Admiral Forn Dodonna and Master Vandar stared intently at the tactical readout on the bridge of the Republic flagship, the Intervention. Suddenly, a red triangle flashed rapidly and blinked out of existence; a Sith capital ship had been destroyed.
"There!" Dodonna called, pointing to the hole in the Sith blockade. "A break in the Sith formations. Green Squadron, move in!"
A moment later, a mechanically-filtered voice replied over the bridge speakers, "Green Squadron moving in!"
Beyond the viewports, a dozen fighter-bomber star craft shot into the hole left open by the sinking Sith warship, juking and jinking to avoid the turbolaser blasts from the capital ships on either side of them. Every shot that missed continued on to slam into the shields or bridge of the other ship, further damaging and harassing the Sith defenders.
Space between the warships became thick with laser fire as squadrons of Sith interceptors rose to take on the intruding Republic units. But the Republic fliers reacted before the Sith could even get onto firing angles, burning them down with a mass of green laser bolts so thick that one couldn't fit a datapad through the spaces in between the bolts. Sith fighters exploded faster than they could rise to meet the attackers, unable to hold the line against them.
"Green Squadron's through! We've broken their lines!"
The attacking fighters looped up and over the system's sun, riding a trail of hot flames up into space, no longer harassed by the defenders' guns. At the top of their loop, the fighters rolled in space, coming down on two of the Sith warships with a vengeance, lasers flashing and torpedoes firing as fast as fingers could pull triggers.
"Bastila is no longer using her Battle Meditation against us!" Master Vandar's voice reported over the battlenet. "The tide has turned!"
The response was a resounding chorus of cheers from the bridge of every warship, and the cockpit of every fighter. Now with the knowledge that their enemies no longer had an unfair advantage, the brave men and women of the Republic fought even harder, burning down the Sith fighters and coring their warships with turbolaser bolts with a ferocity unmatched since the days of the Great Hyperspace War.
"Red Squadron, into the breach!"
Another wave of fighters roared into the fray, the T-shaped bomber craft of the Republic unloading salvo after salvo of devastatingly-powerful proton torpedoes into the shields of the Sith warships, overloading them in seconds. The smaller, hook-winged craft flashed in and out of dogfights, shredding Sith interceptors as though they were so much flimsiplast.
"Capital ships, reinforce their positions!"
The huge, ungainly craft that made up the muscle of the Republic's space fleet fired their engines to full acceleration, bringing them in hard and fast to trade body blows with the Sith fleet. As soon as they entered range, their massive forward mounted turbolaser cannons began pouring on the damage, smashing down weakened shields where they still existed, and burning huge holes through the armor of the ships whose shields were already down.
Inevitably, the battlefront was being pushed closer and closer to the Star Forge, as crippled Sith ships began spiraling down into the gravity well of the system's sun, the Republic ships that had been slaughtering them pushing forward, turning their guns on the next set of targets.
"The Sith fleet is in disarray. Now's our chance. Hit that Star Forge with everything we've got!"
---
The sound of half a ton of metal shrapnel slamming into the floor of the observation room did not surprise or draw the attention of Malak, who was busy studying the battle unfold around the station.
"Really, Malak," Kagi's voice called out, echoing across the empty room. "Droids? You send droids to do your dirty work for you?"
"As I recall, Revan, you also used a droid to do your dirty work as well," the Sith lord snapped back.
"Ah, you mean HK-47? Well you know, the thing about HK? He could wipe out your droid army, all by himself. All the while expressing his disgust at the meatbag's pathetic army of droids."
Malak stiffened at the use of that term, but did not reply.
"I'm so glad that HK refreshed me of that little incident," Kagi said, his voice taunting. "It's truly the only memory that I cherish from my little stint as Dark Lord of the Sith. Quite frankly, the rest of that time period can go to hell."
Finally, Malak turned his back on the observation windows, content that he had seen all he cared to see of the Republic crushing his fleet, the snubfighters systemically stripping his own ships of their interceptor defenses and shields, and the capital ships targeting their fire on the launch bays that were releasing the mass-produced Sith armada. For the Sith personnel, it was a grim sight.
The Sith lord gestured to the ruined Forge droid that Kagi had deposited on the deck between them. "Well done, Revan," he said, putting the barbs out of his mind. I was certain the defenses of the Star Forge would destroy you, but I see there is more of your old self in you than I expected."
Kagi gave his old apprentice a look that was a cross between smug and astonished as he pointed to the ruined droid. "Droid." He then pointed to himself. "Living, thinking human." He then swept both his arms out to the side, palms pointed toward the floor. "No contest."
"Yes, well, it is obvious that I underestimated you," Malak replied. "You are stronger than I thought; stronger than you ever were during your reign as Dark Lord. I did not think that was possible." The fallen Jedi stroked his metal chin with his right hand, musing. "Perhaps you sucked the power from Bastila at the same time you sapped her life force. Or perhaps, something far more sinister…"
Kagi's eyes narrowed as he pointed at his former friend. "Okay, Malak? You've always had one skill. It was the only thing you were ever good at."
"Oh?" The jawless man chuckled. "Do enlighten me."
"Pissing off the wrong people."
The Jedi's lightsaber literally leapt off of his belt into his outstretched right hand. With a brush of his thumb against the metal plate that had failed to contain Bastila, the amethyst blade ignited, beginning its downward swing toward Malak's head.
With a snap-hiss that echoed around the area, Malak's own crimson lightsaber ignited, smoothly intercepting Kagi's blow. As their sabers locked together, the Sith lord narrowed his eyes as he saw the way which the former Sith lord held his lightsaber, held his other arm, held his body.
"Juyo form, Revan?" he asked. "Quite daring, using such a form against the Dark Lord of the Sith."
Smiling menacingly, Kagi pushed to the left with all his strength, rolling their sabers over until they were both pointed toward the ground. Then, his empty left hand balled into a fist, which he sent rocketing into the side of Malak's head. The Sith lord stumbled backwards, releasing his lightsaber with his right hand to press against the pain in his temple.
"Actually, it's not Juyo," Kai replied. "It's something new I put together, just for you. It's called the Ka'rta form."
"A Mandalorian-based form?" Malak blurted. "Have you sunk so low as to use their training against me?"
The Jedi smiled, spinning his lightsaber around his hand, before sweeping both arms out wide, leaving his torso completely exposed. Daring Malak to strike. "It's working, isn't it?"
Letting out an inarticulate sound of rage, the dark lord rushed in, his glowing crimson lightsaber cutting fiery swathes through the dimly-lit air. But the patterns that Kagi's amethyst blade traced in defense against Malak's strikes were more intricate than the weave of many fine artist tapestries.
The clarity of a droid assassin, Bastila's voice whispered through the Force.
Irritated, the Sith lord leapt backwards, opening the distance between them. Lifting his left hand, Malak aimed his fingers toward Kagi like blasters, and unleashed a devastating blast of Force lightning. Much to the dark Jedi's surprise, Kagi merely lifted his lightsaber in his hand, which drew the energy bolts to its blade and negated them. The Jedi didn't even seem phased.
The Force mastery of a Jedi consular.
Genuinely surprised by Kagi's ability to block his Force lightning with so little effort, Malak charged in angrily, his blade harshly swinging for his former master's head. But to his surprise, instead of blocking the blow with his own saber, Kagi ducked under it, bending his body almost completely backwards to ensure that the blade passed well over him.
Malak struck again and again, from varying angles, but not once did the former dark lord stop the blows with his lightsaber. The Jedi twisted and contorted his body, seemingly dancing in and out between the paths of Malak's fiery blade, moving so fast that his body appeared to be blurring around the motions.
The mastery of self of a scoundrel.
Finally, Kagi struck. He leapt up into the air, spinning over a low horizontal slash from Malak, and drove both boots hard into the Sith's chest, driving the man back. The Jedi Knight flowed gracefully through the maneuver, twisting in midair to land hard on the deck, his booted feet slamming against the metal. His body was tucked low to the ground, his chest and chin nearly touching it, center of gravity perfectly balanced. He held his lightsaber in an inverted grip behind his back, the glowing blade of the weapon aimed unerringly for Malak's head.
Realizing just how potentially-lethal Kagi's new lightsaber form was, Malak turned and ran toward the nearest kolto tank, within which, a male human was suspended in the life-restoring fluid. The difference between this and the normal kolto tanks that Kagi had seen across the galaxy, was that this human was impaled by numerous wires and tubes that fed out of the rear of the machine.
"You continue to amaze me, Revan," Malak said as he reached the tank, turning to face his old master once more. "If only you had been the one to uncover the true power of the Star Forge, you might have become truly invincible."
Kagi did not reply, nor did he move from his low position. Like a serpent, the Jedi was coiled, muscles tensed, prepared to strike a fatal blow. Malak recognized this as well.
"But you were a fool," the Sith lord continued. "All you saw was an enormous factory. All you ever imagined was an infinite fleet rolling forth to crush the Republic. You were blind, Revan. Blind and stupid."
The only response from the coiled Jedi was the slow spinning of his amethyst blade in a circular pattern above him, the energy trail creating a halo form over his body. The dark lord was stalling for time; both of them knew who would be the victor this day.
"The Star Forge is more than just a space station. In some ways, it is like a living creature. It hungers. And it can feed on the dark side that is within all of us. Look around you, Revan," Malak said, gesturing to the other kolto tanks scattered about the room, nearly a dozen in all. "See the bodies? These are Jedi who fell when I attacked Dantooine. For all intents and purposes, dead, except for one difference."
Pausing for unnecessary dramatic effect, Malak waited for Kagi to venture a guess. When it became obvious that he wouldn't, the dark lord narrowed his eyes. "I have not let them become one with the Force. Instead, I have brought them here. The Star Forge corrupts what remains of their power and transfers the dark taint to me!"
To demonstrate his meaning, Malak lifted his left hand toward the kolto tank near him, drawing the life force out of the dead Jedi imprisoned within. As this happened, Kagi felt a tremendous surge in the Sith's dark side energies.
The Jedi swore. If Malak could do that a few more times, Kagi's momentum could slow to a halt, overpowered by the strength of Malak's dark side. He could not allow this to happen.
Rising up from his low stance, Kagi began to spin his lightsaber around his right hand, his left going behind his back. Malak fell for the ploy, and laughed aloud. "So, Revan, are you finally prepared to fight me man to man? Finished with your little games?"
Still spinning his blade, Kagi seemed to ponder that idea for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I still have five more tenants of the Ka'rta form to show you."
The last revolution of Kagi's lightsaber came snapping to a halt as he finished speaking, before he tensed and hurled his lightsaber skyward. From behind his back, he drew Carth's personalized blaster pistol in his left hand. Malak, stunned by this unheard of maneuver, could only stare in confusion as Kagi fired, again and again, emptying the pistol's power pack at his gyrating lightsaber.
Each bolt that he fired struck the blade of the lightsaber, refracting off it and angling back down toward the ground. Several shot toward Malak, forcing the dark lord to step back and parry the bolts with his own blade, further removing his attention from Kagi.
The rest of the bolts all homed directly on the power cables connected to the seven remaining kolto tanks that contained fallen Jedi. Malak could only watch in stunned horror as the energy bolts sheared through the cables, instantly destroying the tanks' connection to the Star Forge, their connection to him. That was his only trump card, annihilated in one fell swoop by his former master.
The precision of a soldier.
A clattering of metal against metal drew Malak's attention back to Kagi as the lightsaber fell perfectly into his former master's hand, before being twisted once and gripped in Kagi's daring, over-the-head defense stance.
"Now I'm ready to get serious, Malak," he taunted, "if you are."
And then the Jedi was on him in full, violet blade flashing in the darkness, his powerful and punishing strikes coming almost too fast for the Sith lord to defend himself against.
Malak lunged, his blade stabbing straight out, but Kagi stepped past the strike, his own lightsaber coming around to hold the jawless man's blade down. Pushing himself with the Force, Kagi leapt up, rolling over Malak's head and landing behind him.
Before the Sith Lord could turn to defend himself, Kagi had entwined his right arm around Malak's own and slammed his violet blade against Malak's angry red one, trapping their sabers together in the most literal definition of a saberlock.
The Jedi's left hand gripped Malak at the left wrist, then ripped backwards with the strength of the Ka'rta lightsaber form, slamming Malak's elbow into Kagi's own left shoulder. The joint snapped in two, accompanied by the electronic shriek of the Sith as Kagi freed his right arm, planting his boot in his former apprentice's back and shoving him away, hard.
The strength of a Wookie.
Malak spun to face the Jedi, fear showing on his face for the first time. He knew then, without a doubt, that he would not survive this encounter. But he was a Sith, and the best thing a beaten Sith could do was take their enemy down with them. Letting his broken arm hang limply at his side, Malak rushed forward, swinging his lightsaber from the right at his enemy's side.
Kagi's entire form flowed into the counter, his body twisting along with his blade as he roughly batted the crimson blade away. He pivoted on his left foot, his right leg shooting up, sheathed in the energy of the Force. Malak saw what was happening, and tried to move, but it was far too late. The Jedi's boot impacted against the Sith lord's jaw, the observation deck ringing with the impact between hardened leather and durasteel.
Then something gave.
There was the sound of metal joints tearing, flesh ripping, all drowned out by Malak's electronic scream, louder and less muffled than the previous one.
Kagi flowed the spin-kick into an entire rotation, planting his boot firmly on the deck before turning to see Malak once more. In the distance, the deck plates rang loudly as Malak's metal jaw impacted off them and rolled into a dark corner.
The Dark Lord stared in absolute horror at his former master, his right arm pressed against his lack of a jaw in a futile attempt to stop the blood flowing from the two locations where the ripping away of the metal replacement had also shredded his skin.
The power of a warrior.
Before Malak could do anything, Kagi brought up his left hand. The Dark Jedi felt a powerful, invisible hand seizing his body, lifting him up into the air and hammering him back into one of the ruined kolto tanks.
Stars exploded before the Sith lord's vision as his head shattered the glass casing of the tank. Even so, he could not break the confusion that wracked him at the knowledge that Kagi had been the first one in decades to successfully manipulate his body with the Force. He had trained for years to prevent just such a thing from occurring.
The wisdom of a Jedi sentinel, Bastila's voice whispered into his mind, answering his doubts.
Before him, Kagi paused, temporarily lowering his lightsaber to his side. "We're not done yet, Malak."
"What?" the dark lord questioned, his electronic voice filled with pain.
"The Ka'rta form," Kagi answered, holding up his left index finger. "One more tenant."
Before the Jedi could say anything else, Malak flung himself at his former master, hoping to strike a critical blow with the element of surprise. His body sailed across the intervening distance, lightsaber aimed unerringly for Kagi's heart.
The blow never landed.
Kagi's lightsaber danced out, neatly parrying the blow past his left side. That hand reached out, seizing Malak's lightsaber hand, and allowing the Jedi to flourish his lightsaber once, severing Malak's right hand. The dark lord tried to bring his left arm up to summon the lightsaber, but a quick swing sliced that one off as well.
As Malak stared in disbelief at the stumps of his wrists, Kagi's lightsaber flashed twice more, removing both of the Sith's arms above the elbows. Then the Jedi stepped back, staring deep into his former apprentice's yellow, hate-filled eyes, and drove his lightsaber into Malak's gut, all the way up to the hilt.
The Heart of a savior, the voices of Bastila and Kagi echoed together.
"My Ka'rta lightsaber form," Kagi said quietly, withdrawing his lightsaber and allowing the dark lord to fall to his knees. "The Form of the Heart."
"Im…possible…" Malak coughed, his arm stumps turning as though he were trying to clutch at the ruined hole in his stomach. "I…cannot be beaten… I am the Dark Lord of the…Sith…"
"This is the way of the dark side, Malak," Kagi answered. "All things end in death."
"Still…" He coughed again, pain creasing his face. "…spouting the code of the Jedi, I see… Perhaps there is…more wisdom in their code than I…ever believed…"
The dying Sith turned his face up toward his old friend, yellow eyes beginning to glaze over. "I cannot help but…wonder what would have happened…were our positions reversed… What if… Fate had decreed that I be captured… by the Jedi? Could I have returned to the light, as you did?"
Malak coughed, and blood squirted from the ripped flesh at the sides of his face. "Could it have been I that…" The dark lord paused, and once again looked up at Kagi. "Oh, Bastila. Did you kill her, Revan?"
"No," Kagi answered, deactivating the blade of his lightsaber. "She returned to the light, and to me."
"Good," Malak wheezed, fighting for every breath. "You deserve…a woman like her. I am sorry. I should not… have led her down the dark path, the way you once did for me…"
"Nor should I have led you down that path," Kagi whispered, closing his eyes as a vision of the old days, before the Mandalorian Wars, flashed through his mind. "I am sorry for all that I have caused you to suffer."
"You…you speak the truth. But I cannot blame you…for my fate. I chose to continue down the darkness. I wanted to be master of the Sith and…" He coughed. "…ruler of the galaxy. But that destiny was not mine. And now, I see… neither was it yours."
Again, Malak turned his eyes up at his old master. "Your destiny…is with Bastila, Revan. That is where you belong. As for me? I am nothing as the darkness claims me. I feel it now, creeping slowly toward me." The Sith Master turned his eyes on his fallen lightsaber, and it slowly began to roll across the floor toward Kagi. "Please, Revan… Do not make me suffer the wait of the darkness…"
Silently, Kagi opened his left hand, and Malak's lightsaber leapt up into it. He closed his hand around the worn metal, then activated the two lightsabers simultaneously. Striding forward slowly, Kagi crossed the weapons over Malak, the junction of crimson and violet centimeters from his throat.
"I thank you, my old friend…" Malak said, then closed his eyes.
There were two thuds; one light, the other heavy. Afterwards, silence save for the gentle hum of the lightsabers Kagi held in either hand. One lightsaber, that which he held in his right hand, had returned to him all he cared for in the galaxy with its gentle amethyst glow. The other, in his left hand, the burning crimson blade that had almost destroyed everything he held dear.
He deactivated both lightsabers without a word, plunging the room into silence marred only by the sound of blasterfire beyond the viewports, and the occasional rumblings of an energy salvo impacting upon the Forge. He returned his own lightsaber to its place on his belt, dangling over his left hip, easily accessed by his right hand. The other lightsaber went into his robes; it was not his to place in the mirroring position over his right hip.
"It is finished," he said, and turned away from the headless corpse of Darth Malak, the former Dark Lord of the Sith.
A/N: Now, I'm sure you guys were smart enough to figure it out for yourselves, but Ka'rta is a completely fictional lightsaber form. The word ka'rta is the actual Mando'a word for heart; I looked it up on Wookiepedia. Ka'rta is a form that Revan created that drew on the skills of his comrades that he watched them use in battle. For those of you who either didn't bother to or couldn't figure it out, the Ka'rta form actually has its own code, as follows:
The clarity of an assassin droid. - The Ka'rta lightsaber form grants the wielder near-perfect defense, and the ability to weave a defensive web that no lightsaber can penetrate. (Basis: HK-47)
The Force mastery of a Jedi consular. - Only the most powerful Jedi of the Order can even begin to learn the tenants of the Ka'rta form, and as such, this form greatly augments their own natural defense against Force powers. (Basis: Jolee Bindo)
The mastery of self of a scoundrel. - The Force is not all there is to lightsaber combat. One cannot adequately fight if one cannot avoid blows. Ka'rta imbues the wielder with the Force, granting them a combat agility greater than ever before seen. (Basis: Mission Vao)
The precision of a soldier. - Combat relies on the ability to quickly and accurately strike your opponent's weak points when they appear. The Ka'rta lightsaber form allows a focus of the reflexive abilities of the body to be attuned through the Force, no matter the weapon wielded. (Basis: Carth Onasi)
The strength of a Wookie. - Power is another key factor in victory. A user of Ka'rta can summon from within a strength that would make the furry natives of Kashyyyk proud. (Basis: Zaalbar. Duh.)
The power of a warrior. - Strength, speed, and precision mean nothing without the technique to back them up. Through learning the technique of war, even the most novice user of Ka'rta can match a master of any other form. (Basis: Canderous Ordo)
The wisdom of a Jedi sentinel. - In combat, the Force can be a devastating weapon. A user of the Ka'rta lightsaber form can easily overpower the Force based defenses of many opponents, rendering them helpless to their will. (Basis: Bastila Shan)
The Heart of a savior. - Without the pure heart to use these skills properly, Force offense/defense, strength, speed, technique, precision, and defense are worthless. Only pure Jedi who serve the light can learn the Ka'rta lightsaber form, the Form of the Heart. (Basis: Revan)