Trouble: A Knights of the Old Republic Fan-fiction
by: Sam Lincoln
"Ah, Mr. Felx, so nice to finally meet you," Viceroy Gunray of the Trade Federation said to Revan as he walked out of the Jedi transport and into the hangar bay of the Trade Federation flagship.
"The pleasure is all mine," Revan told the Niemodian. He spoke with an affected Chandrillan accent and wore a garish suit complemented by an even more garish cape.
"Ok, so we are working under the assumption that the Trade Federation has information about the Sith that they did not share with the Jedi Council," Obi-Wan said as they were planning their mission en route to Sullust.
"That's correct," Revan agreed. They were sitting in the main room of the transport. A hologram of a Trade Federation ship rotated slowly in front of them. "Which means we can't let them know we're Jedi."
"Which means you're going to have to go alone. They know me," Obi-Wan pointed out. "However I have a plan. You don't have a problem using a false identity do you?" Obi-Wan asked innocently.
"Would you like a tour of the ship Mr. Felx?" Gunray asked as they walked out of the hangar. "Or shall we attend to our business?"
"Business first if you don't mind," Revan answered.
"This is Darvin Felx," Obi-Wan said as he called up a hologram. "Look familiar?" Revan noted that the man bore a passing resemblance to himself. "Now it is common knowledge that Felx is a middle man. He provides a legitimate cover for a wide range of illegal trading operations for a variety of crime syndicates. What is not known is that the Jedi arrested him last week for his role in a spice ring. We have not made this information public yet because we wanted to use Felx in a sting on Jabba the Hutt."
"What's his connection to the Trade Federation?" Revan asked.
"None," Obi-Wan answered. "And that's the point. Felx moves a lot of money through his corporation and the Trade Federation wants a cut."
"So I go in posing as Felx wanting to set up an arrangement," Revan summarized. "Got it."
"Please have a seat Mr. Felx," Gunray offered as he and Revan walked into a posh office. Revan could see Sullust framed in a large window that dominated the opposite wall. "I hope your trip here was comfortable."
"As comfortable as hyperspace ever is," Revan casually replied as he settled into a plush chair that sat in front of the Viceroy's desk.
"Yes of course. Can I interest you in food or drink? We have a wide array of items that I am told humans find most palatable."
"No thank-you I'm fine," Revan said quickly. He knew Niemodieans liked to spike the food they gave their guests with mild sedatives to give themselves an edge in negotiations. Revan squirmed in his seat. The lightsaber he carried in a sensor resistant sheath was poking him in the back.
"Ah a man whose sole interest is business, I like that. So tell me, what can the Trade Federation do for you?"
"I have a client interested in moving a large volume of cargo. More cargo than my personal fleet is capable of handling. Therefore I need someone to sub-contract the excess volume to."
"The Trade Federation would be more than happy to accommodate you, for the right price, of course."
"Naturally," Revan replied. As he and Gunray negotiated Revan reached out with the Force and gradually put the Niemodian to sleep. As soon as the Viceroy's head hit the desk Revan stood up and inserted a communicator into his ear. "Phase one complete."
Obi-Wan handed Revan a compact, in-ear communicator. "Take this, it utilizes a frequency the Trade Federation cannot detect."
"Nice toy," Revan noted as he pocketed the communicator.
"You will have to slice into the computer on your own however. Will that be a problem?"
Revan twirled a computer spike in his hand. "Not at all."
Revan inserted a computer spike into the access terminal and started to slice the Trade Federation's computer network. While he worked he used the Force to keep Gunray unconscious; he didn't want the Niemodian waking up before he was finished.
"Find anything yet?" Obi-Wan asked over the com.
"No, their encryption is more sophisticated than I anticipated, give me a few more minutes."
Before Revan could finish his work he felt a rush of pain flow through his link with Bastila. The sensations flooding Revan's mind were so strong that they forced him to his knees. Revan cried out in pain, it felt like he was falling into a bottomless pit. As Revan struggled to retain his sense of self his grip on the Viceroy slipped.
"Revan, are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked over the com.
Revan shook his head to clear it. He did not know the cause but he knew that Bastila was in tremendous pain. He summoned all of his will and forcibly formed a mental barrier to protect himself. He was unable to completely seal off the torrent of emotions he felt from Bastila, but he was able to push the pain to one side and focus on what to do next. "I'm fine," he told Obi-Wan. A groan from Gunray told him that the Viceroy was awake. "But I can't say the same for the mission. Prep the ship, we're going to have to leave in a hurry."
"What happened?"
"No time to explain," Revan said as he disabled the ship's security system before Gunray could react.
Gunray looked around the room in a daze, trying to figure out what happened to him. His gaze settled on Revan. "You," he started to say before Revan knocked him across the room with a blast of Force energy. "Jedi!" Gunray exclaimed as Revan leapt across the desk and out of the office.
Revan already had his lightsaber drawn when a pair of security droids crossed his path. Revan cut the droids down without breaking stride. "Is the ship ready?" He asked Obi-Wan as he leapt over a cluster of droids trying to block his progress.
"It is, but you'd better hurry. It won't be long before they activate their internal defenses."
"Don't worry, I'm almost there," Revan told Obi-Wan. He came to a stop in front of the hangar. "Say Obi-Wan, what can you tell me about three-legged droids armed with a pair of built-in blasters, big ones at that."
"Those would be droidekas, very dangerous. Why do you ask?"
"Oh no reason," Revan said as he stared at a trio of the lethal droids.
"Do you need any assistance?" Obi-Wan asked.
"No, no, I can handle this," Revan replied. "You just guard the ship." Revan reached down and drew a short lightsaber from his boot. He threw the short lightsaber at the droids and used the other to block their shots. Using the Force to guide the thrown lightsaber Revan cut a hold in the deck plating directly underneath the droidekas. The droids crashed down to the deck below, allowing Revan the time to make his escape.
"Get us out of here!" he shouted at Obi-Wan as he ran onboard the transport.
"Gladly," Obi-Wan replied as he ignited the engines and piloted them out of the hangar bay.
"Would you mind explaining to me what happened back there?" Obi-Wan demanded as soon as Revan entered the cockpit.
"Coruscant," Revan said, "We have to get to Coruscant."
Obi-Wan veered hard on the controls to avoid a turbolaser barrage. "But why?"
Revan winced as another jolt of pain shot through the bond. "It's Bastila, she's in great pain."
"How could you possibly know that," Obi-Wan asked. "Oh and would you mind manning the gun turret, we have incoming fighters."
"We share a bond through the Force remember?" Revan asked sarcastically as he strapped into the gun turret.
"Yes I know that," Obi-Wan said as he dodged a squadron of Trade Federation droid fighters. "But I didn't know that meant you shared emotions, especially at this distance."
"They aren't normally this intense," Revan paused to blast a fighter into dust. "There must be something terribly wrong in order for me to feel it this far away." Revan left unsaid that the last time he felt such emotions from Bastila was during her torture sessions at the hands of Malak. The nights he woke up screaming from the shared pain was the only thing that drove him to find the Star Forge and defeat Malak after the events on the Leviathan. Of course then there was little else Revan could do then, the need to find the Star Map outweighed his desire to find Bastila. This time there was nothing that stood in Revan's way.
"Course laid in to Coruscant," Obi-Wan announced. "Making the jump to hyperspace." Obi-Wan activated the hyperspace engines and the transport short out of normal space.
Consciousness stole back slowly to Bastila. She groaned and fought her way through a haze of pain to get a handle on her surroundings. She tried to move her arms and was puzzled when she couldn't. Her puzzlement turned to anxiety when she realized she also couldn't feel her toes. With a growing sense of dread she raised her head and looked around. It took all of her willpower not to scream when she saw neatly cauterized stumps in place of her limbs.
Bastila fought down the panic that welled up in her and ran through a Jedi calming technique. "This is not right," she said to herself as she closed her eyes and let her emotions fall away. When she reopened her eyes she saw the faint outlines of her arms and legs. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that what she was seeing was a trick being played on her using the Force.
"You'll have to do better than that," Bastila said in a loud, clear voice. She tried to call on the Force but found it sluggish and unresponsive. Bastila redoubled her efforts and managed to dissipate the illusion. She found herself lying strapped to a metal table in the middle of a brightly lit, featureless room. She felt something around her neck and decided it must be a neural inhibitor intended to disrupt her ability to cuse on the Force.
"Most impressive," the electronic voice of the Sith Lord said. The tall Dark Side user walked into view. "That illusion has broken many who considered themselves strong."
"You mean you think you've been torturing me?" Bastila taunted. "An Alderaanean could do a better job." In truth the torture sessions had been long and excruciatingly painful. The Sith used a combination of the Force drugs and traditional torture techniques to try and break Bastila. However, as someone who had been tortured at the hands of Darth Malak Bastila found the sessions endurable but just barely.
"Very well, you've had enough rest, shall we begin again?" Dooku asked rhetorically. He fired bolds of Force lightning at Bastila. She strained against her restraints as pain wracked her body. "Now I ask you again, what is your name?"
"Brin Kyja," Bastila said through gritted teeth.
"But I know that to be a lie," Dooku replied. "There is no Jedi named Brin Kyja. I had hoped that you'd realized that if you continue to lie you will only get pain." Dooku released another burst of Force lightning at Bastila.
"From...the Outer Rim..." Bastila gasped. If the Sith learned the truth about her she knew he'd stop at nothing to turn her to the Dark Side. Her Battle Meditation was too tempting a prize to destroy, and Bastila doubted her ability to resist a concerted effort to turn her.
"Curious that you cling to your fiction," Dooku said coolly. "Considering that by doing so you condemn yourself to a long, painful death." Dooku's opinion of the Jedi woman continued to rise the longer she resisted his questioning. Even with a neural inhibitor on she was able to penetrate his Force-created illusion, and she managed to shrug off all of his attempts to wring the truth out of her.
For a moment Dooku once again considered trying to turn the Jedi, making her his apprentice and challenging his master for supremacy of the Sith and the galaxy. He quickly discarded the notion. Sidious had woven a careful web to bring the galaxy under his heel. However the entire plan was contingent on his survival. In all of Dooku's years he had never met anyone who crafted plans as subtle as Lord Sidious. Without Sidious the entire plot to overthrow the Republic and destroy the Jedi would fall apart.
"I'm dead already," Bastila said. "So why should I give you the satisfaction?"
"Your insolence will be your undoing," Dooku told Bastila as he applied a heated iron to her bare arm.
Bastila cried out in pain as she smelled her burning flesh. "My name is Brin Kyja," she insisted. "And you will regret ever laying a hand on me." Bastila knew that Revan was on his way there. She could feel his presences through their bond growing stronger, but the inhibitor prevented her from knowing where exactly he was. She only hoped that he arrived before the Sith grew tired of the torture and killed her.
Dooku drew his lightsaber. "Such an elegant weapon, is it not? But did you know that the lightsaber is also an effective torture device?" He stared at the crimson blade as he spoke. Out of the corner of his eye he observed Bastila's face. This was his favorite part, when the victim realizes what is about to happen. "Since it cauterizes as it cuts I can remove any extremity from your body without the wound being fatal," Dooku paused. "Incredibly painful, but not fatal. By the end you will beg me to release you from the mortal coil."
Bastila stared at Dooku in mute horror. Despite all the atrocities she witnessed during Revan and Malak's reign of terror she never heard of anything so ghoulish. "Revan," she thought. "Please hurry."
An armored guard entered the room, "What is the meaning of this?" Dooku demanded. "I said no interruptions." He reached out with the Force and began to choke the guard.
"Commander, wishes to speak with you," the guard gasped. "Emergency."
Dooku released the guard and shut down his lightsaber. "You've gained a respite Jedi, but only a temporary one. Consider this, if you tell me the truth I will not make your vision come to pass." Dooku strode out of the room.
Bastila breathed a sigh of relief, then focused her attention on overcoming the neural inhibitor and freeing herself. "Revan might be on his way here," she thought to herself, "But I'm perfectly capable of freeing myself."
"Why did you send for me?" Dooku asked the commander of the guard detail as he strode into the control room of the clandestine interrogation center.
"My lord, the Jedi have found us." The commander pointed to a monitor, two Jedi and a droid were approaching the building.
Dooku sighed, "Dump the computer core and ready the explosive charges. Have your men delay the Jedi for as long as possible. They must not be allowed to find anything." Dooku wheeled around on his heels and began to leave the control room. Although Dooku wished to stay and fight a confrontation with a Jedi rescue party was not advisable.
"What about our prisoner?" The commander asked.
"Kill her," Dooku said without a second thought.
Revan brought the transport out of hyperspace and into orbit around Coruscant. He had not slept once during the flight back to Coruscant. Instead he tinkered with his lightsaber and ran through grueling practice sessions. He couldn't sleep because when he did his mental barriers would fall and the pain Bastila felt threatened to overwhelm him.
For his part Obi-Wan stayed out of Revan's way. He was concerned about Revan's single-mindedness and privately questioned whether or not they were heading into a trap. However he knew better than to voice those concerns to Revan. He knew the other Jedi would shrug them off.
Revan's mood had not improved when his droid called them on the holonet with news of Bastila's capture. Obi-Wan though it incredibly rash of her to have ventured into a Sith redoubt with just a droid as backup. Obi-Wan then remembered that Bastila's tenure as a Jedi was marked by such impulsive decisions, and that he was sitting next to the result of the most famous of those decisions.
Obi-Wan still had a hard time with the fact that the man sitting next to him was actually Revan, the former Dark Lord of the Sith who four thousand years ago almost destroyed the Republic. He had not asked Revan about the Star Forge crises, in part because there had not been time, but also because Obi-Wan wasn't sure how to raise the topic.
Revan landed the ship on the Jedi Temple where they were met by HK-47 and master Windu. It was the droid that spoke first. "Supplication: Master, I have failed you. You gave me one simple task, protect the meatbag Bastila Shan, and I was unable to accomplish it. This HK unit will gladly accept whatever punishment you decide to met out."
"There's no need for that HK, you were facing a Dark Jedi, there wasn't much you could do," Revan assured the droid.
"Query: Do you really hold such a low opinion of me Master to think that I am inferior to an organic?"
"Just those organics who can wield the Force," Revan replied evenly. "Don't worry HK, we'll get Bastila back and I'm going to need your help to do so."
"Statement: I eagerly await providing assistance for what is sure to be a bloody, bloody operation."
Windu stared at Revan. "You told Obi-Wan."
Revan returned the master's gaze. "Yes I did, and it was wrong to do otherwise. Deceit leads to the Dark Side."
"That and a Dark Side influence caused me to attack Revan," Obi-Wan added. "Telling me the truth was the only way to stop me."
"Cautionary: Attempted acts of violence against the Master will only succeed in getting you blasted meat bag," HK threatened. He raised his blaster rifle to emphasize his point.
"Easy there HK," Revan said as he put his hand on HK's blaster. "No harm no foul."
"Commentary: You're just lucky the Master is here," HK informed Obi-Wan.
"What a strange droid," Obi-Wan remarked.
"Have you gotten anywhere looking for Bastila?" Revan asked Windu.
Windu shook his head, "The Sith was quite skilled at covering his tracks. So far we've found no leads."
Revan walked away from the transport. "That's alright, I can find her. Come on HK." The droid followed Revan with a joyful look on his face if such a thing was possible.
Obi-Wan looked at Windu. "You're just going to let him go? You can tell the state he's in. You know how dangerous it is for a Jedi to act with anger ruling them."
"We all must decide for ourselves what path we walk," Windu told Obi-Wan. "No one else can do that for us. Revan has to decide for himself if he will continue to let his emotions rule his decisions. There is nothing I, or you, can say or do that will change his mind."
"I can at least go with him to offer my support," Obi-Wan said before running after Revan.
Obi-wan caught up to Revan as he was entering a ramshackle freighter sitting on an adjacent landing pad. "Revan wait up," Obi-Wan called out. Revan ignored Obi-Wan and entered the freighter. Obi-Wan had to call on the Force to give himself the necessary boost to get on board the ship before the boarding ramp closed.
Inside the ship Obi-Wan found Revan staring at him. "Why are you here?" Revan asked in a flat voice.
"To help you," Obi-Wan said as he caught his breath.
"You know what I'm about to do are you sure you want to be a party to that?"
"Hopefully I can smooth things out when the time comes. By the way, where are we going?"
"The other side of Coruscant."
"So I can stay?"
"Just don't get in my way," Revan touched his com. "Okay T3, take us to the coordinates I gave you." Obi-Wan felt the ship turn and accelerate.
Revan walked into a small workshop adjacent to the boarding ramp. HK was there waiting for him. "Did you bring it?"
"Statement: It is on the workbench waiting for you."
Obi-Wan entered the workshop and found Revan tinkering with a lightsaber. When he finished with his work he ignited the lightsaber and gave it a few test swings.
Obi-Wan stared at the golden lightsaber. "I've never seen a blade like that. What sort of crystal are you using?"
"According to the Rodian I bought it from it's a relic of the Jedi Order lost during the War with Exar Kun. Whatever the truth might be it certainly is extremely powerful." Revan closed down the lightsaber. "HK get ready, we're almost there." Revan walked up to the ship's cockpit and slid into the pilot's seat.
Obi-Wan entered the cockpit and peered over Revan's shoulder. Coruscant was spread out below them. Obi-Wan recognized it as a section of the planet not known for the respectability of its citizenry. "So what exactly is the plan?"
"We get Bastila," Revan answered.
"Some plan," Obi-Wan noted dryly.
"I thought so," Revan replied. He landed the ship a short distance from where he said Bastila was being held. "We don't want to tip our hand too soon," he explained to Obi-Wan.
They walked towards a small warehouse with Revan in the lead. Obi-Wan was surprised at how calm Revan was considering that they were about to assault a Sith base. Obi-wan had to remind himself that to Revan this was business as usual. Obi-Want thought back to when he was an apprentice studying the history of the Jedi. He had wondered how Revan could have gone to the places he did knowing how badly outnumbered he was. Obi-Wan had marveled at the determination it required to look past such obstacles and focus solely on the mission. It was both comforting and frightening to see that determination in person.
"Are you really going to just blast your way in there?" Obi-Wan asked Revan as they hid in the shadows near the warehouse.
"You're worried they'll kill Bastila as soon as they see us," Revan said. "They'll try to do that without a doubt. That's why we have to move quickly."
"That's an awfully big risk, there isn't another way?"
"I've been trying to figure that out all the way here, but we don't know enough about what we're going to find in there to plan things out in detail. HK are you ready?"
"Affirmative: Yes Master, ready and waiting."
"How about you Obi-Wan?"
"I can't say I like any of this, but I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
Revan nodded, "Fair enough." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Follow me." Revan ignited his lightsaber and ran towards the building. He created a battering ram with the Force and smashed open the door. HK-47 was close on his mater's heels with Obi-Wan following the pair at a more sedate pace.
The ensuing fight was a blur in Obi-Wan's mind. Revan moved like a man possessed, cutting down guards without any provocation as he moved towards a target fixed in his mind. HK-47 gleefully shot anything that moved anywhere near him. For his part Obi-Wan fought very little, focusing instead on defending himself and only striking when he absolutely had to.
Revan came to a stop at the first intersection they encountered. "You two stay here and guard the retreat," he told HK and Obi-Wan. "I'll get Bastila." Before either the Jedi or the droid could object Revan ran off down the hall.
Revan bashed down an unmarked door and found a guard armed with a vibroblade struggling with a visibly weakened Bastila. Revan threw his lightsaber at the guard and the glowing blade caught the Sith soldier in the neck, killing him instantly. The guard dropped his vibroblade and fell to the ground.
Revan rushed over and caught Bastila before she tipped over. "Revan," Bastila groaned. "I knew you'd come for me."
He reached out and removed the neural inhibitor from Bastila's neck. "Of course I came. I wasn't going to leave you behind again. But how did you get free?" Revan asked as he brushed sweat-soaked hair out of her face.
"It takes more than a neural inhibitor to constrain a true Jedi," Bastila replied in a strained whisper.
Revan blanched when he saw the ugly burns that marked her arms and legs as well as the other signs of the torture she endured at the hands of the Sith. However her eyes were still as bright and defiant as the first time he saw her. "Come on, let's get you back to the Temple. They can fix you up there. Can you walk?"
Bastila attempted to stand up under her own power and failed. "Apparently not."
Revan reached out with the Force and tried to heal some of Bastila's injuries. A look of relief washed over her face. "Is that better?" He asked.
This time Bastila managed to stand on her feet, if somewhat unsteadily. "I can make it." She tried to take a few steps and began to lose her balance. "With a little help," she added.
"How are we doing HK?" Revan asked into his com as he helped Bastila into the hall.
"Cautionary: We are holding our position, but I cannot estimate for how much longer we will be able to do so."
"Understood, we'll be right there," Revan told the droid.
Revan felt Bastila stiffen in his grasp at the same time the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He turned around and saw a tall, imposing figure dressed in black. Based on Bastila's reaction Revan figured this was the Sith that captured her. Revan discretely stepped in front of Bastila in order to shield her.
"You have tremendous strength Jedi," the Sith said. "Even more than your companion. I'm curious what the results would be if we crossed lightsabers."
"Why don't you find out," Revan challenged. He activated his lightsaber and held it up in a defensive posture.
"Sadly I have other matters to attend to. Rest assured though that if you make it out of here alive our paths will cross again." Before Revan could stop him the Sith disappeared behind a hidden door.
"I don't like the sound of that," Bastila observed.
"He's going to blow the building," Revan said as he picked up Bastila and started to run towards the exit.
"How can you be sure?" Bastila asked.
"It's the easiest way to kill us," Revan explained. "HK, I want you and Obi-Wan to fall back. I think the building is going to explode."
"Negative: No Master, I will not leave you behind."
"Look HK, I need someone to clear my way out of here. Can you do that for me?"
"Affirmative: Nothing would give me greater pleasure."
"You need to do something about that droid," Bastila quipped in a weak voice.
"Now is really not the time to be talking about this," Revan replied lightly. He was beginning to feel the strain of the past few days but managed to fight through the fatigue and called on the Force one more time to augment his speed.
The explosives started to detonate as Revan and Bastila neared the exit. Revan could feel the heat and pressure from the oncoming shockwave. He activated a personal energy shield and threw all of his remaining energy into a Force-assisted leap. The shockwave rebounded off the Verpine manufactured shield and blew Revan and Bastila clear of the explosion.
Obi-wan and HK raced over to where Bastila and Revan lay on the ground. "That was truly remarkable," Obi-Wan said as he helped Revan up.
"Look after Bastila," Revan said as he shrugged off Obi-Wan's assistance.
"Query: Are you sure you are undamaged Master?" HK asked. "I know how frail your squishy parts are."
"I'm fine HK, just tired. How's Bastila?"
Obi-Wan looked up from his examination of Bastila who was now semi-conscious. "She'll be fine, provided we get her to a bacta tank soon."
"Then we'd better get her to one..." Revan started to say. The stress and exertion finally caught up to Revan and the world swam in front of him before fading to black.
Obi-Wan looked down at the two unconscious Jedi Knights. "I assume you'll want to carry your master back to the ship?" He asked HK.
-to be continued-
Author's Notes: Yeah, so this is a bit longer chapter. Looking back on my outline I realized that I accidentally merged two chapters. I would have chopped them in two but neither section was meaty enough to stand on its own. Thanks for reading, I'll keep writing. Although why people are bothering to read this and not Tim Radley or Winterfox I'll never know, not that I'm complaining of course.
by: Sam Lincoln
Rating: PG
Summary: Will Trouble ever let a pair of Jedi Knights be?
Spoilers: If you haven't finished the game you'll be damn lost.
Trouble: Chapter Twelve"Ah, Mr. Felx, so nice to finally meet you," Viceroy Gunray of the Trade Federation said to Revan as he walked out of the Jedi transport and into the hangar bay of the Trade Federation flagship.
"The pleasure is all mine," Revan told the Niemodian. He spoke with an affected Chandrillan accent and wore a garish suit complemented by an even more garish cape.
"Ok, so we are working under the assumption that the Trade Federation has information about the Sith that they did not share with the Jedi Council," Obi-Wan said as they were planning their mission en route to Sullust.
"That's correct," Revan agreed. They were sitting in the main room of the transport. A hologram of a Trade Federation ship rotated slowly in front of them. "Which means we can't let them know we're Jedi."
"Which means you're going to have to go alone. They know me," Obi-Wan pointed out. "However I have a plan. You don't have a problem using a false identity do you?" Obi-Wan asked innocently.
"Would you like a tour of the ship Mr. Felx?" Gunray asked as they walked out of the hangar. "Or shall we attend to our business?"
"Business first if you don't mind," Revan answered.
"This is Darvin Felx," Obi-Wan said as he called up a hologram. "Look familiar?" Revan noted that the man bore a passing resemblance to himself. "Now it is common knowledge that Felx is a middle man. He provides a legitimate cover for a wide range of illegal trading operations for a variety of crime syndicates. What is not known is that the Jedi arrested him last week for his role in a spice ring. We have not made this information public yet because we wanted to use Felx in a sting on Jabba the Hutt."
"What's his connection to the Trade Federation?" Revan asked.
"None," Obi-Wan answered. "And that's the point. Felx moves a lot of money through his corporation and the Trade Federation wants a cut."
"So I go in posing as Felx wanting to set up an arrangement," Revan summarized. "Got it."
"Please have a seat Mr. Felx," Gunray offered as he and Revan walked into a posh office. Revan could see Sullust framed in a large window that dominated the opposite wall. "I hope your trip here was comfortable."
"As comfortable as hyperspace ever is," Revan casually replied as he settled into a plush chair that sat in front of the Viceroy's desk.
"Yes of course. Can I interest you in food or drink? We have a wide array of items that I am told humans find most palatable."
"No thank-you I'm fine," Revan said quickly. He knew Niemodieans liked to spike the food they gave their guests with mild sedatives to give themselves an edge in negotiations. Revan squirmed in his seat. The lightsaber he carried in a sensor resistant sheath was poking him in the back.
"Ah a man whose sole interest is business, I like that. So tell me, what can the Trade Federation do for you?"
"I have a client interested in moving a large volume of cargo. More cargo than my personal fleet is capable of handling. Therefore I need someone to sub-contract the excess volume to."
"The Trade Federation would be more than happy to accommodate you, for the right price, of course."
"Naturally," Revan replied. As he and Gunray negotiated Revan reached out with the Force and gradually put the Niemodian to sleep. As soon as the Viceroy's head hit the desk Revan stood up and inserted a communicator into his ear. "Phase one complete."
Obi-Wan handed Revan a compact, in-ear communicator. "Take this, it utilizes a frequency the Trade Federation cannot detect."
"Nice toy," Revan noted as he pocketed the communicator.
"You will have to slice into the computer on your own however. Will that be a problem?"
Revan twirled a computer spike in his hand. "Not at all."
Revan inserted a computer spike into the access terminal and started to slice the Trade Federation's computer network. While he worked he used the Force to keep Gunray unconscious; he didn't want the Niemodian waking up before he was finished.
"Find anything yet?" Obi-Wan asked over the com.
"No, their encryption is more sophisticated than I anticipated, give me a few more minutes."
Before Revan could finish his work he felt a rush of pain flow through his link with Bastila. The sensations flooding Revan's mind were so strong that they forced him to his knees. Revan cried out in pain, it felt like he was falling into a bottomless pit. As Revan struggled to retain his sense of self his grip on the Viceroy slipped.
"Revan, are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked over the com.
Revan shook his head to clear it. He did not know the cause but he knew that Bastila was in tremendous pain. He summoned all of his will and forcibly formed a mental barrier to protect himself. He was unable to completely seal off the torrent of emotions he felt from Bastila, but he was able to push the pain to one side and focus on what to do next. "I'm fine," he told Obi-Wan. A groan from Gunray told him that the Viceroy was awake. "But I can't say the same for the mission. Prep the ship, we're going to have to leave in a hurry."
"What happened?"
"No time to explain," Revan said as he disabled the ship's security system before Gunray could react.
Gunray looked around the room in a daze, trying to figure out what happened to him. His gaze settled on Revan. "You," he started to say before Revan knocked him across the room with a blast of Force energy. "Jedi!" Gunray exclaimed as Revan leapt across the desk and out of the office.
Revan already had his lightsaber drawn when a pair of security droids crossed his path. Revan cut the droids down without breaking stride. "Is the ship ready?" He asked Obi-Wan as he leapt over a cluster of droids trying to block his progress.
"It is, but you'd better hurry. It won't be long before they activate their internal defenses."
"Don't worry, I'm almost there," Revan told Obi-Wan. He came to a stop in front of the hangar. "Say Obi-Wan, what can you tell me about three-legged droids armed with a pair of built-in blasters, big ones at that."
"Those would be droidekas, very dangerous. Why do you ask?"
"Oh no reason," Revan said as he stared at a trio of the lethal droids.
"Do you need any assistance?" Obi-Wan asked.
"No, no, I can handle this," Revan replied. "You just guard the ship." Revan reached down and drew a short lightsaber from his boot. He threw the short lightsaber at the droids and used the other to block their shots. Using the Force to guide the thrown lightsaber Revan cut a hold in the deck plating directly underneath the droidekas. The droids crashed down to the deck below, allowing Revan the time to make his escape.
"Get us out of here!" he shouted at Obi-Wan as he ran onboard the transport.
"Gladly," Obi-Wan replied as he ignited the engines and piloted them out of the hangar bay.
"Would you mind explaining to me what happened back there?" Obi-Wan demanded as soon as Revan entered the cockpit.
"Coruscant," Revan said, "We have to get to Coruscant."
Obi-Wan veered hard on the controls to avoid a turbolaser barrage. "But why?"
Revan winced as another jolt of pain shot through the bond. "It's Bastila, she's in great pain."
"How could you possibly know that," Obi-Wan asked. "Oh and would you mind manning the gun turret, we have incoming fighters."
"We share a bond through the Force remember?" Revan asked sarcastically as he strapped into the gun turret.
"Yes I know that," Obi-Wan said as he dodged a squadron of Trade Federation droid fighters. "But I didn't know that meant you shared emotions, especially at this distance."
"They aren't normally this intense," Revan paused to blast a fighter into dust. "There must be something terribly wrong in order for me to feel it this far away." Revan left unsaid that the last time he felt such emotions from Bastila was during her torture sessions at the hands of Malak. The nights he woke up screaming from the shared pain was the only thing that drove him to find the Star Forge and defeat Malak after the events on the Leviathan. Of course then there was little else Revan could do then, the need to find the Star Map outweighed his desire to find Bastila. This time there was nothing that stood in Revan's way.
"Course laid in to Coruscant," Obi-Wan announced. "Making the jump to hyperspace." Obi-Wan activated the hyperspace engines and the transport short out of normal space.
Consciousness stole back slowly to Bastila. She groaned and fought her way through a haze of pain to get a handle on her surroundings. She tried to move her arms and was puzzled when she couldn't. Her puzzlement turned to anxiety when she realized she also couldn't feel her toes. With a growing sense of dread she raised her head and looked around. It took all of her willpower not to scream when she saw neatly cauterized stumps in place of her limbs.
Bastila fought down the panic that welled up in her and ran through a Jedi calming technique. "This is not right," she said to herself as she closed her eyes and let her emotions fall away. When she reopened her eyes she saw the faint outlines of her arms and legs. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that what she was seeing was a trick being played on her using the Force.
"You'll have to do better than that," Bastila said in a loud, clear voice. She tried to call on the Force but found it sluggish and unresponsive. Bastila redoubled her efforts and managed to dissipate the illusion. She found herself lying strapped to a metal table in the middle of a brightly lit, featureless room. She felt something around her neck and decided it must be a neural inhibitor intended to disrupt her ability to cuse on the Force.
"Most impressive," the electronic voice of the Sith Lord said. The tall Dark Side user walked into view. "That illusion has broken many who considered themselves strong."
"You mean you think you've been torturing me?" Bastila taunted. "An Alderaanean could do a better job." In truth the torture sessions had been long and excruciatingly painful. The Sith used a combination of the Force drugs and traditional torture techniques to try and break Bastila. However, as someone who had been tortured at the hands of Darth Malak Bastila found the sessions endurable but just barely.
"Very well, you've had enough rest, shall we begin again?" Dooku asked rhetorically. He fired bolds of Force lightning at Bastila. She strained against her restraints as pain wracked her body. "Now I ask you again, what is your name?"
"Brin Kyja," Bastila said through gritted teeth.
"But I know that to be a lie," Dooku replied. "There is no Jedi named Brin Kyja. I had hoped that you'd realized that if you continue to lie you will only get pain." Dooku released another burst of Force lightning at Bastila.
"From...the Outer Rim..." Bastila gasped. If the Sith learned the truth about her she knew he'd stop at nothing to turn her to the Dark Side. Her Battle Meditation was too tempting a prize to destroy, and Bastila doubted her ability to resist a concerted effort to turn her.
"Curious that you cling to your fiction," Dooku said coolly. "Considering that by doing so you condemn yourself to a long, painful death." Dooku's opinion of the Jedi woman continued to rise the longer she resisted his questioning. Even with a neural inhibitor on she was able to penetrate his Force-created illusion, and she managed to shrug off all of his attempts to wring the truth out of her.
For a moment Dooku once again considered trying to turn the Jedi, making her his apprentice and challenging his master for supremacy of the Sith and the galaxy. He quickly discarded the notion. Sidious had woven a careful web to bring the galaxy under his heel. However the entire plan was contingent on his survival. In all of Dooku's years he had never met anyone who crafted plans as subtle as Lord Sidious. Without Sidious the entire plot to overthrow the Republic and destroy the Jedi would fall apart.
"I'm dead already," Bastila said. "So why should I give you the satisfaction?"
"Your insolence will be your undoing," Dooku told Bastila as he applied a heated iron to her bare arm.
Bastila cried out in pain as she smelled her burning flesh. "My name is Brin Kyja," she insisted. "And you will regret ever laying a hand on me." Bastila knew that Revan was on his way there. She could feel his presences through their bond growing stronger, but the inhibitor prevented her from knowing where exactly he was. She only hoped that he arrived before the Sith grew tired of the torture and killed her.
Dooku drew his lightsaber. "Such an elegant weapon, is it not? But did you know that the lightsaber is also an effective torture device?" He stared at the crimson blade as he spoke. Out of the corner of his eye he observed Bastila's face. This was his favorite part, when the victim realizes what is about to happen. "Since it cauterizes as it cuts I can remove any extremity from your body without the wound being fatal," Dooku paused. "Incredibly painful, but not fatal. By the end you will beg me to release you from the mortal coil."
Bastila stared at Dooku in mute horror. Despite all the atrocities she witnessed during Revan and Malak's reign of terror she never heard of anything so ghoulish. "Revan," she thought. "Please hurry."
An armored guard entered the room, "What is the meaning of this?" Dooku demanded. "I said no interruptions." He reached out with the Force and began to choke the guard.
"Commander, wishes to speak with you," the guard gasped. "Emergency."
Dooku released the guard and shut down his lightsaber. "You've gained a respite Jedi, but only a temporary one. Consider this, if you tell me the truth I will not make your vision come to pass." Dooku strode out of the room.
Bastila breathed a sigh of relief, then focused her attention on overcoming the neural inhibitor and freeing herself. "Revan might be on his way here," she thought to herself, "But I'm perfectly capable of freeing myself."
"Why did you send for me?" Dooku asked the commander of the guard detail as he strode into the control room of the clandestine interrogation center.
"My lord, the Jedi have found us." The commander pointed to a monitor, two Jedi and a droid were approaching the building.
Dooku sighed, "Dump the computer core and ready the explosive charges. Have your men delay the Jedi for as long as possible. They must not be allowed to find anything." Dooku wheeled around on his heels and began to leave the control room. Although Dooku wished to stay and fight a confrontation with a Jedi rescue party was not advisable.
"What about our prisoner?" The commander asked.
"Kill her," Dooku said without a second thought.
Revan brought the transport out of hyperspace and into orbit around Coruscant. He had not slept once during the flight back to Coruscant. Instead he tinkered with his lightsaber and ran through grueling practice sessions. He couldn't sleep because when he did his mental barriers would fall and the pain Bastila felt threatened to overwhelm him.
For his part Obi-Wan stayed out of Revan's way. He was concerned about Revan's single-mindedness and privately questioned whether or not they were heading into a trap. However he knew better than to voice those concerns to Revan. He knew the other Jedi would shrug them off.
Revan's mood had not improved when his droid called them on the holonet with news of Bastila's capture. Obi-Wan though it incredibly rash of her to have ventured into a Sith redoubt with just a droid as backup. Obi-Wan then remembered that Bastila's tenure as a Jedi was marked by such impulsive decisions, and that he was sitting next to the result of the most famous of those decisions.
Obi-Wan still had a hard time with the fact that the man sitting next to him was actually Revan, the former Dark Lord of the Sith who four thousand years ago almost destroyed the Republic. He had not asked Revan about the Star Forge crises, in part because there had not been time, but also because Obi-Wan wasn't sure how to raise the topic.
Revan landed the ship on the Jedi Temple where they were met by HK-47 and master Windu. It was the droid that spoke first. "Supplication: Master, I have failed you. You gave me one simple task, protect the meatbag Bastila Shan, and I was unable to accomplish it. This HK unit will gladly accept whatever punishment you decide to met out."
"There's no need for that HK, you were facing a Dark Jedi, there wasn't much you could do," Revan assured the droid.
"Query: Do you really hold such a low opinion of me Master to think that I am inferior to an organic?"
"Just those organics who can wield the Force," Revan replied evenly. "Don't worry HK, we'll get Bastila back and I'm going to need your help to do so."
"Statement: I eagerly await providing assistance for what is sure to be a bloody, bloody operation."
Windu stared at Revan. "You told Obi-Wan."
Revan returned the master's gaze. "Yes I did, and it was wrong to do otherwise. Deceit leads to the Dark Side."
"That and a Dark Side influence caused me to attack Revan," Obi-Wan added. "Telling me the truth was the only way to stop me."
"Cautionary: Attempted acts of violence against the Master will only succeed in getting you blasted meat bag," HK threatened. He raised his blaster rifle to emphasize his point.
"Easy there HK," Revan said as he put his hand on HK's blaster. "No harm no foul."
"Commentary: You're just lucky the Master is here," HK informed Obi-Wan.
"What a strange droid," Obi-Wan remarked.
"Have you gotten anywhere looking for Bastila?" Revan asked Windu.
Windu shook his head, "The Sith was quite skilled at covering his tracks. So far we've found no leads."
Revan walked away from the transport. "That's alright, I can find her. Come on HK." The droid followed Revan with a joyful look on his face if such a thing was possible.
Obi-Wan looked at Windu. "You're just going to let him go? You can tell the state he's in. You know how dangerous it is for a Jedi to act with anger ruling them."
"We all must decide for ourselves what path we walk," Windu told Obi-Wan. "No one else can do that for us. Revan has to decide for himself if he will continue to let his emotions rule his decisions. There is nothing I, or you, can say or do that will change his mind."
"I can at least go with him to offer my support," Obi-Wan said before running after Revan.
Obi-wan caught up to Revan as he was entering a ramshackle freighter sitting on an adjacent landing pad. "Revan wait up," Obi-Wan called out. Revan ignored Obi-Wan and entered the freighter. Obi-Wan had to call on the Force to give himself the necessary boost to get on board the ship before the boarding ramp closed.
Inside the ship Obi-Wan found Revan staring at him. "Why are you here?" Revan asked in a flat voice.
"To help you," Obi-Wan said as he caught his breath.
"You know what I'm about to do are you sure you want to be a party to that?"
"Hopefully I can smooth things out when the time comes. By the way, where are we going?"
"The other side of Coruscant."
"So I can stay?"
"Just don't get in my way," Revan touched his com. "Okay T3, take us to the coordinates I gave you." Obi-Wan felt the ship turn and accelerate.
Revan walked into a small workshop adjacent to the boarding ramp. HK was there waiting for him. "Did you bring it?"
"Statement: It is on the workbench waiting for you."
Obi-Wan entered the workshop and found Revan tinkering with a lightsaber. When he finished with his work he ignited the lightsaber and gave it a few test swings.
Obi-Wan stared at the golden lightsaber. "I've never seen a blade like that. What sort of crystal are you using?"
"According to the Rodian I bought it from it's a relic of the Jedi Order lost during the War with Exar Kun. Whatever the truth might be it certainly is extremely powerful." Revan closed down the lightsaber. "HK get ready, we're almost there." Revan walked up to the ship's cockpit and slid into the pilot's seat.
Obi-Wan entered the cockpit and peered over Revan's shoulder. Coruscant was spread out below them. Obi-Wan recognized it as a section of the planet not known for the respectability of its citizenry. "So what exactly is the plan?"
"We get Bastila," Revan answered.
"Some plan," Obi-Wan noted dryly.
"I thought so," Revan replied. He landed the ship a short distance from where he said Bastila was being held. "We don't want to tip our hand too soon," he explained to Obi-Wan.
They walked towards a small warehouse with Revan in the lead. Obi-Wan was surprised at how calm Revan was considering that they were about to assault a Sith base. Obi-wan had to remind himself that to Revan this was business as usual. Obi-Want thought back to when he was an apprentice studying the history of the Jedi. He had wondered how Revan could have gone to the places he did knowing how badly outnumbered he was. Obi-Wan had marveled at the determination it required to look past such obstacles and focus solely on the mission. It was both comforting and frightening to see that determination in person.
"Are you really going to just blast your way in there?" Obi-Wan asked Revan as they hid in the shadows near the warehouse.
"You're worried they'll kill Bastila as soon as they see us," Revan said. "They'll try to do that without a doubt. That's why we have to move quickly."
"That's an awfully big risk, there isn't another way?"
"I've been trying to figure that out all the way here, but we don't know enough about what we're going to find in there to plan things out in detail. HK are you ready?"
"Affirmative: Yes Master, ready and waiting."
"How about you Obi-Wan?"
"I can't say I like any of this, but I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
Revan nodded, "Fair enough." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Follow me." Revan ignited his lightsaber and ran towards the building. He created a battering ram with the Force and smashed open the door. HK-47 was close on his mater's heels with Obi-Wan following the pair at a more sedate pace.
The ensuing fight was a blur in Obi-Wan's mind. Revan moved like a man possessed, cutting down guards without any provocation as he moved towards a target fixed in his mind. HK-47 gleefully shot anything that moved anywhere near him. For his part Obi-Wan fought very little, focusing instead on defending himself and only striking when he absolutely had to.
Revan came to a stop at the first intersection they encountered. "You two stay here and guard the retreat," he told HK and Obi-Wan. "I'll get Bastila." Before either the Jedi or the droid could object Revan ran off down the hall.
Revan bashed down an unmarked door and found a guard armed with a vibroblade struggling with a visibly weakened Bastila. Revan threw his lightsaber at the guard and the glowing blade caught the Sith soldier in the neck, killing him instantly. The guard dropped his vibroblade and fell to the ground.
Revan rushed over and caught Bastila before she tipped over. "Revan," Bastila groaned. "I knew you'd come for me."
He reached out and removed the neural inhibitor from Bastila's neck. "Of course I came. I wasn't going to leave you behind again. But how did you get free?" Revan asked as he brushed sweat-soaked hair out of her face.
"It takes more than a neural inhibitor to constrain a true Jedi," Bastila replied in a strained whisper.
Revan blanched when he saw the ugly burns that marked her arms and legs as well as the other signs of the torture she endured at the hands of the Sith. However her eyes were still as bright and defiant as the first time he saw her. "Come on, let's get you back to the Temple. They can fix you up there. Can you walk?"
Bastila attempted to stand up under her own power and failed. "Apparently not."
Revan reached out with the Force and tried to heal some of Bastila's injuries. A look of relief washed over her face. "Is that better?" He asked.
This time Bastila managed to stand on her feet, if somewhat unsteadily. "I can make it." She tried to take a few steps and began to lose her balance. "With a little help," she added.
"How are we doing HK?" Revan asked into his com as he helped Bastila into the hall.
"Cautionary: We are holding our position, but I cannot estimate for how much longer we will be able to do so."
"Understood, we'll be right there," Revan told the droid.
Revan felt Bastila stiffen in his grasp at the same time the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He turned around and saw a tall, imposing figure dressed in black. Based on Bastila's reaction Revan figured this was the Sith that captured her. Revan discretely stepped in front of Bastila in order to shield her.
"You have tremendous strength Jedi," the Sith said. "Even more than your companion. I'm curious what the results would be if we crossed lightsabers."
"Why don't you find out," Revan challenged. He activated his lightsaber and held it up in a defensive posture.
"Sadly I have other matters to attend to. Rest assured though that if you make it out of here alive our paths will cross again." Before Revan could stop him the Sith disappeared behind a hidden door.
"I don't like the sound of that," Bastila observed.
"He's going to blow the building," Revan said as he picked up Bastila and started to run towards the exit.
"How can you be sure?" Bastila asked.
"It's the easiest way to kill us," Revan explained. "HK, I want you and Obi-Wan to fall back. I think the building is going to explode."
"Negative: No Master, I will not leave you behind."
"Look HK, I need someone to clear my way out of here. Can you do that for me?"
"Affirmative: Nothing would give me greater pleasure."
"You need to do something about that droid," Bastila quipped in a weak voice.
"Now is really not the time to be talking about this," Revan replied lightly. He was beginning to feel the strain of the past few days but managed to fight through the fatigue and called on the Force one more time to augment his speed.
The explosives started to detonate as Revan and Bastila neared the exit. Revan could feel the heat and pressure from the oncoming shockwave. He activated a personal energy shield and threw all of his remaining energy into a Force-assisted leap. The shockwave rebounded off the Verpine manufactured shield and blew Revan and Bastila clear of the explosion.
Obi-wan and HK raced over to where Bastila and Revan lay on the ground. "That was truly remarkable," Obi-Wan said as he helped Revan up.
"Look after Bastila," Revan said as he shrugged off Obi-Wan's assistance.
"Query: Are you sure you are undamaged Master?" HK asked. "I know how frail your squishy parts are."
"I'm fine HK, just tired. How's Bastila?"
Obi-Wan looked up from his examination of Bastila who was now semi-conscious. "She'll be fine, provided we get her to a bacta tank soon."
"Then we'd better get her to one..." Revan started to say. The stress and exertion finally caught up to Revan and the world swam in front of him before fading to black.
Obi-Wan looked down at the two unconscious Jedi Knights. "I assume you'll want to carry your master back to the ship?" He asked HK.
-to be continued-
Author's Notes: Yeah, so this is a bit longer chapter. Looking back on my outline I realized that I accidentally merged two chapters. I would have chopped them in two but neither section was meaty enough to stand on its own. Thanks for reading, I'll keep writing. Although why people are bothering to read this and not Tim Radley or Winterfox I'll never know, not that I'm complaining of course.