up, but eventually, the sound of Tanis clearing her throat came from somewhere behind me. "Lord Revan?" She intoned, holding out what seemed to be a handheld holo-projector.

"Yes?"

The projector blinked to life, displaying a thin old man with a wispy horseshoe of hair on his head and a heavily decorated officer's uniform. "Lord Revan, I am Moff Dex Sybaris, Admiral of the Forge Defense Fleet. The Republic ships have surrendered or been destroyed. We are beginning docking protocols, with nine of the sixteen commanders of their fleet." His voice was crisper and bolder than I would have thought for someone of his apparent age. He left no doubt in my mind that he's served in one military or another for his entire life.

"That is less than I had hoped." Mar groaned as he rose to his feet. "But more than I expected." He stepped gingerly, testing his right knee, and when he stumbled, Bastila and I were there to catch him and keep him upright.

"Your orders, my Lord?" Dex asked.

Mar stroked his chin in thought. He knew he had to find the quickest and easiest way to impress upon the Republic leaders exactly what was at stake, and to show them that he was not the same as old tin lips. "Bring them to the largest conference room. Maintain a minimal guard, and have enough food for two dozen prepared. Remember, they are guests, not prisoners."

The man clapped his fist over his heart. "At once, my Lord." The holo immediately blinked out.

Tanis tucked the device back into one of her pouches. When none of us made a move for an exit, she arched an eyebrow. "Is there anything else you need, my Lord?"

"Just one more thing." He replied with a sheepish grin. "How do we get there?"

Alright, that took a little longer to rewrite than I had initially hoped. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, according to my wallet) I've gotten back to full time hours. Add in other responsibilities, and I simply haven't had the time I wanted to devote to pounding this out. The next few chapters will finally bring our main characters' relationships to a head, so get ready for the real reason for this M rating. I don't expect to have to make as many changes to the next chapter, so hopefully I'll get it out in a much more timely manner.

See you next time, Kitties.