Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 1: Sands of Korriban
Atris pulled herself wearily to her feet from where she collapsed. She had survived the trials of the cave and felt different now. She didn't know what had changed, but there was a purpose there. The things she saw within the cave, cruel parodies of her past actions opened her eyes. She could no longer go on the way she had. There had to be a different way and Revan, she was certain knew that way. Reaching through the Force, Atris could only feel a cold void. Shaking off the chill in her spine, the former Jedi Master began her search for Revan.
She found him, eventually, crying. It was strange. She had never seen a man cry. Never seen the dark side of war through she spoke of it often. Seeing something and experiencing it were two very different things. In her mind she knew what was wrong, but couldn't bring herself to mourn Malak's death as Revan did. They were like brothers, had known each other and been friends most of their lives and now Revan was grieving. The determined shell of the Knight he had been, the Sith Lord he had been was falling away. His confidence was broken.
"All for nothing. All for nothing."
He kept speaking through his sobs. Gently laying her hand on his shoulder, Atris did not speak. She couldn't deny it. She didn't even know what the Bloody Hell Revan was going on about. Revan started at the touch and looked up at Atris.
"We- We shouldn't linger here."
Remembering her experiences in the cave, how it showed her her steady fall into Darkness and her finally giving in to that revelation on Telos, the Echani agreed wholeheartedly.
Rising from where he had dropped to his knees, Revan brushed the sleeve of his cloak across his face and stared down at Malak's ashes.
"I'm sorry I started you on this path. I'm sorry you trusted me and followed me. I'm sorry it was you who died and now I..."
They didn't leave. Revan broke down again, weeping as he drew a handful of ashes in his hand and rubbed it into his face, trying to find some comfort in his lost friend.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
Sighing mentally, Atris looked down at her once white robes, now covered in patches of blood and dirt and grime. She thought of Yusanis and Arren Kae and Brianna and how she had failed them all. She thought of her murder of her Handmaidens and she joined Revan in his moment of despair.
Night fell before either came out of their despair. Revan, breathing heavily pulled his hands from his face, seeing the beast he had drained hours before. Maybe this was what the Jedi cautioned him against when he sought to take his war to the Mandalorians. Maybe they never saw the Sith or the Vong or all the nightmares the fallen Jedi had unleashed. Maybe they had only seen him, broken and despairing and fallen in darkness. It would have been enough to grant them pause in their decision to go to war.
Shaking his head against his thoughts, Revan sniffed and rubbed his eyes, staring up into the rising temples of the Ancient Sith Lords. It wasn't supposed to be like this, the Jedi lost and broken. His Sith Empire weak and scattered. Both Orders failing. They were supposed to be stronger, ready for any threat the universe would throw at them.
"Atris."
Revan whispered, brushing the sand and ash from his eyes. The Jedi Master was leaning against a fallen stone column with her arms wrapped around her legs and her head buried. She looked almost like a scared child. A sleeping, scared child, Revan noted.
Sighing, Revan gave one last, long look at Malak's ashes before whispering.
"Farewell my brother."
Working his way over to Atris, Revan looked down on the fallen Jedi Master with narrowed eyes. Reaching through the bond he had built, Revan sensed only turmoil. Still weak, the bond did not allow Revan the clarity that Bastila's bond had.
The thought of Bastila brought an emotion up within Revan that he could not identify. Perhaps it was a mixture of several powerful emotions, he could not say. What he could say was it was unpleasant and filled him with a sense of loss. Perhaps not as cutting as Malak's death and seeing all his plans for the galaxy crumble to sand and ash, but enough to trouble his mind.
He could barely sense anything when he had been on Citadel. His imprisonment by Nihilus had left him more drained than he wanted to let on. He felt like every sap of marrow in his bones had been drained, leaving him hollow. That the blood in his body had all rushed to his head, leaving his heart straining in his chest. He felt like his muscles had turned to useless flab and that his mind was not completely his own.
Then the news of Bastila and Malak came.
"What is it about this world that brings the worst out of me?"
Revan asked the darkness of Korriban's night. Only the distant sounds of the world's beasts and the howling of the wind between the towering mausoleums answered him.
"I'm stronger than this."
Revan shouted into the night, a distant Tukata answering him with a howl of its own.
"You are lost, you just haven't admitted it."
Atris' cultured voice cut through the ambient sound of Korriban's backdrop. Revan started, surprised that his monologue had been overheard. A small, sad smile played on Atris' lips.
"You must have truly been a Sith Lord if you waste your time speaking of your great plans for the galaxy and doing nothing about it."
A chuckle escaped Revan as a surprised expression crossed his drawn features.
"I suppose I should tone down the monologue. Lets go kill something, Atris. It'll make us feel better."
Atris returned a laugh awkwardly.
"And what makes you think that, Sith Lord?"
Atris asked, her laughter gaining a hysterical edge. Revan's smile vanished, seriousness crossing the hard angles of his face.
"It works for my enemies, why not me?"
Atris' laughter died as she saw the sneer curl on Revan's lips.
"Are you saying the Jedi would feel that way or that they were never your enemy?"
Turning his eyes to the fallen Jedi Master, Revan gave the Echani a hard stare until she looked away.
"The Jedi were once my tool. As were my Sith and even the Mandalorians and the very Republic. I used them all to gain power and resources and I held the fate of worlds in my hand. All for nothing. The True Sith's final revenge is nigh, the Jedi and Sith Orders scattered, destroyed and lost. The Mandalorians weakened too greatly to stand against them. The Krath of Empress Teta are divided since the death of Aleema at Exar Kun's hands. The Corellian worlds are being plagued by pirates. The Hutts, loathe as I am to admit it are weak from their in-fighting and their conflicts with the Exchange in recent years. The Iridonian worlds were too ravaged by the Mandalorians to be of any use, even a decade later... The Echani-"
Revan paused, glancing at Atris. Seeing her intrigued look, Revan assumed she had some sort of morbid fascination with the Darkside. A true scholar, she would have put the Krath to shame.
"The Echani are still divided, but still strong. Since I- Since I murdered Yusanis they have broken apart and are individually a threat to no one. I was hoping a descendant of Yusanis would be able to unite them once more for the coming war, but-"
Revan cut off his train of through, remembering some things were better kept quite. Remembering her murder of the handmaidens, Atris closed her eyes. It felt obscene to her to feel guilty of killing she had done so easily.
"Brianna lives."
Atris spoke hoarsely, her voice cracking.
"She lives."
She repeated, beginning to withdraw into herself. Seeing he was losing her attention, Revan snapped his finger.
"Brilliant!"
The former Jedi exclaimed loudly, too loudly.
"Pardon?"
Atris asked, her eyes still red and slightly puffy.
"She is strong now, yes?"
Confused, and feeling very much like the bottom of a Hutt's hoversled, Atris nodded numbly.
"Oh yes, very much like her mother."
A wince. Atris wondered what kind of remorse Revan would feel for Arren Kae.
"She will return to her own people and finish what Yusanis began. I know she will."
Revan turned to Atris. In his eyes, Atris saw something gleam. Intelligence and cunning. Revan was not meant to be as broken as he was. He was meant for greatness, for power. The Jedi could only offer that, but looking in his eyes, Atris could see his destiny laid out before him. The Force was not finished with Revan. Regardless of his crimes, Revan was a servant of the Force and he was following his instincts.
"What do you see?"
Atris asked quietly, feeling foolish for never seeing it before. The Force was channeling itself through Revan. Channeling enough power to overcome the Darkside and the repression of his emotions by the Jedi's training. His passion was his strength and the balance he held over the Force was enough for him to catch a clear glimpse into the future.
A smile crossed Revan's features. A clarity he hadn't felt since he had held Bastila last, since he has momentarily been one with the Force coming to him as the Force guided him. He was its servant, its tool. He was the Heart of the Force and its hand in what was to come. He had a purpose once more.
"We're going to win this war, Atris."
Revan spoke with a confidence he had not had since first calling himself Darth Revan. A confidence that slowly, worked its way through the newly formed bond with Atris and was passed on to her. Staring into Atris' eyes, Revan laughed, elated.
"We are going to end the Sith, Atris. End them all."
His words troubled Atris. The man was inspiring, she could feel the Force bending to his will and unconsciously influencing her to listen to him. A natural leader, Revan always was but what he had said.
"We are making a mistake, Revan."
Atris replied. Revan's eyes widened in surprise as his brows shot up.
"A mistake? We, you and I are going to end the Sith, Atris."
There it was again. The cold chill that ran up her spine and through her brain as Revan spoke.
"Like you ended the Telosians?"
Atris asked. Revan's expression closed off as he stared at the Jedi Master, first in annoyance but then, in comprehension and a growing confusion.
"Genocide is never the answer, Revan."
Atris spoke firmly, with a confidence born of years of the Jedi's teachings. The former Dark Lord's eyes fell to the ashes of Malak and then passed to the nearby Tukata he had drained of its life-force with Nihilus' technique. Nihilus had been nothing more than an addict, uncaring of what he destroyed as long as his hunger was sated and he had his fix.
"You're right."
Revan returned his eyes to Atris'.
"You're right."
Revan repeated, with certainty in his voice.
"Whatever you saw, Revan. Remember, the future is always in motion. I may only be a few years your elder, but I was a Master of the Council. A Librarian. Whatever you saw may not come to pass or may be a hallucination brought on by this world. The Force had been poisoned since the Great Hyperspace war and the future is no longer clear to us. We cannot rely totally on visions granted to us by the Force. It could even be the Sith trying to influence you. Be mindful, Revan."
Atris took Revan's hand, hoping she had reached him. Staring down at the pale hand on his own, Revan withdrew into himself; spending the rest of the night pondering his visions and their results. It had been part of the reason he had been so confident in himself. Now, he was not so sure. It had been so long since he had seen the future, so long since the Force had confided its grand design to him.
"Perhaps it has always been the Sith. Perhaps they have been feeding me these visions, using me as their tool to destroy the Republic."
Revan spoke in a grim tone. Atris took in a deep steadying breath. Whatever Revan was experiencing was going through the bond and it did not feel serene in the slightest.
"But we can't commit genocide against them..."
Revan's face scrunched up in deep thought.
"But you know, in there it may come to that..."
Atris added knowingly, feeling what she recognized as shame reading through the bond.
"If it comes to that, Atris. I have something I must ask of you. If it is solely by my hand and I begin to feel..."
Trying to remember what Nihilus felt like through the Force, Revan closed his eyes in self-disgust.
"If I begin to feel endless, like an abyss. Kill me, Atris. You're the only one who is here now."
Atris' face was the picture of horrified surprise. Revan knew he could end the Sith with Nihilus' power, but the very real possibility remained that he would become like Nihilus. He could never let that happen.
"Promise me, Atris."
Revan stared into Atris' eyes, his hand grasping hers tightly.
"I- I can't promise you that I will... but if- if I become a danger, I ask you the same."
They had been friends, once upon a time. Long before the war and the responsibilities of adulthood fell upon them. It was the least they could do for one another. Both former Jedi agreed and passed the late night and early morning dawn of Korriban, quietly reminiscing of their past.
"At times, I hate the Force. I wonder what it would be like if there was no Force. No Jedi or Sith. I wonder if the galaxy would be better off..."
Atris turned slowly to Revan, an uncertain look on her face.
"Thankfully that is a question that will never be answered. There will always be the Force, Revan."
Something his master had told him long ago, about the Sith and their weapons. Weapons that had the power to destroy stars. Powers that could annihilate all life on an entire planet. Something hidden away, forgotten. Revan closed his eyes, cutting off the Force's influence from his mind as he dug deeper within his foggy memory.
"The world, where Ulic Qel-Droma fell, died. What was its name?"
Atris was silent a moment as she tried to recall the world.
"The ice world of Rhen Var. A weak atmosphere due to a natural disaster suffered millions of years ago it is almost as bad as Hoth from what I can remember of it... Why do you ask?"
Atris asked, truly baffled by the sudden change in the discussion.
"Just an old legend... What do you say to a winter retreat?"
The Echani former Jedi scoffed.
"You are speaking to a woman who has spent the better half of a decade buried in Telos' ice cap."
Grinning, Revan stood, offering Atris his hand. The Echani glared at the offered hand but took it anyways.
"The Sith won't attack the Republic until it collapses, or they are sure of victory. Time is short, but oh so precious. Perhaps an old Mandalorian riddle can be the answer, perhaps not. We have no army to mobilize, no allies who will support us. Were we to confront the Republic Senate, we would either be ignored or executed, neither is an option I want to explore at the moment and... lets face it, Atris. The Sith aren't going to be stopped by two former Jedi. I was barely qualified as a Knight when I left the Order and frankly..."
Revan eyed Atris, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Anyone who would pine over Ian Kenobi and think he didn't notice, would have to be a poor excuse for a Councillor."
Seeing Atris flush and show a reaction other than misery and deep thought was reassuring to Revan. It was time to get over the past and look to the future. However bleak and likely filled with pain and death that future would be, at least it was something he could change.
"I will not be insulted by a man who went into Master Vrook's lectures for two years expecting to be enlightened."
Revan scowled.
"I liked the man when I first joined the Order, alright. Can't I say I was just young and foolish."
Atris felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. It almost reminded her of her days as an apprentice. When she, Revan, Malak and Ian would sit around after lectures, teasing one another and relaxing. Something that she had thought had been lost on all of them when they had gone away to fight the Mandalorians and had never returned.
Revan was following a similar trail of thoughts, remembering Malak and how they would trade meaningless banter in the most insane moments. Like when they were pinned down by a flight of Mandalorian fighters in the Venjagga system and had taken refuge in the system's asteroid belt. The two Jedi exiles had began arguing about whom was the better pilot and had nearly been turned into a fine stream of dust by a gigantic asteroid.
Needless to say, Malak was the better pilot. Reckless, head-on tactics seemed to work well in a dogfight and Malak's piloting abilities had saved their lives and kept them alive long enough for the Republic's reinforcements to arrive and obliterate the Mandalores.
The thought of Malak was painful, but Revan allowed himself a small respite from his grief. Malak would punch him in the face if he saw him moping around.
"Lets get the Hell off this rock and get something accomplished. What do you say?"
Revan asked, gallantly offering his hand to Atris in a manner that dripped with teasing. Frowning, Atris lowered her head.
"Yes, we should not linger here."
Atris answered, the reality of what was going on setting in. The game over, Revan and Atris made their way to the transport Revan had stolen from Citadel and programmed a course for Rhen Var. Neither of the occupants had noticed the small tracking device attached to the hull of their ship, not did they sense the long figure who watched their interaction and departure with interest.
Author's Notes: Notice in the Epilogue for CoW Palpatine was being cryptic and in many ways channeling his inner Kreia. Also at the end he added to himself that if Vader only knew the truth, perhaps things would be different. Try to keep in mind I am not aiming for a Darkside ending but in the Star Wars universe the Sith ruled the galaxy for a thousand years, that following a two thousand year war that was set in motion by Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma and pretty much reached its climax with Revan and Malak falling to the Darkside. A mindwipe and programming someone with a new identity does not constitute redemption. We know Revan regains his memories, we are told so in KOTOR II and we also know he had a reason for falling in the first place. What I've been doing in the last part of CoW with the addition of the True Sith is simply that Revan's plans are falling apart. When this happens, you tend to lose confidence in what you had planned and start something I like to call damage control. (Trying to organize what remained of the jedi to stand against the Sith. Using the enemy's weapons, Darth Nihilus' Thought bomb, etc.)
A brief history lesson for the SW universe. The Sith have been around since about the time the Rakatans had their Infinite Empire. Outcast Jedi eventually joined the Sith on Korriban and mixed with the species, eventually becoming the race we know from the Dark Horse comic series: The Golden Age of the Sith. These Sith were the ones to fight the Jedi in the Great Hyperspace war and were eventually defeated an hunted down by the Jedi and Republic. The Sith homeworld of Ziost and their graveworld of Korriban were wiped out of Sith life. Lets just say the Republic and Jedi went Genocide on the Sith and in my honest opinion that doesn't reflect well on them.
The Sith survived and retreated. Being lost without the strong leaders from their pre-war empire the Sith likely (We don't really know yet) fell behind a new leader and waited and watched as the Republic and Jedi grew stronger. Too strong for them to challenge. I think that patience is one of the more dangerous aspects one can have in an enemy because they can be subtle. (Like Palpatine) If these Sith were patient, manipulating for a thousand years the Republic and Jedi. (Freedon Nadd.)
We know that Marka Ragnos' spirit appeared to Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun as they dueled for supremacy of the Sith. We know that the spirit of Ajunta Pal knew Revan when you play that part in KOTOR I and we know that when the Sith instigated the rule of two, since Lord Kaan messed up royally with the Thought Bomb in the Battle of Ruusan that the Sith were nearly wiped out.
In Episode II, Palpatine says he won't let the Republic which has stood for a thousand years be ripped apart and they also say there has never been a full scale war since that Republic has been in power. That my friends and inquiring young minds tells us that the Republic does fall within three thousand years of KOTOR and is rebuilt. We also know from the dialogue in Episode III that the Sith had once ruled the galaxy. We know Exar Kun and Revan came damned close, but the Sith did quite effectively destroy the Republic and it wasn't the True Sith. It was Revan's Sith Order.
This is all just a bunch of crap I have flying through my head when I try to write this story. I hope it gives some of my readers better insight into what I am trying to do. Revan can have a happy ending, but the galaxy won't. This is set on a galactic battlefield. It will not be pretty.