Chapter Two – History Doesn't Need to Know Everything
I left immediately to rendezvous' with the Endar Spire. Ostensibly a Republic vessel, it was given over to my direct command by request of the Jedi Council on Coruscant. My entourage was made up of two other Jedi, several droids, and of course, Veran, who was transferred to the ship as an advisor, not that he knew that. He was led to believe it was his next assignment. I made sure he got assigned rooms with someone who worked the opposite shift to ensure that questions were kept to a minimum.
Shortly after I arrived on board, I was met by Commander Carth Onasi. The Endar Spire would have been his ship to command normally, but with the war against the Sith, he was delegated to the position of military advisor to the vessel's new captain: me. Some would have been resentful of such a usurpation of their authority, but Onasi took it with true professionalism.
"Master Jedi, welcome aboard the Endar Spire," he said, as he strode into the briefing room. "I trust you find everything satisfactory?" He was older than me, I'd say in his late 30s. I wanted to ask him if his trimmer was malfunctioning, given the haphazard facial hair he exhibited, but I thought better of it. Instead of the standard duty uniform, he was dressed in a yellow-orange duty jacket given to ace pilots. Yet despite all this, he carried himself with an easy air of authority. I was glad he would be at my side during what was to come.
I could not tell anyone else this, but I often felt uncomfortable in my role as leader. Jedi were trained as peacekeepers, mediators, and enforcers of the law, not warriors. I did not like knowing that I was sending people to their deaths. I tried to comfort myself with the knowledge that my presence would mean that more might make it home alive, thanks to my gifts. Still, I was not destined to be a military leader, but I could not show this to the rank and file, who looked up to Jedi as legendary figures.
"Indeed, commander. Everything is quite satisfactory. I trust the crew has no qualms about our presence here?" I held myself up, hands folded behind my back. An air of supreme self-confidence was needed to keep soldiers in line. If their leaders were timid and unsure, they would be unsure themselves.
Carth immediately held himself at attention when he noticed my posture. Excellent. "No, ma'am. They understand that you are to be command, and that I am military liaison. I do have one question, if I may."
A curt nod was given. "Go ahead."
He shifted his weight from one foot to another. "I'm concerned about these personnel you've ordered aboard. I can understand the need for more troops, but a few of these seem… out of place."
"Such as?" Eyes narrowing, I could see where this was headed.
"Well, there's this scout for one. Shadowfyre, I think his name was? No offense, master Jedi, but we're headed for Taris to re-supply and then to rendezvous with the main fleet. Why do we need an explorer along?"
I let the cool control of a Jedi creep into my voice. "Commander, we may be called to venture off the standard hyperspace routes during this war. Also, Taris is on the Outer Rim. We requested his presence because he may have invaluable knowledge about the Outer Rim and beyond. Also, it never hurts to have another skilled pilot on board, wouldn't you agree?" I played to his military sensibilities and the collective ego all pilots across the galaxy seemed to share.
He held my gaze as if he were trying to read my mind for a moment. If he had been Force Sensitive, perhaps he could have. I did feel the faintest flicker of the Force in him, but it was like a single star in the heavens. He was not gifted to use the Force, but perhaps his descendants would be. I made a note to mention him to the masters, so they could track his bloodline for potential recruits in the future.
I felt something, a tremor. There was more to this than he was letting on. I moved to sit at the head of the briefing table, and he followed suit. "What is it about this man that truly concerns you, commander?" A simple transfer should not be that uncommon among the fleet.
His eyes glanced down at the tabletop. I was right. "I don't… like to discuss it."
"I could make it an order."
He flinched at that. Whatever it was, it troubled him deeply. "I take it you have not read my file then?"
I shook my head once. "No, I have not familiarized myself with the crew." To be honest, I had seen no need to. Why learn the names and faces of those who might die in mere days? I had studied Revan's logs from the Mandalorian War en route to the ship. While his tactics were ruthless and brutal, I could not help but agree with one passage. 'It is difficult, this war, sending men off to die. To lead them well, you have to know them, but that makes their deaths hurt all the more. I need to hold myself at a distance, regard them as nothing but mindless droids or faceless Mandalorians in their armor. That is the only way I can succeed.'
He swallowed as though he was trying to ingest a large stone. "My home world is Telos. I served with Revan and Malak during the Mandalorian War under Admiral Saul Karath."
I knew that name! He was the one who led the survivors who did not go with Revan back to the Republic. He and his men were given commendations, at least before Karath and some of his men defected to Darth Revan's side at the outset of this war. This man across from me was a war veteran and hero of the highest order. I suddenly felt much better about our chances. Then everything fell into place.
"Telos, the world bombarded by Admiral Karath under orders from Darth Malak. Your commanding officer betrayed you and attacked your world."
"Not just my commanding officer. He was my friend, my mentor. He tried to convince me that the Sith were going to win this war, and that I was on the wrong side. I argued with him and he stormed off. He defected later that night."
"Hell, I might as well tell you everything. It's all there in my file." With that he took braced himself and raised his eyes to look at me for the first time since sitting down. "Saul is not only responsible for the assault on Telos, but for the death of my wife and son."
I felt my heart go out to this man, who had lost everything to such base treachery. It was no wonder he was distrustful. I placed my hand on his arm. I knew this was where a master would have said something profound and comforting. "We will stop them." It was all I could think of. I felt ashamed that I could not offer something more to this man. He just looked up at me with this glare in his eyes. "I hope so."
"Do not let yourself be consumed by thoughts of revenge, commander." With that, I stood up and smoothed my outfit. "We will be at Taris in 6 hours. I trust you can handle the re-supply. I am going to retire for the evening. Call me should something come up."
My quarters were larger than what I was used to back on Dantooine. I'm sure by civilian standards these would be considered somewhat cramped, but most did not live with the Jedi. I should have meditated, but I was tired. I shed my dueling leathers and laid down on the bunk. Pulling the sheet around me, I began to drift off, wondering if Revan was doing the same a few decks down.
I was awoken by the shuddering of the ship as alarms began to sound. As a Jedi, I was trained to be able to be at the ready, even after deep sleep. Before I could even fully comprehend my actions, I was pulling on my clothes and fastening my lightstaff to my belt. I hastened my way to the bridge. There, I found Carth barking orders to the startled crew. "Dammit, keep formation! If the ships scatter, we're dead. Can't we get the fighters scrambled?"
One of the ensigns looked up from his console. Even from this distance, I could practically feel the tension in his voice. "No sir, there isn't enough time! The Valorous and the Intrepid have been badly damaged."
I came up beside the commander. Unlike the rest of the bridge crew, he was calm under fire. The only emotions coming off him were determination, and annoyance, as if the Sith had merely interrupted his favorite holovid. "Master Jedi. I don't suppose you have any Force tricks that could save our collective butts?"
"I do have one 'trick', as you so quaintly call it, though it will take some time for it to have effect. What is our current situation?"
Carth shook his head. "We were approaching Taris when a Sith fleet came out from around the moon as we approached. We're caught between the fleet and the planet. We had pulled our fighters back in for the approach, and they've got us outflanked. As you just heard, the other ships have been disabled."
Another officer shouted back to us from the front. "Enemy fighters coming in!"
"How many?" Carth and I asked the question in unison.
"A… at least six squadrons! They're s…swarming us! Also reading 6 boarding pods inbound!" The quiet fear in his voice became a trembling stutter that heralded the near panic that began to sweep the bridge. They were going to storm the ship rather than simply destroy it the way they had our sister ships. That meant only one thing: they knew I was here. How, I had no idea, but Darth Malak must have ordered them to capture me.
Before I could issue an order, Carth spoke up. "Alright people. Hold it together." He turned to face me. "We need to abandon ship, Bastila. We can't survive if we stay here. On Taris, we might be able to slip away on a tramp freighter."
I considered arguing that my Battle Meditation could turn the tide, but I could tell from the look in his eyes that if he declared the battle lost, then it must be. I turned and faced the crew. "All hands, abandon ship. Sound the evacuation alarm. Evacuate the ship in an orderly fashion."
The crew seemed to hesitate, looking back and forth at each other. "You heard her! Move out!" The order was given a moment too later. The bridge went up in smoke and sparks as a fighter tore past the viewport, dealing a glancing blow to the forward deck. When my vision cleared, several of the crewmen were laying dead on the deck.
Carth grabbed my shoulder and led me to the starboard exit. Within moments, he had me at the central escape pod bay. He practically had to push me into the pod. "What about you?" I called back.
"I'll head the defense of the ship, until everyone is evacuated. I'll be on the last pod." He gave me a faint smile. "I know the captain is supposed to go down with the ship, but we both know your loss would be almost as good to Malak as capturing you."
So he knew that this entire trap was for me. Once again, people were dying because of me. "Make sure you get Veran and the others off the ship. We'll rendezvous and try and find a way offworld."
I could not miss the odd look Carth gave me. He was obviously wondering why I felt Veran was so important, but we both knew I did not have time to answer his questions. "May the Force be with you, Carth Onasi. I feel we will meet again."
He bit off a laugh. "I hope you're right. Don't worry about your friend. I'll be sure he makes it out with me." With that, he stabbed a button on the outer panel and the hatch shut. With a muffled blast, I felt the escape pod shoot free.
The trip down to Taris was not gentle. The pod passed through a stray blast as a fighter tried to shoot me down. The reentry thrusters were damaged and instead of a gentle crash into the upper levels of the city, the pod plummeted through the immense city. The last thing I felt was the massive smashing sensation of what must have been the pod breaking through the thin artificial crust that separated the Lower City from the Undercity. Despite being strapped into a device designed to cushion landing impact, I found myself surrendering to unconsciousness.
I awoke to the throbbing pain in my head. As I shook my senses clear, I took a survey of my condition. I touched my head and found no blood, so I must have had a mild concussion. I had not yet learned how to focus the Force to accelerate healing and clear the blood, so I was unable to clear my head quickly. I unfastened myself from the chair I was in. I felt for my lightsaber and found it missing. I glanced around for it, but did not see it.
There was a haze of smoke from a burning control panel. It was minor inconvenience, but it was keeping me from seeing or breathing clearly, which made the pain in my head worse. I opened the pod hatch to clear the air and found myself staring into the barrel of a blaster. I looked past it to a group of about five aliens of various types, mainly Klatuu, Twi'lek, and Rodian. They all wore jumpsuits and clothing of similar style and coloring, so I could only assume I had been stumbled across by some pedestrian street gang. I tried to move back into the pod, so I could make another quick search for my lightsaber, but the thugs were faster than my hindered reflexes, and I was rendered unconscious again by a stun blast from the blaster that had been in my face moments before.
I don't know how long it was before I regained consciousness, but I had the vaguest memory of dreaming I was back on the Titan, fighting Revan's apprentices as we entered the bridge. I didn't know what it meant at the time, I merely thought it was an odd memory to revisit. As my head cleared, I realized that the pain in my head was gone. I opened my eyes, and found myself strapped down to a medical bunk. As the last of the haze cleared, I felt a thin metal color around my neck.
Taking stock of the room, I noticed that it was ill-kept. There was grime everywhere, and much of the paneling was stained and cracked. The door opened and in walked a man, I'd say he was no older than 25 years. He had dark skin and a military-like buzzcut. He spoke with a high-pitched sneering voice. "Good! You're awake. I hope my doctor fixed your wounds."
I tried to raise my head, but found I couldn't muster the strength to do so. Something was wrong. "Who are you?" The sound that croaked forth from my throat barely sounded like myself.
"I am Brejik. I lead the Black Vulkars, the strongest swoop gang on the face of Taris. You are a Republic officer, and Jedi, if I'm not mistaken." He held up the hilt of my lightstaff. "Oh, if you're wondering why you can't move, that's the neural restraint collar. I have it on setting three. You can speak, but you shouldn't have enough strength to move, unless I will it."
"What value am I to you? Let me go." I reached out with my mind and tried to influence his thoughts, but I could not summon the will. I had heard of these collars; a classic slavers' tool. They could also be used to keep a Jedi prisoner. My situation had gone from bad to worse.
"What value? I'll tell you what value" He walked over to my bed and ran his hand down the side of my face. I would not have given him the satisfaction of shuddering beneath his touch. "Such a skilled and beautiful woman is hard to come by, especially here in the Lower City. You'll make a find addition to the Vulkar share of the victory prize for this year's opening swoop race, slave."
With the emphasis put on that final word, that disgusting man kissed me. I bit him for his effrontery, but he only laughed as he pulled back. "You have spirit! Good, that means you'll be even more fun to break!" He reached down to an armband he wore and touched a control. I suddenly found it even more difficult to focus my thoughts as I slowly slid down into a never-ending grey haze.
The Force was with me, as apparently I was secreted away from the gang as a whole. It took days of meditating, gathering the Force little by little, as much of my will was sapped by the collar. My awareness was limited, but I would have felt any attempts at torture or worse. The worst I had to endure was another slave stripping me, cleaning me up, and dressing me again in some kind of tight revealing slave girl outfit. It took days of meditating, gathering the Force little by little, as much of my will was sapped by the collar. It wasn't until the day of the Taris Open swoop race, that I had the power to finally rip the collar from my neck. I was only dimly aware of my surroundings, but I heard that megalomaniacal brat.
"People, hear me! Before I present the so-called champion of the Beks his victory prize, there is something you all need to know. The winning rider cheated!" I could hear the uproar in the crowd as the new champion confronted Brejik.
"You're a damned liar!" said a voice I had never heard before, yet it sounded so familiar.
Brejik continued his little tirade. "Your swoop bike was using a prototype accelerator; clearly an unfair advantage. Because of this Hidden Bek treachery, I am withdrawing the Vulkars' share of the victory prize!"
A voice speaking in Duro tried to interject. "You can't do this, Brejik! You know the rules: nobody is allowed to withdraw a victory prize after the race! It goes against all our most sacred traditions!"
"You old fool!" I didn't need to see him to know he was wearing the same, arrogant, smug sneer he had when I saw him. "Your traditions mean nothing to me! I am the wave of the future! If I wish to take this woman and sell her on the slave market myself, no one can stop me!"
I knew this was my chance, so summoning all the strength I had gathered, I burst free, threw my guard across the walkway, and called his double-bladed vibrosword to my hand. "I might have something to say about that, Brejik." I must say, the look of shock on his face was almost worth my time in that damn collar.
"Impossible!" he stumbled back, this look of terror in his eyes. He knew what was coming. "You were restrained by a neural disruptor! How could you have possibly summoned the will to free yourself!"
"You underestimate the strength of a Jedi's mind." I spun my newfound weapon in an intimidating twirl as I strode toward him. "A mistake you won't live to regret." And with that, I charged this diminutive little wretch.
With a high-pitched shrill he called out to his men. "Vulkars, to me! Kill the woman! Kill the swoop rider! Kill them all!"
I reached him in a heartbeat. He drew his blaster and aimed it at me, but I was already too close. Before he could fall back, I drove blade into his chest all the way to the hilt. I looked in his eyes as they widened. I think that was the beginning of my fall, in both senses of the word. As much as I would deny to everyone, including myself, I could not suppress a smug sneer of my own as a trickle of blood begin to flow from his mouth and down his chin. When he collapsed to the ground and rattled his last breath, may the Council forgive me, I felt happy. I buried that feeling down, deep inside me. No one would ever know what joy the death of that evil little man had given me.
"Maybe that will teach the Vulkars to think twice before attempting to hold a Jedi prisoner. As for you, if you think you can collect me as a pri…" As I turned to inform my fellow combatant, the winner of the swoop race that he was to be greatly disappointed as I was no one's prize, I received the greatest shock of my life. My would-be rescuer was none other than Revan! No longer in the standard gear of a Republic soldier, he was clad in some kind of black and silver armor, Cinnagar in design if I wasn't mistaken. He held a vibroblade in his hand, stained wit the blood of the other Vulkars. His shoulder-length hair was matted down with sweat to the back of his neck. He was breathing rapidly, with that flush that always comes with battle.
Something leapt in my chest as I first saw him. It was unnerving. If I had a lesser control over my emotions, I would have been breathing rapidly myself but not from exertion. I had never had a crush, as such interactions were forbidden in the Enclave. I had, of course, studied on such things. Master Vrook had advised me what to be on guard for, as to not slip. I knew from the way my pulse threatened to race out of control, from the fact that I almost stammered and blushed when I saw him. Why was this happening now? And why him! It must be that bond, yes that's what it must be. I couldn't leave myself open like this. With time and control, this would go away. I immediately allowed all my training to come to the front, and let the cool calm that I had worked long to perfect to come over me.
To the credit of my training, I let nothing more than mild shock show, which I covered as recognition. "You! It can't be! You…you're one of the soldier's with the Republic fleet, aren't you? Yes, I'm sure of it! How did you wind up racing for these swoop gangs?"
"I'm Veran Shadowfyre; I'm here to save you." He said it with such sincerity I almost laughed.
"Rescue me? Is that what you called riding in that swoop race? As far as rescues go, it was a pretty poor example. As you can see, I did not need your help. In fact, I think it's safer to say that I rescued you." I succinctly informed him. The look on his face as I said those words was one of incredulousness. Despite who this man once was, he was no longer a Jedi, and it would not do to admit weakness. I can see now why I wrapped myself in my own pride and arrogance. I wanted to prove myself to him, to this man who was once the pinnacle of the Jedi Order, and its greatest enemy. "Brejik and his Vulkars would have left you for dead if I hadn't been here. You're lucky I was able to get you out of this mess."
The look of surprise quickly turned to one of annoyance. "I think you're confused. You were a helpless prisoner until I came along, lady."
This man was actually trying to lecture me! Of all the arrogant bravado! "I may have been a prisoner, but a Jedi is never helpless. Maybe you've heard of a little thing called the Force?" He just shook his head in exasperation. "But I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on you. You did try to rescue me, after all, even if things didn't go exactly as planned. Now, lets get down to business: are there any other survivors?"
Revan… Veran, I mean; I really should get used to calling him that; nodded. "We aren't the only survivors. Carth Onasi is with us, as well."
I let loose a sigh of relief. "Carth is alive? Finally, some good news! He's proven himself a hero a dozen times over." I could also imagine the trouble he's given Veran if he's still half as suspicious of him as he was before our evacuation. "He sent you here to save me? Maybe I misjudged you. Carth would not have sent you if he was not confident in your abilities. Forgive me. Despite my Jedi training, I sometimes act a bit rashly."
A faint smile, almost a smirk, appeared on his face. Over the weeks and months I would come to both hate and love that expression. "I understand, Master Jedi. I can't imagine what the last few days have been like for you. I know how scum like this treats their prisoners."
"Brejik considered me too valuable to be a toy for him and his men. Unblemished, he felt I would be worth more," I said with scorn in my voice. I glanced up at him and saw this look of sorrow and sympathy in his eyes. Master Vrook had told me they had given me a new personality, but I had no idea what to expect. Of course, the Council would have given him a sympathetic and humane identity. But in my mind, I still saw the black-robed figure that had led the Sith to victory after victory. Until that moment, I had not really believed that Veran was a completely different person than Darth Revan. It made me wish I had known him before his fall.
At that moment, I had a kind of vision. My sight blurred and suddenly I was back on the bridge of the Titan, but this time I was facing myself, standing across the walkway, my lightsaber at the ready. I heard myself say, "You cannot win, Revan!" followed by a sense of an explosion occurring behind me, then the vision faded. I had witnessed that battle, and it could only have been through Revan's eyes! I felt a panic inside, but my training took control, and I quickly suppressed the incident. This was neither the time nor the place to worry about such things.
I blinked and looked away and brought my thoughts back to matters at hand. "Please, take me to Carth right away. Between the three of us, we should be able to find a way to escape Taris before the Sith realize we're here." With a sharp nod, he turned and led me to their apartment base of operations, where I was pleased to see Carth.
Carth seemed as relieved to see me as I was him. "Bastila! You're alive! Finally, things are looking up. Now we just need to find a way off this planet."
"You mean you don't have a way to get off Taris? What have you been doing while I was captured!" It was silly to react like that, but meeting Veran had shaken me, much more than I was willing to admit at the time. My emotional control was not what it should have been. Master Vrook would have admonished me severely for such a slip.
"We were trying to find you, remember?" Veran snapped at me.
I glanced over at him. "Really? Now that I'm back in charge of this mission, perhaps we can start doing things properly. I'm sure our escape from Taris will go more smoothly than when you 'rescued' me from Brejik."
Carth stepped up between us. "Look, Bastila, I know you're pretty new at this, but a leader doesn't berate her troops just because things aren't going as planned. Don't let your ego get in the way here."
That comment was like a slap in the face, because he was right. I didn't want to admit however, especially not in front of this man. The Council had entrusted him to me, and I had to keep his respect if anything could be done. "That hardly strikes me as a way to address your commanding officer, Carth. I am a member of the Jedi Order and this is my mission. Remember that! My Battle Meditation has helped the Republic many times in this war, and I'm sure it will help us here."
Carth just shook his head in exasperation the same way Veran had done back at the swoop track. "Your talents might win us a few battles, but that doesn't make you a good leader. A good leader would at least listen to advice from someone whose seen more combat than she ever will."
At this point, Veran stepped forward. "Both of you, that's enough! We have to work together if we're going to get of this planet."
I took a deep breath and re-centered myself. "You're right, of course. I apologize, Carth. This is a difficult time for me. Of course, I will listen to your advice. What do you think we should do?"
We could all feel the tension being to bleed out of the room, and the thickness of the air began to thin. "First of all, we can't get hung up on who's in charge here; we all need to work together if we want to get off this rock."
I nodded once and looked back and forth between the two men. "Well said, Carth. I think we'll need some help finding a way off Taris. I suggest we look in the cantinas. Maybe one of the locals can help us out."
Carth nodded and moved to make ready to leave. I glanced at Veran and noticed him looking at me hesitantly, a question in his eyes. "Is something troubling you?"
He opened his mouth but no sound emanated from it for several moments. "Something weird happened when we first met; like a vision."
My blood turned to ice water. I carefully controlled the tone of my voice to prevent anything other than a calm cool disinterest from entering it. "A vision? A vision of what?"
"Of you, fighting a Dark Jedi. Revan, I think."
I could think of no curse foul enough to properly summarize my feelings at that moment. The bond we shared was enough to allow unconscious memory sharing. The question was, was it my memory or his? Regardless, Veran needed an answer and I would have to give him one.
"This is… strange. Such visions are often a sign of Force Sensitivity."
This caught his attention. "Are you saying I can use the Force?"
Blast it, this was not happening! "I… I'm not sure. You may have some connection to the Force. Such things are not unheard of. When we first met your natural talent may have fed off my own Force abilities."
I turned away as if contemplating what this could mean. I was, but not the way Veran would expect. I did not want him to see the worry in my eyes. "It is possible that in the excitement of the battle's aftermath, the Force may have allowed you to witness one of my more intense memories."
"So does this mean I could be a Jedi?" I could hear both the excitement and concern in his voice.
"The Force is complicated. Even I, with all my training, do not fully understand it. This is a matter best left to the wisdom of the Jedi Masters." I turned to look at him again, my own anxieties once again fully under control. "Once we escape Taris, we can seek the guidance of the Council if you wish. They will be able to explain the significance of your vision… if there is any." I had to quickly amend myself before I said too much. Surely the masters would consider him to dangerous to train a second time.
"However, I think it would be best if we stayed focus on the task at hand right now. We cannot afford any distractions; we must find a way off Taris."
Veran nodded. "You're right, of course. Thank you, Bastila." He turned and busied himself, cleaning his vibroblades. I sat in silent meditation until the whirlwind that was Mission Vao and Zaalbar returned from a food run.
"Hey! Is this Bastila? You guys found her, huh? Guess that means we need more food, right, Big Z?"
"I am Bastila Shan, yes. And you are?" I stood up to introduce myself, but I should have realized such formal behavior was unnecessary.
Mission was a young, blue-skinned Twi'lek, no older than 15 years if I had to guess, who had apparently grown up on the streets of Taris. Zaalbar was her Wookie companion. Apparently the two of them looked after each other. It was an odd pair, but I could tell they were comfortable with each other.
Before I could even ask, Mission introduced herself and began telling me the story of how they all met. The girl was so excited I can't even begin to chronicle her exact words here. Suffice to say, they first all met in Javyar's Cantina, a Lower City dive, but they did not join forces until Zaalbar had been abducted by Gamorrean slavers and taken into the sewers. I winced at that part of the story, so close to my own trial. I also knew the conditions on Kashyyyk, the Wookie homeworld, and the corporate slavery they endured as a people. It must have been horrible for him.
By the end of her energetic recounting, Veran and Carth helped Mission free Zalbaar, who promptly swore a life debt to Veran. I could not help but wonder if the Wookie would have sworn such a solemn vow if he knew who this man really was. I also could not help but wonder how he had managed to garner the respect from these three beings so quickly. These two would obviously follow Veran into death. It was obvious even Carth, the war veteran, was deferring to Veran more often than not. Revan, it seems, had lost none of his charisma. I was glad for the assistance, but I knew I needed to get off-world more than ever now. Revan was no longer in a controlled environment, and I could not shake this fear of what was to come.