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Chapter 18
"We have everything prepared for the bombardment, Lord Malak" Admiral Saul Karath reported, as he came to the tall, bald man, who was standing next to the viewport at the bridge. The Dark Lord didn't bother to turn around.
"Then why wait, Admiral? You have a full permission to begin" he said with a metallic voice. Karath bowed in response and turned around to give the orders to the crew.
Malak watched in silence the planet below. His gold eyes were burning with hatred. Soon, Revan would be dead for good.
"So, Canderous – I see you have brought someone with you. Most intriguing, if I do say so myself. You usually travel alone" Davik Kang – leader of the Exchange said, as he noticed the Mandalorian with two companions. He was an old man with grey hair and wrinkles. He was wearing a purple, heavy armor. A blaster was hanging at his side.
"It's not like you to take on partners, Canderous" Calo Nord – a bounty hunter, who had a reputation of one of the best mercenaries in the entire Galaxy, added. "You're getting soft," he said with a smirk.
"Watch yourself, Calo" the Mandalorian replied with a serious expression. "You may be the newest kath hound in the pack, but you aren't top dog yet!" he spat out.
"Enough!" Davik intervened. "I won't have my top two men killing each other – that's not good business. I'm sure Canderous has an explanation as to why he's not working solo anymore."
"This is a special case, Davik" Canderous began."I ran into someone the Exchange might want to recruit. These two are the finest warriors I had contact with. Except for other Mandalorians, of course. They've proven themselves worthy, and their combat skill might be very useful for your purposes, Davik."
"Soldiers?" the crime-lord asked with surprise.
"Yeah. They took part in the Mandalorian wars. Although, we weren't fighting on the same sides" Canderous replied. "But nevertheless, they are good men. Certainly, they won't fail you."
"The former Republic soldiers, huh?" he deducted from what his mercenary has told him. "So tell me, what is your business with the Exchange?" he asked the two men.
"We're just looking for some kind of the job" replied the first one. His left eye was all white – it was blind. A long scar was running through his brow, an eyelid and ended on his cheekbone. His second eye had a deep brown color. "After the war, we were released from our service. Since then, we are wandering through across the Galaxy, trying to earn some Credits for food and find a place, where we can rest" was his answer.
"My name is Rex" the second one spoke. "And my companion is called Wolfie. I hope, that you will take our expertise under consideration."
"Well, the fact, that one of my men, and actually one of the bests, has put in a good word for you, is already a big step forward. But I cannot take you without first inspecting you" Davik replied. "This is a standard procedure, and it can take even few days. But, as for now, you promise to be good men. Come. I'll take you to the room, where you can wait until the procedure is over.
Canderous, Rex, and Wolfie followed Davik Kang and listened, as he was talking about his palace. As most of the rich ones do, he was blowing his own trumpet. But after around half an hour, he left them alone and set to his own business.
"Okay, we're inside," Canderous said to the communicator he had on his wrist, as the door closed behind the crime-lord.
"Good" Revan replied on the other side of the communicator. "Now, let us in."
"Give us five minutes" the Mandalorian replied and turned off the device. "Let's go," he said to the two men, who were with him.
They exited the room and headed to the left side of their quarters. They passed few other inhabitants of Davik's estate and reached an empty room. Normally, this place served as a massage room, but now, it was abandoned. Canderous came up to the ventilation grate. It was wide for one, maybe one and a half, meter. He used a small dagger, that he was having clipped to his belt, to open it. With that, he turned on his communicator once again.
"Okay, you're free to go," he said and waited for the response. After a dozen or so seconds he heard Revan's voice.
"Copy that. We'll be on the other side in no time" Revan responded. Canderous was about to turn off his communicator, but something caused him to stop in his tracks.
"Get in there, Princess" it was once again Revan's voice, but this time it was distorted. Apparently, he forgot to turn off his own one.
"Are you kidding me? There's no way, I'm going in there" was Bastila's response. Her voice was also distorted. Canderous smirked under his nose. He knew that young Jedi for no longer than one day, but he quickly found out, that she was quick-tempered. Despite what she was saying about herself, she was arrogant. And certainly, he could imagine her reaction to what Revan has said. The old Mandalorian saw with the eyes of his imagination the female Jedi standing in an offended pose, with her hands on her hips. Probably, she had her mouth in an 'O' shape and was watching the taller man with a shock and disbelief in her eyes.
"Yes, you will" was Revan's response. Canderous heard the young Jedi yelp. Soon, it was followed by a loud noise in the ventilation channel. Apparently, the hero of the Mandalorian wars has forced her inside. The old man barely held the laughter.
It took almost half an hour for Revan, Bastila, Carth, Fox, Mission, and Zaalbar, who was caring T3-M4, to reach the second end of the ventilation channel. Just as Canderous expected, the female Jedi had a furious expression on her face.
"Well done, Canderous," Revan said, as he patted the older man's shoulder.
"Took you some time" the Mandalorian replied, teasing him.
"We've encountered few… problems on our way here" he said, looking at Bastila, who was murmuring something under her nose. From what little Canderous has heard, he could make out, that she was complaining about the way she was treated, and that it was inappropriate for the Jedi. The old Mandalorian grinned. He could now understand more, why Revan was referring to her as the 'Jedi Princess'.
"Let's go. We have to get out from this planet" the former Dark Lord said, ignoring Bastila's complaints. The Jedi Padawan looked at him with a hateful gaze. If eyes were able to kill, Revan would surely fall dead to the floor.
"You're an arrogant fool, you know?" Bastila asked when she came closer to the fallen Jedi. He, in response, only grinned.
"Yeah, many people have said that to me" he replied, still having the same cocky grin on his lips. "And you are a spoiled girl from Coruscant" he added, not looking at her. Bastila's cheeks went a deep shade of red because of embarrassment and anger.
"Spoiled girl?!" she said in disbelief at what she has just heard. "I am a Jedi Knight. I am NOT a spoiled girl. I've grown up in modesty and certainly, I'm not spoiled" she said with something, that resembled arrogance in her tone.
"Yeah, of course," Revan replied with a mocking tone. "But I found a gap in what you've just said. Actually, you're not a Jedi Knight yet."
"And what makes you think so?"
Revan said nothing in response. He only pulled out a small braid, that he kept in his pocket, and waved it in front of her face. Bastila first stared at him with an unknowing gaze, and then her eyes widened in realization. She quickly took the braid from the man's hand and her cheeks went even redder.
"Next time, if you want to say something that's obviously not true, make sure that your surroundings do not betray you" Revan lectured her. Bastila said nothing in response. She only dropped her gaze to the ground and quickened her pace, coming closer to Carth.
The former Dark Lord sighed quietly. He wanted, he truly wanted to reunite with Bastila, to resume their old relationship. But, apparently, the Jedi stiffness took best of her. She became just as arrogant as most of the Council members. And that made their possible reunion much more difficult. They walked in silence now. The former Dark Lord didn't pay any attention to what was happening. He hasn't noticed, when they reached the computer room.
Revan was interrupted in his thoughts, as the sound of blaster made its way to his consciousness. He shook himself a little in order to fully return to the present. By the time he was done, two members of the guard were lying dead on the floor. Five more were standing at the far end of the hall, they were in. Canderous, Carth, Rex, Fox, and Wolfie were exchanging fire, while the rest was protecting T3, as he was standing at the computer. Revan judged, that the droid was working on the securities.
The guards were quickly joined by the security droids. Revan had to dive on the floor, as a blaster shot passed the place, where his head was previously. He used the metal container, that stood in the room, as a shelter. Bastila was protecting herself and the other three with a yellow lightsaber staff. She deflected all shots back to those, who sent them.
Fox stood up from a kneeling position and cast the grenade at their opponents. After two seconds, an explosion shook this section of the building. The shots stopped. The group of nine waited patiently, for any sign of life at the other side of the corridor. The only sound, that was disturbing the silence, was a steady beeping, that was coming from T3, as he was working at the terminal. When after twenty seconds nothing happened, and the smoke started to disappear, all of them have relaxed. They dropped their weapons.
T3 let out a series of beeps and whistles. He has managed to pass the securities. He moved away from the terminal and headed towards the exit of the computer room. He was quickly followed by the rest.
"The hangar doors are opened," Canderous said, as he checked the records on the device, that was placed on the wrist. "We have a clear way to the ship."
"Let's go!" Revan exclaimed. They all felt the planet shaking. The former Dark Lord has realized, that the worst has begun. Malak gave an order to destroy the planet. They had little to no time.
"Taris is defenseless against our assault, Lord Malak" Karath reported, coming to the Dark Lord."They are offering no resistance. The city is in ruins" he finished with a quiet tone.
"Resume the bombardment, Admiral" Malak replied calmly. He didn't even move."Wipe this pathetic planet from the face of the Galaxy!" the Dark Lord exclaimed.
"As you wish, Lord Malak" Saul responded with a slight bow and turned around to leave.
"Damn those Sith - they're bombarding the whole planet!" Davik said to Calo, as he ran into the hangar. "I knew they'd turn on us sooner or… well, look what we have here. Thieves in the hangar" he commented when he saw Canderous, his two companions and few strangers at the far end of the hangar. "So, you figured, that you'd just steal my ship for your get-away and leave me dry and high, while Sith turn the planet into dust, Sorry, but that ain't going to happen" he finished with a laugh. "Take care of them," he said to the communicator, that was on his wrist. At the same time, the turrets of the only ship in there turned into their direction. The group dived in order to find any kind of shelter.
The side turrets aimed at the place, where they were. Revan and his companions found themselves under a heavy fire. Rex and Fox tried to shoot at the ship once or twice, but it was bringing no results.
"Stop!" Revan yelled at his men. "If you so much as harm it, we will be trapped on this planet" he reasoned. He caught with a corner of his eye, as Davik Kang and Calo Nord were running to the ship on the loading ramp. Revan clenched his teeth. He hadn't gone so far, just to be outrun this time. He looked at Bastila for a brief second. She was too busy with defending herself. And she wasn't watching him.
Revan made a small movement with his hand. His action was followed by Davik falling out of the loading ramp, back to the floor of the hangar. He made another move with his hand. As the result, the side turrets stopped the assault. This caught Bastila's attention. He noticed, that she was gazing at him with a concern in her eyes. Revan decided to ignore that and ran in the direction of the entrance of the ship.
The roof of the hangar exploded when the building was hit by the missile from the orbit. The fragments of the building were falling around the gathered people. Everyone raised their hands over their heads in order to protect themselves somehow from the falling remains.
Revan drew his vibroswords. His two lightsabers were safely hidden in a small bag, that was hanging on his side. He has quickly managed to get to Davik. With one swift movement, he took the old man's life.
For a brief second, he wondered, if it was luck, or his skill, or the suggestion from the Force when a blaster shot passed his face by just one centimeter. He looked at the direction where it came from. Calo Nord was pointing his rifle at him. But certainly, the bounty hunter didn't expect to be picked up from the ramp by a Wookiee. Zaalbar tossed him away at the far end of the hangar. Seconds later, the man was pinned to the floor with a large piece of the roof.
"Hurry up!" Revan exclaimed and ran into the ship. His companions followed him closely behind.
The former Dark Lord made his way to the cockpit. In the seats of the pilot and co-pilot were sitting two men. Before Revan could do anything, they were shot dead. He turned around and saw Carth, Wolfie, and Bastila entering the cockpit. A small smoke was coming from the Republic officer's blaster.
"Canderous!" Revan shouted. The Mandalorian quickly found himself in the cockpit. "Help me to get these out of here," he said, mentioning to the two dead pilots. The man nodded in response and picked up one of the corpses. Revan did the same with the other. They ran to the loading ramp and before it has managed to close, they threw the bodies outside.
"We're lucky. The ship is prepared for the take-off" Carth commented. He was sitting in the pilot's seat, while Wolfie sat on the second chair. They quickly put on the pilot gear and launched the engines.
"Get us out of here!" Revan ordered. It was the miracle they were still alive. Luck, or the Force, something certainly was helping them. But they had to cooperate with the help, that they got.
Carth and Wolfie said nothing in response. When the engines were launched, they pulled the ship upwards. What little remained of the building, collapsed now to the ground. The whole skyscraper was obliterated.
"We need to get pass this Sith blockade! I have my doubts as to the usage of the launching codes" Carth said, as their ship left the atmosphere. "The fighters are incoming. Someone get to the guns!"
"Fox, Rex, take the turrets!" Revan ordered. The two men nodded in response and ran to the ladders, that were leading to the ship's guns.
"I go up!" both of them said. The two old colleagues looked at each other and began to argue, forgetting about the situation they were in.
"I go up," Rex said.
"No way, I go up" Fox replied.
"You were up the last time. Now it's my turn!" Rex reasoned. At this moment, the ship shook violently, as it was hit by a fighter.
"REX!" Revan yelled. The man rolled his eyes and went down the ladder. Fox held a victorious grin and went to the upper turret.
"T3 set the coordinates on Dantooine," Bastila said to the small astromechanical unit. In response, the droid let out a series of beeps and whoops and came closer to the computer terminal. After a brief moment, he let out another beep. The coordinates were settled.
The Sith fighters were attacking from each side. They were swift and dealt the precise shots at the ship. It was difficult to hit them. The fighters were quick, and there was a lot of them. Fox maneuvered his turret in order to get at least close to striking the enemy. But it was bringing no results. Rex didn't succeed in his task, as well.
"We're unable to take them down!" Fox reported through the ship communicator. Revan cursed under his breath. There was one possibility of walking out of this situation, but it was risky. At least with Bastila at his side.
But he had to try. Otherwise, they would be shot down and turned into a space dust. He moved his fingers in the smallest way possible. The result was immediate. The two Sith fighters crashed against each other. This brought a disturbance amongst the rest of the squad. Their array has been disturbed. This gave Rex and Fox a great opportunity to shoot them down. In less than a minute, there was no track of the Sith fighters.
"Prepare for the jump to hyperspace!" Carth announced and pulled the trigger. In a brief second, the white points on the black background into something, that resembled the blue tunnel with white trails, that were the blurred stars. At last, they were safe.
Saul Karath collapsed on the floor of the bridge and coughed violently as his lungs tried to gather as much air, as possible. He brought his hand to his throat, checking if it was in its place.
"You have failed, Admiral" Darth Malak's metallic voice said. Karath didn't dare to look up, so he kept his gaze focused on the Dark Lord's feet. "Young Bastila has escaped."
"I'm ready to accept my penalty, my Lord" he replied with a cracking voice.
"I'm sure you are, Admiral. But I still have use of you" Malak replied. "Rise, Admiral" he commanded. The man stared at him without understanding, but he quickly realized, that it was an order. He did, as it was said to him. Though still, he kept his eyes turned downwards.
"Normally, tha penalty for failure is death" the Dark Lord kept saying. "But you've proven yourself worthy throughout your service. I give a chance to repair your mistake, Admiral."
"Thank you, Lord Malak" he replied, bowing deeply.
"Don't thank yet, Admiral," Malak said, cutting off whatever Karath was going to say more. "The task I have for you is highly dangerous. I don't expect you to survive it. But if you do, you will be rehabilitated."
"What is your wish, Lord Malak?" Karath asked, now looking the Dark Lord in the eye. He had his hands entwined behind his back and his posture was straightened.
"Come with me" Revan's former apprentice replied, passing the Admiral by. The man followed him closely behind.
Revan collapsed on the bed in the crew quarters. For the first time in few days, he had the possibility to finally rest. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, but it wasn't given to him. He felt someone's presence in the room. He lifted one of his eyelids and sighed deeply. Bastila was standing at the door.
"What is it, Princess?" he asked annoyed. Apparently, the Jedi Padawan decided to torment him even more.
"I want to talk to you about something" she replied. Revan, unwillingly though, rose himself up from the bed to sit on it. "I want to know, what has happened back in the hangar, and now before we jumped into hyperspace."
The former Dark Lord realized what she meant. She could be arrogant and shortsighted, just as Master Vrook, but certainly, she was apprehensive.
"What is it?"
"I've noticed, that the Force flows through you" she began. Revan frowned. Is that what she observed? "And I wanted to talk about it with you."
"What do you want to know?"
Bastila came closer and sat next to him on the bed. She wiped her face with her palms and thought for a moment.
"I believe, that the Force is strong you" she began. "There is a Jedi Academy on Dantooine. I will talk with the Masters. Perhaps, they will consider taking you for a training."
Revan's frown only deepened. She hasn't said that, has she?
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, that you should take the Jedi training. I believe, that you would become a great Knight one day" she replied. Revan wiped his face. Did she really mean it? And if she did, was this a part of the Council's plan?
At his lack of the response, Bastila stood up and began her way out of the quarters. But she was stopped by Revan.
"I'm sorry, Bastila," he said with a quiet voice. She turned around and looked at him. He held an apologetic expression on his face. "For how I treated you before" he finished.
"I'm… sorry too" she replied with a small smile and left his room. Revan watched for a moment longer the place, where she stood before. It was a good beginning of their reunion.
He laid back down on his bed. There were left almost ten hours before they reach Dantooine. Certainly, he was able to get some sleep through that time. And, if he was right, he would be needing as much strength, as possible, for the upcoming events. Especially for the encounter with Master Vrook on Dantooine.
Okay, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And if you did, then leave a feedback. I don't know how you feel, but I feel relieved, cause, finally, the events of Taris are over XD. Let me know, what you think about this story and about my writing style (I hope, that my English isn't that bad, as my teacher says XD). Also, if you have any friend, who likes Revan's tale, then make sure to share this story with him XD. Nevertheless, see you at the next chapter!
