Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Chapter 2

Bastila was sitting on the floor in her private quarters; the tears were still running down her cheeks. She was sobbing lightly, and then, she felt it: a gentle touch on the edge of her mind. She didn't know what it was, but she was curious enough to find out, even though the Jedi Masters have very often warned her and other Padawans about the dangers of someone trying to invade their minds. They've said that it was a weapon of the Sith, used by them to lure others to the Dark Side, and there was only one Sith close enough to do that. Revan, she thought. Casting aside the Masters' teachings, Bastila lowered the barriers around her mind, giving permission to the familiar stranger, and inviting him inside.


Bastila was in some sort of vision again. She sighed heavily. How many of these are going to happen to me today? She wondered. Hesitantly, she looked around, taking in her surroundings.

Unlike before, she wasn't on the Formidable's bridge nor in any dark room. It was… Dantooine, Bastila realized after a few seconds. She was standing in the middle of a grassy plain, not far from the Jedi Enclave if she recalled correctly. It's evening, she judged by the sun's position on the sky and the color of the light.

Bastila started walking ahead in no particular direction, touching the tall grass with the palms of her hands; it seemed so real. She took in a deep breath, allowing the smell of rain and dirt to fill her lungs. The sun was warming her face gently. Small clouds were running across the sky, alongside the giant rays. Bastila couldn't stop the large smile from finding its way onto her lips. After being on the frontlines for so long, she has almost forgotten the true beauty of the peaceful planet. It's beautiful.

"See something you like?" A voice behind her startled her, catching her off guard. Bastila turned around immediately to locate the source of that voice, and, for the hundredth time that day, her heart shattered into thousand pieces; Revan was standing right in front of her. His mask and armor were missing, though; he was wearing a simple black tunic and trousers of the same color – it was the outfit he often used to wear during his time as the Padawan and later as the Knight. His lips were curled up in a gentle smile, reflected in his eyes. Oh, how she missed that smile. Bastila's eyes betrayed her, and she had to blink a few times to get rid of the tiny tears that started forming in them. Unlike previously, though, those were the tears of joy.

"Where are we?" she asked, once again looking around. She didn't mean the scenery around them, though; even after a few dozen years, she would never be able to forget Dantooine.

"We used to sneak out here to get away from Vrook and the other Masters," Revan replied, somewhat dodging the question. "Why not do that now as well?" he asked with a small chuckle. "But, to answer your question, we're inside your mind," he quickly added before Bastila could say something in return. The young Padawan looked at him without understanding; she noticed his smile slowly fading away from his lips. "You don't know what has happened, do you?" he more stated than asked.

"No," Bastila replied, shaking her head. Revan sighed heavily, closing his eyes.

"And do you have any idea of what you had done when you had raided my mind?" he queried.

"Yes," Bastila answered without hesitation, quickly nodding her head. "I have saved your life from certain death," she added, earning herself a small chuckle from Revan.

"You did indeed," he admitted, taking one small step towards her; she chose to ignore that. "But your actions had other consequences. Much more serious."

"What consequences?" Bastila asked, ashamed to admit that his words scared her a little.

"I hoped you would have enlightened me," Revan replied evasively; his lips once again curled up in a small smile. "As you recall, I was lying unconscious in the Medical Bay when you've arrived. Tell me, how did Vrook react after hearing your explanation?" he added quickly, once again stopping Bastila from saying something in return. "Was he happy or grumpy as always?" he asked, chuckling slightly. The young Padawan laughed as well.

"The latter one," she informed him, still smiling gently. "Although, it doesn't mean he wasn't happy," she added, earning herself another chuckle from Revan. The man in front of her nodded his head slowly.

"It's hard to argue with that," he commented. "So, I believe he knows it already," he muttered more to himself, but Bastila still managed to hear him.

"Knows what?" she asked, remembering the previous topic of their conversation.

"That you haven't allowed me to become one with the Force," Revan replied seriously, looking her straight in the eyes. "You've reached out to me through the Force, making my survival dependent on something."

"Dependent on what?" she asked cautiously.

"On you," he replied simply. Bastila blinked a few times, not understanding what he meant. "You've linked my connection to the Force to yours, Bastila," Revan explained. "And, by doing so, you've connected my life to yours. I've survived, only because you've poured your essence into me, which resulted in you losing consciousness."

"What does that even mean?" Bastila asked him, crossing her arms over her chest. She could have sworn that she saw Revan's eyes moving down for a split second, though she chose to ignore that as well. Revan shrugged his shoulders, pretending he didn't know the answer to her question, though Bastila saw the truth in his eyes. She smiled inwardly; he still couldn't lie to her – his eyes always betrayed him. "I don't see how these are serious consequences," she added, trying to urge him to say something more.

"I have misspoken," Revan countered immediately, once again avoiding her gaze for a split second. And once again, his eyes traveled downward, stopping somewhere on her chest. Bastila cleared her throat.

"Even as a Sith, you still don't know how to lie," she replied, narrowing her eyes. A shadow crossed Revan's face, almost instantly changing his features. The small traces of smile quickly disappeared from his lips and from his eyes, and Bastila could have sworn that his skin became paler.

"Do you really sense the Dark Side in me, Bastila?" Revan asked. His tone caught the young Padawan off guard because, as opposed to his face, it was calm and gentle, just as it used to be years earlier: when everything was right. "Or do you even see it in me?"

"I've seen it in your actions," she countered sternly. Despite how pleasant that vision was, Bastila couldn't so easily forget about all the monstrosities Revan had committed after returning to the Known Space. "You've manifested it when you had betrayed the Republic; when you had betrayed ME!" she yelled accusingly at him. Once again, she felt the tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she recalled the painful memories.

"The reasons I did what I did are my own, and you wouldn't believe me, even if I showed it to you, Bastila," he replied, slightly irritated. He took in a deep breath to calm himself down, closing his eyes in the process. "I wouldn't have done any of that if I wasn't sure that it was a necessity. I've done all that because I had no other choice," he explained. Bastila huffed at that. "I promise that I will explain everything to you in time."

"Your promises are nothing, Revan," Bastila countered angrily. "You've promised to save the Republic, but instead, you've been waging war against It!"

"I've attacked the Republic in order to save it," he replied calmly. Bastila blinked a few times in surprise, not believing what she had just heard.

"Stop lying to me, Revan."

"You've just said that I still don't know how to lie," Revan countered with a small smirk before sighing slightly. "As I've said, you wouldn't understand." He took another step towards her. Bastila replied immediately by walking backward to maintain the distance between them.

"Step away from me," she ordered through gritted teeth. Her words have fallen on Revan's deaf ears, though, as he continued approaching her. He increased his pace, closing the distance between them before Bastila managed to retreat. He caught her shoulders, gripping her tightly. "Stay away from me!" she cried out again, doing her best to fight against Revan's grip.

"Bastila," he whispered her name softly. As if on cue, the young Padawan stopped wrestling against him, and looked up at his face; she was sobbing lightly.

Against her own will, Bastila found herself captured by his eyes at that moment. She didn't even register his arms slowly pulling her towards him, but she didn't care at that point. She rested her hands on his chest, taking pleasure from feeling the warmth of his body. They were still looking into each other's eyes: her grey, stained with tears, staring into his emerald green. Their foreheads pressed against each other; their lips were slowly getting closer and closer until they were roughly a few centimeters apart. Bastila could feel his warm breath on her face. Instantly, she had forgotten about all the anger she felt towards him.

"I love you, Bastila," he whispered softly. Her heart skipped a beat. "I've always had, and I always will. Remember that," he added. And with his final words, everything faded away.


Bastila opened her eyes, finding herself back in her quarters. Those constant visions certainly weren't good for her. It was slowly becoming more and more difficult to tell the difference between reality and the dream. And the one she had a moment ago most certainly didn't help improve her mood.

She was still crying, and even more so after another 'encounter' with the Dark Lord of the Sith. Everything in her vision seemed so real: the touch of grass on her hands, the gentle breeze on her face, the smell of rain and dirt in her nose, the warmth of the sun on her skin, and Revan.

He still had the same crooked smile that she adored so much. He hadn't changed as much as she expected. He was lean, but one could feel the well-developed muscles hidden beneath his tunic. The only noticeable change was the scar running across his right eye. It wasn't big, but still, it was there.

Bastila was thinking about his words. Love? Certainly, she was in love with him, but never before have they said it out loud. Or rather, he has never told it, for that matter, not until that moment. She was torn apart. Once again, her mind tried to convince her that he wasn't someone to be loved, that he was a Sith, and they didn't know such feelings.

On the other hand, her heart spoke, defending Revan. She has never truly accepted his fall to the Dark Side. Deep inside, Bastila was sure that the same Revan she loved remained somewhere beneath that mask and armor, the same that had kissed her on the plains of Dantooine. The same one who had joined the Republic in the Mandalorian Wars and became Its savior.

Bastila checked the Endar Spire's records; twelve hours remained before they would reach Coruscant. Slowly, she stood up from the floor and returned to her bed. Her hands quickly found a small teddy bear hidden beneath her pillows. She pressed its tummy, marveling at the soft familiar tune that started playing immediately. Closing her eyes, the young Padawan hoped to get some rest without any dreams or visions. Luckily for her, the Force obeyed her wish.


Once again, Revan didn't know what to do. He was well aware of where he was and what was happening around him, but he had no idea how he was supposed to react to that. He had to admit that he panicked a little when he felt his life fading away slowly. He wasn't ready to become one with the Force, not yet, but he was too weak to fight against death that threatened to take him away. And then, she came in.

Bastila has entered his mind! Revan had to admit that he was somewhat ashamed of himself. He has always made sure to protect his mind from others; the Emperor was the only one who has ever managed to break through his mental barriers. But Bastila? A mere Padawan? That was unacceptable.

However, he had to act, and he had to act quickly. Perhaps, Bastila's actions would prove themselves useful in the near future. Even at that moment, he could sense her on the other side of their Force Bond, the one that was formed between them when she saved his life. Perhaps it would give him an advantage in the upcoming confrontation with the Jedi Council. He had to prepare himself for that. Even if his body remained unconscious, his mind was able to work effectively.

First of all, he had to secure himself. If Bastila managed to enter his mind, seemingly without an effort, then the Jedi Council would most certainly attempt to do that as well, hoping to find anything that would help them win the war. He had to protect his memories and his knowledge. He had to create a guardian that would be able to keep his past a secret.

That's where another problem came in. Even if he managed to protect his mind from the Council, and the Jedi failed to get any information from him, he would still remain in danger. He was a criminal in the Republic's eyes, and he betrayed his oaths as the Jedi Knight. The Chancellor and the Senate would surely demand his execution. And that's where the foolishness of the Jedi Code came in hand. Jedi do not believe in killing their prisoners, Revan recalled. He chuckled in his mind at that. That one mistake of the Jedi Order was his only way of getting out of that mess. Unfortunately, he knew pretty well a few members of the Council, including the Grand Master. She would most certainly do her best to find a way to somehow go around the Code in his case.

Also, Revan was more than sure that the majority of the Jedi Council would agree that allowing him to remain in his own body would be too risky. He was confident that they would spare his physical form, but he wasn't so sure when it came to his mind. During the past few years, he stumbled upon the ancient knowledge of the Sith on how to eradicate someone's identity, and he was certain that such knowledge was safely stored in the Holocron Vault in the Temple. And knowing Atris' hatred towards him, Revan was more than sure that she would use it to get rid of his personality from his mind. Hypocrites, he commented. And they dare to say they value all life. He had to act immediately.

Revan had no idea how much time he had before they would reach Coruscant, but he put all his effort into keeping his body unconscious for as long as he could. Remaining in the Medical Bay gave him the benefit of not being so heavily restrained. Most of all, he didn't have a neural disruptor strapped around his neck. If he had, he wouldn't be able to allow his mind to work freely. Luckily for him, the neural disruptor made the medics' work more difficult for them.

Revan focused on retreating into the depths of his mind. Hundreds of hours spent in the Jedi Archives and in the Tombs of the ancient Sith Lord on Korriban were about to come in hand. Malak used to laugh at him for wasting so much time while studying, but at that moment, the wisdom that he has possessed, was going to give him a chance of staying alive.

He was well aware that what he was planning to do was extremely dangerous and difficult. From the knowledge collected from Naga Sadow's Holocron that he had found in his Tomb, Revan gathered all the information he was going to need for what he was about to do. It would most certainly take him a few hours to accomplish that, and he hoped that this time would be given to him. With that in mind, he started working.

First of all, he had to increase the capacity of his consciousness. It was going to serve as a 'hideout' for him. That first step was probably the most difficult one in the entire ritual. Revan had never heard of anyone capable of accomplishing that, but he had to try. Nada Sadow has described the entire process with extreme details, but even he had failed to accomplish that. Revan didn't care, though. He was sure that he was able to do it; he just had to focus.

A few hours have passed, but finally, Revan succeeded. He has managed to unlock enough space in his consciousness to be able to hide himself there. He had failed a few times, forced to start from the beginning. But he remained patient, and his patience was rewarded. He had managed to do something that many could only dream of. However, he was still far from done.

The second part of the ritual was also extremely difficult, though it was slightly easier than the previous step: 'copying' his identity. Revan wanted to remain himself so he couldn't abandon a single memory. All of them, both good and bad, had made him the man he was, and he wanted to remain that person.

Using the Force, he has entered his mind once again. Millions of flashbacks flooded his eyes. He could see his every memory since the day he was born. However, he couldn't allow himself to focus on them at that moment. The time to remind himself of the old days would come later. He had to hurry if he wanted to succeed.

A sudden idea has crossed his mind. Long ago, he had read somewhere about using the Force to influence one's consciousness. Recalling everything he had learned back then, he did his best to use the Force to manipulate his own mind.

Immediately, one by one, the images that used to flash in front of his eyes, were being compressed into small cubes. They resembled the Holocrons, hidden deep in the Vault in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. At that moment, Revan has found himself standing amongst countless shelves, filled with those small cubes. He smiled slightly; his plan had just become much easier.

Cautiously, Revan approached the nearest shelf and picked up one of the Holocrons. As he expected, it contained a memory. He opened it carefully.


Explosion. The ship was being shot at from all sides, and Revan was on that ship.

He looked around. Dozens of corpses were lying on the floor. Revan was quickly able to recognize them. They were Mandalorian soldiers that he had slain years earlier. He had noticed the lightsaber wound on their bodies in the spots where his weapon dealt the killing blow.

Revan watched in awe as his younger self passed by the bodies, walking up to the heavy door. He opened it and entered the bridge. The current Revan has followed him immediately.

There, right next to the viewport, Mandalore the Ultimate, leader of the Mandalorians, was standing, waiting for him.


Revan retreated from the memory. He found himself back in the 'library' that contained his memories. He chuckled lightly. Everything at that moment became merely a child's play.

Revan was proud of himself like never before. After roughly ten hours of hard work, he had accomplished something that many considered to be impossible. The copy of his identity was now safely hidden in the back of his mind, and there was absolutely no way the Jedi could find it. He had also created a guardian that was supposed to protect his memories. If the Council broke into his mind, they would face a not-so-pleasant surprise.

Revan smirked upon seeing the creatures in his mind. One Terentatek was extremely dangerous, and five of them would most certainly scare the Jedi out of his head. He was ready to do absolutely everything to keep the location of the Star Forge hidden.

The only thing he could do at that moment was to wait. Revan retreated from the depths of his mind. Even unconscious, he could hear what was happening around him, but he paid that no attention. Strangely, he has found himself thinking of Bastila. But, on the other hand, he shouldn't be surprised. He could clearly feel her on the edge of his mind.

At first, he has appeared in her dream. He simply had to see her. He didn't plan to make her check on his condition, though. He wanted to talk to her, and their encounter on the bridge of the Formidable was something he most certainly didn't wish to happen.

Then, she has appeared in his mind. He had told her the truth, that he was dying. He had to be honest with her in his last moments. But Bastila has refused to let him go so easily. The result was… unexpected to say the least. Never in his life had he considered being bonded with her. He was, of course, in love with her, but forming a Force Bond was something that had never crossed his mind. Instead, she had made that decision.

Revan quickly exploited that connection and contacted her. The Force Bond has made it a lot easier for him to enter her mind. And he had used that. He desired to spend some more time with her on the plains of Dantooine, just as in the old days, and so, he has arranged that scenario.

Bastila was fully aware of what he did, and he knew it. He had contacted her, and she knew that she should inform Master Vrook about it, though she didn't. Revan was extremely happy because of that.

He had to see her one last time before the Jedi Council would enter his mind. He had one last message to pass to her, and he knew that once he did it, he would be at peace. He wasn't wrong. He had to admit to Bastila that he loved her, and this could have been his last opportunity. After that, he would have to hide his true identity for Force knows how long.

His mind had stopped pacing at that moment. Revan has truly found peace – the peace he could only achieve when he was with Bastila. And he didn't know when he would be able to meet her again.