Hearts Eye View – Chapter 08

Belly of the Beast

Disclaimer: George Lucas and Bioware own everything. I'm merely having some fun in their playground. Besides which, I'm just a poor, unemployed college graduate (woohoo!!!!) so suing me will get you nothing but the rights to my student loan payments.

Two days out, Veran finally caught me alone on the bridge. I braced myself for what was to come. "Bastila, we need to talk." His voice was tense, but calmer than I would have expected.

I refused to turn around. This was more difficult for me than I anticipated. It wasn't the waking hours that were bothering me. I had become quite adept at avoiding him, even in this tiny ship. What was tormenting me were the dreams. Some had us entwined, the sensations so real, I could almost smell him. Others saw him as Darth Revan, stalking me through the ship. It was all I could do not to wake up crying. I prayed that Veran was not receiving these dreams as well.

"We have nothing to talk about, Veran. Not now. Please. Let us complete our mission." I said, with strained tones. I couldn't keep him away forever. We both felt too strongly for that, but I could not, would not, let these feelings get in the way of our mission. The sooner he accepted that, the easier it would be on both of us.

"Bantha poodoo, we have nothing to talk about. We have a lot to talk about, I'm just the only one without a lightsaber shoved up my…" the ship lurched suddenly, and the hyperspace collision alarm went off. Veran was thrown into my back, which sent us both into the console. We both struggled to look up, and before us we saw the silvery, gleaming hull of a Sith Interdictor.

Carth came running up from the dorms, fastening his armor as he went. We couldn't see his face, but from the way he seemed to choke for a moment, I can only assume the rear view of the position Veran and I were in was more than merely embarrassing, despite our desperate situation. I'm sure the sight of me, thrown over the bridge console with Veran atop me was a sight that I can only now find amusing.

"It's a Sith Interdictor! They must have laying in wait along the hyperspace route between Korriban and Manaan. Its pretty obvious they figured out what we're up to." I pushed Veran off me and smoothed my clothing out. "Do you know which ship it is?"

"It's the Leviathan, Saul Karath's ship." With that one statement, Carth leaned back in the pilots chair and seemed to be pondering the possibilities. Karath had betrayed Carth and the Republic, and was responsible for bombing his homeworld, killing his wife. I did not need to be a Jedi to know that he wanted revenge.

The shudder of the tractor beams pulling us in told us that escape was impossible. Everyone met in the main room. "We need a plan of escape. Saul isn't stupid. He'll be watching Bastila, Veran, and I like a raptor."

"You're right, Carth. Our one chance is that he probably doesn't know how many of us are on this vessel. We all have unique abilities. Someone should be able to affect a rescue." This was our only hope. We would surely be outnumbered, not only with troops, but with Dark Jedi as well. We could not hope to prevail against such odds.

Veran was the first to speak up. "HK-47, you have any extra features that might prove useful."

"Statement: Affirmative, master. I have a backup memory storage unit, enabling me to fake shutdown. Merely wipe my primary memory and deactivate me. The Sith will take me to a maintenance bay where I can then effect your rescue."

Veran nodded his agreement. "Sound like a plan then."

"Good, they're pulling us into the landing bay now. Hold on." Carth seemed to almost anticipate our capture. I hoped he wouldn't do anything foolish. We were slowly pulled into a docking bay which was then promptly sealed. When we lowered the landing ramp, there were 8 Sith and an entire platoon of Sith troopers waiting at the base. We quietly surrendered, and were quickly stripped of our weapons, armor, and robes. Carth, Veran, and I were taken to an interrogation chamber, while the others were escorted to set of holding cells. We could only hope that the Sith didn't just dismantle HK-47 on the spot.

The three of us were placed within torture fields and minutes later, Admiral Saul Karath graced us with his presence. He was a tall, gaunt man whose face showed the lines of stress and age. His eyes shown with the intensity of a man who had seen and done too much, and lost a piece of his soul in the process.

Carth and Saul attacked each other verbally for a few moments before the Admiral dismissed him as unimportant. It was then that he turned his attention to Veran and I. I met his gaze, stating, "We will never turn to the Dark Side, Admiral Karath. The Sith will be destroyed, as will you if you continue on this path."

The admiral sneered, as I expected. "Your words are brave, Bastila, but I wonder if your convictions are as strong. And what about your friend here? Is he as devoted a servant of the light as you are?"

Veran straightened at Karath's implied comment. "I will never betray the Jedi, Karath."

He just laughed at that statement. "I'm sure Lord Malak will find your loyalty to the Jedi most amusing. Malak may reward me for just killing you here and now, but he may want to interrogate you first, given your history together."

By the Force, no! I should have realized Karath would have been one of the few Sith to recognize Revan! He couldn't find out like this! The admiral appeared stunned. "You mean… you really don't understand what's going on here do you? Oh this is hilarious! I will not deprive Lord Malak the pleasure of telling you himself. However, since he is not here at the moment, I will have to do my best in his stead. Don't worry, he will return soon."

I tried to summon up as much defiance as I could, given our situation. "You are wasting your time, Admiral. We will not answer your questions."

He just looked back at me with an amused expression. "Oh, of that, I have no doubt. However, I wonder how your friend will hold up. We both know his loyalties have been somewhat flexible in the past."

Veran seemed to grow more and more confuses and scared. I think part of him could tell what was coming, on some subconscious level, and the part of him that was Veran was fighting it. "What are you talking about?!"

"I shall ask the questions here." Karath moved over to a control panel and activated our torture fields. They were ingeniously designed to trigger the nerve centers to cause pain without actually damaging the subjects permanently. I had never been in one before, and I hope never to be again. The pain was excruciating, and I could hear all our screams as our bodies were wracked by an invisible flame that we could not see or escape.

"That was just a taste of what is to come. I know you are too strong-willed to be broken by pain. However, Jedi do have that wonderful concern for the well-being of others. I wonder if you'll keep your defiance if you have to watch Bastila suffer for your silence."

Veran looked over at me suddenly, and then grimaced at his mistake. His emotional attachment to me had just given Karath a weapon he could use against him. I just said, "Tell him nothing."

The admiral just smirked. "Let us begin. Where is the Jedi academy you trained at?"

Veran just held my gaze, as if pleading for forgiveness. He then looked down at the floor, and barely whispered, "Alderaan. They're on Alderaan."

Karath snorted derisively. "Alderaan is a plant of artisans and philosophers! There is no academy there! You must think I am a fool. Very well then." With a flick of a button, my world was redefined as pain. He obviously set the booth for a higher level. Even through I had prepared myself, I could not help but shriek in agony. It was only a few moments, but it felt like hours.

"That question was a test. Obviously, we knew you came from the Enclave on Dantooine, and we have already razed it to the ground. Your precious masters are dead." The pain at the thought of Dantooine's destruction hurt worse than the torture field. Everyone I knew… dead.

Veran just clenched his fists and glared vibroblades at Karath. "You'll pay for this, Saul."

"Yes, yes, I believe Carth and I already covered the empty threats earlier. Now then, how much have you learned from the Star Maps? How much does the Republic know?"

Veran's only response was, "Go to the abyss, Karath."

The admiral was, of course, unphased. His expressions never changed as he activated my torture field again, this time even higher. Mercifully I passed out.

I awoke again to find HK-47 standing over me. "Statement: Good. You're awake. I have unlocked the cells and rescued the others. Query: Is there anyone else for me to kill now, masters?"

Veran was also just returning to consciousness. "No, but I'd love some pain meds right now."

Carth helped us both to our feet. "Saul kept the fields on, even after we passed out. He's become some kind of sadistic monster."

"The Dark Side has corrupted him as thoroughly as it has Malak, Carth." I looked over to Veran, to find him standing, albeit it shakily. "Did you tell him anything?"

"No." He looked away from me. "I'm sorry, Bastila. I couldn't… make him stop."

"Don't be. You did the right thing. Even the slightest bit of information could have untold consequences for the galaxy. I will confess there was a moment when I wished you'd tell him something, anything, to make the pain stop." Neither of us could look at the other it seemed.

Carth interjected in the middle of this awkward moment. "Do you believe what he said about Dantooine?"

"Yes. I'd like to believe he was lying, but somehow I just know it's true. We should have felt something in the Force, however. The Dark Side is growing stronger, blocking our senses." The thought of Zhar, Vandar, and even Vrook being dead… no, I couldn't deal with that now.

Looking back up at us, Veran asked, "Where's Saul now?"

"I woke up before either of you. Guess Saul didn't think I was worth the full treatment. He was headed for the bridge, saying something about preparing for Malak's return."

The others filed into the torture room, fully equipped. Canderous spoke up, "All our gear is stored two rooms over. Not that I don't enjoy the view, princess, but you're going to need more than that to get off this ship." My body ached too much for me to glare at the Mandalorian, but I just nodded, and the three of gathered our things. Once back in my dueling leathers and with the comforting weight of my lightstaff on my hip, I began to feel better.

"Alright, so what now?" was Canderous' next question.

It was Carth who had our answer. "I know these ships. The only way we're getting out of here is to override the tractor control on the bridge. Someone will need to get the Ebon Hawk prepped for take-off too."

Veran nodded. "Well, why don't we three head to the bridge and take care of the tractor beam situation. I'm sure we can take a shot at the Admiral while we're there," he added, giving Carth a rather intense look.

"You don't have to worry about me going off on some quest for vengeance. If Saul is on the bridge, all I ask is that you let me deal with him. Okay?"

"Done and done. Canderous, take the others, liberate the ship and get her ready to go. We'll meet you on the hangar deck when we've disabled the tractor beam.

"Roger that. Come on, people. Let's get off this boat." With that, the old war veteran led the others to the turbolift. Juhani cast a concerned look back at as they left, but Jolee took her gently by the arm.

I did give Carth one warning: "don't give into the Dark Side, Carth. I know you want revenge, but don't let it dominate you. Either of you."

Veran and Carth just nodded silently. I just hoped we could get off this ship before Malak returned. We were not equipped to face the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Reaching the bridge level, we found that our escape had finally been noticed. The main hatch to the bridge was sealed, so we had to fight our way to an airlock, secure some space suits and then actually go for a walk on the ship's hull. Fortunately, the bridge airlock security wasn't as tight as it was on the main hatch, and Veran was able to slice our way in.

Once there, we confronted the admiral and his two Sith protectors. Veran and I dealt with them, while Carth and Saul had their final confrontation. In some ways, it was anti-climactic. Carth was not only faster, but a better marksman and one well-placed shot to the lungs later, Admiral Saul Karath was down, gurgling his last few breaths. Before I could stop him, however, the admiral whispered something to Carth, which I had prayed he would never learn. Carth stood up and turned to face us, a look of shock on his face.

"Is… is what he said true, Bastila? It can't be true… can it? Damn it, Saul! Damn you! Talk to me, Bastila!"

Veran tried to intervene. "Calm down, Carth. What did he say to you?" Carth ignored him, and brutally shoved him aside, almost knocking him into the crew pit. The look on his face and he shoved him aside was one of pure malice. Veran seemed shocked by such treatment from one he considered a friend.

"It is true, isn't it? And you and the whole damn council knew! No wonder you kept throwing me out of the room whenever you wanted to talk!"

"Carth, please, it's not what you think! We had no choice!" This was spiraling out of control. I could feel the Dark Lord's presence moving closer. We were almost out of time. Veran was growing more confused.

"Would someone please tell me what we're supposed to be so upset about?"

"I promise, I'll explain everything, to both of you, but not here!"

Carth just glared at me like he wanted to strangle me with his bare hands. "Fine. But once we're off this ship, I'm getting some answers, Council be damned!" With that, he turned and stalked off, refusing to look at either of us. I dreaded returning to the ship. I would have to tell Carth everything, and I knew Veran would not be left out of that discussion, nor would the others. He would hate me forever, and the rest would never trust a word I said again, and that was just the best case scenario. The worst was that this would trigger the return of Revan.

We made our way in strained silence to the hanger level. Veran received a comm. "It's Canderous. We've made it to the Ebon Hawk and all systems are go. Get down here so we can leave."

I felt a tension in my chest. We were about to escape, but I would be the one facing summary judgment by all of them. I was so worried about how I was going to handle this; I didn't feel the dark presence waiting for us.

As we opened the outer hatch, leading to one of the smaller storage bays adjacent to the main hanger, we found the imposing figure of Darth Malak, standing there, waiting. His missing jaw was replaced with a cybernetic device that allowed him to speak through a droid vo-coder. He wore a red armor, not too dissimilar from HK-47's coloring, which was laced with cortosis, black cloak thrown back over one shoulder, and in his hand was his custom lightsaber, its blade several inches longer than a normal one, allowing him greater reach.

And arrayed against him were two Padawan and a Republic soldier. The fear that gripped my heart in that instant was unlike anything I had ever felt before. I had long-fantasized about facing him in combat and besting him. It seems the Force had granted my wish, and I regretted it utterly.

Carth drew his blasters with blinding speed. "Down you go!" But his effort was in vain. With a casual spin of his blade, his shots were deflected, and a gesture of his hand sent him flying back against a bulkhead.

The mechanized voice chortled as it strode forward. "I hope you weren't thinking of leaving so soon, Bastila. I've spent far too much energy hunting down you and your companions to have you get away from me now. Besides, I had to see for myself if it was true." He turned to face Veran, and the moment I had dreaded finally came to pass. "Tell me, why did the Council let you live? Is it vengeance you seek at this reunion?"

Veran stepped back, his voice trembling, not with fear but with dread. "Reunion? What are you talking about?"

Malak threw his head back and roared with laughter. "What? You mean you don't know?! All this time, and you still haven't figured it out?" Malak seemed to almost be beside himself with mirth. Part of me screamed strike now!, but I couldn't. Every once of my will was focused in the vain attempt to somehow stop this entire scene from happening.

"I wonder how long you would have remained blind to the truth. Surely some of what you are must have resurfaced by now. Even the combined power of the Jedi Council couldn't keep your true identity submerged forever."

I closed my eyes as I felt the bond between us grow cold. I stared at him as he seemed to go to some faraway place, as the color drained out of his face. I could only imagine what was flashing before his eyes at that moment. Memories, of me, the council, of his old life? I couldn't know, but my heart went out to him. He should never have had to learn the truth like this.

Darth Malak took one step towards him. "You cannot hide from what you once were, Revan! Know that you were once the Dark Lord of the Sith, and that I have taken your place!"

Ve… Revan just kept taking steps backwards, shaking his head. "No… it's not true. This is some kind of Sith trick!" The look of panic and disbelief in his eyes tore at me. I could not imagine the horror he must be feeling right now.

"You do not yet remember, Revan? The Jedi set a trap for us, luring us into battle with a small Republic fleet. During the battle, a Jedi strike team bordered your ship and took you captive. They took you to the Jedi Council, who wiped your mind and replaced it with one more to their liking."

"NO! I don't' believe you!" He tried to protest, but there was no strength to his words.

"You must have seen flashes of your life from before, Revan. In your dreams, or as visions. Surely you must remember the battle in which you were captured."

Revan's eyes moved to me, and I saw the slow dawning of comprehension. He knew. The visions, the dreams we shared. It wasn't our bond. It was him. His memories or what was left of them. In that moment, he knew the truth.

"How… how… did they capture Revan… me?" he asked softly, as if searching for a way to make sense of it all.

Malak chuckled again. "Because I helped them, Revan. I always knew one day the title of Dark Lord would be mine, and when I saw the Jedi boarding your ship, I knew my time had come. I ordered my ship to fire on your bridge. I thought I could remove all my enemies in one glorious stroke. I never dreamed the Jedi would take you alive from the wreckage."

"Is this true, Bastila?" His voice was low, and there was an undertone I could not identify. No, that's not true. I didn't want to identify it. It was anger.

"It's true. I was part of the team sent to capture Revan… to capture you. When Malak fired on your ship, we thought you were dead. Your mind was destroyed, due to the head injuries you sustained, but I used the Force to hold onto that last flicker of life in your body. I took you to the Council to heal your damaged mind."

He looked at me, confused. "But… my memories… my life… where did they come from?"

Malak interjected before I could explain. "The Jedi didn't restore your wounded mind, Revan! They replaced it with one of their making – one loyal to the Republic. They turned you into their slave!"

The anger in his eyes grew as he looked at me. His face twisted into a snarl. "You've been lying to me this whole time?!"

Malak just stood their, triumphant in this revelation. "You know the truth now, Revan. The Council has failed to make you their pawn! The will of a Sith Lord is not so easily manipulated.

"You used me! You're no better than the Sith!" The rage and pain and betrayal I saw in his eyes cut me worse than any lightsaber wound I had ever suffered. I had to try and make him understand!

"How can you say that? Malak nearly killed you! The Council gave you another chance to live, to redeem yourself by stopping Malak." He must see reason. It was for the best. It was not my choice, but the Council was right. There was no other way.

"A rash and futile hope," the Dark Lord sneered. "The Dark Side is too strong, my power is too great! Even my old master cannot stop me now. A small part of me has always regretted killing you from afar, Revan. I always knew some would think I acted out of fear, that I was afraid to face you."

Malak ignited his lightsaber and gestured through the Force. I was too distraught by Veran's rage to raise my defenses in time, and Carth and I were trapped in a Force Stasis field. "Now fate has given me a second chance. The Jedi were foolish to let you live. Now we shall face each other in single combat, as the Sith traditions dictate, and when I win, my triumph will be complete!"

Revan turned to face Malak, a smoldering look in his eyes. He pulled both sabers from his belt and in a low voice that reminded me far too much of the man I faced on the Titan, he said, "Triumph, Malak? You forget that I'm still alive."

With that, he ignited his blue and gold lightsabers and attacked the Dark Lord in a rapid flurry of blows that Malak parried, though not with ease, I noted. I was helpless to do anything but watch. I knew this field would not hold me long, but Malak did not need long to cut Revan down. This was a worse torture than the pain booths we had been in just an hour ago.

Malak retook the offensive, unleashing a combination of hard slashes and strikes against his former master. Their styles were complete opposites. Malak relied on brute strength and power to wear down his opponent. Revan relied on speed and grace. He did not parry the blows, but instead let them just narrowly miss his agile form, taunting Malak. I should have been pleased that he was holding his own, but I saw the truth of it: Revan was channeling his anger, his pain, and his frustration into fighting Malak: He was calling upon the Dark Side.

Executing a deadly pirouette with his twin blades, he drove Malak back towards the adjoining cargo bay. Even the Dark Lord seemed ill-prepared for the ferocity of Revan's assault. His prowess was amazing, and I could not believe the skill he showed in that duel, Dark Side or not. Malak tried slicing his legs away, much as I had Bandon's, during one whirling attack, and Revan merely leaped and twisted over the cut like a bird, landing back on his feet, his blades extended, one arched overhead, just as he had when I faced him aboard his ship.

Malak took this chance to try another Force Stasis, this time on Revan. He must not have been prepared for such a tactic, as it succeeded in imprisoning him. Fortunately, the shifting of his attention released Carth and me from our own prisons. I ignited my lightstaff, and threw it at Darth Malak. The crimson-clad figure barely had a chance to leap clear with a back-flip. Seeing that he had been forced back into the adjoining chamber, I called my blade back to my hand and charged the Sith Lord.

I heard Revan shout, "No!" as well as Carth's outburst of, "Bastila! Don't! You can't beat him!" I shouted back as Malak recovered from my sudden intrusion in the battle and called back, "Get out of here! Find the Star Forge! It's our only hope!" I saw Malak gesture once towards the door, and a blast door sealed behind me, cutting me off from them.

The Dark Lord of the Sith strode towards me, his lightsaber raised for attack. "I see we're alone now, Bastila. Don't worry; they have no choice but to honor your 'noble sacrifice.' They won't be able to cut through that blast door. It has an emergency force field to reinforce it. Even a lightsaber won't damage it."

I struck a defensive stance. "You cannot win, Malak." I knew I was merely echoing the same vain words I said to Revan on the Titan. Somehow, it seemed appropriate as an epitaph.

Malak just chuckled. "I find your defiance amusing, child. I hope you don't break as easily as some of the others I've captured." He assaulted me with a hammer-like tenacity. I parried each of his blows, but each one drained my already tired body. Before I could get my bearings and retaliate, the Sith Lord lashed out with a Force Strike, sending me crashing headfirst back into a cargo crate.

The blow to the head was too much for my strained system, and I felt the world fading away. As I felt myself slip into unconsciousness, I used the last of my energy to send one last thought down our bond to Revan… Veran… in the end, it didn't matter his name.

I'm sorry…