AN: Hey everyone! So I'm back from my extended leave of absence and my co-writer/beta reader did some writing while I was gone, so it gave a solid foundation for where this chapter was taking the story. Enjoy.
Tython's Surface – Jedi Temple
Revan moved to the outermost entrance of the ancient temple so that the shuttle could pick him up and take him all the way to the Star Forge. On the way, he bit his bottom lip, pondering the visions he saw as the temple and lacking a repair crew at this hour, the path was bathed in silence. When he stepped outside, however, he raised an eyebrow. Looking at the Tythonian sunset, with Ashla and Bogan starting to rise, was Serra Keto.
Sensing his presence, the female Knight turned around and smiled in pleasant surprise. "Oh, hello Revan. I didn't know you were on-world."
"It's not like I broadcasted my presence," Revan shrugged. "Just wanted to test out a theory in the Force nexus within and around the temple complex."
"And what did you learn?" She asked curiously.
"That the Force has a morbid sense of humor," Revan responded drily.
Serra frowned. "That's a…surprisingly accurate statement, considering recent events."
"No kidding. Do you need a ride back to the Star Forge? I wanted to have another meeting with the inner circle and this time I would like you to be there."
Serra grinned. "Sure. I just wanted to see the sunset on the Jedi home world while I was here."
As if on cue, the shuttle took that moment to approach them and begin landing protocols. In no time one of the mass produced HK units signaled them to board.
"After you," Revan said with a polite nod.
Serra motioned towards the ramp, then abruptly stopped. Turning around, her gaze turned serious. "You still hadn't clarified one thing to me."
"Oh? What would that be?"
"What did you meant when you said that I reminded you of someone?" She wondered.
Revan's expression suddenly turned unreadable and Serra almost flinched, wondering if she hit a nerve in the former Sith Lord. But then he just sighed.
"You reminded me of someone very dear to me from my own time," Revan said with exhaustion in his tone.
"Oh," Serra mouthed, suddenly feeling awkward as she quickly put two and two together. "I am sorry."
"Don't be. I am not the only one in our little group that has lost almost everyone they know," Revan replied, staring at her intently.
They locked eyes for a long moment and for the first time, Serra could feel a sort of old sadness in Revan and for some reason, she suspected it didn't come from the fact he was from another millennium. But her savior didn't elaborate as he headed towards the ramp.
Tython's Orbit – Star Forge
Count Dooku disembarked from the Ebon Hawk and he was greeted by HK-47.
"Sarcastic Statement: I am overcome with joy that you have returned to us without any injuries on your meatbag body, Count."
Dooku snorted. "I suppose Revan forgot to program politeness into your memory core when he created you."
"Hurtful Remark. You wound my artificial feelings with your words, Count. Declaration: I'll have you know I perfected the art of politeness."
"How so?" Dooku asked with mild curiosity.
"Determined Response: Why, with the artistic display I make of the meatbags I target, of course!"
Dooku sighed and decided to get onto business. "Is Revan here?"
"Statement: My Master has only just arrived from some business at Tython. He is currently in the conference room waiting for the Muun, and yourself to arrive."
Dooku nodded. "I'll be on my way there then."
"Excited Comment: Then I will tag along and on the way, I explain to you in vivid detail the glorious extent of my politeness."
"I just had to open my mouth." Dooku thought with a look of long suffering on his elderly face.
Star Forge – Conference Room
By the time Revan and Serra entered the conference room, Zeego and Sira were already there. They both smiled and the Neimodian greeted Revan while the young Zabrak said hi to Serra. At the same time. Then they looked at each other and chuckled.
"I see you two are getting along," Revan noted.
"You bet," Sira nodded. "I didn't know Neimodians could be so laid back and entertaining. No offense, Zeego."
"None taken; I get that a lot," He replied.
The two newcomers took their seats and Revan decided to hurry. "Serra?" He called out.
"Yes?" The human Knight responded.
"There is someone on the team that you hadn't meet yet that is going to be present in this meeting," Revan said with a neutral expression. "And I think it would be wise to let you know who it is so that you won't overreact."
Serra Keto raised an eyebrow at that. "Now that's a one way to make me apprehensive," She muttered. "Who else did you recruit?"
Revan opened his mouth to reply but Sira beat him to the punch. "Oh you are going to love this one!" She giggled. "He managed to recruit Palpatine's former Sith Master."
The Knight's eyes widened. "You did what!?"
Revan glared at the smirking Zabrak. "Thanks for sugarcoating it, girl."
Hyperspace – Inside the Mid Rim
Cin Drallig wasn't sure whether to thank the Force or curse it. And unfortunately, this was hardly the first time he had reason to ask himself that question recently.
By the time the Jedi Battlemaster had finally managed to lose the patrols of treacherous clone troopers long enough to blend with the crowd the fleet had finally finished organizing the blockade around Coruscant. Realizing he couldn't leave the planet anytime soon and wanting to put as much distance from the fallen Skywalker as possible, he had ditched his Jedi robes, swallowed the disgust in his gut so that he could mind trick a civilian into giving him his much less notorious clothes as well as his pocket mirror when he found out he had one. Then, as soon as the mind tricked human left the dark corner, he carefully shaved most of his long hair with one of his lightsabers before using the Force to pull any remaining strands, leaving him bald.
He had then gone to the nearest bar he could find both to blend in and to search for news, seeking to understand what in the Force's name was going on. By the time he decided to move on, he would have crushed any glass of liquor if it had remained in his hand.
"The First Galactic Empire!" He had growled. "And they are cheering for it!"
At that point followed a couple of dark days as the sheer magnitude of the damage that had been done to the Jedi started to sink in. But it wasn't until that armored Dark sider was announced to be Palpatine's primary enforcer under the name Darth Vader that he realized just how deeply the order had been duped: Palpatine was the Sith Lord they had all been looking for.
And by the end of that nightmarish week, the cumulative total of his depression finally made him crack when the news that Padme Amidala, one of the few Senators that were a beacon of hope in the den of corruption the Senate had become, had been killed in what was being dubbed as the Jedi Rebellion.
Cin eyed the holovideo as her obituary was being spoken, with her face so full of life and devotion to peace and justice appearing in the screen. And knowing that her precious light had been extinguished as well and that his order was getting the blame for her death had finally broken the dam he had placed around his eyes and the Jedi Battlemaster couldn't help but tear up for the first time in many years.
In retrospect, he knew he should have paid more attention to his surroundings even then. But for once he was glad he hadn't, as he would have struggled needlessly. When he woke up from his temporary trip to the land of unconsciousness, he was sure an agent from the Empire had captured him. But when he noticed he still had his lightsabers he realized that couldn't be true.
Soon enough, the automatic doors had open and Senator Mon Mothma walked in. In no time she explained to him that she was granted permission to leave Coruscant to attend the funeral of Senator Amidala in Naboo after making a quick stop first and that she had some of her most loyal bodyguards smuggle his sleeping body into her personal starship. She had then explained that she was working with Senator Bail Organa and a small circle of Senators that were horrified enough at the death of the Republic and enraged enough with its murderer to aid any surviving Jedi they may find. After exchanging news on survivors and confirmed Jedi kills, the ship arrived on the nearby planet of Chandrilla, the Senator's homeworld.
The Senator had made some arrangements beforehand to have her men from the Chandrilla security force leave a Starfighter and a matching hyperdrive ring on an isolated area of their air force's hangar and then she urged him to steal it while the skeleton crew was having a lunch break.
And that was how he found himself on a Starfighter en-route to the Outer Rim to lay low when his instincts warned him of danger just before his hyperspace alarms warned him he was about to hit something. Reacting quickly, he pulled the vessel back to realspace and had managed to dodge the massive, wandering asteroid; the tension draining out of him had made Cin sigh in relief.
Only then did he notice the presence of a fleet of what were clearly pirate ships not 100 kilometers from him.
The ships didn't even hesitated as they fired up their engines and headed towards the newcomer. Clearly this was a frequent ambush spot for them.
The Jedi Battlemaster couldn't believe it. He had survived the fall of the Jedi Temple and the might of the fallen Skywalker, only to be blasted apart by a bunch of common pirates?
Before he could finally make up his mind and spit out a curse at the Force, however, the unexpected happened. Rescue came from deep space.
A Lance-class frigate of roughly 250 meters in length exited hyperspace and immediately started firing at the pirate vessels. The enemy fire was so sudden and powerful the small fleet didn't stand a chance and all 8 starships were blown to pieces in under a minute.
While his own ship remained entirely intact.
Dread filled him as he wondered if the relatively small capital ship was operated by an imperial crew that wouldn't hesitate to kill a Jedi any more than ordinary criminals if they could confirm his identity. Before he could even ponder on how much the abrupt shift in the status quo offended him, he noticed the much bigger ship was hailing him. Hoping he could talk himself out of this one, he pressed the bottom.
And he recognized the voice on the other end.
"Please tell me that's you, Master Drallig."
Cin tried to blink away his shock. "Master Kota?"
Star Forge – Conference Room
Serra closed her gaping jaw when the explanations were done. Then she rubbed her forehead with a look that resembled exhausted awe.
"You really are a living legend, Revan," Serra admitted. "To be able to keep peace among Jedi and Sith in the same group. I would have thought that a damn near impossible feat even for the negotiator standards of Obi-wan Kenobi. I am still not sure how I feel about working with Darksiders for a common goal but I can't deny I am impressed."
Revan smirked. "What can I say? I am talented individual."
"That's putting it mildly," Count Dooku stated as he entered the conference room in a burst of Force speed.
Sira and Serra still looked a little strange at the idea of being in the same room as the leader of the cause that dealt so much damage to the Republic and not try to arrest him but ended up just sighing in resignation when they remembered things have gotten remarkably twisted in the system of governance they had once defended. Only a few seconds later did they noticed that HK-47 was trying to catch up with Dooku.
"Complaint: I wasn't done explaining magnificent extent of my politeness! Request: Master, please allow me to politely terminate the Count ignoring my grandiose monologue."
Revan stared at his blood thirsty creation for a long moment before dignifying a response. "HK, do you love killing?"
"Sarcastic reply: Is space black, Master?"
"I'll take that as a yes," He muttered. "Anyway, I expressly forbid you from killing any member of the team."
"Grieving response: Understood, master. Hopeful Addition: May I at least be allowed to threaten them with bodily harm?"
Revan noticed the scandalized looks from his new partners from the corner of his eyes and snorted. "Only if they are empty threats."
"Sorrowful query: But Master…why would you do this to me?"
Revan took that moment to grin. "Oh, don't look so glum, old friend. We are actually going to a place where you will have the opportunity to hunt down dangerous prey even by your standards."
The eyebrows of Revan's partners raised at the comment while HK-47 tilted his head in obvious interest.
"Curious Query: What kind of prey are we talking about, Master?"
"Let's wait for Plagueis first," Revan replied with a calming gesture. "I have it on good authority that he will have valuable information to contribute."
"Hmph, may I ask what authority are you talking about?" Dooku asked him.
Revan smirked, wondering how he'll react. "Why, that of Qui-gon Jinn, of course!"
Tython's Orbit – Star Forge
Plagueis headed towards the hanger bay as soon as they exited hyperspace. In a matter of seconds, he was being hailed and so the Muun pressed the bottom.
"Master Revan is expecting you at the conference room," Said the distinct voice of a droid.
Plagueis nodded. "Acknowledged."
"So, I guess I am not coming to this meeting either," Barriss said as she approached the cockpit.
"An accurate assumption," The elderly Sith replied. "There is still a lot of planning to do and Revan asked me to keep you away from the other Jedi in the group until he could find time to speak with you personally. Something about delivering cultural shocks in small doses." The Muun said, completely unware he will be getting a cultural shock of his own fairly soon.
Barriss shrugged. "All right. Would you mind if I borrow one of your Force-related texts for a little light reading?"
The Elder Sith snorted. "I would hardly call reading a text with detailed information about how you were created "light reading"."
Barriss remained silent for a moment but then she raised her chin with a firm expression. "Then call it a trial of insight. Either way, I must know more about myself."
The two beings stared at each other for a while as the ship touched down on the hangar. Then, as if having passed some sort of test of will, Plagueis gave her a fierce looking smile.
"Very well," The Muun agreed. "I will look for you in your previously assigned quarters with an update when we are done."
The Mirialan smirked triumphantly and headed back to the living room of the ship where the Mandalorian iron safe was located.
"And Barriss? If you dare make any notes in the margins, I will Force choke you."
Barriss chuckled at the absurdity of the sincere statement. "Consider me warned.
Hyperspace – Aboard the Trident
Cin Drallig jumped from his ship as soon as he docked on the Lance-class frigate that went by the name of Trident. His welcoming committee consisted of a dozen human soldiers in full combat gear standing at attention. And in the center of the group, stood their seasoned general.
"You have no idea how good it is to see you, old friend," The Battlemaster said with a relaxed sigh.
"Likewise," Kota said as he approached him and threw Jedi protocol completely out the window when he briefly embraced his colleague. Then he swallowed as he took a step back. "How bad is it?"
Drallig looked back at him grimly. "To say this is a galactic crisis would be a major understatement."
Kota rubbed his forehead is agitation. "I was afraid you would say that. I have heard reports of the Grand Army of the Republic turning on us but you are the first Jedi I have come into contact with since my militia refused to obey this so-called Order 66. What in the universe is going on, Cin?"
"We were all deceived, that's what happened," He managed. "Chancellor Palpatine is the Dark Lord of the Sith we have been looking for."
Kota let out a curse and his trusted troopers behind him soon followed. "So we have been duped from the very beginning?"
"Sure looks that way," The Battlemaster said in a weary tone.
Kota shook his head as if trying to reorient his reeling thoughts. "How many of those weak minded clones followed through their treacherous orders?"
"I don't know but I do know the ones that the 501st Legion certainly obeyed them as they were killing their way inside the Jedi Temple," Drallig said grimly.
Kota inhaled sharply. "So it's true, then? The Temple has fallen?"
Cin swallowed at the enormity of the situation, then nodded.
Kota started pacing back and forth, his knuckles tensing around his sides. "Did anyone else made it?"
"Of course," Cin said vehemently. "I personally saw Master Shaak Ti successfully escape the Temple, although I couldn't meet up with her before the opportunity presented itself to leave Coruscant. And Senator Mon Mothma told me that Master Yoda and Master Obi-wan Kenobi also managed to escape with their lives. The problem is that we are all scattered around the galaxy now and the new government wants us dead. It's only a matter of time before Palpatine's new Empire starts to hunt any survivors down."
Kota remained silent for a while, trying to process everything. His shoulder slumped soon afterwards. "Things had never been darker for our order," He realized. "We need to rescue as many survivors as possible and think of a plan."
"Damn straight," Cin muttered. "Which reminds me, how did you found me anyway?"
Kota turned back to Drallig and bit his bottom lip. "I am actually not sure," He admitted. "About 2 hours ago I was awakened when I felt a strong disturbance in the Force when our ship was hiding out closer to the Deep Core. Almost automatically I went to the bridge and the set of coordinates for this location appeared in my mind. Then we arrived just in time to rescue you from those pirates. What can I say? I guess we found some bit of fortune in this dark mess."
Cin sighed, hoping fortune had smiled on Serra as well before clearing his head. "Well, any idea of where to go now?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," Kota said with a nod. "We are going to Onderon. There is a rebel cell over there that has refused to recognize Palpatine's authority lead by an ally of the Jedi by the name of Saw Guerrera."
The Battlemaster considered, then nodded. "I suppose it's a good place to crash while we plan our next move. In the meantime, I suppose I should tell you about the treacherous Jedi that helped Palpatine with this bloody coup."
"You mean Skywalker?" Kota growled. "Yeah, I heard about the betrayal of that glory hound. We will have to find a way to deal with him too, I suppose.
"Indeed," Cin said with narrowed eyes. "He killed Serra."
Kota placed a hand in his friend's shoulder. "I was afraid to ask. I am sorry old friend." He said, his eyes deep with sympathy.
Cin sighed. "She is one with the Force now. At any rate, I wasn't just talking about Skywalker. There was a Temple Guard that broke his oaths and undermined the Temple's defenses. He helped Skywalker and the 501st exterminate the Jedi at the Temple."
Kota snarled. "Impeccable timing isn't it? Palpatine must have been plotting for this day for a long time. Who was it?"
"I actually don't know," Cin admitted. "I couldn't see his face well. I do know he was an Utapauan Knight, though."
"Doesn't ring a bell in me either, I am afraid." Kota said as he shook his head. "But come with me, we have much more to talk about and I am sure you are famished."
Star Forge – Conference Room
Revan was trying to suppress his urge to smirk when he realized that Count Dooku probably hadn't look so gob smacked in a very long time. After a few failed attempts get his tongue working, Dooku shook his head in wonder.
"So, he actually did it," He muttered. "He found a way to retain his memories and personality after becoming one with the Force."
Revan raised an eyebrow. "So you knew about that?"
"Not exactly," Dooku said slowly. "A few years before his death, Qui-gon decided to take an extended leave of absence from his Jedi duties. He claimed that he could feel the Force calling to him to an uncharted territory of the galaxy. When he returned he started acting even more humbled than usual and he told me in private that he found a strange entity that taught him how to manifest his consciousness after death. I never actually believed him, though." Dooku said with traces of regret in his tone. "Did…did he said anything about me?" He asked Revan.
The former Sith Lord stared at the count. "He asked me to tell you that he will always be with you, one way or another."
Dooku entered a solemn silence after that and the others decided not to break his attention. The Count was clearly pondering over his fallen student, but those thoughts were cut short as a hologram of Mandalore joined the conference, the image flickered into focus before the new leader spoke.
"Sorry it took me so long, there's a lot more politics involved here than I thought there would be."
Revan smirked, "Trust me, that's only the start of it. We're still waiting on Plagueis." No sooner than having said that did the Muun walk into the conference room.
"Well the wait is over Revan, let's get to work," Plagueis responded. The ancient muun carried a revitalized gait in his step, Revan didn't need to use the Force tell that he had learned some information of use to them. Whether or not he would share that information would remain to be seen. Plagueis had said himself that while he would help Revan, he would still be certain to advance his own goals.
The question became whether or not those goals would be counterproductive to Revan's. Revan motioned for everyone to sit down. Spar took advantage of the moment and began the conversation. "The Imperials are beginning to press on our borders. I've only been in control of the system for a few days, and the imperial garrison is certain to try and take advantage of that."
"Have they begun landing troops?" Revan asked.
"Negative, the imperials may be eager to occupy Mandalore, but they know it would be better if they didn't have to take it by force, they need us to mine the beskar ore. Satine may have tried to secure a pacifist government, but you were right Revan. It didn't sit well with the people, even if they didn't want to admit it publicly," Mandalore paused. "Regardless, I've done what I can to secure Mandalorian space, until I can arrange something with the Empire to keep them from occupying the planet, I would advise against any of you coming back here."
Revan nodded in agreement, "Alright, focus on securing relations with the Empire, in the meantime I've come up with an idea for getting Darman and Niner off of Coruscant." Revan began typing into his console, Mandalore's hologram was replaced with an image of Coruscant. "The Imperial Blockade is still forming around Coruscant. Zeego, if I teach you a few maneuvers I learned during the Jedi Civil War, do you think you can get the Ebon Hawk past the blockade?" Revan asked.
The neimoidian smiled, nodding briefly as he caught onto Revan's plan. The Empire was certain to be equipped and prepared to counter any smuggling methods of modern age, but a ploy from Revan's era may be enough to catch them off guard. Zeego broke himself out of his train of thought as he realized Revan was waiting for an answer other than a nod. Suddenly he noticed that everyone had their attention directed at him, waiting for his response.
"Just tell me how to do it. They'll never notice us."
Revan smiled, knowing that Zeego could make it through the blockade, He himself knew he couldn't go on the mission, it would be too dangerous. If Skywalker was on Coruscant, Revan feared he would sense his presence. But thankfully he wouldn't stay confined to the Tython system. He could sense the anticipation in Plagueis, waiting for a chance to speak.
"Plagueis? I can tell you're waiting to talk."
The Muun smiled, and for some reason it still set the hairs on the back of Revan's neck on edge. He wasn't sure if it was because of his companion's Sith nature, or because of the sharp angular teeth of a Muun.
"I've encountered an old acquaintance of mine on Dathomir, her name is Gethzerion, and she could be very useful to you."
"Care to explain what you mean by 'useful'?"
"How does an army of Nightsisters sound?" Plagueis replied, a hint of smugness in his voice.
"Is there a timetable on this offer?" Revan asked hesitantly, sensing that this arrangement would be a conditional one.
Plagueis nodded his head in response, "Yes, and it's a timetable that doesn't offer us much more time to discuss it."
Revan sat back in his seat in irritation, "In that case you can brief me on the details during the flight over there."
"Just like that?" Dooku asked with a raised eyebrow. "Granted, the Nightsisters always make for formidable allies and dangerous foes regardless of odds but there could be other options to discuss on this meeting before calling it adjourned."
"Indeed," Revan said before nodding to the count in a sign of respect. "However, I am not just basing this decision on Plagueis' intel. One of those surprisingly detailed Force visions involved Dathomir and I can feel the time to act on that particular bit of foresight is upon us, before the window of opportunity closes."
Dooku nodded slowly as he accepted the explanation but Plagueis looked intrigued at the comment.
"I don't suppose you are willing to share details from your glimpse upon the future."
All eyes were on Revan at that comment. He paused at the expectant audience, his mind calculating ramifications of his following words before opening his mouth.
"We don't have time to discuss them all," Revan said firmly. "However, I can tell you something to chew on. Our mission to Dathomir? It may involve the resolution of not one but two ancient prophecies. And a few of candidates for those prophecies are currently sitting in this room.
The meeting room grew as quiet as a desolate planet at such comment. Shocked expressions reigned supreme and were exchanged left and right.
"I promise to share more sensitive information later but is that enough for now?" Revanasked with urgency in his tone.
The pondering but temporarily speechless audience, just nodded.
"Great," Revan said after an additional moment to digest his words, "now we just need to decide who goes where."
"I want to go Coruscant!" Sira claimed as she broke the silence, a hint of desperation in her voice. The others in the room gave her a look of disbelief. Travelling to Coruscant wasn't a good idea for a Jedi. If she was identified, she would certainly be executed on sight. It took barely a moment for her to realize how foolish it would be to return to that planet.
She sat back in her seat timidly, blushing with embarrassment at herself, "I'm sorry. You're all right, it's a bad idea." Revan was about to speak before HK-47 cut him off.
"Advisement: If I may offer my input in this matter, Master, I suggest that all force-sensitive individuals wishing to aide our operations travel with you and the thin-headed meatbag to Dathomir. Addition: The neimoidian and I should travel to Coruscant," the droid stated.
Count Dooku stood up, "Only the two of you? That's suicide."
Mandalore's hologram returned to focus as the holoprojector changed images, "Maybe I can help with that. Zeego, HK? Come to Mandalore before you travel to Coruscant, I'll see what reinforcements I can scrounge up." Mandalore himself knew that he couldn't assist in this operation, it would only make him a target for the imperials – assuming that he wasn't already.
Zeego replied with a simple agreement to the plan. Revan knew that they had to end the meeting soon if he was going to reach Dathomir in time. He could sense it. But before he had a chance to do so, Serra spoke with one more question.
"So, who is traveling with you to Dathomir?"
Revan stood up as he scanned the faces of everyone in the room, and remembered certain aspects of his visions. "All hands on deck for this one," The former Sith Lord commanded.
AN: And there you have it! The gang is splitting up again for the next few chapters. I hope everyone enjoys where we are going with this. Remember to review and please PM me with any questions. Until next time!
-CaptainCakeless117