Title: Destiny's New Path
Summary: A what if. What if it wasn't Revan on the Bridge when Malak fired on his Master's ship? Suddenly the Apprentice is betrayed by the Master, and Revan then infiltrates the ranks of the Jedi. The Dark Lords mission: turn Bastila to the Dark Side of the Force.
Disclaimer: George Lucas and Bioware own the basis of this FanFic. I am merely entertaining the idea that I am good at making Star Wars stories (stupid ideas).
Author's Note: Since this is technically the last chapter, I will answer a few of your more recently submitted reviews. Also, for the Revan/Bastila romance, I used the Revan/Juhani dialogue, since I was having trouble coming up with my own.
Chapter 23: …My Chains are Broken
Bastila
"Only by accepting the Force, all of the Force, as a whole can one truly break free, truly gain power." I heard Revans words as if hearing them across a great distance. "And now it's time to show you what true power is all about."
I opened my eyes just in time to see Malak consumed by the multicoloured blast of translucent energy fired from Revan's hands. I forced myself to my feet. Revan ended the attack, and when the light faded, there stood Malak, his robes torn and burned, a maddened glint in his eyes, but still very much alive.
"Thankyou for the eye-opener Revan." He breathed. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to kill you a differently." He said, and raised both hands, firing a wave of Force lightning at Revan, who caught the lightning with the blade of her green lightsaber. She threw her red lightsaber into the air, released a Force wave at Malak with her free hand, and then caught her lightsaber again without missing a beat.
Malak was thrown backward, the Force wave absorbing his lightning as it went. He slammed into the door frame behind him, and crashed t to the floor. Revan took a step toward him, both her lightsabers blazing. Malak pulled himself to his feet, and ignited my lightsaber again.
"I won't be beaten by you again!" He said defiantly.
Revan looked at her former apprentice, and then nodded. For a split-second, her eyes met mine, with the faintest hint of a message. I gave her an even fainter nod.
"You're right, Malak." Revan said. "You won't be beaten by me." She deactivated her lightsabers. Malak faltered for only a second, and that was all I needed. "Today, you will die at the hands of Darth Veran!" I leapt into the air, over Malak, as Revan threw her red lightsaber into the air. I was not used to single bladed lightsabers, but at point blank range, it did not matter. I landed behind Malak, lightsaber in hand and blazing to life, and I swung with all my strength. The end of Darth Malak, the beginning as a Jedi, moving on as a Sith, and ending in nothing, consumed by darkness.
"Well done, my apprentice." Revan said. "You have proven yourself worthy of being my apprentice, and of being a Sith Lord." I smiled at that. I was proud, and for the first time in my life, I did not have to hide it.
I bowed my head. "Thank you, Master." I said. Revan turned, and walked over to Juhani, who seemed to have suffered the worst wounds. She waved me over, and showed me how to touch the Light Side of the Force through the Dark Side. Together, we healed Juhani's wounds, then went over and healed Dustil's wounds as well.
"Well done, all three of you." She said. "But especially well done to you Bastila." She turned, and began walking away. I realized she wanted us to follow her, and quickly sprinted after her. I heard Dustil and Juhani do the same.
We surveyed the last few moments of the battle. Two of the Republic flagships had managed to limp into Hyperspace and escape the destruction the rest of their fleet had suffered. My Battle Meditation had done it's job – the Sith had one.
One Week Later
"Malak is dead!" I shouted to the thousands of Sith Soldiers below us. "All hail Darth Revan, the Dark Lord of the Sith!" Revan stepped forward, and I fell back. Beside me stood Juhani and Dustil Onasi, both in respective Star Forge-made Robes. I too wore Star Forge Robes, though mean were far dark then theirs.
"The Jedi Order is in tatters." She shouted. "It is only a matter of time we wipe them from the face of the galaxy, forever!" There were thousands of cheers to that. "The Republic fleet is decimated; the Core Worlds are defenseless against us!" More cheering. I smirked. The Dark Side had won. No one would be able to stand against the Sith, not now that the Jedi were all-but extinct.
Revan
I piloted the Ebon Hawk down to the Rakatan Homeworld some weeks after the announcement we had made on Korriban. The had brought only Bastila, HK-47 and Canderous with me. Bastila, because I had a few final orders for her before I left. Canderous because there was something buried there that I knew he deserved. And HK-47 because I needed him to reprogram the T3 Unit we were picking up so that it would obey me.
When we landed on the beach where Carth had been killed, I saw that his body was still there, as was the T3 Unit and the bodies of Zaalbar and Mission. I ignored all three corpses as I walked by them. "Bastila, HK, deal with the T3 Unit." I said. "I have something to show Canderous." Bastila nodded her head, though she still wasn't too fond of the demonic-looking droid.
I led Canderous to the Temple of the Ancients, and we went deep into the Temple's Catacombs.
I went straight to the Central Computer, and activated it.
"Welcome back, Revan." It said. "It has been some time since you last accessed my database. I was beginning to wonder if you had been terminated."
"Hardly possible." I said. "I need you to give me access to the vault." I said.
"Of course." The computer said. Their was a clicking, and the seemingly solid stone wall behind it seemed to melt away. I walked forward, Canderous right behind me. Now, it takes an awful lot to surprise a Mandalorian, but I distinctly heard the gasp of surprise he gave when he saw what I kept hidden in 'the vault'.
Held up by different hooks imbedded into the walls was a very-well cared for suit of Mandalore Armour, the one I had won when I killed Mandalore. Upon reaching the Rakatan Homeworld, I had buried it here to hide it from the Rakata. It was time it returned to the Mandalorians.
"You have been called before me to answer to a great honour, Canderous of the Clan Ordo." I said. "The Mandalorians are scatted, leaderless, broken. Only by finding a new leader, can the Clans once again unite. Here, in this place of darkness, I name you Mandalore." I said. It wasn't exactly the Mandalore Ceremony, but it would do. Canderous was not one for big thank yous, so he simply nodded appreciatively, and then stepped forward to the armour.
I watched as he pulled off his regular Mandalorian Armour, and pulled on the Mandalore Armour. He seemed overjoyed. Or at least, as close to overjoyed as a Mandalorian could get (which was to not look quite as gruff as normal). When he was finally fully armoured except for the helmet, he turned to look at me.
"Thank you." Was all he said. Then he pulled the helmet over his head. I could tell the armour didn't fit as well as it had the last Mandalore – he would have to make a few adjustments – but it fit well enough to walk back to the Ebon Hawk.
We did that, and as soon as we reached it I went in search of Bastila, HK or the T3 Unit. I found Bastila in the Garage, the T3 Unit wheeling it's way toward the Engine Room.
"I…I finished work on the T3 Unit, my Lady." She said. "He will obey your every command now." I nodded. I could see Bastila wanted to say something, but felt it inappropriate. I nudged my way into her thoughts. She was regretting something. I nudged further, seeing if she was regretting killing Malak.
The thoughts and feelings I got as I went deeper into her mind grew chaotic. Conflicting feelings, denials, recognition. And at the heart of it, an undying, passionate – I couldn't quite call it love, but something close to it. And all of it was directed at – me!
I very-nearly hit her when I found that out. How dare she care for me? She had no right to feel that way.
Did Malak? That irrational voice that had haunted me every moment of every day since I had slept with Malak not long into the war. I wanted to squash that voice, I wanted to destroy it.
"Master?" Bastila whispered. Had she felt my presence in her mind. I wouldn't put it past her – she was probably almost as powerful as me, if not more. She would not have remained the apprentice for long if she hadn't…
I came back to what I'd realized. She cared for me. Why? I had tortured her relentlessly for over a week, I had hurt her, starved her, forced her to kill her closest friends, very nearly killed her herself.
All so she wouldn't feel this way. That irrational voice again. It was always telling me to do thing inappropriate for both a Jedi and a Sith. But was it true? Had I purposely tried to push her away. On some level I knew I feared I would just hurt her like I hurt Malak if I gave in as I had with him. It's worth the risk.
I wanted to hit her. I wanted to hurt her for giving me these feelings. Why did this always happen with my Apprentice's? Malak, Taliat, and now Bastila!
"What's wrong, Revan?" Nobody had called me that in so long- Wrong thing to think, I should be punishing her for not calling me by my title! But I don't think I could, even if I wanted to. But how does a Sith Lord tell their apprentice they've…they care for them when the Sith Code stated that attachments to others were a weakness.
And the Jedi Code stated that attachments to others were dangerous. What code is there that lets me feel what I want! I don't know if that was me or the irrational voice, but I agreed whole-heartedly. Neither Code allowed for attachments.
"I... I... I care for you." Bastila suddenly said. "I do not know why. I do not know if anything will be possible or if you even return what I feel, but I do know it is there." She seemed to realize what she had said, and deflated somewhat, her head bowed. "I am sorry if this upsets you. I am so sorry if I am wrong, but I cannot deny what it is that I feel."
I sighed, and lifted her head so she looked me in the eyes. "I…" I couldn't believe how hard it was for me to say this. "I feel the same way, Bastila." Her eyes widened. "I tried to deny it, but I can't. I care for you as well."
Bastila opened her mouth twice and closed it again. "Now that I have put myself in this position, I know not what to say."
"You do not have to say anything." I said. "We have gone beyond words, I think." She nodded.
"Yes. I thank you." She said. I leaned in close and we kissed. I don't know why, but it felt so right. Righter then it had, even with Carth.
I do not know how long we stood in that corridor, but eventually we came to be in the Port Dormitory, stripping off our robes, and crawling into the bed. And for the first time in almost four years, I felt alive and warm. The cold of the Dark Side was finally kept at bay by the warmth of passion.
Review Response:
To Dante-Raven: You never know. I merely said Vandar had stopped struggling. For you know (for that matter, for all I know) he could have survived that battle.
To Revan's Lost Soul: Thankyou, I always liked the idea of a unified Force combination that used the Light and the Dark Side, so I thought I may as well put it in her. I'll also be putting it in my new KOTOR Fanfic.
To Sith Assassin: If you mean the part with the door not opening for Juhani and Jolee, Jolee may be neutral, but he still only uses neutral and Light Side powers. As for T3, the only reason he stayed with Revan in the game was because Revan was his owner. In this, Malak was his owner so he remained loyal to Malak.