Author's notes:
This fan fic is set in the post-KOTOR 2 timeline (about five years after the events of the game). It follows the story of two apprentices as they lead a final confrontation with the Sith Empire. While reading this fic, please take into consideration that Revan was a male who took the light path and the Exile was a female who also took the light path. Of course, I do not own Star Wars or its affiliated games in any way. If I had, this story would have been made into a game already . Please R&R. Comments and questions are welcome. Anyways, here goes…
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far way…
Star Wars
Knights of the Old Republic III:
The Return of Revan
It has been five years since the Sith attack on Telos has been abated. Despite the ailing Republic's need for more support, a time of relative peace has graced the galaxy after the mysterious destruction of Malachor V. Slowly but surely the Republic is growing under the leadership of a new senate, formed by Senator Guilio.
But unknown to Republic intelligence, the malevolent Sith have begun to forge themselves into a vast army of an insurmountable scale. Veiled by the dark side's presence, Sith cruisers and troop regimens alike are making their way to Coruscant in one last brutal attempt to destroy the Republic. With so many Jedi in hiding or in exile, this new threat has yet to be revealed.
Despite the Senate's warnings, Jedi Master Atris has sent her two padawans on a mission to seek and recruit the lost Jedi Revan to their cause. The two students have just discovered vital clues to Revan's whereabouts on the desert world of Tatooine…
Chapter One
Thousands of years of dust and sand lay dormant in an undisturbed cave somewhere in the center of Tatooine's massive Dune Sea. The sun beat down harshly on the barren landscape as two dewbacks lumbered slowly to the cave's gapping mouth.
The riders were shrouded in veils that had a brownish color. Both wore their hooded robes low to protect their faces as the desert sand blew violently about them. The mysterious riders were silent as they trudged towards their goal.
Soon, the entrance to the cave was in sight. The dewbacks growled as the riders dismounted, disturbed by the presence of something inside the cave. The first rider spoke to the other.
"You are sure this is the right one?"
"Of course. This where the Ithorian said it would be." The second one answered.
"You actually trust that hammer-head?" the first one said, "I sense a trap."
"If it is, I doubt the Ithorian had anything to do with it. He was very simple and his thoughts were easy to read."
"I find you to be far to trusting, Joran." The first one said.
"We shall see, Rekkon," the one addressed as Joran replied as the stepped into the cave.
As the two entered, they removed their hooded tunics that shrouded their bodies. The first rider was a tall young man, no older than an apprentice. He wore a dark grey robe with a black belt and black boots. At his side was the familiar hilt of a lightsaber. His hair was a dull white. He had chiseled look to his face and his eyes glowed a deep emerald hue. His name was Rekkon Terak.
The second rider wore a similar tunic but in a dark brown color and with a black leather vest and boots. He too wore a shining lightsaber hilt on his belt. His long wavy, shoulder-length hair was jet black and he had a distinguished appearance about himself. He was older than Rekkon, but not by much. His name was Joran Skywalker.
The two individuals were Jedi apprentices, the last of a dying breed of guardians of truth and justice.
"That's strange," Joran said, squinting to be sure he saw what he did. Somewhere deep within the cave, a bluish glow cast its light. He was surprised that the light was not obvious from the exterior. Obviously something very powerful and very significant had been placed here.
"Let's investigate," Rekkon said, moving forward, "Maybe that hammer-head was right after all." Joran frowned. He hated it when Rekkon called Ithorians, or any other aliens for that matter, crude names. Perhaps he meant it only as a joke, but it certainly didn't help when they were trying to obtain vital information from individuals who took offense to it.
The two apprentices made their way through the dusty cave until the happen upon the source of the blue glow. In the center of the cave was a tall array of excavator lights. Joran hushed Rekkon and they crouched behind a bolder to watch.
It was Sith! Several troopers clad in their familiar armor had been digging in a circle. Around them were a few officers, and a figure clad in black armor and a black robe. The figure's face was completely covered by a black mask. Joran thought he had seen that mask before in one of Master Atris' holocrons. This was bad.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Joran whispered.
"We'll catch them by surprise." Rekkon said.
"What? Are you crazy? I think that armored one is a Sith Lord!"
"If he's such a big Sith Lord, why didn't he sense us coming? Look at him. He doesn't know we're even here." Rekkon rose to his feet, "If you won't do something, I will."
"I urge caution," Joran said, "We should give Master Atris word of this, but one of us will not be able to fight them."
"Have faith, Joran." With that, Rekkon stood and approached the group of excavators. Joran stared wide-eyed at the brashness of his fellow apprentice's actions. Quickly, he removed his lightsaber from his belt.
I'm going to need it, he thought.
The Sith troops were conversing among themselves while one of the officers addressed the armor-clad figure.
"My Lord," the officer said in an accented voice, "The men have completed their task. We have the last star map."
"At last," came the sinister answer from behind the mask, "Now we will discover Revan's illusive path. Take the data back to my ship and tell the crew that we will depart as soon as final piece is in its place."
"Of course, my Lord." The officer saluted and barked the orders to his men. Then they spotted Rekkon.
"Freeze, intruder!" the captain said, "You shall go no farther."
"No," Rekkon said, removing his lightsaber from his belt, "I think you've got that wrong." With that, Rekkon activated his lightsaber. With a flash, the green blade burst from the ignition chamber as he brandished the weapon. Some of the troopers backed away.
"Captain, he's a Jedi!"
"Open fire!" In seconds, entire volleys of blaster fire barraged the young Jedi. Rekkon used his senses and the green blade parried every shot. From across the excavation site, the armor-clad figure ignited his own lightsaber. The weapon glowed red as the he waited for the Jedi to come his way.
"Rekkon, you've really done it now." Joran said under his breath. In a flurry, Joran jumped high into the air over the site as the blue blade of his lightsaber twirled in his hand. Upon landing, both he and Rekkon attacked the troops.
A few of the troopers had cortosis-bound vibroblades, but they lacked any potent skill with the melee weapons and felled easily against the fiery young Jedi. The swooshing and crackling of lightsabers filled the cave as the troops and officers dispatched.
In seconds, the room became silent. The only noise that filled the cavern was the quiet humming of lightsabers.
"Foolish Jedi," the armor-clad figure said, "You should've have stayed far away from here. You're heroic antics are no match for the true nature of the force!"
"If you mean the dark side, then no, you are mistaken." Joran said calmly as he poised for the Sith Lord's attack.
"Let's get this over with!" Rekkon said, "Prepare to slain by true Jedi!"
"I think patience is the key here, Rekkon." Joran cautioned, "We can take him together." The Sith Lord merely laughed at them.
"Master Atris will have to burry two more apprentices today!" In a flash, the Sith Lord raised his lightsaber and rushed the two apprentices. With a crack of light, the three blade connected. Rekkon reeled back for another swipe while Joran flipped over the Sith and landed behind him.
"You can't cover both ends," Joran said, hoping to gain a psychological advantage over their attacker.
"You know nothing!" The Sith Lord said, spinning around to counter Joran's move. Then the evil opponent force-pushed Rekkon down into the excavation site. With a thud Rekkon hit the sandy floor as Joran continued the battle. The red and blue lightsabers clashed back and forth violently as the forces of good and evil met.
This Sith is good, but he's holding back, Joran thought to himself. That isn't the Sith nature.
Then, all of a sudden, the Sith Lord backed away as he tossed and object at Joran. It was a thermal detonator!
"Take that, feeble Jedi!" Joran dived out of the way as the explosion rocked the cavern. He rose to his feet only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Sith as he retreated out of the cave. Joran looked down into the site to see if Rekkon was okay.
"I'm fine," Rekkon said, as if to read Joran's mind, " When I catch him, I'll-"
"Wait," Joran said, "He didn't run to retreat. He has a different agenda."
"You're probably right." Both Jedi deactivated their lightsabers and placed them back on their belts. Then Rekkon noticed the object that the Sith had uncovered. It was a black spire about a meter high with a control pad beneath it. "Have you seen anything like this?"
"Maybe it's one of Revan's clues." Joran said. He sensed no evil about the object and raised his hand to activate it. The spire light up. Down the center it separated into three parts and the parts folded down. Then, in the middle of the object, it projected the image of a portion of the know galaxy. However, it was missing several pieces.
"It's a map." Rekkon said, "But where's the rest?"
"We need to bring this to the council." Joran said, reaching for a datapad to collect the information. But before he could, the holographic image crackled and then faded. Both Jedi stepped back as the ancient device exploded. No doubt it had been severely damaged from the blast of the thermal detonator.
"Sith spit!" Rekkon said, outraged, "No we'll never find out where they're going!"
"Wait! That officer said there were other star maps. We should tell the Council about this before we make a decision."
"Let's go then!" With that, the Jedi rushed back to the cave's entrance. But at the entrance, a terrible surprise met them.
On his way out of the cave, the Sith Lord had caused a cave-in. Rekkon and Joran were trapped.
"What are we going to do?" Rekkon said, frantically looking for another way out. Joran fell to his knees in front of the blocked entrance. Master Atris' words echoed in his soul. Use the Force. It is your ally, and it is your tool.
"Joran, what'll we do?" Rekkon repeated. Joran closed his eyes. In an instant, the rocks began shake.
"What are you doing?" Rekkon yelled over the noise. Joran raised his head.
Smash! The rocks that obstructed the tunnel were violently forced out. Sand and debris flew everywhere as the harsh sunlight came into view.
Joran rose and opened his eyes. He couldn't believe it.
"How did you do that?" Rekkon said, still shocked at the power his friend had wielded.
"I'm not sure," Joran said, looking down at his hands. He had felt the Force in way he never had before. Not even he knew exactly what had happened.
"Look!" Rekkon said pointing out towards the Dune Sea. A small personnel shuttle had just taken off. "Our Sith attackers no doubt."
Joran glanced up at the sky as well. There would be no tracking them now. The Sith Lord had played them right into his hand, but that was not the true problem know. The true problem was that the Sith had a better clue as to Revan's whereabouts. And they were under new leadership.
- - - - -
Orbiting the desolate surface of Tatooine, a Sith interdictor-class battle cruiser stood poised and ready to travel anywhere at the whim of its commander. The long, angular-shaped vessel stuck out like a thorn among the small, petty cargo ships that frequented the Outer-Rim planet.
Inside the ship's dull gray interior, the Sith Lord who had attacked Joran and Rekkon was pushing his way past the soldiers, eager to get the bridge.
At the command station, Admiral Fyyar awaited his master's arrival with anticipation. Then the atmosphere became suddenly cold, menacing. Even though he was not trained to feel the Force, Fyyar knew his master was on the bridge. The dark lord's presence permeated the very bulk of the ship as the men looked onward in fear and awe.
"Admiral Fyyar, I trust the star charts have been updated?" The Sith Lord spoke.
"Well, yes of course my Lord." Fyyar answered, "We should be ready to take you wherever you wish."
"Then take me to Revan. Now that we have all three of the star maps, we can begin our quest."
"Of course, my Lord. The coordinates are coming up now."
"Pardon me, Admiral." Came the nervous call of one of the bridge officers, "The location isn't in any of our charts. Our navicomputers cannot find evidence of it anywhere."
"Has the data been erased?" Fyyar said. He was growing impatient.
"No, sir. I haven't touched. But we cannot travel to any place that's not in the navicomputer's astrogation charts." The air was tense on the bridge. Everyone was expecting another of Fyyar's outbursts, but no one was sure how he would react will the Sith Lord was standing there. To everyone's surprise, the Sith Lord broke the silence.
"If this location exists," the sinister voice said, "And indeed it must, there is one way to find the astrogation charts."
"Where would that be, my Lord?" the bridge officers asked nervously.
"Only the Jedi academy at Coruscant would have that information."
"Should I set a course for Coruscant now, my Lord?" Fyyar asked.
"No. Patience, Admiral. The young Jedi will send word to their masters, and when the Republic is not focused, we will strike."