In a mere blink of an eye, the light of hyperspace travel was replaced by the eerie black of the starfield, broken only by the light of a nearby star and the glittering of starship hulls. Revan took in the scene with a bland expression, allowing himself to remain perfectly calm as the Ebon Hawk approached the flagship of the fleet; the Silver Dawn.
"This is the Ebon Hawk requesting docking permission." he said softly, his deep voice hardened after so much time without speaking. His only companions on the ship at the moment were Canderous, the Mandalorian Mercenary, and HK-47, who had insisted that he join the Master for some 'gratuitous violence' during his next mission. Both were secure in the cargo area, checking the equipment.
"Cleared, Ebon Hawk. Welcome to Battle fleet Delta." the voice on the other end of the comm line chirped, somewhat cheerfully. Revan could sense the excitement in the operator's voice. The knowledge that the living legend, the Jedi hero himself, had arrived. Without a response, Revan moved the Ebon Hawk through the now open hangar doors and down onto the waiting deck. After a few moments, the atmosphere cleared, and inner entrances opened to reveal a small number that formed a welcoming committee.
Revan strode down the ramp, letting his long brown cloak hang loosely around his body as he approached the first member of the welcoming party. He allowed himself a broad grin as their eyes met.
"It's been a long time, old friend." Carth Onasi said, voice coarser than Revan recalled. It seemed the man had aged quickly after his field promotion to Commodore of a Republic battlegroup. His hair had developed faint touches of grey, and his beard had grown distinctively.
"It has." Revan answered, taking Carth's outstretched arm and shaking firmly. "I wish we had time to reminisce."
"Time is never kind, is it?" Carth said, then turned slightly. "You should probably meet some of the others you'll be working with. This here is Laani Tevran." Carth indicated the stern-faced man beside him. The human was tall, and extremely well-built; He seemed almost like a hairless Wookie, though his hair was in fact very tightly cropped. "Laani was with the Sith until recently, when he joined the Republic instead. He'll help you get through their security."
Laani stepped forward, gave a very stiff salute, then met Revan's gaze. "I served under Darth Malak. You trained him well, Master Revan." the memories of his apprentice made Revan's mouth tighten as he used a Jedi calming technique to purge the thoughts from his mind.
"Malak...was misguided. He thought the Dark side was stronger, and he was wrong." he responded. Turning back to Carth in an attempt to recover some momentum, he continued, "What about the others?"
"Canderous and HK-47 came with you. The Jedi are in the living quarters. I'm sure you'll find them easily enough." Carth answered. "Okay, people, let's get going. We have a job to do." he called loudly. Laani followed Carth and the others, leaving Revan to make his own way to meet the others. He had a feeling that he would already know at least one of them.
The Silver Dawn's Living quarters were more spacious than the Endar Spire's had been. And they were far larger than the Ebon Hawk's. Revan could not really imagine actually living in such accommodations. Yet, he was more interested in it's occupants at that point in time. A young woman stepped forward, an enthusiasm in her demeanor that was almost off-putting.
"Master Revan! I thought you'd arrived. I'm Saralyin. Saralyin Kell." she bowed slightly. "I've been looking forward to meeting you, in person I mean. You're all the students talk about these days..."
"Saralyin! There is no emotion..." a taller, impassive Twi'lek grunted loudly. He stood arms folded nearby, watching her with a near-glare.
"Yes, sorry, of course, Master Pex." she bowed to both of them and scurried away like a Jawa.
"She is still a mere Padawan. Why the Council allowed her to join this mission I do not understand." the older Jedi scowled slightly.
"We must trust in their wisdom." Revan said. "You must be Joran Pex. I am honoured to meet you." he nodded. The Twi'lek gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, pushing one of his tentacles down from his shoulder and over his robe.
"Master Pex is not as enthusiastic about things as all of us are." a soft voice from nearby commented. Revan turned, already knowing by mere instinct who stood there. Her eyes stared into him like nails, the suppressed emotion forced down by her will. He could feel the slight palpitations within her, mainly thanks to their psychic bond, though she hid it well. Her appearance had barely changed, though she wore the cloak around her like a protective shell.
"Bastila." Revan said, though the words came out as no more than a whisper.
"It is good to see you again." she shifted, a little uncomfortably. "I could feel you coming." she said. "Can we...talk? Privately?" she glanced at Joran momentarily. He gave a slight grunt of disapproval, but took the hint.
"Saralyin, come. These two need to speak alone." he said, herding the young woman through into the next room before closing the door. Revan could feel Bastila loosen-up just slightly. He felt himself become slightly more comfortable as he joined her near the window to space.
"You've changed." she commented. "Your hair...your thoughts." she understood that the last few months had been difficult, especially with numerous bounty hunters on his tail, as well as being the idol of every up-and-coming Jedi apprentice. She could feel it within him. The closer they were, the more of one another they could mentally sense.
"You'd be surprised how little I have." he answered. "Although I noticed you didn't change your hair." he gave a slight smile as he let his eyes wash over her.
"We're all capable of change in different ways." she said softly, not meeting his look. "You know that more than anyone."
"I suppose." he said. There was a long pause before Revan spoke again. "I missed you, Bastila. All this time being apart...it was hard."
"And it was hard for me too." she let a hand brush his arm. "But it was for the best. We should not have let it happen."
"It happened, and it wasn't luck that bound us, Bastila. It was the Force." his voice felt dry, though he felt somewhat torn by their shared feelings. It was wrong for Jedi to love in that way. It wasn't permitted. And yet, they'd shared their affections for one another despite all that.
"I know." she whispered. "And it saved us both back on the Star Forge. You saved me from the Dark side."
"You saved me first." he replied, with a slight grin. "Makes us even, doesn't it?"
"You see it as a joke..." she sighed. "I see it as another failure. We can't let it continue; our feelings will only lead us down that dark path."
"No." he replied. "I know what the dark side is. We have both been there. I promise, Bastila, I won't make the same mistake again. I won't let it."
"I hope you are strong enough for both of us." she replied quietly, leaning into his shoulder with her head. Revan put a hand to her cheek, thought better of letting himself be carried away in the moment, and simply let her rest against him for comfort.