CHAPTER FOURTEEN
JEDI COUNCIL CHAMBERS
" Must not get involved in this." Grana spoke.
" If the Jedi do nothing, as during the Mandalorian Wars, all trust we will lose." Vandar replied evenly.
" This has nothing to do with the Jedi Order." Master Ki-Van Or told them. " If the Republic chooses to go to war, it will fall squarely on the shoulders of the politicians. They will be the ones to follow Revan down this path of darkness."
" Have none of you sensed the darkness?" Jolee asked. " What if Revan speaks the truth?"
" As he did all those years ago?" The other Cerean Master spoke now, contempt in his voice. " Even then he was a Sith Lord. He told everyone he left to finish the Mandalorians after Malachor V, but when he returned he was the greatest Sith Lord we have seen since Marka Ragnos and Naga Sadow."
" Revan was redeemed." Vandar spoke. " His actions…"
" This Council does not recognize that decision Master Vandar. Not any longer." Atris spoke up for the first time. " We have decided to rescind the restoration of his title of Knight, as well as those of Bastila Shan and Dacen Vorsut. The three of them defied this Council with their actions before and after the Mandalorian Wars. They defied this Council when they married and produced children. Children that are touched by the dark side as we all have sensed."
" And what of the younglings here within our walls?" Vandar asked, using all his abilities to hide his revulsion at what was happening.
" The Council has decided they may remain for now." Atris replied. " A decision as to their fate will be made at a later time. As of right now, Revan, Bastila and Dacen have become criminals to this Order. They will be sought out and brought before us for punishment."
" You can not be thinking of executing them! They are children!" Vandar gasped.
" It has been discussed." Atris said her face set in hardness. " They are the children of a former Sith Lord and an apprentice to another Sith Lord. And the echo in the Force still exists within Vorsut."
Jolee looked at the other members of the Council, and as Vandar, was keeping his emotions under tight control. " And Bastila's threat to unleash the Mandalorians on this Temple if the Council sought to keep her children? What of that?"
" We don't believe that they command that much authority among the Mandalorians." Grana said from her chair.
" You can not deny that we are taking a huge risk by doing this." Jolee spoke. " The three of them possess enormous power within the Force. As do their oldest children. You have all seen it yourselves."
" Their children are of no consequence." Atris spoke. " They flirt with the dark side without truly understanding it. They will fall… and our Knights will destroy them."
Vandar nodded slowly. " If that is the will of the Council. So be it." He spoke.
" I suggest we adjourn and attempt to keep the Republic from entering this outrageous quest of the traitor Revan." Ki-Van told them. " We can not have the Republic fleet sent to its destruction while thousands of planets remain undefended. We should suggest to the Senate to disperse their fleet to all heavily populated worlds to begin defensive preparations."
" It is agreed then." Atris said. " We will convene again in four days time."
Jolee and Vandar moved slowly as the other Masters filed out of the chambers, and they walked with measured steps towards the Jedi Gardens, as the others filtered away. Once they were sure they were alone they began to speak.
" Moving quickly the Sith is." Vandar commented.
" Too quickly." Jolee said, nodding. " Atris seems to be taking over."
Vandar shook his head. " No, she is only the conduit. Nothing more."
" It will take time to get the message out to all our Masters and Knights." Jolee spoke fingering the small object the senior Revan had given to him all those years ago. " Can we hope that some will question the order?"
" Only each Knight and Master can answer that Jolee." Vandar told him.
" That doesn't sound very promising to me." Jolee said.
" We must trust in the Force Jolee." Vandar said.
Jolee nodded. " I know. Maybe it's my age… but I do so dislike that phrase."
" We will meet with Revan soon. Devise a plan we will." Vandar looked at his friend. The only fellow Jedi he could now trust. " If we do not succeed, the Order will fall."
Mace Caylor walked along the path of the settlement as the daylight was just reaching its fingers over the horizon. What he had seen in the last twenty four hours had shaken him to his core. He had witnessed Mandalorians training beside the Jedi that seem to be everywhere on this moon. He could sense their auras in the Force, and how they were connected to both the light and dark side of the Force. Yet the thing that amazed him was their peace and calmness. He could feel their emotions running through them freely, but the emotions were tempered somehow. He glanced up from the path when he heard the feminine giggling ahead of him. It was still very early and he had not thought anyone else would be awake.
Ahead of him, just off the side of the well worn path he could see Bastila Shan and Anja Tamari sitting on the blanket in the grass. He was surprised at their clothing, as they both looked as if they had just gotten out of bed. Anja wore an obviously male shirt that barely came to her thighs, and it was unbuttoned enough to reveal the outline of her bosom. Bastila Shan he had to admit was still an incredible looking woman. She wore a long white, soft robe that did nothing to hide the outline of her curves. They were both sitting on the blanket with their legs under them, and whispering to each other.
" Knight Caylor." Bastila spoke finally as he walked up to them.
He nodded his head. " I did not expect anyone else to be awake this early." He said, his eyes gazing from Bastila to Anja.
" There are many early risers in the settlement. I am not usually one of them due to my twin boys." Bastila said. " This is a special morning however."
" Special?" Mace asked.
He turned quickly when he saw Arren dart from inside the dimly lit home to his left. Following behind her was the large, well muscled Mandalorian. Neither of them had much on in the way of clothing with Arren dressed much the same as Anja, and the man who he knew to be her husband wearing only loose pants.
" Ok… finally! We got them back to sleep." Arren spoke, carrying two mugs of caffa, one of which she handed to Anja. Dralor settled onto the blanket after giving one of the mugs he carried to Bastila.
" Perhaps if your mother did not always spoil them so much my love, it would not be so hard to get them back to sleep." Dralor said.
" She likes to rock them my husband. You know that." Arren replied, settling to the ground between his legs.
Dralor finally looked up at him. " Greetings Jedi."
Mace looked at the four of them before settling his eyes on Bastila. " I was waiting for your… I was waiting for…"
" My husband." Bastila said with a smile finishing the sentence he could not manage to complete. " You do still learn that at the Temple correct? Husband and wife, or is that forbidden as well now."
" You were once a Jedi Bastila Shan. You know well the Code." Mace had trouble keeping the emotion form coming out in his voice.
" Why do you hate us so?" Bastila asked genuinely curious.
" You defied the Order! You and Revan!"
" So defying the Order is now considered sacrilege is it?" Bastila asked him.
Mace took a deep breath and recited the code in his head. Anja smiled. " He's citing the Code in his head." She said, sipping her caffa.
" You also have defied the Code Padawan Tamari!" Mace snapped, but with less force in his words. " You will never be allowed back into the Order after what you have done. You consort with the son of Revan. The man you share a bed with is touched by the dark side!"
Anja's emerald green eyes narrowed. " Touched by the dark side?" Anja shook her head. " No… you are wrong. You know nothing of the dark side except what the Order's teachings have pounded into your head all these years. Revan is no closer to the dark side than you or I. He just does not subscribe to the code about repressing emotions. That is why you will never be able to do what he does." She tilted her head with a smile. " Especially in our bed." She spoke quite arrogantly. " You are too blinded to see that you are wrong. Believe me Knight Caylor, I do not lose any sleep over the fact the Jedi Order will not allow me to return."
Arren chuckled. " No, but I bet Rev junior causes you to lose sleep.! We're five houses down and can still hear you two on calm nights."
" Arren!" Anja popped, but with a large smile on her face. She looked back to Mace who looked dumbfounded. " Knight Caylor… if you would like something else, please spit it out. Otherwise let us alone."
" I second that." Arren said, lifting her mug. " It's about to begin anyway."
" May I inquire as to what you are all doing this early in the morning sitting out here on the side of a hill?" Mace asked.
" Pull up a spot and see for yourself." Bastila said. " A sparring match is going to begin soon."
Mace turned to where she motioned and his eyes grew a little wider. Sitting across from each other in the Mandalorian Battle Circle below were father and son. Both were dressed in only loose pants and no shirts. Mace could just make out the Mandalorian Clan tattoos on the backs of both father and son. He was also very surprised at the physical proportions of the two men, more so the senior Revan than the son. Mace knew he was reaching sixty years of age, but there was not one ounce of body fat on him. While the younger Revan's muscular definition was much more detailed and cut, the senior Revan and been toned by years of action and constant fighting.
" What… what are they doing?" He asked finally, settling to the ground next to Bastila, though staying a respectful distance from her.
" Light saber dueling." Bastila said. " They like to spar with each other every few weeks. No one else has the skill with the light saber that they do, and they can only truly spar against each other. No one else will do it."
" That is odd." Mace said more curious than sarcastic. " Light saber forms are easily mastered if enough practice is given to the form you select."
" They are the only two in the galaxy that know the form they use as far as I know." Bastila said.
Mace looked at her. " What form is that?"
Bastila looked at him. " Form Seven. Juyo/Vaapad."
Mace's eyes went wide. " 'Way of the Vornskr'" He muttered. " That… that form has not been used in nearly a thousand years. No one has been able to Master it. It requires mastery of all other six forms, as well as the minor forms of combat. And it borders on the edge of dark side mastery."
Bastila nodded. " Yes it does. That is why it is so very deadly, and why only two men in the galaxy have mastered it to my knowledge. Now… would you care to watch or are you going to quiz me."
Mace cut his eyes back to where father and son sat in the Battle Circle. He noticed that other Jedi and Mandalorians were beginning to take seats all around the circle, among them members of his own team. Bastila waited for him to get comfortable before turning back to the circle.
Mace Caylor then spent the next twenty minutes just as enthralled as the hundred or so others that had come to watch. Father and son, with matching viridian color duel light saber blades began the most intricate and beautiful dance of death that he had ever seen. The blocks and parries and attacks happened with more precision and speed than he had thought possible from any Jedi, let alone a human; father against son, their blades crashing in the dawn of the rising suns. The echoes of light sabers clashing cast across the quiet area, as no one made even a whisper.
For Anja it was the most astonishing display of power and skill she had ever witnessed in her life, and that the man she loved more than her own life was one part of the duo putting on this magnificent display caused feelings of desire and awe to course through her.
The looks of concentration on both men's faces was intense, and there were gasps from the crowd of onlookers when both began to use the Force to toss items at each other, only to have them deflected off into the morning sky, or sliced into pieces and fall to the ground. It was clear that Rev junior had the advantage in power, though his father was not far behind. The senior Revan had the advantage in mastery of the form, which allowed him to deflect and parry blows that would have fell any other Jedi. When the senior Revan attacked, only his son's speed allowed him to parry the blows, which to the men and women gathered looked effortless. Watching them was like watching clones of each other fight. Never a missed step or slip of the hand. They knew when to press the attack and when to let the attacker come to them.
In the final move of this intricate dance of death, both father and son executed spinning Force jumps into the air, landing cat like behind one another, and bringing their light sabers around. Revan juniors blade ended only centimeters from his father's neck. His father's blade stopped the same distance from Revan junior's side. They both could hear the yelps of fright leap from the mouths of the women they loved and they deactivated their light sabers.
Revan stepped up to his father and they leaned forward touching foreheads as their hearts slowed and peace filled them once more.
Father. May the Force guide you on your trip.
And you my son.
Watch the Jedi father. I do not trust him.
I will worry about the Jedi Rev. He is a fine warrior, just misguided. He will see the light soon enough.
Say hello to Uncle Carth for me.
I will do that. You continue to work on those grandchildren I have been asking for.
Rev junior chuckled. We are.
Then I suggest we go smooth things over with the ladies. I sense they are quite upset with us at the moment.
They turned and covered the distance to where Bastila and Anja had come to their feet in shrieks of surprise in a single Force driven jump. Bastila glared at her husband.
" Revan Panlie, are you and your son totally and completely insane!" She snapped.
" Why Bas… you seem upset." The senior Revan said sheepishly.
" You could have… you could have been seriously injured!" Anja popped at Rev junior, adding a punch to his hard chest to emphasize her point. " That was damn foolish and one of the most…"
Rev junior slipped his arm around Anja's waist and pulled her close to him, covering her lips with his own and ceasing her words. His father had already encased Bastila in a similar predicament, and neither of them was in a position to refuse even if they wanted to, which they didn't. Dacen and Brianna came walking up to them hand in hand from lower on the hill where they had been watching the match.
" I swear you two!" Dacen said. " If you two ever pull a stunt like that again I'll Force stasis you both for a week."
Anja looked at Rev junior her face flushed from their kiss. " See! Your Uncle agrees with me!"
" I love you." Rev junior said.
" You aren't doing much to advance your case." Anja said standing with her arms crossed. " I think you'd better kiss me again."
He did just that, pulling her closer to him, Anja wrapping her arms around Rev junior's waist and pulling him into a deep kiss. It had the desired effect. It shut him up.
The senior Revan saw Mace Caylor standing there taking it all in with a look of complete incredulity on his face. Still holding Bastila in one arm he smiled.
" Knight Caylor… you look as though you just swallowed a wamp rat."
Mace looked at him. " I've… I've never seen such a display of skill with the light saber." He said. " The… the Jedi holocrons stated you… they said you were the most gifted light saber duelist in the Order in nearly three hundred years. I did not believe it until now."
" The Jedi archives said that uhu?" The senior Revan spoke. " I would have thought anything to do with me would have been taboo."
" It is part of our history. What you and Bastila did during the Star Forge. History can not be changed." Mace said.
Revan nodded. " No history can not be changed. But the future can. And that is what we intend to attempt. Knight Caylor we will meet you on the platform in one hour. Don't be late." Revan senior spoke.
Mace nodded, still completely awestruck by what he had witnessed in the last thirty minutes, and he watched the others walk away heading for their quarters.
DXUN COMMAND CENTER
Dacen looked at the men and women gathered in the command center. Men and women he had known for years. He had lived next to some, watched others grow up into adults, and gone to family gatherings with others. He also knew, some of them would never live through the war he and Revan senior were about to engage in. He also knew that if they did nothing, none of them would survive.
" Dacen?" Brianna said softly, touching his arm.
Dacen turned and looked at the woman who held his heart in her hand. He remembered when they had first met, all those years ago. She was barely twenty, and already an extremely accomplished Echani warrior. When she had joined him on the EBON HAWK that first day, he was unprepared for the feelings she would bring forth in him. They had sparred together three times, and each time he had narrowly beaten her, and after each time they had become closer. When she defied her oath to Atris to learn the ways of the Force like her mother, they became even closer. Much closer than a Master and apprentice should have been. She had fought at his side with no questions, saved his life a couple of times, and by the end of their journey he was deeply in love with her. She was eleven years younger than him, and every time he looked at her, it took his breath away. He should not have felt for her what he did. When he decided to follow Kreia's premonition and follow Revan into the Outer Rim, it was in part to try and forget her, and the hunger he felt for her.
It had taken him nine months to find Revan, his former commanding officer and close friend. He found him near death on an isolated world beyond the Outer Rim. For six weeks he had nursed his friend back to health, and they had talked of many things. The horrors they had seen during the Mandalorian Wars, the senseless slaughter, the blood on their hands, the decisions that still haunted their dreams even now. Revan had told him of his time as a Sith Lord, of the empty, hopeless feelings he had then. How during the last five years of being out here on the Rim the only thing that kept him alive was the love he held for a woman. It was out there on the Rim with Revan that Dacen had made the decision. When they had finally returned to Republic space, he found Brianna had returned to the Jedi academy on Telos to try and help rebuild it with Bao-Dur.
He had never been more scared than that day when he stood before her. He had stubble on his head, and his beard had grown wild. His face was drawn and he looked tired. Seeing her that day in all her beauty, her once short hair now grown out to fall around her shoulders and framing her pale blue eyes, now filled with horror at what stood before her. She had asked him why he had returned, and her voice broke the dam that was his emotions inside. He had fallen to his knees with tears in his eyes and professed his love to her, before exhaustion and the battles he had fought caught up to him and he collapsed.
Brianna caught him before he fell.
Over the next six weeks, she never left his side. She stubbornly refused to allow the Jedi Council to come near him until he was completely healed. The only person she allowed to see him was the brown haired woman with sapphire eyes. Dacen hardly remembered the conversation with Bastila. Like Brianna, she was caring for and hiding Revan from the Jedi Council and all others. It was during this six week period that Brianna had offered herself to him, and as one would handle a delicate flower, Dacen took her into his arms and loved her.
Even now, after she had given him five beautiful children, she was the most stunning creature he had ever set his eyes on. He could never understand what she saw in him that made her love him as she did, but it was her love that had finally in the end silenced his pain and chased away the echoes of the past.
Dacen leaned over and kissed her softly. " I'm fine." He said. He stroked her cheek before turning to the assembled people in the room.
And General Dacen Vorsut was reborn.
" Ok… Revan senior has departed with Bastila to conduct a meeting with Master Vandar and Jolee. Apparently, Rev junior's fear that the Sith had infiltrated the Jedi Council has come to fruition. It changes our plans somewhat, but nothing we can't deal with." He touched the panel and the holo image of the galaxy appeared. " Thanks to Canderous's scouts, we have discovered what appears to be an advance base for the Sith on Kessel."
" Kessel?" Dralor spoke from where he sat next to Arren. " How is that possible without being detected by the spice mining operations?"
" It appears that the head of the mining operation is working in concert with the Sith. The base… and it is not confirmed mind you… is buried under the actual mines themselves. Our people were only able to scan several hundred meters into the asteroid itself. They picked up a single tunnel that broke away from the mining tunnels and went deeper. After some fancy extrapolation work by T-3, we believe the tunnel leads to this hidden base, and that there are two entrances aside from the tunnel, both exiting on the Maw side of the asteroid." Dacen explained. " Rev junior and I have put together a plan to confirm this information, and if true, take out this base before it becomes fully operational." Dacen turned to Revan who sat next to Anja. " Rev… take it away."
Revan stood and walked around next to the man he called Uncle. " Dralor, F'yakk and myself are going to take one of our freighters and we're going to become smugglers. We have a meeting with Vogga the Hut in three days on Nar Shaddaa. He owes us a huge favor for getting him the fuel contracts for Citadel Station, and then stopping the pirating that happen five years later. He's agreed to provide us with the proper transponder codes to get us into the mining base, and from there we'll determine if the base exists and how operational it is."
" Can we trust Vogga father?" Arren asked. " He's a Hutt. They don't exactly inspire confidence."
Dacen smiled. " That is true… but in this case Vogga knows which side of his bread is buttered. He knows that if the Sith are allowed to expand, they will eventually take over Nar Shaddaa and he will out of business or dead. Neither of those options appeals to him. And I have made it clear to him what will happen if he crosses us. That appeals to him even less."
Everyone in the room smiled to themselves.
" Ok… command crew for the freighter will be myself, Dralor, F'yakk, Arren and Anja. We'll need you ladies to be on your best behavior. We might need your… additional talents to assist us." Revan said with a smile.
" And what additional talents would those be?" Anja asked sweetly.
" Yes… I'd like to know as well." Arren added.
" Most of the smugglers that frequent the Kessel operation aren't too bright, and many have not had the pleasure of such stunning female creatures to gaze upon." Revan stated.
" Keep talking Rev." Arren said sarcastically. " You're charming your way right onto the cold floor of the dormitory from what I can tell."
The others laughed at the expression on Anja's face, and how Revan reacted. Dacen shook his head and stepped up next to him. " Kelborne will be commanding the fleet as it waits for word from the ground team. We believe there is really only one option open to them when they invade, and that is to come straight at the Republic." Dacen motioned with his hand down the center axis of hundreds of planets. " A straight path to Coruscant. We have been in contact with many of the worlds along this path and have secretly been providing them support and training. Some we will have to abandon… others we will use as center points for our counter attacks. It's similar to what we did against your people Canderous."
Canderous nodded, looking at the holo image. " It was brilliant then." He said. " But don't you think they'll know we'll use the same tactic?"
Dacen nodded. " We're hoping they do?" He said meeting his eyes.
Canderous Ordo grinned widely, his dark eyes narrowing to cruel slits. " Oh… that's beautiful." He said. " If you and Revan had been in command at the start of the war, we would have never made it so far into the Republic. You two are down right devious!"
" Brianna will assume command here on Dxun, and bring all the medical facilities up to full preparedness. Canderous… Revan and I want you and Visas here on Naboo with the largest contingent of our Jedi. It will enable you to reinforce pretty much anywhere within this corridor in a day at the most. The King has agreed to allow our presence, and our people have been there for several months building defenses. Your command center should be done."
Canderous nodded. " Understood."
" Everyone else will get their marching orders depending on what happens at Kessel. Stay on your toes and stay sharp." Dacen said. " Let's go to work!"
CORUSCANT
THREE DAYS LATER
Carth stared at the man in front of him as if he was looking at a ghost. He and Vlaina had waited nearly four hours before the three armored figures with dark robes over the Val Verphine Alloy armor came into the small room. Carth and Vlaina had whirled around, not hearing the two figures come in. The taller one entered first, the dark armor hiding his face, the shorter one right behind him. Vlaina had quickly kept him from firing as the three figures entered the room fully and sealed the door behind them. The three figures struck an imposing site in their armor, and Carth did a quick once over of them. The tall one was obviously heavily muscled, and the shorter one was obviously female due to the curves of the form fitting armor. The third was of medium height. Carth's eyes widened as they reached up and removed the masks that covered their faces.
" Rev… Revan." Carth gasped.
Revan's face broke into a smile. " Hello Carth. It's been a long time."
Carth held back the tears and nodded his head. " Far too long my friend. Far too long."
The two men came together in an embrace that brought smiles to the faces of Vlaina and Bastila. Carth held his friend's arms tightly.
" You haven't aged at all!" Carth gasped.
Revan chuckled. " Want to bet?" He spoke, drawing back his cloak and showing Carth the gray hair gathering at his temples.
Carth nearly broke into a belly laugh. " That little gray you got!"
" Hey… I'm proud of this gray!"
Carth laughed and embraced his friend again tightly. His eyes shifted to Bastila, and he stepped away from Revan. He looked at her flawless face and bright eyes and he smiled.
" Bastila." He said softly.
Bastila smiled and stepped up to him, pulling him into an embrace. Carth choked up and held her tight. He had thought seeing her again would bring back old feelings, but holding her in his arms, he realized someone else now claimed his heart.
" Welcome back." Bastila spoke softly, putting a hand to his face.
He smiled and kissed her head lightly. " You have no idea how good it is to be back." He said. He turned and quickly took Vlaina's hand, pulling her possessively towards him. It was an action that did not go unnoticed by either Revan or Bastila. " I'm sure you already know Vlaina."
" Yes we do." Bastila said, hugging the young woman. She looked at her with a woman's eye and Vlaina nodded slightly with a small smile, but Bastila could see the brightness in her eyes. She squeezed her hands tightly.
" Vandar and Jolee seemed to think this meeting was all important." Carth began.
" Yes. And they would be accurate. I do not believe the Sith have ever been able to infiltrate to Jedi Council as they appear to have done." Revan spoke. " At least not to my knowledge."
Carth motioned for them to take seats at the table in the room. He looked at the third man that had come in with Revan and Bastila.
" Carth… this is Jedi Knight Caylor. He was leader of the strike team sent to bring back Anja and Corna." Revan spoke, seeing the suspicious and wary looks Mace got from Carth and Vlaina. " I convinced him to join us for this meeting."
" If you say so Revan." Carth spoke. " But I'm at the point where I don't trust too many people. I can't get a straight answer out of the Senate and it's driving me and Matais crazy. I have half a mind to just take what Mandalorian ships I have here and leave."
Revan sipped the caffa that Vlaina poured for him and Bastila before she took the chair next to Carth. Mace noticed that no chair was offered for him and he settled onto one of the plasteel cylinder in the corner. " Your speech in the Senate Chambers was very inspiring Carth. I need to thank you for that."
Carth met his eyes. " I need to thank you Revan." He spoke softly. " Even after all that happen between us… you…"
Bastila reached across the table and took his hand. " After all we went through together Carth Onasi, did you really believe we would just abandon the bond that was formed with you. A member of our family you will always be Carth."
" Have you… have you heard from Dustil?" Carth asked.
" He is looking for Mission. He has been since she went missing. If he needs information or equipment we arrange a meeting or drop and get him whatever he needs. He communicates more with Rev junior than anyone." Revan replied. " He has grown into a fine man and a very strong Jedi. He and Mission… they had grown very close over the years." He looked at Carth.
" I believe they wanted to marry."
Carth looked at him surprised. " Marry?"
" They had talked of it a few times." Revan told him. " Nothing had been decided however when Mission was taken. The last time Rev junior spoke to him was several weeks ago, and he thought he was close to discovering some vital information. He contacts us every few weeks."
" That is a fine boy you got there Revan." Carth spoke. " A fine boy."
Revan nodded. " Coming from you my friend that means a great deal."
" We have two hours before meeting with Vandar and Jolee." Carth spoke. " You can stay here and rest while Vlaina and I meet and bring them here. You sure you trust them Revan?"
" Trust!" Mace spoke from where he sat and had been listening. " They are Masters on the Jedi Council!" The tone of his voice was one of exasperation.
Carth looked at him. " You'll forgive me if my experiences with the Jedi Council do not illicit a whole lot of trusting feelings." He got to his feet and motioned for Vlaina to follow him. " We'll head over to meet with Vandar and Jolee and escort them back here. I assume you have other coverage out and about?"
Revan looked at him and nodded. " Just as you do my friend."
Carth chuckled. " We'll be back soon."
Vandar rested his hand on Revan's head gently as Revan and Bastila knelt in front of the small Jedi Master.
" Ah… Revan and Bastila. It brings me great joy to see you both so well." Vandar spoke. " It has been far too long."
" You are looking well Master Vandar." Bastila said, looking at him.
" Your eyes your son has Bastila." Vandar said, filled with passion. " And your temperament Revan." He said the last part with a little laugh.
Revan smiled himself. " He can be very stubborn." He said.
" Indeed. Reveal this he did to the entire Council." Vandar spoke. " Much power in him Revan. More than even you I sense. He wields it well."
" We followed the Code Master Vandar." Bastila spoke softly. " As much as our feelings allowed us too."
Vandar nodded. " Of this I have no doubt. The Jedi you have trained with Dacen and the others. Strong in the Force they are."
Revan looked at him. " You sensed them?"
Vandar nodded. " It is the reason no force sensitive children have come from Onderon and surrounding planets in three decades. Jolee confirmed what I already suspected was happening. Sense the teachings of all of you in them I do." Vandar turned to Mace Caylor who had a look of complete disbelief on his face. " Sense your questions I do my former Padawan. Your disbelief."
" Forgive me Master Vandar." Mace spoke, also kneeling before him. " But Revan and Bastila. They were exiled. Labeled traitors by the Council."
" The Will of the Force guided the love they feel Knight Caylor. Be humbled you should. You share the company of two of the Order's most honored and powerful Jedi. Learn much from them you can." Vandar spoke.
" But… but their emotions…"
" Their emotions saved them." Jolee spoke now.
Vandar motioned for Revan to pick him up and he did so, as they moved to the table. More chairs were added and everyone took seats.
" Vandar… what I saw in the Outer Rim. What Dacen and I felt. It's awake… and it's coming." Revan said.
Vandar nodded. " I know. You received my message?"
Revan nodded. " Do you know who it could be?"
Vandar shook his head. " The dark side clouds the Council. It is difficult to pin point. It could be one… or two. Their training in the mind bending is very subtle and very powerful."
Mace looked horrified. " It's true?" He said. " The Sith have taken over the Council?"
Vandar nodded. " Jolee and I are the only ones not affected. I suspect because of our strong ties to you and Bastila. We use all our skills to not reveal we are unaffected. The Council has decreed the three of you criminals of the Order. To be captured and returned for punishment."
Mace lowered his head. " My apologies Revan." He said softly. " I… I have dishonored you and the Jedi."
Revan looked at the man. " You have dishonored no one. Anyone is susceptible to the dark side Mace Caylor. Anyone. Even Jedi Masters. And the training Master Vandar speaks of… the ability to bend people to your will, it is the work of a very powerful Sith Lord. The Masters have not fallen to the dark side they have only been clouded by it."
" You… you mastered it. Yet you were not destroyed." Mace said.
Revan nodded. " For only one reason. And she sits next to me now. Our emotions… our bond… our love is what allowed me to maintain my sanity as the Dark lord. And it was those same feelings that kept me from returning to my past ways when my memories returned."
" And they saved me." Bastila spoke.
Revan looked at Vandar. " This is the danger I have spoken of so many times Vandar, the Order's insistence on suppressing emotions."
Vandar nodded. " I know what you speak Revan. But the Code is what has been the anchor for the Order for thousands of years. To change it… " He shook his head. " But we must speak of our current situation. Bringing your children here for protection was not wise."
Revan looked at him, his eyes going to Bastila and then to Jolee, before returning to Vandar. The unspoken words were not lost on Vandar and his eyes grew large.
" You did not bring them for protection Revan." Vandar said slowly. " You… you brought them to protect the Order!"
Mace's eyes went to Revan in an instant. " What?"
" Rev junior thought this might happen." Bastila explained. " It was his idea."
" But the holo message to the Council?" Jolee said, surprised. Even he had been unaware of these events.
Bastila looked at him. " Most of it was true." She answered. " But it was Revan juniors' idea to bring them here to Coruscant. Not ours. He spent the last year training the four of them relentlessly. We would watch from our home into the night as he pushed them, prodded them, and encouraged them. He would not even allow us to help him."
" Why did he do this Revan?" Vandar asked.
Revan looked at Bastila, and she nodded her head. He turned back to Vandar. " He did it because from the first day he picked up a light saber… all he has ever wanted to be… the only title he has ever wanted… was that of a Jedi Knight." Revan took a deep breath. " He made a vow to me when he was only ten years old Vandar. He knew the Order would never allow him to hold that title because of who his parents were and what he was, but he vowed to me on that day he would never let the Jedi Order fall, and that he would insure that his mother and I would one day walk the halls of the Room of a Thousand Fountains again. Since that day… all he has done, all he is as a man, has been directed toward that one goal.
" He trained his brothers and Arren's brother and sister. He directed what their mission would be. They are not here for the Order's protection Vandar. They are far more capable than many of the Knights walking the Temple right now. No… they only have one goal." Revan looked at Vandar. " They are here to protect the Jedi Order because the Jedi Order won't protect itself."
Vandar's eyes were closed when Revan finished speaking. He opened them slowly and looked at Revan. " And the Sith Lord who influences the Council?"
" Bah!" Revan waved his hand. " Whoever it is… they are only the apprentice to the Master. One of many I believe. And when he or she reveals themselves, they will not live more than a few minutes after that. The real threat comes from the Outer Rim Vandar. It is what I've been speaking of for years. That is the threat we must face. The apprentice here on the Council is only a minor thing. he or she can not order anything that goes against the Code. They know that if they do… every Padawan and Knight will turn on them. They are limited in what they can do. I would be more concerned about the Sith who have undoubtedly infiltrated the Senate. Even one apprentice… with the same training can wreak havoc. We need the Republic's help in this war. They can not sit by and haggle over details. If they do… then the Sith… the true Sith will be on their doorstep in a heartbeat. We have the support of many worlds already Vandar. Through secret dealings and talks… but if the Republic is to survive this… if the Order is to survive this… the corruption and influence must end, and we must come together."
" Then we must find who on the Senate is the enemy." Carth spoke now.
" That will not be easy." Jolee said.
" No… but it needs to be done. My forces… the people who have already agreed to help us. We will only be able to last a year, perhaps eighteen months, in a full scale war. Then we will be finished… and we will be dead." Revan spoke. " This is why I did what I did as Darth Revan. I knew the battle that lay ahead… and it is why I never attempted to destroyed industrialized worlds. We needed their resources to fight the true Sith. This Dark Sith Lord we face… he is of pure Sith blood. More powerful than any who have come before him. He is descendant from Naga Sadow."
" Naga Sadow?" Vandar gasped. " Are you sure?"
Revan nodded. " Only someone of pure Sith blood would have the knowledge of Sith Alchemy to teach others. That is what allows them to influence others in the way the Council has been influenced. It's more magic than the Force."
Vandar looked at Revan evenly. " The Council made a mistake in expelling you and Bastila. The information you hold in your heads could have foretold what is happening now."
" Perhaps." Revan said. " I don't believe it would have stopped this coming war though."
" So what do we do?" Jolee asked.
" Dacen and my son have already put in motion a pre-emptive strike we hope will buy us more time." Revan said. " If it succeeds… it will grant us another few months to prepare for war. Nothing more."
" And if it doesn't succeed?" Vandar asked.
Revan looked at him. " Then Dacen and my son and many of our closest friends will be dead." He said softly. " And we will have already lost."
" Lost? Why?" Mace asked.
Bastila put her hand on Revan's shoulder. " Our son is the key." She said.
" Rev junior?" Carth asked. " Why? I thought you would be the catalyst Revan. You were the one to see this danger. You became the Dark Lord because of it."
Revan nodded. " Yes. But unlike my son… I did not have the guidance of Ajunta Pall." He looked at Vandar. " You've seen it… I can tell from the look in your eyes."
Vandar nodded. " Yes. I mentioned as much to Jolee. He has the skills of Ajunta Pall with both the blade and light saber."
Revan nodded. " Rev junior has spent many years under Ajunta's tutelage. He has learned a great deal of the history of both the Sith and the Jedi, dating back to the beginning of the Republic."
Mace looked horrified. " But Ajunta Pall was one of the greatest of the Sith Lords!"
Revan nodded. " Was. In my search for the maps to the Star Forge I confronted Ajunta Pall's spirit on Korriban inside his tomb. He told me a little of what he has taught my son. One of the greatest Sith Lords to ever live and he wanted forgiveness. He came back to the light. I guided him back."
" Is that… is that possible?" Mace asked.
Vandar nodded. " Indeed it is Knight Caylor. I felt it when Ajunta returned to the light. It was as if a great piece had been put back in place, and a new calm spread."
Revan looked at Mace. " Mace… the Force is unbalanced. It has been for thousands of years. When the first Jedi left the Order to follow the path of the dark side some twenty-four millennia ago… it threw the Force out of balance. It was referred to as the 'Great Schism'. It left a breach in the Force… a chasm. The ancient writings tell of a 'Chosen One', a Jedi who will bring balance to the Force."
" And you believe your son is this 'Chosen One'?" Mace asked.
Revan shook his head quickly. " No! Ajunta called him a Paradine; another step in bringing the balance back to the Force. Ajunta was also a Paradine. When he came back to the light, the Force shifted."
Vandar nodded, picking it up. " As each shift occurs, closer to balance being restored we become. Many thousands of years do we have left to wait before the 'Chosen One" arrives. But if young Revan is indeed a shift as Ajunta declares, then we must do all that we can to assist."
Carth let out a deep breath and shook his head. " Jeez! How do you people do it?" He asked. " The Force. Paradines. Blah! It would drive me insane!"
Bastila chuckled. " We all have our purposes Carth. You, me, Revan, our son. Everything we do will affect the larger picture. The Force guided you back to us. It guides nearly all of what we do."
Carth looked at her. " Maybe. But I'm more of an action guy myself!" He said grinning.
" I'd take a good blaster over one of your toys in a heart beat."
That caused everyone to smile and the tension eased slightly.
Vandar looked at Mace. " You are confused Mace Caylor, and understandably so. Do you see what is happening?"
Mace looked at the small Jedi Master. He had spent more time in Master Vandar's presence in the last thirty minutes than he had since he was vandar's Padawan learner. He knew Vandar was considered the wisest among the Masters, and seeing him comfortably sitting here with two exiled Jedi having a discussion beyond his ability to begin to understand shook him to his core. He looked at Revan, who was gazing at him. He looked back to Vandar.
" I understand that there is a Sith Lord who is controlling the Jedi Council." He said. " I questioned the order to retrieve Master Corna and Padawan Tamari when I first received it. The Council had never asked something like that before. Ever. Now I am beginning to see that perhaps what you and Revan have been saying is the truth." Mace said.
Revan looked at him. " You must do what your heart… your instincts tell you to do is right Mace." He said.
" Your son said if I betrayed you he would hunt me down and kill me." Mace said.
" I do not consider following your heart betrayal Mace. And neither does my son." Revan replied. " My son can be quite passionate at times in his protectiveness of his mother and I. You must not hold that against him. You are one of the senior Knights within the Order. I am hoping that after what you see and hear you can help the others to see that we are not the enemy. I can not ask you and the other Jedi to follow me on this quest. But I would much rather not have to fight both the Sith and the Jedi."
" Master Vandar…" Mace turned to look at the small green alien. " It is your teachings that have guided me to this day. Your teachings make me the Jedi that I am. If you… of all the other Masters… if you trust Revan Panlie, how can I not?"
Vandar nodded. " Because as I trained you… you trust in your feelings. And your feelings tell you Revan and I are correct."
Mace nodded slowly. " They do." He looked at Revan. " What can I do to help?"
Revan smiled. " I was hoping you would ask that question. Who contacted you with the mission?"
" Master Atris." He replied without hesitation.
" Atris?" Revan sounded surprised.
" She seems to be the conduit for the Sith, Revan." Jolee spoke. " The most vocal and outspoken. He is working through her."
Revan looked at Mace. " I need you to contact her." He said, surprising everyone in the room.