Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 22: A Family Affair

Revan stumbled from the dark tomb that housed the remnant Starmap, dragging behind him the battered body of the Jedi Knight Nemo. The former Dark Lord of the Sith praised his luck, knowing that in the company he was in, the computer recognizing him for who he was would not be a good thing. Rubbing the scorch mark on his cloak, Revan shook his head as he looked back to see Bastila and Carth, their expressions unreadable. Revan sighed as he knew exactly where their thoughts were leading them.

Bastila stood shakily against the doorway to the ancient ruined temple as she looked up to see Revan kneeling over the body of Nemo. Pressing her lips together tightly, Bastila turned her eyes back to the direction of the Starmap and closed them as a wave of nausea overwhelmed her.

"This... This is where Revan's path of betrayal began..."

Even after so many years, she could still feel the presence of Darth Malak and Darth Revan etched forever in that temple. Shuddering, Bastila let out a long, steadying breath before she looked towards Carth. The Republic Commander seemed to be emotionless, though she could tell by the turmoil surrounding him and the penetrating glare he directed at Revan that he was suspecting exactly what she was fearing.

"If this is where Revan and Malak began their fall..."

Carth muttered so only Bastila could hear, or so he thought.

"Is it such a good idea to have someone so untrained near its influence?"

Revan felt his eyebrow twitch as he heard Carth's statement. A deep sigh emanated from Bastila as she shook her head in response.

"Even I am having difficulty dealing with what I sensed in there... I doubt any more training would be effective or time efficient."

Carth seemed to fall silent and nodded slowly as he looked back to Revan. The former Dark Lord was hunched over Nemo's corpse, inspecting the man's corpse.

"It looks like those droids got him... I can't see any other signs of injury."

At this statement, Carth and Bastila both rose their eyebrows in interest.

"What else could have possibly killed a Jedi Knight?"

Bastila asked in a slightly snide tone. Revan shook his head as he gazed down at Nemo's corpse and shook his head.

"Its just natural for me I guess. There could have been a Dark Jedi or anything there and its not wise to not search for clues as to how one of your allies died."

Bastila closed her mouth, nodding her agreement as the small party returned to the Jedi Enclave. Revan made a beeline for the Ebon Hawk, not even glancing at the argument developing between Mission and a pale yellow Twilek outside the ship. The former Dark Lord sealed himself in his quarters and did a series of pushups and crunches before forcing himself into an uneasy rest.

Outside, the argument between Mission and the Twilek, Lena was getting out of hand. After Mission threatening the older Twilek, the older woman sighed and gave Mission a sympathetic look before vanishing into the Jedi Enclave. Nearby, Bastila was also speaking with a Twilek woman, though this one she knew. The woman she spoke to was one that her mother and father had hired to help take care of her when she was little. Bastila's happiness at seeing the woman quickly vanished with the news of her mother's illness. Thanking the woman, Bastila made her way to the Council chambers to update the Council on what she, Revan and Carth had discovered within the ancient ruins. Carth made himself comfortable in the cockpit of the Ebon Hawk, throwing a blanket over himself and taking a nap, not wanting to share a room with Canderous.

Canderous was sleeping silently in his bunk while Revan's sleep was slightly less silent and a lot less peaceful. The millions of deaths Revan had been directly responsible for came back to haunt him. Each time it was either Malak, or Arren or even Yusanis accusing him. Cringing in his sleep, Revan shuddered and opened his eyes to escape the nightmares. The former Dark Lord was surprised to see that it was morning.

"Must've slept longer than I thought..."

A snort drew Revan's attention to Canderous. The Mandalorian was leaning against the bulkhead with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'll say. I didn't think a Mandalorian could sleep that long without being ill."

Smirking, Canderous pushed himself off the wall and stalked away. Revan rubbed his tired face before trudging to the refresher and preparing himself for the day.

The Council had spent most of the previous night going through the archives for any information on the Star Forge but their efforts proved as Revan predicted fruitless. The former Sith knew that since he and Malak had gone through the archives years before for that information that there was little to nothing that held any reference to the true scope of the Starmaps and the Star Forge's true power.

As he had expected, the Council had decided to investigate the Star Forge, confident that it was the strength behind Malak and the Sith. At this Revan had to contain his laughter.

"When will they learn that the Sith are not the Darkside made flesh. The Sith are merely the Darkside's tool. The Darkside would always be a threat, even if all the Sith Lords and their apprentices were destroyed and their knowledge lost to time. The Darkside would always remain and would always come back to haunt those fools."

Revan was surprised when the Council announced that Juhani would be accompanying he and his crew on the search for the Star Forge. The former Dark Lord agreed readily to the Jedi's plan and after a day of preparing was standing in the Ebon Hawk's common area with the rest of the crew. Juhani remained silent as she stared at Revan intently.

"There are four worlds we will need to search for the Starmaps. Tatooine, Kashyyyk, Manaan and Korriban. I suggest we visit them in that order."

Mission and Bastila seemed anxious at the mention of Tatooine, something that did not escape Revan's notice. Zalbaar seemed agitated at the mention of his homeworld as well.

"Why that order? Wouldn't it be more time efficient to go to-"

Revan silenced Carth with a raised hand.

"Firstly, Korriban is the center of the Sith's power and I would prefer to visit that hellhole last."

None of the crew argued that point.
"Second, the Sith have a presence on Manaan and I would like to stay below their radar as long as possible."

Carth nodded his agreement at that.

"Kashyyyk does not have a Sith presence and that world along with Tatooine are too remote for us to attract too much attention... that is unless someone is looking."

Everyone in agreement for their own reasons, the Ebon Hawk jumped into hyperspace on its way to Tatooine. On the trip to Tatooine Revan learned that Mission had discovered her brother was likely on the desert world. Revan was wary at first, but agreed to put some time aside to find the Twilek's older brother.
A day into the trip, Revan noticed that Bastila seemed unusually withdrawn. Seeking answers, Revan managed to corner Bastila in the bridge when Carth was asleep and was shocked to learn that her mother was on Tatooine.

"Some coincidence. Mission's brother and now Bastila's mother."

The former Dark Lord felt a bit of concern at the news of Bastila's mother's condition. Even though she tried to hide it, Revan could see that something akin to guilt was eating away at Bastila.

"I remember she rarely spoke of her mother... when she did it was never anything nice."

Frowning, Revan left Bastila in peace, knowing that his presence would only weight more heavily on her conscience. The rest of the trip to Tatooine was spent conversing with Canderous and Juhani over his past battles and sparring. Despite the lack of the Force, Revan found Canderous a great sparring partner and with Bastila occupied with her thoughts of her mother, Revan found that Juhani held promise as a dueling partner.

After nearly a week of avoiding Sith space and hyperspace travel, the Ebon Hawk dropped from hyperspace into the Tatooine system late in the evening. The Ebon Hawk touched down in the only spaceport on the desert world, Anchorhead, and after settling a docking fee the crew decided that waiting until morning to explore would be the best option.

Weary from the flight and his last sparring match with Canderous, Revan collapsed into his bunk and fell into an uneasy rest. The proximity to the Tatooine Starmap brought a series of visions and nightmares to Revan that the former Dark Lord barely slept through. The next morning, Revan awoke to see Bastila in his room staring at him intently.

"You saw it, didn't you?"

Revan nodded, wiping the sheen of sweat from his face as he pulled himself from his bunk. Bastila flushed slightly, turning away when she noticed Revan was only clad in a pair of shorts. Ignoring his modesty, Revan stood and stalked to the refresher, cleaning himself as he spoke to Bastila.

"It looked like this Starmap was in a cave of some kind, there were ruins nearby."

Bastila nodded, keeping her eyes downcast as she tried not to eye Revan. Revan stuck his head from the refresher, frowning when Bastila did not reply verbally. Seeing the scarlet flush of her cheeks and the way she tried not to look at him, Revan became aware of his state of dress and chuckled dryly.

"I thought Jedi were supposed to have self control!"

Revan smirked as Bastila's flushed cheeks darkened.

"Enough of this!"

Bastila snapped, throwing her arms up in the air.
"Be quick about this, I want to get this over with as quickly as possible."

Revan's smirk vanished as he nodded, a serious expression on his face. The former Dark Lord took a moment before he spoke.

"Are you going to try to find her?"

Revan asked. Knowing who he meant, Bastila sighed heavily.

"I- I don't know. We are on an important mission but... It would be... nice to see my family once more."

Revan narrowed his eyes for a moment in thought.
"We'll have time."

The Jedi said softly, Bastila looked skeptical but nodded and left Revan to finish his morning routine. The former Dark Lord of the Sith stared at his reflection in the mirror as he brushed the stubble that had collected on his face.

"Besides... I've been here before and know exactly where it is..."

After finishing, Revan made his way to the common room. After a lengthy explanation to Carth it was decided that Revan, Canderous, Bastila and Mission would seek out the Starmap while Carth and Juhani stayed behind with Zalbaar and T-3 to guard the Ebon Hawk. Not wanting to deal with all the sand, Juhani agreed before settling into a light meditation. Carth reluctantly agreed, seeing the wisdom in keeping the ship's pilot nearby.

As soon as they had left the Ebon Hawk, Canderous took off towards the Cantina while Mission whined about looking for her brother. Having enough of it, Revan asked Mission if Lena had told her where her brother was.

"Well, last thing I knew Griff was working for Czerka corp."

The Twilek answered. Revan sighed heavily.

"Great, Czerka corp."

Bastila had been extremely silent, something Revan suspected had to do with her parents. The Czerka officer had been little help at first, but Revan had managed to persuade the business woman that finding Griff would be in Czerka's interests. Needless to say it took a great effort with the Force to convince the woman. Mission seemed horrified about her brother's predicament.

"Sandpeople! We can't just leave him there:

The Twilek girl turned her pleading eyes to Revan. Revan nodded his consent before speaking further with the Czerka officer. The officer explained to Revan that only hunters sponsored by Czerka or their own employees were allowed outside of Anchorhead. After pretty much telling Revan he would deal with the Sandpeople, the Czerka officer gave Revan a hunting licence and sent the Jedi on his way. Outside the office, Revan came face to face with a Duros screaming insults at him and calling him Czerka's murderer.

"Whatever."

The Jedi gave a dismissive gesture and walked on, listening to the Duros mutter something about humans thinking they owned the galaxy. Not much further away another Duros was complaining the same thing. The Duro native caught Bastila's attention and Revan noticed quickly that Bastila was becoming more and more nervous, if he could call the turmoil he sensed within the Padawan that.

"Something wrong?"

Bastila shook her head quickly, but seeing Revan's skeptical look the Padawan sighed and nodded.

"I believe my mother is somewhere near the Cantina. I know its not part of the mission but I would like to speak with her if there is time..."

Revan agreed and gave Bastila her space. It was easy to tell that Bastila had enough on her mind without him adding to her problems. Revan stopped suddenly, his eyes narrow. Bastila seemed to distracted to notice. Revan looked around cautiously before moving towards a large building. Outside a woman was pleading with any who passed over something.

"Excuse me sir."

The woman asked. Revan turned to the woman, flustered.

"What."
The Dark Lord snapped. The woman seemed to lose confidence sighed heavily, explaining the situation of her husband's death and how her family had nothing. Taking his attention away from the Dark Jedi stalking him, Revan sensed the woman was telling the truth. Taking his stare as a rejection, the woman sighed heavily and looked around for anyone else to ask as Revan dug through his satchel. Pulling close to a thousand credits from his pouch, Revan handed them to the stunned woman and left her with her Wraid plate. Money held no meaning to Revan and he had millions stored away in dozens of hidden accounts.

Making his way to the source of the Darksiders, Revan quietly pulled his crimson saber, leaving Bastila and Mission near the hunter's lodge arguing over the nature of the Force.

Revan stopped before reaching an alleyway. Tacking several Dark Jedi in the middle of a street, regardless of how remote the planet would attract too much attention. Leaping on top of a low building, Revan hid his presence as well as he could, casting a glance towards Bastila. The Jedi turned back and nearly jumped when Canderous appeared before him, clad in his battle armor and grinning widely.

"Looks like this planet isn't as worthless as I thought!"

Canderous whispered, causing Revan to smirk. Making a hand signal to circle around to the other side, Revan fastened his lightsaber to his belt and looked down to the gathered Sith assassins.

"Unprofessional..."

Revan noted as he eyed the assassins and their equipment.

"Apparently whoever took Kreia's place isn't doing as well training their assassins."

Revan's smirk turned to a frown, his mind pondering his old Master's fate. Shaking off the thoughts, Revan drew a short vibroblade from his cloak and eyed the three Dark Jedi for a moment. Turning no Canderous, Revan motioned to the larger of the assassins and gave Canderous his signal to attack. Leaping from the rooftop, the two Mandalorians landed almost silently behind their quarry. Canderous moved swiftly, wrapping an armored arm around his target and driving his vibroblade into the base of the burly assassin's neck. At the same moment, Revan grasped the top of his target's head, jamming his blade into the assassin's throat, reversing the tables on the Sith assassins.

The last assassin frantically reached for his weapons, drawing a crimson-bladed saberstaff. Revan and Canderous approached from the assassin's left and right. Smirking, the two Mandalorians advanced, the Sith making the mistake of lunging for Revan. His Jedi instincts acting instantly, Revan sidestepped the double-bladed staff and tripped the Sith as he rushed past, throwing his hand back and delivering a fatal stab in the Sith's heart through his back. The Sith's staff dropped with a clatter as it hissed to silence and the Sith gave a pained cry before his life was extinguished.

"Not bad."

Canderous gave an approving nod to Revan as he raided the dead assassin's bodies for anything valuable or useful. Lifting a datapad, the Mandalorian scowled as he read the contents and tossed it to the younger warrior. Revan caught the datapad effortlessly and scowled as well.

"Looks like your friend knows what to expect."

Revan nodded grimly as he wiped the datapad and tossed it to the sand, crushing it beneath his obsidian boots. Canderous looted what he wanted and piled the three corpses in a corner of the alley, covering them with their discarded cloaks.

"This looks like a small scouting group, Sith assassins usually work in four groups of three. We can expect Malak to sent at least this many to each of the Starmap worlds."

Canderous nodded as he tested one of the Sith blaster's balance before scoffing and tossing it in a satchel.

"Makes sense. Malak may not be a tactical genius but he's no fool."

Revan gave his agreement and made his way back to Bastila and Mission. Surprise was etched in Revan's features as he approached his companions. Juhani and Carth were present and three other Dark Jedi lay on the floor lifeless. Bastila and the others appeared unharmed.

"Where have you been?"

Canderous pulled the Sith assassin pistol from his bag and Revan held up the saberstaff. Bastila looked around for a moment in worry before she noticed the area was relatively abandoned. No one had seen them or those that had were long gone.

"We should move these bodies out of the way."

Carth suggested. The others agreed and quickly drug the bodies to where Revan and Canderous had hid their would be assassins.

"We're going to have to find a way to communicate with the Sandpeople if we don't want to fight through an army."

Revan muttered, knowing that the tens of thousands of Sandpeople hiding in the Dune sea were not exactly favorable odds. Canderous as always seemed insulted by the thought that he needed to avoid anything. Carth agreed but questioned where or how they would be able to communicate with the Sandpeople after questioning why and receiving a kick in the shin from Mission.

"There were workers at the docks speaking of an Ithorian merchant who deals in droids. They said he is selling an advanced protocol droid that may be of help to us."

Juhani spoke as she gazed at the pile of Sith corpses, thankful she did not choose to follow the Darkside's path.

"That's a good idea. Mission, Bastila and I are going to check out the cantina. Why don't you lay low around the gamblers, see if you can hear anything useful."

Beaming at the thought of a secret mission from the former Dark Lord, Mission nodded happily and sped away towards the cantina.

"I'll keep an eye on blue."

Canderous muttered darkly, stalking after the Twilek at a reasonable distance. Carth grumbled something about his heavy orange leather coat not being a good choice in the desert heat. Revan and the others resisted the urge to add anything else.

The Cantina was a bad idea, Revan decided as he and Bastila stepped out. Bastila was close to pulling her own hair out and strangling her own mother. The former Dark Lord of the Sith glanced at his companion with sadness. Finding out that her father was dead after nearly two decades of service to the Jedi Order seemed to be tearing at the young woman. Laying a hand gently on Bastila's shoulder, Revan said nothing. He could not say it would be alright, he knew it was a lie. The pain of a loved one's death stayed, though it eventually hid itself it would surface at times and leave you with nearly overwhelming sorrow. Bastila accepted the comfort, through said nothing. The mixture of devastation and anger was enough to cause the Padawan to question some of her choices in life, such as joining the Jedi Order. Cantina quick glance at Revan's concerned face, Bastila's sorrow multiplied.

"I've lost too much already..."

Sighing heavily, Bastila seated herself on a crate and buried her face in her hands while Revan stood awkwardly next to her. The temptation to just wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was causing the former Sith to tremble with anger and guilt. In the end, Revan knew it would not be fair to give Bastila that much to think about. He knew he had to bide his time and show her he was still the man he had been when their friendship had seemed to hold no end, when all that mattered was the smile on the other's face and the warm embrace of their eyes.

Clenching his fists in anger, Revan sensed Bastila growing weary. The stress and pain of her mother's message was exhausting her. The fact that she was in the company of a phantom of her past and was being sought by one of the most evil forces in the galaxy would not help that. Gently, Revan reached down and lifted a confused Bastila from the ground, carrying her despite her protests towards the Ebon Hawk.

"Its been enough for one day."

Revan said softly. Bastila frowned at that.

"We still have a mission. A duty to the Jedi and the Republic..."

The Padawan protested. Revan held Bastila gently for a moment and gazed into her shining azure eyes.

"Enough for today."

Revan stated firmly. Knowing that going into the Dune sea at midday exhausted was a death sentence, Bastila reluctantly relented, allowing the warmth of Revan and his strange yet flattering gesture comfort her shot nerves. No amount of Jedi training had prepared her for the news of her father's death. Beneath the anger and sadness there was something else that the Padawan saw within her. Shame. She was ashamed of the way she had snapped at her own mother. She may not have had the best relationship with her mother but she was all the family she had left and her mother had no one here on this desert world. Staring longingly at the man she once knew as Revan Bloodraven and now only knew as a shell of the man, the impostor Tauryn Katarn, Bastila laid her head against Revan's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Its just too much..."

Were Bastila's last thoughts before she drifted into a deep sleep, induced by Revan as he used the Force to grant peace to his cherished companion. As Revan approached the Ebon Hawk he took a moment to stare down at Bastila's sleeping form. The scowl that usually adorned her beautiful features was gone, replaced by a content half-smile. Revan felt a smile pulling at his lips but remained stoic, not wanting to enjoy the moment at Bastila's expense. Making his way into the Ebon Hawk, Revan motioned to Juhani and Zalbaar to be quiet as he laid Bastila in her bunk and situated her comfortably.

Returning to the common area of the Hawk, Revan explained what had happened to a sympathetic Juhani and a solemn Zalbaar. Carth entered several minutes later, hearing what had happened involving Bastila's family and nodding his understanding. Revan had gained a lot of respect for the Republic commander when he saw the sympathy and the silence he offered as reply. There really was nothing to say and Carth knew it.

"I'm going back out to see if I can find this Ithorian."

The others agreed quietly and returned to their duties on the Ebon Hawk while Revan commed Mission and Canderous to meet him near the Cantina. Canderous seemed to be enjoying the young Twilek girl's antics as she swindled the other Pazzak players and earned a generous amount of credits.

The Ithorian, Yuka Laka turned out to be more helpful than Revan wanted to admit. The Ithorian was a novice when it came to repairing droids and when his eyes fell on the rust colored HK droid he nearly had a heart attack. Annoyed at HK-47's state of repair, or lack thereof; Revan managed to convince the incompetent Ithorian to sell him the droid for twenty-five hundred credits. After purchasing the necessary supplies needed to at least give his beloved demon droid an acceptable defensive and offensive abilities. Explaining what the droid was used for to a curious Mission and Canderous, Revan administered the repairs in a nearby alleyway and soon had HK fully operational aside from his assassination protocols, which Revan knew could only be repaired once the droid returned to its original master.

Smirking, Revan activated the rust-colored assassin droid and spoke.

"Voiceprint activation: Revan Bloodraven. Passcode: Star Forge. Secondary security bypass: Trayus Core. Activate memory regeneration sequence."

HK's orange eyes brightened to a crimson as the protocol droid's head swivelled and took in its surroundings.

"Apology: I apologize for my condition, Master. The incompetent meatbag Ithorian, Yuka Laka was barely able to keep my processors active."

Revan chuckled and shook his head.

"No apology is needed my friend."

HK tilted its head towards Mission and Canderous before looking back to Revan.

"Don't kill anything unless I say so."

Revan warned, pointing a finger in the assassin droid's chassis. HK actually appeared disappointed.

"Reluctant Acknowledgment: Very well Master."

Canderous raised and eyebrow at the droid's strange behavior but shrugged, turning towards the gates.

"We're wasting daylight. Going out at night would be foolish, even for us."

Revan nodded.

"We should be able to make it to the Sandpeople's enclave. We shouldn't be able to miss it."

Revan and his three companions quickly made their way to the gates, passing easily thanks to the Czerka hunting license. Outside, Revan spoke briefly with a sadistic woman who apparently was planning to murder her husband. Not really caring, Revan wished her luck and made his way into the desert, wondering after an hour's walk why he didn't rent a speeder. Using the Force to conceal he and his companions, Revan was able to deceive the Sandpeople long enough to walk right into their camp.

A very angry guard greeted them, Revan cautioned the others over HK's hopeful sadistic rambling to not attack. Canderous looked annoyed and Mission looked terrified. Palming his lightsaber with one hand, Revan held another out placatingly as he ordered HK to tell the Sandpeople they were no threat. A string of unintelligible roars and bellows sounded through HK's audio receptors. Still angry, the Tusken called back in the same unintelligible gibberish.

HK turned to Revan.

"Query: Do you wish to continue with this pacifism or would you prefer I blast the sand meatbags, Master?"

The homicidal droid asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. Revan considered for a moment. Killing all the Sandpeople would be risky and even though he held no love for them, he held no malice for them either.

"Let them make the first move."

Revan cautioned. Knowing that fighting on the enemy's homeground was not a wise decision without preparation, Canderous agreed. Mission said nothing, looking around herself warily. The Sandpeople's chieftain was surprisingly fair. Revan had never considered that the primitives would actually have a code of honor. Agreeing to the chieftain's terms, Revan was able to peacefully secure the release of a group of captives.

Griff. Yea, Revan began to seriously regret not just heading to the Starmap, getting the coordinates and leaving the sandball. The Jawas were the only thing keeping Revan from burning the Sandpeople village in spite. Griff was worthless, Revan knew that the moment he laid eyes on him but it was not the man's worth that caused Revan to instantly hate him, it was how he treated Mission.

"You're hitting me up for credits?"

Mission asked incredulously as Griff pleaded with his little sister moments after telling her he had left her behind on Taris. Mission turned away, not wanting to deal with Griff and sped around the corner, leaving Griff in the company of a Mandalorian mercenary, a homicidal assassin droid and the former Dark Lord of the Sith.

"Query: Might I kill this meatbag, Master?"

HK asked with a hopeful tone. Revan turned to Canderous, ignoring the horror on Griff's face.

"Its tempting."
Canderous offered, smirking darkly as he hefted his heavy repeating blaster. Revan considered for a moment.

"No, Mission wouldn't like that."

Revan replied after a moment's pause. Griff laughed nervously, thinking it had been a joke and asking Revan if he could borrow some credits. Reaching out, Revan grasped one of Griff's lekku and crushed it in his gloved hand as the Twilek cried out in pain.

"Never ask me for anything again, scum."

Revan spat, releasing the Twilek.

"If you do I'll rip both your headtails out."

Terrified and in pain, Griff nodded quickly and ran away.

"I like your style."

Canderous commented proudly. Revan sighed and sought out Mission, finding her outside the Sandpeople enclave, crying. Laying a hand gently on the Twilek girl's shoulder, Revan offered his support. Mission quickly wiped her eyes and stood, sniffing.

"No, lets just get out of here."

The girl sighed, Revan nodded sympathetically, surprised by the young woman's strength. Making their way through the desert, Revan sighed turning to the Twilek scum stalking their trail towards Anchorhead. Apparently Griff didn't know the way back. Sighing, Revan turned back to Anchorhead and increased his pace.

"It wouldn't be my fault if a Tusken or a Wraid picked him off on the way back..."

Smirking at the though, Revan reached out with the Force and sensed Bastila stirring.

"HK, don't mention any information about my... previous career."

HK acknowledged, understanding his Master's need to keep his identity secret.

The Ebon Hawk was as he left it aside from the slightly fuming Padawan standing at the top of the ramp with her hands on her hips. Revan winced, knowing all too well the glare Bastila was casting him meant.

"Tauryn Katarn, where have you been?"

Bastila asked in an emotionless tone. Revan sighed, explaining to Bastila his arrangement with the Sandpeople and how the search for Mission's brother had turned out. More annoyed at the fact that she had missed an entire days work than angry at Revan, Bastila silently returned to her quarters, spending the better part of the night meditating on what to do about her mother. Late into the night the Padawan still had no answers and made her way silently to Revan's quarters. Bastila was not surprised to see Revan awake in the garage section of the Hawk. The man she had known had been a chronic insomniac and she had rarely seen Revan unconscious by choice.

Bastila furrowed her brow in confusion as she saw a rust-colored droid. Revan was expertly going over the internal organs of the droid, replacing and repairing years worth of neglect and damage. The man was so focused on his task that he did not sense Bastila until she laid a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump and spin, capturing Bastila's wrist in a firm grip. Bastila felt her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she released a startled gasp. Revan slowly released Bastila's wrist and mumbled an apology as he turned back to his assassin droid. Through the night, Bastila spoke to Revan of her relationship with her family and mentioned the loss of a close friend in the last battle of the Mandalorian wars. She had never said the man, who Revan had assessed was himself, had died. She merely said that he had lost himself. Something Revan had to agree with. It was strange how intelligent and strong Bastila could be, yet how much she needed something to fill a missing piece of herself.

Dawn on the desert-world had HK fully assembled through still powered down and Bastila and Revan engaged in a very serious conversation over what she would do about her mother and her father's holocron, if it was discovered of course.

"Look at it this way... Do you really need the holocron?"

Revan asked. Bastila frowned and looked down.

"Well I would like to have something to remember father by but... but I-"

Bastila stopped, Sighing heavily.

"I should be past this, my training... I should be well past such pettiness."

Revan shook his head.

"It would be hard for anyone to control such strong feelings... I lost both my parents when I was very young... It was hard and it still hurts to think about it. I- I really had nothing to remember them by except my own memories and it was enough for me. I want to remember who they were and what they represented to me, I wouldn't need a dairy or anything it would feel like I was invading their privacy... I don't think I would want to remember them that way..."

Bastila nodded, staring at Revan before she stood and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him.

"Thank you. I think I know what I have to do."

With that, Bastila made her way from the Ebon Hawk, towards where her mother was staying when not in the Cantina.

Revan finished checking HK for damage and activated the assassin droid, pleased that the night had been so kind to he and Bastila. His efforts on the assassin droid had paid off and HK was functioning almost as well as he had when he was the Dark Lord.

Making his way to a nearby merchant to purchase a new, more powerful weapon for HK, Revan's eyes fell on a battered but still functional double-sword. Entranced by the poorly kept weapon, Revan asked the alien merchant if he could see the weapon and ran his hand along the strangely familiar hilt. Brushing his thumb on the center of the handle, Revan noticed a small circular device embedded in the hilt.

"Yusanis..."

There, engraved in the hilt was the name of the man he had once called a friend. The man he had threatened and murdered. How the famed weapon had made it all the way from Coruscant to Tatooine, Revan did not know, or care to know. Paying the merchant the asked price, Revan purchased a repeating blaster and some tools to help him repair the battered Echani weapon.

By the time Tatooine's twin suns were directly overhead, obscuring all shadows, Revan had ceased his work on Yusanis' Brand and had stopped by multiple merchants in search of moisture vaporizers. Ironically it was the trader at the Czerka office that supplied Revan with the moisture vaporizers. Making his way with HK-47 to the Sandpeople Enclave, Revan gave the surprised Tuskens their vaporizers and spoke of the history of their people, intrigued by their lives. The Sandpeople were at first reluctant to speak to Revan of their culture until a rogue Krayt Dragon managed to find its way to their Enclave and killed several of their warriors. Revan had acted instantly, leaping high into the air with his azure and ruby saber ignited. The Jedi had dropped onto the creature's back and rushed to its head, driving both sabers on opposite ends as he used the Force to stabilize himself against the beast's thrashing.

The Sandpeople had been shocked at the spectacle and had praised Revan with roars of approval. Revan had honored his deal and had given the sacred Krayt Dragon pearls to the Sandpeople, leaving the body for the nomadic Tuskens to prepare. No doubt the gargantuan creature would provide the Sandpeople with enough food to last them through the coming dry season.

With the map the Sandpeople had given him, Revan was able to pinpoint the location of the Starmap and the cavern that held its secrets. Returning to the Ebon Hawk, Revan grew worried when he did not see Bastila. Carth had eased Revan's worry, saying Bastila had decided to spend the day with her mother. Revan nodded, sealing himself in the garage section of the Ebon Hawk as he worked over the workbench on the Echani weapon he had by some twist of fate been reunited with.

The night passed without notice to the Mandalorian Jedi as he worked diligently on the weapon. The pillaging of Yusanis' body had been one of many consequences of his fall that he was ashamed of. Keeping Yusanis' cherished weapon maintained and returning it to his family was the only thing Revan could do. A gesture of respect to the Echani General's children for the so called second chance they had convinced Atris to offered him.

Carth had received a communication that night from the Republic war Council. The Sith had pulled back on all fronts and were staging their vessels at some unknown location for a strike. There was little to go by, but one prisoner had claimed that the Jedi would suffer greatly for their foolish belief in the lightside. The Republic had permanently silenced the young Dark Jedi, sending his soul into the oblivion the Darkside offered upon death.

Bastila returned in the morning, tired but no longer questioning herself. Revan found the chance pleasing, knowing that Bastila and her mother had somehow resolved the silent and not to silent tension that existed between the two. Showing his findings to Bastila and the others, everyone agreed that taking the Ebon Hawk near the entrance to the cavern would be a good idea.
All the Ebon Hawk's crew slept peacefully that night with the exception of the ever vigilant droids and Revan. Revan had chosen to finish polishing Yusanis' Brand. When he had the time, Revan would present the weapon to Yusanis' children. A token of his respect for them.

Morning came all too soon for Revan and the former Dark Lord sealed the Echani weapon away once more, making his way to the cockpit and directing Carth to where he sensed the Starmap's dark aura. Identifying several landmarks from the air, the Ebon Hawk landed near a vast cavern and its crew filed outside, staring into the dark gaping maw of the cave.

"I sense a massive presence within..."

Juhani spoke as she opened her yellow eyes. Revan reached out with the Force, sensing the massive presence of a Krayt Dragon and beyond it the remnants of pain and death. Bastila too reached out and felt the blood drain from her face. Within the cavern she could sense the faint traces of her father and she knew that within was the creature that had killed him.

Canderous seemed overly alert, his eyes scanning the distant dunes. Soon the sound of a speeder's engines reached Revan's ears.

"Well look who it is!"

Canderous exclaimed with a sadistic grin. Calo Nord and around a dozen thugs on swoop bikes appeared on the horizon.

"Everyone get to the Hawk. Canderous load up my swoop bike."

Canderous nodded quickly, rushing up the Ebon Hawk's ramp and lowering the modified swoop as Carth fired the ship's engines. Revan leapt onto the swoop as the Ebon Hawk lifted skyward. The former Dark Lord was surprised when he felt a small hand wrap around his waist and Bastila speak softly into his ear to go. The swoop tore away in a blur over the sands of the Dune sea. Revan piloted the craft expertly as he swerved to avoid the incoming hail of blasterfire from Calo's gang. Bastila removed her lightsaber and held it with one end active as she leaned to the side, holding to Revan for support.

Together, the two Jedi sped through Calo's thugs, Bastila's golden blade slicing into the enemy's swoop bikes and sending them crashing into the sands in brilliant explosions. The Ebon Hawk flew overhead, its ventral turret raining crimson death onto the Bounty Hunter and his allies.

Within a half hour, only Calo remained. His companions either dead or wounded. The Ebon Hawk hovered in the air as Revan brought his swoop to a halt before Calo's speeder. The stocky Bounty Hunter immediately powered his shields as he glared at the Jedi. Revan pulled his azure saber and activated its deadly beam as Bastila remained near the swoop bike, scanning for other threats.

"I know who you are and I came prepared!"

Calo stated confidently. Revan bowed his head once to the Bounty Hunter and rushed forward, his azure saber deflecting the deadly orange blaster bolts into the sands and back to the Bounty Hunter. Calo seemed surprised but held his ground, backing slowly as he dropped one of his heavy blasters to the ground and pulled a thermal detonator. Throwing the deadly sphere towards the attacking Jedi, Calo watched with a mixture of respect and fear as the device halted in midair and went sailing back towards him.

A bright firestorm erupted, causing the sand to turn to glass as Calo and Revan both tried to leap clear of the explosion. The Force protecting Revan from the deadly inferno and Calo's shield losing its charge form the blast, the two faced each other as smoke billowed from the small crater. Revan prepared to strike, only to see that the noise and the smell of fresh blood and burnt flesh had attracted an unwanted guest. Seeing that Revan was no longer staring at him, Calo chanced a glance behind him and cried out in horror as a gigantic mouth closed around him. In an instant, the deadly hunter's life was over.

The Krayt dragon chewed on Calo's remains for a moment before swallowing and roaring as it charged Revan. Revan shouted to Bastila, relieved to see that the Padawan had already gotten onto the swoop bike and was lining the swoop's blasters on the massive reptile. Red blasterbolts tore into the gigantic creature from all sides, surprising Revan and his companions. Turning, Revan saw a horde of Sandpeople standing around the dunes firing on the great beast. Calling to the others to hold their fire, Revan watched as the beast roared in pain and anger before it fell to the ground, shaking the sands with its death.

The Sandpeople chieftain gave Revan a respectful bow and spoke a phrase before he and his warriors vanished into the sands. Nearby a Twilek hunter stared down from a cliff's ridge at the spectacle and smiled. Koma had respected the power of the Krayt Dragons and the one he had been sent to kill had died honorably in a battle. Returning to his speeder, the hunter turned back to Anchorhead to sell the mines he had purchased to destroy the threat of the Krayt Dragon.

The Ebon Hawk again set down in the Tatooine sands and the crew curiously approached Revan. Revan shrugged, not knowing what the Sandpeople chieftain had said to him until HK translated.

"Returning the honor, warrior."

Revan allowed himself a moment to bask in the battlefield before he, Juhani and Bastila entered the dark cave, heading to the beacon of light that lay at the end.

Author's Note: I apologize for the like two weeks delay in this chapter. As you can see its about twise as long as most of the others. (With the exception of Chapters 1 and 2) I hope you all enjoyed my take on Tatooine and I assure you that the next chapter will be up a lot sooner than this one was. Thank you all again for reading.

SLDR