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Chapter 25: The Edge

Death was all that Carth had seen since leaving the Leviathan's brig. Tauryn had gone on a rampage more suited to a Sith Lord than a Jedi Padawan but he didn't mind, didn't care as he ransacked a downed Sith's bandolier and replaced his spent blaster pack. The Jedi was nowhere to be seen but his trail of destruction was more than easy to follow. Bastila eyed the bodies warily. The face on some looked as though they were cowering or begging and it did not sit well with her. Neither had the darkness she sensed welling in Revan as soon as they escaped the Force cages. She had wondered briefly about the words he had spoken so quietly to Karath while she drifted between consciousness and the fear that crossed Karath's face as he brought his hand to his throat. Only the intervention of a guard saved the admiral's life, and Karath had ordered something before leaving. Something she wished she knew.

Carth had spoken briefly to her about Tauryn's, Revan's behavior and even brought up her own. She bowed her head a moment, ashamed. Revan had made it clear on Coruscant before he had fallen that he didn't want to jeopardize her position with the Jedi despite their feelings. When the question had again come up after Manaan, there was no doubt in her mind that she had crossed the line, kissing him as she had. She needed him there, the feelings of dread following Bandon's arrival on Manaan as well as the lingering darkness that seemed to be on the edge of her senses that she now knew was the destruction of Dantooine. She needed him more than ever and he had not resisted.

Bastila sighed as she brushed some sweat from her brow. Revan was not the danger, she was. His response to her had been all she needed to know, he was fighting the Sith for her. Not for his redemption, and she would give anything for him to see that it was not about her, but for the Jedi, for the Republic and the greater good. Gazing sadly down at the twisted and terrified expression on a savagely mangled Dark Jedi, she knew now that Revan would always linger in the darkness and would never truly return to the Jedi.

"Do you see that?"
Carth asked, disbelief in his voice as he looked down the corridor to see Revan slicing his way through a dozen armored Sith troopers while four Dark Jedi, their crimson and violet blades still active fled in terror. The seemingly hundreds of blasterbolts passed by Revan, connecting with the bulkhead while the former Sith Lord decapitated one of the offending Sith and sliced another cleanly in two. Bastila felt herself growing nauseous as she saw a cloud of blood spray Revan as he tore his blade into another Sith's chest.

The fleeing Sith screamed as invisible hands grasped them and threw them with blinding speed and fatal force into the bulkheads, crushing bones and twisting flesh.

Then the laugh, cold and insane sounded, causing Bastila and Carth to pause, horror on their faces.

"Now you know the price of betrayal."

Revan's voice sounded in a manner Bastila had never heard it speak before.

"Tauryn!"

Bastila shouted down the corridor. Revan's head snapped to her, eyes glowing gold as he approached swiftly, slowing and tilting his head in acknowledgment.

"Yes?"

Revan asked, his voice regaining some of its natural sound. Bastila glanced nervously to Carth before looking back to Revan. There was something about him that didn't seem right. The aura around him was tense with something she could not place and he was sweating profusely. While the man had exerted himself to nearly the extent of a human body, Revan's substantial power in the Force should have made this less taxing on him. Bastila eyed his pale pallor with fear as she saw his eyes lose their glow. The eyes were glazed with something she couldn't tell. A mixture of pain and rage. Many said staring into the red-rimmed golden pallor of a Sith's eyes was like staring directly into malice, but Bastila knew now that those eyes held nothing. Staring into the eyes of a Sith was like staring into the cold endless nothingness of oblivion.

"You should rest, let Carth and I lead for the time being."
"No."

Revan protested, his voice heavy with exhaustion and pain. Bastila reached into the bond she and Revan shared and sensed it then. Pain. The Padawan nearly fell to the ground as it struck her full Force. Revan grasped her to prevent her fall while Carth asked if she were alright.

"No, I think I better lead, watch her Carth."

Revan responded quickly as Bastila tried to steady her breathing and the pain that racked her brain as she eased from the bond she and Revan shared.

"Force..."

She muttered weakly, struggling to resist the urge to gag at the sheer amount of pain.

"How can he stand THAT?"

Blinking pained tears from her eyes, Bastila looked up into Carth's concerned eyes and suddenly became aware of the lack of Revan's presence.

"Where is he?"

She asked, alarmed. Carth nodded in the direction Revan had gone.

"Just sit here a moment. He'll clear the area then we can get you a stim or-"

"Its not me!"

Bastila screamed into Carth's face.

"Force, Admiral Karath must have poisoned him. It is from him, Carth. I sensed that pain, that sickness from Tauryn."

Carth's eyes widened a moment as he looked to where Revan had gone.

"Are you alright?"

He asked, Bastila nodded. Carth quickly took off in the direction Revan had gone, while Bastila leaned heavily against the wall, trying to purge the pain from her mind as she followed slowly.

"Tauryn!"

Carth shouted as he caught sight of the man's black cloak. Revan turned, eyeing Carth critically and looking past him to see if Bastila followed.

"You left her alone?"

He asked, anger lacing his voice.

"You're not well, we have to get you an antidote."

Revan laughed, shaking his head as he brushed his cloak's sleeve across his forehead and shuddered. A smear of blood remained unnoticed on his forehead from his blood soaked cloak. As Carth closed the distance he noticed with alarm that the blood vessels in Revan's eyes were ruptured and the whites of his eyes were not visible beneath the red of his blood.

"Sithspit, Tauryn."

Carth cursed as he glanced back to see Bastila coming around the corridor.

"We need to get there fast, Carth. Its working its way through my system and I can't fight it much longer. Go, now."

Carth nodded his understanding. They had to get to the bridge and unlock the hangar doors as quickly as possible. It would probably take days to purge the poison from Tauryn's system and that was time they didn't have. Revan ignored the crippling pain that shot through him, closing his eyes tightly a moment before turning and taking off in a sprint towards the Leviathan's bridge. Behind he could hear Bastila screaming at Carth but didn't care. Malak was near and he knew the others would have to be united to defeat him without his help.

Admiral Karath listened to the panicked chatter between troopers and dying screams over the comm station. For nearly a half hour, Revan and the Ebon Hawk's crew were rampaging through the Leviathan, killing everything that came across them. Ordering most of the troops to guard the halls to the bridge had been a mistake when one of Revan's companions, a young blue Twilek girl had hacked into the Leviathan's computer and decompressed the entire command deck save for the bridge. The remainder of the Leviathan's crew were relatively inexperienced and too small to stand in Revan's way.

"Though they tried..."

Karath sighed, eyeing the pistol in his holster. If it came down to it, better to die his own way that the way Revan had planned, had told him about.

No sooner than these thoughts had passed through Karath's mind did the doors to the bridge open to reveal a sight he couldn't believe. Revan was still standing, though Karath could see the poison he had injected into the Jedi's system was working.

"He shouldn't even be able to breath..."

Karath frowned as he pondered the implications.
"Kill him."

He ordered, backing to the front of the bridge behind his guards and the Leviathan's crew. Behind Revan, two other forms approached, one grasping a golden lightsaber and the other twin blaster pistols.

"Ah, Carth. So good of you to join me. I take it you had some part in this?"

Carth resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Karath's arrogant statement.

"I'm coming for you, Saul."

Carth roared as he charged into the bridge, firing at the Sith troopers to his sides while Revan and Bastila deflected the incoming fire and moved against the three Dark Jedi guarding Karath. Karath's eyes widened as Revan effortlessly killed two of the Dark Jedi Masters and moved for him, the promise of a slow death in his eyes. Activating his shield, Karath was shocked when a blaster bolt struck him in his stomach before he could activate the switch. Revan halted, taking the time to deflect a blaster bolt back to a Sith trooper.

Carth smirked as he saw his blaster bolt strike Karath in his stomach. Turning, the Republic Commander fired into a nearby Sith's helmet as the trooper advanced with a vibroblade. A scream and one last shot took care of the final guard and Carth stalked past Revan to stand over Admiral Karath.

"Now you're going to pay for what you've done."

Carth promised. Revan coughed violently into his gloved hand, his eyes lingering on the blood he saw on them before looking back to Carth.

"I would say go on and take your time but we don't have all day. Shoot him again, leave him or take him along and have fun later-"

"That is NOT the way of the Jedi!"

Bastila snapped, eyeing Revan with a mixture of concern and anger.

"Do you think I care what the Jedi think?"

Carth heard Revan whisper to Bastila.

"Go on, Tauryn. I'll be along in a moment."

Carth called back as he saw Bastila deactivate the seal on the hangar bay. In intense pain, Admiral Karath looked disbelievingly between Revan and Carth before he called to Carth.

"Carth... Carth, listen to me..."

Bastila seemed to pale as she made the connection and Revan had already begun making his way across the bridge, shouting a curse to a squad of Sith troopers that rushed towards him.

"That is not this Tauryn you speak of, Carth. Didn't the Jedi tell you? That is Darth Revan. Their little pet and they are going to use him to destroy Malak and then the Senate."

Karath whispered. Carth glared at him hatefully as Karath laughed.

"You- You didn't know that, did you?"

Karath coughed as his body convulsed and fell still.

"No! Damn you Saul, no!"

Carth roared into the deceased Admiral's face. All the memories he held of Tauryn, the red lightsaber, the black robes, how the Jedi had commented again and again on his phenomenal progress in training. It all was too convenient for the Jedi not to have planned it.

"Dammit you knew about this didn't you, Bastila? You and the entire damned Jedi Council."

Bastila gazed at Carth imploringly, begging him to listen.

"Carth, don't. Please. He isn't the same... He isn't evil, Carth."

Carth gave an exasperated look as he shouted into Bastila's face.

"Isn't evil? He betrayed the Republic and turned on us and has singlehandedly been responsible for more innocent deaths in the galaxy since Exar Kun and you are telling me that monster isn't evil?"

Bastila listened to the screams of the dying Sith troopers outside and shot Carth a glare.

"Listen, Carth. I only found out on Manaan. He's been keeping it a secret. The Jedi tried to reprogram his mind but apparently he broke that barrier. Whatever his aims are now, he has had plenty of opportunities to murder us both in our sleep and take control of the Sith. His very existence could undermine Malak's hold on the Sith but if you kill him, here, now. Malak will win and the Republic will fall."

Carth listened, seeing the passion in Bastila's eyes and knew she was telling the truth. Dejectedly, he sighed and shook his head, his mind racing.

"Fine, alright. We'll wait until we get to the Hawk but the others have a right to know and I expect some answers."

"The others already knew..."

Bastila replied quietly, earning an astonished look from Carth.

"You and I, Lady are going to have a nice long talk after this. Make that everyone."

Carth threw his hands up in disgust, kicking Admiral Karath's corpse in the side to release his rage and stormed from the bridge, joining the fray. Bastila hung her head for a moment, feeling very tired suddenly before she shook her mind clear of her thoughts and joined Revan and Carth as they fought their way through the Leviathan.

"Just beyond these doors."

Revan grunted as his body trembled. Bastila pulled the sleeve of his tunic up, injecting him with an antitoxin they had found along the way. Revan nodded his thanks before removing his heavy cloak. He knew that all this had been a little too easy and that despite the antitoxin, the poison was still burning in his veins. Bastila pulled her glove off and held her hand to Revan's forehead, frowning.

"The fever has broken but... you're cold..."

Bastila's frown deepened.

"Too cold..."

Staring into Revan's pale features she felt something pulling in her chest that hurt. It felt almost like it had when she had heard of her father's death but this was different. Revan offered a small grin before his eyes rolled back into his head and he dropped to his knees, falling into Bastila's arms as she laid him on his back and frantically checked his pulse.

"Force, Carth, help me!"

Carth snorted, looking through the windows at the Ebon Hawk.

"Why?"

The Republic Commander muttered bitterly, spitting on the floor as if the very thought of helping Revan was a curse.

"Because-"

"Because he was your only hope."

Darth Malak's mechanical voice announced with glee. Carth turned pale before anger won over his fear and he turned, raising his blasters and firing.

"Down you go!"

Carth shouted, spraying the Sith Lord with as many blasterbolts as he could. Bastila cursed, looking between Revan and Carth as he was thrown into a bulkhead and Malak laughed gleefully.

"Oh this is too much! I come here expecting to be forced into a duel with my former Master and here my enemies have been delivered into my own hands! I will never doubt the Force again!"

Malak watched impassively as Carth glared at him and struggled to his feet, throwing his blasters into his holsters and priming a thermal detonator.
"Go to Hell!"

Carth spat, throwing the grenade towards Malak. Malak gave a mechanical sigh as he waved his hand, shattering the deadly explosive before it could detonate. The metallic fragments of the detonator dropped to the deck with a clatter as Malak moved his hand and Carth began choking.
"This isn't over, Malak!"

Bastila hissed, throwing her active saberstaff into the Sith Lord's direction. Malak's eyes widened in surprise as he dodged the attack, followed quickly by a counterattack as the blade danced around him in a deadly whirlwind. Bastila took the lightsaber from Revan's hand, trying her best to control the movements of her saberstaff as Malak hastily blocked the deadly weapon. Bastila depressed the switch to Revan's saber, shouting to Carth as she lunged for Malak.

"Get him out of here!"

Carth gasped for breath, nodding as he discovered how outmatched he was. Rushing to Revan's side the pilot lifted the fallen Jedi and quickly made his way down the corridors while Bastila struggled with Malak.

Reaching the Ebon Hawk, Carth threw Revan on the landing ramp, shouting for the others to help as he turned to make his way back for Bastila. The alarms in the hangar sounded as the doors sealed and the entire hangar began to decompress. Carth cursed, dragging Revan up the ramp and sealing the Ebon Hawk as he dropped to the floor with a weary and pained sigh. Reaching a hand to his side, Carth winced as pain blossomed where his hand hovered.

"Get us out of here!"

Carth ordered, his eyes lowering to Revan. In that instant he knew he couldn't hate Revan. The man beside him had proven himself already and had nearly died to get he and Bastila to the Ebon Hawk. Had Revan been conscious, Carth had no doubt who the victor would have been. Cursing Saul Karath once more, Carth struggled to his feet, panting heavily as he felt himself growing lightheaded.

Mission hurried to the landing ramp, worry etched in her features as she caught sight of Revan and Carth.

"What happe-"

"He's been poisoned, get him to Jol..."

Carth collapsed with a pained grunt as his vision when completely dark. Mission rushed to his side, running a hand along his head and finding blood on the azure fingers.

"This isn't good..."

Mission gently laid Carth on the deck, lifting the soldier's shirt and wincing as she saw the dark purple bruises along his ribs.

"Jolee!"

Mission screamed. Jolee and Zalbaar rushed to the loading ramp as Canderous shouted something back to them about incoming fighters, doing his best to maneuver out of range of the Leviathan's gravity well.

The Ebon Hawk vanished into hyperspace after destroyed a small picket of Sith fighters. Juhani climbed from the gunner's station and worriedly eyed the condition of the two men in the ship's small medical bay.

"Where is Bastila?"

She asked, receiving a small sob from Mission and a grim shake of the head from Jolee.

"Carth said something about her buying them time... and that Revan was poisoned. I've done all I can to clear the poison from his blood but..."

Jolee paused, a deep frown crossing his features.

"There's something about this poison that is disrupting his hold on the Force... Its not permanent but I think it was placed there to..."

Jolee shook his head in disgust.

"Make him more cooperative for Malak."

Juhani felt herself growing enraged.

"What of Bastila?"

Jolee winced, shaking his head.

"Malak won't kill her..."

The old man cast Mission a concerned look.

"He'll probably try torturing her until she breaks..."

Jolee whispered so only Juhani could hear. Juhani lowered her head, closing her eyes and reaching deep into the Force. Revan was beyond her reach, but she could still feel a trace of Bastila.

"Don't worry, he's alright and we're coming..."

Juhani sent the message as best she could, praying to the Force that Bastila would be able to hold out until they found where Malak was taking her.

Revan awoke a day later and after hearing the news said nothing. Carth attempted to question him several times over that day while they traveled to Korriban but Revan ignored him and anyone else, staring vacantly into space as he gathered his strength and built two new sabers to replace the one Bastila had taken and the one he had destroyed The last remnants of his connection to the Jedi Order and the Sith Order were destroyed and he felt in a way relieved that he would neither be marked as Jedi or Sith in the days to come, for he knew he would come to regret what he was going to have to do over the next few days. Korriban grew closer and Revan began calculating how long it would take for Malak to reach whatever outpost he was seeking.

"It will either be Korriban or Rakata. If it if Korriban..."

Revan absently brushed his hand along his lightsaber. There was no place for honor in this war anymore. Malak had crossed the line and as soon as he saw his former friend, he was a dead man.
Two days after the escape from the Leviathan and a day after regaining consciousness, Revan felt Bastila's presence in the Force vanish from his senses. Clenching his fists, Revan eyed the console in the Ebon Hawk's cockpit.

"Twenty hours until we reach Korriban... he must be taking her to Rakata..."

Closing his eyes, Revan slowly began purging what remained of the poison from his system, grinding his hatred into a weapon he could strike Malak down with. Part of him wished he could have fought Malak on the Leviathan, but Karath's cowardice had saved that duel for another time and Revan felt doubt as to facing Malak. He knew Malak would leave Bastila alone, starving her until they reached Rakata. Then he would have her fed from his own table and then he would tie her down and fry her with lightning for several hours. That was to be expected but what Revan truly dreaded was what he would find when he arrived.

Bastila would either be dead or Malak's apprentice. The means by which Revan and Malak broke Jedi was swift. The longest any Jedi had ever held out was six days and he had died from his injures in that final session. Revan sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he breathed a curse. He could still taste his own blood and his eyes were still blurry. The poison seemed to limit his ability to heal himself and he would feel a lot better when he regained his complete abilities in the next day or two.

Leaning back heavily into the copilot's seat, Revan stared into the hyperspace stream, promising himself that he would not stop until Bastila was safe again.

Author's Note: Okay, sorry about the delay, I was otherwise occupied (Being lazy) Give me a freaking break I just broke a hundred thousand words with this chapter! Plus I was having trouble deciding whether to write the little Revan/Bastila scene on the Ebon Hawk or not. Obviously I chose to skip it and make a reference to it. I hope I didn't disappoint any die hard fans but I thought that it added to the feelings Bastila felt and was... right for how I chose to write it. I hope there is continuity here and if anyone sees a problem, please I appreciate any constructive criticism.