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"Alvar."

Alvar tore his gaze from the datapad he'd been reading. His gaze moved to the two boys who'd come up to him. The smaller of the two glared at the taller before his gaze flickered back to Alvar.

"What is it?" Alvar asked. He slid down from the seat to join the two on the floor. His voice was soft so as not to alert the lore keepers to him and his friends. He was only allowed to study in the archives if he kept quiet.

"It was only a small prank." The taller boy rolled his pale eyes at the ceiling of the archives.

"Small, Alek?" the other boy hissed.

Alvar hushed them with a finger over this mouths. He had to stand his tip-toes to reach Alek's. "Come on." He led them out of the archives, heart hammering. "What's this about a prank, Alek?" Alvar looked up at the younger boy. Both boys were a year younger than Alvar but Alek already stood a good head taller than Alvar. His heart fluttered. Alek had the build to become a great guardian if he kept growing at this pace. He was only four and already above average height, way above, considering Alvar also stood a little taller than the average five-year-old. But compared to Alek he felt he would be small, a shadow standing behind his friend when they reached their full height.

"Alek thought it was a brilliant idea to try and prank Knight Vrook," the other boy stated.

"It was, until you caught me," Alek shot back. "Why do you have to wreck everything, Darious?"

Alvar blinked and tilted his head to one side. He had heard of Knight Vrook Lamar. There were rumors he would be made a full member of the council before Alvar, Alek, and Darious would be knighted.

"Why would you want to prank a knight?" Alvar asked. "Especially one who fought in the Great Sith War?"

"That's just it!" Alek's light eyes shown. He grinned at Alvar. "I wanted to see what a Jedi who fought in the war could do." He straightened. "Can you imagine it? Fighting against a real threat to the Republic, being able to face Sith or whatever was baring down on the Republic at the time." His gaze locked back onto Alvar, face flushed. "Knight Lamar was there. If my prank landed I would know I could do what he did."

That didn't seem right. "Um, no that would prove he wasn't paying attention to what you were doing Alek," Alvar pointed out. "It would also land you in trouble with Master Vander after the last mistake you made."

"That wasn't a mistake." Alek ran his hand through his already messy black hair. "He wanted us to practice our lightsaber technique. That's what I was doing."

Darious gave a nervous laugh and whispered, "You'd think he wouldn't boast about scattering most of our class when deflected the shots at them."

"I doubt he meant to," Alvar whispered back.

Darious shrugged.

"Speaking of which, why don't we go practice more?" Alek grinned. "You're not going to learn anything from those musty old books and stuff. The best Jedi are the ones who stand with their lightsaber in hand." Alek buffed up.

Alvar grinned. An image of himself standing as a protector of the Republic flickered through his mind. To really be able to protect the Republic like the Jedi should. To stand, even as a padawan and be able to hold back a threat to the Republic and protect them. It was all he had ever heard about the Jedi. The stories he had read about them and all he wanted from life.

But…

"Those books aren't musty," Alvar defended his love of reading. "But, we can go see if we can borrow some of the practice blades." Alvar took the lead as he headed down the hall to where the practice 'sabers were kept.

It wasn't hard to convince the master there to let them practice a little. The master kept a watchful eye as Alvar and Alek saluted. Alek charged across the space.

Darth Malak leapt into the air.

Revan twisted. His arms ached from the constant hammering from blocking.

Revan thrust out his arm.

Malak staggered to the side.

Fatigue was starting to bare his weight against Malak. His movements were slowing despite the energy he had drained from the Jedi locked on the viewing platform.

Malak leapt forward.

The long, red black hummed passed Revan's ear. The heat and smell of burning hair a harsh reminder how close the thrust had come.

Revan panted as he backed up. His hands clinched around his own green blade.

Images flickered over his eyes. A ghost of movements to come shadowed his vision.

Sparks filled the air as Revan blocked Malak's strike.

Revan let his saber slid. He side-stepped.

Malak tipped forward from the sudden release.

There.

Revan lunged.

His blade sank into his Malak's chest.

Malak staggered back. He fell to one knee, lightsaber sheathed. He could barely hold himself up.

"Malak!" Revan rushed over to his old friend's side. His heart tore.

The words washed over Revan's ears, distant, forgotten, hollow. Then, it came, soft and trickling.

"I," Malak started, breathing hard, "I cannot help but wonder, Revan. What would have happened had our positions been reversed? What if fate had decreed I would be captured by the Jedi?" The words blurred out as the rest had never been spoken.

Yes? What if?

Malak sank further.

No.

Revan's lightsaber clattered to the ground as he leapt forward and took hold of Malak. His hand shook as he moved to heal the fatal wound. Hot tears burned his eyes. There was nothing he could do. He had – Revan squeezed his eyes shut.

"And, in the end, as darkness takes me, I am nothing." His pale eyes flickered, locking on Revan. Malak's hand trembled as he reached for Revan.

Thump. The sound of his hand striking the ground pierced through Revan as if it were Malak's lightsaber striking his heart.

"Malak?" Revan touched Malak's face. Heat was draining fast from the skin.

He was dead. Revan bent over Malak. It wasn't true. He closed his eyes, willing the pain away. Why? Why did this hurt so much?

Revan jolted awake. His heart raced as he stared, not at the pale, lifeless eyes of Malak, but a dark ceiling. A ceiling which shouldn't have been there. His heart hammered. His arms shook as he pushed himself up.

A soft murmur sounded beside him. Revan's gaze flickered to Bastila.

That was right. He stared at his hands. It had been seven years since then, longer since the childhood duel he had remembered. Or was it even a memory? Revan closed his eyes. Did it matter?

Revan looked at Bastila. What did matter slept beside him or in the bed near to his. He could just make out the sounds of Vaner's soft breathing mirroring Bastila's.

The ach lessened in his chest. He took a deep breath. There was no point trying to return to sleep. His dreams would be haunted by visions of the past or future. And he had no desire to bolt awake once more and risk waking Bastila. She needed all the sleep she could get especially given she was pregnant once more.

Warmth flickered into his heart. Another child. The warmth fought against the remaining pain from the vision of Malak's death.

"Would have happened had our positions been reversed?" the words echoed through Revan.

The warmth flitted out. Doused by the haunting dregs of memory as he held his dying friend.

There was no point dwelling on it. Revan slipped from the bed and returned the blankets, so they were around Bastila. He moved with care so as not to risk waking her.

He dressed and left the room, opening and closing the door as fast as possible. He sensed Vaner shift beyond the door but didn't feel his son move more from the flash of light which had fallen over his bed.

A shiver raced through him but Revan ignored it and headed down the hall to where he could sit and think in quiet without the fear of waking either Bastila or Vaner. He sank into one of the seats and pulled a necklace out from under his shirt. The crystal flashed in the light of the room. He reached up and touched the rare kyber crystal. His finger ran down the oddly long crystal.

When Malak had died, Revan had taken his lightsaber. The council had ordered the lightsaber destroyed as it was an "artifact of the dark side," but not before Revan had removed the crystal from it. This was all he had left of Malak.

"We thought you might run off before dawn."

Revan didn't turn at the sound of the woman's voice. The crystal shifted as the chain twisted.

"Grandfather and I have been switching watch duty tonight to make certain something like this didn't happen," huffed the woman.

"Like what?" Revan asked, his tone hollow to even his ears.

"You, sneaking off so you could get out of meeting the family tomorrow," the woman growled.

"This is far from sneaking off," Revan stated. "I am merely trying not to wake my wife and son by sitting out here instead of in the quarters." Revan straightened. He tucked the necklace away as he met Rana's gaze.

She blinked and frowned. "How do I know that's the truth?" She folded her arms across her chest. Her gaze matched his. "You didn't seem too keen to talk about family earlier. How do I know you won't just sneak away before meeting the rest of the family?"

"You don't," Revan stated. "Not unless you became a seer," he joked.

Rana scowled, eyes narrowed.

"In all seriousness, I promised I would meet the rest of your family if Bastila agreed. She agreed, and I am not one to go back on promises." Though he had in the past. The image of holding a dying Malak flickered through his mind.

"So, you really were just trying to avoid waking your wife?" Rana dropped her arms. Suspicion still glinted in her eyes.

"Yes," Revan confirmed.

"Why?"

He let out a breath and grinned. "To not wake her as I already told you," his tone was light even as he dodged the real meaning behind her question.

Rana's lips twitched back into a scowl. "I meant, why do you think you would wake her?"

"Because I am awake," Revan retorted, tone still light.

"You're impossible," Rana growled. "I just want to know why you're awake and think if you go back to sleep why it would wake her?"

"That," – Revan smiled at her – "is none of your concern."

"I'm your niece, family. Or does such a word mean nothing to you!" Her eyes flashed.

Revan's eyes narrowed. "As far as it appears to me, you're being nosy to sate your own curiosity without concern or care for who's life you're prying into."

Rana bristled. "You're my uncle."

"So?"

"I have a right to get to know you."

A right? Revan just smiled at the girl. This didn't seem like something a family should do or say. Perhaps he just didn't know what families were like.

"Well?" Rana leaned forward, gaze intent.

Revan's gaze snapped away from the girl as he sensed Jasper racing down the hall.

Jasper sped passed the room.

"Jasper!" Revan called.

The sound of boots skidding on the polished metal screeched back to Revan. A heartbeat later, Jasper appeared, painting, in the door.

"Thank the Force, you're awake." Jasper grinned.

"What is it?" Revan asked the younger Jedi.

"You've trained more Jedi than me," Jasper started with a small, nervous smile.

"Never as a padawan," Revan pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I know many of the Revanchists viewed you as a master and well some of them, like Meetra went to you for training."

Revan gestured for Jasper to join him.

Rana bristled. "Wait a second," She started.

"What's wrong?" Jasper asked her.

"I," – she shifted – "I sort of wanted to speak with my uncle alone."

Jasper tilted his head to one side. "You're uncle?" He blinked. "You're one of the senator's kids?"

"Yeah," Rana mumbled.

"Well, um," Jasper rubbed the back of his head. "Should I come to you tomorrow?"

"There won't be time until the evening and this is about Visas, right?"

"Yeah."

Revan gestured once more to the seat.

"Sorry." Jasper bowed to Rana. He took the seat.

Rana followed him and did the same. She sat on the edge of the chair as if she expected an attack and was ready to run.

"Master Darious started my training with the Force, especially Force sight," Jasper explained. "I've been trying to think of something to pass on to Visas, but where I started doesn't seem like a good place for her. I mean, she lives having to use Force sight all the time." Jasper ran his fingers through his curly hair.

Revan chuckled. "Jasper, she isn't you."

"I know that, but the only example I have is going off my own training. I never asked the other padawans my age what their masters were teaching them." He frowned. "Did you ever ask Master Darious and Squint what they were being taught."

"Yes," Revan stated, "but I didn't have a great first master."

"Right." Jasper shivered. "And considering the stories Meetra told me she also fell to the dark side."

"Who was your master?" Rana piped up.

A small breath escaped Revan. "Master Arren Kae," he informed the girl.

"But Squint used to call her Kreia," Jasper stated. "I only met her a few times at the start of the movement, I didn't much like her." He shivered again. Then frowned. "What did she have you start on?"

"Healing and the basic fundamentals of the body."

"But you're not a healer."

"Preciously. Which is why I won't use her as an example." Revan smiled. "What are Visas' interests in becoming a sentinel?"

Jasper frowned. "I didn't think to ask."

"Start there, learn where she is strong as a sentinel or even in the Force and where she is weak. Play to her strengths while focusing on enhancing her weaknesses so she can over come them and, perhaps, even turn them to a new strength."

Jasper rubbed his chin. "I see. That explains why Master Darious isn't training Atton the same way he trained me." He smiled and bowed his head. "Thank you, master. I'm glad you were still awake."

"I take it you were mediating on this problem."

"Yes, but I figured asking you or Meetra would be better than trying to keep mediating on it."

"Not Darious?"

Jasper looked away.

"Jasper, he wouldn't see it as failure."

"I know, it's just, I know he was happy to see me get a padawan. I guess I still don't want to let down my old master."

"Then go to him for advice. You need never worry about how Darious perceives you."

"You're right," Jasper nodded. "Thanks, Master Tarvon." He paused. "You know, you're a lot like Master Vander."

Revan chuckled. "I suppose it is better than being compared to Vrook."

"No offense, but I think all of us would think you went insane if you started to act like Vrook."

"Oh, is that an invitation to do so?"

Jasper laughed. "You wouldn't last an hour."

"True," Revan conceded.

"Who are they?" Rana asked as she looked between them. "I mean, sure I've heard their names and know they were masters on the old council but nothing beyond that."

Jasper shifted. "Well, Master Vander was the last Grand Master of the order. He was the oldest and wisest member of the High Council. He was the one who found many of us to bring us to the Order." Jasper shook his head and moved on to Vrook. "Master Vrook was Master Vander's closest friend on the council. I always pictured their relationship much like Master Tarvon's and Squints." He laughed. "With Vrook being Squint."

Revan snorted at this. Malak wouldn't have taken kindly to being called similar to Master Vrook. Yet, he could see it. While more light hearted before the Mandalorian Wars, Malak had become stern and cold. True a lot of it had to do with the dark side, however, there was also the fact he was quick with actions just like Vrook had been. Also, quick to temper and judgmental of those around him.

"I doubt he would have liked the comparison." Revan smiled.

Jasper nodded. "Most likely, Squint never did like Master Vrook."

"Um, who is Squint?" Rana asked. "And why wouldn't he like being compared to a High Council member? Wouldn't that have been an honor?"

"You never met Squint or Master Vrook," Jasper pointed out. "You wouldn't want to be in the room with the two of them, that's for certain. Well, unless you were Master Tarvon and Master Vander."

"But who is he?"

"Was," Revan corrected. He took a deep breath. "Squint was a nickname given to Malak during the early parts of the Revanchist Movement."

Rana blinked. Her eyes opened a little wider.

"More because no one could pronounce his surname." Jasper shrugged.

A small breath escaped Revan. The mention of Malak's reaction to his "surname" flickered in his mind. "He didn't have one," Revan muttered more to himself than to Jasper.

"Yeah, yeah, they didn't have surname's on Quelii, but his village became it after his family fled the destruction of the planet."

"What was it?" Rana pressed.

"I can't pronounce it." Jasper shrugged.

"Squinquargesimus," Revan stated.

"Yeah that." Jasper laughed.

Rana frowned. "You both talk fondly of him, but he tried to destroy the Republic."

"As did I," Revan pointed out.

"But you were forgiven because you stopped Darth Malak."

Jasper stiffened.

Revan bowed his head. Images flickered before his eyes of Malak's death once more. More reminders of the price he had forced his former best friend to pay just for following him. The price Revan should have paid instead. The question of if their positions had been switch fluttered through his mind once more. Perhaps everything would have been far better if Malak had been redeemed instead of Revan. Perhaps, just perhaps, he would have never hesitated as Revan had in restoring the Order. Never hidden from the fighting which had destroyed so many of the Jedi.

There would never be an answer to these questions. Nothing, not even the Force could inform Revan to what such a switch would have done for the galaxy, the Republic, and the Jedi Order. Yet, then it would have been Malak who was forced to kill Revan. It would have been his friend who was sitting here dwelling on the what the order had done and how it had been the wrong way to end the war.

No, perhaps it was better Malak never had to leave with the guilt and pain of having to end Revan's life as Revan now had to with having ended Malak's.

If only Malak had listened. If only Revan had been able to pull him back from the darkness to the light. If only…

Revan closed his eyes.

"Master Tarvon?"

Revan's eyes flickered open. "Jasper you can just call me by name, I'm not your master."

A shadow of a smile flickered at the corners of Jasper's lips. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Revan stood. "I'll meet you two in the dining hall." He left them to get Bastila and Vaner.

So much had happened. To those around Revan and to those in the galaxy who had been affected by his actions. Yet, all of it, felt as if there had been a reason. Something he was still missing. Was it worth it? Was all the pain? The lose? All of it, even worth it in the end?

There was no answer to those questions. Malak's death felt meaningless. As if there had been away to avoid it. A moment where Revan could have stopped the path, he had set himself and Malak on.

Revan let out a breath and shoved the thought aside.

Nothing could change what had already happened. There was no going back, no point in dwelling on his failings. All which was left was to drive forward. The order needed his attention as did Bastila and Vaner. Especially now he and Bastila were expecting another child. The past wouldn't be forgotten, but he had to keep himself from dwelling on it or he ran the risk of what had almost happened the day he had learned Bastila was pregnant with Vaner.

A shiver raced through Revan. He paused in the hall and spread out his awareness. A presence was approaching Telos.

x – Sighta – x

Of course, Telos was where they were going. In the end, further into the Republic couldn't happen. They didn't have a lot of fuel and her mother had pointed out given the events around the planet it would be a place where they would be less likely to be questioned.

The planet was wrapped in a massive station. "The fuel it must be taking to keep that thing afloat," she muttered to herself. It had to be a great deal. The mere thought of it made her shiver. Granted the world was a symbol of what could be done for other planets. Or so she had gathered from what little she had read on the way here. Sighta let out a small breath and looked at her mother. "Once we land, we can start to look for clues on Revan's whereabouts."

Jeri's jaw tightened. She brought the shuttle towards the docking area of the station. It was enough to know this was a matter her mother still didn't agree on.

"Mother," Sighta started. "We can't focus on finding a man who might not even be of use to us. Revan has faced the emperor before. He will be of use."

Jeri let out a low breath.

All right, so that didn't work. There was nothing of use Sighta could see in finding a man who might not have even used his lightsaber in over forty years.

Sighta looked away from Jeri. A massive hammer-head class ship was docked at the station. She grimaced. Just great. Just what they needed, Republic soldier interference. Still, it could prove to their advantage. If anyone knew Revan's location it would be the Republic military. A small smile curled her lips.

The vessel vanished from sight as Jeri steered the ship into the closest free docking bay.

A small breath escaped Sighta. Though, if she thought on it, the security around the vessel would be great. It also depended on the rank of commander of the ship. The higher the rank, the more security it would have. Perhaps she should stick with finding the security force location on the station and go from there. While not as great a resource, it would help her and mother find both Revan and her father. Not that she had a desire to put her faith in the old man. He could be far more useless than a droid against the emperor.

Sighta lead the way off the shuttle. "We should find where security is located here first."

Her mother's eyes narrowed.

"If nothing else they can help us locate father." They needed another name to call him by outside of "Inlustris." It was too obvious of a sith name. "What should we call him?" she whispered thee question in mother's ear.

Jeri let out a breath. "I honestly don't know what name he would have chosen to go by."

"But," Sighta started but caught herself. Her mother and father had both been young when they had her older brother. Or so she assumed, given they had been young when she was born. Perhaps they hadn't been together long enough for Jeri to truly get to know Inlustris.

"Did he have a surname?" Sighta asked as they started for the closest exit.

"No."

"Indemnification?" the droid at the exit asked.

Sighta showed it to the dumb machine as well as her mother's. She had managed to slice into Republic records on the way here in order to give them false identities within the Republic. She also now wore plain clothing with her lightsaber stored on her arm hidden as always thanks a to device she had made which house it on her forearm. It made it easier to pass herself off as being unarmed.

With the Jedi all but destroyed it was going to make tracking down Revan harder than if there had still been an order. This meant it might be just as hard to find Inlustris as it would be to find Revan. Hopefully the Force was with her and Jeri and both would end up being on Telos rather than deeper into the Republic.

(Author's note: So, I got comments on it there will be a chapter 9 right after writing the last chapter. I am not the fastest writer in the world, especially when I am struggling with matters in life. It took a while for me to get back into a writing mood, but I have gotten there and hope to keep it going.

A random statement here with Revan's thoughts on a swapped reality between his and Malak's positions, I once played with idea back when my Revan was female. Back then my favorite pairing was actually Revan and Malak instead of Revan x Carth. Anyway, that story is still one of my favorite incompletes from way back when I first started writing fan-fiction.

Also, the reunion got shoved back another chapter. I wanted another vision of the past and then a moment where Revan was dwelling on the vision and his choices as well as questioning both himself and what had happened. I also wanted a moment to explore more of Rana's character.)

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Yoda900: Yes there is going to be a chapter 9, as you can see. There will also be a chapter 10 and 11. It will just take time to write them.