Chapter 10 Star Forge System
Disclaimer: I have no claim to the Star Wars world, only an enjoyment of what George Lucus and Bioware have created. This story is set in transit between planets and the only character I can lay any claim to is Skye Organa, my PC.
We come out of hyperspace on the very edge of the system and neither Carth or I can believe our eyes.
"The Star Forge ... I've never seen anything like it." Carth exhales, "I'm transmitting these co-ordinates to Admiral Dodonna. Maybe a quick strike by the Republic can cripple the Sith Fleet." He punches the keys on the transmission terminal decisively. "Message is away. Now we can just wait for the Republic to show up. We should be safe here – we're outside their sensor range."
[The Ebon Hawk shudders.]
"What's that?" I exclaim, glancing up at Carth with worry etched across my face.
"A small vanguard of Sith fighters, coming in hard! Someone needs to get on those gun turrets."
I hit the internal communications board, telling Canderous to get to the guns. Before I can close it off Carth adds:
"Take those fighters out before they have a chance to report our position to the main fleet!"
Skillfully he dodges and weaves the Hawk while Canderous takes out the fighters. We take a few hits but not enough to worry about. It seems as though the fighters are herding us towards a certain area though and we soon find out why. Our ship shudders and Carth has trouble keeping it on an even keel.
"We've got problems! We've flown into some sort of disruptor field. All my instruments are jammed! We've got massive overloads in all systems!" Quickly we both scan the boards seeing more red lights than either of us like to. Scanning the system Carth announces "I'm picking up a single planet in this system. I'll try and put us down there." He busies himself with the controls again. "Hold on. This may be a rough landing."
The Hawk starts to shake and shudder as we hit the atmosphere and we both struggle to keep her from crashing, Carth's skill as a pilot coming to the fore and I can't help but admire him even in this predicament. I let myself sink into a meditative trance and feel the presence of both Jolee and Juhani joining me as we struggle to use the Force to keep us from a major crash. Perspiration breaks out on my forehead with the effort, but between all of our efforts we manage to get her down in one piece, rough landing though it is. Once down, Carth turns to me, seeing my eyes closed and all the perspiration and knows that he had help with the landing. Opening my eyes I nod to him and after a few moments recovery, we go into the common area to join the others. I silently thank Jolee and Juhani, letting them know that we couldn't have gotten down without the joint effort.
"Whew! Talk about your rough landings, Carth! What's the matter? You're flying like you've been on an all night Tarisian ale drinking binge!" Mission rubs her head where she bumped it.
Carth faces everyone so that he can fill them all in on what has happened. "That disrupter field fried our stabilizers – we're lucky we made it down in one piece! But if we can't find the salvage to make repairs I won't even be able to get the Ebon Hawk airborne again!"
"During our rather rapid descent I noticed the hulls of many crashed ships scattered across the landscape. Perhaps the parts you need can be found among the wreckage." Juhani suggests.
Canderous nods in Juhani's direction, "The Cathar's right: this planet's a technological graveyard. I saw dozens of downed ships out there. That disrupter shield must have wiped them all out. But where would it be coming from?"
Carth scratches his head "Even if we get the stabilizers fixed, we'll have to find and disable the source of that disrupter field before we can take off. Otherwise we'll end up crashing again."
With a horrified thought I suck in my breath, "That disrupter field could wipe out the entire Republic Fleet!"
"You're right! That Sith fleet we saw must have some type of protection against the disrupter field. We have to find a way to disable it or the Republic will be slaughtered!" Carth takes my hand, drawing and receiving strength from me.
"Beep boop beep"
Mission translates, "T3's picking up massive power fluctuations on the ships sensors. They seem to be coming from some type of large stone structure to the east... it looks like some type of ancient temple."
I slowly take a deep breath, remembering my vision and hoping that it was just a nightmare instead. "You all seem to be forgetting about Bastila."
Carth misinterprets the tone of my voice, "We haven't forgotten about her. But we can't do her much good stuck down here. We have to help ourselves before we can help her."
"I only hope we're not too late. Bastila has been Malak's prisoner for a long time. If he can turn her to the darkside she will join him and the Sith will be invincible." Juhani adds.
Trying to deny what I feel has happened I say, "Bastila would never turn to the dark side."
Jolee eyes narrow as he looks at me closely, "I fear Bastila will find the lure of the dark side difficult to resist. She is strong in the Force, but she is also impulsive, willful and proud – as you once were, Revan."
I wince at his words before snapping "Don't call me that. I'm not Revan anymore."
His gaze becomes very intense as he watches me, then nodding says "I am glad to hear you say that. Now that you know your true identity I was afraid you would slip back to the dark side. If Bastila feels as you do there may yet be hope for her."
Carth places his hands on my shoulders supportively before taking charge again. "Well if Bastila is on the Star Forge like you think, Jolee, then we can't rescue her until we disable that disrupter field. The sooner we investigate that temple to the east the better. We can probably find the wreckage of a downed ship along the way. If we're lucky we can salvage some stabilizers from it to get off this planet."
Mission, sounding very mature looks towards Carth, "I hope everything works out as smooth as you make it sound, Carth."
"So do I Mission, so do I." He replies.
We decide that Jolee, Juhani, Zaalbar, Mission and the droids will stay around near the ship and that Canderous, Carth and I will scout around and check out the temple. T3 can make a start on repairs and see exactly what we need and the others can check the downed ship closest to the Hawk. The men put on their armor and I put on my Qel Droma robes and we head out to look around. A couple of Duro's come running down a path with some warrior beings chasing after them menacingly. As a swift moving, well coordinated team we quickly move to protect the Duro's, dispatching the warriors quickly and efficiently.
"You have defeated the murderous animals! We thankyou for saving us!"
"Well, they attacked me first..." I start to say.
"If your arrival had not been fortuitously timed, we would have been in great danger. We thankyou again for saving us."
Through the bond I feel a dark presence and find myself saying "How do you know that I'm friendly to you?" I feel Carth's eyes on me and I shake my head to clear the dark feeling.
"Why... why would you not be? All we survivors on this strange world must band together, else the marauding inhabitants would murder us all! They attack any they come across. They are barbaric savages who feast upon the bodies of the dead! The only beings that can hold them off are the Mandalorians, and we dare not go near them... we know of their depredations all too well. "
"There are Mandalorians here?" I turn and look a Canderous to see his reaction.
"Yes there are. More than you might think, although that may just be because they aren't killed as easily as we are. With their weapons they raid and kill other survivors, and can fight off the native's as well. They seem to have some sort of invisibility or light cloaking shield that hides them until they strike."
I nod my head at this, we've come across that before. "Where are they?"
"They are north of here by a large temple structure. We dare not approach it, for they would surely kill us."
"You could stay on our ship if you want." I suggest.
"No, we dare not. If we remain here, it will only be a matter of time before the Mandalorians or natives find us and kill us."
Thinking on this I cock my head to one side before saying "Why don't you try and get to one of the other islands?"
"I believe that would be the best choice... The others have not returned, but it may be because they had no way to. It would be worth the risk, rather than stay here and face certain death... I thankyou one last time, human, for saving us. We shall remember you, and hope that, should you escape, you will tell the Republic of us stranded here." With one last look back at us they head off.
Canderous, Carth and I head towards the temple and come across some more of the warriors at a crossing in the paths, behind them we also see some rancor's. I freeze them in stasis while Carth charges in with his double- bladed sword and Canderous fires with his favorite heavy blaster. I follow Carth in with my modified lightsaber, green double-blade flashing. Noticing that the stasis is wearing off I hit them with it again, keeping them frozen and easier for us to deal with. Dealing with the enemy as we go along we come across another fork in the path. Canderous scouts ahead alittle, while I walk to the edge of a lookout. Carth joins me and we over look the Ebon Hawk. I sigh as the view is magnificent. He places his hands on my shoulders, standing close behind me and softly kisses my neck, telling me that we had better keep moving.
Catching up with Canderous we head into the temple grounds. There are several wild rancor's around here and we soon attract their attention. The easiest way to handle them is for me to freeze them in stasis while the boys take them out. That done I lead the way towards the temple entrance to find that it is blocked by a force shield. Wandering around the other side of the temple grounds we run into the Mandalorians. They attack viciously but we are more than a match for them, quickly overcoming them. I see another path going off to the South and not waiting for the men to follow, start down it. They run to catch up with me, stopping abruptly behind me when I slow down and cautiously move forward. Ahead I see some more wreckage and some gizka hopping about, one of them triggering a stealthed mine. Very cautiously now we scour the area for the parts, finding some but not all that we need. Collecting them we continue on around the path and run into more wild rancor's. We follow the same procedure we had been using previously and keep following the path which soon opens up into another clearing and sandy white beach.
When we reach the clearing Canderous leans against one of the rocks asking "Carth, you fought in the Mandalorian Wars, didn't you? We may have faced each other in combat. What battles were you in?"
Being non-committal he replies, "I try not to think about my past battles too much. The horrors of war are something I'd rather not relive."
"The horrors of war? My people know only the glory of battle. I'm disappointed in you Carth. I thought a warrior like you would understand."
I stand between them, looking from one to the other and shaking my head at them. "Keep it cool, you two. I don't want this getting out of hand."
"I'm not a warrior, I'm a soldier. There's a difference. Warriors attack and conquer, they prey on the weak. Soldiers defend and protect the innocent – mostly from warriors."
"Nice speech. I bet you tell yourself that every night so you can sleep. But I accept who and what I am. I don't have to justify it with words – victory in battle is my justification."
"Justification through victory? So what happens when you lose? You know, like you did against us?"
"You had us outnumbered five to one. You had more ships, more troops, more supplies and the Jedi on your side. And we still made the Republic tremble before we fell." Canderous says heatedly.
With more than a little sarcasm Carth throws his words back at him. "Nice speech. I bet you tell yourself that every night so you can sleep. I don't want to talk about this anymore, Canderous. The war is over. You lost."
"If you two are finished bickering now, can we get going again now?" I give both of them a dirty look before walking off. I see a structure within the clearing and head towards it seeing a defensive perimeter around it.
As I near the pillars a hologram appears before me. "You are not Rakata... what is your business here, off-worlder?"
"Who are you?" I ask it.
"We are the Elders... and you will answer our question! Who are you and why have you come?"
"I come seeking the Star Forge" I state calmly.
It pauses for a moment "You... you are Revan! The council wishes to speak with you. You may enter."
The security measures are lowered and we are allowed in. Surprisingly I am not as concerned as I was before about being referred to as 'Revan', after all it did used to be my name, even if I am not all that keen on being called by it. Moving inside the structure we greeted by a number of the Rakata Elders.
"We of the Elder Council did not expect to see you again, Revan. We thought you had betrayed us. Why have you returned to our village after all this time?"
Quietly and calmly I inform them "I'm not Revan anymore That part of me is gone, I'm Skye Organa now."
The Elders look at me closely "Your words are confusing. We recognize you: you are the one called Revan. You are the one who came here before – you and Malak, the one who served you. You promised to help us. In exchange for our aid you swore to destroy the ancient evils of our Rakata ancestors! Are you saying this means nothing to you now?" he accuses me.
I return his gaze and explain "My mind was destroyed. My memories are lost."
"Hmmm ... we do sense something different about you. Something that has changed. You are not the same as you were before. Perhaps your memory has been lost. Yet the power you wield – what you call the Force – is within you still. You can still help us, Revan... if we dare to trust you again." [I sense that Carth is watching me closely during this exchange]
"This is alittle overwhelming, I still don't remember anything." I shake my head slightly trying to recall details that escape me still.
"If what you say is true – that you cannot remember when you were last here – then you must have many questions. Ask what you will, Revan and we will try and help you understand."
I am very thankful for their understanding "Tell me about the last time I was here."
"You arrived with Malak – your servant – three of your galactic standard years ago. We saw your ship plummet to the earth, a victim of the disrupter field that guards this planet. You and Malak both survived the crash, though you were stranded here on our world. And in your search for a way off this planet, you discovered our enclave – just as you did this time. You used the Force to draw the Rakata language from our minds, even as you planted Basic into our skulls so we could help you in your quest to escape this world. We helped you to enter the Temple of the Ancients. You and Malak both. And you now, after all this time, you have returned – with your mind wiped clean. Is there anything else you wish to know?"
"Do a lot of ships crash because of the disrupter field?"
"Throughout the history of our world many ships have fallen victim to the disrupter field. Most within the ships perish in the crash, though some creatures do survive. That is how the great war beasts you call rancor's came to this world. A few of the beasts survived the crash and they were captured and trained by some of the more primitive Rakata tribes."
"More primitive tribes? You mean there are other Rakata?" It clicks then that the ones we had fought on our way here were of another tribe.
"There are many more Rakata on this world, though most are primitive and war-like tribes descended from the lower castes of the infinite empire. The most powerful of all these is the tribe of the One. Many times the warriors of the One's tribe have attacked our compound, hoping to gain the knowledge we guard. But our technology is far superior to theirs, and their attacks have failed."
I ask to know more about them and the Elder tells me that they are descendants from the priest caste of the Infinite Empire. They are the keepers of knowledge and the guardians of the Temple of the Ancients. He tells me that during the collapse of the Rakata Empire the warlords unleashed weapons of terrible destruction that threatened them all with extinction. In the aftermath, their ancestors locked the knowledge of these weapons in the Temple so that it could never be used again. Ever since the Elders have been vigilant. They can't tell me much about the Temple itself as they are barred from it. Only those who command the Force can enter. Long ago the Rakata had this power but it became lost to them, that is why they trusted me – Revan – the first time as I could enter the temple and they could not.
"We trusted you once before, Revan – and you betrayed us. It is true that you can enter the Temple and we cannot. How can we trust you after the last time?"
Quietly I tell them "The part of me that was Revan is dead. Now I am Skye Organa."
"You say you are not who you once were, yet here on our world you repeat the pattern of your last visit. Like the last time you have crashed here. Like last time, you have come seeking our help. How have you changed, Revan?"
"I cannot prove what is in my heart. I only ask that you judge me by my actions." I'm not sure if this will help our cause any but I am willing to try.
"We sense you mean the words you speak. But words are easy to say: it is actions that prove the true nature of your character. You must prove to us that you are not the same as you once were, Revan. You must prove that you have changed."
I think on this for a moment. "How can I prove that?"
"Recently several of our scouts were captured by the One. Most of them were brutally slaughtered, but we have information that one of the scouts is still alive. They will use unimaginable tortures to force the scout to reveal everything he knows about our tribe. And once the One is done with him, the scout will be executed like the others. You must prove you have truly changed by risking your own life to save another. Rescue our scout from the clutches of the One, and we will consider helping you."
I feel that this is only fair and wish to make amends for what I'd done as Revan. If I can right some of the wrongs I will. Turning to Carth and Canderous I indicate we should head off. Over my shoulder I tell the Elders that we will be back once we have freed their scout. We backtrack to the ship, dropping off the parts that we had already found and then follow the directions the Elders had given us regarding where the One's tribe is situated. We run into many of his warriors as we go along and dispatch them efficiently. The closer we get the more warriors we run into and as we enter the clearing we encounter more of their trained rancor's too. We have a pattern worked out now, I lead and freeze the enemy in stasis while Carth throws grenades and Canderous fires his heavy repeater. I also throw my blade, making sure I am not in the line of fire of the other two. We continue on into the One's village, carefully making our way though until we come across him. He runs over to a lever, releasing four rancor's and more of his warriors come running to support him.
I use my Force powers to freeze the One in stasis, then turn my attention to the rancor's. Carth follows behind me and we both attack the rancor's together while Canderous goes firstly for the One, then his followers. Glancing around I use my powers of stasis when required. I also use Force Healing whenever any of us need it, even on Canderous who has a healing implant, all the time feeling my connection with the Force strengthen. After having dealt with the remaining enemy I make my way over to where the One had imprisoned the Elder's scout, while the men search the compound and bodies for useful equipment. The scout is in a bad way but is grateful that we have saved him from a terrible fate. He tells us that he will make his own way back to the Elder village and hobbles off in that direction.
Looking further in the rancor dens we come across some more parts, discovering that they will be useful for the Ebon Hawk, we collect them and make our way back to the ship. Canderous tells us he will make a start on the repairs while Carth and Jolee follow me back to the Elder's village.
"Revan, you are back. Our scout has told us of how you rescued him. His injuries are severe but we believe he will survive. We are grateful for what you have done."
I am getting used to being referred to as Revan and give up trying to protest being called by that name. "So now will you help me?" I ask them.
"Risking your own life to save our scout seems to prove that you have changed significantly since the last time you were here, Revan. But you have deceived us before. We must discuss this in greater detail. We must have some privacy, Revan. We will return when our deliberations are done." They move off to another room. Half an hour later they are back. "Revan, You have rescued a member of our tribe from the One at great personal risk to yourself. We believe this action shows you have truly changed since your last visit here. The Council has decided we will trust you once more. For many generations we have sought a way into the Temple and discover a means to destroy the Star Forge."
They go on to tell me that I cannot enter the Temple without their help and that they will have to perform some ancient rituals to lower the shield. That I will need them as much as they need me. We will be working closely together for this.
"The time has come for you to atone for your past crimes, Revan. But the task ahead will be difficult. Those you call dark jedi – followers of your old apprentice – now dwell within the Temple."
I'm not really surprised by this but still find myself saying "There's dark jedi inside the Temple? How did they get in there?"
"The last time you and Malak entered the Temple you must have found the controls to raise and lower the shields. Those inside can lower the barrier to allow other Force users to enter and exit the Temple." They also tell me that because of what happened the first time, I will have to go into the Temple alone, then telling me that when I am ready to go in, I am to let them know. I agree to their terms and let them know I wish to proceed now. They tell me it is a long process and that they will meet me in front of the Temple two hours. We head back to the Ebon Hawk for a meal with the others and to see how Canderous is getting on with the repairs, Carth heading straight for the hyperdrive to check it.
I look around the crew, who I have come to think of as family – the only family I know – and feel protective of them. I have been feeling the bond with Bastila open briefly from time to time but I can't get a sense of where she is. I suspect that she has turned to the dark side but I have not shared this information with any of the crew. All I know is that when – not if – I meet up with her I will try my hardest to turn her back to the Light. I go into the 'meditation' hold and sit comfortably, quickly and easily going into a trance. Starting off with a healing trance to make sure I am well and truly ready to face what is to come, I focus inwards... and am very surprised at what I find, almost being shocked out of my mediation. Focusing my concentration I feel another presence inside of me... I am carrying a child – Carth's child. What surprises me even more is that I can sense that the child is female and that she is feeling contented and safe. A smile crosses my face as I realize what a gift Carth has given me, then it fades as I begin to worry about what his reaction might be, deciding not to tell him until I return from the Temple. My meditations and realizations have taken a good deal of time and I decide that I had better head back to the Temple. I wave to the rest of the crew, telling them I will be back once I've found the controls to disable the disrupter field.
I go up to the Elder who is to be my guide, telling him that I am now ready. "I will begin the ritual. It will take many hours, but when it is complete you must be ready.. the shields will not stay down for long. Prepare yourself." They begin to chant and I sit cross legged and go into a light trance myself, staying ready to leap up and run for the entrance as soon as the time comes.
"Wait! Someone is coming!" One of Elders cries out.
Juhani and Jolee come running up, the later holding his hand out in appeal to me "Wait... you can't go in there alone!"
I turn to him saying "I have to go in there alone. It's the Rakata tradition"
Juhani looks very worried. "We have had a... a premonition. The Force has given us a vision. There is great danger within the Temple. We cannot let you face it alone."
Jolee elaborates, "You might be walking into a trap... maybe Malak himself is waiting inside. Even if he isn't, that temple will be crawling with Dark Jedi. You'll need all the help you can get."
The Elder's are adamant "No other can go into the Temple. You must enter alone. That is the way of the ancient ritual."
Giving in to Jolee's subtle pressure and knowing that it will be Bastila, not Malak in the Temple, I turn back to the Elders, appealing to them. "I'm not going in alone after all. Lower the shields."
They argue the point. "No! You must enter the Temple alone! I will not lower the shields!"
"I don't know what he just said, but it sounds like your guide is being stubborn. We don't have time for this." Jolee encourages me to try and speed things up. "The Republic Fleet is on the way and we're stuck on this planet until we deactivate that disrupter field. You have to convince them to get us inside that Temple!"
I close my eyes, feeling the desperation of the situation and know what I have to do. I turn to the Elders and with a heavy dose of Force persuasion say "I cannot destroy the Star Forge alone. They must come with me into the Temple."
The Elder's eyes glaze slightly before he says "I... I believe you. The Elders have said you wish to destroy the Star Forge and end the terrible legacy of our ancestors. If you need help with this I will not stand in your way. I will resume the ritual now." They begin chanting again.
Jolee's eyes roll upwards "Why do I get the feeling this is going to take a while? Still, we better stay ready. As soon as those shields go down we have to get inside that temple."
The three of us move so that we have easy access to the entrance of the temple and wait. The Elder's chanting quickens and I sense that it is almost time. With a flash of light the shields drop and we race up and inside the temple. We move around the lower section, destroying the sentry droids as we go. I try to open the door to the upper levels only to be denied access. I sense a dark presence behind another door and signal the others that I am going to attack. I open the door and face a dark jedi. He immediately launches himself at me and I catch him up in a force whirl wind. Juhani pushes him back wards and between the three of us we dispatch him quickly. There is a computer console in this room and I take out some security spikes to slice into it. I download the schematic's to my datapad and we quickly examine where we have to go. Following my instincts I lead the other two out and around to the other side of the temple, going through another door and coming up against another droid. My force powers are strengthening all the time and I quickly destroy the droid. We go through another door and down into the catacombs. Here we come across a datapad which tells us how to complete the puzzle in the next room. We have to change the panels on the floor from brown to white. I manage to do this without much effort and the next door opens. Inside is another computer panel and I quickly access it. I am recognized by the computer as Revan and I query it in regards to why I can't access the upper levels of the temple. It tells me that it has now corrected that function, having taken in the subtle differences within me and granting me access throughout the temple. I also get the information the Rakata Elders required before leaving the console. We backtrack to the door leading up to the upper levels and go though, dealing with any enemy we come across.
Nearing the summit I feel Bastila though the bond and know that she has turned to the dark side. I take the lead, knowing that I must face her and hoping to spare the other two if I can. I feel them either side me but behind a few paces.
"Revan – I knew you would come for me. Malak said you might be afraid to enter the Temple again, but he doesn't know you like I do. Not anymore. Not since you have changed."
Juhani doesn't realize the significance of Bastila's presence on the summit. "Bastila – come with us! We have to escape before Malak arrives!"
She looks at Juhani with a look of contempt. "Escape? You don't understand. I have sworn allegiance to Lord Malak and the Sith; I am no longer a pawn of the Jedi Council."
"No, Bastila! Don't go over to the dark side!" I tell her.
"You say that as if the dark side is some terrible entity. The Jedi Council has brainwashed you like all the others. Like they once did me. They speak of the dark side as if it is something to be feared. But in reality their own goal is to manipulate those who are strong in the Force. The fear of the dark side is a tool to maintain control. Why do you think the Jedi forbid you and Malak from joining the Mandalorian Wars? They knew you would realize your true potential and break free of their domination. Malak has shown me how the Jedi Council have been using me the same way they once tried to use you. They've been holding me back because they knew one day I would surpass them all."
"It's not too late Bastila! You can still turn away from the dark side!" I try and reach her both verbally and though our bond.
"I resisted at first. I endured the Sith torments with the passionless serenity of a true Jedi, emptying my mind. But after a week of endless tortures I finally saw the truth. Malak forced me to acknowledge my anger and pain. He showed me the liberating power of these emotions. Then he made me see how the Jedi Council has denied me what is mine by right! The Jedi Council gladly used my Battle Meditation in their wars, but they still treated me like a child – like an inferior. They were jealous of my power... of what I would become! They wanted me to bow and call them Master and follow their Code and obey their every order. But all the while they were exploiting my Battle Meditation for their own use!"
"Don't be lured in by these Sith lies, Bastila!" She might hear what I'm saying but she isn't listening to me.
"Lies? You are the one living a lie, Revan. The Jedi Council made you into something you are not; they programmed you to be their slave. You used to be Revan, Master of the Sith, but no longer. You are simply a pawn of the Jedi Council and the Republic they serve... like I was until Malak freed me from their shackles! A pity the power you once had is so diluted in you. You could have been as strong as I am now... stronger even. But that will never happen now. With the power of the Star Forge Malak will destroy the Republic and conquer the galaxy. And I will be the apprentice at his side – after I prove my worth by killing you!" With that she attacks me. She is not as strong as she thinks she is and I beat her back, trying not to hurt her too much. Jolee and Juhani sense that this is my battle and stand back watchful, but prepared to join the battle if need be.
Bastila breaks off the fight, backing up a few paces before saying "You are stronger than I would have thought possible, after what the Jedi Council did to you. Seems that Malak was wrong – the power of the dark side is not lost to you after all, Revan."
"Don't call me that. I am not Revan anymore. I'm Skye Organa now."
"You can deny what you are, Revan, but you are only fooling yourself. I know the truth. I have seen the shadows inside your mind. Remember: I was there when you nearly died in the trap set by the Jedi Council. I used the Force to preserve your life, Revan. We are forever linked by my actions on the Bridge!"
Calmly I look upon her, confidently telling her "That is how I know you will come back to the light."
Getting very persuasive Bastila states, "These are not your true feelings, Revan. You are speaking as a tool of the Jedi Council - as I once did. But now I see how the Jedi used us both! The Council tried to exploit the bond between us. They hoped I would draw out your memories to lead them to the Star Forge. We were slaves to their will – like all who follow the Jedi Code! But in our shared visions of the Star Maps I also felt the so called taint within you. I resisted it at first, but now I embrace the power of the dark side – your dark side."
I fight fire with fire and use persuasion back at her, with truth behind my words. "Learn from my mistakes. It is not too late to come back to the light."
"Mistakes? No, Revan – the only mistake you are making is the one you are making now! You deny yourself the power that is yours by right! Only now do I realize how strong you are. You deserve to be the true Master of the Sith, not Malak. I see this now. Together we can destroy your old apprentice. Join with me and reclaim your lost identity." She makes a very tempting case and uses our bond to try and turn me. For a moment I have great conflict within me and she feels this, an evil smile coming across her face.
"I'm not Revan anymore, I don't even remember those days" Through the bond I feel her pressuring me into a decision.
Her voice softens full of persuasion, "Your mind was too badly damaged to ever fully restore your memories, Revan. But your power, your strength of will, the essence of who and what you are: these things still remain! Once long ago you defied the Jedi Council, freeing yourself from their control. You claimed your rightful title of Dark Lord of the Sith. Together we can defeat Malak and take back what is yours!"
I close my eyes for a moment, feeling torn, then sense a flicker of light within her still and try to encourage that spark into a flame. She closes off the bond. I think about my friends then, Jolee and Juhani behind me, Canderous, Mission, Zaalbar, the two droids and finally my thoughts focus on Carth – my love for Carth and our unborn child and know without a doubt that I cannot betray any of them. Opening my eyes again I resolved to save her.
"Turn away from this path, Bastila. The dark side leads only to destruction."
"Bastila, it is not too late for you to be saved. The teachings of the Jedi can lead you back from the dark side back into the light and a true understanding of the Force." Juhani adds her comments to mine.
Bastila turns her attentions on her "You are beneath my contempt, Juhani. When you felt the power of the dark side you fled to a cave like cowering animal! You know nothing of the Force or it's true potential! [she turns to me then] But you Revan – the power of the dark side is yours to command! You can use it to destroy Malak! With my help you could rule over the entire galaxy!"
Having made my decision I look upon her compassionately and serene. "The Dark Lord Revan is dead. I am a servant of the light now."
She turns scornful. "You are a pathetic fool, Revan! Together we could have defeated Malak and ruled over an Empire, but now I will be at Lord Malak's side instead! You will be crushed with the Republic and all the fools who bow down to the Jedi Council! No one can stand against the power of the Star Forge and the Sith fleet!" Bastila makes a sudden move, catching me unaware she is able to freeze me momentarily in stasis before turning and running to her ship, blasting off on her way back to the Star Forge. Coming out of stasis I watch her go, sadness overcoming me but I am determined to still redeem her if I possibly can. Without looking back at Jolee and Juhani I head over to the computer terminal, quickly disabling the disrupter field and the Temple's energy shield. I feel Jolee's hand on my shoulder, giving me comfort and I give him a sad smile. I tell them that we had better get moving, I feel an urgency to get going. We head back to the Elder's first and I give one of the researcher's the information I extracted from the temple's computer before we go back to the Ebon Hawk. Everyone is standing around the base of the ship waiting anxiously for us.
"You're back! But where's Bastila? Is she alive? What happened inside that temple?" Carth is full of questions, by his words I gathered that Jolee's and Juhani's premonition was about me meeting Bastila in the temple.
I sadly look around the crew quietly stating. "Bastila has fallen to the dark side. She fled to the Star Forge."
Shock is evident in Carth's face. "The dark side? Bastila? No! No! How could that happen?"
"She was always in danger of being seduced by the dark side, Carth. Bastila was strong, but she was always impatient and headstrong. Malak preyed upon her weaknesses. This planet is a tainted place, the Star Forge and the Temple have twisted the Force into an instrument of evil – just as Malak has twisted Bastila into a servant of the Sith." Jolee answers him.
I want to be hopeful so ask Jolee, "She can be saved, can't she?"
He faces me and gives a searching look. "Malak has a strong hold on Bastila now – it will be difficult to break her free of his influence. Especially considering her long association with you. Remember the bond that was forged between you when she rekindled that spark that was your life. Through that bond she touched your memories... and also the echo of the dark taint within you."
Carth looks between the two of us. "But there's still hope for her, right? I mean, Revan rejected the dark side so Bastila could too, right? We still might be able to save her."
I am surprised that Carth has called me Revan and meeting his eyes see that there is no malice there. I find that I don't mind him calling me that – if it is said with affection and not anger. "We can try... and we will."
Juhani speaks up. "I don't know what fate awaits us, but I sense Bastila still has a role to play in the events to come. I have no doubt she will be waiting for us on the Star Forge."
Jolee agrees with her, then turns his attention back to me, smiling. "No doubt. I must say that it is good to have you with us, my dear. For a minute there I thought you might decide... well, never mind what I thought." He breaks off from what he was going to say but I know exactly what he meant and give him an answering smile.
Carth doesn't miss it though. "Decide? Decide what?"
Jolee rolls his eyes as he was hoping not to elaborate on it. Juhani feels as though the others need an explanation though.
"Bastila tried to tempt her to the dark side, to reclaim Revan's heritage. She failed."
Carth spins around to me with an astonished look on his face and conviction in his voice. "So... you did it? You turned against Revan once and for all? I knew she wasn't a part of you anymore. I... I knew it."
Some of his words echo in my mind. "Once and for all? What are you talking about?"
"I told you that you would have to make a choice eventually, that you would be tested. I think that was it. I... I can feel it." A look of amazement crosses his face as he feels the Force flow through him. He places his hands on my shoulders, drawing me closer to him and with a smile lighting up his face, he adds "And you did exactly what I hoped you would. It couldn't have been easy... I'm... I'm very proud of you."
I glance down for a moment before looking back into his eyes, sadness clouding mine as I answer him honestly. "It wasn't easy at all. Bastila made a good case."
"I'm sure she did. I can't say that any one of us wouldn't have been tempted. [His arms go around me, holding me in a close embrace and looks deep into my eyes.] I... I love you. [He sighs] And I... I can't wait until all this is over with."
My eyes water and I feel my heart flutter. "I love you, too." I admit to him. Not caring that our friends are around us, our lips meet in an emotion charged kiss.
"Hey! Sheesh... get a room, will ya!"
"That two spirits have found each other amidst such turmoil is a good omen, Mission. Does it not please you to see?"
Mission turns to Big Z answering him with "Oh sure. Even a good omen can get a room though, don't you think?" This causes everyone to chuckle.
"Well, I'm an old man and I know that you should take love when you find it. Good for you two I say." I always knew that Jolee was for us getting together.
Juhani tries to bring us back down to reality. "Confidence is all well and good, Carth, but if we are going to catch up with Bastila we should leave soon, don't you think?"
"Okay – lets get moving. The longer we wait the harder this is going to be!" He releases me from his embrace, but takes hold of my hand, leading me up the ramp of the Ebon Hawk and straight to the cockpit. We busy ourselves preparing the Hawk for take off and are ready when Canderous announces everyone is aboard and set to go.
Disclaimer: I have no claim to the Star Wars world, only an enjoyment of what George Lucus and Bioware have created. This story is set in transit between planets and the only character I can lay any claim to is Skye Organa, my PC.
We come out of hyperspace on the very edge of the system and neither Carth or I can believe our eyes.
"The Star Forge ... I've never seen anything like it." Carth exhales, "I'm transmitting these co-ordinates to Admiral Dodonna. Maybe a quick strike by the Republic can cripple the Sith Fleet." He punches the keys on the transmission terminal decisively. "Message is away. Now we can just wait for the Republic to show up. We should be safe here – we're outside their sensor range."
[The Ebon Hawk shudders.]
"What's that?" I exclaim, glancing up at Carth with worry etched across my face.
"A small vanguard of Sith fighters, coming in hard! Someone needs to get on those gun turrets."
I hit the internal communications board, telling Canderous to get to the guns. Before I can close it off Carth adds:
"Take those fighters out before they have a chance to report our position to the main fleet!"
Skillfully he dodges and weaves the Hawk while Canderous takes out the fighters. We take a few hits but not enough to worry about. It seems as though the fighters are herding us towards a certain area though and we soon find out why. Our ship shudders and Carth has trouble keeping it on an even keel.
"We've got problems! We've flown into some sort of disruptor field. All my instruments are jammed! We've got massive overloads in all systems!" Quickly we both scan the boards seeing more red lights than either of us like to. Scanning the system Carth announces "I'm picking up a single planet in this system. I'll try and put us down there." He busies himself with the controls again. "Hold on. This may be a rough landing."
The Hawk starts to shake and shudder as we hit the atmosphere and we both struggle to keep her from crashing, Carth's skill as a pilot coming to the fore and I can't help but admire him even in this predicament. I let myself sink into a meditative trance and feel the presence of both Jolee and Juhani joining me as we struggle to use the Force to keep us from a major crash. Perspiration breaks out on my forehead with the effort, but between all of our efforts we manage to get her down in one piece, rough landing though it is. Once down, Carth turns to me, seeing my eyes closed and all the perspiration and knows that he had help with the landing. Opening my eyes I nod to him and after a few moments recovery, we go into the common area to join the others. I silently thank Jolee and Juhani, letting them know that we couldn't have gotten down without the joint effort.
"Whew! Talk about your rough landings, Carth! What's the matter? You're flying like you've been on an all night Tarisian ale drinking binge!" Mission rubs her head where she bumped it.
Carth faces everyone so that he can fill them all in on what has happened. "That disrupter field fried our stabilizers – we're lucky we made it down in one piece! But if we can't find the salvage to make repairs I won't even be able to get the Ebon Hawk airborne again!"
"During our rather rapid descent I noticed the hulls of many crashed ships scattered across the landscape. Perhaps the parts you need can be found among the wreckage." Juhani suggests.
Canderous nods in Juhani's direction, "The Cathar's right: this planet's a technological graveyard. I saw dozens of downed ships out there. That disrupter shield must have wiped them all out. But where would it be coming from?"
Carth scratches his head "Even if we get the stabilizers fixed, we'll have to find and disable the source of that disrupter field before we can take off. Otherwise we'll end up crashing again."
With a horrified thought I suck in my breath, "That disrupter field could wipe out the entire Republic Fleet!"
"You're right! That Sith fleet we saw must have some type of protection against the disrupter field. We have to find a way to disable it or the Republic will be slaughtered!" Carth takes my hand, drawing and receiving strength from me.
"Beep boop beep"
Mission translates, "T3's picking up massive power fluctuations on the ships sensors. They seem to be coming from some type of large stone structure to the east... it looks like some type of ancient temple."
I slowly take a deep breath, remembering my vision and hoping that it was just a nightmare instead. "You all seem to be forgetting about Bastila."
Carth misinterprets the tone of my voice, "We haven't forgotten about her. But we can't do her much good stuck down here. We have to help ourselves before we can help her."
"I only hope we're not too late. Bastila has been Malak's prisoner for a long time. If he can turn her to the darkside she will join him and the Sith will be invincible." Juhani adds.
Trying to deny what I feel has happened I say, "Bastila would never turn to the dark side."
Jolee eyes narrow as he looks at me closely, "I fear Bastila will find the lure of the dark side difficult to resist. She is strong in the Force, but she is also impulsive, willful and proud – as you once were, Revan."
I wince at his words before snapping "Don't call me that. I'm not Revan anymore."
His gaze becomes very intense as he watches me, then nodding says "I am glad to hear you say that. Now that you know your true identity I was afraid you would slip back to the dark side. If Bastila feels as you do there may yet be hope for her."
Carth places his hands on my shoulders supportively before taking charge again. "Well if Bastila is on the Star Forge like you think, Jolee, then we can't rescue her until we disable that disrupter field. The sooner we investigate that temple to the east the better. We can probably find the wreckage of a downed ship along the way. If we're lucky we can salvage some stabilizers from it to get off this planet."
Mission, sounding very mature looks towards Carth, "I hope everything works out as smooth as you make it sound, Carth."
"So do I Mission, so do I." He replies.
We decide that Jolee, Juhani, Zaalbar, Mission and the droids will stay around near the ship and that Canderous, Carth and I will scout around and check out the temple. T3 can make a start on repairs and see exactly what we need and the others can check the downed ship closest to the Hawk. The men put on their armor and I put on my Qel Droma robes and we head out to look around. A couple of Duro's come running down a path with some warrior beings chasing after them menacingly. As a swift moving, well coordinated team we quickly move to protect the Duro's, dispatching the warriors quickly and efficiently.
"You have defeated the murderous animals! We thankyou for saving us!"
"Well, they attacked me first..." I start to say.
"If your arrival had not been fortuitously timed, we would have been in great danger. We thankyou again for saving us."
Through the bond I feel a dark presence and find myself saying "How do you know that I'm friendly to you?" I feel Carth's eyes on me and I shake my head to clear the dark feeling.
"Why... why would you not be? All we survivors on this strange world must band together, else the marauding inhabitants would murder us all! They attack any they come across. They are barbaric savages who feast upon the bodies of the dead! The only beings that can hold them off are the Mandalorians, and we dare not go near them... we know of their depredations all too well. "
"There are Mandalorians here?" I turn and look a Canderous to see his reaction.
"Yes there are. More than you might think, although that may just be because they aren't killed as easily as we are. With their weapons they raid and kill other survivors, and can fight off the native's as well. They seem to have some sort of invisibility or light cloaking shield that hides them until they strike."
I nod my head at this, we've come across that before. "Where are they?"
"They are north of here by a large temple structure. We dare not approach it, for they would surely kill us."
"You could stay on our ship if you want." I suggest.
"No, we dare not. If we remain here, it will only be a matter of time before the Mandalorians or natives find us and kill us."
Thinking on this I cock my head to one side before saying "Why don't you try and get to one of the other islands?"
"I believe that would be the best choice... The others have not returned, but it may be because they had no way to. It would be worth the risk, rather than stay here and face certain death... I thankyou one last time, human, for saving us. We shall remember you, and hope that, should you escape, you will tell the Republic of us stranded here." With one last look back at us they head off.
Canderous, Carth and I head towards the temple and come across some more of the warriors at a crossing in the paths, behind them we also see some rancor's. I freeze them in stasis while Carth charges in with his double- bladed sword and Canderous fires with his favorite heavy blaster. I follow Carth in with my modified lightsaber, green double-blade flashing. Noticing that the stasis is wearing off I hit them with it again, keeping them frozen and easier for us to deal with. Dealing with the enemy as we go along we come across another fork in the path. Canderous scouts ahead alittle, while I walk to the edge of a lookout. Carth joins me and we over look the Ebon Hawk. I sigh as the view is magnificent. He places his hands on my shoulders, standing close behind me and softly kisses my neck, telling me that we had better keep moving.
Catching up with Canderous we head into the temple grounds. There are several wild rancor's around here and we soon attract their attention. The easiest way to handle them is for me to freeze them in stasis while the boys take them out. That done I lead the way towards the temple entrance to find that it is blocked by a force shield. Wandering around the other side of the temple grounds we run into the Mandalorians. They attack viciously but we are more than a match for them, quickly overcoming them. I see another path going off to the South and not waiting for the men to follow, start down it. They run to catch up with me, stopping abruptly behind me when I slow down and cautiously move forward. Ahead I see some more wreckage and some gizka hopping about, one of them triggering a stealthed mine. Very cautiously now we scour the area for the parts, finding some but not all that we need. Collecting them we continue on around the path and run into more wild rancor's. We follow the same procedure we had been using previously and keep following the path which soon opens up into another clearing and sandy white beach.
When we reach the clearing Canderous leans against one of the rocks asking "Carth, you fought in the Mandalorian Wars, didn't you? We may have faced each other in combat. What battles were you in?"
Being non-committal he replies, "I try not to think about my past battles too much. The horrors of war are something I'd rather not relive."
"The horrors of war? My people know only the glory of battle. I'm disappointed in you Carth. I thought a warrior like you would understand."
I stand between them, looking from one to the other and shaking my head at them. "Keep it cool, you two. I don't want this getting out of hand."
"I'm not a warrior, I'm a soldier. There's a difference. Warriors attack and conquer, they prey on the weak. Soldiers defend and protect the innocent – mostly from warriors."
"Nice speech. I bet you tell yourself that every night so you can sleep. But I accept who and what I am. I don't have to justify it with words – victory in battle is my justification."
"Justification through victory? So what happens when you lose? You know, like you did against us?"
"You had us outnumbered five to one. You had more ships, more troops, more supplies and the Jedi on your side. And we still made the Republic tremble before we fell." Canderous says heatedly.
With more than a little sarcasm Carth throws his words back at him. "Nice speech. I bet you tell yourself that every night so you can sleep. I don't want to talk about this anymore, Canderous. The war is over. You lost."
"If you two are finished bickering now, can we get going again now?" I give both of them a dirty look before walking off. I see a structure within the clearing and head towards it seeing a defensive perimeter around it.
As I near the pillars a hologram appears before me. "You are not Rakata... what is your business here, off-worlder?"
"Who are you?" I ask it.
"We are the Elders... and you will answer our question! Who are you and why have you come?"
"I come seeking the Star Forge" I state calmly.
It pauses for a moment "You... you are Revan! The council wishes to speak with you. You may enter."
The security measures are lowered and we are allowed in. Surprisingly I am not as concerned as I was before about being referred to as 'Revan', after all it did used to be my name, even if I am not all that keen on being called by it. Moving inside the structure we greeted by a number of the Rakata Elders.
"We of the Elder Council did not expect to see you again, Revan. We thought you had betrayed us. Why have you returned to our village after all this time?"
Quietly and calmly I inform them "I'm not Revan anymore That part of me is gone, I'm Skye Organa now."
The Elders look at me closely "Your words are confusing. We recognize you: you are the one called Revan. You are the one who came here before – you and Malak, the one who served you. You promised to help us. In exchange for our aid you swore to destroy the ancient evils of our Rakata ancestors! Are you saying this means nothing to you now?" he accuses me.
I return his gaze and explain "My mind was destroyed. My memories are lost."
"Hmmm ... we do sense something different about you. Something that has changed. You are not the same as you were before. Perhaps your memory has been lost. Yet the power you wield – what you call the Force – is within you still. You can still help us, Revan... if we dare to trust you again." [I sense that Carth is watching me closely during this exchange]
"This is alittle overwhelming, I still don't remember anything." I shake my head slightly trying to recall details that escape me still.
"If what you say is true – that you cannot remember when you were last here – then you must have many questions. Ask what you will, Revan and we will try and help you understand."
I am very thankful for their understanding "Tell me about the last time I was here."
"You arrived with Malak – your servant – three of your galactic standard years ago. We saw your ship plummet to the earth, a victim of the disrupter field that guards this planet. You and Malak both survived the crash, though you were stranded here on our world. And in your search for a way off this planet, you discovered our enclave – just as you did this time. You used the Force to draw the Rakata language from our minds, even as you planted Basic into our skulls so we could help you in your quest to escape this world. We helped you to enter the Temple of the Ancients. You and Malak both. And you now, after all this time, you have returned – with your mind wiped clean. Is there anything else you wish to know?"
"Do a lot of ships crash because of the disrupter field?"
"Throughout the history of our world many ships have fallen victim to the disrupter field. Most within the ships perish in the crash, though some creatures do survive. That is how the great war beasts you call rancor's came to this world. A few of the beasts survived the crash and they were captured and trained by some of the more primitive Rakata tribes."
"More primitive tribes? You mean there are other Rakata?" It clicks then that the ones we had fought on our way here were of another tribe.
"There are many more Rakata on this world, though most are primitive and war-like tribes descended from the lower castes of the infinite empire. The most powerful of all these is the tribe of the One. Many times the warriors of the One's tribe have attacked our compound, hoping to gain the knowledge we guard. But our technology is far superior to theirs, and their attacks have failed."
I ask to know more about them and the Elder tells me that they are descendants from the priest caste of the Infinite Empire. They are the keepers of knowledge and the guardians of the Temple of the Ancients. He tells me that during the collapse of the Rakata Empire the warlords unleashed weapons of terrible destruction that threatened them all with extinction. In the aftermath, their ancestors locked the knowledge of these weapons in the Temple so that it could never be used again. Ever since the Elders have been vigilant. They can't tell me much about the Temple itself as they are barred from it. Only those who command the Force can enter. Long ago the Rakata had this power but it became lost to them, that is why they trusted me – Revan – the first time as I could enter the temple and they could not.
"We trusted you once before, Revan – and you betrayed us. It is true that you can enter the Temple and we cannot. How can we trust you after the last time?"
Quietly I tell them "The part of me that was Revan is dead. Now I am Skye Organa."
"You say you are not who you once were, yet here on our world you repeat the pattern of your last visit. Like the last time you have crashed here. Like last time, you have come seeking our help. How have you changed, Revan?"
"I cannot prove what is in my heart. I only ask that you judge me by my actions." I'm not sure if this will help our cause any but I am willing to try.
"We sense you mean the words you speak. But words are easy to say: it is actions that prove the true nature of your character. You must prove to us that you are not the same as you once were, Revan. You must prove that you have changed."
I think on this for a moment. "How can I prove that?"
"Recently several of our scouts were captured by the One. Most of them were brutally slaughtered, but we have information that one of the scouts is still alive. They will use unimaginable tortures to force the scout to reveal everything he knows about our tribe. And once the One is done with him, the scout will be executed like the others. You must prove you have truly changed by risking your own life to save another. Rescue our scout from the clutches of the One, and we will consider helping you."
I feel that this is only fair and wish to make amends for what I'd done as Revan. If I can right some of the wrongs I will. Turning to Carth and Canderous I indicate we should head off. Over my shoulder I tell the Elders that we will be back once we have freed their scout. We backtrack to the ship, dropping off the parts that we had already found and then follow the directions the Elders had given us regarding where the One's tribe is situated. We run into many of his warriors as we go along and dispatch them efficiently. The closer we get the more warriors we run into and as we enter the clearing we encounter more of their trained rancor's too. We have a pattern worked out now, I lead and freeze the enemy in stasis while Carth throws grenades and Canderous fires his heavy repeater. I also throw my blade, making sure I am not in the line of fire of the other two. We continue on into the One's village, carefully making our way though until we come across him. He runs over to a lever, releasing four rancor's and more of his warriors come running to support him.
I use my Force powers to freeze the One in stasis, then turn my attention to the rancor's. Carth follows behind me and we both attack the rancor's together while Canderous goes firstly for the One, then his followers. Glancing around I use my powers of stasis when required. I also use Force Healing whenever any of us need it, even on Canderous who has a healing implant, all the time feeling my connection with the Force strengthen. After having dealt with the remaining enemy I make my way over to where the One had imprisoned the Elder's scout, while the men search the compound and bodies for useful equipment. The scout is in a bad way but is grateful that we have saved him from a terrible fate. He tells us that he will make his own way back to the Elder village and hobbles off in that direction.
Looking further in the rancor dens we come across some more parts, discovering that they will be useful for the Ebon Hawk, we collect them and make our way back to the ship. Canderous tells us he will make a start on the repairs while Carth and Jolee follow me back to the Elder's village.
"Revan, you are back. Our scout has told us of how you rescued him. His injuries are severe but we believe he will survive. We are grateful for what you have done."
I am getting used to being referred to as Revan and give up trying to protest being called by that name. "So now will you help me?" I ask them.
"Risking your own life to save our scout seems to prove that you have changed significantly since the last time you were here, Revan. But you have deceived us before. We must discuss this in greater detail. We must have some privacy, Revan. We will return when our deliberations are done." They move off to another room. Half an hour later they are back. "Revan, You have rescued a member of our tribe from the One at great personal risk to yourself. We believe this action shows you have truly changed since your last visit here. The Council has decided we will trust you once more. For many generations we have sought a way into the Temple and discover a means to destroy the Star Forge."
They go on to tell me that I cannot enter the Temple without their help and that they will have to perform some ancient rituals to lower the shield. That I will need them as much as they need me. We will be working closely together for this.
"The time has come for you to atone for your past crimes, Revan. But the task ahead will be difficult. Those you call dark jedi – followers of your old apprentice – now dwell within the Temple."
I'm not really surprised by this but still find myself saying "There's dark jedi inside the Temple? How did they get in there?"
"The last time you and Malak entered the Temple you must have found the controls to raise and lower the shields. Those inside can lower the barrier to allow other Force users to enter and exit the Temple." They also tell me that because of what happened the first time, I will have to go into the Temple alone, then telling me that when I am ready to go in, I am to let them know. I agree to their terms and let them know I wish to proceed now. They tell me it is a long process and that they will meet me in front of the Temple two hours. We head back to the Ebon Hawk for a meal with the others and to see how Canderous is getting on with the repairs, Carth heading straight for the hyperdrive to check it.
I look around the crew, who I have come to think of as family – the only family I know – and feel protective of them. I have been feeling the bond with Bastila open briefly from time to time but I can't get a sense of where she is. I suspect that she has turned to the dark side but I have not shared this information with any of the crew. All I know is that when – not if – I meet up with her I will try my hardest to turn her back to the Light. I go into the 'meditation' hold and sit comfortably, quickly and easily going into a trance. Starting off with a healing trance to make sure I am well and truly ready to face what is to come, I focus inwards... and am very surprised at what I find, almost being shocked out of my mediation. Focusing my concentration I feel another presence inside of me... I am carrying a child – Carth's child. What surprises me even more is that I can sense that the child is female and that she is feeling contented and safe. A smile crosses my face as I realize what a gift Carth has given me, then it fades as I begin to worry about what his reaction might be, deciding not to tell him until I return from the Temple. My meditations and realizations have taken a good deal of time and I decide that I had better head back to the Temple. I wave to the rest of the crew, telling them I will be back once I've found the controls to disable the disrupter field.
I go up to the Elder who is to be my guide, telling him that I am now ready. "I will begin the ritual. It will take many hours, but when it is complete you must be ready.. the shields will not stay down for long. Prepare yourself." They begin to chant and I sit cross legged and go into a light trance myself, staying ready to leap up and run for the entrance as soon as the time comes.
"Wait! Someone is coming!" One of Elders cries out.
Juhani and Jolee come running up, the later holding his hand out in appeal to me "Wait... you can't go in there alone!"
I turn to him saying "I have to go in there alone. It's the Rakata tradition"
Juhani looks very worried. "We have had a... a premonition. The Force has given us a vision. There is great danger within the Temple. We cannot let you face it alone."
Jolee elaborates, "You might be walking into a trap... maybe Malak himself is waiting inside. Even if he isn't, that temple will be crawling with Dark Jedi. You'll need all the help you can get."
The Elder's are adamant "No other can go into the Temple. You must enter alone. That is the way of the ancient ritual."
Giving in to Jolee's subtle pressure and knowing that it will be Bastila, not Malak in the Temple, I turn back to the Elders, appealing to them. "I'm not going in alone after all. Lower the shields."
They argue the point. "No! You must enter the Temple alone! I will not lower the shields!"
"I don't know what he just said, but it sounds like your guide is being stubborn. We don't have time for this." Jolee encourages me to try and speed things up. "The Republic Fleet is on the way and we're stuck on this planet until we deactivate that disrupter field. You have to convince them to get us inside that Temple!"
I close my eyes, feeling the desperation of the situation and know what I have to do. I turn to the Elders and with a heavy dose of Force persuasion say "I cannot destroy the Star Forge alone. They must come with me into the Temple."
The Elder's eyes glaze slightly before he says "I... I believe you. The Elders have said you wish to destroy the Star Forge and end the terrible legacy of our ancestors. If you need help with this I will not stand in your way. I will resume the ritual now." They begin chanting again.
Jolee's eyes roll upwards "Why do I get the feeling this is going to take a while? Still, we better stay ready. As soon as those shields go down we have to get inside that temple."
The three of us move so that we have easy access to the entrance of the temple and wait. The Elder's chanting quickens and I sense that it is almost time. With a flash of light the shields drop and we race up and inside the temple. We move around the lower section, destroying the sentry droids as we go. I try to open the door to the upper levels only to be denied access. I sense a dark presence behind another door and signal the others that I am going to attack. I open the door and face a dark jedi. He immediately launches himself at me and I catch him up in a force whirl wind. Juhani pushes him back wards and between the three of us we dispatch him quickly. There is a computer console in this room and I take out some security spikes to slice into it. I download the schematic's to my datapad and we quickly examine where we have to go. Following my instincts I lead the other two out and around to the other side of the temple, going through another door and coming up against another droid. My force powers are strengthening all the time and I quickly destroy the droid. We go through another door and down into the catacombs. Here we come across a datapad which tells us how to complete the puzzle in the next room. We have to change the panels on the floor from brown to white. I manage to do this without much effort and the next door opens. Inside is another computer panel and I quickly access it. I am recognized by the computer as Revan and I query it in regards to why I can't access the upper levels of the temple. It tells me that it has now corrected that function, having taken in the subtle differences within me and granting me access throughout the temple. I also get the information the Rakata Elders required before leaving the console. We backtrack to the door leading up to the upper levels and go though, dealing with any enemy we come across.
Nearing the summit I feel Bastila though the bond and know that she has turned to the dark side. I take the lead, knowing that I must face her and hoping to spare the other two if I can. I feel them either side me but behind a few paces.
"Revan – I knew you would come for me. Malak said you might be afraid to enter the Temple again, but he doesn't know you like I do. Not anymore. Not since you have changed."
Juhani doesn't realize the significance of Bastila's presence on the summit. "Bastila – come with us! We have to escape before Malak arrives!"
She looks at Juhani with a look of contempt. "Escape? You don't understand. I have sworn allegiance to Lord Malak and the Sith; I am no longer a pawn of the Jedi Council."
"No, Bastila! Don't go over to the dark side!" I tell her.
"You say that as if the dark side is some terrible entity. The Jedi Council has brainwashed you like all the others. Like they once did me. They speak of the dark side as if it is something to be feared. But in reality their own goal is to manipulate those who are strong in the Force. The fear of the dark side is a tool to maintain control. Why do you think the Jedi forbid you and Malak from joining the Mandalorian Wars? They knew you would realize your true potential and break free of their domination. Malak has shown me how the Jedi Council have been using me the same way they once tried to use you. They've been holding me back because they knew one day I would surpass them all."
"It's not too late Bastila! You can still turn away from the dark side!" I try and reach her both verbally and though our bond.
"I resisted at first. I endured the Sith torments with the passionless serenity of a true Jedi, emptying my mind. But after a week of endless tortures I finally saw the truth. Malak forced me to acknowledge my anger and pain. He showed me the liberating power of these emotions. Then he made me see how the Jedi Council has denied me what is mine by right! The Jedi Council gladly used my Battle Meditation in their wars, but they still treated me like a child – like an inferior. They were jealous of my power... of what I would become! They wanted me to bow and call them Master and follow their Code and obey their every order. But all the while they were exploiting my Battle Meditation for their own use!"
"Don't be lured in by these Sith lies, Bastila!" She might hear what I'm saying but she isn't listening to me.
"Lies? You are the one living a lie, Revan. The Jedi Council made you into something you are not; they programmed you to be their slave. You used to be Revan, Master of the Sith, but no longer. You are simply a pawn of the Jedi Council and the Republic they serve... like I was until Malak freed me from their shackles! A pity the power you once had is so diluted in you. You could have been as strong as I am now... stronger even. But that will never happen now. With the power of the Star Forge Malak will destroy the Republic and conquer the galaxy. And I will be the apprentice at his side – after I prove my worth by killing you!" With that she attacks me. She is not as strong as she thinks she is and I beat her back, trying not to hurt her too much. Jolee and Juhani sense that this is my battle and stand back watchful, but prepared to join the battle if need be.
Bastila breaks off the fight, backing up a few paces before saying "You are stronger than I would have thought possible, after what the Jedi Council did to you. Seems that Malak was wrong – the power of the dark side is not lost to you after all, Revan."
"Don't call me that. I am not Revan anymore. I'm Skye Organa now."
"You can deny what you are, Revan, but you are only fooling yourself. I know the truth. I have seen the shadows inside your mind. Remember: I was there when you nearly died in the trap set by the Jedi Council. I used the Force to preserve your life, Revan. We are forever linked by my actions on the Bridge!"
Calmly I look upon her, confidently telling her "That is how I know you will come back to the light."
Getting very persuasive Bastila states, "These are not your true feelings, Revan. You are speaking as a tool of the Jedi Council - as I once did. But now I see how the Jedi used us both! The Council tried to exploit the bond between us. They hoped I would draw out your memories to lead them to the Star Forge. We were slaves to their will – like all who follow the Jedi Code! But in our shared visions of the Star Maps I also felt the so called taint within you. I resisted it at first, but now I embrace the power of the dark side – your dark side."
I fight fire with fire and use persuasion back at her, with truth behind my words. "Learn from my mistakes. It is not too late to come back to the light."
"Mistakes? No, Revan – the only mistake you are making is the one you are making now! You deny yourself the power that is yours by right! Only now do I realize how strong you are. You deserve to be the true Master of the Sith, not Malak. I see this now. Together we can destroy your old apprentice. Join with me and reclaim your lost identity." She makes a very tempting case and uses our bond to try and turn me. For a moment I have great conflict within me and she feels this, an evil smile coming across her face.
"I'm not Revan anymore, I don't even remember those days" Through the bond I feel her pressuring me into a decision.
Her voice softens full of persuasion, "Your mind was too badly damaged to ever fully restore your memories, Revan. But your power, your strength of will, the essence of who and what you are: these things still remain! Once long ago you defied the Jedi Council, freeing yourself from their control. You claimed your rightful title of Dark Lord of the Sith. Together we can defeat Malak and take back what is yours!"
I close my eyes for a moment, feeling torn, then sense a flicker of light within her still and try to encourage that spark into a flame. She closes off the bond. I think about my friends then, Jolee and Juhani behind me, Canderous, Mission, Zaalbar, the two droids and finally my thoughts focus on Carth – my love for Carth and our unborn child and know without a doubt that I cannot betray any of them. Opening my eyes again I resolved to save her.
"Turn away from this path, Bastila. The dark side leads only to destruction."
"Bastila, it is not too late for you to be saved. The teachings of the Jedi can lead you back from the dark side back into the light and a true understanding of the Force." Juhani adds her comments to mine.
Bastila turns her attentions on her "You are beneath my contempt, Juhani. When you felt the power of the dark side you fled to a cave like cowering animal! You know nothing of the Force or it's true potential! [she turns to me then] But you Revan – the power of the dark side is yours to command! You can use it to destroy Malak! With my help you could rule over the entire galaxy!"
Having made my decision I look upon her compassionately and serene. "The Dark Lord Revan is dead. I am a servant of the light now."
She turns scornful. "You are a pathetic fool, Revan! Together we could have defeated Malak and ruled over an Empire, but now I will be at Lord Malak's side instead! You will be crushed with the Republic and all the fools who bow down to the Jedi Council! No one can stand against the power of the Star Forge and the Sith fleet!" Bastila makes a sudden move, catching me unaware she is able to freeze me momentarily in stasis before turning and running to her ship, blasting off on her way back to the Star Forge. Coming out of stasis I watch her go, sadness overcoming me but I am determined to still redeem her if I possibly can. Without looking back at Jolee and Juhani I head over to the computer terminal, quickly disabling the disrupter field and the Temple's energy shield. I feel Jolee's hand on my shoulder, giving me comfort and I give him a sad smile. I tell them that we had better get moving, I feel an urgency to get going. We head back to the Elder's first and I give one of the researcher's the information I extracted from the temple's computer before we go back to the Ebon Hawk. Everyone is standing around the base of the ship waiting anxiously for us.
"You're back! But where's Bastila? Is she alive? What happened inside that temple?" Carth is full of questions, by his words I gathered that Jolee's and Juhani's premonition was about me meeting Bastila in the temple.
I sadly look around the crew quietly stating. "Bastila has fallen to the dark side. She fled to the Star Forge."
Shock is evident in Carth's face. "The dark side? Bastila? No! No! How could that happen?"
"She was always in danger of being seduced by the dark side, Carth. Bastila was strong, but she was always impatient and headstrong. Malak preyed upon her weaknesses. This planet is a tainted place, the Star Forge and the Temple have twisted the Force into an instrument of evil – just as Malak has twisted Bastila into a servant of the Sith." Jolee answers him.
I want to be hopeful so ask Jolee, "She can be saved, can't she?"
He faces me and gives a searching look. "Malak has a strong hold on Bastila now – it will be difficult to break her free of his influence. Especially considering her long association with you. Remember the bond that was forged between you when she rekindled that spark that was your life. Through that bond she touched your memories... and also the echo of the dark taint within you."
Carth looks between the two of us. "But there's still hope for her, right? I mean, Revan rejected the dark side so Bastila could too, right? We still might be able to save her."
I am surprised that Carth has called me Revan and meeting his eyes see that there is no malice there. I find that I don't mind him calling me that – if it is said with affection and not anger. "We can try... and we will."
Juhani speaks up. "I don't know what fate awaits us, but I sense Bastila still has a role to play in the events to come. I have no doubt she will be waiting for us on the Star Forge."
Jolee agrees with her, then turns his attention back to me, smiling. "No doubt. I must say that it is good to have you with us, my dear. For a minute there I thought you might decide... well, never mind what I thought." He breaks off from what he was going to say but I know exactly what he meant and give him an answering smile.
Carth doesn't miss it though. "Decide? Decide what?"
Jolee rolls his eyes as he was hoping not to elaborate on it. Juhani feels as though the others need an explanation though.
"Bastila tried to tempt her to the dark side, to reclaim Revan's heritage. She failed."
Carth spins around to me with an astonished look on his face and conviction in his voice. "So... you did it? You turned against Revan once and for all? I knew she wasn't a part of you anymore. I... I knew it."
Some of his words echo in my mind. "Once and for all? What are you talking about?"
"I told you that you would have to make a choice eventually, that you would be tested. I think that was it. I... I can feel it." A look of amazement crosses his face as he feels the Force flow through him. He places his hands on my shoulders, drawing me closer to him and with a smile lighting up his face, he adds "And you did exactly what I hoped you would. It couldn't have been easy... I'm... I'm very proud of you."
I glance down for a moment before looking back into his eyes, sadness clouding mine as I answer him honestly. "It wasn't easy at all. Bastila made a good case."
"I'm sure she did. I can't say that any one of us wouldn't have been tempted. [His arms go around me, holding me in a close embrace and looks deep into my eyes.] I... I love you. [He sighs] And I... I can't wait until all this is over with."
My eyes water and I feel my heart flutter. "I love you, too." I admit to him. Not caring that our friends are around us, our lips meet in an emotion charged kiss.
"Hey! Sheesh... get a room, will ya!"
"That two spirits have found each other amidst such turmoil is a good omen, Mission. Does it not please you to see?"
Mission turns to Big Z answering him with "Oh sure. Even a good omen can get a room though, don't you think?" This causes everyone to chuckle.
"Well, I'm an old man and I know that you should take love when you find it. Good for you two I say." I always knew that Jolee was for us getting together.
Juhani tries to bring us back down to reality. "Confidence is all well and good, Carth, but if we are going to catch up with Bastila we should leave soon, don't you think?"
"Okay – lets get moving. The longer we wait the harder this is going to be!" He releases me from his embrace, but takes hold of my hand, leading me up the ramp of the Ebon Hawk and straight to the cockpit. We busy ourselves preparing the Hawk for take off and are ready when Canderous announces everyone is aboard and set to go.