Chapter 2

Beyond the view port lay a massive space station that spanned for thousands of kilometers. It hung over the cratered planet below like a giant, nefarious shroud. Distant ships dotted here and there would occasionally flicker as the reflection of the system's sun danced across their surface. Closer ships lumbered by, making their way to a thousand destinations.

A nearby merchant ship was carefully thrusting away from a Republic cruiser having successfully past its departure inspection. Its engine exhaust momentarily brightened and without warning, the ship vanished into the inky blackness of the abyss.

Maneuvering tugs tractored the remains of a destroyed vessel from a recent battle preventing catastrophic collisions with the immense station's shield generators. While low on the necessary fuel to maintain full shield strength, it would've been a stretch to protect the station even at maximum power from so much debris. The small tugs hurled the fragments into the gaping maw of colossal factory ship where they would be broken down into raw materials.

The datapad clutched in his hand contained a list of top issues that pressed for his attention. Mundane things mostly such as escort duty for resumed incoming fuel shipments to the station, upcoming maintenance and personnel changes.

One entry caught his attention. A message from the nearby space station's security forces mentioned the investigation of a dead Republic pilot they'd found. Certainly not unheard of, especially in these times, but it never failed to trouble him all the same. The man shook his head in frustration. Here was one dead pilot, important enough to make his daily log, but have a battle where a ship or dozens of ships are destroyed with all hands lost and it just makes a footnote in history. They all deserve the same respect, dammit.

Light footsteps approached from behind. "Admiral," said a feminine voice.

The Admiral knew it was finally time. A time he'd long wondered and even somewhat feared would come. Feared only because of the unknown. The unknown always seemed to have a sick and twisted way of embroiling worlds into war and the killing of millions. He had made his choices and he had given the necessary orders. Now, he hoped those plans would coalesce into something to make the unknown less of a threat to fear tomorrow and ultimately help the Republic deal with its enemies both beyond and within. Of course, he hoped that friends badly missed would be helped as well. Mere months had passed since receiving word that it was all finally coming true.

The Admiral faced the T'kanna's communications officer, giving a single nod to acknowledge the young woman. Despite the seemingly unending crisis, Lieutenant Parsh always remained vibrant and full of explosive energy. It made her an invaluable asset that he recognized from the first day she was a assigned to the bridge crew. He'd also heard she'd become quite the Pazaak player. To a point that seemed unnatural, as he was told. Overflowing with a cunning desire to succeed, she had garnered the reputation of being a master at the game.

"Sir, the shuttle you wanted to be informed of is on final approach from the station. I've given the docking clearance as you instructed. Is their anything else you need?"

The Admiral sensed the lieutenant's intrigue. No doubt she knew the passenger was of some importance, or he wouldn't be withholding her identity such a secret.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Have the passenger escorted to the briefing room. I'm heading down there now to speak with her before she departs." The Admiral returned the lieutenant's smart salute and watched her walk back toward her duty station.

Parsh's thoughts raced to fill in the blanks. She? I wonder...

Watch yourself, buddy, he fancied humorously. Staring isn't polite. Getting a little too old for that stuff. Certainly, junior officers were off limits and naturally being the Admiral makes anything beyond a hidden or stray thought contemptuous at best and dereliction of duty at worst. Remembering a particular section in her service record, Besides, don't mess with beautiful women who are expert marksman, he lightheartedly mused. Shaking off a lingering image, the Admiral made his way to the briefing room.

The ship was filled with an unending motion of life. Being the Republic flagship in the sector, that was not unexpected, but he marveled at them all nonetheless. They were his people. Taking them in as he walked the corridors, he nodded to them, caught conversation fragments and witnessed the drive in their demeanor firsthand. Whether it was a soldier, technician, mechanic or any other of the hundreds of necessary individuals, they were there to see a job done and ensure worlds remained safe from unchecked evil. Even the droids seemed alive in spirit.

News concerning recent events sifted to the forefront of his mind, his upbeat step losing some of its edge. Was the destruction of the Ravager a harbinger of things even worse to come, or would it subside for a time? And what of General Chiven returning from his long departure into exile? Having briefly met with him while on the nearby station prior to a meeting with Republic commanders, Chiven's return seemed to raise far more questions then provide answers. To top it off, he had arrived in the Ebon Hawk of all ships. If he had the ship, then what of Revan? He didn't like where his thoughts were leading him because no matter which path they took, they all meant her journey would be even more perilous. It was enough to make his head pound from an innocuous mixture of too much thought and not enough sleep.

One thing was certain, he was being kept in the dark about quite a few things. Of that, he was sure. He was also sure it was probably for a good reason. He absentmindedly patted the datapad in his pocket that contained what scarce info he had been given. A Republic spy on Onderon had provided quite a bit of info on Chiven and his companions. Luckily, Admiral Dodonna was a good friend and one of the few he could confide in without worry. She relayed the information as it would be extremely beneficial to him. Gotta send her one of my last bottles of Tarisian Ale for this one.

The Admiral waved his hand before the door's sensors and it rolled clear. With her back to him, the lone figure stood seemingly mesmerized by the majestic ships passing beyond the viewport. A long, but simple robe obscured any hint to her figure or size beyond height while the drawn hood hid any other identifying features. Sensing his presence, she turned and pushed the hood back letting it drape around her shoulders. It was if she hadn't aged a second. Maybe her dark strands had grown out a little and maybe there was a stronger hint of wisdom in her eyes, but she was still the same beautifully stubborn girl he'd met on a doomed ship an eternity before. How long had it been, he wondered. Two years, three, or more since he'd last seen her?

"Bastila Shan, I was beginning to think I'd never see you again." The Admiral's straight face only lingered for a moment before spreading into a wide grin as he threw open his arms.

"Carth, it truly has been far, far too long," she replied, her own warm grin quickly forming. She accepted his powerful embrace. An embrace that was little tighter than she expected and maybe a little longer then he felt appropriate, but they'd been through so much and there had so little contact between them. It was an embrace as much for all of the others missing, lost or gone as it was for their own reunion.

"I'm glad they finally put you in a position suitable for your talents. The Republic is safer because of you and for that, I am grateful," she commented as he pulled away from her.

"Thank you, Bastila. It means a lot to me that my commission was granted in no small part thanks to you and Revan."

His thoughts quickly shifted to the present. "I did as much as I could from your message. Are you sure about this? Making this journey. It's just... I mean, Revan told us..."

"I know what Revan said, Carth. He and I also made certain...promises to each other. Granted, it was like pulling rancor teeth to get him to agree to them, but I wore him down and our promises were made." Her voice weakened. "It's been a year since he failed his. I fear the worst may have happened."

She lowered her head and found some insignificant speck on the deck plate to focus her gaze. "I'll never have an inner peace if I don't find him," she whispered softly. "It's time for me to make good on my promise to him."

Carth's mind reeled back to the scarred planet below and of his wife Morgana. He pressed his eyes shut for a moment in remembrance. At least he knew her fate. Saul Karath and Malak had long paid for their crimes for razing the surface of Telos and the harm they'd brought to all the other worlds affected by them. Still, he couldn't fully let go of the idea that if he'd just done something different, made a different choice somewhere, she'd still be alive today. "You won't get any arguments from me over it. Fleet Headquarters is another matter. If they knew what you were doing... Hell, if they knew what I was doing..."

Bastila smiled. Same old Carth, different ship. "I think the Republic can live without my skills for a time, Carth. I'm not the only one who has such abilities."

"No, but you're probably the only one in the quadrant. And, your disappearance has been one of the greatest secrets the Republic has been able to keep. Look, I said I wouldn't argue with you. It's just you're so...so...you know."

Asking innocently enough, "Stubborn? Brash? Pain in your side?"

Carth nodded vigorously and they both laughed for a moment, giving in to a warmth that neither had felt for some time. He hadn't heard her like that since shortly after the victory celebration on Coruscant for the Star Forge's destruction. Trying to steal a private moment together in a darkened corner, Revan had touched her nose. She'd crossed her eyes, straining to see the spot. Unheard comments were expressed between them before they broke into happy fits that dissolved into a lingering kiss.

Permanent happiness didn't seem to be in the stars for them however, even if they did seem destined for each other. Coming to terms with each others fall to the dark side had occupied much of their time. Unwilling to fully open up to the help of the Jedi High Council, they felt exploring the shared bond they possessed on their own was the only way to face each other's pain. They displayed strong fronts in struggling with their pasts, but it was no real secret to their friends that behind the scenes they toiled unendingly to maintain that pretense. One day nearly a year later, Revan told her he had to go. At the time, Carth was sure it was the worst possible thing Revan could've done to her. He was still pretty sure it was.

He fidgeted for a moment before reaching into his uniform's pocket and presented a datapad. "I have the information you requested...on the others. At least of the ones I could find."

His words seemed disheartened somehow. Maybe it was the almost imperceptible droop in his shoulders, or the slightest hint of exasperation in his voice, but there was a darkened edge to his words filled with a sadness that he would never show otherwise.

"And what word do you have?" she asked.

He handed her the datapad. "It's not the best of news I'm afraid. It's like the others just disappeared off the face of the galaxy. Why did you want me to find them anyway?" With a hint of mild-mannered sarcasm, "Surely they've had enough adventures with the likes of us."

"Possibly so, but we are all forever linked to Revan in one way or another. Some, in more ways than others. I felt they should have the opportunity to go and help if they wanted. That it would be their choice. Perhaps too much time has passed for such thoughts, but it seemed worth trying."

Bastila stared at the single name found on the list. If all the others were available and she could only choose one, Jolee Bindo would be high on her list. She was thankful at least someone was found and continued down the list to see what leads on the others Carth had uncovered.

Mission and Zaalbar were last known to be traveling to Nar Shaddaa, but no records existed of them actually arriving. A note mentioning an attempt to track down her wandering brother Griff for information also proved fruitless. It was unlikely he would've known anything anyway from what she remembered of him.

The courier sent to Zaalbar's tribe on Kashyyyk returned with a reply that he hadn't checked in with them for some time as well.

Bastila already knew that Juhani had traveled to Dantooine to come to terms with the loss of the Jedi enclave. Her time there had been spent helping many of the outlying settlers from mercenaries and thugs. Interviews with the settlers she'd helped revealed that after a time, she departed coreward to find her old master. Feelers Carth had sent out came back empty in search of either Juhani or Jedi Master Quatra who was no longer instructing at her last known location.

"You don't think that Juhani...," said Carth, knowing of her past tribulations with the dark side and of how their disappearances seemed to coincide to some degree.

"I'm afraid I do not know. We must believe she was strong and only wanted to complete her journey for answers. What disturbs me more is their disappearances seem to coincide with the attack at Katarr."

Even if Juhani was perfectly safe somewhere, there was the slightest inkling in the back of her mind that maybe it was for the best she remained hidden. To protect Juhani from the potential temptations of the dark side that may lay ahead.

What did that say for herself, she wondered. If anyone would be at a great risk from such temptations it would be her. Dwelling on her fall under the powerful will of Malak had become unbearable at times. She would never allow it to happen again.

Even though the words played out in her mind, the call of the dark side was always present. Taunting her. Teasing her. Begging her to drink from its chalice of power once again. She spent a great deal of time in meditation to ensure it would forever remain buried deep and unable to wrestle any sort of control of her will again. It was Revan's strength that had made it so easy to fight any lingering desires early on. She learned to fear the voice that sometimes poked its way into her conscience. It foretold of her standing with him no matter what, even if he became the Dark Lord of the Sith once again.

Carth returned a solemn nod as he too wondered what happened to the feisty Cathar.

Bastila scanned through the final entry for Canderous Ordo. Apparently, he hadn't resurfaced officially since traveling with Revan to the furthest reaches of the Outer Rim. He was pursuing information he wanted to follow up on concerning Mandalorian settlements and since they were both heading the same way, why not tag along.

Her eyes narrowed while contemplating the possibilities. "I don't trust that one. I believe he would've said anything to stay at Revan's side. He is loyal to a flaw to Revan."

Rolling his eyes at her, "And we're not?" he asked.

She relented in agreement and skimmed over with interest the Republic spy's intelligence report and Carth's report of the meeting on Citadel Station. Her eyes froze when she reached some very specific parts. Glancing up, "General Balin Chiven was here? The Ebon Hawk? You've met with him? Where is he now and what did he have to say?"

He figured that was about how the information would go over and told her the details of his conversation with Chiven. "Give us a couple days and we'll have their last course figured out. If they travel on any major routes, the hyperspace sensors will pick up the transponder." Adding under his breath, "Assuming they're not running phantom and disabled it"

"The Ebon Hawk," she whispered. "How?"

"If I'd known you would be arriving so soon," he said, "I would've asked him to wait, of course. I got the impression even he doesn't know many of the answers. And the droids... You know, I think they're the same. It's not like there are a lot of assassin droids that fit that description."

"I have to find that ship."

"I know."

She continued skimming the info in the datapad hoping there was something else that would help. Her plan up until then had been brutally simple. Fly into the Unknown Regions in the hopes that the close proximity would reestablish the bond between her and Revan. It would lead her straight to him. At least that was what she had hoped. With the Ebon Hawk and the droids, maybe they could provide a starting place to begin her search. Or, maybe they already knew! Suddenly there didn't seem to be enough time in the day or a fast enough hyperdrive in existence to take her to the places she needed to go. All she really needed was the biggest set of engines in the galaxy, a lap belt and destination to point the contraption.

Sensing a level of anxiety forming in her that worried him, "Hey, how about some good news? Here comes your ship," he said, pointing toward the viewport. Gracefully cruising passed the briefing room's long line of windows, the ship's pilot was obviously an expert to maneuver among the myriad of ships and debris with such ease. It looked like a typical Republic frigate, but it was about ten times bigger then what she figured he'd be able to scrounge up for her. "The Inception's a good ship and the captain is an old friend. You should be safe on her."

Bastila watched curiously as the ship turned to fall into formation, a shuttle simultaneously thrusting away from its small hanger bay. Her mind was drawn to it. She placed her hand against the view port window and reached out to the ship and its crew. Feeling their essence, she detected them conducting the ship's operations as expected, but there was something more. A shadow of anger was detected. Whether it was from from an individual or somehow tied to the ship itself she did not know.

As if he could read her mind, "In case you're wondering, I sought out those I especially trusted when this mission began. The crew have been handpicked by me. I...I just didn't want to take any chances. You're too important to leave to chance." He silently added that it was no small feat to find and have transfers drawn up for so many personnel without raising at least some suspicion concerning his activities. It was all worth it. Anything to make her journey safer.

Releasing the Force from her will, she disguised the oddity discovered with a manufactured grin. "It's perfect, Carth. Far more than I could have ever hoped for. Thank you."

Carth lightly tugged his dress coat down to fix some unseen wrinkle and to keep the swelling in his chest from lifting him off his feet. "It's the least I could do for you and Revan. I just hope it's enough."

There were a million other things he wanted to say, but time was growing short. He knew she'd want to get going as soon as possible.

He'd come to the point that was the most dreaded of everything about this mission. The point that had initially cause much ire between him and his son. Ultimately, he had to accept that there were more benefits than drawbacks to what his son asked of him, but it was never easy as a father to condone placing their offspring in such dangers.

Bastila sensed his unease and tried to smooth the undulating waves of raw emotion emanating from him. "There is something more. Something wrong."

"It's Dustil. He found out about this mission and wants to join you on your quest. I told him the best I could do was ask. He's here on leave in case you give the okay."

A mixture of emotions rippled from him, but the ones she detected strongest where of a father's love and a simple fear of the unknown. "Carth, I shall leave the decision with you. The extra help is welcome, but I would not ask a father to send his only son to the places I must travel."

"I thought you'd say something like that. He's hoping you'll teach him the ways of the Force. The ways of the Jedi. I told him to be careful what he wishes for, but I think there's a part of him that still fears the training he received at the Sith Academy. Maybe he wants to balance that fear. I just don't know. At least he's become a helluva pilot for the Republic. Hopefully that'll come in handy."

Carth searched for some signal in her knowing eyes or a hint of what types of pain were lurking behind the calm serenity that enveloped her unwavering surface. It's just a mask, isn't it. A front so those around you can draw from it as well. He never considered himself very good at reading someone in that manner, but he had special insight in this case. As imperceptible as she made it seem, he was sure that horrible demons lurked in her shadow. A menace that could eat away at her until it destroyed her if not eventually confronted.

She replied slowly. "Interesting, indeed. A once corrupted, pursuing teachings from a once-corrupted, who is in search of a once-corrupted. We'll be quite a group, though I'm not technically in the best position to be teaching the ways of the Jedi. However, I think I can help him ease his fears."

"Then that will have to do. I'll have Dustil transfer over right away. Thank you." Carth walked her to the hanger bay where the awaiting shuttle sent from the Inception sat ready.

"Look, I don't have to tell you, as far out as you're going, help will be a long way off." He hated to say it as it made him feel as though he were abandoning her, but he needed to make sure she understood the circumstances. Strangely, he realized it felt a lot like what he imagined a vibroblade being shoved through his gut would feel like. With a half-hearted smirk, "So, try not to get into trouble, all right?"

Nodding in acknowledgment, she told him she understood. They exchanged goodbyes and she gave him a final hug before disappearing up the shuttle's ramp.

May the Force be with you, Bastila.