Author's note – I was told I forgot to include disclaimers so here goes… if I owned anything remotely Star Wars related, I'd be a very happy happy woman. Instead, I'm stuck toiling all day around boring numbers… So translate that to mean that I don't anything to do with Star Wars, KOTOR, KOTOR II or anything like that at all.
For those of you that asked, the Exile will show up eventually, I'm just setting the stage and hope to be tying in eventually. Like previously said, I don't have much of a plan… I'm letting the story take me where it wants to go.
Warning – I cannot stand Bastila, so I am not going to be kind to her.
Also, I'm having some formatting problems so… Bold and italics are mental/telepathic thoughts and regular italics are dreams or visions… hope that makes sense. Anywho, read on and enjoy. Please feel free to send feedback. I love feeling the love from all of you.
The floor and the air of the command deck were cold. The atmosphere was thin and getting thinner. There wasn't much time to finish this duel. There were three Jedi arrayed against me and I laughed at the sheer audacity of their belief. Did they really think that only three Jedi could take the Dark Lord of the Sith? Both of my lightsabers glowed red, almost as if in anticipation of the blood about to be spilled. I didn't break a sweat dispensing them. I tossed a cocky hand gesture to the remaining Jedi bearing a yellow dual-bladed lightsaber, beckoning her forward.
Instead of Bastila approaching me, however, Malak stepped forward.
"Do you know why I turned on you?" The question was delivered in a calm methodical voice. His jaw was intact. My brain raced, this isn't what happened. Malak wasn't on this ship. He was on his own flagship and he shot the bridge, enabling Bastila to drag my body off and set the rest of the quest in motion.
"You aren't supposed to be here. I should be facing off with Bastila. Then you fire on my ship and the next thing I know, I wake up on the Endar Spire." I looked around in confusion; Bastila was nowhere to be seen. The bodies of the Jedi I just killed were gone also. The ship was completely abandoned.
"Revan, there are things that you should know, things that affect your future. You still don't remember much of your past?" A small sad smile hovered over the lips that shouldn't be there.
"I remember brief snippets. I get a feeling that I've done something before, I see a face I know that I know, I remember quite a bit of our childhood." A happier smile ghosted across Malak's lips. "I don't remember much about being Darth Revan, the Mandalorian Wars or any of that."
"You will need to remember this more recent path if you are to save the galaxy. You need to focus on remembering. There are forces coming together that could end the galaxy." I grimaced at this thought. I thought I'd been done being the savior of the Republic. We were having a celebration tomorrow and everything. What happened to my happily ever after. I mean, I know I made a mess but I cleaned it up, didn't I? I got rid of Darth Malak, I got rid of the Star Forge, and I deserved some peace and quiet.
It was almost as if Malak heard my thoughts. Then again, we were in a dream, maybe he could. "You haven't finished cleaning up your mess. Haven't you ever wondered what we saw in the Outer Rim that sent us in search of the Star Forge? Concentrate on that and your path will be clear."
"Dammit, Malak, you're being as obscure as the Jedi Council. Can't you just tell me what mess I haven't gotten to so that I can finish the cleaning?"
"Your pilot is stirring, I cannot linger much longer. Concentrate on the Outer Rim." Malak raised his hand to my cheek and slowly brushed his hand down my face. "I thank you for your kind words at my pyre, Jawa."
"Don't go yet, Malak. I need more time. Please." It seems that I am destined to spend the near future begging for things that I can't have and crying. The tears pricked my eyes and I knew that they weren't only in my dreams.
"Just remember my words. Stay clear to the path and I will be here. This isn't goodbye, there is no death, only the Force, remember?" Malak disappeared off the ship as quickly as he had appeared. I tried to reach out and grab his hand before he disappeared, but I was too slow. My hand slowly dropped to my side. Tears streamed down my face.
"It isn't goodbye, Gamorrean. I won't let it be."
With that thought, I woke up to feel Carth shaking me and smoothing the tears from my face. I looked at him and realized that we weren't destined for the happily ever after we were thinking. I wanted to lock that thought out of my head and surprised Carth by grabbing him. I pulled his body down on top of mine, almost as if to hide me from the world. I wanted him to shield me from the tomorrow that was here.
"Hey, beautiful, what's wrong? What were you dreaming?" He looked concerned.
"It's not over, Carth. Would you wait for me if it took a long time to finish?" My voice sounded frantic to my ears. I was shivering with all the emotions churning through my body, apprehension, guilt, grief, love, joy, despair and so many others I couldn't label.
"What are you talking about, Revan? What isn't over?" In addition to the concern in his eyes, he had confusion lurking in those eyes that made me fall in love with him.
"This battle isn't over. It didn't finish just because I killed Malak. This whole situation was bigger than Malak and me. There was more going on and I need to remember it. I need to clean up my mess."
Knowledge slowly dawned in his eyes. "Are you remembering more? We'll need to talk to the Admiral and you'll need to talk to the Council." The tomorrow I had been dreading arrived in full force as Carth changed from concerned lover to Republic war hero.
"I have a meeting with the Council today." Almost as if she had been waiting for the cue, Bastila's voice came through the bond.
The Council requests your presence. There is much to discuss.
I will be there shortly. I am in the middle of something. I could feel Bastila's blush through the bond as she took in the fact that Carth was laying on top of me.
Um, right, sure. I'll convey your, um, sentiments to the Council. I laughed out loud at the thought of Bastila being speechless. I realized that I might have to do more things like this to keep her that way. I liked her quiet instead of preaching about everything.
"What's going on now, beautiful?" I will never get tired of hearing Carth call me beautiful. Rationally, I knew I wasn't. I was short, my hair looked like a womprat had gnawed on it and I was covered in scars.
"I've been summoned. Bastila made an appearance conveying the request of the Council. It looks like you'll have to meet with your admiral all on your own, big boy." Carth rolled off me and we took our turns in the 'fresher.
With a quick kiss and a tweak of my nose, we parted outside the Hawk and made our way to our respective commanders. His was an actual commander, mine, well, I just let them think that. I don't think they were too happy that I was still a rogue agent. I may believe in the Jedi Code but I sure didn't buy into the all-powerful and all-knowing Council act. Adding to this lack of respect, I sure didn't appreciate how they had manipulated me from the beginning.
It was with this dour attitude that I made my way up the boarding ramp of the Council's ship and greeted Bastila.
"Like what you saw earlier?" I smirked at her. Maybe she'll stop being so intrusive in the future.
"You know attachments are forbidden, Revan. I really should not be subjected to that type of activity." Her voice was prim, proper and oh-so-annoying. I guess I was wrong on the intrusive assumption.
"You could always give a call on the 'link. That would be a hell of a lot less intrusive. You wouldn't be subjected to any type of activity like that and I wouldn't have to worry about you salivating over the goods in your spare time." I was being snarky, I admit it. She's been rubbing me the wrong way from the time I rescued her from the swoop gang war on Taris.
"Salivating over the goods? How dare you!" She sputtered. It's not really traveling down the dark path if you get a small, ok, large amount of joy from seeing the preacher sputtering, is it?
"I dare quite a bit, Bastila. Perhaps if you dared some, you wouldn't have been so easily turned to the Darkside." With those closing words, I made my way past her into the temporary council chambers. The room was, in all reality, the common area of the Council's ship. Bastila followed behind me, muttering darkly underneath her breath. I wasn't too concerned with her when I saw that the full Council was arrayed in front of me. There were a few Jedi I didn't recognize from Dantooine sitting in wait.
"Aw, Padawan Revan, we are glad that you could join us." Master Vandar really deserved an award for being such a diplomat. The whole Council had to have heard my confrontation with Bastila. Instead of remarking on it, they chose to ignore it and start out with small pleasantries. Unfortunately, I wasn't in much of a mood for small talk.
"I didn't have much of a choice. So, what all did we need to discuss? I want my future back."
"You always were quick to anger, Revan. That is why your fall to the Darkside was so complete." Master Vrook steepled his fingers in front of his face and glared at me over the point.
"There are many paths to the Darkside, Masters. Anger is one way. Arrogance is another, as I'm sure Bastila can attest. We all have our little foibles, don't we? If certain members of the Council are not careful, blatant ignorance will be their downfall." Master Vrook's glare deepened. Bastila flushed at the pointed reminder of her recent fall.
"We are not here to discuss anyone's imminent fall." Master Vandar again took the diplomatic route as his gaze shifted between Master Vrook and myself. "We are here to discuss the revelation to the galaxy that Revan is still alive. We also need to discuss the other threat to the Order and the galaxy." So the Council was aware that there was another threat. Perhaps this time, they would be more forthcoming with details as to the nature of the threat.
"Look, Honored Masters," I was still a little upset at Master Vrook's contempt so the term wasn't as polite as it could be. "Reveal my presence, don't reveal my presence, I'm not sure that I care which way. There is another threat out there that is far more important than the redemption of Darth Revan."
"What do you know of this threat, Revan?" Master Vrook arrogantly demanded of me.
"Why don't we play a little pazaak, gentlemen? I'll show you my cards if you'll show me yours first."