Author's Notes: Short but intense chapter. It was said in the game that "Malak grudgingly assumed the role of apprentice" - it was not said why it was grudgingly so. Incidentally, I broke my right knee (totally by accident) a few months ago, and felt like giving one of my characters similar pain ::insert evil maniacal cackling here:: yes, I'm cruel and sadistic... just you wait till after the Jaw Incident... mwahahahahahaaaa! Chocolate products for whomsoever can tell me the quote taken from the Angel TV series, that I've given to Revan.
Very few reviews, this time ::sniff sniff:: ... my readers, I love each and every one of you... please review, so I know you're still out there... pretty please? If you don't, HK-47 WILL find you... I promise.
Kosiah: ::gives you milk chocolate:: yes, that's part of Cassie's mythical roots, so you get a prize for it. Thank you - I'm glad you liked it.
snackfiend101: ::Force Trips you... then gives you Toblerone:: no need to be snide - that's Derrin's job!
Cantankerous 84: Actually, Cassie has a whole plot-bunny I never got a chance to write, which makes her probably more Juhani's type than Malak's... it was a more interesting bunny than it sounds, though - want details, email/IM me. Thanks for the nit-picking... my beta shoulda spotted that one.
Dark Lord Daishi: Yes, darker. Hopefully my darkest yet. And yes, Cassie will suffer.
Libythese: I don't know how far this fic is going to go - either the betrayal, or Malak's death... or, an alternate ending, depending on my mood.
Darth Arachne: ::gives you chocolate:: you are correct. Seers have a habit of knowing what's coming... I'm still miffed that no one's figured out where I stole Sam from yet, though. HK shall make its debut in chapter 13 (my lucky number.
F-15 Eaglestrike: Unexpected? Thank you (it's a good thing that I surprised you), but why didn't you expect them? Arachne's review give the best answer to the Cassie question, though.
RollingSkull: Thanks. Cassie will be back (meatbag... sorry, couldn't resist - I really wish I could make HK say "hasta la vista, meatbags") - though, she won't last long once she does reappear. Yes, Revan does have Malak well trained, indeed. And in this chapter, Malak shall fall (on his ass), to the Dark Side completely. That language-scene was evil... just not so much when compared to the rest of this fic :p
Firera: Let me show you how bad an idea it is to argue with Revan, my friend... read on.
"It's a difficult choice to make,
It's a dangerous chance to take,
And with every touch you stake,
Comes a radical new awakening,
To everything,
You thought you'd never taste,
Spin the wheel, turn your love around,
Get down, down on your knees,
And show me that you're not afraid to lose,
Cold cold steel melts into the ground,
At the sound, of you making peace,
You're telling me you're ready to choose"
-Bellefire, Spin The Wheel.
x x x
Chapter 11 - Surrender
The other tribe, who Revan informed him were called the Elder Tribe, were very helpful, though Malak had no clue what she said to them to make them help her... he did know she lied to them, through misrepresentation of the truth rather than outright lying, several times... her emotions through their Force-bond gave that much away. But regardless of how she convinced them, they agreed to give Revan and Malak access to the sacred temple.
In which Revan spent the better part of a day interrogating the alien computer in the catacombs, much to Malak's boredom and irritation. Then they deactivated the so-called 'mystic field' - a disruption generator, designed to mess with any ship systems that weren't specifically equipped with the appropriate technology - around the planet. Revan even managed to mess with the ancient Rakatan communications systems, and hailed the Defiant, getting them to send another shuttle, piloted by one of the fleet's Jedi.
The shuttle turned out to be piloted by Matt, who then followed Revan's instructions, and flew them to the Star Forge.
The second Malak set foot on the Star Forge, he gasped in stunned amazement at the sheer power and beauty of it, and dropped to one knee, in reverence. Revan, who had stepped onto the Star Forge a second before him, took another moment to fully sense its presence, before whispering, "I'm just going to..." she fell to her knees, staring at something Malak couldn't see, "...do this."
Matt stumbled, as he stepped off the shuttle, also falling to his knees. "It's... amazing." he said, awed.
"So beautiful." Revan whispered.
"Feels like a dream." Malak said quietly.
Matt managed to stand again, though he was still just as entranced as the other two were. Revan spared a fleeting glance for Matt, before ordering, "Go back to the fleet, and tell them to move in closer to the Star Forge. But to stay outside the orbit of the first planet from the star." her tone was calm, flat, and totally emotionless... but Malak could feel the waves of emotions from her, mostly awe and adoration for the Star Forge, tempered very slightly with... no, not fear... he wasn't sure what it was; it wasn't fear, but it was something similar.
Matt nodded dumbly, and returned to the shuttle.
Revan slowly picked herself up to her feet, still staring in awe at something Malak couldn't quite see. He was just as enamoured with the Star Forge, but Revan seemed to see something more in it than he did. "We need to find the control centre." she said quietly, "I want to see what this beauty can do."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Malak said, also standing, albeit a little shakily. There was a charge in the air, here... it caused a tingling sensation over what skin was exposed to it, and made him want to tap into the power of this place even more.
Revan led the way through twisting walkways and corridors, as if she knew the place... as if she'd been there before. 'No, Malak... I have never even seen this place before... but it is guiding me to where I need to be to use it.'
'And you trust the guidance of something you do not know? What if it leads you into a death-trap?'
'It won't.' she answered confidently.
'How do you know?' Malak persisted.
'I just know.'
After several minutes, they came to a vast room lined with hundreds of consoles and control panels. Somehow, in the back of his mind, he knew this was the command centre. The main control room for the entire Star Forge.
"It's spectacular, isn't it?" Revan asked aloud.
Malak nodded, staring in awe at the sheer size of this place. It was phenomenal. He was just wondering exactly how such a vast station was built in the first place, when he noticed Revan had started pressing buttons on one of the consoles. "What are you doing?"
"Reawakening the Star Forge."
"How do you know which buttons to press?" Malak demanded, walking over to her, and looking at what to him appeared to be perfect gibberish.
"I learned the written language of the Builders from the hologram on Kashyyyk. It's how I operated the computer terminal on Dantooine." Revan said blithely, pressing several more buttons. A green light flashed. "See that?" Malak nodded, "It means it is now in standby mode, and this writing..." she traced what must be words on the screen with her index finger, "'Construction programs activated. Enter design specifics for starship production'."
Malak blinked at that, "How long does it take to make a ship?"
Revan typed something into the computer... then she frowned at the readout, "This can't be right... that's not physically possible, is it?" she double-checked, and her eyes widened, "Well we'll see if it's true soon enough, I guess... two hours to construct an interdictor class, based on the stats of the Defiant, which is what I entered here."
"Two hours?!" Malak said, stunned, 'But it takes over two years to build a ship like that in the Republic's best shipyards!'
'I know... that's why I'm reluctant to believe this.'
Revan continued to operate the console, explaining the meanings of every screen that came up, for Malak's benefit. This session lasted for several hours, during which Revan instructed the Star Forge to create one of pretty much everything in its vast repertoire of pre-programmed designs. There were eighteen pre-programmed droid classes, though there were also options Revan didn't use yet to enter your own specifics. Seventy-two different types of starships, ranging from massive capital ships right down to one-man fighter craft. Weapons of every conceivable design, and a few designs neither of them had ever heard of before, all cortosis bound, as per Revan's specific instructions, although none of the Star Forge's basic designs included this feature it seemed capable of adapting to its user's preferences. It was even capable of producing armour in any size, shape, colour, and design that anyone could ever want, but Revan decided not to mess with that just yet.
By the end of this, Malak could make out the basics of the written Rakatan language... although he was far from fluent in it, he may not be as fast a learner as Revan, but he was still a quick study when he put his mind to something. The problems he had with many of his classes at the Jedi Temple had been boredom and lack of interest, not any lack of intelligence. This language, he was interested in learning... just as he had been interested in learning advanced mathematics, at the Jedi Temple.
Eventually, Revan looked up. Malak could sense her reaching out through the Force, "The fleet has arrived... let's put on a show for them." She typed in the code Malak recognised as that for a small shuttlecraft, and something else he couldn't decipher, "I ordered it to produce the shuttle in question on the side of the Star Forge facing the fleet." she explained, "They'll see it built out of seemingly nothing... it'll take about twenty minutes, and then we can go to speak to the Admiral, after the show." She walked out of one of the doors of the command centre, and Malak followed her.
Malak smirked, "Cute, Revan. Really cute." he said, barely avoiding laughing when he pictured the look on the Admiral's face. This would be priceless.
"Yes... it is something I would pay to see... however, we will only see the aftermath of his shock." she said flatly.
"Do you have any idea just how disconcerting it is when you read my mind like that?" Malak asked her flatly.
"I have a fair idea." she said distantly, "You could read a lot more from me than you do... I'm amazed you never try."
Malak grit his teeth, "It's called respecting your privacy." he growled.
They had now reached another vast room, with windows showing a spectacular view of the nearby first planet of the system, and the Republic fleet gathered near said planet. Revan stopped in the middle of the room, and looked up at him, her eyes piercing, "If you have something you wish to keep from me, it shouldn't be too difficult for you to construct mental barriers to keep me out... and if you remember, you demanded to know what I had been hiding from you all this time, so don't you talk to me about respect for privacy, Malak!"
He cringed. An angry Revan was a dangerous thing at the best of times. 'I'm sorry.' he couldn't say it out loud, but he knew she heard him.
He wasn't looking at her, now... but he could still sense her eyes on him, practically boring holes in the side of his head, she was watching him so intently. "You are aware of my plans, are you not?"
He had tried not to think about it, but yes... he had a fair idea how she planned to use the Star Forge. She had thought that with the Star Forge she could rule the galaxy. "I think so. Though your reasoning is somewhat suspect."
"Why is that?"
"Why do you need to rule the galaxy? You only sought out this power to protect yourself from being hurt again. I don't see why you need to give the rest of the galaxy more than a second's notice."
She smiled, a dark smile that held no genuine mirth, "Because unless I can control everything, something that is not under my control is eventually going to show up to bite me in the ass."
"Lovely wording." Malak said flatly.
Revan's dark smile turned into a grin that looked more like a beast baring its teeth, "Of course, if I plan to conquer the galaxy, I need a banner to fight under. I loathe the Mandalorians as much as you do, and have no intention of claiming Mandalore's title, though I have every right to. And, much as I would love to use the Ancient Rakatan empire as that title, it is so long ago that it is forgotten - it would not strike fear into the hearts of those who oppose me."
"Revan... I don't like where your thoughts are going." Malak said in a tone that was half warning, half afraid.
"The Sith." she said, with practically no emotion behind it.
"You really can't do that." he said, taking one step back from her.
"Why not?" she demanded.
Malak just gave her a look that effectively said, 'duh', "Sith don't love."
He could literally sense her resolve flicker ever-so-slightly... but only for a fraction of a second, "If I take the title of Sith Lord, I can rewrite the rules."
"But why bother calling yourself a Sith?"
"I have believed in many Sith precepts, since I found those documents in Master Kendra's office." Revan explained, in the sort of tone you would use to tell a hyperactive two-year-old why they really are not allowed caffa, "The fact that so very few of their rules offend me is why I chose them over some other cults whose codes of conduct are much less appealing."
"I really don't like this idea." Malak said coldly.
"You don't mind that I want to take over the galaxy, but you do mind that I want to call myself a Sith?" she asked, in a too-sweet tone.
"Pretty much, yes."
Revan rolled her eyes, "You are such a coward, Malak! You're afraid to reach out and take the power that is just waiting for you, here. We can rule the galaxy side-by-side, nothing will stand in our way!"
Malak shook his head, "That's not entirely true, Revan." he drew his lightsaber, turning the power setting down, and then running his fingers along the blade - it sent pain shooting up his left arm, but didn't burn his hand... which meant if he managed to run her through with it, the sudden pain should knock her unconscious, but not kill her. "I stand in your way."
Revan stared at him for a minute, "You cannot be serious." she said, even though he knew that she could sense he was perfectly serious.
"Don't try to stall, Revan. You know perfectly well that I am not joking."
Her eyes narrowed, "What, exactly, did you have in mind?"
"A duel." he smirked slightly, "If I win, then you admit you have a problem, and come back with me to the Jedi."
Revan snorted at this, but then she spoke in a calm and measured tone, "And if I win..." she paused, to draw her own lightsaber, pointedly not turning the power down on it, "And you survive..." she added, that evil smirk reappearing on her face, "Then you will bow to me."
Malak glared at the crimson blade Revan held... he was suddenly unsure about this idea. What if Revan killed him? Would she do that? If she would, then she really could become a Sith... to be that uncaring about someone so close to her. Revan's eyes glittered cruelly, and she beckoned Malak to make the first move.
Cautiously, he began to circle her. She kept her Force senses on him, but didn't move from where she stood... didn't even turn to face him. She was that confident. He locked her out of his mind, before even deciding what way to attack her. Revan turned her head, so she could now see him out of the corner of her eye... not so easy to focus on me now, is it, angel?
He circled round behind her, and she turned her head sharply, to watch him from the other direction. He wasn't about to attack her from behind, though. He was no coward. So when he was once again face-to-face with her, he made his first move. A double-feint, left, right, then he thrust his lightsaber towards her stomach. She dodged to her left, and their blades clashed, giving off sparks. Revan smirked, "You'll have to do better than that."
Malak blinked. That was one of the more difficult moves he knew! Then he thought for a second, and he could have kicked himself for not realising sooner... Revan knew every move in the book, when it came to lightsaber duels. She had then proceeded to invent several moves of her own... but the point was that she would not be fooled by any tricks that they had learned from Master Quatra. The only way to have a chance of beating her, here, would be to throw the metaphorical 'book' out the airlock, and fight on instinct.
And he wasn't above cheating, either. A trick Revan had taught him, no less. Revan came at him with a flurry of blows that he barely blocked. If he hadn't blocked them, some of them could have been fatal. Malak kept his mind sealed from her... except one thought he deliberately projected to her. It was a mental picture of something quite obscene.
Revan spluttered indignantly - that thought certainly distracted her. Malak took the opportunity, aiming to run her through with his lightsaber. But Revan managed to evade him again. He didn't even see where she went. Then he heard the hum of a lightsaber behind him, and barely turned in time to block it. As their sabers locked, so did their eyes... Revan's eyes were cold, the golden colour sent chills down Malak's spine, and the wicked grin she wore was genuinely frightening.
"You can't win, Malak... just give up now." Revan hissed. Malak felt the Force in her words, but the mental barriers he had constructed to block her from reading his mind also blocked the full effect of this attack. When she realised that didn't work, she used the Force to throw him backwards.
He landed painfully on his backside, his lightsaber slipped, the blade passing through his right knee, sending searing pain through his whole leg... he was eternally grateful that he had lowered the power setting on the weapon in question, otherwise it would have severed his leg at that point... as it was, it just hurt like hell.
Malak shouted several choice expletives, including some highly impractical suggestions for alternative uses of a lightsaber. "Bloody hell, Revan!" he yelled, after the string of random obscenities had subsided, "What are you trying to do, kill me?!"
Revan tilted her head to one side, total dispassion and coldness in her eyes... he got the feeling that was exactly what she was trying to do. Malak had raised his lightsaber defensively, even though he couldn't stand due to the pain in his leg. He shook his head, and tried to back away as Revan approached him.
Slowly, ominously... it seemed to take forever, and not long enough, for her to cross the room to him, until she loomed over him, standing just to his right. With swift, deliberate precision she kicked his lightsaber out of his hand before he even saw her foot move. Now he was defenceless.
Her gaze ran over him, slowly... a cold and calculating expression on her face. "Does that hurt?" she asked innocently, her eyes on his knee.
"Yes." Malak growled, through gritted teeth.
Still not showing even a flicker of emotion, Revan raised her right foot, and brought it down hard on his injured knee. The sickening sound of bone snapping could be heard, a fraction of a second before Malak yelled in agony. The pain was excruciating, even worse than the pain caused by his low-power lightsaber. Burning, searing agony.
He was vaguely aware of yet more creative expletives tumbling from his mouth, but he wasn't sure exactly what he was saying, beyond the fact he was swearing profusely. His right hand instinctively clutched his knee, and he had to bite his tongue to silence himself, before slowly looking up at Revan... glaring at her. "What the hell did you do that for?!" he snarled.
Very suddenly, she ignited her lightsaber, and held the blade a couple of inches from his face, "You might want to consider speaking to me with a little more respect, Malak." she said coldly, "It certainly looks like I have won this fight, don't you think?"
Malak stared at the blade of her lightsaber, trying to pull away from the crimson light. But as he backed away, she moved the blade to keep it the same distance from him... now hovering near his throat. He closed his eyes, unable to keep his fear from showing... she could kill him so easily, if she wanted to. And he wasn't sure if she would or not... he had thought he had known her, but the Revan he knew would never have even tried to hurt him in the first place.
"Answer me, Malak." she said coldly, "Do you think I have won this fight?"
He slowly opened his eyes, and looked up at Revan. "Is it not obvious?" he asked quietly.
"So you concede defeat?" she asked, a twisted smirk appearing slowly on her face.
"Yes." Malak said, his focus returning to the lightsaber blade barely an inch from his face.
The blade vanished, as Revan deactivated the weapon. Malak breathed a sigh of relief, as he watched her casually clip her lightsaber to her belt. But that relief was short-lived, because, "Kneel before me."
He looked up at her sharply, in disbelief, like she'd just grown headtails and started dancing on the ceiling. "What?" he asked. Surely he'd misheard her. She broke his bloody kneecap - actually, the injury was so efficiently inflicted that there was no blood, no bruising, and no broken skin, but the swear-word was still more than justified - she knew he couldn't kneel, in this state. At least... not without causing him a great deal more pain... and he didn't think he could endure much more pain right now.
"You heard me perfectly clearly, Malak." Revan said coolly, "I am now your Master. You are my Apprentice. Now KNEEL!" The last word was snarled viciously, and projected into his mind as well, tearing down all his mental defences, and echoing inside his skull. He cringed, for a moment... then he considered that if she was this serious about becoming a Sith Lord, it would probably hurt him even more to disobey her order.
He bit his tongue, both to stop himself from saying anything that could make matters worse, and as a feeble attempt to distract him from the pain in his knee. Slowly, with a great deal of effort, and doing his best not to aggravate his injured knee, Malak sat upright. Then, he bent his left leg, pulling the foot underneath him... leaning forward, so he was now on one knee, his right hand held protectively over his broken knee. The pain of merely bending the knee this far was almost blinding. He wanted to scream... even cry... but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of breaking him.
Beaten, yes... broken, never.
"On both knees." Revan said coldly.
'Sadistic witch.' he didn't have the mental strength, at this moment, to stop Revan from hearing that thought.
'You flatter me, Malak.' ... not the response he had expected. At all.
Still biting his tongue - and now tasting blood - Malak closed his eyes in anticipation of the pain this movement would cause. He slowly leaned further forward, onto his left hand. He lowered his right knee to the ground gingerly. He was being careful not to bend the knee any more than he could avoid, but even the slight movement in the joint was excruciating. Eventually, he set his broken right knee on the floor, putting all his weight on his left side. When he dared open his eyes, his vision was blurred by sparks of light behind his eyes.
Revan eyed him critically, her arms folded, and a glitter in those golden eyes that told him she was taking great glee in doing this to him. Somehow, the thought crossed Malak's mind - and thankfully Revan wasn't paying attention - that the mental picture of this scenario might be more appealing if Revan were wearing black leather, and holding a whip. He blinked several times, bowing his head so Revan couldn't see his expression, and he had to bite his lip so as not to smirk, in spite of his pain.
Good way to distract yourself from pain... just make sure Revan NEVER finds out about that thought... she would enjoy it far too much.
As he had been thinking this, Revan had slowly circled him, and now stood directly in front of him again. She rested her hand lightly on his right shoulder, and he looked up at her. The sweet smile she wore didn't reach her eyes. She leaned down to him, and kissed his lips lightly... but before he could react to this, she pulled back from the kiss, and with a vicious jolt, she threw all her weight onto his shoulder, pushing him down sharply onto his wounded knee.
He was too surprised to hold back his shriek of pain... but he did catch himself, with his right hand outstretched to the side instinctively, before he fell to the ground. Much that he might have tried to stop it if he had been able to think of anything but the pain, a whimper escaped his lips, as he tried to remember exactly how to breathe. Breathing is important, right? Though maybe I could do without oxygen, if I could just stop the pain. Please?
Revan watched with some degree of amusement and fascination, as he caught his breath. Then, slowly and deliberately, he pushed himself back into the kneeling position she had ordered him to. He raised his head, just as slowly, his jaw set in determination... defiance sparkled in his pale blue eyes. He would do as she ordered him, but damned if she could break his spirit like this.
Revan ran her fingers lightly over the tattoos on his skull, slowly tracing them down to the back of his head. Touching his mind, as she did so... looking for something. Then, after a moment she smirked evilly, and he felt her nails press into his skin, not deep enough to draw blood, but he did feel them. Then she pulled him sharply towards her - searing pain in his knee at the sudden movement - the next thing he knew, Revan's lips were pressed to his, but this was nothing like the way she usually kissed him... this was violent, possessive, and...
The memories of once being kissed like this before flew, unwelcome, into his mind. Memories he was forced by Revan's will to relive. Malak growled, a low sound in the back of his throat, and he mirrored the unwanted memory, biting Revan sharply. She pulled away from him, smirking cruelly... unlike the last person to try that, her lips were uninjured.
Malak glared at her, "You evil little bitch!" he stood, through sheer force of will - the pure agony in his knee didn't compare to the anger he felt, "You damned well did that on purpose!" flashes of lightening emanated from his fingertips, intended to strike Revan, as he held up his hands - a spectacular display, filling the room with deadly energy. But Revan stood calmly in the middle of the storm, unharmed by it, "You knew it would hurt me! You heartless uncaring sadistic... Sith." the last word was the only part of his rant that wasn't yelled at the top of his voice... it was practically whispered. The storm died, but his anger still seethed within him. There was no doubt in his mind, now, that Revan really was a Sith.
"Yes." she said quietly, "I am a Sith... and now, so are you."
Before he could argue, and without his permission, she pushed the image into his mind. Forced him to see through her eyes. To see what she saw in him. The darkness of his Force-aura had intensified, so strong it drowned out the faint flicker of light still within his soul. And he also saw his eyes, gleaming gold from anger, resentment, and deep hatred... not for Revan, but for what she had forced him to remember. He would have fallen completely, back then, if he had just been able to tap into the Force with the full strength of that anger.
"Y-yes." Malak whispered, "You are right." he bowed his head, silently praying that she would not order him to kneel again.
Revan smiled, and took a few steps towards him, so she was right in front of him. She touched his cheek gently, with the backs of her fingers, "Pain draws out anger... anger spawns and feeds hatred. Hatred is what a Sith lives and breathes, Malak. Let it empower you."
He nodded slowly. Anger came so easily to him now, that he wondered why he hadn't chosen this path sooner.
x x x
Malak had to walk - or rather, limp - all the way to the new shuttle waiting for them. Revan didn't offer to help him... but she didn't just walk off and leave him, either. She was watching him carefully, as if she was evaluating how he was coping with the aftermath of that... the term 'duel' really couldn't apply, because it was far too one-sided... but can you call it 'torture' if the victim is practically willing?
Revan did stop, on the way, to play with one of the other computer systems. Malak was not happy about this, but Revan was not to be swayed. She tinkered with the computers for some time, and eventually left the computer room, ordering Malak to stay put. When Revan returned, she wore black robes and a cloak not too dissimilar in appearance to those she had discarded when escaping their sinking shuttlecraft.
"How do I look?" she asked, turning around on the spot, causing the robes and cloak to swirl around her in a beautiful fluid movement.
Even if he didn't like the way she looked, he would never admit it to her... she was a Sith Lord, now, and he wasn't suicidal. "You look great." he said honestly.
"Thank you." she said, smiling... a dark and twisted smile, but Malak could tell it was genuine by the way her eyes glittered... nothing like the cruel glee she had shown when she had turned him, this was a smile that said she was honestly glad he approved. It surprised him.
Malak watched her as she carefully put on her mask... totally concealing her face, and making it impossible for anyone to read her... except him, she still let him sense her emotions, and for that he was grateful. Even after what she had done to him, he still loved her. She owned him, long before she dragged him down to the darkness with her, and she knew it.
"You can use this console to create customised clothing, enhanced with the Force, to strengthen you." Revan informed him, "But perhaps you should try that later... you may not be able to walk much further." he couldn't see her eyes, but he could feel her gaze on his knee. It would take one hell of a stretch of the imagination to call the emotions he could sense from her 'concern'... but she did want to see that his wound be healed, though for what reasoning, he couldn't tell.
"I would prefer that." Malak said flatly.
Revan nodded, and turned to leave the room. Malak could sense her attention on him, through the Force, as he followed her to the shuttle. She kept her pace slow enough for him to keep up, but didn't turn to show any sign of sympathy. It confused him... if she were truly hateful enough to be a Sith, would she not have simply left him to fend for himself, and if he came back to her alive then she would allow him to serve as her grovelling minion... she showed the faintest flicker of interest in his well-being, though hardly enough to consider it the love they had once shared. Unless...
'Yes, Malak... you're about right.'
His eyes narrowed, as he looked at her, 'You can't have both, you know.'
'Funny... you seem to have... you love me, yet you fell because I tortured you... seems pretty twisted, to me.'
'Try looking at it from my perspective.' Malak retorted. He didn't know why he loved her, only that he needed her... he couldn't explain it. But he did love her, and he had literally damned himself to be with her... and he wouldn't have done anything differently, if he had to do it over, either. Revan could sense this, easily enough... he had suggested she look at it from his perspective, and he had let her do so.
'Dangerous... for you, I mean.' she thought distantly, as if she were whispering it half to herself.
They had now reached the shuttle, and Malak was surprised to see that the control panels were all in Basic. Revan took the pilot's seat, while Malak allowed himself to collapse into one of the passenger seats. The pain in his leg had got to the point where he could either pass out, or... as he was doing, use the Force to effectively cut off all sensory input from the whole leg. It was effective at relieving the pain, but it also made him feel like his leg actually had been cut off... and it was an exhausting illusion to maintain.
It didn't look too bad, really. The lightsaber had cut the fabric of the clothing he wore, leaving his knee exposed. There was some obvious swelling around his kneecap, but there wasn't even a scratch on it to show for the damage. He frowned, examining the injury objectively, through the Force, without allowing himself to feel it... there wasn't even any bruising, just a clean break of the bone... even slight movement caused pain, but sitting still should be just about endurable. So he let go of the part of the Force that blocked the pain, deciding to save his energy for when he needed to move.
The pain wasn't so bad, when he calmed his mind, and focused his thoughts elsewhere. He almost managed to sink into a meditation trance... but there was something he sensed in the periphery of his Force senses, something so intense he was afraid to look at it... and that fear kept him from his meditation, and so kept him from fully sensing this 'something'. He assumed it was the Star Forge... with that much power in it, it didn't surprise him that it projected such a strong presence.
Before he knew it, they had reached the Defiant. Revan ordered him to the medical bay, while she went to speak with the Admiral.
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