CHAPTER THREE
Anja was walking down the corridor heading for her studies in the library when she heard the commotion ahead of her. She looked up to see many of the Padawans and knights running to the balcony surrounding the courtyard.
" Anja!" A friend of hers yelled as she ran. " Hurry! Before they finish!"
Anja lowered her data pad and rushed to follow her friend. They pushed through the gathered students to gaze down into the courtyard below. There she saw Revan and Arren dueling with their Echani staffs. Arren wore a tight pair of white pants and a shirt that left her abdomen bare. Revan wore only a pair of loose fitting black pants, and neither of them had shoes on. To say that it appeared his body had been sculpted from granite would be an understatement. There was not an ounce of fat on him, his abdomen rippling with muscles. His shoulders were broad and heavily muscled, and the tattoos he bore on his shoulders and back were unlike any she had ever seen.
" He wears Mandalorian Clan tattoos!" A voice spoke from the crowd. " My Master told me of them. They distinguish clans among the Mandalorians."
Anja turned her head back to the courtyard and the duel that held everyone's attention. Revan and Arren moved with a grace and speed that none of them had ever seen. The Mandalorian Guards around the courtyard sat alert but disinterested in the duel. They had seen it countless times before. Arren's husband stood with Vlaina talking of one thing or the other as his wife dueled with Revan.
Anja found she could not tear her eyes from him as the duel progressed. And as she watched she could almost see each movement Revan was about to take in her mind. It happened so quickly, yet she could follow it as if she was there with him.
In the courtyard below Arren and Arren stopped, their staffs locked together as they grinned at each other. (We have drawn a crowd it seems Rev.) Arren spoke in Rakatan.
(So it would appear.)
(Shall we give them a show?)
(Grandfather would not approve.) Revan said.
(Please.) Arren pleaded like a child.
(I will have to speak with your husband about taming your wild side Arren.) Revan spoke, pushing her away.
Arren laughed loudly. (He likes my wild side. As he showed me last night!)
Revan laughed and nodded. (Then let us begin!)
There were groans from the gathered Padawans as Revan and Arren tossed aside the Echani staffs to two Guards standing on the edge, just as they launched three objects into the air. Revan Force jumped thirty feet into the air as Arren darted underneath him, and both reached out with the Force and their hands. As this was going on, their Mandalorian Guards were tossing target drones into the air all around them. Twenty in total. There was a collective gasp from the Padawans as Revan ignited his twin Viridian colored light sabers as he touched the ground like a cat behind Arren. She had rolled to her feet and ignited her dual light saber which glowed a bright yellow. The twenty drones unleashed a massive barrage of stun beams at the two and there was a huge flare of light that caused many to turn away.
Anja was not one of them. She clutched at the light saber on her belt as she realized it was identical in color to the two Revan now wielded.
When the flash cleared, the pieces of twenty drones lay scattered on the ground of the courtyard like garbage, and Arren and Revan stood back to back untouched and not even breathing heavy.
The Padawans could hear the laughter from Revan and Arren at some small joke they shared and they all watched as she walked over to the massive form of the Mandalorian Commander. The man smiled and leaned down to kiss her gently.
" Enough!" Master Vandar spoke from behind the gathered students. " Return to your studies Padawans!"
Anja turned quickly at his voice but came to an abrupt halt when Vandar appeared in front of her. She bowed her head slightly. " Master Vandar." She spoke.
" Replaced your light saber you have Padawan Tamari." Vandar spoke.
" Y… yes Master." Anja squeaked out.
" Excellent. Excellent. Return to your studies." Vandar told her as Jolee walked up slowly behind him. They moved to the courtyard balcony together, and looked down on Revan and Arren.
" Astounding skills with a light saber they have." Vandar said softly. " Surpass even his father he does."
Jolee nodded. " Arren is not far behind."
" Hold back he does. Even with her." Vandar spoke. " Seen his skill before only once. In ancient holovids."
Jolee looked at him. " Holovids? Vandar I didn't think you watched holovids." he said with a grin.
Vandar nodded. " They were of the Ancient Dark Lords. Saw them before they became forbidden and were destroyed five hundred years ago. Long before the rise of Exar Kun. His style and skill echo with the teachings of one such Lord." Vandar looked at him. " Ajunta Pall."
Jolee met his eyes evenly and said nothing. " I'm sorry."
" Much you have kept from the Council Jolee. Understand why I do." Vandar said. " Tell me of Ajunta Pall Jolee. Revan did not mention this after the Star Forge."
" It was on the trip to Korriban. Revan, Carth and Canderous entered the tomb of Ajunta Pall. Revan was pretty shaken after leaving Korriban, but I got the story from Carth. Ajunta Pall's spirit appeared to them when they opened the crypt. Carth and Canderous were frozen, unable to do anything but listen. Revan brought him back to the light Vandar. A Dark Lord from thousands of years ago, and Revan showed him the path back to redemption!" Jolee spoke with quite a bit of emotion in his voice.
Vandar nodded. " Sensed his return from the dark side I did those years ago. Welcomed with open arms he was."
" You knew?" Jolee asked.
" I suspected. His essence he bestows on young Revan. He was a master of the Light Saber. On a level with Tulak Hord." Vandar said quietly. " An item the Council must not know."
Jolee's eyes narrowed. " What do you mean Vandar."
" Always supported the love between Revan and Bastila I did. It was the will of the Force that brought them together. Only the Force can separate them now, and it has not done so for reasons we can only guess at. Not as flexible the other members. They adhere to the Code, as well they should. Not as old as you and I. They have not the experience of your eyes and mine."
" Will they help them?"
Vandar shook his head. " That answer I do not have. They fear chaos. Unrest. Especially Atris. Harbors dark feelings toward Arren's mother she does. Come to terms with them she has not."
" Vandar… we must help them. If you could only see what they have done on…" Jolee stopped.
" On Dxun?" Vandar finished for him.
" You knew that is where they would go?"
Vandar nodded. " Tell me Revan and Dacen did the last time I saw them. Sworn to secrecy we are you and I." He looked at Jolee. " This is where you have gone on your trips through the years?"
Jolee nodded. " Perhaps one day you can see what they have done. The peace they have brought to that war torn world. Why do you think Queen Talia holds the influence she does? They have built and forged a peace between two people. It was Dacen and Brianna and Canderous and their friends with Master Kavar who helped the Queen beat back the Sith at Onderon. That fact by itself made them heroes. Imagine that… Mandalorian heroes in the eyes of the people of Onderon. The friendship they have built in the last thirty years will never be broken. Their fates are intertwined now. Talia married Canderous's nephew for Force's sake! The enclave they have built there…"
Vandar looked at him. " Enclave you say!"
Jolee shook his head. " Don't try to deny you haven't felt it. You knew where they went. Why do you think in the last thirty years no Force sensitive children have come from Onderon? A planet with many touched by the Force."
" This is the sanctuary they speak of?"
Jolee nodded. " The Tomb of Freedom Nadd. Brianna led the assault on the Tomb as Dacen confronted the Sith on the planet with Kavar. When they returned to Dxun they purged the Tomb of its dark presence. It is their sanctuary indeed. Training rooms, barracks. It is incredible."
Vandar looked at him. " What do Revan and Bastila and Dacen teach them Jolee?"
" Peace Vandar. They teach them peace. There must be three hundred Padawans and Knights there Vandar. They teach them what Revan and Arren have mastered. They follow the Code with only minor differences." Jolee spoke.
Vandar shook his head. " Able to draw people to him Revan was. Jedi and non-Jedi alike. It was a strength. Dacen too had this gift. See this enclave I will someday."
" And Vrook and the others tried to rip that from Dacen." Jolee said
" Misguided they were. Did not understand the threat as Dacen did. Malachor was the key. Dacen knew this, and he silenced the echo." Vandar spoke. " Difficult times ahead for us my friend. Be strong we must. Or all will be lost." He looked into the courtyard. " They are the key. Understand how I do not know. But they are the key. And one other." He lowered his head. " Come… the Council awaits us. Many things do we need to discuss."
Anja walked up to the small table in the reading hall where Revan and Arren sat talking quietly. They had sensed her coming long before she arrived at their table and slammed the light saber on the table in front of Revan with a resounding crack. Many heads turned at the noise.
Revan and Arren looked at her. " Is there another problem Padawan?" Revan asked calmly.
" What did you do to me?" Anja hissed.
" I do not understand your meaning." Revan told her.
" What did you do to my mind? You got inside my head somehow? Why? You had no right! It is a violation of my person! I demand you undo this… this bond!" Anja spoke in a heated voice.
" I only did what you wanted me to do." Revan told her. " You challenged me if I recall. Rather foolishly on your part I might add."
" I did not ask you to take up residence in my mind! You had no right to do that! None!" Anja spat. She tossed the light saber into his lap. " And keep your gift son of a Dark Lord. I have no use for it. I will build my own light saber!"
" I destroyed yours." Revan spoke, his eyes wide, holding it out to her. " It is only with respect that I replace it for you. I did not want to do that. It was childish of me."
Anja grabbed the light saber from his hand and to Revan's horror heaved it with all her strength down the corridor, where several people jumped out of the way as it finally landed and skittered across the polished tile and over the railing into the courtyard far below them.
" That is what I think of your gift son of Revan!" Anja spat.
Revan got to his feet slowly, his eyes never leaving Anja's. She could see the hurt in them at her words, and for some reason it bothered her. Revan bowed his head slightly to her.
" As you wish Padawan Tamari of Telos." He said before turning and moving down the corridor, two of the Mandalorian Guards following him.
Arren popped to her feet and into Anja's face almost immediately. " Are you truly as ignorant as you have just acted!" Arren asked her, her voice filled with anger. She held out her hand and in seconds, the light saber Anja had thrown away slapped into her palm. " Do you know he spent nine hours building this from the shell. Nine hours of his night to replace something you have no place carrying."
" I am a Padawan of the Jedi Order daughter of the exile! You…"
Arren shoved her blazing pale blue eyes into Anja's face. " You are nothing!" She barked. " Nothing except a pompous spoiled Jedi schutta! You know nothing of Revan. Nothing of what his father has done. Only what you have seen on vids and from the whispers of tired old men within these walls. You know nothing of me! Nothing of our parents who you mock with such ferocity! Revan tried to show you… yet you have shown you have no concept of what he showed you!"
Anja's face showed her surprise at Arren's words. Arren shook her head. " We are like brother and sister, together not by blood but by our souls and the Force. I know what he feels and he knows what I feel. I know what he showed you… because I have seen it. I have heard it as it took place you pompous witch! And still you don't understand. You are no Jedi! My thirteen year old sister is more a Jedi than you will ever be!"
" Do you wish to test your words daughter of the exile?" Anja said with more pride than brain.
Arren shook her head slowly. " You are not worth the effort it would take to show you how much of nothing you truly are."
Arren spun around after handing Vlaina the light saber. She walked away quickly before she lost her temper. Anja watched the Mandalorian Guard move to follow her but stop and turn to look at her.
" You have something to say Mandalorian?" Anja snapped.
Vlaina stepped up to her and removed her helmet to reveal her stunning features and flowing red hair. " I am Vlaina, daughter of Kelborne, Clan of Ordo, Commander of the Mandalorian Crimson Guard." She held up the light saber. " This was a gift of honor to you Jedi witch!" Her voice had turned as deadly as that of a rabid Kath Hound.
Anja lifted her hand slowly and passed it in front of Vlaina. " Go about your business Mandalorian." She said slowly, using Force persuade.
Vlaina chuckled softly. " Your Jedi tricks do not work against us witch. General Revan and Lady Vorsut trained us to resist your silly games." Vlaina met Anja's eyes. " If you had been any other person I would have carved out those pretty green eyes by now witch!"
" Your threats do not frighten me." Anja spoke.
" Threats?" Vlaina shook her head. " Crimson Guards do not make threats witch. I have been raised with the son of Revan since I was ten. Trained with him. I have watched him grow with me. I wept when he told me I could not be his mate. That there was another that held his heart." Vlaina made a show of looking her up and down. " You are not even worthy to stand beside him. Hurt him again Jedi witch, and I will feed you to the Shi'rak wraiths on Korriban."
" Take it!" The voice behind her ordered.
Anja turned to see Master Corna standing behind her. " Master Corna…" she gasped. " I did not hear you approach."
" That is quite obvious Padawan." He replied. " Take the gift Padawan Tamari."
" Master… it was made for me by the son of Revan. It was made for me by the son of a Dark Lord of the Sith. Our enemy." Anja spoke.
" It was made for you Padawan Tamari by the son of Jedi Knight Revan Panlie. An honored hero in these halls. You would do well to remember that. It is a gift of great honor considering the craftsmanship it took to build it." Corna spoke.
" Master… Revan was exiled!" Anja spoke. " For defying the council. For going against our code."
" Jedi Knight Revan Panlie was exiled for following the one thing that saved his soul and the lives of millions, and returned him to the light." Corna spoke. " You were not alive during the Mandalorian wars Padawan Tamari… you have no concept of the lives Revan Panlie saved during that war. You are in no position to judge what you do not understand."
" And you are Master?" Anja barked before she was able to control her emotions.
Corna stepped up to her slowly. " Yes… Padawan… I am. Because I served with Revan and Dacen Vorsut during that war after the Council on Coruscant allowed the Jedi to enter the war." Corna reached over and took the light saber from Vlaina's hand. He turned the weapon over in his palm and smiled. " Magnificent. Truly a piece of art. And the son of Revan built this?"
Vlaina nodded. " He did."
Corna nodded. " Pass on my admiration of his skill if you would Crimson Commander."
Vlaina picked up her helmet. " I will do that… Master Jedi. An honor to meet you."
Corna nodded and watched as Vlaina turned and followed the direction Arren took down the corridor. He looked at Anja, his eyes sad. He held out the small data cube. " Padawan Tamari… you are confined to your quarters until further notice. Until I call for you again, I want you to do some studying. You will learn what is on this data cube Padawan, and then we will discuss your continued presence in this Academy. You are dismissed." He held out the light saber to her.
Anja's head lowered as she took the cube and the light saber. " As you order Master Corna."
Corna watched his Padawan walk away, her shoulders slumped in despair. His thoughts went back two decades to a fellow Zabrak he met here on Coruscant for a brief time. He had known him during the Mandalorian Wars and was astonished at the rage he felt in the young man, but upon meeting him here on Coruscant those years after the war, the change in him had been obvious. The rage he had felt within him was gone and in its place was a peace of soul he had not seen in some time. They had talked only briefly, as the young man was leaving to return to Iridonia, but in that time he had seen the carefully hidden light saber, and the essence of the Force within him. Corna had asked him quickly before he left who had trained him to feel such inner peace. The look on the young man's face was one of fond memories and friendship.
" Jedi Master Dacen Vorsut began my training. He and Jedi Master Revan Panlie continue to train me even now, Master Corna." The Jedi Guardian Bao-Dur had replied. " Why do you ask?"
" You are at peace Bao-Dur. That is why."
The Zabrak Bao-Dur nodded with a smile. " They showed me peace Master Corna. They showed me peace."
And then he was gone on the transport. Corna nodded to himself as he made his decision.
It was a terrible sound. Fire all around her. The tearing of durasteel metal as it was torn from its moorings. She remembered her mother screaming. Her father yelling her name. There was a massive shockwave as they punched through the surface of the moon and into the atmosphere, their corvette on fire, no engines and pieces being torn away from the hull as they plummeted to the ground.
Her father at the controls
" I can't stop us! The engines are gone! We're coming apart!"
" Papa… no!" Anja muttered in her sleep.
" Wait! A clearing! There! I'll try to put her down! Hold on!"
The next sound was one she winced at in her sleep as the corvette's hull, super heated by the entry ruptured on impact. She felt an enormous pain and then blackness swallowed her.
She heard voices. People all around her.
Smoke.
Heat.
Fire.
The trees. The trees reached hundreds of feet into the air. A lush green color.
What is this place?
A stabbing pain in her side. In her neck. She looks down and sees the massive wound to her abdomen. Blood everywhere, soaking her clothes. She can see inside her abdomen, her clothes torn away.
Where was she?
People running and shouting.
A figure… clouded in smoke. Reaching out to her.
Papa? Mommy?
Arren sat up in the bed, her heart racing. Dralor was instantly awake, his combat senses activating. Arren looked at him, her eyes wide.
" Dralor! Revan!"
" Go Arren! Go!" Her husband commanded.
Arren leaped from their bed, throwing on a small robe and ran from their quarters. The two Mandalorian Guards outside her door glanced at each other for only a second before they followed. Arren covered the distance down the corridor in under a minute, the two Crimson Guards outside Revan's room shocked to see her running towards them holding the robe over her naked form.
" Open it!" She barked. " Now!"
They did not hesitate, and one punched in the override code to the door. It didn't work.
" Damn you Revan!" Arren grasped and lifted her hand to the door. There were sparks from the panel as she Force pulled the door open. She entered his room to see him on the floor in a meditative pose, but drenched in sweat, and gritting his teeth.
She moved in front of him, grabbing his shoulders. " Revan!" She yelled. " Revan!" She slapped him across the face hard and his eyes popped open. " Revan!" She lifted her hand to hit him again.
(Please do not hit me again Arren.) He spoke to her as his eyes focused. (I will be forced to put you over my knee like when you were nine.)
Arren let her breath out in a gasp and a small smile creased her face. (In your dreams big boy. If I recall, that was the last time you ever did that.)
Revan smiled. (I could try.)
Arren laughed. (The only one who spanks me now is my husband.) She retorted. (What were you doing you fool? I thought you shut your link with her?)
" I did." Revan replied. " She reopened it. Her dreams forced their way past the barriers I had in place."
" She did? How?"
" I don't know."
Arren shook her head. " Force's sake I wish your mother was here!" She spat. " It took your father and Aunt Bastila years to fully learn to control their bond."
" She was dreaming of Dxun Arren." Revan told her.
" Dxun?" Arren looked puzzled. " Revan… she has never been to Dxun. No one besides the survivors of that crashed corvette nearly a decade ago. And we wiped their memories to safe guard our secret. We…" Arren looked at him. " She… she was the little girl?"
Revan nodded slowly. " It was her."
" Revan… are you sure?"
" I am now." He spoke, slowly getting to his feet. " I sensed something from her in the courtyard yesterday, something familiar. Corna put her up to confronting us remember. When I touched her though, it was familiar somehow. As if I had held her before. And now I know I have. Mother knew this would happen the minute she ran into the clearing and saw me using the Force to sustain her life after the crash. That is why she tore her from my grasp so quickly. It was too late of course… I had already exhausted myself repairing her injuries. Mother scanned her. She must have detected the connection, the imprint I left on her. That is why she and father got them off Dxun so quickly and moved to Iziz, to get her as far away from Dxun and me as she could before she regained consciousness."
" But you never felt the Force in her before you healed her. Yet she is here now, and one of the strongest of the Padawans in the entire academy." Arren said.
Revan smiled to himself. " That is why Corna spoke of difficulties with her. It must have manifested itself within her after our connection on Dxun. She was so strong with the Force they had to accept her. Even at her advanced age."
" They can't have detected your imprint?" Arren said. " Could they?"
Revan shook his head. " I don't think so. When I healed her with the Force I was amazed at how quickly her wounds were closing. Her own Force powers triggered then. And they naturally helped me as I healed her. Did you notice she had no scars?"
Arren cocked her head and looked at him. " Not exactly something I was looking for at that moment yesterday."
Revan smiled and chuckled. " She had a massive gash across her throat. A piece of durasteel had nicked her jugular. When I reached her, she was bleeding profusely. It was not the kind of injury that does not leave a scar. Yet as I held her in the courtyard I saw no scars. Only flawless skin and…"
" Stop right there Revan! I don't need the details!"
" Perhaps not," Dralor's voice spoke from the doorway. " But I was beginning to enjoy the description."
Dralor braced for what he knew was coming from his beautiful wife and she did not disappoint him. A Force push shoved him back from the door and he slammed into the wall of the corridor with a grunt.
Arren's eyes widened in horror. " Dralor!" She gasped rushing to his side. " Oh my love! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it… I…"
Dralor chuckled as he got back to his feet. " I do so love it when you are forceful with me my wife!"
Arren could hear Revan laughing on the floor of his quarters as she put her husband's arm over her shoulders, helping him to his feet. " I will deal with you in the morning Revan Panlie!" She snapped as she led Dralor back towards their quarters.
Revan heard her yelp in surprised glee at something Dralor had done when they were out of sight and he laughed even harder. The Mandalorian Guards only shook their heads and returned to their postings by his door.
Anja sat in her bed, her shirt soaked with sweat again. Her back was against the wall and she held her knees to her chest as she recited the Jedi code in her head to calm herself. The images had been so real. The heat from the fire. The smoke. The figure that had reached for her.
Taking one last deep breath, she tossed back her covers and got to her feet. She went to the dispenser and made herself a cup of caffa sipping deeply, allowing the liquid to warm her. She moved to her computer station and settled into the chair, one leg pulled underneath her.
Anja sensed her days in the academy were numbered. After her stunt today, Master Corna would surely expel her. She touched the data cube he had given her, wondering what could be on it. She looked over to where the light saber Revan had given her rested on the table. Looking back on her actions, she realized she had wanted to hurt him, and she didn't know why. He had made her look like a fool in front of the other students, but that wasn't it. There was something about him that seemed somehow familiar. She could sense the power within him, within Arren Kae. They all could. She admitted to herself it made her uneasy. It was as if the Force flowed freely through them, unchecked, untamed. But it was obvious to all of them, they were magnificently trained. That they did not adhere to the Jedi code was so obvious as well. The woman had a husband. A Mandalorian husband. And her displays of affection for him in front of the students earlier that day and sent murmurs through the gathered students. It was all they had talked about.
Anja plugged the data cube into the panel and watched surprised as the holo image of Master Corna appeared.
" Padawan Tamari, I had expected you to review this much sooner than now." His voice said.
" By the Force!" Anja snapped. " How could you know?"
Anja shook her head and looked down until she heard something she had never heard from her Master before. Corna was chuckling. Her eyes snapped back up and she looked at his smiling face.
" First… Anja… I must apologize for putting you in the position I did with the son of Revan." Anja couldn't believe she was hearing this. " The council… we sensed their approach. We knew the power they possessed. I'm sure by now you have sensed it as well. While I have not spoken of your skills in the positive Anja Tamari… you are the most gifted student I have ever trained. I put you in danger when I encouraged you to confront Revan. For that… I apologize. I encouraged the feelings you still harbor inside you of resentment towards the Revan who was the Sith Lord. You keep them buried deep, but they are there. He ordered the destruction of your world and you and your family barely escaped. I understand where these feelings come from.
" What you don't know… are the events that happen that brought Revan back to the light. They are carefully guarded secrets and forbidden to even many of the Masters. As I have no doubt already told you… I served beside Revan and Dacen Vorsut after the Jedi Council allowed us to enter the war. As the years passed, we saw much horror, more than one set of eyes should have to endure. I did not travel with Revan after the war, I returned to Iridonia for a time to find peace again. The histories in the Archives are easy to access and within them they tell of Revan's fall. What they do not tell are of his redemption. Those are secrets that will have to remain for sometime. The Council, as I have come to learn, are big on secrets. Thirteen people know of the events surrounding the redemption of Revan. Only nine are still alive. You will make ten."
Anja's eyes went wide at this revelation.
" No doubt you are wondering why you have been given this honor. And it is an honor Anja Tamari, I assure you. Let me explain further. When you first came to the academy, you were strong in the Force. I'm sure you remember well the struggle it was for you to obtain entry. Part of it was due to your age. Most of our students are identified at a very young age and brought to us as you know. I will now tell you why it was so hard for you to enter the academy.
" Thirteen years ago you and your parents were involved in an accident. The corvette you were traveling in was ambushed by pirates. Your ship sustained extensive damage in the attack and your father, an incredibly skilled pilot I might add, brought you in for an emergency landing on the Onderon moon of Dxun, on the Outer Rim. As I said, your ship was heavily damaged, and was breaking up upon entry into the atmosphere of the moon. We had long thought the moon to be deserted since the end of the Mandalorian Wars. It had once been the main headquarters for their forces. As the Force would have it… the moon was not deserted. quite the opposite in fact. There was now a very large settlement on the moon. A mixture of Mandalorian… and Jedi." Again, Anja's eye grew large.
" Allow me to back up now. During the third year of the Jedi Civil War the Council decided to attempt something that was brash and had never been tried. We sent a Padawan on a mission. She was younger than you are now, only nineteen at the time. She was headstrong and willful, but she had an ability we deemed we could use to our advantage. Her name, as I'm sure you know, was Bastila Shan. Using her Battle Meditation we were able to engage the Sith Forces under the Dark Lord Revan and a small Jedi strike team was placed aboard his flagship to capture him. This is all information I'm sure you know. What you don't know is that I was part of that Strike Team. And while our mission was successful, only after we returned to Dantooine did we learn that during our strike Malak had fired on his Master's ship. In doing so, Revan suffered extensive injuries to his body and his mind. It was only a Force Bond that Padawan Bastila had initiated with him that kept him from dying. It was because of that bond that we developed a plan to use that bond to our advantage. The Dark Lord's mind was destroyed. Nothing remained of his memories that we could detect. We later learned that he would have flashbacks of his life as a former Sith Lord, but that was all. The Council implanted memories into Revan. We gave him a new identity, a new past. And we used Bastila Shan to control him. We needed what was in his head to defeat Malak, who had become even more brutal than Revan after usurping his former Master.
" The event we didn't anticipate however was the deep connection the bond Bastila had forged with him had become. Over time it grew more powerful, bringing them closer then we had ever foreseen. It was also the catalyst for them falling in love young Anja. And it was that emotion… that love… that saved this galaxy. While searching for clues to the location of the Star Forge using Revan's fragmented memories Bastila Shan was captured and turned to the Dark Side. Malak tortured her for days. The reports of what he did to her are agony to review even now. It was no wonder she surrendered. Revan… his former memories returning due to his confrontation with Malak went after her. They confronted each other once more on the temple on the Rakatan home world. Bastila had been turned by then and she pleaded with Revan to retake his position of Dark Lord. This meeting led to the confrontation between them on the Star Forge itself. They battled briefly, with Revan finally opening himself to attack for Bastila to strike him down. He professed his love for her on that station Padawan, and that love is what reclaimed her and brought her back to the light. That love is what destroyed the Star Forge and sent the Sith scurrying into the corners of the galaxy leaderless.
" Bastila's fall is not common knowledge, even within the Republic Senate. Only a few Masters know all the details as I have already told you. Their friends knew of it, but Revan always had a way with people. They seemed to flock to him. His aura was one of trust and honesty. Arren Kae's father was much the same way. Their friends never would betray them in such a way. They had been through too much together.
" And now you are asking yourself what all of this has to do with you." Corna's image smiled. " As I was telling you… your ship crashed on Dxun. Your parents were severely injured, but you young Padawan, your injuries were far more grievous. We had no idea where Revan and Bastila disappeared to after that fateful day here on Coruscant where they were expelled after professing their love for each other to us. Thirteen years ago we discovered where they had gone. A young man, barely fourteen, discovered you Padawan Tamari, a young man incredibly powerful in the Force because of the linage of his parents. He healed your wounds Padawan, at nearly the cost of his own life. In doing this, like his mother, an unbreakable bond was created with you. His essence he poured into you, and even after the very skillful attempts by his mother to erase his imprint, it was that imprint on you we detected when you came to us. It was so faint only Master Vandar could discern it, and then just barely. Bastila buried that bond deep within you Anja, and only when the son of Revan touched you did it resurface, for both of you. These are the memories you have been experiencing, his memories, of his childhood, your memories of the crash. All these events are intertwined.
" The son of Revan has come to this council asking for our help. His parents have departed with the parents of Arren Kae to battle the enemy that forced Revan to assume the role of Dark Lord so many years ago. And I say forced because that is what I truly believe. He took upon the role as Dark Lord because he saw what lay beyond the Outer Rim. They have gone out there on their own to face this threat. That is not something I can allow to happen again. Regardless of what the Council decides Anja Tamari, I have already decided to step down and accompany young Revan on his quest. I owe his father and mother far too much to not answer their call. Now you know. You know the history, and now you know of your bond with young Revan. That bond will be with you for a lifetime Anja. Now you must make a decision. I will petition a new Master for you if that is your wish, so that you may remain here in the academy. Or you can travel where your destiny I believe is leading you. Think about this carefully young Padawan. It is not to be taken lightly. What we are heading into will be nothing like we have faced in the past. Whatever is out there, it is growing, and it is far crueler and more cunning than any Sith we have ever known. I can not… I will not… allow my friends to face it alone. You are my brightest pupil Anja Tamari, but now you must choose your own path.
" May the Force guide you in your decision."
Anja was dumbstruck as she sat staring at the wall.
Arren sat in the lotus position in front of her and Revan's siblings in the small courtyard. They were alone this early in the morning, and Anja quietly came up behind her. She could tell they were meditating, and Arren was speaking softly to them. She moved closer so that she could hear the words.
There are always emotions, yet we have Serenity.
There is Chaos, yet Harmony is produced.
There are always passions, yet there can be Balance.
There's often hurry, still we cultivate patience.
There can be love, and this brings peace.
There is much ignorance: this knowledge is wisdom.
There will always be Death. But there is the always The Force
Anja was stunned at how similar the words Arren spoke were to her own Jedi code. Yet
the differences were there. She realized the children were staring at her and she shook her head slightly.
" Are you going to gawk at us Padawan Tamari, or is there something you wish?" Arren asked, not turning her head. The contempt for the woman was very evident in her voice.
" Your dislike for me is heard in your tone." Anja said.
Arren turned her head slightly. " Dislike for you?" She said. " You mistake my tone for dislike when that is not the case. I feel sorry for you."
Arren got to her feet gracefully and turned to the children. " Revan is waiting for you children, in the next courtyard. Go."
The four of them obediently got to their feet and filed past her, their eyes telling Anja what they thought of her. Anja turned back to Arren when they had left. " They would do well to mask their emotions Arren Kae." Anja said.
" We were not raised to mask our emotions Padawan Tamari. It is not our way." Arren answered her.
" Emotions are the path to the Dark Side." Anja said.
Arren shook her head. " No Anja. Emotions are who we are." Arren told her, surprising her with the gentleness in her voice and the use of her name. " You can not repress emotions. It is a part of our being. And with emotions come true serenity and balance."
" That is not what we are taught." Anja said. " It is wrong."
" Wrong in your eyes and the eyes of the Jedi Council perhaps. But it is what we are taught, and what we teach our children. It is not wrong to us." Arren told her. " Now you did not come here to discuss the differences in our codes, and I have no desire to waste my time arguing with you, or trying to convince you just how blind you are. What is it you want Padawan Tamari?"
" I… I want to know… about him." Anja said.
Arren's pale blue eyes narrowed slightly. " To whom are you referring?"
" The son… the son of Revan."
" He has a name!" Arren snapped. " He bears the name of his father, which he is most proud of. Is it so beneath you to even speak his name?" Arren shook her head. " Why am I even wasting my time with you? He should have let you die!"
Anja's eyes widened as Arren pushed past her. " Wait! You know what happen!" Anja grabbed her arm tightly.
Arren whirled on her holding up her hand to stop the two Mandalorian Guards from pouncing on Anja. " My suggestion to you Padawan is to remove your hand from my person. You have neither the training nor the will to assault me. I however am not limited in what I do. Remove your hand from me!"
" You know what happen to me! I can sense it in you!" Anja spoke, her words now filled with emotions, as she released her.
Arren looked at Anja. " Yes… I know what happen. I know he made a mistake saving your life. It nearly killed him, and if it wasn't for Aunt Bastila it would have. What he saw in you that told him to save your life I do not know. You are not worthy of his love."
" Love!" Anja gasped, looking at her.
" Yes! Love! Has the Jedi Council purged even that word from your mind!" Arren shook her head. " Our parents were wrong. We should not have come here." Arren started to walk away but stopped. She turned back to look at Anja. " He could have killed you, you know… that day in the courtyard. No one would have been able to stop him. Not even the combined power of all the Masters here on Coruscant. He could have broken you like a twig, and the skills you so feebly cling too would not have saved you. There are times when I sense he is even more powerful than his father and mother combined. I do not see what he sees in you, but Revan has always been more perceptive than I. He did not know what he was doing that day on Dxun, reaching out to you, healing your wounds. I wasn't there the day of the crash, but I heard from others how terrible your injuries were. He was exhausted for weeks, barely able to feed himself after he saved you. His mother and I were at his bedside daily tending to him. His father was so distraught he disappeared into the mountains of Dxun with our uncle for days. No one knows where they went. No one has ever asked. And the way you have treated him since he arrived here has hurt him more than you will ever know. He has done what you asked of him Anja. He has closed the link of your minds. He will not reopen it. Now… leave him alone, or I swear by the Force you will rue the day we ever came to Coruscant."
Arren spun around and marched off, leaving Anja there alone staring at the two Mandalorian Guards. She heard Vlaina chuckled under her helmet. " Congratulations Jedi witch." Vlaina spoke. " The one person outside of Lady Bastila that held you in any sort of regard, and you have torn that asunder. I seem to recall the Jedi my kin fought in the Mandalorian Wars were far more intelligent than that. They must be breeding them ignorant these days."
Anja could only stand there and watch as the two of them turned to follow Arren. She reached up to her face and for the first time in many years she felt the tears coming from her eyes.
Revan stood in the Council Chambers later that afternoon. He could sense the forbidding tone in the air, and he knew without even hearing them out, their decision would not be in his favor.
" Revan Panlie a decision the council has come too." Master Vandar spoke slowly, not really wanting to announced the decision. " Shield your sisters and brothers we will. Help you we can not. Unknown is this threat… and the mistakes of the Mandalorian Wars must not be repeated."
Revan shook his head with a smile. " Yes… I felt as much. However, I do not recall asking for assistance from the Council, only the protection of my brothers and sisters. I know where I need to go to for assistance. I thank the Council for allowing my family to remain here in your care however."
" Assisting you was discussed young Revan." Vandar spoke.
" Yes. I know well the assistance of the Council, and what it means." Revan said.
" You would do well to hold your snide remarks and take this Council's advice." Atris barked at him.
Revan looked at her. " I am not Arren, Atris. But I know well your actions of the past. And your fall. Rest assured, I will not allow you to do such a thing to me. You would do well to remember that." Revan turned back to the Council members. " I thank you again."
" You do not wish to hear what else the Council has to say?" Grana asked, taken aback.
" Would there be a purpose to it?" Revan asked.
" There is always purpose young Revan." Vandar spoke again.
" And again, I know well the purpose of this Council Master Vandar." Revan spoke calmly. " And with the utmost respect… I do not care what else this Council has to say. My father and adopted Uncle once went against this Council to protect the innocent. It appears we will do so again."
" That event led to your father becoming a Sith Lord!" One of the Twi'lek Masters spoke.
Revan nodded. " This is true. But this time it is different. This time my father has the love that rescued him from that darkness, and so much more. More than this Council will ever be able to understand. So once more into the breach the exiled Jedi go. Alone."
" No. Not alone." Corna spoke coming to his feet. Ten pairs of wide eyes focused on him as he stepped down from his chair to stand next to Revan. " Once… nearly fifty years ago I abided by the decision of this Council. That decision cost me many friends and fellow Jedi, not to mention millions of lives that we could have saved. I can not bring myself to make that decision again. I am stepping down from the Council and leaving the Jedi Order. I will go with young Revan, and I will help to guide him as well as I am able. I will not turn my back on him, as I turned my back on his father all those years ago. In my opinion, if more of us had been there, more friends and fellow Jedi at the beginning, I don't believe Revan would have fallen."
" Corrupted you too could have become Master Corna." Vandar spoke quietly from his chair.
Corna nodded. " Perhaps, but we will never know. I do know that Revan's father was my friend, as was his 'wife' Bastila Shan. I can not… I will not turn away from them again."
Revan could only stand there and look at this powerful Iridonian next to him. He turned back to the Council. " I did not wish this Master Vandar. I did not want to cause division among the Order. I will take my leave of you now, before my presence here has more adverse affects that I intended."
" Wise this would be it seems young Revan." Vandar replied.
Revan turned and exited the chambers before anyone could recover. Outside the doors in the corridor he turned and looked at Corna.
" Why are you doing this?" He asked, as they walked.
" You heard what I told the Council." Corna asked.
Revan snickered. " Yes. Now tell me why you are really doing it."
" Because I believed in your father and mother once young Revan. And I still do." Corna replied.
Revan nodded as they made their way to the temple docks. " Thank you."
As they turned the corner to enter the lift, Corna looked at him. " I know you must have a plan. No son of Revan or nephew of Dacen Vorsut would do anything without a plan."
Revan smiled. " I do. However… I need to fulfill the second request our parents left us."
" May I ask what this request is?"
Revan looked at him as the doors closed. " My parents, Arren's parents. They fought with others. Men and women they called friends and family, men and women who will now be in danger. I must warn them."
" And you can't do this by communiqué I take it?"
Revan shook his head. " Too many eyes and ears." He said.
Corna nodded. " Yes. Coruscant isn't the most private of places. We…" The doors to the lift opened and they both stopped in their tracks. Anja stood in front of them, a travel bag slung over her shoulder.
" Padawan Tamari." Corna spoke. " How can I assist you?"
" I'm ready to leave Master Corna." Anja told him.
Corna glanced at Revan before turning back to her. He shook his head. " This is a trip you can not make Anja. I must do this alone. I have petitioned the Council and a new Master will be assigned to you within a few days."
" I don't want a new Master." Anja told him.
" You do not know what will happen if you proceed on this path." Corna spoke. " You have such promise. Do not throw that away."
" I'm not throwing it away, because you are still my teacher." Anja said. She looked at Revan. " Are you going to help me here?"
Revan met dazzling green eyes and shook his head sadly. " No, I actually like seeing you plead your case."
Anja's eyes narrowed at him and she turned back to Corna. " Master… I have already turned in my request for dismissal." She said. " I'm coming with you if I have to force my way on that ship."
" I would not recommend that." Revan told her.
" Am I talking to you?" Anja barked at him, her eyes flashing.
Revan's face took on a look of concern as Dralor approached. " Revan, we have word from Mandalore! They have already struck!"
" Sith's blood! So soon? Where?" Revan spoke.
" Katarr!"
" Contact with…"
" She lives. Blind she may be, but stupid is not a word I would use to describe her. They have built huge underground compounds since Nilhus visited her world and she has ushered most of her people underground. The rest are working with our forces to secure the area. They only struck with light cruisers. No ground forces landed." Dralor told him.
Revan shook his head. " No… they landed. Sith Assassins most likely. Contact her, advise her we are on our way. And tell her to be aware of Sith Assassin units. She is to remain underground and out of harms way. Let our forces handle the searches. She is the target!"
" And if she refuses?"
" Then tell her I will have Arren speak with her. If she will not listen to me, she will listen to her. And tell Arren to inform her if she will not do as we ask, I'll have Uncle Canderous speak with her. She will listen to him!" Revan spoke.
Dralor looked surprised. " She will listen to Mandalore?"
Revan grinned. " Have Arren tell you the story." Revan turned to Corna. " We must depart quickly." He reached out and snatched Anja up by her waist and deposited her on the other side of him. She glared at him.
" How dare you touch me again!" She hissed, pushing away from him as if touched with electricity. His hands upon her body had sent shivers running through her if only for that briefest moment. And they were not shivers of fear.
" If you are going to accompany us I only ask that you do one thing." Revan spoke.
" What!"
Revan pointed to her bag, which was now on its way up the repulsorlift hanging from it's strap. " Be mindful of where you are standing. I have no wish to exercise my healing skills on someone who is careless."
Revan turned and headed for the hatch that would take them into the frigate. Corna couldn't help but smile as he followed. Anja took one last look at everything she owned heading up the lift before she turned to follow them. She didn't glance at Revan as she entered the frigate, but she could smell him as she passed, and it made her light headed. She also did not see Revan reach out with his hand as the hatch began to close. Anja's bag tore from the rising repulsorlift and flew into his grasp just as the hatch sealed shut.
Their trip had begun.
Dralor entered the bridge of his ship with Revan and Corna close on his heels. He did not know who the young female Jedi was.
" Are the coordinates punched in for Katarr?" He asked.
" Hyperspace coordinates locked! We are receiving a transmission from the Jedi Council. A Master Vandar!"
" Display it here!" Dralor ordered.
The figures of Vandar and Jolee shimmered into view. " Heard of Katarr we have!" Vandar spoke.
" Revan… the Republic is sending ships to Katarr." Jolee said. " Will you wait for them?"
" How soon?"
" They are warming up now! They can move from their docks and rendezvous with you in two hours. This is your grandfather talking boy. Wait for them. You and Arren could be walking into a trap. At least go into the sector with some friendly support." Jolee spoke.
" I already have friendly support moving there now. Support I can trust. However the Republic ships will be welcome. I can not wait grandfather… you know that. If they have targeted her so soon, then they are aware my parents are gone as well. I must fulfill our parents request." Revan spoke.
" You don't trust me!" Jolee snapped.
" Grandfather… you know that is not true. It is the Council I don't trust." Revan told him.
" Yet your siblings you left here with us young Revan." Vandar said.
Revan nodded. " Yes… because they are innocents… and no matter the Council's decision, you would never allow harm to come to them. And my siblings have their instructions as well, should the need arise. I suggest you heed my mother's warning to the Council, for while we may respect you… none of us will allow you to keep our family from us. And if that is a decision the Jedi Council thinks they can get away with…" Revan stepped closer to holo images. " Pray to the Force it is not me who survives to come get them, for while my uncle Canderous will come for our siblings… I will come for everyone on that sits on that Council! VINDICTIVE out!"
Revan turned and looked at Corna. " Master?" He said, seeing the question in his eyes.
" Would you target the Jedi Council young Revan?" He asked.
" Will they attempt to keep our family?" Revan asked.
Corna shook his head. " I do not believe they would."
" Then there is nothing to worry about." Revan moved around Corna and Anja then stopped at the door, turning back to them. " Come… I'll show you to your quarters."
Anja couldn't believe what she had just heard. " You… you just threatened the Jedi Council!" She gasped.
" More like frightened them to death!" Dralor spoke with a laugh, a laugh that drew chuckles from many of the Mandalorian bridge crew.
Revan held out his hand. " This way."
Vlaina looked at Anja as they stopped in front of the door. " These quarters are yours." She said without emotion. " The galley is three decks up. The meditation chambers down the corridor to your right."
" Where… where does Revan sleep?" Anja asked, before she was able to catch herself.
Vlaina looked at her oddly. " Why would you wish to know that?" She asked.
" I just thought… I thought he would want to be close to the bridge." Anja replied, thinking quickly.
" This is not young Revan's flagship Jedi witch." Vlaina spoke, her voice still harsh and untrusting. " He and Lady Dralor stay two decks above you."
" He has… ha has his own flagship?" Anja asked with barely concealed disbelief.
" As does Lady Dralor." Vlaina replied. " All members of Clan Ordo have their own flagships. It is our way."
" You mean… the Mandalorian way?"
Vlaina nodded. " They are honored members of our clan, tested in battle beside my father and Mandalore himself."
" So he has seen battle?" Anja asked, suddenly wanting to know more about Revan.
" Why the sudden interest in young Revan, Jedi witch. Have you not dishonored him enough?" Vlaina asked. " Yes… he has seen battle, with Arren and myself at his side, on many occasions."
" So he has killed before?"
" Your questions begin to irritate me Jedi." Vlaina spoke.
" It is a simple question."
" Why do you seek the answer?" Vlaina asked stepping closer to her. Her brown eyes were flashing in distrust.
" I… I would like to know the man who I am serving under." Anja replied.
" Perhaps." Vlaina said thoughtfully. " If you desire the answer so much… I suggest you ask him yourself."
Anja chuckled to herself. " As if he would answer me now." She said softly.
" Do you ever wish to have a mate Jedi? With your attitude… if I was a man… I would toss you to the cannocks." Vlaina told her.
" Jedi are allowed no such attachments." Anja spoke almost automatically.
Vlaina laughed harshly. " Ah… yes, the vaunted Jedi Code." She said. " Do you never wish to feel the arms of a strong man around you; to be in his grasp and desire him more than anything; to see the desire for you in his eyes as he takes you to his bed; to scream his name as he makes you sing? Do you never wish for that?"
Anja's eyes became confused for a moment as her mind raced with the description of what Vlaina had said to her. " I've… I've never experienced emotions like that." She said slowly.
Vlaina shook her head. " It is a wonder how you ever won the war against my people." She said, shaking her head.
Anja didn't say anything and she went into her quarters and closed the door. Vlaina stared at the door for a long moment before making up her mind on what she would do. She turned and marched off as Anja stood in the middle of the comfortable yet smallish room. Her eyes narrowed when she saw her bag resting on the bunk and she went over to it, opening it. Inside were all the items she had managed to toss into the bag before leaving Coruscant. She did not have much in the way of personal belongings, the Jedi did not allow it. She was allowed to have a picture of the mother and father which she had not seen in ten years. She had had brief contact with them since entering the academy, but always with a senior Jedi nearby.
Anja pushed her bag over and sat on the bunk. " What have I got myself into." She muttered.
One deck below her, Vlaina entered the barracks of the Crimson Guard. All of them were young and attractive women. Tradition stated that Mandalore's Crimson Guard would be comprised of nothing but women who were loyal to him. Those Guards not on duty were lounging on their bunks and reading or playing cards. They turned when their commander came in. She stopped in the middle of the room her mind racing.
" What is it Commander?" A pretty brunette spoke.
" We have two days until we reach Katarr." Vlaina spoke. " Two days to turn that repressed Jedi witch into some semblance of a soldier and a woman fit for Revan. As she is now, she will be useless in a fight. She is too unsure of herself, plagued with self doubt. We must temper her."
" How do we know she even wants the son of Revan?" One asked. " He would do better with one of us." That brought chuckles from all of them in the room.
" She wants him." Vlaina said confidently. " I can see it in her eyes. And smell it on her skin. Whenever he is in the same room with him, she practically wets herself. What was done for Lady Bastila must be done for this Jedi as well."
" Lady Bastila she will never be Vlaina." Another said.
" Perhaps. But we shall see."
The group of woman came to their feet with predatory smiles. " When do we begin?" One of them asked.
Vlaina looked at all of them. " We already have."
Nar Shaddaa
The four figures sat in the back of the cantina nestled in the shadows. All of them wore dark robes with the hoods drawn around their heads. They kept to themselves, their mugs filled with caffa, not juma juice. They did not flinch as the fifth figure moved to the table next to them and sat down. This figure also wore dark robes and a hood. He made it obvious as he poured himself a mug of juma while making lip smacking noises. He leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the table.
" T-3 is prepping her now General. Pad 21. Never did like that damn droid." His voice was low, but carried the short distance to the table behind him. " Are you sure you don't want something else. She's pretty old, but still one of the fastest ships in the galaxy."
" No. We all agree she is best. Her transponder codes?"
" Already changed." The man replied. " I loaded her with stores, and Mira snuck all the weaponry you requested aboard."
" Be ready when Arren arrives." The man said. " You and Mira might need to leave quickly."
The man sipped his juma. " We've already moved everything to one of her safe houses."
" Your children?"
" On their way to the sanctuary."
The man who hadn't moved as of yet, finally did and reached out his hand to put it firmly on the other man's shoulder. " I am sorry Atton." He said softly. " We did not want this."
" No apologies General. We knew it might come to this someday. And to be honest… we were getting bored."
" There is no going back this time my friend." The man said. " This time we all may very well perish."
Atton Rand turned in his chair and looked at the man across from him. " If it gives us the peace we have waited for General, Mira and I are in. We are tired of always looking over our shoulders, wondering when the damn Sith would come for us. It's about time we took the fight to them." He downed his juma juice. " We'll be ready when Arren gets here." Atton stood up, squeezing the arm on his shoulder and then moved away, exiting the cantina.
" We should go." Another of the robed figures stated. There were nods from the others and they got up and left the cantina behind.
The ship on the pad looked ancient, but its engines were humming with enormous power. The ramp was already down and the four figures were greeted with the beeping sounds of the older T-3 droid as it happily rolled toward them.
" Are we ready to go T-3?" The voice asked.
The droid beeped affirmatively and the ramp began to come up as the four figures moved to the cockpit. Two additional seats had been added into the cockpit and the figures settled into them. Hands flew over the consoles and the ship began to lift into the dense traffic of Nar Shaddaa. It disappeared into the transport lanes engulfing the smuggler's moon.
It wasn't until the EBON HAWK leaped to hyperspace that the four figures relaxed. The hoods came down to reveal the faces of Revan Panlie and his wife Bastila, and Dacen Vorsut and his wife Brianna.
The senior Revan had not changed from the youthful face of nearly thirty years ago, gray only just now beginning to touch the temples of his thick brown hair. His dark eyes were still alive and bright. Bastila Shan Panlie looked no different in the least. Her long auburn hair was pulled into a tight pony tail, her sapphire blue eyes still shining like any sun.
Dacen Vorsut's bald head was still bald, his always thick goatee just starting to go gray. His wife Brianna, though ten years his junior, was the picture of beauty. Gone was the short white hair she had upon meeting her husband to be replaced by the same long silky locks that her daughter carried.
T-3 rolled into the cockpit chirping away and the four of them turned in their chairs.
" Go ahead and play the message T-3." The senior Revan spoke.
A blue holo image of the wrinkled and sun dried face of Canderous Ordo appeared. Though he neared seventy years of age, he was still a strong virile man.
" Hello you guys!" Canderous's deep voice filled the cockpit. " Don't know where you are heading when you get this message, but as agreed, I've transmitted the message to that tin can of yours. Rev junior and Arren are leaving Coruscant as I send this. The council agreed to protect the children." Revan and Dacen could see the visible sighs from their wives. " It also appears your message shook them up there Princess. What did you tell them?" Canderous's image chuckled. Revan grinned at the expression on Bastila's face. She always hated when Canderous called her that. " Dralor reports Rev junior also found his own Jedi Princess. Got to say this, at least Rev junior has your taste in women. Dralor says she is almost as good looking as your Jedi Princess."
Bastila shot her husband an evil look when Revan crossed his arms over his chest with a smug look.
" Anyway… Rev junior's gone up a couple more notches in my book. He also laid a threat on those Jedi windbags before he left. Along the lines as his mother, but delivered with a little more pizzazz! The boy thinks like a Mandalorian Revan."
" Now… the bad news… The Sith have come out of their holes already." This brought the four of them forward in their chairs. " They hit Katarr… went after my woman no less. Bad mistake… I'm on my way there now with a few surprises. She won't listen to reason, as is usually the case. Rev junior will meet me there. He's worried about assassin squads lurking around, so I've sent some scouts on ahead. She's secure for now… at least until I get there and give her a piece of my mind. I don't care if she is an ex-Sith. She's not invincible! Women! Oh… one more thing… got a message from the old man. He says there is now an official bounty on the heads of Rev junior and Arren, and anyone with them. He also said an old friend is coming. Stepped down from the Jedi Council if you can believe that. Maybe your boys are wising up… though I doubt it. Goes by the name Corna something or other."
" That's it. I'll send again at the pre-arranged time." Canderous's voice became serious now. " I don't like the fact you four are hanging out there with no support. So you watch your backsides. Until next time."
The holo image disappeared and Bastila grinned. " Sentimental old bastard." She spoke.
" The older he gets, the more un-Mandalorian he acts."
All of them shared a laugh, which eased the tension.
" Please don't let him hear you say that." Brianna spoke. " The last time you told him he was old… he chased you around the settlement for three days destroying everything in his path."
Bastila looked at her husband, who she still adored. Revan… the bounty on their heads?
Bastila spoke to him through their bond.
" Hey!" Dacen popped. " Thirty years and I still ain't comfortable with that Force Bond thing."
" Dacen!" Brianna gasped slapping her husband's shoulder.
Bastila smiled. " Sorry Dacen. Sometimes I just forget."
" Just so it's not the sign of something else." Dacen spoke, grinning.
Bastila reached across and slapped his shoulder this time, causing Brianna and Revan to sit back and laugh. " I was asking about the bounty on their heads." She said finally.
" Ok. Ok. Just making sure!"
Revan looked at his wife. " I would not want to be the bounty hunters that stumbled across our son and Arren." He said. " Especially with who they have with them now."
" What did Canderous mean an old friend? Who is Corna?" Brianna asked.
" We served with him in the Mandalorian Wars. He left just before Dacen." Revan spoke softly.
" Hey general!" Dacen spoke looking at the man he had served with and lived near for nearly forty years now. A man he now considered a brother. He saw the briefest look pass in Revan's eyes. " That was a long time ago. Another life if you want. Not something we need to worry about now."
Revan nodded. " You're right." He said, taking a deep breath. He had long since come to terms with the sins of his past. He took Bastila's hand in his and smiled. " We've been going for a few days. Let's get some rest. T-3 can maintain the ship."
" Sounds like a plan to me." Dacen spoke, getting to his feet. " I'm too old to be sleeping on the deck of a tramp freighter."
Brianna took his hand. " Too old to share a bunk with me?" She asked.
Dacen waggled his eyes at her. " Is that an invitation?"
" Think you can handle me old man?"
" I'll manage." Dacen said as Brianna pulled him back to the port side dormitory room.
Bastila looked at her husband and laced her arms around his neck from behind. " What do you say handsome? Care to climb into a rack with your kinrath pup?"
Revan senior grinned widely. " Now that's the best offer I've had in days." He said, getting to his feet and taking her hand. " Come with me, my love. Let me show you how an old man does it."
Bastila laughed as he lifted her into his strong arms and headed for the other dormitory on the Hawk.