Chapter 14

(Jedi Temple)

Atris sat listening to Vrook as he detailed which of the Jedi holocrons were to be moved to her secret enclave on Telos. She had to fight hard to keep from smiling as he spoke. The council was actually thinking of moving some of the captured Sith holocrons as well as their own. She had long desired to study the Sith holocrons so as to find what made it so seductive to Jedi. The losses they had sustained in the many wars had hurt the Jedi badly, but most of the latest wars against the Sith had been caused by Jedi falling to the dark side. She was certain there was something, the Jedi were missing, some secret to why so many Jedi had fallen of late, in those holocrons.

Only a select few Jedi were allowed to access the Sith holocrons and she had sadly never been one of them, even with her seat on the council she had been denied access whenever she had asked for it. That had always annoyed her, but now she was given a chance, she had of course promised to lock up the holocrons and not to try and study them, but she had no intention of actually keeping to that promise. It was dangerous she knew, but to ensure the Jedi survived after they had gotten rid of Malak and the rest of the Sith, she believed it to be worth the risk.

"You're been given a very huge responsibility I hope you realize that Atris?" Vrook said after he had finished going through the list breaking into Atris's inner thoughts.

"Of course I realize that Master Vrook. I will ensure all the holocrons are safely hidden away where no one can find them," Atris assured him as best as she could, but she noted a slight skeptical look in her fellow Jedi's eyes. "I assure you Vrook no one will have access to the holocrons but me, and I have little interest in studying them," she told him.

"See that you don't Atris," Vrook shot back with narrowed eyes still unsure if they were doing the right thing here. To have so many Sith holocrons under her control would be a great temptation he knew, but he had some confidence in Atris's ability to resist that temptation as after all she was a fellow council member. "We've lost enough Jedi to the dark side of late, I'd hate to see you become one more," he added before he turned and left.

Atris finally gave into her urge to smile as she headed for her quarters, within the next hour or two the ship she would take back to Telos would be loaded with the holocrons and then she could leave the close scrutiny of her fellow Jedi, where she could study the holocrons at her leisure.

+TR+

(Tatoonie, cantina)

Revan guided Bastila right to the chair where her mother was sitting with her back to them, she had taken no notice of their presence as of yet. He glanced at Bastila and noticed how nervous she seemed to be, but through the bond he could feel the confused mass of anger, expectation and fear Bastila was feeling. He hoped this meeting would go somewhat smoothly, he needed Bastila to be at her best once they headed to the fleet. It was why he intended to ensure she met with her mother, otherwise it would be always preying on her mind.

"Mrs. Shan," Revan finally said, making the other woman spin around in her chair while Bastila moved just behind Revan so as to hide herself from her mother's sight, thus buying herself some more time to prepare for this meeting.

"Yes can I help you young man?" Helena Shan inquired as she looked at the imposing man who had just called her name out.

"I'm here in response to your request to locate your daughter," Revan responded before side stepping quickly enough so as not to give away his intention to Bastila who was caught off guard and left exposed to her mother's eyes at last.

"B..Bastila?" Helena inquired as she finally took note of the young woman now in her line of sight. Unsure whether the person she was seeing was really her daughter, the daughter she hadn't seen since she was a child and had been given over to the Jedi.

"Yes mother it is me," Bastila finally said with a sigh, knowing she could put this meeting off no longer. "Or don't you recognize me?" she added almost sarcastically making Revan wince a little.

The sarcasm in Bastila's tone set Helena on edge as it sounded more like an accusation. "Well how do you expect me to recognize you when I've not seen you or even had a picture of you in fifteen years?" she demanded angrily and with a slight huff.

"Why did you request to see me mother?" Bastila inquired deciding not to get into an argument about the past. "And where is father?" she suddenly demanded as the absence of her father suddenly struck her.

Helena froze as the question was asked and she seemed to slump into her chair as she considered how to tell Bastila the truth. It was a truth she was still struggling to come to terms with herself. Her husband Kieran was dead, killed only weeks ago while trying to hunt down a Krayt Dragon and collect the pearls found in their corpses so as to pay for her growing medical bills.

"Where is my father?" Bastila demanded a bit more forcibly and moved to step into her mother's personal space, but was stopped by Revan who gently pulled her back.

Revan already had a bad feeling as to the answer to this particular question, and he feared just how badly Bastila would react to the answer when it was given. It would be a great challenge for her to not only face the anger and grief it would cause, but it would be one of the defining moments of her life, he was sure. He just hoped she could indeed face it and overcome the anger and grief before it consumed her, she wouldn't be the first he had seen fall due to such factors.

"Your father is dead Bastila," Helena finally admitted in a pained whisper, her grief shown within her eyes.

"Nooo," Bastila groaned as her control over her emotions went haywire. She felt Revan's grip on her arm tighten somewhat as he felt the backlash, but right then she didn't care. "What did you do to him? What insane task did you give him that got him killed?" she demanded to know in a heated and accusing tone.

"I did nothing Bastila, I loved him," Helena argued in protest. "I argued against him taking the job, but he was insistent because we had run out of credits. I'm dying Bastila and to try and help me Kail has been taking me to doctors all over the place. He was hoping to find some Krayt dragon pearls to pay for a trip to Manaan," she explained. "I begged him not to go that I had a bad feeling, but he refused to listen. He joined a party of ten and only three returned alive to tell me what had happened," she went on, her grief becoming more obvious as she spoke. "Since then I've been trying to find you, asking anyone I could find if they knew where you were. I guess I lucked out somewhere because here you are," she added. "I didn't want to die without seeing you one more time and explaining what had happened. I didn't want to see you blame me for your father's death," she stated.

Bastila stared at her mother who was trying to fight breaking down and crying openly in the cantina. She could hear the grief in her mother's tone and see it in her eyes, but that did nothing to help quell the storm of emotions going on within her. She closed her eyes and tried to use every meditation exercise the Jedi had taught her to calm herself down. She could feel Revan's unease as she fought to control herself. She knew he feared she could lose control and fall just as easily as any Jedi before her when faced with such turmoil. She knew this was one of the reasons why the council always tried to get their students to always be in control. She now saw just how easy it could be to give into the darker side of one's personality, saw how easy it was to have one's control be overwhelmed by powerful emotions stirred by events one faced. Slowly she forced back the anger and resentment, she set aside the grief knowing there would be time later to weep for the loss of her father. Finally after what seemed like an eternity Bastila found her control returning, her emotions finally under control.

Revan let out a sigh of relief as Bastila mastered herself after what had seemed like a long struggle, but in reality had only been a few moments. Still he knew just how much could change in so little time. Bastila had passed the test, she had fought to control herself and resist the urge to simply give into the madness of her emotions that would have led her down the path to the dark side as easily as any other path to it.

"What do you mean you are dying?" Bastila finally asked after a lengthy silence.

"I have the Krillik fever Bastila and more often than not it is fatal without the best treatment," Helena answered. "That is why Kail was hoping to take me to Manaan. It has some of the best doctors in the inner core, but they are expensive," she pointed out. "Now it seems we are fated to both die here on his ball of sand," she said bitterly. "I had hoped if I was to die it would be with Kail at my side which is why I begged him not to go. I didn't want him risking himself for me on something that may not even help me, but he ignored me and was desperate to get us there," she continued before trailing off and going silent herself.

"Is that the only reason you were looking for me mother?" Bastila inquired, her tone belaying some doubt as to the truth of her mother's story.

"No Bastila, I want you to recover you father's body and bring it back so he can be buried and I want you to recover his Holocron," Helena admitted. "It is the only thing left of Kail and I wish to view it one more time and remember him," she added almost in a whisper.

Bastila once more felt a spike of emotion at this, but this time she quickly stamped it out, she reached out with the force and scanned her mother and quickly located a mass of darkness in her aura, showing her mother was telling the truth that she was ill and badly at that. She glanced at Revan and noted he was watching quietly, but nodded his head to indicate he would be willing to help in this matter. That sent a tingle of pleasure through her that helped push back the urge to scream at her mother, just to vent some of the darker emotions she had just barely managed to control.

"We will do as you ask mother," Bastila finally said. "We will discuss what happened and your illness when we return," she added.

"But before we leave I must impress on you Mrs. Shan you can't allow anyone here to learn you are related to Bastila," Revan finally spoke up. "We are on a dangerous mission and the Sith hunt your daughter. If they learn you are here they will not think twice of capturing you to lure her into a trap," he explained at her look of surprise. "Carth, Jarrik," he called out and were soon joined by the two.

"What's up?" Carth inquired.

"This is Bastila's mother. I need you to go to the local black market shop and buy her a false identity chip and background profile," Revan responded as quietly as possible so they were not overheard. "Pay what you have to and I will pay you back, this is important Carth as the Sith cannot learn of her being here," he warned when the pilot went to object. "She is the perfect kind of bait Malak would need to lure Bastila into a trap and you know it," he pointed out. "Jarrik will watch your back, you can trust him," he assured him.

Carth wanted to argue, but he knew the younger man was correct. If Malak got a hold of Helena he would use it to lure Bastila into a trap, which she more than likely would walk right into to protect her mother.

"Alright, we'll be back soon," Carth agreed.

"We can't wait. Juhani and T3 will remain here to keep an eye on her and when you get back stay with them and back them up," Revan shot back. "We will be back as soon as possible," he added before turning back to Helena. "I take it you understand the seriousness of what we've said?" he inquired.

"I do indeed young man," Helena shot back, wondering why the Sith were hunting her daughter and feeling a shiver run up her spine at the idea of falling into their hands and then being used to trap her daughter. It was a horrifying thought.

"Good, we'll be back soon enough, do not leave the cantina, two of my people will guard you and when Carth and Jarrik return they will stay as well, that should prove ample protection," Revan assured her before he turned and began to lead Bastila back to the where the others now stood as Carth and Jarrik left the cantina. "Juhani, you and T3 will remain here and guard Mrs. Shan and when Carth and Jarrik return they will help. Don't let her out of your sight. Do you understand?" he asked after a brief explanation of the plan.

"I understand Jaks, it is possible the Sith were drawn here not to keep an eye out for us, but due to Mrs. Shan's presence as she was asking about Bastila to people who might have seen her," Juhani mused aloud. She didn't like being left behind, but she understood why it was necessary. "It isn't a stretch of the imagination to assume they heard of this and decided to investigate," she added.

"Agreed, keep on your guard even when Carth and Jarrik return, as there may be more Sith on this planet than we know about," Revan warned before he led the rest of the group out of the cantina.

+TR+

(Sith's Wrath)

Darth Bandon stood behind the two pilot chairs as he watched his ship come out of hyperspeed over the planet of Korriban. He felt it unlikely Revan and his team would come here before getting the other Star Maps, but this would be where he would stage his ambush of them. Here he had the advantage, the planet was bathed in the dark side of the force and that would give him the upper hand when he finally had his revenge on Revan. Plus it wouldn't hurt to get the academy ready for their arrival and to ensure the academy Master was doing his job.

"We have landing clearance my Lord," one of the pilots stated calmly.

"Good bring us in and slowly. I want to have a good look over the academy grounds and the tombs," Bandon ordered as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Yes my Lord," the pilot responded with a nod of his head.

Bandon kept his eyes glued to the windows of the ship as it entered the atmosphere before breaking through and began to fly over the tombs in the great valley of the Dark Lords, and then the ship flew over the academy grounds before headed for the landing platform.

"Prepare for landing," the second pilot shouted out so the rest of the people on the ship could get to their seats and strap themselves in. Bandon did the same with the chair located just behind the pilot's chairs. It was a rough landing thanks to the heavy wind the planet was usually subjected too, but after a few tense seconds for the pilots they felt the ship touchdown. Both knew any mistake would lead to their deaths where Bandon was concerned; the man was a crazed killer who cared little for those under his command. "We're down," he finally said.

"Good," Bandon replied as he unstrapped himself and stood up before unleashing a short barrage of force lightening on the second pilot just for the hell of it. "Next time don't take so long," he snapped before he turned and left the bridge leaving the second pilot gasping in pain and the first fearing he would suffer the same at some point in the future.

Bandon led his ambush squad down the ramp and was angered that he was not met by the Academy Master himself, his ship had sent a coded transmission to advise them he was coming and yet no one was here to meet him. This angered him and he promised to ensure before he left the man in charge of this academy would learn to respect him. A smirk graced his features as he entered the space port that connected to the academy that was run by their Czerka allies.

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Meetra ran the hot soapy water over her body feeling tired after a long day, keeping the fleet together and the moral of the men and women in it high was taxing and she had to give Rikka even more credit for having dealt with it far longer than she had. Her return had done a lot to boost morale, but until Revan was found she doubted it would return to what it had once been. She just prayed that when they did find him he was still himself and that the Jedi hadn't destroyed his mind. That was the one fear she couldn't dismiss easily and she knew it had to be praying on Rikka's mind as well since she had raised the subject with her. Leaning her head against the shower wall as the water rinsed the soap off her body she wondered what she would do if Revan had been altered by the Jedi. Narrowing her eyes it didn't take long for the answer to come to her, she would ensure Atris and her ilk would regret it before she killed them. Stepping out of the shower she grabbed the nearby towel and began to dry herself off. For now the focus was on Malak and when they came face to face she would ensure the fool learned the folly of betraying Revan and the cause before Revan himself put him out of his misery. Climbing into her bed after putting on her nightgown she closed her eyes and hoped the next day would be somewhat easier. Smirking she somehow doubted it.

+TR+

(Tatoonie)

Revan led his now smaller group across the city keeping a close eye out for any more Sith, but also made sure to monitor Bastila. For now she was staying in control, but he knew a time would come where she would have to vent the emotions she was suppressing or they would consume her, contrary to what the Jedi liked to teach.

"If we are going to be dealing with the Sand People kid we are going to need an interpreter droid," Jolee advised as they went.

"Good point," Revan agreed as he came to a stop and looked around. "We'll check those shops over there, they look like the kind of ones we can buy things like droids and speeders," he suggested before moving off again.

"Do you think the Sand People will be easy to convince to stop attack the city?" Mission inquired from beside Zaalbar.

"Not really, they are a very aggressive people," Jolee responded with a grunt of dislike. "They don't like people pouching on what they consider their territory," he told her.

"But they can be reasoned with, right?" Mission insisted with a worried expression.

"Yes they can, but it is no easy thing to come to an agreement with them," Revan replied with a humorous smile at the young Twi-Lek, which did nothing to improve her worry.

"This looks like the place," Bastila pointed out to an old run down storefront with a multitude of droids on the outside. Most looked broken, but it was a clear indication as to the nature of the shop.

"Wait here, we'll be back shortly," Revan ordered as he pushed open the door and then indicated Bastila to enter first, which she did before he followed.

"I'm getting sick of being left outside," Mission grumbled as she leaned against a post.

"He doesn't mean anything by it kid," Jolee assured her with a smile. "He is just a bit preoccupied right now," he explained as she looked at him. "You wouldn't be here if he didn't value you as a person, so just relax because where we are going there will be plenty for us all to do," he stated, which made Mission and the others worry slightly at his ominous tone.