Disclaimer: Anything you recognize isn't mine. Anything that makes you go "what's that?" I made up.
ether-fanfic: Thanks. No, this isn't a one-shot. Thanks for pointing out the detail. I'm more used to writing first person. :)
Sith Lord Darth Revan: Thank you.
Kosiah: Thank you. I intend to build on it. Here's more!
Data: Thank you.
Chapter 2: Dreams and Visions
Revan was floating in a sea of darkness. Is this what death feels like? she wondered. Kind of disappointing. I was expecting something more grandiose, like dead Jedi berating me or something. Revan thought. She blinked. She found herself standing next to an outside fountain in a very familiar place. The Jedi Temple. Oh goodie. So the show's starting! She wondered idly who was going to show up.
She heard soft footsteps behind her. Revan turned and saw a boy of about 7 carrying a small spade used for gardening and something wrapped in his outer robe in his arms. Revan felt a rush of familiarity. The boy glanced around guiltily, dropped the robe which emitted a soft 'clink' and started to dig a hole near the fountain.
"Hey! What are you doing there?" A voice called out behind Revan. The boy jumped, dropped the spade and frantically hid his bundle in some nearby bushes. A little girl somewhat younger, maybe 6, walked into the clearing. Revan felt her breath catch in her throat as she watched with fascination.
"What's that?" the little girl asked, pointing to the hole. "Are you going to plant something?" she looked at the boy interestedly.
The boy went red and snapped, "None of your business!" while trying not to glance nervously towards his hidden cargo.
Unfortunately for him the girl's sharp eyes caught the subtle difference in color around the bushes. "What's that thing doing there?" she said, skipping forward and grabbing it before the boy could react.
"Hey!" He yelled in alarm, "That's mine!" He grabbed the other end and tugged.
"I just wanna see!" she replied, tugging back. However, a robe is not a satchel, and improperly tied at that. With the tug, the knots came free, and several large and small, colorful pieces of something that looked like pottery burst out. Silence reigned for several seconds.
The girl gasped loudly. "Is that Master Guert's Qitensilian Bowl?!" she asked, shocked. Revan suddenly sniggered.
"I can explain!" the boy groaned, "Just- just please don't tell!" he pleaded desperately.
The girl crossed her arms in a very business-like manner, "All right then. Explain."
The boy looked uncomfortable. "Did you know what the older Padawans are saying about the Bowl?" The girl nodded. The boy took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. "WellIwantedtoknowifitwastrue!" The girl opened her mouth but before she could say anything, he took another breath and continued, "SoIsnuckinhisroomandputagizkainit-" another breath "-thenitjumpedoffandknockedtheBowltothefloor." The boy grimaced in remembrance of the loud noise when the Bowl shattered.
The girl frowned as she concentrated on what he said- 'Well I wanted to know if it was true! So I snuck in his room and put a gizka in it, then it jumped off and knocked the Bowl to the floor.'
She was silent for a moment before asking, "So did the gizka transform into a Master's Lightsaber?" she asked curiously. She had been planning to do almost the same thing, but she knew that active pets were not good to put in a fragile thing like the Bowl. She didn't say this though, it would just make him feel more bad.
"No." He answered miserably. It was unfair. He went through all that for nothing.
"Well, even if it did, the Masters would never let you keep it." she answered. A pause. "You were going to bury the pieces, weren't you?" She accused him. He nodded. "You shouldn't you know. Hiding things will just make things worse later on. Besides," she continued, "do you really think that the Masters won't find out?" She spoke with an air of experience. She had many an encounter with the Masters. It was useless to try and hide.
He grimaced as he realized she was right. "Yeah.." He sighed, "Well, I supposed I should go tell Master Guert and apologize." The girl smiled and nodded. "But you've got to help me pick up the pieces of the Bowl." He eyed the mess, "Since you're the one who scattered it."
The girl chewed her lip, wondering if handling the pieces would include her in the crime. After a moment's deliberation she concluded that she did not break it so she was fine. She nodded "Alright." She bent down to gingerly pick up a largish piece next to her foot. "What's your name anyway?" she asked.
"Malak." He held out his hand.
"Hi then, Malak. I'm Revan." She replied grasping his hand. The scene dissolved and Revan found herself fading back into darkness..
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Murmurs.
Revan slowly became aware she was lying down on something soft. She smiled inwardly as she recalled the rest of her childhood. After that they had been inseparable. She and Malak had been the terror of the Temple, driving the rest of the Padawans -and a few Masters- to distraction.
"Will she be alright?" A high pitched fluting voice said. What?
"We are unsure. She has sustained quite alot of injuries. I'm surprised she's even alive." A second voice said. It was somewhat deeper, but still fluting.
"What sort of injuries?" The first voice asked in concern. What language is that? Revan thought muzzily.
The second person (Was it even a person? Revan wondered) started to describe things in medical terms. Revan quickly got bored.
Where was she? Bah, I don't care. Revan went back to where she had been... the Temple...
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She was back in the darkness. She blinked. Outside again. No fountain this time. What now? she thought. She recognized one of the many gardens around the Temple, with flowers in bloom, a winding pebblestone pathway running though it. "How can they be so blind?!" A very familiar voice burst out from further down the path. Revan followed it. When she rounded the corner she stopped and stared. It was her and Malak again. She was sitting side by side with him on some rocks.
"How could they abandon the Republic to those- those brutal barbarians?!" Revan ranted, waving her arms wildly, barely avoiding hitting Malak, who was sitting on a flat boulder next to her.
"Whoa. Easy Revan. You're liable to take someone's eye out if you keep doing that." He said placidly. They had both been recently Knighted, and it seemed Knighthood sat well with Malak. He was less prone to outbursts ever since. But not Revan. In fact, it seemed she was even more volatile than usual. Of course, Malak thought, It could just be the war with the Mandalorians. If it was, he hoped it would end soon so Revan could get back to normal.
Revan made a disgusted noise in her throat. She got up and started pacing. "Ojesomo, Jateme, Fikewae and Elejia have been wiped out! Iefeev-Nyepl and Wriahaff are under siege, and once they fall, Svuiq-Aogas and Omyete-Ikhoq will be next, maybe even Deralia! Then from Omyete-Ikhoq they can cut off hyperspace supply routes to Seopei-Izha, Unlirs, Ruyado and Etebem. After that-"
"Slow down, Revan! That hasn't happened yet. You can't see into the future. Who knows, the Republic might win this war without Jedi." Malak tried to soothe Revan. He was impressed at Revan's ability to pronounce the list of planets without tripping once. She had always been one for languages. The harder the language, the more interested she was.
Revan stopped and glared. "I may not be able to see into the future with the Force, but I can see it by the tactics and resources the Republic has!" Revan raised her voice at him, aggravated.
"You may have that talent Revan," a gentle voice said softly behind the two Knights, "but it does not mean the Republic will fall. Battles with lesser odds have been won before." They both turned to see an elderly Jedi walk into the garden.
"Master Ioas." Malak greeted, bowing. Revan merely inclined her head. Master Ioas was a quarren, one of the Masters on the High Council. He had been one of Revan's instructors when she had exhibited her extraordinary tactical abilities. When she defeated him several times straight in grueling tactical sims, he had declared he had nothing more to teach her. Darth Revan smirked at the memory.
"You must be patient, young Knight. Remember the Code." Master Ioas counseled.
Revan tensed a moment before she slumped her shoulders with a sigh. "I can't help it Master! All those people suffering and dying...." She trailed off and looked into the distance. Malak knew she wasn't admiring the scenery.
"You must trust in the wisdom of the Council." Ioas said, "Now come. It is nearly time for the noon meal."
Malak perked up somewhat at that. He hoped that it was something Revan favored. She was always in a better mood after she had eaten. "C'mon Revan. Let's get to the mess hall." He started walking on the path to the interior of the Temple. Jedi Revan sighed and followed, Master Ioas walking alongside her. Darth Revan watched them leave.
The scene shifted to a circular room. Tall windows showed Coruscant, shimmering below them. 12 Masters sat in the periphery of the circle, with Revan standing in the middle, Malak on her left. Darth Revan immediately recognized it as the Council Chamber.
"It is unacceptable! Whole worlds are burning! If we don't do anything, there won't be a Republic to defend!" Revan said intensely.
One of the Masters stirred. "We know you grieve for your homeworld, Revan, but please listen-"
Revan cut off the master, "Deralia has nothing to do with my decision! I'm going to fight the Mandalorians, with or without your permission! I know you say that there is a greater evil out there," she said in a somewhat calmer tone, "I promise I'll be careful, but I can't stand just waiting here for something to happen!"
"Impatience is never a good reason for action, young one." another master said, "You-"
"No!" Revan snapped. "I won't stand for this!" Revan turned on her heel and stormed out of the Council Chamber. Malak glanced apologetically at the masters before following hurriedly. Darth Revan walked out after them.
Malak caught up to her at the lift. "Revan, are you sure about this? You need to calm down a bit. The Masters only wish to do what's best for the Republic." he told her.
"You mean leaving countless people open to slaughter for the Mandalorians is what's best for the Republic? I thought you were a Guardian, Malak! How can you let such massacres happen?" Revan said bitterly.
Malak stiffened. "It's not like I wanted such things to happen!" he exclaimed. How can she even think that?
Revan was taken aback momentarily. "I'm sorry Malak. It's just that I'm frustrated at the Council's inability to see the danger. They look so far that they don't see what's in front of their faces." Darth Revan snickered at this. It was quite true. If only they had sent some masters, or even accompanied her themselves, she wouldn't have fallen. They got what they deserved for their blindness.
"It's alright Revan." Malak continued, "I know how hard it is for you. Maybe you should get some rest first before we set out for Taris."
Revan nodded absently, "Maybe I will. It's been-" she stopped and blinked. "Wait. 'we'?"
"Of course 'we'. You think I'm going to abandon you? Who's going to stop you from continuously berateing the military?" Malak quipped.
Revan smiled faintly. When she had gone to offer her services to the Republic High Command, she had let loose a devastating critique about the Admirals' tactical performance. "Are you sure...?" she asked. He nodded firmly. "Alright then. I'll meet you tomorrow morning at 0900. Docking bay 46." She told him. As she turned to leave, everything dissolved, and Darth Revan was once again sinking into darkness.
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"I've never seen anyone heal so fast with such injuries!" Who? Revan struggled to bring her thoughts together.
"Perhaps she is not human, despite her appearance." A vaguely familiar voice said. Where was she?
"No, the tests we ran on her says she is human. Although we did find some strange substances... but it has nothing to do with the healing process." The first voice said. A healer? It was quite possible. Was she in a medical facility? Something was digging into her side uncomfortably. Revan shifted slightly to relieve it.
"She moved!" the second voice said excitedly. "Is she waking?" Revan could sense his bright eagerness. She snorted inwardly. If they knew who she was they'd be terrified she was waking.
"Perhaps you are imagining it. She is still too badly injured to be conscious. Plus, she has been drugged for the pain." Ah. That explained her fuzziness. Revan cast her mind into her body to assess her injuries. And promptly backed out. The healer had been right. She had no business being awake. She reached for the Force, willing it to heal her body faster than it had already been doing. Strange substances? Ha. Content that she was healing fine, Revan went back to sleep.
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Revan waited in the darkness. Blink. She was standing in a dark place, the walls carved with strange glyphs and symbols. She recognized the place as the ruins on Dantooine, where she had found the last Star Map. She walked slowly into the interior. There, she saw herself and Malak. She had newly begun to wear the robes and mask that were her trademark, and Malak had shaved his head and received the tattoos of his homeworld, proclaiming him as an adult with considerable status.
"The Darkside is strong in this place. I can feel it's power!" Malak said, taking a deep breath, and reveling a moment in it.
Revan ignored him as she paced, studying the doorway. Finally she spotted what she was looking for- a small picture of a sphere with 3 lines running through it. Reaching out with the Force, she felt a clasp behind it. She waved her hand and activated it.
Malak hesitated before asking, "Is this wise? The ancient jedi sealed this archway. Once we pass through this door we can never go back. The Order will surely banish us."
Revan rolled her eyes inside her mask and continued to ignore him. Only he would question unlimited power. If he did not wish to follow her, he need only say so. She was sill relatively unknown that she could afford to dispose of him without too much fuss about acquiring a new apprentice. And she did not care about those smug Jedi in their belief that the Light was superior to the Dark. Revan entered the room.
"Are the secrets of the Star Forge so valuable? Can it's power truly be worth the risk?" I had forgotten how garrulous he could be, Present Revan thought. Past Revan wasn't paying any attention to what he said. She was enraptured by the Star Map. It's darkness was almost a palpable aura. She was giddy with the power. The last Star Map. Soon the Star Forge would be hers. She didn't care about the warnings that were carved into it's base. The Star Forge was a machine, nothing more. It was not alive. And even if it was, she would bend it to her will.
The scene shifted. They were in a large chamber filled with many wires form the ceiling, curving down to connect with a large, clear, diamond shaped crystal. Present Revan stared at it. She recognized the sifiruku crystal, it powered the Star Forge, acting as a conduit between the Force and the space station. Why did she feel so uneasy looking at it? An airlock opened behind her. She turned and saw herself and Malak enter.
Revan was nearly skipping with glee. As was Malak. All they needed to do now was activate the Star Forge. Revan reached the crystal first. Reaching into her robes, she pulled out a smaller version of the sifiruku. Stepping forward, she slipped it into a niche in the crystal. It fitted with a soft click. Suddenly the crystal turned a deep black, and power started running into the wires. Present Revan gasped. She saw dark tendrils reach out for her younger self and Malak, wrapping themselves around them. Revan and Malaks' eyes were glazed in a trance at the power the Star Forge emitted, that they did not notice.
"No!" Present Revan cried out, horrified. She realized now that those warnings that she had blithely ignored were true. The Star Forge was taking her over. It was impossible! How could she have not noticed? She ran forward and reached out, forgetting it was a dream, and made to grab her younger self. Revan's hand passed through her body like a hologram. She watched helplessly as she saw herself being engulfed, a slave to the darkness.