Saviour, Conqueror, Hero, Villain.
Author's Notes: Last chapter. This is basically wrapping up the loose ends, and my great dislike for the light side ending. It should be a short chapter. Where I used the last line of the Jedi Code as the chapter titles of the last two chapters of my first KotOR fic, I used the last line of the Sith Code as the chapter titles of the last three chapters here. It seemed fitting.
arrow maker: That's the effect I was going for with that scene.
gamorreanprincess: Yes, that line was meant to be funny, in a morbid kinda way.
rockerbabe: Glad you liked it - the Malak scene had me near tears, when I wrote it, so I'm glad to see that it's not just me being a sappy fool. Malak refused to let her heal him, because he didn't think he could be redeemed, and he was afraid to try - in a sense, he took the coward's way out, by dying... but honestly, in that situation, I can't blame him. Bastila tempting Dustil was literally the only way to get Carth to see Revan had been redeemed, in a sense - she saved his son from making a horrible mistake - he cannot ignore that. Bastila because Malak's apprentice in the hopes of one day surpassing him, and having the intense pleasure of killing him herself. I'd love a fanart of those robes, and I said before that I'd love one of the memory-scene about Malak's jaw - I'd love anyone who could produce such a thing for me. Basty didn't use stasis, though on that note, Malak did on the Leviathan, in the game. I've started writing a prequel to this fic, showing Revan and Malak's romance, and fall to the DS - it may take a while, though. Black hair, blue eyes, pale skin - only difference is the fanfic character has hair the same length as mine, instead of the shorter hair her model has - she looks a lot like me, except I have fair hair.
Delight: Glad you like it. I don't think Jedi and Sith can co-exist... but read on to see the best compromise they could come up with.
HK-48: Glad you like it. I have some Harry Potter fanfics, and the Revan's Second Chance story - those are all I've got on this site.
Krazed Kaioshin Fangirl: In my mind, if the Star Forge hungers and feeds like a living thing, and is an entity of the dark side, it should be able to call to people... and a fear of death is natural, in even this most perversely evil creature. Everyone has a weakness - the game gave me the impression that Dustil was very strong as a Sith, and I figured a vulnerability to psychic suggestion would suit him - after all, he'd have to be gullible to join the Sith in the first place. Ok, Jolee, leave the poor girl alone.
Elflady: Yeah - that would be a cool mod... though I don't use them I'd still love screenshots if anyone ever made such a thing. The alternate ending isn't finished yet, but as soon as (and if - I'm a bit unsure of it, y'see) it is, I'll upload it.
Darth Jenrai: You're the third person to comment on that "heart-wrenching" line, you know. Though making you all feel sorry for Malak was kind of the idea. You're right - they did have a connection, even then, and the shredded remnants of this connection were amplified by the Star Forge - it wanted to drive the two (ex)lovers to kill each other.
ether-fanfic: Thank you. Wow, I've taken a character most people call a brat, and made my readers love him - cool!
Ceridan: I don't quite understand how Malak could cough without a throat... but meh. Glad you're liking the story.
Niliav: Customising robes like that would have been incredibly complicated to engineer, I'm sure... but in a fanfic, you can do anything! Mwahahahahaa! And as I said last chapter, not being able to love Bastila platonically really annoyed me in the game.
Firera: Does it matter? You got the LS ending anyway! I'm considering having Malak encounter a rakghoul, in my next fanfic... just out of maliciousness on my part.
Brynn: If you call this chapter an epilogue, then yes. If not, then no. I do have a prelude for both this and the other fic, in the works, though.
Prisoner 24601: Well, Carth was actually convinced when Revan stopped Dustil from siding with Bastila - taking him to the Star Forge was just for fun, really. Carth is a stubborn man, and he surprises me sometimes - when he told Revan to hell with the mission, so long as he could save his son, when they landed on Korriban, that shocked me... but that happens when a character writes themselves.
RollingSkull: I'm not LS-hating... I just hate the LS-ending here, because it's too corny - I mean, can you really believe the Republic would welcome Revan back with open arms, just because he/she blew up one measly Star Forge? I'm actually a relatively LS person, considering I'm a Sith/Slytherin with some vengeance-demon heritage. "Dangit woman, be evil or be good. You use the Force, so you cannot pick both." ahem, I beg to differ - look at Jolee... now go a few shades darker in the Force-alignment thingy... and there you find me - still not pure evil, but not goody-goody, either. As for the one-liners - only most of them? Which ones were too unsubtle?
gak: Heh - most of those quotes are examples of the two Onasi men writing themselves - I can't control either of them, but I do like what they come up with - you know you're character has a real personality when you, the author, can't control them anymore. I picture Dustil as eighteen, though only just turned eighteen like a few weeks before he met Revan - when Telos was bombed, he was thirteen, nearly fourteen. And I was proud of the "that was your foot" line - glad someone liked it.
x x x
Chapter 11 - The Force Shall Free Me
I ran out of the elevator, as the Star Forge lurched and creaked ominously. "Let's get the hell off this thing!" I shouted to Bastila and Dustil, who were waiting at the Hawk for me. The screams in my mind had turned from pain to terror... the Star Forge's death cry was one of fear... fear of death... it seemed ironic, since the Star Forge was designed to bring death.
We bolted onto the ship, and I heard Carth's voice over the internal commlink as the embarkation ramp sealed off behind me, "Nice timing. Hold on, this is going to be a bumpy ride."
The Hawk took off, and flew out of the hangar. It reminded me of the flight from Taris, through the blaster fire and falling debris... except the screams of death in my mind weren't all human, and they really hurt. Bastila didn't seem to be faring so well, either... and Dustil had slid down the wall, with his hands to his head as if in agony.
'Make sure the boy's all right, Bastila... I'm going to-' the ship shook from an explosion very nearby, '-see how Carth's doing.' She nodded, and knelt shakily next to Dustil, while I began to make my way precariously to the cockpit.
"Hey, beautiful." Carth greeted, as I collapsed into the co-pilot's seat, "I knew you'd make it."
Another explosion behind the Hawk, sent us spiralling away from the Star Forge. Luckily for us, the artificial gravity meant we didn't get thrown around too much... we just got space-sick looking out the window.
The ship spun out of the blast radius of the Star Forge exploding and falling into the star, just in time... a few seconds later, and we'd have been fried with the rest of the unfortunate fools on that station.
"Carth you made it!" Admiral Dodonna's voice called, over the commlink.
"We couldn't let you start the victory party without us, Admiral!" Carth replied brightly, into the comm.
"I'm sending an honour guard to escort you in." the Admiral said, "You'll be getting a hero's welcome when we all get home!"
Carth responded in the affirmative, before deactivating the comm.
"No... no way." I said, shaking my head, "Carth, I won't go to the Republic ships."
He looked at me, surprised, "Why not?" he asked, "You just helped them destroy the Star Forge."
"They won't see it like that. I'm the one who awoke the Star Forge in the first place!" I was feeling the beginnings of panic in the back of my mind... I had to get away from them... I couldn't let them capture me again.
"Revan, calm down." he said gently, "They won't hurt you."
"That's what you think." I muttered, turning to stare out at the ships approaching to escort us in... it felt ominous... like being escorted to the gallows, instead of the hero's welcome we had been promised.
x x x
I watched nervously, as the Ebon Hawk's embarkation ramp descended ever so slowly to the ground of the Rakatan world. The rest of the Ebon Hawk's non-droid crew accompanied me, as I stepped off the ship.
The first thing we saw was a group of half a dozen Jedi Knights waiting for us, led by Master Vandar. Vandar approached us, almost immediately, "It is good to see Bastila has returned to us." he said calmly.
"Not so fast, short-ass." I snapped. The Jedi Knights all glared at me for that, but Vandar seemed not to care that I had insulted him, "Bastila's not yours. She's mine."
Bastila frowned, her head bowed, "She's right, Master Vandar. I rejected Malak's offers for her, not for the Jedi. I... I have failed you, Master."
"You have not failed." Vandar said calmly, "You made the right choice. You rejected the lure of the Star Forge. You helped the fleet destroy the Star Forge. You are far from a failure."
"Th-thank you, Master Vandar... it is more than I deserve." Bastila answered quietly.
"She may make her own choices." I said, giving Vandar a cold look, "If she wishes to return to the Jedi Order, that is her choice to make. You cannot order her to return to you."
"You plan to stop a Jedi Master, do you?" one of the Knights, a young woman, snapped.
I smirked darkly, "Your attitude reminds me of myself, when I was a Jedi." I told her.
Her mouth opened and closed a few times, then she simply resorted to glaring petulantly.
I turned back to Vandar, "So what now?" I asked bluntly.
"You shall follow us to the temple here. Admiral Dodonna wishes to meet with you, and the plateaux is the best location nearby." Vandar said calmly.
"Why not meet on your ship?" I asked.
"This is... neutral ground. Where you should not feel threatened, given your... obvious alignment in the Force." Vandar answered.
I nodded slowly, "Very well. Lead the way." 'Short-ass' I added mentally. Bastila sniggered slightly.
Vandar led us to the plateaux outside the temple. The view was spectacular, and the weather was perfect. I noticed a small platoon of Republic soldiers, flanking Admiral Dodonna herself, as we stepped onto the plateaux. Every one of those soldiers was armed.
I also noticed a holovid recorder, nearby. I got the feeling this was the victory celebration and award ceremony, though I was glad to see the holorecorder was switched off for now.
Admiral Dodonna nodded to us, as we approached, and Carth saluted. "At ease, Commander." the Admiral said, waving a hand to dismiss that formality. She walked over to us, so her soldiers would be out of earshot of our conversation.
"Vandar said you wished to meet with me?" I asked. I noticed irritation flare in the auras of the Jedi Knights nearby, that I had not used the word 'Master' when referring to Vandar. Such a trivial formality, it seemed to affect them so badly that I had ignored it.
"That is true." the Admiral said, nodding, "I wanted to see for myself. Master Vandar said the memory alterations were ineffective?"
"That's true." I said coldly, "Do tell me whose bright idea that was, please."
"It was Master Vrook's suggestion." Vandar said calmly, "Masters Zhar and Lovegood had hoped you would be redeemable without such drastic measures."
"But I resisted their attempts to access my memories." I frowned, "I tried to fight back, and so they tried to destroy who I was and replace me with a more compliant personality."
"Master Lovegood was only trying to discover why you fell to the dark side, so they could attempt to talk you back from it." Vandar said gently.
I sighed, "Let's not argue, right now." I said, exasperated, "I'm still tired, from my last duel."
"Very well." Vandar said, nodding and stepping back to allow Admiral Dodonna to speak to me.
"Kindly step over here, please." the Admiral said, to all of us.
Carth immediately did as he was told. Bastila, Juhani and Jolee also did what the Admiral had asked them. Mission and Zaalbar looked to me, and I nodded slightly... they then joined the others.
Dustil and Canderous refused to move, however. "Canderous... go." I said, pointing to the rest of the crew. He obeyed my order.
I glanced at Dustil, then nodded and led the boy over to where the Admiral had told us to stand... it was in direct line of the holorecorder.
The holorecorder was activated, and I did my best to glower at it. The rest of my crew followed suit, looking either bored out of their mind, incredibly uncomfortable, or like they're plotting to kill the cameraman... or some combination of all three.
"You have defeated Malak, destroyed the Star Forge and broken the spirit of the Sith!" Dodonna announced, specifically for the holorecorder and the gathered soldiers to hear, "For this I am proud to present you each with the Cross of Glory. The highest honour the Republic can bestow."
I heard Canderous mutter, under his breath, in Mandalorian, [Could be worse... the medals could be lurid pink.]
Dustil sniggered at that, and I saw Jolee's lip twitch as he attempted not to smirk.
"From Couruscant to the farthest reaches of the Outer Rims you will be known as the saviours of the Republic!" Dodonna continued, oblivious to what Canderous said. She made her way down the line of my crew, giving each one a medal.
Carth stood tall, as he received his medal... but under the pride he projected for everyone to see, there was some degree of boredom and a sense of falseness... that he felt this medal didn't mean as much as it should.
Mission grinned brightly, and thanked Dodonna with genuine glee as she took her medal. I was surprised she didn't squeal 'this is soooooo cool!' for all to hear.
Zaalbar nodded his thanks curtly, as he was given his medal. He seemed to understand this honour was meaningful to humans, though he did not genuinely feel the meaning of it, as most humans did not feel the meaning of Wookiee honour.
Bastila accepted her medal with humility, and mumbled faintly that she did not deserve it.
Juhani smiled graciously as her medal was given to her, but I sensed a distance as if she would prefer to be thanked by a Jedi Master rather than a Republic officer.
Jolee muttered about worthless bits of metal that didn't go with his Jedi robes at all, as he took his medal.
Canderous watched Dodonna with silent contempt, but he accepted the medal all the same. He seemed to be grateful for the honour, even if it was not the kind he usually fought for.
Dustil smiled slightly, as Dodonna handed him his medal... and the eerie glitter in his eyes that accompanied that smile instilled some degree of fear in the Admiral, even though she didn't show it. Her aura looked like she thought she'd just seen the face of evil itself. Which, considering the fact that the boy must have aced 'Evil Smiling 101' at the Sith academy, is a very good analogy.
She then came to me. But I held up my hand, and shook my head, "No. I don't want a medal." I said.
She blinked, confused, but when I gave her a stern look that said I wasn't kidding, she shrugged and stepped out of the range of the holorecorder.
Vandar stepped forward to take her place, "On behalf of the Jedi Council, defenders of the galaxy and sworn protectors of the Republic... I too would like to honour you for your actions."
"Oh, that's it. I'm out of here." I said, turning to leave. Dustil glanced at his father, before following me out of the range of the holorecorder. Though neither of us went any further away than that.
Vandar blinked at my sudden departure from the proceedings, then continued to speak, almost seamlessly, "Together, you have eliminated a great force of darkness, and saved us all from Darth Malak's conquering army. Wherever you go, you will be recognised as the saviours of the galaxy, the heroes of our age."
'Yadda yadda yadda.' Jolee grouched mentally, projecting it for every Force-sensitive in the vicinity to hear.
Vandar ignored Jolee, and concluded his speech by saying, "But you must be ever vigilant." in an overly ominous tone. And then the holorecorder was deactivated, to the relief of the entire Ebon Hawk crew.
"Well, if that wasn't the biggest waste of time." Jolee said out loud, "Couldn't you have spent it, oh, I dunno, trying to wipe out galactic slavery, or something?" he asked Vandar.
"Pfft." I replied snarkily, "That makes a lot of people way too much money. It's just not cost effective for them to try to eliminate it. Same with the spice trade."
Admiral Dodonna approached me, now, "Revan." she said coldly. That name seemed to startle several of her little squad of soldiers. I'll bet they weren't told who I was. "You are hereby placed under arrest, for treachery against the Galactic Republic."
I looked to Vandar, who nodded slightly, indicating the Jedi would back the Republic in this scenario. I then glared at the Admiral, "No."
The Admiral rightly looked nervous... but she stood her ground, "I would advise that you not resist arrest. You may be treated leniently if you come quietly."
"Define 'lenient' for me, please." I said coldly, folding my arms in a defensive posture.
"The senators are pushing for the death sentence. I may be able to sway their decision." she said bluntly.
"Then I'll have to decline your oh-so-generous offer." I said, glaring at her... daring her to just try to arrest me.
Dodonna's eyes darkened, and she took a step back. With a wave of her hand, the group of Republic soldiers raised their weapons. Vandar also gave a slight gesture to the Jedi Knights, who drew their lightsabers, "If you will not surrender, we will take you by force, Revan." Vandar said calmly, "We had hoped to avoid such a confrontation."
I shook my head, "No. You will not take me prisoner." I said coldly. I didn't even raise my lightsaber.
"Then we have no other choice." Dodonna said.
But before she could give the order for her troops to fire, Carth stepped in front of me, standing between the Republic soldiers and me, "Admiral, please don't do this."
"Carth." she said coldly, "This is insubordination."
Carth glanced at me, and I shook my head, "I can handle this. I don't want to get you in trouble with your commanding officers, Carth."
He frowned, but stepped aside, "Please, Admiral... there must be some other way to deal with this situation." he pleaded.
"I'm sorry, Carth." she said quietly, before signalling her soldiers to fire on me.
I used the Force to accelerate my mind and body, allowing me to see and dodge the blaster bolts, as if they were in slow-motion. When the soldiers stopped firing, I smirked at Dodonna, "Is that the best you can do? I killed Mandalore and Malak, and you think a few blasters can take me down?!"
"You only need to make one mistake, Revan." Dodonna said coldly, ordering them to fire again. And again I dodged them all easily. Except the last one... that one, I just held up my right hand, and used the Force to make it dissolve into thin air, half an inch from my hand.
"This is too easy." I said smugly. The group of Jedi Knights approached me, lightsabers raised. I smirked, "Ah, now this might be more fun... watch you don't accidentally kill each other with those toys, now, children." I jeered.
They attacked me, with immense skill and speed... but I still evaded every blade that passed near me... with half a dozen of them attacking me from all sides, that is no mean feat. But eventually, they got too close, and I simply threw them all back with a wave of the Force. Another round of blaster fire flew over the heads of the Jedi who I had knocked to the ground... again, I dodged it.
"Admiral!" Carth snapped. I noticed he was now right in front of Dodonna. The Admiral ordered the soldiers to cease firing with a wave of her hand, then turned her full attention to Carth, "With all due respect, Admiral." he said coldly, "Revan has changed. If she were the Sith Lord she had been when she was Malak's master, do you honestly think she would merely dodge blaster bolts and lightsabers, when she had two perfectly functional lightsabers of her own on her belt?"
The Admiral gave Carth an evaluating look, then turned to give me an even more calculating glare, "Carth has a point." she said flatly, "Lower your weapons." she ordered.
Vandar nodded and the Jedi Knights backed down. I smiled, "Thank you, Carth." I said quietly.
"Don't mention it." he muttered.
"Now." I took one step towards Dodonna... not enough to look like an act of hostility, just enough to talk without shouting, "Perhaps we can talk civilly."
"What do you want, Revan?" she asked coldly.
"My freedom." I answered immediately. It wasn't the only thing I wanted, but it was the most relevant to the situation.
"We cannot allow a mass-murdering traitor such as yourself to run free." she replied sternly.
"It's non-negotiable." I said flatly, "I will not allow you to take me into custody. Though I do not wish any blood to be spilled here today."
The Admiral glared at me, but it was Vandar who spoke next, "What do you suggest, Revan?" he asked.
"Allow me to leave peacefully." I said calmly, "Allow me to leave Republic space and never return."
I noticed Dustil whisper something to Canderous, who nodded and left the party. I doubted anyone else saw the Mandalorian leave, however.
"That is asking a lot." Vandar said coldly.
Dustil now spoke to Juhani, Jolee and Bastila... Juhani shook her head immediately. Bastila glanced at me, and I heard her thinking, 'Perhaps it would be safer if I remain...' then she shook her head as well.
Jolee waved the boy off and muttered something I'd bet any credits sounded like 'Go on, shoo, kid'.
"I swear on the grave of Ajunta Pall that I shall never bother the Republic again." I said. And since it was Ajunta Pall's own words that made me realise I was being used... that oath means a great deal to me.
Dustil was now talking to Mission and Zaalbar. Zaalbar nodded immediately, and Mission had the look of excitement about her that she usually gets when there's something fun to explore. She also nodded, and they ran off after Canderous.
"Very well." Vandar said calmly, "May I ask something, before you go." I nodded, and he continued, "Are you still a Sith?"
"Yes." I said, smirking, "I have reclaimed my title as Sith Lord. But I shall keep my business out of Republic space in future."
"And who is this boy?" Vandar asked. Dustil had moved to stand beside me again, looking a little too smug. He was up to something. "While I am familiar with most of your crew, this boy is new."
"He is..." I glanced at Dustil, then smiled and said, "He's my new apprentice, Dustil Onasi."
Dodonna's eyes widened, and she stared at Dustil in surprise. Though I noticed that Carth actually didn't look like he was going to try to throttle me for claiming Dustil as my apprentice... that must be a good sign.
"The Sith are not, by default, evil, Master Vandar." I said, pointedly using the title, though it was clear I did not mean it, "Just because we value power and passion, it does not deny us self-control and compassion." I smirked, "We - by which I mean real Sith, not some of the wannabe brats in Malak's ranks - are still civilised beings. And on that note... Jolee would tell you a lovely story about how the Jedi should teach controlling their passions while in love, instead of denying the right to love. Well I consider the Sith should teach learning to control and use their passions rather than letting their passions rule them. It's the same difference. For the Jedi it would be the difference between cold emotionless drones and true defenders of the light. And for the Sith, it would be the difference between being petty thugs with lightsabers, and true masters of the dark. If I stay out of your playground, will you stay out of mine, Jedi?"
Vandar actually smiled, "You make a valid point, Revan. Very well, we shall not stop you from leaving, if you so wish."
I smiled and nodded. Dodonna frowned, but didn't try to argue, so I took that as permission to leave unchallenged.
I looked to Carth, who was watching me carefully... he seemed to be doing some serious thinking. After a moment, he turned to the Admiral, "Admiral Dodonna?"
"Yes, Carth?" she asked.
Carth rooted in his inside breast pocket, and pulled out a battered looking datapad, which he handed to the Admiral without a word.
She read it carefully, a frown growing the further she read, "Carth... this is four years old."
"So change the date. It's still valid." he said determinedly.
"If... if this is what you want. I can't argue." she said, pocketing the datapad, "It will be a shame to lose you, Carth."
He shrugged slightly, then saluted her, before turning and walking over to Dustil and me, "Weren't you saying you were leaving?" he asked me nonchalantly.
"I was watching what you were up to." I replied, as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me away from the Jedi and the Republic soldiers.
Dustil followed, walking beside his father. He was watching, with some degree of jealousy, the way Carth had wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Dodonna said that datapad you gave her was four years old." he noted, "What was it?"
"My resignation." Carth answered. I looked up at him sharply, though I didn't break my stride. "It's dated the week after Telos was bombed... I'd written it two months before that date. I was going to come home to stay with you and your mother... but..."
"But after you thought you lost them both... you had to fight for your vengeance." I said quietly. He nodded.
Dustil looked at the ground as we walked, "If I'd known that..." he said quietly. I could sense that he was now re-evaluating a lot of his preconceptions about his father. It was interesting to watch as his aura turned a slightly lighter shade of red, and the wisps of blue spread closer to his heart, letting the innocence in his soul shine a little brighter.
Carth shook his head, "It all worked out in the end, right son?"
"Yeah... could have been easier if you'd just told me that, though." Dustil muttered, smiling at Carth... his expression darkened when he looked at me, however. "You love her, don't you?" he asked quietly.
That startled Carth, and he stopped walking. Dustil and I also stopped. He stared at Dustil for a minute, before he finally asked, "What?"
"You love Revan... it's obvious." Dustil said... I could sense a faint resentment in him, though whether it was for his mother's sake, or for his own jealousy, I couldn't tell.
Carth looked at me, and his expression was one of surprise... as if he was mentally kicking himself for not figuring it out himself. I smiled at him, and he couldn't help but grin back at me, "Yes... I love her. I'm not sure why, but I do."
"I love you, too, Carth." I said. We continued to walk towards the Ebon Hawk, and I leaned against him, smiling to myself.
"So where do you plan to go?" Carth asked, after a couple of minutes of walking in silence.
"Anywhere outside Republic space." I answered, "Preferably somewhere remote... not Korriban, because that's too obvious."
He nodded, "What do you plan to do, when we leave Republic space?"
"You mean besides the obvious?" I asked... to make sure he knew exactly what was 'obvious', I grabbed his ass, while smiling innocently.
He managed not to jump, but did look quite startled, as he looked at me, "Yes... besides that." he said, smirking slightly.
"Well, I was going to find somewhere secluded, with a dark aura, but life around it... Korriban is just plain depressing - I want somewhere like Dantooine, but dark instead of light." I explained, "I told Vandar that Dustil is my apprentice, and I plan to teach the boy to be a true Sith, not some petty criminal with a lightsaber."
"I'm not sure I like the sound of that." Carth said quietly, "But I'm willing to give you a chance..."
"Just one chance?" I asked innocently.
"Just one." he was smiling as he said it, which indicated he didn't expect me to do anything to hurt him... he's just being his usual paranoid self.
x x x
We stepped onto the Ebon Hawk, to find Mission, Zaalbar, Canderous and the droids waiting for us. Carth made his way towards the cockpit, and I soon felt the ship leave the ground. "What are you lot doing here?" I asked the three meatbags.
"Dustil said you were gonna run off and leave Republic space, and asked did we want to go along for the ride." Mission said chirpily, "And who else am I supposed to hang out with? Griff?" she laughed derisively at that idea, "You and Big Z are more like family to me than he is, you know."
I nodded, and looked at Zaalbar for his reason, [I pledged my life-debt to you, Revan. I will follow you to the ends of the galaxy if you wish me to.]
I smiled faintly, "Thanks." I looked to Canderous, "And what about you?"
"You're Revan and I'll follow you anywhere." he declared, "It doesn't matter who you're fighting against, I'll be at your side. Mandalorians don't have any great love for the Republic anyway. Light side, dark side - it doesn't make any difference to me, Revan. I'll stick by your side no matter what comes."
I nodded to him. I knew the droids were mine, it went without saying, "You planned this, Dustil?"
"I figured you might want a quick getaway, if Dodonna decided to be a bitch." he answered, shrugging.
"Very thoughtful of you, Dustil." I said, smirking, "Where are Bastila, Juhani and Jolee?" I asked.
"They're staying with the Jedi." Dustil answered promptly.
"Ah... very well." I leaned on the back of one of the chairs, and closed my eyes, reaching out through the Force-bond, 'Bastila?'
'Safe journey, Revan.' she answered, 'And may the Force serve you well.'
I smiled, and whispered, sending the thought through the bond as I spoke, "May the Force be with you, Bastila."
The jump to hyperspace happened almost as soon as I'd said it. Seconds later, Carth returned to the common room, "Hey, beautiful." He placed both hands on my waist, and pulled me against him. I gladly let him do so.
"Well, if it isn't the most handsome pilot in the galaxy." I said, smiling.
He smiled, and brushed my hair behind my ear. In spite of Mission and Dustil's synchronised whine of "Sheesh, get a room!" Carth leaned towards me, and I tilted my head back to allow him to kiss me.
It felt so right... in that moment, the whole universe, for all its many flaws, aligned in pure perfection, as our lips met. The perfect happy ending.
x x x
Author's Notes: Last chapter. This is basically wrapping up the loose ends, and my great dislike for the light side ending. It should be a short chapter. Where I used the last line of the Jedi Code as the chapter titles of the last two chapters of my first KotOR fic, I used the last line of the Sith Code as the chapter titles of the last three chapters here. It seemed fitting.
arrow maker: That's the effect I was going for with that scene.
gamorreanprincess: Yes, that line was meant to be funny, in a morbid kinda way.
rockerbabe: Glad you liked it - the Malak scene had me near tears, when I wrote it, so I'm glad to see that it's not just me being a sappy fool. Malak refused to let her heal him, because he didn't think he could be redeemed, and he was afraid to try - in a sense, he took the coward's way out, by dying... but honestly, in that situation, I can't blame him. Bastila tempting Dustil was literally the only way to get Carth to see Revan had been redeemed, in a sense - she saved his son from making a horrible mistake - he cannot ignore that. Bastila because Malak's apprentice in the hopes of one day surpassing him, and having the intense pleasure of killing him herself. I'd love a fanart of those robes, and I said before that I'd love one of the memory-scene about Malak's jaw - I'd love anyone who could produce such a thing for me. Basty didn't use stasis, though on that note, Malak did on the Leviathan, in the game. I've started writing a prequel to this fic, showing Revan and Malak's romance, and fall to the DS - it may take a while, though. Black hair, blue eyes, pale skin - only difference is the fanfic character has hair the same length as mine, instead of the shorter hair her model has - she looks a lot like me, except I have fair hair.
Delight: Glad you like it. I don't think Jedi and Sith can co-exist... but read on to see the best compromise they could come up with.
HK-48: Glad you like it. I have some Harry Potter fanfics, and the Revan's Second Chance story - those are all I've got on this site.
Krazed Kaioshin Fangirl: In my mind, if the Star Forge hungers and feeds like a living thing, and is an entity of the dark side, it should be able to call to people... and a fear of death is natural, in even this most perversely evil creature. Everyone has a weakness - the game gave me the impression that Dustil was very strong as a Sith, and I figured a vulnerability to psychic suggestion would suit him - after all, he'd have to be gullible to join the Sith in the first place. Ok, Jolee, leave the poor girl alone.
Elflady: Yeah - that would be a cool mod... though I don't use them I'd still love screenshots if anyone ever made such a thing. The alternate ending isn't finished yet, but as soon as (and if - I'm a bit unsure of it, y'see) it is, I'll upload it.
Darth Jenrai: You're the third person to comment on that "heart-wrenching" line, you know. Though making you all feel sorry for Malak was kind of the idea. You're right - they did have a connection, even then, and the shredded remnants of this connection were amplified by the Star Forge - it wanted to drive the two (ex)lovers to kill each other.
ether-fanfic: Thank you. Wow, I've taken a character most people call a brat, and made my readers love him - cool!
Ceridan: I don't quite understand how Malak could cough without a throat... but meh. Glad you're liking the story.
Niliav: Customising robes like that would have been incredibly complicated to engineer, I'm sure... but in a fanfic, you can do anything! Mwahahahahaa! And as I said last chapter, not being able to love Bastila platonically really annoyed me in the game.
Firera: Does it matter? You got the LS ending anyway! I'm considering having Malak encounter a rakghoul, in my next fanfic... just out of maliciousness on my part.
Brynn: If you call this chapter an epilogue, then yes. If not, then no. I do have a prelude for both this and the other fic, in the works, though.
Prisoner 24601: Well, Carth was actually convinced when Revan stopped Dustil from siding with Bastila - taking him to the Star Forge was just for fun, really. Carth is a stubborn man, and he surprises me sometimes - when he told Revan to hell with the mission, so long as he could save his son, when they landed on Korriban, that shocked me... but that happens when a character writes themselves.
RollingSkull: I'm not LS-hating... I just hate the LS-ending here, because it's too corny - I mean, can you really believe the Republic would welcome Revan back with open arms, just because he/she blew up one measly Star Forge? I'm actually a relatively LS person, considering I'm a Sith/Slytherin with some vengeance-demon heritage. "Dangit woman, be evil or be good. You use the Force, so you cannot pick both." ahem, I beg to differ - look at Jolee... now go a few shades darker in the Force-alignment thingy... and there you find me - still not pure evil, but not goody-goody, either. As for the one-liners - only most of them? Which ones were too unsubtle?
gak: Heh - most of those quotes are examples of the two Onasi men writing themselves - I can't control either of them, but I do like what they come up with - you know you're character has a real personality when you, the author, can't control them anymore. I picture Dustil as eighteen, though only just turned eighteen like a few weeks before he met Revan - when Telos was bombed, he was thirteen, nearly fourteen. And I was proud of the "that was your foot" line - glad someone liked it.
x x x
Chapter 11 - The Force Shall Free Me
I ran out of the elevator, as the Star Forge lurched and creaked ominously. "Let's get the hell off this thing!" I shouted to Bastila and Dustil, who were waiting at the Hawk for me. The screams in my mind had turned from pain to terror... the Star Forge's death cry was one of fear... fear of death... it seemed ironic, since the Star Forge was designed to bring death.
We bolted onto the ship, and I heard Carth's voice over the internal commlink as the embarkation ramp sealed off behind me, "Nice timing. Hold on, this is going to be a bumpy ride."
The Hawk took off, and flew out of the hangar. It reminded me of the flight from Taris, through the blaster fire and falling debris... except the screams of death in my mind weren't all human, and they really hurt. Bastila didn't seem to be faring so well, either... and Dustil had slid down the wall, with his hands to his head as if in agony.
'Make sure the boy's all right, Bastila... I'm going to-' the ship shook from an explosion very nearby, '-see how Carth's doing.' She nodded, and knelt shakily next to Dustil, while I began to make my way precariously to the cockpit.
"Hey, beautiful." Carth greeted, as I collapsed into the co-pilot's seat, "I knew you'd make it."
Another explosion behind the Hawk, sent us spiralling away from the Star Forge. Luckily for us, the artificial gravity meant we didn't get thrown around too much... we just got space-sick looking out the window.
The ship spun out of the blast radius of the Star Forge exploding and falling into the star, just in time... a few seconds later, and we'd have been fried with the rest of the unfortunate fools on that station.
"Carth you made it!" Admiral Dodonna's voice called, over the commlink.
"We couldn't let you start the victory party without us, Admiral!" Carth replied brightly, into the comm.
"I'm sending an honour guard to escort you in." the Admiral said, "You'll be getting a hero's welcome when we all get home!"
Carth responded in the affirmative, before deactivating the comm.
"No... no way." I said, shaking my head, "Carth, I won't go to the Republic ships."
He looked at me, surprised, "Why not?" he asked, "You just helped them destroy the Star Forge."
"They won't see it like that. I'm the one who awoke the Star Forge in the first place!" I was feeling the beginnings of panic in the back of my mind... I had to get away from them... I couldn't let them capture me again.
"Revan, calm down." he said gently, "They won't hurt you."
"That's what you think." I muttered, turning to stare out at the ships approaching to escort us in... it felt ominous... like being escorted to the gallows, instead of the hero's welcome we had been promised.
x x x
I watched nervously, as the Ebon Hawk's embarkation ramp descended ever so slowly to the ground of the Rakatan world. The rest of the Ebon Hawk's non-droid crew accompanied me, as I stepped off the ship.
The first thing we saw was a group of half a dozen Jedi Knights waiting for us, led by Master Vandar. Vandar approached us, almost immediately, "It is good to see Bastila has returned to us." he said calmly.
"Not so fast, short-ass." I snapped. The Jedi Knights all glared at me for that, but Vandar seemed not to care that I had insulted him, "Bastila's not yours. She's mine."
Bastila frowned, her head bowed, "She's right, Master Vandar. I rejected Malak's offers for her, not for the Jedi. I... I have failed you, Master."
"You have not failed." Vandar said calmly, "You made the right choice. You rejected the lure of the Star Forge. You helped the fleet destroy the Star Forge. You are far from a failure."
"Th-thank you, Master Vandar... it is more than I deserve." Bastila answered quietly.
"She may make her own choices." I said, giving Vandar a cold look, "If she wishes to return to the Jedi Order, that is her choice to make. You cannot order her to return to you."
"You plan to stop a Jedi Master, do you?" one of the Knights, a young woman, snapped.
I smirked darkly, "Your attitude reminds me of myself, when I was a Jedi." I told her.
Her mouth opened and closed a few times, then she simply resorted to glaring petulantly.
I turned back to Vandar, "So what now?" I asked bluntly.
"You shall follow us to the temple here. Admiral Dodonna wishes to meet with you, and the plateaux is the best location nearby." Vandar said calmly.
"Why not meet on your ship?" I asked.
"This is... neutral ground. Where you should not feel threatened, given your... obvious alignment in the Force." Vandar answered.
I nodded slowly, "Very well. Lead the way." 'Short-ass' I added mentally. Bastila sniggered slightly.
Vandar led us to the plateaux outside the temple. The view was spectacular, and the weather was perfect. I noticed a small platoon of Republic soldiers, flanking Admiral Dodonna herself, as we stepped onto the plateaux. Every one of those soldiers was armed.
I also noticed a holovid recorder, nearby. I got the feeling this was the victory celebration and award ceremony, though I was glad to see the holorecorder was switched off for now.
Admiral Dodonna nodded to us, as we approached, and Carth saluted. "At ease, Commander." the Admiral said, waving a hand to dismiss that formality. She walked over to us, so her soldiers would be out of earshot of our conversation.
"Vandar said you wished to meet with me?" I asked. I noticed irritation flare in the auras of the Jedi Knights nearby, that I had not used the word 'Master' when referring to Vandar. Such a trivial formality, it seemed to affect them so badly that I had ignored it.
"That is true." the Admiral said, nodding, "I wanted to see for myself. Master Vandar said the memory alterations were ineffective?"
"That's true." I said coldly, "Do tell me whose bright idea that was, please."
"It was Master Vrook's suggestion." Vandar said calmly, "Masters Zhar and Lovegood had hoped you would be redeemable without such drastic measures."
"But I resisted their attempts to access my memories." I frowned, "I tried to fight back, and so they tried to destroy who I was and replace me with a more compliant personality."
"Master Lovegood was only trying to discover why you fell to the dark side, so they could attempt to talk you back from it." Vandar said gently.
I sighed, "Let's not argue, right now." I said, exasperated, "I'm still tired, from my last duel."
"Very well." Vandar said, nodding and stepping back to allow Admiral Dodonna to speak to me.
"Kindly step over here, please." the Admiral said, to all of us.
Carth immediately did as he was told. Bastila, Juhani and Jolee also did what the Admiral had asked them. Mission and Zaalbar looked to me, and I nodded slightly... they then joined the others.
Dustil and Canderous refused to move, however. "Canderous... go." I said, pointing to the rest of the crew. He obeyed my order.
I glanced at Dustil, then nodded and led the boy over to where the Admiral had told us to stand... it was in direct line of the holorecorder.
The holorecorder was activated, and I did my best to glower at it. The rest of my crew followed suit, looking either bored out of their mind, incredibly uncomfortable, or like they're plotting to kill the cameraman... or some combination of all three.
"You have defeated Malak, destroyed the Star Forge and broken the spirit of the Sith!" Dodonna announced, specifically for the holorecorder and the gathered soldiers to hear, "For this I am proud to present you each with the Cross of Glory. The highest honour the Republic can bestow."
I heard Canderous mutter, under his breath, in Mandalorian, [Could be worse... the medals could be lurid pink.]
Dustil sniggered at that, and I saw Jolee's lip twitch as he attempted not to smirk.
"From Couruscant to the farthest reaches of the Outer Rims you will be known as the saviours of the Republic!" Dodonna continued, oblivious to what Canderous said. She made her way down the line of my crew, giving each one a medal.
Carth stood tall, as he received his medal... but under the pride he projected for everyone to see, there was some degree of boredom and a sense of falseness... that he felt this medal didn't mean as much as it should.
Mission grinned brightly, and thanked Dodonna with genuine glee as she took her medal. I was surprised she didn't squeal 'this is soooooo cool!' for all to hear.
Zaalbar nodded his thanks curtly, as he was given his medal. He seemed to understand this honour was meaningful to humans, though he did not genuinely feel the meaning of it, as most humans did not feel the meaning of Wookiee honour.
Bastila accepted her medal with humility, and mumbled faintly that she did not deserve it.
Juhani smiled graciously as her medal was given to her, but I sensed a distance as if she would prefer to be thanked by a Jedi Master rather than a Republic officer.
Jolee muttered about worthless bits of metal that didn't go with his Jedi robes at all, as he took his medal.
Canderous watched Dodonna with silent contempt, but he accepted the medal all the same. He seemed to be grateful for the honour, even if it was not the kind he usually fought for.
Dustil smiled slightly, as Dodonna handed him his medal... and the eerie glitter in his eyes that accompanied that smile instilled some degree of fear in the Admiral, even though she didn't show it. Her aura looked like she thought she'd just seen the face of evil itself. Which, considering the fact that the boy must have aced 'Evil Smiling 101' at the Sith academy, is a very good analogy.
She then came to me. But I held up my hand, and shook my head, "No. I don't want a medal." I said.
She blinked, confused, but when I gave her a stern look that said I wasn't kidding, she shrugged and stepped out of the range of the holorecorder.
Vandar stepped forward to take her place, "On behalf of the Jedi Council, defenders of the galaxy and sworn protectors of the Republic... I too would like to honour you for your actions."
"Oh, that's it. I'm out of here." I said, turning to leave. Dustil glanced at his father, before following me out of the range of the holorecorder. Though neither of us went any further away than that.
Vandar blinked at my sudden departure from the proceedings, then continued to speak, almost seamlessly, "Together, you have eliminated a great force of darkness, and saved us all from Darth Malak's conquering army. Wherever you go, you will be recognised as the saviours of the galaxy, the heroes of our age."
'Yadda yadda yadda.' Jolee grouched mentally, projecting it for every Force-sensitive in the vicinity to hear.
Vandar ignored Jolee, and concluded his speech by saying, "But you must be ever vigilant." in an overly ominous tone. And then the holorecorder was deactivated, to the relief of the entire Ebon Hawk crew.
"Well, if that wasn't the biggest waste of time." Jolee said out loud, "Couldn't you have spent it, oh, I dunno, trying to wipe out galactic slavery, or something?" he asked Vandar.
"Pfft." I replied snarkily, "That makes a lot of people way too much money. It's just not cost effective for them to try to eliminate it. Same with the spice trade."
Admiral Dodonna approached me, now, "Revan." she said coldly. That name seemed to startle several of her little squad of soldiers. I'll bet they weren't told who I was. "You are hereby placed under arrest, for treachery against the Galactic Republic."
I looked to Vandar, who nodded slightly, indicating the Jedi would back the Republic in this scenario. I then glared at the Admiral, "No."
The Admiral rightly looked nervous... but she stood her ground, "I would advise that you not resist arrest. You may be treated leniently if you come quietly."
"Define 'lenient' for me, please." I said coldly, folding my arms in a defensive posture.
"The senators are pushing for the death sentence. I may be able to sway their decision." she said bluntly.
"Then I'll have to decline your oh-so-generous offer." I said, glaring at her... daring her to just try to arrest me.
Dodonna's eyes darkened, and she took a step back. With a wave of her hand, the group of Republic soldiers raised their weapons. Vandar also gave a slight gesture to the Jedi Knights, who drew their lightsabers, "If you will not surrender, we will take you by force, Revan." Vandar said calmly, "We had hoped to avoid such a confrontation."
I shook my head, "No. You will not take me prisoner." I said coldly. I didn't even raise my lightsaber.
"Then we have no other choice." Dodonna said.
But before she could give the order for her troops to fire, Carth stepped in front of me, standing between the Republic soldiers and me, "Admiral, please don't do this."
"Carth." she said coldly, "This is insubordination."
Carth glanced at me, and I shook my head, "I can handle this. I don't want to get you in trouble with your commanding officers, Carth."
He frowned, but stepped aside, "Please, Admiral... there must be some other way to deal with this situation." he pleaded.
"I'm sorry, Carth." she said quietly, before signalling her soldiers to fire on me.
I used the Force to accelerate my mind and body, allowing me to see and dodge the blaster bolts, as if they were in slow-motion. When the soldiers stopped firing, I smirked at Dodonna, "Is that the best you can do? I killed Mandalore and Malak, and you think a few blasters can take me down?!"
"You only need to make one mistake, Revan." Dodonna said coldly, ordering them to fire again. And again I dodged them all easily. Except the last one... that one, I just held up my right hand, and used the Force to make it dissolve into thin air, half an inch from my hand.
"This is too easy." I said smugly. The group of Jedi Knights approached me, lightsabers raised. I smirked, "Ah, now this might be more fun... watch you don't accidentally kill each other with those toys, now, children." I jeered.
They attacked me, with immense skill and speed... but I still evaded every blade that passed near me... with half a dozen of them attacking me from all sides, that is no mean feat. But eventually, they got too close, and I simply threw them all back with a wave of the Force. Another round of blaster fire flew over the heads of the Jedi who I had knocked to the ground... again, I dodged it.
"Admiral!" Carth snapped. I noticed he was now right in front of Dodonna. The Admiral ordered the soldiers to cease firing with a wave of her hand, then turned her full attention to Carth, "With all due respect, Admiral." he said coldly, "Revan has changed. If she were the Sith Lord she had been when she was Malak's master, do you honestly think she would merely dodge blaster bolts and lightsabers, when she had two perfectly functional lightsabers of her own on her belt?"
The Admiral gave Carth an evaluating look, then turned to give me an even more calculating glare, "Carth has a point." she said flatly, "Lower your weapons." she ordered.
Vandar nodded and the Jedi Knights backed down. I smiled, "Thank you, Carth." I said quietly.
"Don't mention it." he muttered.
"Now." I took one step towards Dodonna... not enough to look like an act of hostility, just enough to talk without shouting, "Perhaps we can talk civilly."
"What do you want, Revan?" she asked coldly.
"My freedom." I answered immediately. It wasn't the only thing I wanted, but it was the most relevant to the situation.
"We cannot allow a mass-murdering traitor such as yourself to run free." she replied sternly.
"It's non-negotiable." I said flatly, "I will not allow you to take me into custody. Though I do not wish any blood to be spilled here today."
The Admiral glared at me, but it was Vandar who spoke next, "What do you suggest, Revan?" he asked.
"Allow me to leave peacefully." I said calmly, "Allow me to leave Republic space and never return."
I noticed Dustil whisper something to Canderous, who nodded and left the party. I doubted anyone else saw the Mandalorian leave, however.
"That is asking a lot." Vandar said coldly.
Dustil now spoke to Juhani, Jolee and Bastila... Juhani shook her head immediately. Bastila glanced at me, and I heard her thinking, 'Perhaps it would be safer if I remain...' then she shook her head as well.
Jolee waved the boy off and muttered something I'd bet any credits sounded like 'Go on, shoo, kid'.
"I swear on the grave of Ajunta Pall that I shall never bother the Republic again." I said. And since it was Ajunta Pall's own words that made me realise I was being used... that oath means a great deal to me.
Dustil was now talking to Mission and Zaalbar. Zaalbar nodded immediately, and Mission had the look of excitement about her that she usually gets when there's something fun to explore. She also nodded, and they ran off after Canderous.
"Very well." Vandar said calmly, "May I ask something, before you go." I nodded, and he continued, "Are you still a Sith?"
"Yes." I said, smirking, "I have reclaimed my title as Sith Lord. But I shall keep my business out of Republic space in future."
"And who is this boy?" Vandar asked. Dustil had moved to stand beside me again, looking a little too smug. He was up to something. "While I am familiar with most of your crew, this boy is new."
"He is..." I glanced at Dustil, then smiled and said, "He's my new apprentice, Dustil Onasi."
Dodonna's eyes widened, and she stared at Dustil in surprise. Though I noticed that Carth actually didn't look like he was going to try to throttle me for claiming Dustil as my apprentice... that must be a good sign.
"The Sith are not, by default, evil, Master Vandar." I said, pointedly using the title, though it was clear I did not mean it, "Just because we value power and passion, it does not deny us self-control and compassion." I smirked, "We - by which I mean real Sith, not some of the wannabe brats in Malak's ranks - are still civilised beings. And on that note... Jolee would tell you a lovely story about how the Jedi should teach controlling their passions while in love, instead of denying the right to love. Well I consider the Sith should teach learning to control and use their passions rather than letting their passions rule them. It's the same difference. For the Jedi it would be the difference between cold emotionless drones and true defenders of the light. And for the Sith, it would be the difference between being petty thugs with lightsabers, and true masters of the dark. If I stay out of your playground, will you stay out of mine, Jedi?"
Vandar actually smiled, "You make a valid point, Revan. Very well, we shall not stop you from leaving, if you so wish."
I smiled and nodded. Dodonna frowned, but didn't try to argue, so I took that as permission to leave unchallenged.
I looked to Carth, who was watching me carefully... he seemed to be doing some serious thinking. After a moment, he turned to the Admiral, "Admiral Dodonna?"
"Yes, Carth?" she asked.
Carth rooted in his inside breast pocket, and pulled out a battered looking datapad, which he handed to the Admiral without a word.
She read it carefully, a frown growing the further she read, "Carth... this is four years old."
"So change the date. It's still valid." he said determinedly.
"If... if this is what you want. I can't argue." she said, pocketing the datapad, "It will be a shame to lose you, Carth."
He shrugged slightly, then saluted her, before turning and walking over to Dustil and me, "Weren't you saying you were leaving?" he asked me nonchalantly.
"I was watching what you were up to." I replied, as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me away from the Jedi and the Republic soldiers.
Dustil followed, walking beside his father. He was watching, with some degree of jealousy, the way Carth had wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Dodonna said that datapad you gave her was four years old." he noted, "What was it?"
"My resignation." Carth answered. I looked up at him sharply, though I didn't break my stride. "It's dated the week after Telos was bombed... I'd written it two months before that date. I was going to come home to stay with you and your mother... but..."
"But after you thought you lost them both... you had to fight for your vengeance." I said quietly. He nodded.
Dustil looked at the ground as we walked, "If I'd known that..." he said quietly. I could sense that he was now re-evaluating a lot of his preconceptions about his father. It was interesting to watch as his aura turned a slightly lighter shade of red, and the wisps of blue spread closer to his heart, letting the innocence in his soul shine a little brighter.
Carth shook his head, "It all worked out in the end, right son?"
"Yeah... could have been easier if you'd just told me that, though." Dustil muttered, smiling at Carth... his expression darkened when he looked at me, however. "You love her, don't you?" he asked quietly.
That startled Carth, and he stopped walking. Dustil and I also stopped. He stared at Dustil for a minute, before he finally asked, "What?"
"You love Revan... it's obvious." Dustil said... I could sense a faint resentment in him, though whether it was for his mother's sake, or for his own jealousy, I couldn't tell.
Carth looked at me, and his expression was one of surprise... as if he was mentally kicking himself for not figuring it out himself. I smiled at him, and he couldn't help but grin back at me, "Yes... I love her. I'm not sure why, but I do."
"I love you, too, Carth." I said. We continued to walk towards the Ebon Hawk, and I leaned against him, smiling to myself.
"So where do you plan to go?" Carth asked, after a couple of minutes of walking in silence.
"Anywhere outside Republic space." I answered, "Preferably somewhere remote... not Korriban, because that's too obvious."
He nodded, "What do you plan to do, when we leave Republic space?"
"You mean besides the obvious?" I asked... to make sure he knew exactly what was 'obvious', I grabbed his ass, while smiling innocently.
He managed not to jump, but did look quite startled, as he looked at me, "Yes... besides that." he said, smirking slightly.
"Well, I was going to find somewhere secluded, with a dark aura, but life around it... Korriban is just plain depressing - I want somewhere like Dantooine, but dark instead of light." I explained, "I told Vandar that Dustil is my apprentice, and I plan to teach the boy to be a true Sith, not some petty criminal with a lightsaber."
"I'm not sure I like the sound of that." Carth said quietly, "But I'm willing to give you a chance..."
"Just one chance?" I asked innocently.
"Just one." he was smiling as he said it, which indicated he didn't expect me to do anything to hurt him... he's just being his usual paranoid self.
x x x
We stepped onto the Ebon Hawk, to find Mission, Zaalbar, Canderous and the droids waiting for us. Carth made his way towards the cockpit, and I soon felt the ship leave the ground. "What are you lot doing here?" I asked the three meatbags.
"Dustil said you were gonna run off and leave Republic space, and asked did we want to go along for the ride." Mission said chirpily, "And who else am I supposed to hang out with? Griff?" she laughed derisively at that idea, "You and Big Z are more like family to me than he is, you know."
I nodded, and looked at Zaalbar for his reason, [I pledged my life-debt to you, Revan. I will follow you to the ends of the galaxy if you wish me to.]
I smiled faintly, "Thanks." I looked to Canderous, "And what about you?"
"You're Revan and I'll follow you anywhere." he declared, "It doesn't matter who you're fighting against, I'll be at your side. Mandalorians don't have any great love for the Republic anyway. Light side, dark side - it doesn't make any difference to me, Revan. I'll stick by your side no matter what comes."
I nodded to him. I knew the droids were mine, it went without saying, "You planned this, Dustil?"
"I figured you might want a quick getaway, if Dodonna decided to be a bitch." he answered, shrugging.
"Very thoughtful of you, Dustil." I said, smirking, "Where are Bastila, Juhani and Jolee?" I asked.
"They're staying with the Jedi." Dustil answered promptly.
"Ah... very well." I leaned on the back of one of the chairs, and closed my eyes, reaching out through the Force-bond, 'Bastila?'
'Safe journey, Revan.' she answered, 'And may the Force serve you well.'
I smiled, and whispered, sending the thought through the bond as I spoke, "May the Force be with you, Bastila."
The jump to hyperspace happened almost as soon as I'd said it. Seconds later, Carth returned to the common room, "Hey, beautiful." He placed both hands on my waist, and pulled me against him. I gladly let him do so.
"Well, if it isn't the most handsome pilot in the galaxy." I said, smiling.
He smiled, and brushed my hair behind my ear. In spite of Mission and Dustil's synchronised whine of "Sheesh, get a room!" Carth leaned towards me, and I tilted my head back to allow him to kiss me.
It felt so right... in that moment, the whole universe, for all its many flaws, aligned in pure perfection, as our lips met. The perfect happy ending.
x x x