Chapter 21

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Rikka entered Meetra's quarters with a pad in her hands, she felt a lot better now that they had redone the count and gotten back a much higher number than before. Someone had clearly messed up before. "General?" she asked as she looked around only to be almost startled by the sudden appearance of the older woman from a dark corner where she had been looking out of the nearby observation window.

"I'm here Rikka, just lost in thought," Meetra responded as she moved to the nearby table and poured a brightly colored ale into two glasses from the bottle she had on the table. "Please sit, then we can go over what the recount has found," she said.

Rikka nodded and quickly joined her at the table, slid the pad across the table before she reached for her glass and took a small sip from it. She watched as the General slowly read through the pads data, taking another sip from the glass she looked out of the window and wondered just when Revan would return to lead them as she liked most of the others in the fleet were growing restless of hiding and waiting.

"Looks like I was right, whoever did the count before messed up big time," Meetra said with a relieved sigh gaining Rikka's attention. "More than likely caused by the aftermath of Malak's betrayal and the loss of Revan and so many of our other friends, they were probably still in shock when they did the count and not exactly thinking straight," she mused to which Rikka nodded in agreement.

"Agreed General, I doubt we can actually blame whoever it was who did do the original count as those were dark days," she said with a dark and pained look quickly appearing in her eyes. "We lost so much so damn quickly, I probably wouldn't even be here had not Niks and Jenson pulled me off the old Revenge," she admitted. "I was consumed with finding Revan's body and refused to leave. Niks and Jenson all but dragged me off the bridge and to an escape shuttle," she informed her.

"Shock, anger, rage, sorrow and grief, we probably went through them all at the same time while trying to survive and make it here, none of us was operating at our best," she continued with a shake of her head.

"You did the best you could Rikka, all of you managed to survive and after a time pulled yourselves back together so that when Revan returned he would return to a force ready to gain revenge on their betrayers," Meetra reassured her before she downed her drink and poured herself a new one.
"Knowing what has happened, I wish I had not left the fleet when I did. I should have stayed and maybe just maybe I could have stopped this from happening," she admitted bitterly.

"No one saw Malak coming, even if Revan suspected it was possible he was caught off guard, to committed to the mission," Rikka argued. "We all were General, so consumed with saving what we had so long fought to defend against the Mandalorians, we had no idea that some of us had begun to doubt and to wish only for personal gain," she muttered before she downed her own remaining drink and quickly accepted another. "Even had you been there I doubt you would have seen it either General, I know you were perceptive and usually able to discern people's emotions but forgive me for saying that was before the battle over Malachor V," she added after a short hesitation as if afraid to mention the final battle of the Mandalorian War. "We don't know exactly what happened to you after you activated the shadow mass generator, only that it injured you and somehow lessened your connection to the force," she halted as she noted the dark look that passed over Meetra's face as she spoke. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought it up," she quickly said not having meant to bring up bad memories.

"Don't, while I have not exactly forgotten what happened over that damn place that does not mean I can't talk about it," Meetra told her, her tone clipped and angry. "Yes I was injured; my powers all but stripped away and as far as the council was concerned they would never return. They called me a wound in the force and something that offended them by just been in their presence," she spat remembering that final meeting with the Council. "They were so smug in their judgment especially Atris who took my lightsaber. They exiled me and even took my name from me telling me all records of me would now only refer to me as the Exile," she explained her tone going from angry to enraged. "Yet even with what I suffered I did not regret my actions. I helped end the war and ensured the Republic survived and no one could take that from me," she stated as she downed her second drink and poured a third. "My powers are still gone, they might one day return I don't know, but every now and then I feel a slight hum in the force which keeps me hopeful," she admitted. "So maybe you are right Rikka, maybe I would not have noticed the changes in Malak or his followers, but perhaps I could have stopped Revan getting captured at the least," she speculated.

"That is not guaranteed General, it was chaos when the ambush and then the betrayal happened," Rikka assured her. "Speculating about how it might have gone is useless for any of us," she stated. "Perhaps we should go over the new numbers of our fleet and leave more sensitive topics alone for now," she offered as she downed her second drink and shook her head when Meetra went to pour another.

"Agreed," Meetra responded with a quick nod pushing the renewed anger from what had happened to her behind her. "The new count, given what I recall of the fleet when I left, says we are about at a quarter of what we used to have, the rest must be with Malak or destroyed before the betrayal happened," she mused.

"Not exactly General, you see there is a third section out there already not counting the true Sith Empire," Rikka cut her off, looking sheepish for not having mentioned it before.

"Explain please," Meetra shot back as she took a half gulp of her third drink.

"A quarter of our fleet and manpower broke off and set up a base on what was left of Malachor V where they found an abandoned Sith academy called the Trayus Academy. It was led by Revan's former Master Kreia and two survivors of the last fateful battle. One calling himself Sion and the other chose the name Nihilus. They chose Sith titles for themselves, Kreia became the Lord of Betrayal, Sion became the Lord of Pain and finally Nihilus became the Lord of Hunger, collective they are called the Triumvirate," she explained. "We don't know where they stand since the betrayal of Malak as we've been too wary of trusting them. How could they have resided in that place filled with what the Jedi in our ranks call the veil of the darkside and not be turned?" she wondered aloud.

Kreia was someone Meetra had known well during the war, Revan's former master and one of the few who he truly listened too. She had been a wise if old Jedi and she would have thought her immune to succumbing to the lure of the darkside before she had left the fleet, but as she was learning it seemed no one was immune to the lure of the insidious power of the darkside.

She wanted to smash her fist through the table, for one of the few times she felt angry at Revan, but not for getting them all involved in this but for daring to let her go when she decided to return to the Republic. She should have been here and she could have talked sense into Revan and maybe she would have seen the darkness that had corrupted Malak and his followers. Perhaps she could have gotten him to act sooner, gotten him to recognize that Alek had been consumed and now wanted him dead and gotten him to kill him before he could betray him.

"So if they have turned not only could we be facing four individual Sith Lords, but their followers as well?" she clarified before downing the rest of her drink and pouring another and filling up Rikka's before she could stop her.

"I'm afraid so General. I suppose we could try and scout out Malachor and the academy and try and discern what their status is?" she suggested before she sighed and drank half of her third drink. "No one has heard anything from them since just before Malak betrayed Revan. Anything could have happened to them," she speculated. "They could be all dead for all we know," she pointed out.

"No they are not dead, of that I am certain," Meetra responded absently unaware that for a brief instant her connection to the force had reopened and that she had sensed the truth of that statement. "But I dare not send anyone near that place, to do so would alert them to our survival and worse Revan's and until he is back with us we are all too vulnerable," she stated with a shake of her head as she finished off the last of her forth drink. "If they have turned they would think nothing of attacking and destroying us if they knew we still existed, but with Revan here they may just hesitate thanks to Kreia's relationship with him as his former master," she speculated.

"So we stay away?" Rikka asked.

"Yes we stay clear of that damn place, once Revan is back he might decide to send a scout there to determine just where they stand, but for now as far as we are concerned that world is nothing but a graveyard," Meetra ordered with certainty as Rikka finished off her drink. "But to finish this off before we get too drunk to care, we have at most 12 thousand if not a little more in ground forces, about half that number in tanks and cannons and other vehicles and at most we have five thousand ships and that includes fighters, transports, battleships, cruisers and destroyers," she stated with the first smile she had shown since they had begun this discussion. "That is a hell of a lot more than we first believed," she added.

"Indeed and I think Revan will be greatly pleased by this news when he finally gets back," Rikka agreed with a nod and her head. "Now if you will excuse me General, I need to sleep and no offence, but getting drunk is the last thing I need tonight," she added as she got up and left the room.

Meetra watched her go and just sighed having wished the Twi'lek would have stayed, at least then she would have someone to talk to and distract her from her continued morbid thoughts since been exiled. Pouring herself a fifth drink she stared out the observation window and downed it one go, dropping the glass onto the table she pulled her clothes off and climbed into bed wishing that Revan would return soon as at least with his return she would be too busy to think of matters long past.

+TR+

(Tatoonie)

Revan stood beside Bastila and her mother as they finished saying their goodbyes to Bastila's father. They had buried him in a small graveyard just within the city limits, but far enough away from the civilian houses and shops. Bastila had managed to keep her composure however the same could not be said of Helena Shan who wept openly, finally it was time and he and Zayne stepped forward and began to cover the body in sand. Bastila did her best to comfort her mother, but the bitter years she spent separated from her hampered them both, neither knew how to react to the other with so much distrust and anger between them. Mission finally handed over the now copied holocube having downloaded its entire history into a spare holocube they had brought from a nearby junk shop so Bastila could go through them at will. Helena took the cube with a sorrowful look in her eyes.

"I will miss him in my final months," Helena whispered in grief.

"Depending on what the doctors find mother you may yet live a little longer than that," Bastila said as hopefully as she could. "Manaan has made many medical breakthroughs and they may yet discover something to aid you," she added.

"We can but hope my dear," Helena decided to just agree not wanting to spend these last precious minutes with her daughter arguing. "I take it you will not come with me?" she asked with barely concealed hope.

Bastila let out a sigh before she responded. "I can't mother, as much I would like to at least hear what the doctors have to say, I am needed to help complete the mission we are on and while we may visit Manaan later on it will not be for just a sorely personal visit," she explained. "We face our most dangerous trip once we depart here, we dare not put it off anymore," she added.

Helena looked at the rest of her daughters group and noted looks ranging from confused to worried and she wondered just what her daughter was not saying, still she knew her daughter would not shrink her duties as a Jedi and that at least made her feel proud. "Very well Bastila, just be careful and you," she said suddenly turning back to face Revan who looked up from his work in surprise. "I expect you to protect my daughter to your dying breath if needed be," she stated as boldly as she could.

Bastila looked wide eyed between her mother and Revan who still looked surprised by how she was talking to him, then a smile began to appear on Revan's face before he broke into another short chuckle which sent another jolt of pleasant tingles through her. She could also feel his amusement through the bond they shared; she glanced at the others and noticed they too were laughing at the situation. She suddenly realized this almost looked like her mother telling her boyfriend off had they been ordinary citizens, and at that she blushed as she admitted she would not have minded Revan as her boyfriend.

"This is not a laughing matter young man," Helena growled as Revan finally got his amusement under control.

"No it is not Mrs. Shan," Revan agreed with a nod of his head. "And I assure you that your daughters safety is my highest priority bar the completing of the mission we are current engaged in and I say that because if we do not succeed in our mission there will be no point in any of us surviving to see what comes should we fail," he assured her as seriously as he could.

Bastila felt the certainty of his words flow through the bond and knew he meant every word he had just spoken, beyond the mission her safety was indeed his highest priority as he had not only given his word to safeguard her, but as he had admitted he had feelings for her and strong ones at that. Feelings she was returning more and more as time passed, but her mother didn't need to know about that she decided. All her mother needed to do was to get to Manaan and get well again, hopefully by that time they will have succeed in their mission and Malak and his followers would be nothing but dark memories, but then she remembered that Revan was hiding something from her and the others something that went beyond their problems with Malak. She frowned wondering yet again about the truth he was keeping to himself. He had told her he would tell her and soon, but so far he had not brought it up again.

"Well, just see that you do keep her safe or I will hunt you down once I am well again," Helena warned him as she turned away and walked back towards the main group. Revan smiled again and shook his head before going back to covering the grave.

Once the grave was fully covered Zayne moved to the side and picked up a wooden cross with Kail Shan carved into it and plunged it just above the grave, then he and Revan both backed off and bowed their heads before turning and joining the others.

"We should head to the spaceport and see Mrs. Shan to her shuttle and then we can finally depart this dust ball of a planet ourselves," Revan said to which the others all nodded.

"I want to thank you for finding Kail's body and bringing it back along with his holocube," Helena said as she walked beside her daughter. "And knowing you now have a copy of it as well, well at least I know you'll come to realize we did not forget you in the years you've been gone," she said with a smile.

"You are welcome mother, I find myself oddly anxious to begin looking through the data," Bastila admitted. "To have even a little piece of the life I was destined never to have," she added, looking reluctant to say it but pushing herself to complete the sentence.

"You may not have been destined for a normal life Bastila, but the life you do have is far from a bad one, you are a proud and respected Jedi who is critical to the Republic's survival," Helena reassured her suddenly unsure daughter. "Kail and I are very proud of the woman you have become, and let us not forget you seem to have found yourself a good man in the bargain even if your stupid Jedi code forbids such things," she added with a short smile which quickly vanished as she finished the sentence.

Instantly Bastila fought to contain her blush and Revan who was walking only a few feet from them fought the urge to burst out laughing again, as he knew that would only cause Bastila more embarrassment. Still he found it amusing that Bastila's mother had seemed to have discerned that something was happening between him and her daughter. He decided however now was not the time to push Bastila as she had only just buried her father. Romance could wait, they had plenty of things to do in the meantime and there were also his unresolved feelings for Meetra to work through. By now he was certain both she and Rikka had been informed of where things stood by Melkor. He didn't know how Meetra would have received the news of his force bond with Bastila. Hell he didn't know if Meetra still had any feelings of that nature for him, it was possible she had moved on, but he found a part of him hoped not which just damn right confused him.

"Mother, whatever is happening I can't discuss it," Bastila finally managed to stutter out in a much quieter voice. "And yes the code does forbid such attachments," she agreed although she left out that she more and more resented and disagreed with that code the more time she spent with Revan and saw things with her own two eyes.

Coming on this mission had been a real eye opening experience and she could finally see how Revan and all those who had followed him had finally fully rebelled from the Council. She could see how they could come to resent and in some cases even hate them for their short sightedness. What she had seen on Kashyyk had shown that the Council was not always right, that their orders could be misguided and if Revan was to be believed and she did believe him, having sensed no lie from him, they could be vindictive as well. Arriving at the spaceport the group came to a halt as Bastila and Revan accompanied Helena to her designated transport which Carth and Jaks had arranged for her after they got her false identity chip.

"It has been a pleasure meeting you Mrs. Shan. I'm sorry your reunion with your daughter had to happen just as she lost her father and you your husband, but I am certain that he was a strong and capable man to have had such a brave daughter," Revan said as he came to a halt. His words almost made Bastila blush again as she felt his honesty through the bond which he had been curiously leaving open since they linked to lure the Krayt Dragon out of the cave. If he kept this up she knew that any resistance to finally admitting and accepting her feelings for Revan would be swiftly overcome. "I hope your trip to Manaan proves successful," he added as he walked away before Helena could respond clearly to give them space to say goodbye.

"No matter what you say Bastila if the next time we see each other you two are not together I will eat Kail's holocube," Helena stated semi-seriously almost causing Bastila to giggle at the imagery her words provoked. "I hope if I should find a miracle on Manaan that we can try and stay in contact and perhaps correct our relationship," she offered hopefully.

"I think I would like to try Mother, I have lost father without ever been able to say goodbye or even just to see him again and I can't fathom the same happening with you," Bastila admitted feeling once again the pain of losing her father without seeing him one more time even after all the time they had been separated.

"Then our parting is a good one my dear, go and complete you mission just be safe and try and be as happy as possible," Helena said in response. "Don't let Kail's death spoil your future. He will always be with you in spirit, till we meet again my daughter farewell," she added grasping her daughters hand for a few seconds before she let go and boarded the transport.

"Farewell Mother," Bastila whispered as she watched the last few people board the transport before it closed its doors and departed. She watched it until it vanished into the clouds and from there into space. She wished her mother well and hoped that the news would be good when they met again.

"You okay Bastila?" Mission asked as she rejoined the group and headed to the bay where their ship was held.

"Not really, but in time I will be," Bastila responded wanting nothing more than to board the Ebon Hawk and escape to her quarters where she could mourn her father and begin to go through the holocron Mission had copied from her Father's original.

Just as they entered the bay Revan came to a complete halt as his senses went on full alert. The bay was completely empty. His hand went straight for his lightsaber only for him to be hit full in the chest by a powerful stunner. The others reacted, but as with Revan were too slow, each of them was hit with multiple blasts taking the entire company down within a few moments. Canderous was the last to fall grumbling as he noted a Hutt near the entrance. He was watching along with one of the mechanics, but he could do nothing as he sank into oblivion.

The Hutt rumbled in laughter as he watched as the females were taken, their weapons and belongings left behind next to their male companions. They would make good slaves he thought especially the beautiful female human Jedi and the Arkanian offshoot, in fact he intended to have them for his personal harem. The others he would sell in due time, turning he led his men back to his base of operations which was a cantina just on the outskirts of the city.

The mechanic looked around at the mess and prayed the rather ample sum he had been paid would be enough to get him out of his debt, before he could turn and leave a hand grabbed him from behind and shoved him hard up against the wall. His eyes widened as he realized that somehow the leader of the group he had just ratted on and helped subdue had awoken faster than believed, his eyes seemed to burn with malice.

"How? You should have been stunned for a while," the man stuttered in shock.

"I was able to raise a force shield when I realized we were in danger, I guess it might have slipped your mind you were dealing with Jedi," Revan spat in response, making the man shiver in fright.

"I had to do it," the man tried to say but Revan cut him right off.

"That was a stupid thing to do, you just signed your death warrant but before you die you will tell me where they have taken her and the others or I will make you end last days," Revan warned as the darkness he had long kept at bay finally found a escape: in his anger and rage at Bastila's capture he had let lose all of his repressed anger.

"I had to do it I needed the money or I was going to get killed," the man said in blind panic trying to once again get his side across. "I was in debt and the Hutt offered me a way out of it," he admitted.

Revan's rage increased as he learned one of the Hutt's were behind this, his eyes began to take on an even eerie glow of malice and the man lost control of himself and wet himself as he stared into those unblinking eyes. "Tell me where they are or suffer forever," he spat as he heard groaning from behind him telling him the others were beginning to wake up.

"The outskirts of town in a cantina called the Dune's Dusk. It's a shady place filled with that Hutt's men, far too many for you," the man finally said, giving in as he felt a pain in his chest where the man held him pinned to the wall. "He's untouchable," he stated.

"Wrong," Revan responded before he used the force to crush the man's ribs and all but ignored his agonized cries as he died slowly. Turning he noted Canderous was up rubbing his head and grumbling, he walked over to HK and quickly set about reactivating his droid as he noted the stunner blast had knocked his circuits offline.

"The women," Zayne shouted as he came too in alarm.

"Taken, but not for long, get Carth and the others on board the Ebon Hawk as well as the girl's weapons and belongings," Revan ordered in a tone that broke no dissent. "Canderous, Niks, HK and I will take care of this," he said as he finally succeeded in getting HK back online

"But Jarael?" Zayne began to argue, but Revan quickly cut him off.

"Don't worry about it. We'll get her, but you do not want any part of what comes next Zayne," Revan told him bluntly. "You are not a killer, you are a defender," he stated looking the younger man in the eyes. "Stay and protect the ship and the others, keep them here and we will be back with the women including Jarael. I promise," he swore as he stood with Canderous quickly following as Niks finally came round. Clearly each had been stunned either once like Revan or more than once and in some occasions more than twice, so they were coming too at different times. "Niks front and centre, we have some slaver scum to deal with," he ordered to the other man, all friendliness gone and Niks instantly responded to the tone.

"Yes General," without even thinking about it causing Canderous to look between them in surprise and then suspicion, but he realized this was not the time to ask thus kept his questions to himself.

"HK, get to the cantina called Dune's Dusk on the outskirts of the city. Kill any guards in front of it and wait for us to arrive," Revan ordered as he turned to his droid.

"Pleased statement: With pleasure Master," HK eagerly responded before it took it's blaster off its back and quickly departed.

"What are you going to do?" Zayne asked torn between dread and acceptance that something dark was about to happen.

"We are going to kill them all and get Bastila and the others back, no one not even the Hutt will leave for this," Revan answered as he turned and exited the bay with Canderous and Niks close behind.

Zayne watched them go with a sigh, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop them, and considering Jarael had been taken as well he was in no mood to plead for mercy especially not for a Hutt who intended to make his intended his slave. He set out getting T3 to open up the ship and getting the women's belongings into it, before activating his lightsaber and waiting for the others to come around.

The End?