Chapter Twelve: Hostage Taking

There was a moment of silence as Bastila just walked off.

For a moment, Revan thought she'd gone off to sit in a corner. But then he realized that she'd walked out the door. What was the idiot doing? No city was safe at night.

"Malak, let's go find her before she does something stupid," said Revan.

Malak nodded. Together they went out into the hall, only to find it empty. People were streaming out into them after the play. Bastila could be anywhere in this.

Still, Revan had the feeling that something was happening. Malak was with him as he sprinted for the exit. He reached out with his thoughts and sensed for any sign of Bastila. But as he came into the lobby, he saw only great crowds of people. Glancing back, he saw no sign of Kreia.

Coming out, he sensed emotions, and for a moment, it was like he was there. Bastila was shocked, another person was smug. On an act of impulse, there was a scuffle. And then...

The Force.

Someone had used the Force. But it was darker somehow, filled with malice. But not clouded with rage, it was... clearsighted. Just feeling it was like his mind was being gnawed on by some predator.

"Where did she go..." asked Revan.

"I sense her nearby," said Malak. "We should alert the guards."

"No, no, we can't," said Revan. "They won't stop them."

"What do you mean?" asked Malak. "Who's 'they'?"

"Malak, we grew up our entire lives being told to believe the force," said Revan. "Well, it's telling me something now, and we need to follow them. Bastila could die. And if the guards do handle it, no harm is done.

"Now, come on."

He raced off of the sense of Bastila's presence, and Malak followed behind. As he did, he felt something, a hunger of sorts. It was just below the surface, like a Kath Hound, licking its lips in the shadows.

"Do you feel that?" asked Revan as they hurried along a back alley. A cat scurried away before them.

"Yes," said Malak. "I've felt this somewhere before."

"Where?" asked Revan.

"Master Kreia, she took me to a place," said Malak. "She said it was strong in the Dark Side of the Force. This is... it's like an aspect of it."

"Kreia?" asked Revan. "What is she trying to corrupt you or something?"

"No!" said Malak. "She just feels you have to understand the darkness to beat it."

And then they came to a checkpoint. The street had been walled off, and armored guards were checking everyone who passed by. Several figures in armor were stopped, carrying a bundle. But then they waved a hand and were let past.

Was that the force?

Revan rushed forward after them as the figures surged off. But before he could, they were grabbed. "Hold where you are, son." said the man. "We've been ordered by General Zegil to seal off this street."

"That armored man!" said Revan. "You've got to stop him!"

The man and his company were disappearing at a rapid pace. Heading for the starport.

"He's on official Daan business." said the figure. "And... is that a Melinda!"

Guns were trailed. Revan stepped between them. "Listen, we're guests of General Revan. I am Revan Skywalker, and my companion is a Jedi! If you shoot him, you will be-"

Malak motioned with a hand, and the men were slammed against the wall. He then grabbed Revan and pulled him after them, stopping only to grab a blaster. Blaster bolts slammed into the pavement, and a street lamp blew up. It showered glass all over the ground. People scattered around them as the guards pursued.

"What are you doing?!" snapped Revan.

"They'll put out an alert," said Malak. "Then they'll track us. If we're near the kidnappers, we'll all get grabbed, and we can just surrender."

"So you don't believe that about official Daan business?" asked Revan.

"No. That was Force Persuade, or so Master Kreia calls it," said Malak. "That guys must be a Sith."

"What kind of Sith wears armor?" asked Revan.

Alarms were sounding soon, as they rushed on after the trail. Their path took them toward the starport. At last, they came before it, an immense structure many stories high. Here and there from the third story up, there were hangers for starships. And there were fleeing civilians out of the building as they ran toward it.

The black-armored figure walked through, slashing through an unfortunate woman and her child. In his hand was a bright red lightsaber. But his bearing was utterly casual, and as the corpses hit the ground, Revan saw something. The corpses became gray and cold as if life energy was being drained away into the man. His guards stepped away unconsciously, and the one carrying the bundle pulled away.

And Revan felt nothing.

What the hell was wrong with him?

"Canderous, take care of the sheep.," said the man.

One of the man's guards turned and unslung a massive, heavy repeating blaster. He leveled it at them and let fly. Hundreds of bolts of white energy surged through the glass. It was blasted apart, and the bolts hit the speeders outside.

Revan grabbed Malak and ran around, heading for the other side of the building. He prayed his enemy wouldn't see him as the speeders exploded into roses of flame. Police speeders came out, only to receive fire from above. Soon they were trading fire as Revan and Malak hit the concrete wall.

"What now?" asked Malak.

Revan breathed out. "I have a utility belt, the one I use for repairs. Park of it's a grappling hook. I'll hook it up on the nearest hanger. We'll scale upwards, short circuit the ray shields and-"

Malak drew out his lightsaber and stabbed it into the wall. He then moved it around in a full circle, big enough for someone to walk through. Raising a leg, he kicked it in to reveal plain plaster. Moving forward, Malak smashed through the plaster through sheer brute strength. Revan followed, feeling a bit inadequate. "-or we could just cut through a wall with a lightsaber."

"It was the simple solution," said Malak.

They were within what appeared to be a security warehouse. Blaster shots were ringing out within the walls. Obviously, the attack had only happened recently, and the fight was still going strong.

"From the sounds of things, there's a shootout going on here," said Revan, opening the door and glancing down. He saw blasters being traded down the corridor, while green-clad security backed up. They fired, and when one fell, his comrades pulled him back.

"We should go help," said Malak, lightsaber drawn.

"No," said Revan. "We'd be shot dead in seconds, Malak."

"But they're losing," said Malak.

"While they distract the Mandalorians, we can find Bastila. Now come on!" said Revan.

He then headed in the general direction of the opening lobby. If he was right, the guy in black armor would have moved on. That left only whatever security he left behind, and that would be fighting the police.

"And how are we going to find Bastila?" asked Malak. "We don't even know where she is or what the Mandalorians are doing here?"

"Which is why we need to get to the console at the front desk," said Revan. "That's where you can find information on flights. The Starport on Dantooine had a whole list of hangers and passengers."

"There are guards there too," noted Malak.

"And they won't be expecting an attack from inside," replied Revan.

Passing a storage closet, Revan looked down and saw half a dozen guards standing by. Some were trading fire with the police. The rest were standing by.

Now he just needed to find a way to kill six heavily armed guards.

Time to get creative.

"So, now that I don't appreciate the fight." said one. "But why are we starting things here? Wasn't Daan our employer."

"The usual sort of civil disagreement." said another. "These civilized people don't hunt, so they eat each other. Aedal wants the girl, and we don't need Daan any more, so what else are we gonna do."

"Too many for us to fight here," said Revan, thinking about his advantages and disadvantages. Zegil had told him once that a disadvantage could be turned into an advantage. "Still, we're only children. They might not take us seriously. I'll lure them around the corner, you take them out."

"You want me to kill them?" asked Malak.

"Just wait until they round the corner and stab them a bunch," said Revan. "They'll have their guard down."

Revan rounded the corner, doing his best to appear as if he was trying to run for it. Halting there, he was seen, yelled, and shot back around the corner as Malak readied his lightsaber.

"Ah, damn it, we've got an escapee. Sahgrin, Torus, take him." said a voice.

Footsteps came around the door, as Revan grabbed the blaster from Malak. He waited, breathless until the guards came around the corner.

Then Revan fired.

He got one of them right in the face, even as Malak stabbed forward with his lightsaber and got the other in the chest. They collapsed, but the one Malak stabbed reached out for him. Horrified, Malak pulled away and carved his lightsaber up through his face.

Malak stared in horror.

Revan didn't have time for this. He saw grenades at one of their belts, and he grabbed two of them. Pulling out the pins, he rounded the corner and hurled them. One at the ones at the window, the other at some men who had come to see what was happening. There was an explosion, and Revan fell off his feet.

Looking up, he saw Malak. The boy was staring at the blue lightsaber in his hands in horror, then back to the corpse. "I... I killed him..."

"Who cares?" snapped Revan. "We're on a timetable." He grabbed Malak's hand and pulled him into the shattered lobby. It was only a matter of time before the police came down here and took suspects and he wasn't waiting for that.

He needn't have worried. Grenades fell down as they approached from the windows, and explosions resounded. They scrambled back as bolts of plasma shot at them. Several were killed.

A voice came on over the intercom, the black-armored man. It was calm and friendly. "Now, let's be reasonable, security officers. I've got fifty hostages who are going to be blown to pieces in the next ten minutes. All I want is for the hanger bay doors to be opened.

"Do that for me, and we'll have nothing to disagree about.

"Don't, and I'll get what I want some other way. And they'll be very, very dead."

"Do you think Bastila is among the hostages?" asked Malak, staring.

"No," said Revan. "He got himself into this mess by capturing her. He isn't going to throw away his prize."

"Akash, report your situation immediately." said the same voice. But it was at the front desk. Moving forward, Revan saw a communicator. He grabbed it and walked away. "Check the console. I'll hold them here."

"Akash," said the man, "I'm not fond of jokes. Report."

Revan took a deep breath and opened the communications. Screw secrecy. "I'm afraid that the stalwart warrior Akash and his merry band will not be reporting in. There was a slight weapons malfunction, and it just happened so quickly.

"But it's all fine now.

"Could be a little warmer, Aedal, but I can't complain.

"How are you and Bastila?"

There was silence for a moment. A slight chuckle came over the communicator. "Cute.

"Judging from the sound of your voice, you're young. And since you've just taken a radio from some of my men, I'd guess you're a force user.

"So who exactly are you?

"Another washout who was too weakwilled to fake the cut? Or are you one of those miserable padawans. The mind whose goal in life is to carry the coattails of hypocritical masters? Either way, it hardly matters.

"This is only the first step."

"The Mandalorians are on the top hanger," said Malak, checking the commands. "They've got an entire division in there, but they've been sealed in by the security systems. They had a permit as PMC mercenaries by the authority of some government officials. Probably the ones that attacked us before."

"Do you really think a couple of washouts stand a chance against Clan Ordo, Master Jedi?" asked the voice.

Revan halted, then looked around at the corpses all around him. "Clan Ordo? So you're Mandalorians. Pretty talented when it comes to butchering unarmed civilians aren't you?"

"Well, all work and no play, you know," said Aedal.

"Well, let me tell you something." said Revan. "I'm standing about six feet from the bisected corpse of a mother and her infant. Innocent people you murdered rather than step aside for like a gentleman. Closer to home are six bodies of your warriors I killed with their own grenades.

"I feel like I should be lamenting the end of all things or screaming in horror. My friend here looks like he wants to. But all I can think is how much fun I'm going to have killing every single one of your men.

"There is no emotion, laser brain."

Aedal howled with laughter.

The game was afoot.


Author's Note:

When writing Revan, I wanted to get into the mindset of a player portraying Revan while also taking into consideration his canon traits.

The player is naturally detached from the events of the game. They pick light side and dark side options because that is the game they are playing. They happily slaughter their way through hundreds of Sith Troopers. Rather than being feeling human beings, they are obstacles to overcome. And the player might just decide to kill every guy on the map for the sake of experience.

So Revan is, in some sense, an ideal Jedi. His emotional attachments hardly affect his thinking at all. And yet this lack of emotion does not lead to peace, but someone who regards the world as a game. Instead of being content, he pushes the boundaries over and over. His 'friends' are really the only thing stopping him from going dark. Just as a player might refuse to go dark for fear of hurting Mission.

But even if you did hurt Mission, you'd ultimately not be hurt by it. You could just reload your game. You might even decide to go through with it, just to see the dark ending.

So here's a question.

With all this in mind, if Revan is considered responsible for his actions in a world that is only half real to him, aren't YOU responsible for those same actions within the world?