ONE

"I will not allow it!" Carth's voice was loud in the Council chamber.

Master Vandar's face creased with sympathy but his voice did not waver. "Beyond your control it is, Captain. Strong in the Force your son is. Train him, we must."

Case winced at the small Jedi's words. She had told them, had tried to warn them, that they should approach Carth delicately about Dustil. Simply ordering him to release the boy to them was guaranteed to cause trouble. But, as usual, the Council thought it knew the right way to handle things.

They had been called to the Council chamber early that morning. The messenger had insisted that they come immediately, not even giving Carth a chance to change into his Fleet uniform. Case knew what the meeting was about, but feigned ignorance to Carth's irritated questions. This was not her decision, though she agreed with it. She was not going to be the one to give Carth the bad news.

She was unhappy, though, to see the entire Council in place when they arrived. She had thought they were going to handle this informally, with only one or two members present. It wasn't supposed to be a full hearing. Carth shot her a surprised glance and self-consciously ran a hand over his hair. She knew he didn't like being out of uniform in situations such as this. He whispered, "What do they want with you now?"

Case didn't get a chance to correct him before the Council spoke. "Captain Onasi, Jedi Case," an Ithorian she did not recognize greeted them. He sat at the center place and appeared to be in charge of the meeting. "I am Master Tournan."

Case blanched. Tournan was the Council chairman. He usually didn't even attend meetings, and certainly should not have been here for such a relatively small matter. How could Dustil's training be so important?

"Jedi Case, please take your position with the witnesses. Captain Onasi, to the center, please."

Case could feel Carth's discomfort and confusion as she made her way across the room to the witness box. She knew he hadn't expected to be addressed by the Council at all. There were eight other Jedi already in the box, and the closest to her, a Duros, nodded in greeting and slid over on the bench. Every Council meeting was witnessed by nine Jedi. The idea was to be sure that the Council's actions were always out in the open, but Case knew having Jedi watch other Jedi did little to reassure the non-Jedi public that they were legitimate.

Carth stood in the center of the room and saluted sharply. Even without the uniform, he was every inch the military officer. The fifteen members of the Council sat on a raised platform in a semicircle around him. The configuration was meant to intimidate, Case was sure, but Carth showed no outward sign of hesitation. "Captain Carth Onasi of the Republic Fleet at your service, Masters. How may I assist you?"

Tournan folded his hands on the table in front of him. He looked very grave. "Captain, you know that your son, Dustil Onasi, submitted himself for Evaluation by this Council two weeks ago."

"I do." Carth had not been pleased at Dustil's decision, but Jolee had reassured him that Dustil was probably too old for training. Case hadn't been so sure.

"It is the decision of the Council that he will be taken for training. As he is still a minor, we require that you sign guardianship of him over to the Council."

Even as he angrily protested, Case admired that Carth refused to bow to the Council's efforts at intimidation. After Vandar spoke, Carth became perfectly still. His voice, angry before, was now stripped of emotion. Case cringed internally to hear it. "I know the law, Masters," he said precisely. "The Council has the authority to take whomever it deems appropriate for training. As your authority in this matter exceeds mine, I assume that there is no further purpose in continuing this meeting."

The foolish Council actually looked relieved to hear his words. Case knew better—Carth knew when he was outgunned, but the Council had lost its chance to have the man as its ally.

Tournan raised his hand in dismissal. Condescending bastard, she thought. He couldn't even thank Carth for giving the Council custody of his only child.

Carth saluted again, turned on his heel, and walked out of the chamber. Case had to wait for Tournan to dismiss the witness box before she could leave. By that time, Carth was far ahead of her, on his way to the speeder bay.

"Carth!" she called after him.

He kept walking as though he hadn't heard her. His anger seethed through the Force. She could Force Boost herself to him and catch up, but she thought it would be better to leave him alone to cool off. Besides, what would she say? The idiotic Council had managed to alienate yet another non-Jedi. If it kept this up, it would be lucky to have two Duros and a Hutt as its only allies in the whole galaxy.

He was flying the speeder far too fast, he knew, but he pushed the throttle down harder. The high towers of Coruscant flew by, too fast even to note the addresses. Carth concentrated on the traffic ahead of him, dodging over and under slower speeders as he put distance between him and the Enclave. The need to navigate slowly relaxed him, and he eased up on the controls. A ticket wouldn't improve his foul mood.

Damn the Jedi and their manipulation. He hadn't thought Case would fall into their ways so quickly, that she would think Dustil, his only child, should join them. Three months ago, while they were still looking for the Star Forge, she would never have supported the Jedi Council instead of him. But they weren't looking for the Star Forge anymore, and things were obviously different now.

After they destroyed the Star Forge, the Republic swept all of them up in a month-long "victory tour" interspersed with debriefings and interrogations. At some point, enough officials were convinced that they really had destroyed the Forge and Case really was no longer Revan that they were allowed to return to their regular lives. Not that any of them really knew what those were anymore. Canderous took off out immediately for the Outer Rim—his Clan had been leaderless for too long, he said. Zalbaar returned to Kashyyyk after renewing his Life Debt to Case. She had only to call, he promised, and he would come immediately, wherever she needed him. Bastila, Jolee, and Juhani planned to return to Coruscant to meet with the Jedi Council about the post-Malak universe and Bastila's brief fall to the Dark.

That left the rest of them without anyplace in particular to go. Carth was on three months furlough from the Fleet, and the Admiralty was apparently still undecided about where he would be reassigned. He was still undecided about the Admiralty, so it was just as well he had some time to think. Mission, dissuaded from joining Zalbaar on Kashyyyk—things were still too unstable, Zalbaar insisted—latched onto Carth and declared that she would go wherever he went. That would become tricky if he rejoined the Fleet, but it was fine for the time being. Somehow he'd managed to become father to another teenager, though she was a good kid, and he had to admit that he liked having her around.

He, Case, and Mission, then, had to decide what to do. They had decided to go to Telos when a message came from Dustil that he was en route to Coruscant. That made it easy to take the Jedi back, and they decided that they might as well stay at the Enclave for a short while until they sorted their lives back out. Carth thought "a short while" would mean a week or two, but the Council took an interest in their affairs, and insisted on conducting Case's Knight trials. Two weeks stretched into four. Just as they thought they might be done with the Council, Dustil arrived, and the Jedi fell all over themselves to get him Evaluated. Strong in the Force, they said. Carth shook his head. Dustil must have gotten it from his mother, because the plasteel speeder frame around him had more Force sensitivity than he did.

Which is why you keep getting used by them, Onasi. He concentrated on flying and tried not to get himself worked up again. If Dustil wanted to join the Order, that was his decision. The boy wouldn't be in training forever, after all. He would see his son again. And in the meantime, the Enclave on Coruscant was probably the safest place to be—no Sith or any other enemy would be fool enough to attack the Capital World. Once Dustil joined, he and Case could leave for a while, learn what it was like to love each other when their lives weren't constantly at risk. He hoped.

His communicator light blinked. It was probably Case, and she was probably worried. He had been gone for some time. He flipped the Accept.

"Captain Onasi? This is Lieutenant Vrodmine for Admiral Dodonna."

This was unexpected. "Onasi here, Lieutenant. What do you need?"

"Captain, Admiral Dodonna asks that you report to the Fleet headquarters as soon as possible. A situation has arisen and she requires your counsel."

Carth checked his location. "I can be there in half an hour, Lieutenant, but I'm in civvies. It'll take me an hour to get back to the Enclave and report in uniform."

There was a brief conversation off the communicator. "The Admiral asks that you come as you are, Captain, immediately."

"Tell the Admiral I'm on my way, then. Onasi out."

It had been a stupid thing to do, she knew. Bad enough to surprise any parent with news of their child, but she knew Carth's prejudices better than anyone, and she never should have let the Council be the one to tell him about his son. That Dustil was not just Force-sensitive, but had a depth of sensitivity greater even than hers. That they wanted him to stay on Coruscant at the temporary Academy. She thought he'd take it better if it wasn't from her—

You're a fool, Case. She'd have to make it up to him when he cooled down and came back. She could feel him out there in the Force, a confused tangle of anger and frustration colored by a hint of exhilaration, which meant that he was probably flying his speeder somewhere at a reckless velocity. Flying always calmed him down, and she could apologize then. They were arguing too much, too often. It wasn't like it had been, when they were working together to find the Star Forge. Maybe when they got away from Coruscant, they could spend some time alone together, get back to normal. Maybe even go on a nice trip to a planet that wasn't crawling with Sith. Which Sith? her mind insisted. She shook her head roughly, trying to shake away those thoughts. They were just dreams. She could ignore dreams forever. She didn't have to go back out there. Couldn't the Universe take care of itself for once? The Force chooses its own saviors, she could almost hear Master Zhar say.

Case sighed and smoothed out her tunic. She refused to wear those ridiculous Jedi robes unless absolutely necessary for battle. She had been in too many tight spots to wear something with no protection against blasters and vibroblades. Here in the Enclave, she enjoyed the looks on the other Jedis' faces when they saw her strolling about in civvies. They couldn't understand why she didn't want to "do things properly." She couldn't understand why they all had to be such thickheaded zealots. It was no wonder they weren't trusted by the average person.

Case left the small temporary apartment she and Carth were sharing at the and headed toward the common area. She had promised to tell Dustil how things had gone with his father. And they could have gone worse. Carth would come around, given enough time.

"Hey, Case! Wait up!"

It was Mission, jogging in from the practice ground. She was carrying a baird stick and was covered in dust.

"Mission, what in the world have you been up to? You look like a mertahog after a fight!"

She grinned, headtails swinging lightly around her face. "I just scored the winning goal against the fourth-year Padawan team in bairdball! Those kids never had a chance." She fell into step beside Case.

"I see," Case said, "you're taking advantage of a bunch of poor Jedi who don't have the advantage of having fought dark Jedi and street thugs since they were ten. I hope you weren't betting on the game. . ."

"Heck yeah, we were!" Mission exclaimed. "You think I'm gonna play for nothing? I got enough Enclave credits from that team to buy a lightsaber if I wanted to!" She shook a datapad to emphasize her winnings. "So, where're we going? To eat, I hope."

Case nodded. "I told Dustil I'd meet him for lunch. You're welcome to join us." Even a year out from the streets of Taris, Mission never missed a meal.

"Sure," she agreed. "Where's Carth? I tried to get him to play with us, but one of the fourth years said it wouldn't be fair to have a war hero on our team, and Carth said he had something else to do, anyway. I told that stupid fourth year that being a war hero didn't have anything to do with playing baird, and Carth was old, anyway, but he--" Mission stopped her rattling. "Hey, is something wrong? Carth didn't get eaten by a kath hound, did he?"

Case frowned. "No, but he may have crashed his speeder into a building." She saw the stricken look on the Twi'lek's face. "No, Mission, I'm kidding. He didn't crash his speeder, I'd be able to tell. I'm just saying that he was—upset—when he left the Enclave this morning."

The relief on the girl's face was almost comical. She had become very attached to the Republic pilot, even more so once Zalbaar went back to Kashyyyk. "Oh, well, that's good, I guess. Why was he upset? Was it about Dustil? I mean, I know he was real surprised when Dustil showed up here and the Council tested him, but that was, like, two weeks ago."

They approached the entrance of the common area. Like everything else in the Enclave, it was made of a pinkish stone and gleamed faintly in the midday sun. The interior was cool and dimly lit. The large room was full of tables, groups of Jedi and non-Jedi sitting together, playing cards, eating lunch, or just talking. Case sought out Dustil, sitting by himself near a window. He waved them over, and Case headed in that direction.

She replied to Mission. "The Council insisted that Dustil stay for training at the Enclave. When he heard that, he—"

"Flipped out? Well, no duh, Case! That was really rude of them!" Mission looked a little angry herself. "The Council acts like it owns everyone, like us non-Jedi are a bunch of bantha that they can order around! Why didn't you stop them, Case? That sounds like something Bastila would do!"

Case groaned and shushed her as they approached Dustil's table. She didn't want to have this conversation with Carth's son, too. "I know, Mission, and I'll apologize as soon as he comes back. It was a miscalculation, really."

Mission grumbled a little but brightened at the sight of tekka chips on the table. She slid down the bench across from Dustil. "Hey, can I have some of these?" she asked. Tekka chips were her favorite snack.

Dustil smiled. "I got them for you. I thought you might be here."

Mission flushed a little purple and Case laughed. Mission wasn't used to interacting with kids her own age. Dustil had his father's charm, and his flirtatious attention was obviously unsettling her. "I'll have some too, Dustil, if you don't mind," she said, sparing Mission from having to reply. "So, when do you enter the Academy?"

Dustil shrugged. "As soon as possible. I'm pretty sure they wanted to drag me in the back and shave my head right after the results of my Evaluation, but I convinced them that I needed a day to wrap up some things. You know, deal with Father after the Council tells him." He grinned. "I guess I won't turn into a Dark Lord in just one day."

Case frowned at him. "It's nothing to joke about, Dustil. The Dark Side is frighteningly easy to fall into."

"You think I don't know that?" he asked tensely, a hint of anger in his eyes. "Is it too much to ask that one of you people have a sense of humor?"

Case could feel the Force coming off of him like heat from a flame. The boy was shockingly quick to anger, even quicker than his father, and with much more dangerous consequences. The Council had been right to take him for training in spite of his age—he could easily become a weapon for the Dark side. She smiled with effort and reached for a tekka. She broke the green chip in half and nibbled. "It's not that we don't have a sense of humor, Dustil; we just lose sight of it because our heads are stuck too far up our—"

"Haranguing the Jedi again, I see, Case," came a voice behind them. Case turned and shook her head at the sight.

"Master Jolee, those robes look ridiculous on you," she declared. They were instructor robes, and the voluminous folds swallowed the man.

Jolee shook his finger at her. "You watch it, young lady. If the Jedi wanted to take an old man like me back, I was going to do it in style." He nodded at her companions. "Initiate Onasi, Mission."

Dustil flushed. "Not until tomorrow, Jo—er, Master Jolee."

"Soon enough, I suppose. Case, may I have a word with you, please?"

Case sighed inwardly. The usual joking smile on the man's face belied the seriousness in his eyes. Something important was going on, and that was the last thing she wanted. She took her leave of the teenagers and headed out the door with Jolee.

"Universe need saving again, old man?" she asked wearily.

"Hmm. Perhaps. I think I'll let Master Vrook give you the details about that." He stopped suddenly and gripped her arm. "Did you feel that?"

She thought about it. "No, what was it?"

"Someone just used a Dark side power, I think," he said. "Just briefly."

Case's eyes widened. "Are you sure? Who would do such a thing in the Enclave?"

Jolee shook his head slowly. "Perhaps it was an accident. Just a student trying something she should not. If you did not feel it, then it's also possible that I misinterpreted what I felt." He looked at her narrowly as they continued walking. "Speaking of misinterpretation, I heard the Council practically ordered Onasi at blasterpoint to release his boy to them. I'm surprised you did not stand with him."

Case wanted to scream. Must everyone challenge her decisions? She threw her hands in the air. "I'm sorry, Jolee. I'll never support the Council again, ever, Sith threat be damned! You know as well as I do that the boy needs to be trained, and it's not my fault his father holds every Jedi responsible for the Mandalorian War!"

Jolee shook his head. "Your theatrics are hardly necessary, Case." He looked at her closely. "Even Bastila has learned not to—"

"Treat people like objects, I know," she finished. "Poor girl, does she know that she's become the poster child for bad Jedi behavior?"

They were approaching the Council chambers. "I think Bastila would gladly punish herself that way, as well, if she could," he said sadly. Since they left the Star Forge, Bastila had been next to useless. She had overspent her Battle Meditation in an attempt to compensate for helping the Sith, and she had refused to heal herself or even meditate with the other Jedi. She had secluded herself upon her return to Coruscant and would see none of them.

The guards at the door bowed slightly as they entered. Masters Kavar, Vrook, and Vandar were seated around the meditation chamber, several empty chairs for other Masters between each. Tournan's seat was empty.

Master Vrook looked up from a datapad. "Ah, Master Jolee, Jedi Case. We have been waiting for you." He looked grim.

Case tried not to show her nervousness. "What is it?"

There was a heavy silence around the room. Jolee rolled his eyes and made his way to a chair near the door. "This old man's gonna sit down if you're not gonna get on with it," he grumbled under his breath. Case felt suddenly alone and exposed in front of the Council.

Vrook steepled his fingers and sighed. "There was a disturbance in the Force last night," he said finally.

"Really?" she asked brightly, trying to mask the sudden fear that went through her. "I didn't notice anything, except for an odd dream that I—"

"It came from you, Jedi Case."

Case was silent. She knew what was coming. "Yes, Masters, I remembered my. . . former self."

Master Kavar spoke up from the far wall, his calm expression at odds with his tight voice. "Did you see it? Do you know what it is?"

Case looked around the room for some hint as to Kavar's concern. As usual, the Jedi were inscrutable. She felt a thread of suspicion in her mind. They were all afraid of something, that much was clear from the feel of the Force in the room. But they thought she knew something that they didn't. What could she know?

Vrook broke her silence. "It's something you did, isn't it?" he asked her sharply. "You did something when you were the Dark Lord that is coming back to us now. I knew we should have—"

"Vrook." Kavar said quietly, cutting off the man's angry words. Vrook immediately dropped his eyes, hands clenching on the table before him. Kavar continued, "Jedi Case, we all felt a disturbance last night, and when we meditated on it this afternoon, we realized that the disturbance was an echo from a greater disturbance in the future."

"The future?" she asked. "I thought the future was unknowable."

Master Vandar nodded gravely. "Hard to see, the future is. A terrible tragedy, from the echo comes."

Case felt her fear from last night like a weight in her gut. Had she done something when she was Revan that had awoken the true Sith? Or were they awake before she reached them? Pieces of thought skittered through the edges of her mind, too fast to piece together. She had realized something after she defeated the Mandalorians, something that had caused her to seek out the Sith. Some reason she had gone to—

"Korriban," she blurted out.

Kavar raised his eyebrows. "What about Korriban, Jedi Case?" he asked quietly. "What calls you there?"

There was a feeling around the room like a collectively held breath. Case hadn't realized until she said it that the cave from her dream was on Korriban. It had to be. She knew with a certainty she hadn't felt since the Star Forge that she had to go there. She had to find out what she had discovered so many years ago, what had started her on the path that ended with her now in front of the Council, again arguing for action that it was too afraid to pursue.

She saw herself suddenly before her, like a Force ghost. She was younger. A smile danced around her eyes even as the set of her lips was firm. "Masters, we must not ignore the Mandalorians. There is something odd about the attack. Their history does not predict this kind of behavior. My studies have shown—"

"We have decided not to interfere, Jedi Revan. You will cease your studies," a younger Tournan ordered.

"But Masters, this is greater than the Mandalorians, I am sure of it!"

"We have already decided, Jedi. Please leave us now."

Case blinked, and her younger self was gone. The Council was still staring at her expectantly. The memories suddenly unlocked, Case realized what her younger self—what Revan—had instinctively feared. The Mandalorians hadn't attacked on their own. Mandalore had told her as much before she killed him. They were induced to attack by a greater Darkness pushing inward from the Unknown Regions. Her memories became fuzzy again, covered in the mist that the Council had violated her with. What had she found on Malachor V that had sent her to Korriban? More importantly, what had she found on Korriban? Because that, she realized now, was what had set her on her path as Darth Revan, had caused her to break entirely from the Light and—and what? She just couldn't remember. Case knew with a sinking heart that she had to go back to Korriban. If she was to retrace her path, she had to start there.

She opened her mouth to tell the Council when she saw a glimpse of her younger self in the corner of her eye, walking away from the Council with stiff shoulders and a wounded expression. She had tried to tell them then, too, and they had stopped her. What if they stopped her again? Because that was what they would do, she realized as she looked around the room. The Council was so afraid of the unknown, of the encroaching Darkness, that it would stop her rather than face the fear. The Council would doom the Universe. They can't do anything, anyway. It has to be you. She pushed away her nagging thought, but knew in her heart that it was true. She had to find this threat and defeat it herself.

She realized the Council was still staring expectantly at her, her long silence becoming awkward. "I think the answer may lie on Korriban, Masters. I remembered last night that the head of Archaeology kept some old scrolls in the Archives near the tombs, and I believe I may be able to take them from the Archives and bring them to the Council for study." She shielded her thoughts tightly from the Masters. They couldn't know what really might lie on Korriban. She would just be a good little Jedi, completely reformed. She would bring the Council information and let it decide what to do. "I would go to Korriban immediately, if the Council allows it."

"Case, no!" Jolee exclaimed. He got to his feet. "It is too dangerous for you there. Last time, you almost—"

"Enough, Master Jolee," Vrook commanded. Jolee reluctantly subsided, still glaring at her. "Jedi Case, the Force has guided you to Korriban, for we have yet another task for you there, at the Academy."

"The Academy, Master Vrook?" she asked. Last she had heard, the Sith Academy was crumbling from the inside. She doubted there was anything to find there.

"Doubt does not become a Jedi," Vrook scolded her. "We have another task for you. We have lost many of our most promising students in the past several months. They simply leave the Jedi Academy and never return. Some of our Knights, too, are leaving the Order. I believe the new headmaster at the Sith Academy may be behind it. We ask that you look into it while you are inside the Academy."

Case looked around the room incredulously. "Inside the Academy? How am I going to get inside the Academy?" She laughed. "Unless the Council has a secret pass."

There was an uncomfortable silence and Case groaned. Don't tell me.

"Actually, Jedi—"