Revan stared out at the vastness stretching ahead of her, but all she could think of was that Carth would hate her. He probably did, was probably hating her right now.
But Revan would try to trust him. That was all she had right now, all that was going to sustain her for the foreseeable future, she imagined.
Revan leaned back in her seat and sighed heavily. She heard T3-M4 begin to roll into the cockpit, then quietly away with a soft "Dwooo."
"I can't believe I just left them there," Revan said to herself. "So stupid," she whispered, holding her forehead, "I'm so stupid."
"Tell me you did not just call yourself stupid, Revan."
Revan's eyes widened. She turned quickly as Canderous sat down in the adjacent co-pilot's chair. She covered her dropped jaw, unsure whether she was overjoyed or furious at the Mandalorian's audacity.
"You… wh… I sent you away!"
"Or so you thought."
"I abandoned you with a shuttle ticket on Bakura! I paid good money for that, Canderous!"
"But you forgot to give me my armor. So I came back for it, and you just took off without giving me a chance to run off and cry about you leaving me to the wolves on Coruscant! You're getting a bit careless, Rev, you know that?"
Revan blinked. She shuddered and pressed her eyes shut, but as she opened them, she discovered that he was still there. It was not, as she desperately hoped, a nightmare.
"You can't be here," she groaned. "Why didn't you listen to me, Ordo? I thought you respected me."
"As a leader," Canderous corrected. "You weren't acting as a leader, though, Rev. You were acting with too much emotion. And you managed to fool them, Rev, because they were thinking with their emotions, too."
Revan glared at him, irritated at his uncanny logic.
"But you have no emotions," shot Revan.
"No, I just know when to hold them back. It's almost ironic… the Jedi really tend to think with more emotion than we Mandalorians… all this 'peace' and 'mercy'… all emotion."
Revan's faced flushed slightly.
"If it's any reassurance, Rev," Canderous added, "you did the right thing. If you hadn't sent them away… they were slowing you down, Rev. I don't argue with Bastila for my health, you know."
"So… you wanted to tick them off."
"Not necessarily. I did want them to shut up, though. They weakened you. Having to defend Bastila… that's why that animal was able to take you down.
"I didn't have to defend Bastila!"
"No? But you did. You always do."
"So how are you supposed to not slow me down any differently than Carth and Bastila?"
Canderous' gaze hardened, and he stared straight into Revan's transfixed eyes. "Because I won't let you, Revan. Whether I have to defend you or eventually just leave myself, I will not let you fail."
Revan leaned back into her seat.
"Fine," she surrendered. "I won't stop you, Canderous."
Canderous smiled. "What made you think you could, anyway?"
Revan gave him an appreciative half-smile, and Canderous, satisfied, got up to leave.
"Canderous?" Revan called, staring ahead into space. She heard his solid footsteps stop.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"You don't have to thank me, Rev. You know I don't do that kind of thing."
"I know. But really, I think… maybe I understand you a little more now."
Canderous turned and left after a moment of contemplative silence.
Revan let tears flow softly down her face: for her fate, for her failure, for herself.
She doubted she would get another chance for a long while.
Revan grimaced at the flashing light on the radar screen, indicating what appeared to be a hulking vessel that just happened to be hailing her.
"What's going on?" asked Canderous darkly, walking into the main hold. Revan gestured at the signal and opened a channel.
"Ebon Hawk," said a hard, female voice. A hologram showed a young woman standing stiffly in a black uniform. Her hair was pulled back severely, and appeared to hold multiple colors, as though some strands of her sleek hair were aging prematurely. Her stance, as well, gave her the appearance of being much older than she probably was. "This is the Serpentine," the hologram continued. "We are requesting that you leave this vicinity immediately, or we will be forced to engage in offensive action."
Revan considered this, her expression inscrutable as multilingual curses flashed virulently through her head. Canderous squinted as he stared at the hologram.
"By what authority?" inquired Revan.
I think you know, Revan heard in reply. She gasped, causing Canderous to turn sharply as he tried to make out what was happening. Seeing Revan, with her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide as she tried to put everything together, Canderous realized that there was more here than he could see.
"Don't worry, Jedi," the hologram purred. "It's not just me. Kinda like a party, isn't it? All this Force-sensitive energy bouncing around."
Revan's eyes narrowed. "Figures. I have to deal with a Force-user who's cryptic and sarcastic. Could my day get any better?"
The hologram did not seem amused.
"I will repeat my previous order, Ebon Hawk. Go back where you belong. You are in our territory now."
"And when you say 'our'…"
I think you know that, too.
"Get out, Sith," Revan spat through clenched teeth.
"That's exactly what I was about to say to you, Revan." She used the name pointedly, almost insultingly.
The taunt, though, did not faze Revan. There was a tense, clinging silence, and then Revan felt a pain that locked onto skull. The pain dug, as though had jaws or massive claws burrowing, penetrating, trying to reach her mind.
Revan gripped her head, trying to control the intense pain inside it. The holographic girl laughed.
"That can't feel good, hmm, Revan? It'll all be over soon, though." The girl's eyes blazed. "Your head will pop like a melon, and it'll all be over for you, for your Mandalorian back there, and for your precious little stolen ship."
Revan let her energy build up, the pain inside her head burning, dense, tightly bound.
She shut her eyes and summoned all of the pain. Revan could hear the holographic youth and her crew shouting orders to each other to move in on the Hawk. Revan knew that she had one chance, and she was not about to waste it.
Revan's eyes shot open. The expression on the young woman's holographic face changed instantly, and her energy faltered.
Revan let go of the pain, sending it flying through the Force towards the woman, whose head flew backwards and crashed painfully against the wall behind her as Canderous and Revan watched. Three of the Sith vessel's crew ran towards the sprawled body, and Revan wiped the perspiration from her forehead. She switched off the hologram, closing the channel between the two ships. Revan turned to Canderous, who looked slightly cautious of Revan, though also vaguely impressed.
"Let's get out of here," panted Revan. "We haven't got a chance… not against that thing."
She ran into the cockpit, Canderous obediently following.
"She's a Sith?" Canderous spat.
"She's following the ways of the True Sith, but I don't think she's one of them… I'm pretty sure they're a separate species. But she's certainly nearly as powerful."
"Hmm. Yeah, I guessed that. But she seems familiar."
"Really? I didn't recognize her… I think I'd remember if someone that strong had fought me before."
Revan stared worriedly out in front of her.
Canderous said, almost gruffly, "She's not as strong as you, Rev. You were holding your own back there."
Revan raised an eyebrow dubiously, but did not turn to look at Canderous.
"So," continued Canderous, "where are we headed?"
"Malachor V. But you knew that."
Canderous shrugged. "You never know. Traveling with you isn't predictable, Rev, I'll give you that."
Canderous walked off. Revan looked ahead and thought back on the power she had just witnessed. She was sure she would not be able to sleep for months.
Canderous wiped a cloth along the edge of his vibroblade. It glistened as he tossed it from hand to hand.
True Sith, he thought. Like this trip isn't hard enough.
Going back to Malachor V was the last thing Canderous thought he would ever do. The decisive battle of the Wars, where Revan had finally defeated Mandalore, had been fought there. When Canderous had witnessed the glorious battle, so many years ago, it seemed, he had never imagined that one day, he would fight by Revan's side. She was the only one who ever could have rallied the Republic and led them to crush the fearless armies of the Mandalorians.
Even though Canderous felt no hostility towards Revan and the Republic, though, he could not help but feel wrong about going to Malachor. The planet was a graveyard now, a dead world ravaged by that final chaotic battle.
Canderous also felt a deep suspicion in Revan's lack of outrage upon finding Canderous onboard. She had certainly been frustrated by his contrary decision, but not quite enough to satisfy Canderous. He was sure that she had more plans to get rid of the Mandalorian, but he was absolutely stuck as to what they were—or how long it would be before Revan finally left Canderous for good. He had managed to catch her last time, but she had let her guard down on Bakura, with Carth and Bastila there. She had not known that planet, nor had she had the contacts there that Canderous had.
Now, one-on-one, Canderous did not have the same advantage over Revan. They were, Canderous guessed, on relatively equal footing here.
Reflecting on Revan's words, Canderous did feel a small twinge of guilt in disobeying Revan's wishes, even though he knew—or, at least, he thought he knew—that her decision was one of passion rather than logic.
Even so, was he right? Who was he to question such a superior being as Revan? Canderous shrugged. Either way, it did not matter now.
He was here. He was going to Malachor. And, just like last time at Malachor, there was no going back now. Everything would be decided here, he felt.
Just like last time.