Disclaimer: I don't own the Star Wars universe or Star Wars KOTOR, George Lucas and Lucas Arts do. They also own all the Characters and Worlds contained therein. The characters created by me for this story are all that I own.
We entered the Star Forge system and Carth sent the coordinates to the Republic Fleet, he wanted to remain outside of the Sith Fleet's sensor range and wait for the Republic Fleet to show up. I didn't feel at ease with that decision but at that moment we were spotted by Sith fighters and I had to run to the gun turrets to destroy them before they could report our presence to the Sith Fleet. During our escape maneuvering we came close to one of the planets in the Star Forge system and the ship started to shake.
Carth exclaimed to me "We've got problems! We've flown into some kind of disruptor field. All of my instruments are jammed! We've got massive overloads in all systems. I'm picking up a single planet in this system. I'll try and put us down there. Hold on, this may be a rough landing."
The landing was rough but the ship was still in once piece, from what I had seen when we were landing other ships hadn't been as lucky. The landscape was littered with the hulls of many crashed ships. Carth reported that the ship's stabilizers had been damaged by the disruptor field; hopefully we could salvage something from one of the crashed ships to repair it.
Also, we needed to find the source of the disruptor field before the Republic Fleet arrived and encountered it. It would be a short battle for the Sith if the Fleet arrived and the disruptor field was still active. T3 was picking up massive power fluctuations on the ship's sensors coming from some type temple looking structure to the east; it seemed a likely source for the disruptor field.
We exited the ship with our two missions in mind, find repair parts and find a way to disable the disruptor field. Juhani and HK went with me to scout out the stone structure to the east while Carth and Canderous went to find salvage. Misson and Zaalbar remained to guard the ship. It left us spread thin but we needed to hurry.
As we stepped out onto the beach where we had landed I knew that I had been here before, but the memory was hazy. I was certain though that the temple to the east was very important. Beyond knowing that and the landscape seeming very familiar I had no further memory. I realized that I remembered less of my life as Revan than I had realized, at least of the time I had fallen to the dark side. My memories of the Jedi Academy seemed very clear to me but that clearness faded sometime after I left the Academy for the Mandalorian Wars. I remembered some of my thoughts and feelings while I was Dark Lord, and I remembered the feel of the dark side powers.
We continued up the beach only to be spotted by some amphibian looking natives who quickly attacked us yelling war cries. We killed them and two Duros who had been hiding among the rocks came out and thanked us. The Duros were part of a mining crew who had wrecked here a few weeks ago. They were the only two survivors left on this island, the natives and Mandalorians had killed the rest. They told us the Mandalorians were based around the temple, and we should beware them.
I offered them refuge on the Ebon Hawk but they said that they were going to try their luck on another island.
We continued toward the temple structure and ran into more natives, this time with young rancors that they had apparently tamed. When the last of them had been killed I wiped the sweat from my face and was thankful that we had stopped by the Yavin 4 station. The fight would have been a lot harder without the new weapons we had purchased there.
We could see several apparently wild rancors that lived around the base of the temple and we cautiously lured each of them away and killed them, pausing after each battle to heal. As we approached the south side of the temple I became aware of several unseen presences. The Mandalorians I thought to myself. I activated my energy shield and Juhani and HK took their cue from me and activated theirs as well.
As we approached an obelisk I sensed the Mandalorians surround us and then decloak. We must have seemed and easy target, two Jedi and a droid. But we were anything but an easy target, the fight was brief and it was not long before all the Mandalorians lay dead in the grass.
We walked up toward the temple but an energy shield at the entrance barred us from entering. I decided to explore further and see if we could find some natives that would not attack us on sight. As we explored further we found a disabled ship that looked like it might have the parts we needed. I risked calling Carth and Canderous and told them where the ship was located and warned them to watch out for plasma vents around the ship. They assured me they would be careful and were headed toward the ship.
Juhani, HK and I continued exploring. On the beach opposite where we had crashed we found a compound protected by an energy field. We approached cautiously and were greeted by a hologram. I knew the language thought I did not know what the language was called. The hologram said "You are not Rakata... What is your business here off-worlder?" I told the hologram that I was seeking the Star Forge and it recognized me as Revan and said that the Elders wanted to speak with me. I thought for a moment then nodded, knowing who I had been before I wasn't certain what type of reception we would receive.
It was obvious that the Rakata that spoke to us recognized me but hard as I tried I had no memory of ever meeting him. He introduced himself as the Elder Councilor and asked why after I had betrayed them I returned now. I told him that I did not remember him and he said something about how I had promised to destroy the ancient evils of their ancestors. I told him that my mind had been injured and I no longer remembered many things, including ever meeting him.
He paused and I could sense his confusion, but he said that he could sense something different about me. Yet I still wielded the Force and I could still help them if they dared trust me again. He said that I must be confused and that he would answer my questions so that I would understand. I asked when I had been here before and he said that I and Malak had crashed here three years ago; I had used the Force to draw their language from their minds and teach them Basic. They had helped me enter the Temple of the Ancients and then I had disappeared until now.
I asked what the Temple of the Ancients was and if it was the source of the disruptor field. He told us that it was but only those who could command the Force could enter the temple. I asked him about the Rakata and he told me the Elders were the last of the priest caste of the Infinite Empire. The warriors who had attacked us were descendants of the warrior caste and lived in another compound and were lead by a powerful warrior known as the One.
I was able to persuade them to give me another chance and they agreed that if I would risk my own life to save one of their scouts from the tribe of the One, they would help me enter the Temple again.
They gave me permission to wander around the enclave and I took the opportunity to learn more about the Rakata. In one area I found researchers studying captive tribesmen and asked them why they had prisoners. The researcher was frank in admitting they were studying their genetic code in the hopes of discovering why the Rakata had lost their ability to use the Force. They believed that Force sensitivity still existed in some of the warrior tribes and that if they could find the gene that granted it they might be able to reintroduce the ability back into their species. I was uneasy about what they were doing but I could sense no evil in the researcher and the prisoners appeared well fed and taken care of.
We went further into the compound and spoke with the Historian. He told us of how the Rakata Infinite Empire began, back when their race was the only Force using race in the galaxy and they had merged technology with their Force powers to dominate and enslave. Once they had started losing their Force sensitivity, their Empire had began to crumble and their Empire had collapsed. They had retreated back to their home world but even there they continued to fight, civil war had erupted and weapons of mass destruction had been unleashed. Only those who had went underground for shelter had survived. Only in the past few thousand years had they come back to the surface, and only the Elders remembered their true past. I was reminded of what Ajunta Pall had said of the Sith Lords how they had destroyed themselves.
Carth and Canderous called as we were leaving the compound in search of the tribe of the One and informed us that they had successfully retrieved the parts they needed and were headed back to the Ebon Hawk.
We backtracked some and went to explore the one side of the island we had not been to yet. As I had suspected we found the compound of the One and outside was a welcoming committee. The lead warrior said that we had been seen entering the compound of the Elders and the One had ordered that we were to be killed. After a difficult fight we proceeded cautiously into the compound. Every warrior in the compound attacked us as soon as the saw us and we were forced to battle our way through in our search for the missing Elder scout.
We finally made it to the area where the prisoner was being kept and a large Rakata stared at us then yelled "The Black Rakata will never fall to you!" With that he ordered the rancor keepers to open the gates and we were attacked on all sides. I had everyone switch to melee energy shield and activate them, and I was thankful that we had done so as we were attacked by four rancors, as well as the warrior known as the One.
HK was badly damaged during the attack as three of the rancors decided he was their target but Juhani and I managed to take down all of the rancors before they damaged him beyond repair. Then we turned and fought the One. Once he was dead we searched the area for the Elder scout and found him lying among his dead companions. I used my Force powers to heal him and helped him to his feet.
I said to him "I was sent by the Council to save you."
The scout replied "I don't know what I could have done if you had not come. I suppose I would be dead now, like the others they captured with me. Thank you for saving me. I shall attempt to return to the Enclave on my own. I will tell the Council of what you have done."
I insisted that we escort him safely to the settlement as we were headed that way anyway and he reluctantly accepted our assistance. We meet a few more warriors on our way to the Elder settlement and I was happy that I had insisted the scout stay with us, for he was still none to steady on his feet. Alone he would not have been able to fight the four warriors that tried to ambush us, not to mention the two young rancors that stood on the path just in front of the settlement.
We delivered the scout safely to the Elder settlement and the Elder Councilor was thankful for my actions. They were still uncertain about me though and went to deliberate on what they would now do. They agreed that I would enter the temple but I had to go alone into the temple. They told me that there were dark Jedi in the temple and I grimaced, this would be very difficult to do alone. Maybe if I was cautious I could manage to take them on one at a time and survive to find the controls.
I sent Juhani and HK back to the ship and proceeded to the temple alone. The Elder priests were there and when I approached they began the ritual. They paused as Jolee and Juhani came running up. I asked the two what they were doing there and they said the Force had given them a vision, there was great danger in the Temple and if I faced it alone I would surely fail. I argued with them but they were resolved, finally I persuaded the lead Elder priest that I would fail if I entered the temple alone and he resumed the ritual. As soon as the barrier blocking the entrance feel we sprinted into the Temple.
We fought several dark Jedi and assault droids as we explored the lower floor of the temple. In one room we disturbed two dark Jedi meditating, I waited for them to become aware of us and they stood and stared at me. One of them said "Revan you are back!" I replied "I am Revan but I serve the light now." The dark Jedi said "Malak told us what happened to you. The Jedi Council has stripped you of your power. You are a shell of what you once were! You are not fit to rule the Sith anymore, Revan. Lord Malak will reward us greatly for destroying you!" With that they attacked and I shook my head a few moments later as we stepped over their corpses.
In the next room was a Sith Master who also recognized me and told me that he had intensified his training in the hope that he would have a chance to meet me in combat. I chuckled and waited for him to attack, he was not nearly as good a fighter as he thought though and he fell to my attack quickly.
We finally found our way down to the lower level; a datapad in a chest owned by a forgetful apprentice told us how to make our way past a pattern on the floor so that we could enter the next area. In the next room was the master computer for the temple. The computer recognized me and greeted me by name. It said that it detected significant changes in my composition since the last time it had seen me. My neurological patterns and exhibited subtle and yet substantive alterations in both thought patterns and information processing. It said the changes had now been noted in its database.
I laughed and asked it what its purpose was, it told me that it had been constructed to record the entire history of the Rakata, since the collapse of the Infinite Empire though I had been the only one to seek out its information. I asked it for the genetic data the Rakata researcher had asked for and it stored it on my datapad. Then I asked about the Rakata history, it told us of a plague that had played a significant part in the collapse of the Infinite Empire and then of the civil war that had finally destroyed the Rakata civilization.
I asked it how I could turn off the disruptor field and it told me I would have to ascend to the upper levels and deactivate the field from there. The doors to the upper levels would now recognize me and open. I thank it then paused, I felt a disturbance in the Force. I reached out with my senses and then realized that I was sensing Bastila through the bond. My heart started pounding and I forced myself to calm and figure out what I was sensing. I realized that I could sense nothing of her feeling just that she was near. My heart sank I could only think of one way that she would be able to arrive here, but maybe I was wrong, maybe she had escaped.
As the computer had said the door to the summit opened to us and allowed us to ascend. I ascended with a heavy heart, fearing who I would meet at the summit. As I stepped out into the sunlight I saw her waiting for us, wearing the black robes of a Dark Jedi. I wanted to weep, but I controlled myself and tried to see a way to bring her back to the light.
There was no way that I could see in the immediate future but there seemed to be something that I could do here to increase my chances in the future. I would have to let her retreat to the Star Forge I realized, and there I might have a chance.
Bastila said as we approached "I knew you would come for me. Malak thought you might be afraid to enter the temple again, but he doesn't know you like I do. Not anymore. Not since you've changed." I replied "I swore to you that I would not fail you Bastila, and I shall not."
Bastila paused and looked at me and said "You don't understand. I have sworn allegiance to Lord Malak and the Sith, I do not need rescuing."
I said to her "No, Bastila. Don't go over to the dark side!"
She replied "You say that as if the dark side is some terrible entity. The Jedi Council had brainwashed you like all the others. Like they once did with me. They speak of the dark side as if it was something to be feared. But in reality their only 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."
I listened to her words and tried again to break through the shell of anger "It's not too late Bastila, you can still turn away from the dark side!"
She glared at me and said "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 your power... of what I could become! They wanted me to bow and call them Master follow their Code and obey their every order. But all the while they were exploiting my Battle Meditation for their own use!"
I thought to myself, skillfully done Malak just enough truth mixed in with the lies to make it almost believable. I said "Don't be lured in by these Sith lies, Bastila!"
Bastila said "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 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!"
I set myself for the battle knowing that Bastila was now furious that I had resisted her first efforts to persuade me to join her. She attempted to use her forced powers against me but I resisted all her efforts, after a few hard blows and after I had deflected a few of Juhani's attacks. Juhani and Jolee stopped attacking and let me face Bastila alone. She quit attacking and started her second more earnest attempt to persuade me to go with her.
Bastila said "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."
Sadly I knew that I had to destroy her hope that I would join her and return to the dark side. She had to understand that I would never follow her there; she would have to come back to me. I knew she was not going to be pleased to hear what I had to say; she had persuaded herself that I would chose to follow her. Maybe she even thought that the only way she could be with me was to go to the dark side, after all Master Vrook had told her that to love meant that a Jedi would fall to the dark side. Now she had went to the dark side and I suspected she thought that she could now love, I wondered if she realized yet that the dark side would demand that she destroy any love she felt for me.
I replied "I draw my power from the light now, Bastila."
Bastila said "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 that trap set by the Jedi Council. I used the Force to preserve you life, Revan. We are forever linked by my actions on that bridge!"
I replied to her saying "We were linked before that Bastila, I remember saving your life. The bond has been between us for along time, maybe all our lives. And it is how I know you will come back to the light."
She started in surprise at the evidence I had regained my memories of that event but she recovered and "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 winced in pain at the thought that I had weakened her to the dark side then realized that she had her own reasons for choosing the dark side. While the darkness she saw within me might have played a part in that choice, she was using my guilt to try and persuade me to join her. I said to her "Learn from my mistakes. It is not too late to come back to the light!"
She made her final plea and openly asked me to join her saying "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 bet he 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 was offering herself to me now and I admit the thought did cross my mind to play along but I sternly reminded myself that while lust might exist, it was not the only thing I wanted from Bastila.
I told her "I'm not that Revan anymore Bastila, I haven't been that Revan since I first saw you on the bridge of my ship and realized what I truly desired."
She frowned confused and said "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 shook my head and said "Turn away from this path, Bastila. The dark side leads only to destruction."
Juhani spoke up saying "Bastila, it is not too late for you to be saved. The teachings of the Jedi can lead you from the dark side back into the light and a true understanding of the Force.
Bastila replied scathingly "You are beneath my contempt, Juhani. When you felt the power of the dark side you fled to a cave like some cowering animal! You know nothing of the Force or its true potential!"
Then Bastila said to me "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!"
I said to her "The Dark Lord Revan is dead. Only Revan remains, I am a servant of the light now."
I could see her accepting her failure she replied with sudden anger saying "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!"
I could feel her anger and pain as she ran to her ship and fled to the Star Forge. She had never considered that I would resist her efforts, now she was faced with the fact that I would never go over to the dark side again. I whispered through our bond that was once again open, I will not fail you Bastila, not again and felt her answering surge of anger and fear before the Star Forge and the distance dampened the bond again.
After her ship left I went over to the computer console and shut down the planetary disruptor field and the energy shield that protected the temple. We exited the temple and made our way quickly back to the Ebon Hawk. The entire group was waiting for us and Carth asked "You're back! But where is Bastila? Is she alive? What happened inside that Temple?"
I told them that Bastila had fallen to the dark side and had fled to the Star Forge. Jolee commented that Bastila had always been in danger of being seduced by the dark side; her own impatient and headstrong nature had been the weakness that Malak had exploited. I said that I felt her fall was partially my fault and Jolee agreed that the bond might have played a part but in the end Bastila had chosen her own path...
Carth said "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 smiled at Carth and said "We can try... and we will." Juhani commented that she was sure that Bastila had a role to play in the events to come and would be waiting for us on the Star Forge. Carth agreed and said that we should get moving before she had time to organize a bigger welcoming committee.
We entered the Star Forge system and Carth sent the coordinates to the Republic Fleet, he wanted to remain outside of the Sith Fleet's sensor range and wait for the Republic Fleet to show up. I didn't feel at ease with that decision but at that moment we were spotted by Sith fighters and I had to run to the gun turrets to destroy them before they could report our presence to the Sith Fleet. During our escape maneuvering we came close to one of the planets in the Star Forge system and the ship started to shake.
Carth exclaimed to me "We've got problems! We've flown into some kind of disruptor field. All of my instruments are jammed! We've got massive overloads in all systems. I'm picking up a single planet in this system. I'll try and put us down there. Hold on, this may be a rough landing."
The landing was rough but the ship was still in once piece, from what I had seen when we were landing other ships hadn't been as lucky. The landscape was littered with the hulls of many crashed ships. Carth reported that the ship's stabilizers had been damaged by the disruptor field; hopefully we could salvage something from one of the crashed ships to repair it.
Also, we needed to find the source of the disruptor field before the Republic Fleet arrived and encountered it. It would be a short battle for the Sith if the Fleet arrived and the disruptor field was still active. T3 was picking up massive power fluctuations on the ship's sensors coming from some type temple looking structure to the east; it seemed a likely source for the disruptor field.
We exited the ship with our two missions in mind, find repair parts and find a way to disable the disruptor field. Juhani and HK went with me to scout out the stone structure to the east while Carth and Canderous went to find salvage. Misson and Zaalbar remained to guard the ship. It left us spread thin but we needed to hurry.
As we stepped out onto the beach where we had landed I knew that I had been here before, but the memory was hazy. I was certain though that the temple to the east was very important. Beyond knowing that and the landscape seeming very familiar I had no further memory. I realized that I remembered less of my life as Revan than I had realized, at least of the time I had fallen to the dark side. My memories of the Jedi Academy seemed very clear to me but that clearness faded sometime after I left the Academy for the Mandalorian Wars. I remembered some of my thoughts and feelings while I was Dark Lord, and I remembered the feel of the dark side powers.
We continued up the beach only to be spotted by some amphibian looking natives who quickly attacked us yelling war cries. We killed them and two Duros who had been hiding among the rocks came out and thanked us. The Duros were part of a mining crew who had wrecked here a few weeks ago. They were the only two survivors left on this island, the natives and Mandalorians had killed the rest. They told us the Mandalorians were based around the temple, and we should beware them.
I offered them refuge on the Ebon Hawk but they said that they were going to try their luck on another island.
We continued toward the temple structure and ran into more natives, this time with young rancors that they had apparently tamed. When the last of them had been killed I wiped the sweat from my face and was thankful that we had stopped by the Yavin 4 station. The fight would have been a lot harder without the new weapons we had purchased there.
We could see several apparently wild rancors that lived around the base of the temple and we cautiously lured each of them away and killed them, pausing after each battle to heal. As we approached the south side of the temple I became aware of several unseen presences. The Mandalorians I thought to myself. I activated my energy shield and Juhani and HK took their cue from me and activated theirs as well.
As we approached an obelisk I sensed the Mandalorians surround us and then decloak. We must have seemed and easy target, two Jedi and a droid. But we were anything but an easy target, the fight was brief and it was not long before all the Mandalorians lay dead in the grass.
We walked up toward the temple but an energy shield at the entrance barred us from entering. I decided to explore further and see if we could find some natives that would not attack us on sight. As we explored further we found a disabled ship that looked like it might have the parts we needed. I risked calling Carth and Canderous and told them where the ship was located and warned them to watch out for plasma vents around the ship. They assured me they would be careful and were headed toward the ship.
Juhani, HK and I continued exploring. On the beach opposite where we had crashed we found a compound protected by an energy field. We approached cautiously and were greeted by a hologram. I knew the language thought I did not know what the language was called. The hologram said "You are not Rakata... What is your business here off-worlder?" I told the hologram that I was seeking the Star Forge and it recognized me as Revan and said that the Elders wanted to speak with me. I thought for a moment then nodded, knowing who I had been before I wasn't certain what type of reception we would receive.
It was obvious that the Rakata that spoke to us recognized me but hard as I tried I had no memory of ever meeting him. He introduced himself as the Elder Councilor and asked why after I had betrayed them I returned now. I told him that I did not remember him and he said something about how I had promised to destroy the ancient evils of their ancestors. I told him that my mind had been injured and I no longer remembered many things, including ever meeting him.
He paused and I could sense his confusion, but he said that he could sense something different about me. Yet I still wielded the Force and I could still help them if they dared trust me again. He said that I must be confused and that he would answer my questions so that I would understand. I asked when I had been here before and he said that I and Malak had crashed here three years ago; I had used the Force to draw their language from their minds and teach them Basic. They had helped me enter the Temple of the Ancients and then I had disappeared until now.
I asked what the Temple of the Ancients was and if it was the source of the disruptor field. He told us that it was but only those who could command the Force could enter the temple. I asked him about the Rakata and he told me the Elders were the last of the priest caste of the Infinite Empire. The warriors who had attacked us were descendants of the warrior caste and lived in another compound and were lead by a powerful warrior known as the One.
I was able to persuade them to give me another chance and they agreed that if I would risk my own life to save one of their scouts from the tribe of the One, they would help me enter the Temple again.
They gave me permission to wander around the enclave and I took the opportunity to learn more about the Rakata. In one area I found researchers studying captive tribesmen and asked them why they had prisoners. The researcher was frank in admitting they were studying their genetic code in the hopes of discovering why the Rakata had lost their ability to use the Force. They believed that Force sensitivity still existed in some of the warrior tribes and that if they could find the gene that granted it they might be able to reintroduce the ability back into their species. I was uneasy about what they were doing but I could sense no evil in the researcher and the prisoners appeared well fed and taken care of.
We went further into the compound and spoke with the Historian. He told us of how the Rakata Infinite Empire began, back when their race was the only Force using race in the galaxy and they had merged technology with their Force powers to dominate and enslave. Once they had started losing their Force sensitivity, their Empire had began to crumble and their Empire had collapsed. They had retreated back to their home world but even there they continued to fight, civil war had erupted and weapons of mass destruction had been unleashed. Only those who had went underground for shelter had survived. Only in the past few thousand years had they come back to the surface, and only the Elders remembered their true past. I was reminded of what Ajunta Pall had said of the Sith Lords how they had destroyed themselves.
Carth and Canderous called as we were leaving the compound in search of the tribe of the One and informed us that they had successfully retrieved the parts they needed and were headed back to the Ebon Hawk.
We backtracked some and went to explore the one side of the island we had not been to yet. As I had suspected we found the compound of the One and outside was a welcoming committee. The lead warrior said that we had been seen entering the compound of the Elders and the One had ordered that we were to be killed. After a difficult fight we proceeded cautiously into the compound. Every warrior in the compound attacked us as soon as the saw us and we were forced to battle our way through in our search for the missing Elder scout.
We finally made it to the area where the prisoner was being kept and a large Rakata stared at us then yelled "The Black Rakata will never fall to you!" With that he ordered the rancor keepers to open the gates and we were attacked on all sides. I had everyone switch to melee energy shield and activate them, and I was thankful that we had done so as we were attacked by four rancors, as well as the warrior known as the One.
HK was badly damaged during the attack as three of the rancors decided he was their target but Juhani and I managed to take down all of the rancors before they damaged him beyond repair. Then we turned and fought the One. Once he was dead we searched the area for the Elder scout and found him lying among his dead companions. I used my Force powers to heal him and helped him to his feet.
I said to him "I was sent by the Council to save you."
The scout replied "I don't know what I could have done if you had not come. I suppose I would be dead now, like the others they captured with me. Thank you for saving me. I shall attempt to return to the Enclave on my own. I will tell the Council of what you have done."
I insisted that we escort him safely to the settlement as we were headed that way anyway and he reluctantly accepted our assistance. We meet a few more warriors on our way to the Elder settlement and I was happy that I had insisted the scout stay with us, for he was still none to steady on his feet. Alone he would not have been able to fight the four warriors that tried to ambush us, not to mention the two young rancors that stood on the path just in front of the settlement.
We delivered the scout safely to the Elder settlement and the Elder Councilor was thankful for my actions. They were still uncertain about me though and went to deliberate on what they would now do. They agreed that I would enter the temple but I had to go alone into the temple. They told me that there were dark Jedi in the temple and I grimaced, this would be very difficult to do alone. Maybe if I was cautious I could manage to take them on one at a time and survive to find the controls.
I sent Juhani and HK back to the ship and proceeded to the temple alone. The Elder priests were there and when I approached they began the ritual. They paused as Jolee and Juhani came running up. I asked the two what they were doing there and they said the Force had given them a vision, there was great danger in the Temple and if I faced it alone I would surely fail. I argued with them but they were resolved, finally I persuaded the lead Elder priest that I would fail if I entered the temple alone and he resumed the ritual. As soon as the barrier blocking the entrance feel we sprinted into the Temple.
We fought several dark Jedi and assault droids as we explored the lower floor of the temple. In one room we disturbed two dark Jedi meditating, I waited for them to become aware of us and they stood and stared at me. One of them said "Revan you are back!" I replied "I am Revan but I serve the light now." The dark Jedi said "Malak told us what happened to you. The Jedi Council has stripped you of your power. You are a shell of what you once were! You are not fit to rule the Sith anymore, Revan. Lord Malak will reward us greatly for destroying you!" With that they attacked and I shook my head a few moments later as we stepped over their corpses.
In the next room was a Sith Master who also recognized me and told me that he had intensified his training in the hope that he would have a chance to meet me in combat. I chuckled and waited for him to attack, he was not nearly as good a fighter as he thought though and he fell to my attack quickly.
We finally found our way down to the lower level; a datapad in a chest owned by a forgetful apprentice told us how to make our way past a pattern on the floor so that we could enter the next area. In the next room was the master computer for the temple. The computer recognized me and greeted me by name. It said that it detected significant changes in my composition since the last time it had seen me. My neurological patterns and exhibited subtle and yet substantive alterations in both thought patterns and information processing. It said the changes had now been noted in its database.
I laughed and asked it what its purpose was, it told me that it had been constructed to record the entire history of the Rakata, since the collapse of the Infinite Empire though I had been the only one to seek out its information. I asked it for the genetic data the Rakata researcher had asked for and it stored it on my datapad. Then I asked about the Rakata history, it told us of a plague that had played a significant part in the collapse of the Infinite Empire and then of the civil war that had finally destroyed the Rakata civilization.
I asked it how I could turn off the disruptor field and it told me I would have to ascend to the upper levels and deactivate the field from there. The doors to the upper levels would now recognize me and open. I thank it then paused, I felt a disturbance in the Force. I reached out with my senses and then realized that I was sensing Bastila through the bond. My heart started pounding and I forced myself to calm and figure out what I was sensing. I realized that I could sense nothing of her feeling just that she was near. My heart sank I could only think of one way that she would be able to arrive here, but maybe I was wrong, maybe she had escaped.
As the computer had said the door to the summit opened to us and allowed us to ascend. I ascended with a heavy heart, fearing who I would meet at the summit. As I stepped out into the sunlight I saw her waiting for us, wearing the black robes of a Dark Jedi. I wanted to weep, but I controlled myself and tried to see a way to bring her back to the light.
There was no way that I could see in the immediate future but there seemed to be something that I could do here to increase my chances in the future. I would have to let her retreat to the Star Forge I realized, and there I might have a chance.
Bastila said as we approached "I knew you would come for me. Malak thought you might be afraid to enter the temple again, but he doesn't know you like I do. Not anymore. Not since you've changed." I replied "I swore to you that I would not fail you Bastila, and I shall not."
Bastila paused and looked at me and said "You don't understand. I have sworn allegiance to Lord Malak and the Sith, I do not need rescuing."
I said to her "No, Bastila. Don't go over to the dark side!"
She replied "You say that as if the dark side is some terrible entity. The Jedi Council had brainwashed you like all the others. Like they once did with me. They speak of the dark side as if it was something to be feared. But in reality their only 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."
I listened to her words and tried again to break through the shell of anger "It's not too late Bastila, you can still turn away from the dark side!"
She glared at me and said "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 your power... of what I could become! They wanted me to bow and call them Master follow their Code and obey their every order. But all the while they were exploiting my Battle Meditation for their own use!"
I thought to myself, skillfully done Malak just enough truth mixed in with the lies to make it almost believable. I said "Don't be lured in by these Sith lies, Bastila!"
Bastila said "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 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!"
I set myself for the battle knowing that Bastila was now furious that I had resisted her first efforts to persuade me to join her. She attempted to use her forced powers against me but I resisted all her efforts, after a few hard blows and after I had deflected a few of Juhani's attacks. Juhani and Jolee stopped attacking and let me face Bastila alone. She quit attacking and started her second more earnest attempt to persuade me to go with her.
Bastila said "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."
Sadly I knew that I had to destroy her hope that I would join her and return to the dark side. She had to understand that I would never follow her there; she would have to come back to me. I knew she was not going to be pleased to hear what I had to say; she had persuaded herself that I would chose to follow her. Maybe she even thought that the only way she could be with me was to go to the dark side, after all Master Vrook had told her that to love meant that a Jedi would fall to the dark side. Now she had went to the dark side and I suspected she thought that she could now love, I wondered if she realized yet that the dark side would demand that she destroy any love she felt for me.
I replied "I draw my power from the light now, Bastila."
Bastila said "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 that trap set by the Jedi Council. I used the Force to preserve you life, Revan. We are forever linked by my actions on that bridge!"
I replied to her saying "We were linked before that Bastila, I remember saving your life. The bond has been between us for along time, maybe all our lives. And it is how I know you will come back to the light."
She started in surprise at the evidence I had regained my memories of that event but she recovered and "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 winced in pain at the thought that I had weakened her to the dark side then realized that she had her own reasons for choosing the dark side. While the darkness she saw within me might have played a part in that choice, she was using my guilt to try and persuade me to join her. I said to her "Learn from my mistakes. It is not too late to come back to the light!"
She made her final plea and openly asked me to join her saying "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 bet he 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 was offering herself to me now and I admit the thought did cross my mind to play along but I sternly reminded myself that while lust might exist, it was not the only thing I wanted from Bastila.
I told her "I'm not that Revan anymore Bastila, I haven't been that Revan since I first saw you on the bridge of my ship and realized what I truly desired."
She frowned confused and said "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 shook my head and said "Turn away from this path, Bastila. The dark side leads only to destruction."
Juhani spoke up saying "Bastila, it is not too late for you to be saved. The teachings of the Jedi can lead you from the dark side back into the light and a true understanding of the Force.
Bastila replied scathingly "You are beneath my contempt, Juhani. When you felt the power of the dark side you fled to a cave like some cowering animal! You know nothing of the Force or its true potential!"
Then Bastila said to me "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!"
I said to her "The Dark Lord Revan is dead. Only Revan remains, I am a servant of the light now."
I could see her accepting her failure she replied with sudden anger saying "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!"
I could feel her anger and pain as she ran to her ship and fled to the Star Forge. She had never considered that I would resist her efforts, now she was faced with the fact that I would never go over to the dark side again. I whispered through our bond that was once again open, I will not fail you Bastila, not again and felt her answering surge of anger and fear before the Star Forge and the distance dampened the bond again.
After her ship left I went over to the computer console and shut down the planetary disruptor field and the energy shield that protected the temple. We exited the temple and made our way quickly back to the Ebon Hawk. The entire group was waiting for us and Carth asked "You're back! But where is Bastila? Is she alive? What happened inside that Temple?"
I told them that Bastila had fallen to the dark side and had fled to the Star Forge. Jolee commented that Bastila had always been in danger of being seduced by the dark side; her own impatient and headstrong nature had been the weakness that Malak had exploited. I said that I felt her fall was partially my fault and Jolee agreed that the bond might have played a part but in the end Bastila had chosen her own path...
Carth said "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 smiled at Carth and said "We can try... and we will." Juhani commented that she was sure that Bastila had a role to play in the events to come and would be waiting for us on the Star Forge. Carth agreed and said that we should get moving before she had time to organize a bigger welcoming committee.