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 5: Battle

Location: Outer Rim, Jedi Corvette, Bridge

'The Fleet is here, Jedi Onasi.' The calm and collected voice of the Republic Fleet's admiral could not hide the collective trepidation that they all felt. 'We have trusted the Jedi until now, and we hope that we will still be able to continue to trust you.'

'I appreciate your confidence, Admiral.' Dustil tried to put as much steel into his voice as possible. 'The conflict will end today, and we will do our best to make sure that the victory is ours.'

'Are you certain that Revan will come?'

'Yes. This time, we have something that he would do anything to recover.'

Location: Hyperspace, Revan's flagship, Revan's personal chambers

He watched as his red saber flew through the air. Tracking its movement with the naked eye was incredibly difficult. Dodging its lethal edge was decidedly more challenging. He let it hover in the air for a moment before he leapt forward, snatched the saber out of the air and brought it into a defensive stance.

He swung and thrust as he began a deadly lightsaber dance. He felt the Force course through him as his instincts carried his body through the routine. Such routines always helped him to clear his mind and focus on the task at hand. But, today, that task was something that he was ambivalent about. He had killed thousands of people before. He had personally slain dozens of Jedi. Bastila was now just another faceless Jedi on the other side.

Sweat began to trickle down his cheeks. Now, of all times, the calm was eluding him. His thoughts were scattered, his breathing was haggard and his blood was racing. If any of the others would see him in such a state, they would surely laugh.

His anger began to flare, and he began to lash out with the fury of the Dark Side. He swung his saber and cleaved a huge chunk out of the metal flooring. Breathing heavily, he stood up, his saber arm throbbing from pain.

'Lord Revan.' The captain of the ship announced over the communications system. 'We are approaching our destination. Do you wish to come to the bridge?'

He approached one of the panels on the walls and depressed a button. 'How long?'

'In about half an hour, my Lord.'

'Excellent. Order all the commanders of the fleet, and all Sith Masters to come to the ship. I will give them their orders personally.'

'Yes, my Lord.'

Location: Outer Rim, Jedi Corvette, Battle Room

'It sounds too easy.'

'Easy?' Dustil scoffed. 'The Fleet will have to engage and distract Revan's crack troops, while I somehow maneuver this ship near enough to Revan's flagship without getting shot to bits, and then try my best to further distract the gunners so that you guys manage to board it without anyone noticing. How does that even remotely sound easy to you?'

'Can we pull it off?' A slightly hesitant voice raised a question that everyone was surely asking themselves.

'We have to.' Yuthura replied. 'Revan gives us a chance to strike at him. If he falls, his empire will unravel.'

'You almost sound hopeful.'

'Know this. If Revan continues to live, then the remnants of the Republic will surely be crushed, and the Jedi Order will be extinguished along with it.'

Location: Outer Rim, Revan's flagship, Bridge

'We have arrived.' The ship's commander turned towards the Dark Lord. 'Do you wish to address the Republic rabble?'

Revan strode towards the fore of the bridge, and looked out into dark blackness of space. The Republic fleet hung in the distance. He looked scornfully at the pathetic remnants of what was a massive fleet. Even with the aid of Bastila, his gathered enemy would have no chance against his forces. He frowned. Something was not right. There was some scheme at play. With Bastila, there always was. He needed to take precautions.

'Commander.'

'Yes, my Lord?'

'Order the Sith Masters and my personal guard to meet me in my chambers.'

'Yes, my Lord.'

'I will speak to the enemy. Prepare the channels.'

Location: Outer Rim, Jedi Corvette, Bridge

'This is crazy, Yuthura.' Dustil stared at the massive Sith fleet. 'I will never be able to get us close enough.'

'You must try, Dustil.'

'He must have thrown everything that he could get ready in short order at us. I am certain that he will be surrounded with all the Sith he could muster. You won't be able to get to him.'

'We must not lose heart.' Yuthura intoned calmly. 'Revan intends for us to lose the battle before it has begun. We must not give in.'

'Master Dustil!' The communications officer shouted above the din.

'I already told you not to call me that…'

'Communication from the Sith fleet.' The officer cut in. 'Voice only.'

Dustil turned towards Yuthura. 'You think it's him? I don't remember Revan ever addressing anyone before battle.'

'We have his lover. The situation is slightly different now.'

Dustil nodded and turned towards the officer. 'Let's hear it.'

The unmistakable voice of the Dark Lord of the Sith boomed through the speakers. 'Soldiers of the Republic. Surrender now, and be spared. It is obvious that you will never defeat the great Sith Empire. Why waste your time and throw away your lives for a lost cause?'

'We will fight your evil empire to the end.' The voice of the Fleet's admiral. 'You are the one that will know defeat. We have that which you desire.'

'You think that having Bastila will save you?' Revan's cold laughter came in reply. 'So be it then. Such foolishness does not deserve to live. Prepare to be annihilated.'

'Alright, this is it.' Dustil took a deep breath. 'Prepare to engage the enemy.'

Location: Outer Rim, Revan's flagship, Unknown Room

The collective hatred of the people that occupied the room was palpable.

'Did you hear what he said?' One of the Sith Masters said disgustedly.

'Mercy. He was about to give them mercy.'

'Such weakness.'

'We have been called to guard him as the battle progresses.'

'Has he gone insane? I can't even bring myself to call those ships a fleet.'

'The fool has given us a great opportunity. This is an excellent time to be rid of the idiot.'

'I will bring my apprentices.'

'I will too.'

'Then it is settled.' The Sith Master lit his lightsaber and raised it in the air. 'Today is the day that Revan dies.'

More than a dozen sabers joined his.

Location: Outer Rim, Jedi Corvette, Bridge

An explosion rocked the corvette. Laser fire streamed past the ship.

'Port shields at 35%!'

'Shunt power from the aft!' Dustil yelled. 'Are the fore shields holding?'

'Barely!'

'Keep moving. I want full power to the engines!'

It was cataclysmic. As the Jedi ship hurtled towards Revan's massive flagship, the Republic's fleet was trying their best to hold their own, but the ridiculously overpowering strength of the Sith Fleet was making itself known. Wings of Sith fighters swooped down upon helpless Republic ships and began to tear their hulls apart.

'Fighters closing in!'

'What are the gunner's doing?' Dustil roared as he bounded over to his gunnery officer. 'We aren't even halfway there!'

'The guns are busy keeping those torpedoes off us!'

'Arm the missiles!' He cried.

'Incoming!' A panicked shout reached his ears.

'Evasive action!'

Another massive explosion shook the ship. 'Report!'

'Shields are holding. Guns are tracking the fighters.'

'Lets keep this going, we only have a few more minutes to go.'

Location: Outer Rim, Revan's flagship, Revan's personal chambers

'You all know why you are here.' Revan addressed the gathered Sith.

'No, my Lord.' One dared to speak out. 'We should be with our ships, leading them to victory. There is no need for us to be here.'

He felt a twinge of anger. 'I believe that I already explained that clearly enough.'

'Are you that afraid of a woman, Revan?' Another challenged. 'You are the Dark Lord of the Sith, I am sure that you can handle whatever gets through the massive fleet, and the troops that are stationed here.'

'You mock me?' He raised his voice slightly.

'You mock yourself. You should not be hiding behind all of us.'

'Bastila is crafty.' Revan decided that this would be his last attempt to convince anyone of the logic of his decision. Any further questions would be answered with death. 'The fleet can crush the Republic without your assistance. Somehow, Bastila will come for me with her Jedi thrall. I need your help in order to repel them.'

'You fear the Jedi as well?'

He turned towards the speaker and used the Force to fling him towards one of the walls. Igniting his lightsaber, he glowered at his doubters. 'No further questions, or else.'

'No more questions are needed, Revan. You have proven yourself unworthy or your title, and we will take it from you.'

In short order, he found himself facing more than a dozen blazing red lightsabers.

Was this Bastila's true plot? Was he outsmarted so thoroughly?

A sick feeling began to build in his stomach. As he drew himself into a defensive stance, he knew that his chances of survival were bleak.

Location: Outer Rim, Jedi Corvette, FighterBay

'Yuthura, get ready to launch.' The strain on Dustil's voice was obvious, even as it came through the communications system. 'I'm going to get you as close as possible, but this ship is not going to hold together much longer.'

'You heard him!' Yuthura told her troupe of Jedi. Numbering about two dozen, she hoped that it would be enough to get her to wherever Revan was. Then, it would be up to her. The odds were slim, but this was the best chance that they had. The future of the Republic and the Jedi lay on their shoulders. All of them knew the risks, and they shouldered it well. 'Get into your ships; we'll head for their docking bay and force our way onto the ship!'

'Master Yuthura!' A panicked voice boomed across the decks. 'Master Yuthura!'

She activated her communicator. 'What is it?'

'The prisoner! She has escaped!'

'What?' She heard her cry echo throughout the bay. 'How did she escape? Where is she now?'

'We don't know, Master! We are searching the ship now!'

Yuthura shook her head. There was not enough time left for her to supervise the search. 'Dustil, did you hear that?'

'Yes, Yuthura. But I can't help you now; I'm barely able to keep this ship together.'

'This isn't good. She may be able to sabotage the ship just as we're launching.'

Dustil grunted in reply. 'I'll get one of the junior officers to lead the search.'

Just as she was about to reply, the door of the bay began to creak and buckle. In a split second, the metal doors bust open and flew outwards. A lone figure walked out of the rubble, and strangely enough, Yuthura found herself not surprised by who stood before her.

'I want to go with you.' Bastila demanded.

'Why?'

'The Sith have made their move. He will not last long. He needs my help.'

'Lies, Master Yuthura!' One of the Jedi apprentices shouted. 'She seeks to eliminate us.'

'The Sith are never to be trusted.' Another joined in.

'Why should we believe her?' Yet another questioned.

'Indeed, Bastila.' Yuthura said slowly. 'I find it difficult to trust you.'

'He needs my help!' Bastila voice wavered with emotion. 'I need to go to him!'

'Lies!'

'Deceit!'

'More Sith trickery!'

'Shut up, all of you idiots!' Bastila screeched at the Jedi. 'You do not know the bond I and Revan share!'

'Bastila, return to your cell.' Yuthura shook her head slowly. 'If Revan is indeed in grave danger, then we will try to save him. We have no time to test whether you speak the truth.'

With that, Yuthura turned and prepared to give her final orders.

'Hypocrites!' Bastila's voice shook the immense room. 'You claim to be different from the old fools of the past, but you Jedi are all the same!'

The emotion in her voice shocked the gathered Jedi.

'This is exactly why we left your damn order. You talk of having a thousand virtues, but those are all lies!' Bastila shook with anger. 'You know nothing about what I feel towards that man. I love him!'

The tears that began to stream down her cheeks stunned Yuthura.

'You Jedi can never understand that. The old fools never did, and you never will. I loved that man from the day I met him. I gave up everything just to be with him, and I have no regrets.' Bastila struggled to ensure that her voice did not crack. 'We were together for so long, and I enjoyed every minute of it. And now, even though he wishes me dead, I will still do anything for him.'

Everyone watched in silence as Bastila sank to her knees.

'He needs me. He will kill me after I save him, I know that. But, as long as he is safe…' She stifled a sob. 'Revan is in danger. I need to go to him. How can you be so cruel as to deny me this?'

She looked up.

'Let me save the man I love. Please.'

Location: Outer Rim, Jedi Corvette, Bridge

'Give them covering fire!' Dustil looked on anxiously as the small Jedi fighters made their way to their target.

'Shields are buckling!'

'Are they in yet?'

'Almost!'

The ship shook vigorously. 'What was that?'

'Tractor beams!'

'Gunnery! Target the beam generators!' Dustil ordered instinctively.

'They are in! Master Yuthura has gotten in the ship!'

He heaved a sigh of relief. 'Alright, full power to the engines, let's get out of here!'

Location: Outer Rim, Revan's flagship, Revan's personal chambers

He skewered his opponent with his lightsaber, and kicked the body away. He whirled himself around and caught another Sith with the hell of his boot. Another duck, followed by an upward slash disposed of yet another traitorous apprentice.

He parried several blows and leapt over a lightsaber that was swirling towards him. This was not good, he was tiring quickly, and although he slew many, his enemies seemed to never end. He jabbed his lightsaber forward, swung it round and decapitated another. He launched himself in a back flip, cleaved an enemy into half, landed on his feet, and promptly got floored by a strike from behind.

He quickly rolled to his side, and barely managed to avoid a vicious looking blow. He used the Force to push his opponents away while he got to his feet. They closed in again, but he forced himself not to panic.

He almost failed.

Location: Outer Rim, Revan's flagship, Corridors

'This way!' Bastila used the Force to shove several troopers away, as she led the Jedi towards Revan. 'He's not going to last much longer!'

Yuthura found it pretty hard to keep up with the Sith lady. One apprentice approached her. 'Why do we trust her? She killed so many of us.'

'I don't know. But it just feels right.'

'The Force?'

'Maybe.'

Location: Outer Rim, Revan's flagship, Revan's personal chambers

And then, there were six. Corpses littered the floor. Revan felt his shoulders rise and fall. His breathing was ragged. Hopefully, his stamina would be able to last him through this final stretch. Once again, he drew upon the Force to energize himself, and he rushed towards his opponents, the sextet of the strongest Sith Masters that he had personally trained.

They attacked in unison, and he tried his best to defend himself. He leapt, he ducked, he twisted, he flipped and he dodged his way through all the strikes, but he knew he was fading fast. A quick burst of speed saw him drive his lightsaber through one of his opponent's defenses.

Five.

He placed his foot on a wall, flipped over another opponent, and brought his saber down upon the Sith's head.

Four.

In an instant, he flung his saber towards the other enemies, and managed to catch one in the stomach.

Three.

As the three Sith rushed him, he swung his saber in a low arc, forcing his enemies into an awkward defensive position. He reached out with the Force, grabbed one, and hurled him towards the ceiling. The sickening crunch was strangely gratifying.

Two.

The Sith duo knew they were outmatched. They took a glance at each other, raised their hands and concentrated. The lightning tore through Revan's body. He screamed in pain as the lightning paralyzed his muscles, shorted out his nerves and darkened his vision. He gasped and used his last reserves of energy to try to dispel the lightning, but he came up short.

The Sith's sadistic laughter burned through the room. The approached his writhing body, and floored him with kicks and punches. His lightsaber spun harmlessly away from his hand.

'Guard the door. I will finish this myself.' One told the other.

This was it, it was over. Bastila had won.

Suddenly, the doors burst open. A whirlwind of force rushed in, and the Sith Master standing near the door was swiftly cut into half. Revan shook his head harshly as he tried to make out who was standing in the doorway.

'Ah, Bastila.' The long Sith Master drawled.

Bastila? Was she here to finish him off?

'What have you done to him?' She seethed.

'Restoring the Sith. Something that you could never bring yourself to do.'

'Let him go.'

What was she doing? Revan could barely think, much less move.

'I think not, Bastila. You shall witness his death.' The Sith mocked. 'Then you shall share his fate.'

'I will slay you before you can make your move.'

'You can't move that quickly. See this?' The Sith showed something to Bastila. 'I will run him through with his own lightsaber. A fitting end, don't you think?'

'Don't do it!' She shouted.

'Watch me.'

The snap-hiss of the lightsaber activating echoed throughout the room.

Author's Notes: Right…. Holiday time, so I should be able to finish this off, hopefully. I know that I said that I would want to end it at 5 chapters, but this was such a fantastic cliffhanger, that I couldn't make myself continue. I am evil, eh?

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the extra sap, action and suspense. This will end next chapter. I am rather sure of that.

No pre-readers were hurt in the making of this chapter.

Anyways, please remember to email me at redaurumyahoo.com for any suggestions, critiques, reviews and the like. Please don't flame me, I have a fragile ego.

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