I knew without a shadow of a doubt, I had never seen this message before now. I didn't catch the message the first time through. My shocked mind would not process anything other than the timbre of the voices as they spoke.
Those voices brought back impressions of my childhood. My mother used to cuddle me as she read me a story. My father would pick me up and toss me in the air as I giggled and squealed. Malak used to run for the lake every chance he got and it was my job to chase after him. I remembered happiness and love. All of these thoughts and feelings were summed up by one word, "home". I could see my home before I was taken from my parents by the Jedi.
The holo recording ended and I quickly restarted it. This time, I listened to the words.
"Darling children, we have missed you. It is unfortunate, but we don't know when we will be able to communicate with you again. We are under attack and have little time to send this message. Mandalorians are entering the settlement as they swoop down from the sky. We are going to the bunkers. We should be safe there." My father looked off to the side and a voice echoed through the recording.
"Time runs short, hurry or we won't make it." I could hear blaster fire behind the gravelly voice. My parents exchanged a look between them and turned to face me once more.
"Just remember, we love you, have always loved both of you. May the Force be with you." The figures wobbled and then cut out. Without thinking, I turned the image and message on once more.
"Darling children, we have missed you. It is unfortunate…" Once more, I let the voices wash over me as I contemplated the new significance of this message. Someone had intercepted this message before I could receive it. Who had intercepted it and why?
Keeping the information within the recording secret would not have benefited anyone. Malak and I found out through official channels that Deralia had been conquered for its agricultural resources. That could not have been the reason behind hiding this. It was time to go to the source, so I quickly got dressed and left for the Jedi Temple.
Halfway there, my comlink chirped. I opened the connection and found out I was being summoned to the Jedi Temple. That was convenient, I thought to myself. I experienced the normal feeling of awe as I walked up the steps and into the antechamber. From there, it was a short trip to the Council Chambers.
Unsurprisingly, I was ushered in immediately. When the door opened, I was greeted with a view of a multitude of people. The Council members were all there. In addition to them, there were security guards, soldiers, unfamiliar Jedi Knights and Carth. The cacophonous discussions came to an abrupt halt and an uncomfortable silence fell.
"Jedi Revan, we are glad you answered so quickly." Master Vandar perched on his seat. "Come in, we have much to discuss."
"What, exactly, do we have to discuss?" I gestured to the rest of the occupants of the crowded Council Chamber.
"Certain facts have recently come to light, Jedi Revan. We are here to discuss the ramifications of these facts." Vandar beckoned me to a chair but I ignored him for a minute. I looked at Carth and he wouldn't meet my gaze. I didn't recognize almost two-thirds of the people in the room. I had a bad feeling about this.
"What facts are we discussing?" As I moved further into the room, I noticed that a couple of the soldiers' hands moved towards their blaster pistols. "Gentlemen, please do me the honor of remembering I'm a Jedi. Your blasters aren't going to help you much." The soldiers exchanged glances but their hands stayed where they were. Carth still wouldn't look at me.
"Your crimes against the entirety of the galaxy, Darth Revan, that is the discussion." This was spit out of the mouth of a female human in a Republic uniform. "You are a war criminal and shall be prosecuted for your crimes." Her vitriolic comments at least helped me identify what we were discussing. Obviously, this wasn't about the recording by my parents.
"Please, General Wasani, let us keep this civil." Master Vrook spoke up, virtually unexpectedly.
"Civil, you dare ask me to keep this civil? You have been sheltering a war criminal in your midst for Force knows how long and you expect me to treat it with civility? I highly doubt that possibility." General Wasani moved towards where I stood. I kept my hands calmly at my side as she marched forward. She didn't stop until she was toe to toe with me and I had an unobstructed view of her rank badges.
"General, perhaps you would care to move out of my personal space. You are not going to intimidate me by breathing on the top of my head. I've faced off against bigger, meaner and stronger opponents than you in the past and it is most likely that I will continue to do so in the future." I could feel the rage pouring off the general.
"How dare you lecture me on your opponents. I was close personal friends with many soldiers that died facing off against you, Darth Revan."
"Out of curiosity, how exactly did you come to the conclusion that I was Darth Revan?" I could feel the rage dampen due to the increased shock engulfing the woman currently pressing closer to me.
"You…you are… this is an outrage." General Wasani spun away from me and stalked back towards Masters Vrook and Vandar. "This is Darth Revan, correct?"
"This is not Darth Revan, not any longer." Master Vandar answered the livid woman.
"This is the woman formerly known as Darth Revan, correct?" Each word was short and bitten off, as if Master Vandar did not speak Basic.
"She is no longer Darth Revan." General Wasani let out a triumphant "ha" and whirled back around towards me.
"Than she is the same woman and, as such, will be held accountable for her crimes against the Republic. Soldiers, disarm her and take her into custody." As soldiers started moving towards me, I flicked a couple fingers and they froze, stuck in a stasis field.
"I don't know what you've discussed before this, but we will have a civilized conversation that involves me being here physically."
"Release my men and throw down your lightsaber. You are under arrest!" I was really getting tired of the repeated "under arrest" line.
"General, you know that the Republic has no authority in this matter. The Jedi are not accountable to the Republic." I didn't think it was possible for General Wasani to get more enraged, but I was wrong. She turned an interesting shade of purple as she wheeled around to face the Masters.
"You dare speak to me of authority? You are harboring a war criminal in your midst. I care nothing for your song and dance of redemption. She is Darth Revan. She tried to conquer the galaxy and obliterate the Republic." Not only was I getting tired of the same old sad lines, but I was really getting tired of the good general pointing her finger at me. I ached to put her in a stasis field too, but I resisted.
This entire confrontation wasn't what I expected. Being put on trial was not what I had imagined when the crew of the Hawk came to Coruscant. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't expecting a parade and a marching band to greet me either. I simply wasn't expecting to face a war crimes tribunal. How could I defend myself when I couldn't remember what I did and why I did it?
As I contemplated what all a war crimes tribunal consisted of, the good general kept ranting about authority, expedition, trials and executions.
"The Jedi do not execute their prisoners." Master Zhar spoke up from his seat.
"Then it's a good thing that she will not be a prisoner of the Jedi any longer. She will be a Republic prisoner. As such, she will face execution for her crimes." General Wasani grinned triumphantly at her logic.
"Ah, but she is not a prisoner. She is a Jedi Knight. As a Jedi, she is not held to the Republic's laws. She is no longer Darth Revan, as her actions during the quest for the Star Forge and the subsequent destruction of the Star Forge clearly illustrate."
"Masters, General, what exactly is involved in the trial process?"
"It is simple, Darth Revan, you will be tried in front a military court, which will find you guilty with overwhelming conviction and then you shall be executed." I really didn't like General Wasani. She seemed a little obsessive about this whole "killing me" thing.
"So, I'd be stupid to volunteer for this duty, correct, General?" I idly twirled a lock of my hair as I sat down in a chair.
"Make no mistake, Darth Revan, there is no volunteering, no choice. You will face trial and execution." My immature side was really going to pop out any second. This lady sounded like a broken holo as she kept repeating the same lines over and over.
"Well, then, sign me up." I tossed my lightsabers to Masters Vrook and Vandar. General Wasani was finally speechless as I walked out the door. I could hear the scrambling of her soldiers behind me as they rushed to catch up to me.