Light in the Darkness
By Red Guard
Disclaimer: I do not, did not and probably will not own Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic or any of the characters appearing in or associated with it. LucasArts and BioWare own the characters and most of events appearing in this work.
Chapter 3: Betrayal
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Location: Dantooine, Jedi Enclave Ruins
The ruins of the Jedi Enclave were plain for all to see. The buildings that had once stood proudly were now all but rubble strewn around the charred grasslands. Darth Malak had been extremely thorough, not a blade of grass within a ten mile radius was left unscathed. The gathered troupe of Jedi looked upon the devastation solemnly.
'Such is the corruption of the dark side.' One of the young apprentices dared to venture.
'The dark side can wreck far more destruction than this.' The elder Jedi replied. 'Remember the horror, and never give in to the temptation.'
'Yes, Master.' The apprentices chorused.
Another hodded figure began to approach the small group. He smiled as he recognized the slow gait of the newcomer. 'Go and meditate upon the desolation, and try to find peace in this turmoil. The battle ahead will test you greatly. Remember that.' He gestured towards the blackened ground. The students nodded slowly and began to approach the ruins cautiously.
'I always said that you would make a fine Master, Dustil.'
He turned, and watched the robed figure pull back her hood. 'I'm no Master, Yuthura. You know that as well as I do.'
'We've been over this before haven't we?' The twi'lek's unflinching gaze bore into him.
'Yes, we have.' He turned away, and stared into the distant sky. 'And my stand has not changed.'
'Then, I won't speak about it now.' He could almost feel her heave a heavy sigh. 'The plan has already been set in motion. Have you prepared them for what is to come?'
'They have to prepare themselves. I am but their mentor.' He looked at the young Jedi uneasily. 'Why must we move now? Everyone is not ready for this.'
'The time is right. I fear that if we do nothing, the Sith will overrun the galaxy, and the Order will be crushed in their wake.'
He took a long look at her. She was speaking the truth. Everyone knew that. But, what if this gamble failed? Where would the Order be after that? Would the Order even be around?
She returned his look with her steady gaze. 'This is it. The crossroads. We can either go down the path of destruction, or we can free the galaxy from the corruption of the dark side.'
'Which side will we be traveling down on?' He asked softly.
'I don't know.' She admitted quietly. 'But, what I do know is that after today, we will be walking down either one, with no chance of return.'
'Then, may the Force be with us.'
'It is. It always is.'
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Location: Coruscant, Sith Palace
He felt her sigh as he placed his arm around her. It was a quiet day in the massive structure that was his palace. Now, he and Bastila were alone on the balcony, overlooking the never-ending city that was Coruscant. She placed her head upon his shoulder and leaned onto him. Sometimes, even in spite of how blood soaked his hands were, the Force gave him these moments where he could forget everything and enjoy Bastila's company. He looked down at her, and her serene expression almost made him believe that she felt the same way. Almost.
'Lord Revan.' A confident voice shattered the silence. 'Lady Bastila.'
He whirled around and saw a Sith officer walking towards him. He gazed upon the intruder with muted fury. How he wished that he could smite the man. But he knew that he couldn't. Wanton killing brought no joy. It never did. 'Speak.' He commanded.
'Yes, my Lord.' The officer saluted. 'The captain of one of our ships believes that he has located several Jedi.'
'Jedi?' Revan felt himself echo incredulously. Something was wrong. The Jedi were never so sloppy. For them to be spotted by mere routine scanning suggested that extraordinary circumstances were involved.
'Yes, my Lord. Not only were there Jedi, but the captain said that one of his Sith probes managed to positively identify Master Yuthura Ban.'
'The captain is mistaken.' Revan snapped in return. 'She would never allow herself to be located so easily.'
'We have checked the information several times over, my Lord. We have little reason to doubt it.'
'Revan.' He heard Bastila whisper softly, her head still resting on his arm. 'I'll go.'
'Don't bother.' He answered. 'This is a ruse.'
'A ruse set by the Jedi. When they spring it, I'll be there, and I'll track them down.' She replied. 'This is my responsibility. I cannot shun it.'
'If that's what you wish.' He looked back at the officer and demanded. 'Where are the Jedi?'
'Dantooine, my Lord.'
He pressed his lips into a mirthless smile. Somehow, he felt it fitting. The Jedi will once again be slaughtered on Dantooine. The beginning of everything.
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Location: Dantooine, Jedi Enclave Ruins
'They come.' He approached Yuthura. The blackened ash of grass crumpled beneath his soles. 'A Sith frigate is docked in orbit. They know we're here.'
She didn't reply. She continued looking into night sky.
'Yuthura?' The clear moonlight illuminated her face. She had been crying. 'What's wrong?'
'Dustil.' She shuddered as she spoke. 'I'm sorry, but I still can't believe that everyone here is gone. I had so many memories here.'
'Is this the first time that you.'
'Yes, it is.' She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to suppress the tears. 'I can't believe how foolish I was. Why did I ever give up on the Jedi? Why did I come back here? Malak followed me here. They killed everyone, except me. Why was I the one to survive?'
'Yuthura.' He gripped her shoulders and forced her to face him. 'You know that they did not follow you back to Dantooine. You did not do this.'
'I did. I was a slave to the dark side. It dominated my life. Even now, no matter what I do, I can feel the taint in my soul.' She let out a quick sob. 'Dustil, you don't understand what its like. You can't.'
'I do.' Dustil almost shouted back at her. 'Don't you remember how Revan found me? I was serving that Sith Master hand and foot, just to taste the power of the dark side. You were there, you knew who I was. You saw what I did. It took a great man to drag me out of the hole that I was digging for myself. And then, after I decided to turn towards the light, he fell to the dark. All because of that woman. Can you imagine how betrayed I felt? Can you imagine feeling all your beliefs and convictions crushed?'
'I'm sorry, Dustil.' Yuthura cast he eyes downwards. 'I didn't mean to question you.'
'I know you didn't.'
'My nerves are getting to me. I can feel that the coming battle will bring me face to face with Revan himself. I don't know if I will be able to fight him. He was a dear friend.'
Dustil nodded slowly. 'I understand. Will we be able to turn him to the light, just as he did for us?'
'We will die trying.' She raised her head and held his gaze. 'The Revan I knew would expect nothing less.'
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Location: Coruscant, Palace Hangar
He had seen it many times before. An entourage of Sith troopers sending Lady Bastila off as she goes on her mission to exterminate the scourge of the Jedi. She stood before him, a massive shuttle already waiting for her. Sometimes, he would recite the Sith Code. Sometimes, he would salute her for her bravery. Sometimes, he would present her with a parting gift. But today, he decided to take a much different approach.
He reached out, circled his hands around her waste, and as she let out a small yelp, he pulled her towards him. The kiss was as passionate as it was long. It seemed like an eternity before they drew apart. She gave him a small smile. 'I wondered when you would start doing that.'
'Come back quickly.' He whispered as he let go of her.
'I will, my Lord.' She bowed, turned and boarded the shuttle.
He was still standing in the hangar long after the shuttle had left.
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Location: Dantooine, Jedi Enclave Ruins
'Master Dustil!' An apprentice ran towards him. 'A Sith shuttle has just landed, it's the Dark Lady! She is accompanied by two dozen Sith apprentices, and a whole company Sith troopers!'
'Excellent job, now take your position.' He yelled in reply.
'So, she has finally come.' Yuthura noted calmly. 'The Sith are growing complacent. They think that our back is broken.'
'Complacency?' He echoed. 'The Sith have brought more men than we could ever hope to defeat alone.'
'We are not alone, Dustil.'
'I fought her before.' He sat down on a rock. 'It will not be easy. Don't involve the apprentices. Their slaughter will be meaningless.'
'No.' She shook her head. 'We must triumph now and it must be swift. The apprentices will make a difference, just as the other Masters will. Bastila will not fall easily.'
'Swift.' He whispered.
'She must not contact Revan. If the Dark Lord comes, all will be lost.'
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Location: Dantooine, outside the Ruins
A strange feeling of nostalgia washed over her. Memories from a life that she had left behind returned and shook her to the core. But, like everything else that was from that time, the Jedi Enclave that she had once called her home was utterly destroyed. Maybe it was better that way. Facing the past was too painful.
'Commander!' She ordered the leader of the Sith troops. 'I want you to search the area around the ruins. My apprentices and I will search the ruins itself.'
'I'm sorry, my Lady.' The Commander replied. 'But Lord Revan told me to protect you at all costs.'
'The situation has changed.' Bastila narrowed her eyes slightly. 'I don't wish to repeat my orders again.'
'But.'
'Disobedience, Commander?'
'No, my Lady.' The Sith Commander threw her a sharp salute, and began issuing orders to his men.
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Location: Dantooine, Jedi Enclave Ruins
'There they are, my Lady.' One of her apprentices hissed.
She took a look at the two figures that sat calmly in the middle of the desolation. Something was not right. The two most influential Jedi would not just sit in the middle of nowhere waiting for her to arrive. It was a trap, but she would still emerge triumphant. She would best all the Jedi even if she had to, but she will not fail her Lord again.
'Lady Bastila.' The traitor Yuthura Ban spoke, using the Force to project her voice. 'What a coincidence.'
'I don't have anytime for small talk.' She replied as she ignited her lightsaber. 'By order of my Lord, surrender or die.'
'You couldn't best me once.' Dustil stepped forward. 'What makes you think this time will be any different?'
She smirked. 'I am accompanied by the best the academy offers. You cannot win.' On her command, her troupe of apprentices took up a fighting stance. 'I know there are more Jedi here. Call them before it is too late.'
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Location: Coruscant, Sith Palace
He jerked out of his bed in a cold sweat. A nightmare. No, Jedi don't have nightmares. They have visions. He cupped his face in his hands, trying his best to dispel the horror that he witnessed, but he couldn't. The images were too vivid, too real.
It was an eerie feeling. A feeling of great foreshadowing. The feeling that the beginning of the end was at hand.
And more importantly.
The unmistakable feeling of betrayal.
Bitter betrayal.
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Location: Dantooine, Jedi Enclave Ruins
'So you do not wish to surrender?' Bastila gave the two Jedi one last warning. 'If you do, my Lord may show you some mercy.'
'Mercy?' One of the Sith apprentices hissed. 'Mercy is a weakness, my Lady.'
'We will speak of this later.' She whispered fiercely. 'Question me no longer and concentrate on the Jedi.'
Yuthura stood up. 'The Jedi will never surrender to the dark side.'
'Then prepare to be crushed.' Bastila snarled in return.
Dustil smiled slowly. 'You will be the one who will be crushed today.'
And almost as if on cue, what seemed like the entire Jedi Order rose out of their hiding places in the ruins. Their lightsabers ablaze, they slowly began to encircle the Sith.
She took one look around the battlefield, and began to gather her energy. The enemy was many, but she would triumph. This was the final battle. After this, she and Revan would have won. She took a deep breath. Bastila gave her opponents a haunting gaze. 'This changes nothing. You will fall today.' She turned towards her charges. 'Go, kill them all.'
But, they didn't move.
'Are you cowards?' She bellowed. 'The Jedi outnumber us, yes, but they are a ragtag band of half-trained children! We are more than a match for all of them!'
Still, they did not move.
'Do you want me to strike you down for your cowardice?'
'Lady Bastila.' One of the apprentices turned towards her, his face twisted in a cruel grin. 'We follow your orders no more.'
And then, the apprentices pounced upon her.
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Author's Notes: Yeah, I know that I made the Sith seem like overconfident idiots. But, that's what happens when you get too big and powerful. Plus, the Sith were never too bright anyway, being blinded by power and all.
Oh, and yep, I know I dumped in a cliffhanger. But, hey that's the only way to write these chapters yea?
No pre-readers were hurt in the making of this chapter.
Anyways, please remember to email me at red_aurum@yahoo.com for any suggestions, critiques, reviews and the like. Please don't flame me, I have a fragile ego.
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