Thank you for the reviews.
Replies to guest reviews are at the end of the chapter.
The diner was closed today, save for family. Alan sat at one of the tables with his son, his last son, and daughter-in-law. His two adopted daughters sat nearby. Meca had actually sat by him, her hand placed on his shoulder.
Reca was with Justin and Sasha's three kids, while their oldest child, Rana, was busying herself by moving between them.
Alan's gaze was locked on the only holo-image he had of Alvar. It had been taken right before the Jedi had come when Alvar had been four. It showed Alvar standing with Justin behind him. Reca and Meca were to either side along with Sasha and Zeel to one side of each twin. Alan was kneeling behind his two sons.
A soft sound came from the door. It was followed the door into the diner opening.
Alan saw Justin stand, but kept his focus on the holo image of Alvar.
"You're not welcome here," Justin's tone was soft, almost distant. "Get out."
"Just hear me out, Senator," a familiar light voice came to Alan. It was Carth.
"You made your intentions clear when you defended my brother's murderer, Onasi."
"Everyone knows Malak fired on the Revenge, Senator Tarvon," Carth argued. "Revan had nothing to do—"
"Malak fired on Revan!" Justin growled. "If not for Revan then Alvar would be alive." The sound of another joining Justin came to Alan. It was followed by the soft retreat towards the door.
"Alvar is still alive," Carth's voice rose a little, "and I have the proof."
Alan straightened. Alive?
"You're just saying that to—"
"Look here," – Alan saw Carth jab his finger into Justin's chest – "I could care less about your damned political crap. I'm here as a friend to both Alan and another. I'm here as a father who had something like this happen to him. Now, let me speak with Alan."
Justin didn't move. "What do you mean 'something like this' happened to you, Onasi? I saw Dustil a year ago here."
"I believed Dustil died when Telos was attacked. A friend helped me track him down near the end of the Civil War. We found him on Koriban, training to become a Sith. If not for that friend, if not for Revan, I would have lost my son."
Carth took a deep breath. He locked gazes with Justin.
"I'm here to help in the same way he once helped me."
"What do you mean?" Alan almost choked on the question. It was too much to hope Alvar was alive like Carth was making it out to be. He didn't stand. Instead he gestured to Justin. "Please, let's hear Carth out."
Justin clenched his jaw but stepped back.
"Thank you, Alan." Carth stepped up to the table. "After what happened yesterday, I went through the death records on the Civil War myself. There were three reported dead in the battle of the Revenge. I spoke with Bastila over the one she personally reported, over Alvar's death."
"And?" Justin pressed without tact.
"She stated she'd never heard the name 'Alvar' before then. The report was the one she wrote up for Revan's death, which the council was faking."
Air froze in Alan's lungs. His mind flashed back to the moment when he'd seen Revan enter the diner. How the man had looked familiar and in the same instance he couldn't place why.
"All Jedi have their DNA on record," Carth continued. "I had a medical droid take Revan's blood and spent the night going through the walls the previous High Council set up to get it compared to Alvar's." Carth set down a datapad. "Take a look."
Alan picked up the datapad. The information there was a comparison of two DNA structures. One belonged to Alvar Tarvon and the other was Revan's. There was only a five percent difference between the two, showing they were the same… That they were the same person.
This meant he had pointed a blaster at his own son before his grandson. Vile burned Alan's throat. His ears rang. Yet, it did explain why Revan had seemed so familiar to him. Why he had seen Vaner as Alvar's living shadow. The boy was his shadow. Alan's grandson.
Alan pulled himself to his feet. He passed Justin the datapad. "I need to talk to him." Alan looked Carth in the eye. His heart fluttered. There was a chance Alvar wouldn't be interested in speaking with Alan. Especially after Alan had pulled a blaster on him.
"It would be for the best." Carth gave a small smile.
"Sasha, would you mind taking the kids home?" Justin asked, his eyes locked on his wife.
"Shouldn't I stay with you and grandfather?" Rana stepped forward.
"All right," Justin conceded, "but the rest of you should head home."
"Oh, come on!" Junstin's only son glared at him. "You just don't want us meeting our uncle after learning he's actually still alive." The teenage boy scowled at his father.
"Nalin, now it's the time," Sasha's voice was soft though there was a scolding note to it. She took her son's shoulder and steered the fifteen-year-old around which was a feat given Nalin was already as tall as she was.
"Well done, nitwit," Tina, the second oldest of Justin's and Sasha's children, smirked at her brother, "if you wanted to go you just blew it." She took the hand of the youngest child. "Come on, Hanna, let's let the adults have their fun with figuring out what happened to Uncle Alvar." Her tone had turned from snide to soft when she spoke to the nine-year-old.
Hanna frowned. "Does this mean Uncle Alvar isn't dead?"
"It could," Reca told them as she followed the group. "I'll go with them. Meca you had better stay safe."
Meca laughed. "Don't worry, sister, I'm coming with you. I doubt it would be wise to overwhelm Alvar." Meca hugged Alan. "Be careful, father."
"I will." Alan returned the embrace. He broke away from one of his daughters and turned to Carth. "Please, lead the way, Admiral."
Carth nodded.
The Sojourn wasn't too far from the diner. Granted the diner had been built closer to the docking level than others.
Alan had seen many hammerhead-class ships in passing. This was the first time he had ever been on one. It was the first time he had ever been on any military class ship. The long hall they entered bustled with activity despite it being close to the midday meal.
The soldiers paused and saluted as Carth passed them. The mess hall was near empty when they entered. It appeared most people had already eaten, outside of a few soldiers, there were tables taken near the back of the space. The wookiee caught Alan's eye first before his gaze traveled to the Jedi seated around and near the wookiee.
Carth moved over to the table. "Bastila, have you seen Revan?" Carth asked Bastila.
A small breath escaped Bastila. "Not since he walked out on the meeting we were having," she confessed.
"How long ago was that?"
"About three hours ago," Bastila confessed.
"Daddy make pie." Vaner grinned up at Carth, his face smeared with pie.
Bastila choked on her food. "Your father made this?"
"Yep, yep. Daddy make it 'fore when mommy work and Aunt Mish and Uncle Z came by for night." The boy nodded.
The wookiee let out a roar of what sounded to be laughter while the other Jedi gathered around the table burst out laughing.
"Master Revan used to cook from time to time when we were on Cathar and the early years of the movement," the Jedi with curly sandy hair managed to speak through his laughter.
"He can cook?" Bastila gaped at the other Jedi.
"Did you ever ask him, Bastila?" the older Jedi asked. He looked exactly like Darrell which had to make him Darious.
"Well, no. I assumed he couldn't cook or if he did it would taste disgusting. We are discussing the man who calls rations good."
Darious chuckled. "This is true, but keep in mind he was on the front lines for over ten years. By that point rations would taste good. Or you would just be numb to it."
"Everyone used to hope Master Revan would cook back during the Mandalorian Wars," Meetra started with a grin. "But no one wanted to tell him his cooking was good. We all knew him well enough by that point to know he would joke about us just giving him a complement when his cooking most likely tasted terrible."
"He did say that!" the younger male Jedi exclaimed. "I told him his cooking was the best and he said that. Right after that he stopped cooking entirely. Ouch!" he exclaimed when Meetra punched him in the shoulder.
"You're the reason Master stopped cooking. You're an ass, Jasper."
Jasper rubbed his arm. "Come on, how was I supposed to know he'd just stop?"
"Because it's Revan you're talking about," Meetra huffed. "You complement him, and he does just the opposite of the complement. You should know that given your master grew up with him."
Alvar had continued to cook even if it had been rarely. Alan felt himself smile even as his heart ached. He hoped he hadn't wrecked any chance at getting to know his son and grandson. His eyes lingered on little Vaner who was blinking at his mother.
"Mommy, what 'ass'?"
Bastila choked on her drink. "Meetra," she glared at the other woman.
Meetra coughed.
"What it?" Vaner pressed.
"When you're older," Bastila told her son.
The boy pouted.
"Do you have any idea where Revan might have gone?" Carth broke in.
The wookiee answered.
"You mean Revan and Mission were talking about a working lunch?" Meetra asked the wookiee.
"They were." Bastila rubbed her eyes. "Something about getting the droids for training up and running." She looked at Carth. "Remember?"
Carth let out a breath. "Yes, now I do."
Bastila stood and lifted Vaner from his seat. "I need to speak with him as well. I might as well come."
"Just tell me it's not a lover's spat."
"It's not," Bastila assured him. "He's just being blind to the obvious again."
"As I pointed out, when you're married to someone like Revan, they or he tend to focus on the matter at hand to exclusion of all else. It's why he makes such a good leader for both political and military matters," Darious pointed out. "Add in the fact he's a genius, and the rest falls into place."
"I'll keep that in mind, Master Darious." Bastila bowed her head to him.
Carth and Bastila crossed the mess hall but Bastila stopped at the sight of Alan, Justin, and Rana. She shifted Vaner on her hip, so he was more secure before she stepped up to them.
"Senator Tarvon, I wasn't expecting to see you or your," – her gaze flickered over Alan – "father again." Her tone clipped.
Little Vaner gave a soft whimper and buried his face in his mother's robes.
Carth managed a small smile. "Bastila, meet Revan's family. Alan, Justin, Rana, meet Revan's other family."
That was one way to state it. Alan gave Bastila a small smile though his heart ached at the sight of Vaner cowering from him.
"If I had known," Alan started, "I wouldn't have reacted the way I did yesterday." It was no way to act even if he had seen Revan as the one who murdered Alvar. A child had been in the diner. Revan's child. "To say I'm sorry, is an understatement."
Bastila looked at Vaner. Her eyes softened. "I understand. If I learned Vaner had been killed," she trailed off. She took a deep breath. "It's up to Revan." She looked at Carth. "Come on then." She led the way out of the mess hall.
"Do you think the pie he made is as good as yours, grandfather?" Rana whispered the question to Alan.
Alan frowned. Considering Alvar had been the one to come up with the pie in the first place, perhaps it was better.
"Daddy's pie bestest pie!" Vaner cheered from Bastila's arms. All his fear forgotten in the wake of hearing what Rana had asked. "Bestest than even other pie and that pie nummy too."
Justin gave a nervous chuckle. "I suppose a child would know best." His eyes lingered on the boy.
Alan couldn't blame his oldest. If this did work out there was a chance Alan would get to know his son and grandson as well as his daughter-in-law. His gaze moved to Bastila. Though, he confessed, she seemed way too young for Alvar.
"If you wouldn't mind my asking, how old are you?" Alan asked Bastila.
Bastila let out a breath. "I'm twenty-three," she stated, her voice was soft. "Before you say it, I realize Revan is twenty years older than me."
"Still, it is a little odd." Justin was frowning.
"She can explain later," Carther intervened before Bastila could speak.
Crash! The sound had come from one of the rooms not too far from them.
"Mission!" a man shouted. It sounded like Revan… or, more over, Alvar.
A low hum which reminded Alan of a lightsaber could be heard.
Bastila, Carth, and Justin rushed to the room. Alan was a little slower but when he looked in it was to see Revan back flipping away from a droid which held a purple lightsaber.
x – Revan – x
Thud!
Revan stepped back to see what had fallen. Mission had scooped back up the object before Revan got a good look at it. Whatever it was, it seemed she didn't want him to see it.
"What are you doing, Mission?" Revan lifted the mask he had been using to shield his eyes while wielding.
"Testing something," Mission informed him.
Well, that did make sense. What didn't make sense was her being sneaky about it. "Did you finish the first training droid?" Revan asked. He removed the heavy gloves he'd been wearing to guard against the heat of the torch. His robes were off to the side, he wore the tank top which he normally wore under the robes.
"Yeah. I just want to test it to make certain it doesn't blow up, you know?"
"You got a dulled vibroblade then?" He moved over to where they had brought a few of the training vibroblades. There was still the same number as there had been.
Oh, Force.
Revan sensed the droid activate. It charged straight for him.
"Look out!"
Revan back flipped. He felt the heat of his own lightsaber only just miss his back. He landed hard behind the droid. The droid crashed into the vibroblades before turning to face him once more.
"Mission!"
Revan sensed more than saw a group stop in the door. He felt three of them were Carth, Bastila, and Vaner. There was no time to check as the droid charged him again. He back flipped away from the droid. His gaze skimmed the room, even as he kept his attention locked on the droid.
There had to be away to shut it down without destroying several hours of Mission's work.
Revan sensed Bastila pass Carth Vaner. She raced forward, drawing her lightsaber.
"Don't destroy it!" Mission and Revan both shouted.
The droid veered away from Revan and towards Bastila. No doubt it had picked up on her lightsaber.
Revan took the opening. He leapt onto the droid's back. He drew his knife and severed the exposed wire to the droid's arm.
His lightsaber clattered the ground.
In one smooth motion, Revan back flipped off the droid and kicked it away from his wife. The droid staggered and slammed into the wall. It fell to the floor with a loud clanging.
"Did you have to kick it?" Mission demanded.
"I was too busy keeping it away from Bastila to notice an off switch," Revan stated. He replaced his knife on his work belt before summoning his lightsaber to him. "Besides, I told you to use a dulled vibroblade, not my lightsaber, when testing their programming."
"You're saying this wasn't one of your crazy ideas?" Bastila asked.
"If I was going to give my lightsaber to a droid, I would pass it off to hk-fourty-seven." Revan gestured to where his trusty assassin droid had been watching them in utter silence. Something which a rare in and of itself.
"Statement: Oh, Master, your trust humbles me. It is unfortunate you never programmed me to wield such a weapon."
Mission giggled at this.
"No, you are not changing that murderous droid so he can wield a lightsaber."
"Observation: Master, it appears the meatbag wants to stop our fun, as usual."
"Yes, such fun," Revan replied with more than a hint of sarcasm. "Help Mission get that droid back together, HK."
HK let out what sounded like a sigh, or his equivalent and moved to help Mission with picking up the fallen droid.
Now the fight was over, Revan felt a familiar ache settling into his left shoulder. He rubbed the scar from where the haul of the Revenge had ripped through his armor and delivered a mortal blow. If Bastila hadn't pulled him from the wreckage that day and healed him, Revan would have died within an hour. This was assuming the ship hadn't blown up. The healing had been successful and had created a Force bond between them, one which he had severed so she wouldn't have to see any more of his memories. Still, there was no denying if he over used the arm it would start to ache. It was tolerable and easily ignored, especially in the heat of battle.
"What's the damage?" Revan asked as he turned more towards Mission.
"We're going to have to replace the cord you cut, but otherwise, I can only see minor repairs, Rev," Mission informed him. "But at least we don't have to try to scrap together the credits to replace more." Mission looked up. "Sorry, Rev, I thought it was a good idea, but I guess I forgot to program in a way to shut the droid down if it got out of hand."
"It's fine. Just ask before you borrow my lightsaber again. I would rather not be surprised when it's used against me."
Revan folded his arms across his chest, his hand rested on his chin. He went through all the items he had asked T3 to get while the droid had been out earlier. There were a few spare parts just in case something like this had happened.
"We might have a spare cord. Teethree." He turned to the astromech droid who was stood ready for orders. "Can you go through what supplies I asked you pick up?"
The droid gave a few whistles.
Revan laughed. "No, no, just the parts. I don't need a listing on the food."
T3 rolled over to the crate it had picked up earlier.
"Thanks, teethree." Mission shot a grin at the little astromech droid.
Revan moved over to his robes. He sensed his time to work on the droids was over now Carth was here with Bastila, and oddly Senator Tarvon and his family. He assumed something had happened or the DNA result was back and Carth had ignored Revan's request. Either way, it was a sign there was a chance they could still work with Senator Tarvon.
Out of the all the senators Revan had researched the other night, Justin was still the best chance they had at gaining senate support.
"Aunt Mish!" Revan sensed his son race over to Mission and HK. "Why droid attack daddy?"
"It was supposed to," Mission informed him. Revan could just picture her grin. "How about it? Do you want to help me, little Van?" Mission placed her hand on Vaner's head.
"Yeah!" Vaner exclaimed in the same moment Bastila shot it down with a firm, "No!"
Revan latched his lightsaber to his belt as he crossed the room to Vaner.
"Why no Aunt Mish time?" the boy asked, eyes wide. "I good help."
"I'm certain you are." Revan knelt before his son. "That's why your mother and I need you to come with us."
"Really?" Vaner brightened and reached for Revan.
"Really." Revan lifted his son off the ground. He stood as he placed Vaner on his shoulders. He crossed to the door. "What can I do for you today, Senator Tarvon?" He kept his voice formal, taking out any of his normal teasing note.
"We need to talk," Justin started. He glanced towards Mission. "Is there a place which is more private?"
"This way." Carth took the lead out of the room.
Revan followed the Admiral, senator, and the few members of Justin's family who had joined him. Revan eyed Alan out of the corner of his eye. He didn't sense anything threatening from the man. All he felt was regret.
As long as there was no ill will towards Revan when his son was there, Revan didn't have a problem with being close to Alan. Revan reached into his pocket and drew out a ration.
"Seriously?" Bastila asked. "They were serving better food in the mess hall. Why didn't you grab a plate of that?"
"Mission was dead set on starting the droids the second we could."
"You mean after baking pies?" Bastila folded her arms across her chest.
"Err, yes?"
"Bestest pie!" Vaner cheered. His son pointed at the ration. "It good? I try?"
"Just please don't spit it back up." Revan broke off some of the ration and passed it up to his son.
His son took the piece. The sound of his chewing came to Revan. The sound went from fast, almost excited to slow and thoughtful. Vaner gagged. "Ew, yucky."
Bastila and Carth both laughed.
"Why eats it?"
"Because I can eat it," Revan stated.
"But it yucky."
"There's no winning, Revan," Carth chuckled.
Revan just took a bite of the ration instead. He finished it quickly more because there was something far more important than eating and rations this group wanted to discuss.
Darkness fell over Revan's vision, broken by a small amount light. The warmth of sticky fingers was enough to know Vaner had decided it was a good idea to hold onto Revan by placing his little hands over Revan's eyes.
Revan smiled and closed his eyes to avoid having Vaner poke him in the eye. He used the Force to continue to see where they were heading.
Carth led them to one of the conference rooms aboard the Sojourn. Bastila tugged Vaner free of Revan's shoulders.
"But I tall, mommy." The little boy pouted as he looked into Bastila's face. "I tall!" He reached for Revan.
"You can be tall in my lap, Vaner. Your father needs his shoulders," she hesitated, barely containing laughter, "and eyes free."
"'Kay, mommy." Vaner stuck out his lip further. He folded his arms over his chest.
"Do that with more threat and you will have your father's signature look down," Bastila teased their son and Revan.
"Funny." Revan took the seat beside his wife.
"We can't all have your wit."
"Oh, is this about my teasing back on Dantooine?" Revan couldn't help it, he smirked.
Bastila rolled her eyes. "Men."
"What?" Carth asked.
"Sorry, Admiral, I'll clarify." Bastila bowed her head to Carth before shooting a teasing glare at Revan. "Revan."
Revan cleared his throat. "What is it you wanted, Senator Tarvon?" Revan managed a small smile at him, the girl, and Alan. The girl looked a lot like Justin which had to make her Rana, his oldest daughter. "And senator's family."
"Onasi, if you say 'senator's other family,' I am leaving." Justin rubbed his eyes.
"I feel I am missing a part of this joke." Revan glanced at Carth but then returned his attention to the senator. "If you're here to continue the talks with Meetra, she should either still be in the mess hall or out with her padawan."
"We're not here about that." Justin slid a datapad across the table to Revan.
Revan caught it. His heart twisted. He just hoped it wasn't compensations demands for killing the senator's brother or something to do with Telos proper. Neither of which Revan could afford. Nor did he want his son to see him imprisoned for crimes the Republic had pardoned him for.
The datapad didn't contain any of this. Rather it was the DNA comparison Carth had requested. Revan stared at it. The information he had promised Bastila he wouldn't seek out was now just handed to him. His real name, the identity the Order had stripped from Revan when they had wiped his memory.
Revan set down the datapad. He had bite back saying something witty or teasing. It wasn't the time to say joke about not killing himself, but he really wanted to say "So, turns out I didn't kill myself after all."
"I see," Revan settled on saying instead. He looked out of the corner of his eye towards Carth. It was more than clear why Carth had decided not to heed Revan's request. To the Admiral this must have seemed just like what happened to him and his son after the bombing of Telos. Now, Revan was on the end Dustil had been. In the same instance, he wasn't. Dustil had issues with his family.
Revan just had no memories of his. Well, no memory outside of Bastila and Vaner.
"Why didn't you try to say something?" Justin asked. "Even with father," he trailed off with a glance at Vaner.
This made it more than clear Carth hadn't told them Revan had no memory. "Carth, a word, now!" Revan stood.
"Revan," Carth started, but stopped when Revan pulled the man from his seat. Revan moved them two of them aside.
"You didn't tell them I have no memory," Revan hissed in a low voice.
"No," Carth confessed.
"But you thought it wise to lead them all the way here to talk with me?"
"You need this as much as they do, Revan." Carth looked Revan in the eye. "Vaner has a right to have a grandparent he will actually remember."
Revan rubbed his eyes. This was just a reminder Bastila's mother had lived only just long enough to hold Vaner after his birth. She had died less than a month later.
"You just need to be honest with them over what happened."
"Oh, yes, this will go over splendidly," Revan's voice dripped with sarcasm even to his own ears.
"They're your family. Give them a chance."
Revan took a deep breath and returned to his seat. "I didn't explain anything because I, myself, only just learned that Alvar is apparently my name."
"No it not. Daddy, you name Rev-rev."
Revan chuckled.
"Mommy call you it all time!"
"Vaner, Revan is a name I sort of made up." Revan returned his attention to Justin and Alan. "I apologize if this isn't what either of expected. But," his tone turned light, "given I didn't kill myself, would you be willing to start back up negotiations with Meetra and Darious?"
"With you," Bastila stated.
There was just no winning with them trying to place Revan in charge. "The point, Senator Tarvon, is the Jedi Order does need the support of the senate. Perhaps as much as the Republic needs the Order."
"Please, stop calling me by title and surname. I'm your brother." Justin's eyes softened a little. "And, I know you're deflecting away from yourself with trying to talk about the Jedi Order and senate relations."
"What my father means to say, is we need to talk about the family first, Uncle Alvar."
That just sounded weird. "Right." Revan let out a breath. It would be harder to deflect with a senator than it was with Meetra and Bastila. And saying it was easy with Bastila was an understatement.
"Who Uncle Al?" Vaner asked.
"That would be your father's real name," Alan finally spoke.
"But daddy no uncle." Vaner blinked at Revan.
"No, not to you, Vaner, but my father is his older brother so that would make him my uncle. Like my father is your uncle."
"Oh, I gets 'nother uncle?" Vaner's eyes stretched wide. "I gots lots 'ready." He grinned. "Like Uncle Car, Uncle Z, Uncle Can-can."
Revan and Bastila both laughed at their son's nickname for Canderous.
"That would be Uncle Mandalore now," Revan reminded his son.
"He name Uncle Can-can." Vaner pouted. "Not Uncle Man-man."
Revan let out a breath. "His name changed when he reclaimed Mandalore's helmet," he tried to explain to his son. "It's Mandalore, not Canderous."
"I no like Uncle Man-man." Vaner brightened. "I gots grandpa too. Grandpa Jo! Grandpa Jo no come 'round no more," Vaner told them.
"You're father?" Justin asked Bastila.
Bastila paled. "Thank for the Force he's not."
"Jolee was a Jedi who traveled with us during the end of the Civil War," Carth explained. "After Vaner was born, he told Vaner he was his grandfather or as good as."
"I gots lots of aunts to." Vaner reached up, face bright with his grin. "Aunt Mish and Aunt Ani!"
"Juhani," Revan corrected.
"That what I say, Aunt Ani. She no come by no more either." His little face fell. "Daddy also say I has 'nother uncle."
"All right, that's enough." Revan stopped his son from continuing before Vaner could reveal Revan had told their son some about what Revan remembered of Alek.
"This might help." Carth pulled up a holo of the crew of the Edon Hawk back during the end of the Jedi Civil War.
It had been taken right after Malak's death. Thus, Revan stood with a hand around Bastila's shoulders and he still had the bread he'd later shaved off. Carth was beside them in the center of the image. Mission knelt on the ground, her hand on T3's head. Zaalbar was just behind her with Jolee between the two his hand on Carth's shoulder as he grinned out at the on lookers. Juhani stood beside Revan and Bastila her hand on her hip as she looked out of the image as well. Canderous stood a little way from Juhani. His blaster rifle out as if he was expecting someone to attack them. HK-47 stood behind and between both Juhani and Canderous.
"This is everyone Vaner is referring to," Carth explained. "In other words those of the crew who stopped Darth Malak."
"They family!" Vaner declared, stretching out his arms.
Rana laughed. "Sorry, but that's not the type of family I was talking about. I'm your cousin and my father is your blood uncle."
"What cosin?"
"Cousin," Rana huffed. "Honestly."
"He's three," Bastila informed Rana.
"Grandpa said Uncle Alvar was already reading at the age of two." Rana held up two fingers. "I guess I just figured my cousin would take after you." She looked at Revan.
"Is that why you tried to teach him to read?" Bastila demanded.
"No, I tried to teach him because it's relaxing."
"Revan." Bastila glared at him.
"What?"
"If I find out you try to teach our son how to pilot a fighter next, I swear," Bastila placed her finger in his face.
"I'm not teaching a three-year-old to pilot." Revan kissed her hand. "Now, when he's ten," he smirked.
"Revan!"
He chuckled. "Good to know you still can't take a joke." Revan cleared his throat he returned his attention back to the Tarvon family. "I do believe that was enough family talk."
"Revan." Carth's eyes narrowed.
"Fine," Revan let out a breath. "The reason I didn't say anything at the diner was because I have no memory from before the moment I first found my mask on Cathar back. Even pieces of the Mandalorian and Jedi Civil Wars are blurry still. In other words, I don't have all my memory back. Thus, I had no knowledge of my true identity."
"What do you mean you're memory back?" Justin asked with a glance at his father.
"It's not common knowledge," Bastila started, "but after I pulled Revan from the bridge of the Revenge, he was mortally wounded. I used the Force to heal him which created a Force bond between us.
"I took him to the Jedi High Council, who decided to wipe his memory," – she took a deep breath – "in order to place him back into the war so I could exploit the bond we shared and find the weaknesses of the Sith. I was to influence the memories from the point the bond was made and track down the Sith base by following what I could find in his memories of it and drag them to the surface as visions."
Confessing this couldn't be easy on Bastila. Revan had long since known she was ashamed of the part she had played in this plan. He placed his hand over hers.
"Once I regained the knowledge on how to server Force bonds, I did so for the one Bastila and I had. Everyone has the right to private memories." He shot her a smile which earned him a small shake of her head. "In all seriousness, I have yet to remember anything before my mid-twenties."
Justin looked at Alan once more. "So, you have no memories of your family then? Of us?" He gestured to Alan.
Alan was staring at a point on the table. His hands wrapped tightly over his cane.
"We can work from there," Justin stated.
Revan looked at Bastila. "Going forward, the Order is going to have to change. There are too few Jedi left." And part of it was because of him. Revan shoved this thought back. "I'll meet with the others to talk over the old rules around family, but I believe it is going to have to be dropped if we want your help with rebuilding the Order."
Justin nodded. "My father, daughter, and I will wait here while the new council deliberates."
Revan bowed his head and stood. It would mean taking a role in the Order, at least for today.
"Leave Vaner with me," Carth advised. "I doubt he needs to be in on a High Council meeting."
"But I help," Vaner declared.
"You can help me by getting to know your grandfather." Carth smiled.
"I gots 'nother?"
Revan hesitated. Vaner would end up being bored at a meeting and he didn't have any of their son's toys on him. He doubted Bastila did as well. "All right," Revan conceded. Revan knelt before his son. "Be good for Carth."
"I good, right, Uncle Car?" Vaner blinked up at Carth.
"You are," Carth confirmed.
Revan tasseled his son's hair. "Good." He stood and led the way out of the conference room.
"Revan," Bastila started once the door closed behind them.
"I'll get Meetra and Jasper. I sense they're training their padawans in the same area of the ship. Would you mind getting Darious?" Revan asked.
A small breath escaped Bastila. "All right, but we need to talk tonight."
Revan smiled and joked, "Oh, no, is this over the quip about Dantooine?"
"Just go." She gave him a playful shove down the hall.
(Author's note: I will say it now. I love little Vaner!
I did the math a long time ago about what Bastila's age would be given she's, as Mission puts it, "not much older" than Mission. She was a padawan around the time of the game's events and was knighted at some point after the death of Malak (and Revan is apparently a Master according to the novel which I just completely missed). Revan and Carth were thirty-eight during the events of the game. I guessed Bastila was about eighteen given Mission was fourteen at the time the game takes place. This then places Meetra at being twenty-eight when Malak dies given she is ten years older than Bastila. So, Bastila is about twenty years younger than Revan. At the time of this book is about twenty-three, making her twenty when Vaner was born.
This is one of the reasons why Bastila and Revan can have more children than just Vaner. Bastila is still very young. It's also one of the reasons the ending of Revan upset me when Vaner stated Bastila thoughts his wife was too young for him. My thoughts were "Basty, you are not one to talk."
Finally, yes, I do imagine Revan having a scar from the battle which saw his capture.)
Reply to guest reviews:
Ssj Shadow: I've been writing fan-fiction for years now. If you're comments ever upset me I would let you know. You are backing ideas with good sources, sources I've looked very little at and thus it is very helpful.
I will look more into Keil, but I don't think either are going to get very old in this book. I don't have too much planned out. Going chapter by chapter and letting the characters control most of the plot right now. But I have a general idea the book is going to be over the early years of rebuilding the Order.
Thank you for the continued reviews.
Guest 1 (3/23): I believe Revan will always go by Revan to himself and those around him. As Malak said in the comic Masks "Malak is more than a name it's who I was born to be." Revan himself in the MMO (I shudder at using this) states that Revan isn't his name but it will do. In public he will use other names because of the bitterness people feel towards him, but he will always call himself "Revan" in his pov parts.
Yeah, Rev hasn't noticed she's pregnant yet. He does focus (like those examples you gave) far more on work and the task at hand than anything else.
As for Atton and Mical, they did that all the time in game as well. I personally always leaned to liking Mical more than Atton, but I don't know who Meetra will end up with. She doesn't know either.
Thank you so much for the review. I look forward to hearing more from you.