-- Chapter 1: When the mighty fall, all the other children come out to play --

The most famed and feared woman of all time was on Rataka.

She was curled up in a ball.

She was lying on the ground, covered with dirt and mud.

Her clothes where tattered and ripped, there was blood too.

Her face was smudged with dirt, and blood.

Revan was crying…

She had been crying ever since the Leviathan… since she had found out she was Revan, since she had saved Sasha from the assassins, since everything after the Star Forge parties. But that was not the reason she was crying tonight. Revan was crying for a much stronger, much more emotional reason – Carth had left her.

Carth had said he would always be there for her and that had been true up until the Leviathan and the Star Forge after she had killed Malak, and saved Bastila. It had hurt when she had returned to look, too even speak, to Carth and Bastila.

Once Jolee had healed her enough, she had merely left the medical bay, brushing past everyone, and climbed into her secret hiding compartment and gone to sleep, bloody and exhausted. Revan stood up now, still shuddering as she sobbed, it wasn't fair!

She had saved the entire galaxy, she had almost completed her plan and then Malak caught up in his own emotions and greed had destroyed it all, nearly killing her in the process. Revan slumped to the ground and curled into a tight circle as her mind wandered back to the Star Forge before it had exploded.

Revan swung her lightsabers in a high arch, her blue bladed lightsaber flashing over her head, while the green one swept low under her arm. There was no way Malak could block the two of them, he would have to pick one, as Revan recalled from her training. Malak picked the lower lightsaber, angling his red blade to catch her green one.

It was a mistake… Revan changed directions without second to loose and with a twist and twirl, she plunged them both into his chest, crisscrossing the two blades, as she formed an X of blue and green protruding from his back. He stared at Revan in shock as he tried to make sense of what had just happen.

"Malak…"

Revan backed away from him pulling out her lightsabers with each step as she staggered backwards.

"I'm sorry, so sorry…" she mouthed silently as he slumped to the ground onto his knees.

"Im… " Malak coughed, and if he had been a man without a metal jaw, Revan noted absently, blood would have spurted or leaked out of his lips by now; "impossible. I… I cannot be beaten. I am the Dark Lord of the Sith."

Revan knelt in front of Malak, her face paler than what her normal color as pale as it was. Her raven-black hair contrasted the color of her skin sharply and her green-blue eyes.

Malak noticed that they were changing color in the light, like they use to, dancing from shade to color, indifferently as the light from the attacking Republic and the defending Sith and the defences of the Star Forge flickered across her face.

"She's more beautiful than ever before… why didn't I see it before?" Malak cursed himself silently as tears crawled down her face as she stared at him, the horror and knowledge of what she had done plainly see-able on her face.

"The power of light will always be stronger than the dark side." Revan said brokenly, and brushed back a loose lock of hair behind her ear, as Malak had done so in the past; this is the way of the dark side, Malak, all things end in death.

Malak snorted in defiance or would have. His metal jaw and voice robbed him of that, from Revan – when she had punished him for Telos… for their son's death. He smiled at her, mentally and knew she could sense his wry amusement.

"Still… Malak paused, as his rib cage screamed in pain from the speaking he was forcing himself to say. To just defy her once more… "still spouting the wisdom of the Jedi, I see. I… I cannot help but wonder, Revan. What would have happened if I had been turned?"

Revan gasped as he gestured with one hand and paused several times, the blood from his other wounds bleeding even more. If you had not led me down the dark path in the first place, what destiny would I have found?

Revan shook her head as she looked at her husband, her lover… Gently she carefully pulled him in closer, careful not to touch his wounds as she sent a small gift of healing to him through the force and embraced him, much to Malak's shock.

"There is no dark side, Malak… It was all a lie, the only dark is what we feel inside of our souls…"

"Impossible, Revan…" Malak shook his head in disbelief and looked deep into her eyes. "The dark side is not a lie, it's real… we've both touched it… both used it to satisfy our needs."

Revan shook her head, "I never went truly dark, Malak, we know that. I was merely a woman balanced on the edge and I danced on it more than I'd care to admit, but I was never wholly and truly dark."

She sighed and leaned her head against Malak; "I am sorry I started you on this path." Revan shook with sadness, "but you chose to continue down it. You cannot blame me for the path you chose…" She finished softly, her voice stronger as she now cradled his head in her lap.

"I suppose… I suppose you speak the truth. He mentally sighed; I alone must accept responsibility for what I did." He pushed Revan away from him and she stood, looking at him with pity and understanding as he looked back at her.

His body slumped to the ground, and he closed his eyes as the darkening room took his vision away. The last thing he heard was Revan, falling to the ground lightly, besides his body, sobbing. He could just picture her now, her face in her hands as she cried for the friend and lover she had killed.

That she had been forced to kill instead of being able to redeem him; and Malak smiled as he felt himself drawn into the Force and he looked down the two doors and stepped to the right door, the door lit in white, down the path of the light… Maybe he could change after all, like Ajunta Pall…

Revan stood and looked at Malak's lightsaber in her hands as she looked down at his body. She couldn't see where his mouth was or what use to be his mouth, but Revan could sense him and she knew he was smiling at her …she just knew somehow.

Revan didn't know how she got back to the Ebon Hawk at first, for she had blacked out at least more than once from her injuries and being thrown to the floor or against the bulkhead at least several times. She had staggered into the docking bay as the doors opened to reveal Carth and Bastila pacing about.

"What are you still here for?" She asked in a dazed voice, barely aware of Carth's angry face, "I told you to get the Ebon Hawk and her crew out of here, no matter what happened to me."

"There you are! What happened?" Carth's voice was not quiet as he nearly yelled and Revan winced at the sound of it, trying to wipe some blood off her face.

Bastila didn't say anything, but she looked at Tali and she could only try to sense the pain that Talhiri was in. "We wouldn't leave you, Talhiri, we… no, I… owe you too much to abandon you here."

Tali sighed and at a point just behind Carth's shoulder. Darth Malak is dead, she informed them. Tears crawled down Tali's face silently as she collapsed to her knees on the deck.

"It's over, finally." She raised her head and looked up at Carth and Bastila – "there was no way to turn him to the light side. I had to kill him."

Bastila looked at Tali with surprise and confusion mixed on her face as Carth just stared at Tali as though she was made of glass and she spoke slowly.

"That's wonderful news."

Bastila seemed relieved, Tali thought dizzily. "Doesn't she know what I did?"

"I don't think anyone actually expected that he could be redeemed." Bastila raised an eyebrow, "I'm surprised you would even think of trying."

"Everyone deserves a chance Bastila… I couldn't stand by and not help them, they deserved to live…"

Tali thought back to Taris when Bastila had questioned her about her actions and the outcasts fleeing to the Promised Land.

Bastila shook her head and spoke urgently. "There's no time to celebrate just yet. I was able to use my Battle Meditation to allow the Republic to break through the Sith fleet. The capital ships are in bombardment range!"

Carth had managed to shake himself out of his stupor and had knelt by Tali on the deck, one knee raised. He looked at Tali as she focused her attention somewhat on him.

"And that means we have to get out of here right now, before this entire complex comes down around our ears!"

Even as he spoke the Star Forge shuddered around them and a beam a few meters away fell to the deck. Carth shook his head and pulled Tali onto her feet.

"Everyone else is already on the ship."

"Talhiri…?" Carth shook the woman he loved when she didn't move. "Tali, let's move!" He gave up when he saw her eyes and the slowly staining blood stain moving across her chest. "Damnit, all…! I didn't go through hell to lose you now!" Carth swept her up into his arms and ran up the ramp as Bastila waited for him and Tali.

"Hey, beautiful…"

The tone was light and causal as its owner smiled coldly at Revan still curled up on the ground. Revan knew that voice, knew who it was and she didn't want to see him right now.

"I thought you were dead…"

Her voice was all cracked and barely sounding alive as she turned to regard the owner.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you… I've got some nasty toys here and they're just waiting to be played with.

He grinned at Revan's disgusted snort and cocked the rifle for good measure. "I'm not the little kid I use to be…"

Revan groaned, "hell I know that… You would never have treated me like this when we were kids, Kettr…"

He stiffened and hooked his booted foot under her ribs, flipping her over to stare up at him. "Don't ever call me that again! That is not what my name is!"

"Then what is your name…?" Revan whispered as he stood shaking with anger over her.

"THAT IS NOT WHO I AM!" He brought the butt of his rifle smashing down on her collarbone, stunning her. He went into a fury, beating kicking, punching her with his fists and rifle until her blood covered a fair amount of the area around them.

He shook as he stared at her lying broken and bleeding at his feet. "Not yet, Revi, not yet…" He looked up at the sky around them, a storm was raging and it wasn't going to be good to be out here in the open when it hit. He stood and slipped away into the jungle, leaving her lying there, dead too the world around her.

Carth trudged uphill, cutting loose another thick set of vines in his path. "Damn it, Onasi! You've got to go faster than this!" Carth berated himself angrily, cursing the weather out-loud.

Thanks toRobie-The-Illusionfor the name Kettr... And no, this isn't the entire name - you'll have to read more to find out the entire name. New chapters coming soon! R&R helps too create more!