Being in a familiar and foreign place was a strange feeling for Revan. The Star Forge emanated this feeling. His memories threatened to claw their way through the miasma of amnesia and yet, still refused to surface. It was as if he wandered guided but blinded, trusting in something he had no knowledge of.
Presently, he was attempting to rectify his lack of knowledge by studying those within the upper echelons of the Empire.
Lord Voren and Vice Admiral Varko would arrive shortly, as summoned, and first impressions were as crucial for Revan as they were for others. Failure to recognise somebody he had already met would not help the situation he found himself in. What little information he could find within the Star Forge's databanks, combined with some of HK-47's memories, painted an incomplete picture of the people he would soon meet.
"I can sense you are ill at ease," Bastila stated.
"While I will not hide my amnesia from anyone, I do not wish to advertise it by failing to recognise and remember obvious things." Revan paced behind Bastila, who sat at his desk with her feet placed atop the terminal, brown hair tied in its usual style.
"As you mentioned earlier, there will be challengers regardless. Ourselves and our allies will see us through,"
"These men make up part of the allies I spoke of. If I fail to secure their allegiance…."
"Then, as you said, we shall persevere without them." Bastila stood and placed her hands on Revan's shoulders, stilling him and exuding calm through their bond.
"Announcement: May I present Lord Voren and Vice Admiral Varko, reporting as ordered,"
"Thank you, HK. Gentlemen, take a seat." Revan gestured to the two metallic chairs in front of the desk. Revan eyed the two men before him while sitting down himself. Both are human, yet their similarities end there. Lord Voren had strolled in confidently and sat, relaxed, in his chair, a faceplate covering his features. Varko had trailed behind him and now sat rigidly, worry covering his weathered visage. "I have summoned you here to assuage any fears of losing your current positions. Rest assured, I have no plans to remove those promoted by Malak unless they demonstrate disloyalty,"
"Thank you, my Lord. I am grateful for your faith in me," Varko stuttered, clearly relieved.
"As am I, Dark Lord." Voren bowed his head.
"Your positions here at the Star Forge are invaluable. Without your oversight, the recent Republic incursion here would have succeeded, and for that, I thank you," Revan continued, hoping flattery would get him somewhere.
"I believe I speak for the Admiral when I say that we are looking forward to how you reshape the Empire," Voren rebuffed, his black mask hiding a smirk.
Voren was ready for this, the false fawning. The Dark Lord had no choice but to try and curry favour with himself and those already in power. He could barely contain his smirk. He had the Dark Lord of the Sith in the palm of his hand.
HK could detect the slight twitch in Revan's facial muscles as his brows tried to furrow before self-control kicked in. On the other hand, Bastila didn't need to see his face to feel the beginnings of anger radiating through him. In much the same manner as his face, his discipline prevented their guests from noticing his feelings.
"Of course. That process will be much easier with your continued allegiance to the Empire." Revan paused for a beat, directing his gaze between the confident Dark Jedi and the unnerved Admiral. "That is all, Gentlemen. You may return to your duties,"
Both men stood and bowed before leaving. Varko bowed deeper.
"Contact Korriban; I wish to speak to Uthar Wynn," Revan barked, umber eyes turning yellow.
"Excellent work, my young Sith. Your enemy lies dead at your feet, and you are victorious… the final test is complete.
"You are truly a Sith in spirit, and one gifted with great power. Of this, I no longer have any doubt. There is much more for you to learn, perhaps… but not here.
"There is… something very strange about you, young one. Something I cannot place. You are like no other student I have ever met. Is it… is it possible that you are not what you seem to be? Tell me, young one… tell me what you really are."
"I am Darth Revan. Bow before me."
"Ah, I see. So it is… Darth Revan, not dead as we were led to believe.
"And yet… and yet you are not Revan, are you? What has occurred between the time of your reported death and now, I can only guess at, but you have changed much.
"Regardless, your destiny does take you away from here… to confront your old pupil, without a doubt. Yes… that is what lies before you."
"Thank you, Lord Uthar."
"Go to your destiny, then, my Dark Lord. I shall say nothing of what you have done here. Should you prove victorious and wish to return, then I and all Sith shall be your servants."
Uthar departs the Tomb, leaving Revan behind.
"Ah, Darth Revan, news of your success reached Korriban recently. I am pleased it was not an exaggeration." Lord Uthar smiled.
"Thank you, Uthar. How fares Korriban in these turbulent times?" Revan reclined back into his chair, elbows resting on the arms, fingers steepled. "Rumours of your demise are circulating."
"Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated, Dark Lord. An issue with which you are undoubtedly familiar." Uthar laughed.
"Indeed. I trust you have cemented your control over the Academy?"
"As promised, Korriban stands ready to serve,"
"Good; when can we expect the next Initiates to pass the Trials?"
"Very soon, Sire. Few of interest, I regret to report. Their new Lords will be arriving in the next few days,"
"Regrettable, but not worthless. Perhaps combat will sharpen them up sufficiently." Uthar hummed in agreement. "Now, tell me about Dustil Onasi,"
"Ah, a rather promising young student. I have plans for him to replace Yuthura. He is at a critical juncture in his training, and with guidance, his talent with the Force can be honed to perfection." Uthar seemed almost gleeful.
"I would agree with you if I didn't have it on good authority that he's planning an insurrection." Revan leaned forwards. "I trust that isn't part of your plans for him,"
Uthar's face shifted to a frown. "He acts alone, my Dark Lord, I assure you. I will deal with him immediately,"
"You shall not. Dustil Onasi is of particular interest to me. I would like him delivered here to the Star Forge. Alive."
"Of course, Sire. I shall personally see to his capture, I assure you." Uthar bowed his head. "He will arrive unharmed," Uthar cursed that damnable fool. He knew rumours were circulating about Yuthura's fate, and he predicted it would inspire… ambition, but rebellion? In one of his star pupils? An unforgivable mistake to say the least. One he could not afford to be associated with.
"Excellent. Now, let us discuss the Academy itself. I believe it is time for you to return to the old ways of teaching…."
Revan had a restless sleep that night. He had no dreams or visions, which he was both grateful for and disturbed by, yet he was still unable to completely relax. The hum of the Star Forge seemed to penetrate every fibre of his being, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't drown it out. To his surprise and relief, Bastila seemed unaffected by his agitation and slept soundly beside him.
When HK announced the last of the senior military staff had arrived, Revan decided to abandon sleep and prepare for the meeting. Changing from his pyjamas into his robes and clipping his lightsaber to his belt, he stepped out into the Command Centre, HK in tow.
Various high-ranking officers stood around the holographic display of the Star Forge in the centre of the room. Amongst several Humans, there were several non-Humans such as Togruta, Twi'leks and Rodians. Canderous, noticing Revan, cleared his throat and snapped to attention.
"Welcome, my Lord. May I be the first to welcome you back to your rightful place as Dark Lord!" a mauve-skinned Togruta spoke with an elegant bow.
"Thank you. I believe you have me at a disadvantage, Marshal…?"
"Marshal Tamaree of the Sith Army, my Lord." Another bow. "With your arrival, we must get started. We have much to discuss,"
"Indeed, there is much I would like to know. However, I notice we are still one short?" Revan gestured to the lone empty chair.
"I apologise for my tardiness, Sir. It will not happen again," said a voice Revan recognised. A voice that made his blood boil and his hairs stand on end. A voice he never believed he would hear again. Anger radiated throughout Revan, powerful enough to push through his bond with Bastila and wake her. Revan's face dropped into a snarl, turning to face the man it belonged to.
"Saul Karath," Revan growled. "I thought I had rid myself of you on the Leviathan." HK raised the barrel of his rifle to rest on his shoulder, targeting systems whirring into standby.
"Unfortunately, Sir, I survived my wounds and Malak's ire with nothing more than scars and a demotion. It is a pleasure to place myself under your command," Saul clarified, choosing his words carefully. He had always toed the line with the Dark Lord. Always cordial, never friendly. He would seize this opportunity to reingratiate himself with the new Dark Lord.
Revan, on the other hand, was conflicted. His recent experience under Saul's heel was setting his instincts on fire. However, somewhere within himself was trust and camaraderie with the man he considered his torturer. Most likely, memories that refused to present themselves were fuelling this contradicting feeling. For now, Revan simply centred himself. He had other things to deal with.
"Now that we are all present, we may begin. Tell me, what plans, and strategies did Malak put in place? How goes the war effort?" Revan questioned.
"Vice Admiral Fenn here, my Lord. To put it in simple words, Malak had no strategy besides total destruction. I rarely met the man after he assumed your title," Fenn, a Lethan Twi'lek, began.
"I concur with Admiral Fenn. No orders were given besides 'defeat the Republic. The last time we were assembled here together was a few days after your... disappearance," a cobalt-coloured Rodian, later identified as Marshal Roosh, continued.
"Why did Malak summon you after my disappearance? Did he fear disloyalty?"
"He convened us to assure our loyalty and cull those who disobeyed him. You may remember General Derred? One of the casualties of that meeting, I'm afraid,"
"Then what, may I ask, have you been doing for the past two years?" Revan seethed.
"Running the Star Forge at roughly 300% capacity, my Lord, and using it to simply overwhelm the Republic,"
Something deep in Revan's mind took over, "What? Was Malak truly so reckless? This must be changed immediately! The Star Forge must never operate at no higher than 100%."
"As you wish, my Lord. The most relevant piece of military strategy we can pass on to you is the blockade at Dantooine." Tamaree altered the holographic display to show Dantooine surrounded by ships identified as belonging to the Sith Navy.
Bastila appeared at Revan's side, his earlier anger intriguing her. Now she could see why he was so infuriated. Seeing Saul had begun to boil her own blood. Sensing this, Revan pulled Bastila firmly against his side, hand remaining around her waist.
"Malak failed to take Dantooine?" Canderous asked incredulously.
"Indeed," Saul said, staring with disdain at the Mandalorian. "Perhaps that would be an excellent place to renew our campaign? A chance to further prove your worth over Malak?"
"Not to mention the Jedi retreat hidden on the planet," Canderous interjected.
"I agree, for what it's worth," spoke Bastila. "The Jedi always intended to retreat to Dantooine should Coruscant fall. We… they could not afford another incident like Ossus. Taking it will show them they have nowhere to hide,"
"And while we're focussed on Dantooine, how will the Empire fare? Is there any cause for concern regarding insurrection?" Revan queried.
"The Empire has stabilised, my Lord. The past few hours have seen the final holdouts declare their loyal intentions. Regardless, we are still prepared to deal with treachery," Admiral Fenn said.
"Then, it's settled. Admiral Karath, ready a ship. You are to escort me to Dantooine and preside over its invasion,"
A/N: Did you know... Whilst the characters of Tamaree, Fenn, and Roosh are original characters, they are ancestors of real Star Wars characters. Tamaree is the ancestor of Trido Tamaree from "The High Republic: The Rising Storm", Fenn is the ancestor of Ro Fenn from Star Wars (1998) 42 and, Roosh is the ancestor of Drexl Roosh from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.