Revan stared ahead, motionless, at the jagged rocks before her, the eerie, elusive light.
Malachor was just as she had left it.
Before the Hawk landed, Revan had been struggling to remember precisely what the dead planet looked like. Now, floating memories crystallized in her mind, painful, bleeding memories of darkness, of sheer destruction.
This planet stirred up a feral part of Revan. She felt a carnal hunger here, an aching within her, though she had not even left the safety of the Hawk yet.
Canderous walked into the cockpit almost silently. By his slow, gentle steps, Revan could tell that even the Mandalorian was stricken by the mere sight of Malachor.
With his voice wavering slightly, Canderous broke the silence.
"I…" he began silently. Revan had never heard him so affected. "It's… like a void. This place gives me the creeps, Rev. Let's get this finished, whatever we're here for."
"Stay here," said Revan tersely. "I'll be back."
"What? You think you're going alone now?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, right. You're not going anywhere yet, Rev. Not alone."
Revan stood and turned to walk past Canderous, who put a hand on Revan's shoulder as she attempted to brush past him. She shrugged it off and continued to walk, but Canderous grabbed her arm. Her eyes flashed as she whipped around to face him.
"No," she snapped. "I mean it. Canderous, I'm doing this alone. I can handle it."
The resolve in Revan's voice weakened Canderous' own, and, reluctantly, he slid his hand down to hers. Revan looked down at their entwined fingers, her cheeks flushed with any number of conflicting emotions.
"Be careful out there," Canderous warned. "And if you don't come back, I'll go and find you myself."
"Fair enough," said Revan quietly, disentangling her fingers from his.
Canderous watched Revan as she disappeared around the corner and off of the ship.
"Dwoooo."
"Yeah, I hope she comes back soon too," Canderous sighed to T3-M4. He turned to the adjacent droid.
"I can't believe I actually understood you," Canderous muttered, shaking his head.
Revan barely breathed as she traipsed over gaseous fissures and through rugged caves, wearing her breath mask and carefully cloaked so as to keep herself from the frequent eruptions of poison gas and malformed beasts. Revan walked down twisted paths until, finally, she found what she sought.
The Trayus Academy was menacing. Revan remembered it, a memory that sent icy chills down her spine. It had not been at the battle of Malachor V, but a few years later. Revan did not remember why she had been there, or what she had done there, but she felt that it was imperative for her to go there now, for whatever purpose.
Revan breathed deeply the dry wind, centering herself. The darkness stretching from the foreboding structure before her was nearly visible, and Revan's heart pounded in her ears with each heavy step she took towards the place. The jarring transition from stark, natural Malachor to the dull silver of the Trayus Academy was sudden, seeming almost surreal.
As Revan reached the door of the Academy, it swung open. Revan was, evidently, expected.
Lightsaber cold and ready in her hands, Revan walked inside.
Canderous felt uneasy. Ever since she had left, he had been sure he was hearing her scream, but as soon as he turned to look, the sound stopped. It rang in Canderous' ears, though, making his pulse quicken.
He heard the sound again, but resisted it, telling himself over and over again that it was an illusion, it was just his fear…
A sweat broke out on his forehead. He leaned against the supply canister beside him, holding on to it until his knuckles were white and he could nearly feel the pain in his bones.
Eyes wide, he held on desperately until the pain subsided.
"It's this planet," he told himself. "It's like… echoes of that battle."
Canderous looked around, making sure no one was nearby, least of all Revan. Neither Revan nor T3 was in sight, and Canderous continued to wonder at this planet, dread coursing through him with every quickening heartbeat.
Uncharacteristically nervous, Canderous checked the time.
Why was she taking so long?
Revan repressed the feelings that longed to come out. She waited for the old woman before her to move or to speak. Finally, Revan stepped forward herself.
"Is it Traya now?" asked Revan. Her fingers twitched anxiously.
"Call me what you will, Revan. I am just the same as I always was. Titles mean little here."
The withered woman's voice was powerful, echoing through the hollow academy. She was standing, as still as though Revan had never entered.
"You know why I'm here, don't you, Traya?"
The black-clad woman turned sharply to face Revan. The hood of Traya's cloak generally hid her milky eyes, but Revan knew that Traya was staring straight into her.
"Of course I do," Traya scoffed. "Come, Revan. Here, my energies are the strongest."
Revan obediently walked towards the glowing core. Its red lights seemed to pulse with organic hatred. Slowly, Revan moved next to Traya, who turned back to the pit she had been looking into when Revan entered.
"Look, Revan," Traya commanded, "look closely."
Revan did as she was told. A strange feeling wrapped itself around her, neither dark nor light, and Revan felt strangely inclined to accept it. As she did, her eyes shot open.
Revan had never seen so vividly in her life. The brightness of what she was seeing stung her eyes nearly to tears, and she struggled to maintain her footing. Images of destruction and warfare engulfed her, and she suddenly found herself unable to breathe.
"Traya," she gasped, "What is this?"
Traya's voice resounded in Revan's mind.
This is why you have come, Revan. This is the Sith Empire, the true one. You must leave here, alone, and fight these Sith before they invade.
Revan absorbed this slowly.
"Traya," revan wheezed, "they already have, haven't they?"
Hardly. A girl leading a campus-wide revolution while she poses as a Jedi's cleaning girl cannot possibly hope to be a true Sith. They are using her, certainly, but she cannot stop you.
Cleaning girl. So, reflected Revan, Canderous had seen her before.
"How can I… stop the Sith?"
You will leave this galaxy. And you will, for a time, wait. Alone. Hide in the Sith Empire until more come.
"More?" The overwhelming sensations were starting to cloud Revan's thoughts.
More. I will send others, Revan, do not fear that. Until then, you must go and hide. Alone.
"Canderous…"
Ah, the Mandalorian. The one who will obey you at all costs. The one who feels that there is hope for his clan. But his clan, Revan, his clan is dead. Mandalorians are mercenaries now. You know this. You have felt it. But he will not, say what you will. So you must give him the helmet of Mandalore, Revan, so that he will obey you. He can gather what is left of his scattered tribes, and you… you will have an army, Revan, the most powerful of all time.
"Helmet… he has a helmet."
Canderous hopes to gather the Mandalorians, even with the wrong helmet. The helmet he has is not that of Mandalore. You know where it is."
Did she? Revan looked out at the pit. Her senses were beginning to adapt to the stimuli before her.
There it was. Mandalore's helmet. On Dxun… of course.
Revan had put it there.
Correct. And you will give it back.
Revan nodded. "Traya, I am done here."
Traya moved a wrinkled hand before her, and the noise and imagery stopped, leaving Revan dizzy.
"Go then, Revan. Remember what I have told you. And follow my council. I have never lied to you, Revan, you know that full well."
Revan looked at the woman icily, then briskly turned around and left.