Oh my God, guys, I'm sooooo sorry that you had to wait for such a long time. Many things happened in my life recently, and I just didn't have an opportunity to sit down and write this chapter. Also, I'm in Bulgaria now until the end of the next week. To all of my Bulgarian readers: your country is amazing. I'm coming here every year since I was a kid. The Black See is amazing. Weather is amazing. And most of all: people here are amazing, and I'm soooo happy that I can rest here. I'm sending you my deepest regards. I'm in a small town called Sinemoretz, and even after ten years of coming here, I'm still amazed by the beauty of this place. Also, as I mentioned recently, I started writing my original story (here is the link for those of you who might be interested: /historia/story-of-rozdgalen-the-war-9514121) . It's still short, but I'm working on it, just as I'm working on 'Price of the Sacrifice'. Okay, enough talk. Here you have chapter 32 that all of you have been waiting for. As always, leave a comment, add it to your favorites and follow it if you haven't done it yet. Have a nice read, guys ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Chapter 32

"Where's Bastila?" Revan asked, entering the cockpit. Carth was resting now, leaving Wolfie to keep guard. Rest of the crew was sleeping as well. "She's not in her chambers."

"And how exactly did you find out about that?" Wolfie asked with an amused grin. "As far as I'm concerned, she forbid you to enter her chambers."

"That's none of your business" he replied, irritated to no end. He knew that his recent arguing with Bastila would be a topic of jokes for the group of soldiers. "I checked all over the ship. She's not anywhere. Not in the cargo hold, not in the cockpit, not in her chambers, not with any of the female part of our crew. She's nowhere."

"Well, you just answered your question. I haven't seen her since you walked out on the surface" he added quickly, seeing Revan's anger rising noticeably. "She must be somewhere out there. It's unlikely for her to leave the planet."

"I have to go find her," he said, turning around.

"There is a sandstorm coming!" Wolfie shouted to him. He stood up from his seat, facing Revan. "It's dangerous to go outside now."

"If the sandstorm comes, then it will get her as well" Revan countered. "Force only knows where she is. She might be in trouble. I have to find her" he reasoned him, clearly knowing that none of Wolfie's arguments would convince him to do otherwise. He quickly left the cockpit with his pilot following him closely behind.

Revan entered his quarters and was burrowing through his clothes. Any piece of a material would be useful out there. He quickly found some loose shirts and wrapped his head with them. He then left his room, still being followed by Wolfie. He quickly reached the loading ramp.

"Shut the ramp right after I step on the sand," he said, pulling a lever that opened the ship. "I'll contact you when I find her."

Wolfie nodded in agreement, still being somewhat skeptical towards Revan's plan. He decided not to speak his thoughts out loud, though.

Revan stepped into Tatooine's hostile environment. It wasn't as hot as it was earlier. Now it was even cold. He trembled visibly. The sand was flying in every direction, being carried by the wind. He bettered the shirts on his face, leaving only a thin strap for his eyes. The only source of light was a moon that was shining brightly at the night sky. Full moon gave him a perfect view onto his surroundings.

Revan left the landing strip and walked into the city of Anchorhead. Everyone was in some kind of shelter right now. The sandstorm was coming closer and closer. More and more sand was being carried by the wind. He checked his lightsabers and marched into the gathering storm.


"She's not anywhere in the city" Revan reported through his wrist communicator after few hours of fruitless searching.

"Then come back to the ship."

"There's no way I'm leaving her out there" he countered. "If I don't come back, you will locate me."

"She might as well be dead" Wolfie continued on. "There's no point in you dying as well. We need you."

"And I need her" Revan countered. "I'm not coming back without her" he added, turning off his communicator.

Damn you, Bastila. Why did you have to block me? He thought, cursing silently. The storm has almost reached the walls of the city. It was almost impossible to see anything.

Revan marched towards the gate. Normally, there was always a Czerka member at the guard, but now no one was standing there. The former Dark Lord opened the solid doors and walked into the Dune Sea.

He saw in front of himself a large cloud of sand. He cursed even more. Even if Bastila blocked him, he still could sense, at some point, where she might have been. At least now he was sensing her stronger.

Revan was walking straightly towards the cloud of sand in front of him. Once again he bettered the shirts on his face. The coarse sand was making small cuts on his skin around his eyes. He had to squint his eyes very tightly in order to keep sand away. Bastila's aura was growing stronger and stronger.

He had no idea how long he was marching through the dunes that were collapsing under his feet. The raging sandstorm was constricting his breathing and his visibility. He held one of his hands next to his face, covering his eyes as much as it was possible. He then heard one of the most annoying sounds in the entire Galaxy. The Sand People.

Revan reached out with the Force to scan the area around him. He had no idea why they were still out in the Dune Sea in the middle of the sandstorm. He unclipped his lightsabers from his belt.

The first shot came to him immediately after he ignited his blue lightsaber. He deflected it with ease. He then ignited his second weapon, preparing to face his enemies, even if there wasn't much of them. He quickly deflected another shot, sending it back at the Tusken Raider. He heard him yelping in pain. There wasn't much of them left.

Another rain of shots came at him from different directions. He deflected some of them, but from most of them, he was forced to flee. He dodged the shots with effortless ease. Revan quickly launched himself at one of his enemies that was standing good few meters away from him. He reached him in no time, slicing him in half. The Tusken Raider didn't have time to make any sound.

Revan spun on his heel, what was rather difficult in the sand, and threw his two sabers in the direction where the shots were coming from. The blue and red light illuminated the cloud of sand, allowing him to see two of his opponents before they fell dead on the sand with their heads flying around two meters away from them.

Revan suddenly screamed in agony as the enormous pain erupted in his infected shoulder. He smelled the blood coming out of his body, and the characteristic odor of the burning flesh. The last of the Tusken Raiders managed to hit him. He spun on his heel once again and launched himself at his last enemy. He reached him in few quick paces, and cut him in half, painting the sand around red. This was the last of them.

He gritted his teeth and used the Force to lessen the pain that was clouding his mind. What was even worse, the sand had almost a free access to his wound now. It was sure that the wound would be infected again. Fucking animal, Revan accursed at the dead Tusken Raider. He pressed his fingers to his aching shoulder and felt the blood sipping from it. He cursed once again and marched forward. With every step, Bastila's aura was growing stronger.

He sensed what he was approaching. He couldn't see it with his eyes, due to the raging sandstorm, but the Force allowed him to see it with his mind. In front of him was the enclave of Sand People. And Bastila's aura was coming from there.

The Force gave him a warning literally seconds before a blaster fire passed the spot where his head was previously. He dodged it, jumping to the side. He groaned in pain as he rolled around on his right shoulder. Another two shots came in his direction. This time Revan was prepared for that. He dodged the shots skillfully now, and without harming his wounded arm. He quickly drew his lightsabers and deflected the upcoming shots back where they came from. He expected to hear a scream of pain, but instead, he heard a characteristic noise of exploding machine. He ran up to the place where the shots were coming from and saw a destroyed turret. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't think that the Sand People would have such an advanced technology.

He opened the wooden doors with the Force, still holding his ignited lightsabers. Just as he expected, the enclave was filled with the Sand People. He swung his lightsabers, making his way through the inhabitants of the desert. The dead bodies were collapsing on the floor with cuts in different places. Some were cut in half, others had deep gashes going down from shoulder to the hip. Some of the corpses lacked their heads, and above everything else, the odor of burning body was filling a wooden village.

Revan didn't stop for even a second in his dance of death. The usually dark enclave was now filled with blue and red lights that were mixing together into a purple color. It wasn't long before every Tusken Raider was killed.

Revan breathed heavily. The fight exhausted him and caused, even more, pain in his shoulder that was already in a bad condition. He closed his eyes to prevent sweat coming into them. He undid the shirts from his face and wiped his forehead with a sleeve.

He forced himself to march forward, as Bastila's aura was growing even stronger. He was sure that she was somewhere in the nearby rooms. It took him some time to find the right one, and many times he had to lean against the wall for support. But he found her.

Bastila was locked in one of the smallest room in the entire enclave. She had her clothes on but was laying there unconscious. The only wound visible was a gash of a medium size that was on her forehead. Most likely it was caused by a strong impact. A small dribble of blood was coming from it and was forming a not so big poodle around Bastila's head. Revan closed the distance between them in two quick strides. He knelt at her side.

Even if he wasn't trained in healing, he did his best to close the small wound on her forehead. He channeled the Force through his fingertips and trailed it alongside the gash. Bastila flinched a little under his touch, but still, she didn't open her eyes. At least the wound was closed now. Revan smiled weakly. Then he collapsed next to her. The last thing he remembered was an enormous pain that exploded in his right shoulder.


"Alen, are you there?" a voice asked. Revan woke up slowly. For few solid seconds, he had no idea where he was or what he was doing there. Then the question resounded again. "For the tenth, fucking time I repeat: are you there?" the same voice asked. Revan looked around, clearly having no idea who was speaking, but when his wrist communicator vibrated on his hand, he tried to reply, but his throat screamed in protest. He swallowed some of his saliva to lubricate his dried throat. Then he tried to reply again, this time with a better effect.

"Who's this?" he asked. His mind was still clouded.

"Thank the Force, or whatever shit, you, Jedi, turn to in such moments. I thought you were gone for good."

"Who's this?" he repeated.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! It's me. Wolfie" the voice replied. Revan searched through his mind in order to find who was the owner of this voice and name. It didn't take him long before all of his consciousness returned to him.

"Easy there, Wolf," he said to his communicator. "What is it?"

"You were supposed to drop a line after you find Bastila. Meanwhile, you disappear for few hours, not saying a word. Good thing you reply now. And what? Have you found her?"

"Yes. We'll be coming back in not long time. Prepare the medical room."

"What happened?"

"Bastila picked up some scars recently. I just want to make sure she's all right."

"You'll have everything prepared. I'll pick you up. Where are you?"

"Uh. I don't know exactly. We're in an enclave, but I have no idea where it is. Can't you pick up my signal?"

"The sandstorm broke most of our detectors. The repairs will take some time."

"We'll find our way back then. I believe we're not far from the Anchorhead."

"Okay. I'll let you know if we did some progress. Wolfie out" the pilot said, and with this, the communicator went silent. Revan lowered his hand. He looked to the side.

Bastila was slowly waking up from unconsciousness. She groaned and shut her eyes tighter as the sunlight was coming to her. Revan immediately came to her in order to help her up. She placed the palm of her hand on her forehead when she felt pain in that spot. The young Jedi traced her fingers alongside the scar that was now sealed up.

"Where am I?" she asked, still not opening her eyes. She didn't have to. She knew who was with her.

"In some shithole" Revan replied, still keeping his supporting arm behind her back. "But it's okay. I'm here with you."

"I'm sorry, Rev" she whispered, finally opening her eyes. She wasn't looking at him, though. She had her eyes focused on the ground. "It's my fault."

"Come on. Don't be too harsh on yourself" he replied. "You couldn't foresee it."

"But I could act more like an adult, and not like a kid."

"Well, that's true. You acted like some spoiled brat" he said. She lowered her head even more. "But what happened next wasn't your fault. I'm just happy that nothing serious happened to you" he added, and embraced her, pulling her in. She willingly gave up, and returned the hug, putting her head on his shoulder.

"And I'm sorry for what I said in the shop," she said after a moment of cuddling. "You know that I didn't mean it, don't you?" she asked, looking at him. Revan laughed at that.

"I know. I bet you wouldn't last without me for the entire week" he replied, teasing her. He watched with a grin as Bastila's face turned into a deep shade of red. "Come on. Let's get moving" he added before she could reply anyway. He helped her to stand up on her feet.

"What happened here?" Bastila asked as she was watching the battlefield with shock and horror in her eyes. Revan just kept on walking.

"And what do you think?" he replied with a question. "I am the Dark Lord of the Sith, the Revanchist, the next Mandalore, savior and the conqueror of the Republic, and they captured the love of my life. Was I supposed to negotiate with them? This was the only option."

Bastila looked unconvinced, but she didn't say anything. They left the enclave and headed towards the Anchorhead.


"There you are" Jolee greeted them when they entered the Ebon Hawk. "I was wondering where you two have disappeared."

"Bastila got lost somewhere along the route. I simply went to find her" Revan replied with a smile.

"Is that everything you've got to say?" a question was spoken. Revan's smile vanished and was replaced now with a look of surprise. He quickly noticed Juhani who was standing behind the old Jedi Knight. "You simply went to find her?"

"What's gotten into you, Juhani?" Revan asked, clearly not knowing what she meant.

"I sensed what you did" she replied angrily, keeping her hands on her hips. Her yellow, cat eyes seemed to be piercing through Revan's soul. He met her glare with his own cold one.

"And what is that so terrible that I have done, hmm?" he asked, stepping forward.

"You butchered them" she spit through gritted teeth. "All of them."

"And even if, then what of it?" he replied with a question. "I did what was necessary to free Bastila."

"Is a mass murder a mean to you for achieving things? You murdered them! What did you feel when you were cutting them down? Power? Hatred? Satisfaction? What did you feel?!" she yelled at him, demanding an answer, and causing every member of the crew to gather around them. Revan took one more step forward.

"I felt cold handles of my lightsabers and the heat of battle" he replied with a quiet, yet powerful tone. The coldness of his reply that was also visible in his eyes caused Juhani to step back a little.

"You saved me from the Dark Side" she replied. "And now you're walking down the path that I did. I cannot allow you to do that" Juhani said with a firm tone. Revan laughed at her.

"And what would you do about it? Will you send me back to the Jedi Council? Will you lecture me? Or perhaps you will strike me down, hmm? I remind you that we are on the important mission, and we don't have time for such stupidities. You can go back to Dantooine if you want to. I don't care what you think about my deeds. I did what was necessary, and you can't change it. Fox" he said, turning to the soldier. "Take Bastila to the medical room and take care of her. Rex and Canderous, you go with me for the Star Map. We lost already too much time" he said, and turned around to leave the ship.

"So, I guess that you know where the Map is?" Jolee asked Revan when they left the ship. The former Dark Lord turned around with a look of surprise on his face. "What? I'm coming with you. It's not like I'm going to get any sunburns" he added with a joyful smirk. "Besides I need to speak with you. So, shouldn't we go? You said moments ago that we already wasted much time."

Revan nodded in response and started walking through the Anchorhead towards the exit of the city. The sandstorm ravaged some of the buildings in the city. Everything was now covered with an unusual amount of sand. People seemed to not care about the current state of their city, as they were attending their daily rituals. Apparently, the sandstorms happened often here, so everyone was already used to them.

They walked in silence until they reached the gate. This time there was a Czerka employee guarding the way out from the city. At first, he didn't want to let them go, but it took a simple wave of Revan's hand to make him change his mind. They were allowed to enter the Dune Sea.

Now that the sandstorm was over, Revan could have a better look at the never-ending desert. It was stretching out in every direction, being limited only by the horizon. The sand was deflecting the sunlight back at them, causing them to squint their eyes. The former Dark Lord shielded his eyes with his hand, casting some shadow on his face. It still was extremely bright, but it was better than nothing.

Revan began to march forward. He remembered pretty well where the Star Map was located in. It was placed few miles away from Anchorhead and reaching it seemed like the eternity. But flying with the Ebon Hawk so close to the planet's surface was dangerous, especially on Tatooine. There was an extremely large risk that the sand would get into some important parts of the ship, and cause massive damage, making them waste time on repairs. It was already enough that the sandstorm damaged the detectors. They certainly didn't need any more problems.

Revan slowed his pace at some point. When he saw the questioning looks from Rex and Canderous, he showed them to keep going. Jolee slowed down as well.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" Revan asked when they were beyond the earshot of the two soldiers.

"Juhani's reaction could have been exaggerated, but she was right" Jolee replied, not bothering to start their conversation with some neutral topic. "Your deeds from the previous night left an echo in the Force. What you did is the reason why Jedi are forbidden to fall in love. Love can make our lives happy and can bring joy, but it can also make us do terrible things."

"Am I supposed to break up with her then?" Revan replied clearly irritated. "Is this what you're trying to say?"

"No" Jolee replied immediately. He acted as if he didn't hear Revan's tone. "I'm not condemning the relationship you and Bastila have. It's additionally intensified by the Bond you two share, so I know that it is inevitable. Never in my life have I condemned love itself. It's what brings happiness to this piece of shit we call Galaxy. But I condemn stupid decisions that people make while being under influence of love. Your deeds from the previous night are such an example."

"As far as I'm concerned, love means taking responsibility for another one, and protecting this person. This is what I did."

"You murdered dozens of Sand People, only because Bastila acted like a highfalutin girl. I bet your eyes turned to gold at that very moment. You already were on the Dark Side. You claim that you accepted and rejected both Sides of the Force, but you're pivoting dangerously close to the Dark. Perhaps you're right, and you can control yourself. Maybe your turn to the Dark Side was indeed a sacrifice and not a fall. But perhaps at some point in the future, you'll return, and not by choice. Maybe you'll fall, and you will bring an unspeakable horror to the Galaxy that you want to save. I'm asking you not to break up with Bastila, because you need her, and she needs you. I'm asking you to control your feelings. For most of your life, you were being trained as a Jedi. Prove now that these years haven't been for nothing."

"And what can you possibly know about love, old man?" Revan spit back furiously. "You know nothing about it. You don't know how it feels to be in love!"

"I know more than you do, kid" Jolee replied, still staying calm. "I was in love, which is why the Jedi Council wanted me to stay away from the Order. I was just like you, maybe except for the part of turning to the Dark Side and embracing it. I thought the same as you. The Jedi, with their damnable sense of over-caution, told me and many other students that love is something to avoid. Thankfully I knew that wasn't true. Love doesn't lead to the Dark Side. Passion can lead to rage and fear, as it led you, but it can be controlled. But passion is not the same thing as love. Controlling your passion while being in love… that's what they should teach you to beware. But love, itself, will save you… not condemn you. As it saved me a long time ago." Revan raised his eyebrows at that. "It may sound ridiculous, but I also was young, just like you. And I was also in love, just like you. I had a wife. I was saved by love. Perhaps saved from the Dark Side itself, I don't know. But never in my life have I done something like you did. I never killed for love."

"And how did your love-story ended, hmm?" Revan asked. His irritation was slowly disappearing.

"She died."

"Why?"

"Because I couldn't protect her" Jolee replied quietly. Revan smirked at that.

"You've just proven my point, old man," he said, emphasizing ending. "I will burn this Galaxy down if only it would save Bastila from any harm."

"And you've just proven my point, kid" Jolee replied with the same tone. "Perhaps both of us acted wrong, but I still stand by what I said earlier. Love should never make you kill someone. Even those you consider being mindless beasts. You think that they didn't know love? Most of them had children. Many of the men you slaughtered were in love with a woman, just as you are. Have you ever thought about that? Of course, you haven't. After all, why someone's feelings should be equal to yours? You still are under an influence of the Dark Side. You can deny it, but it is a truth. I can only hope that it won't make you do stupid decisions. With good intentions, hell is paved. I know that you can consider me to be just a grumpy old man who doesn't know what he's saying and will soon have problems with defecation but trust me. I live for a while bit longer than you do. I know some things after all these years that I lived. It will take you a while before you surpass me in a life experience. But before that happens, try to listen to me. I heard that as a Padawan you were willing to learn from any source available. I'm your best source right now, and man learns life. At least try to see my point" he said, walking forward faster, leaving Revan alone with his thoughts.

His mind was in a mess now. He didn't want to admit it, but deep in his heart, he knew that Jolee was right. He knew that what he did wasn't right, but it felt so… good. It terrified him that this realization didn't cause him to feel bad or anything. He realized that indeed he felt satisfaction while slaughtering the Sand People. He felt more complete when he was cutting down the warriors, women, and children. He, just as Jolee, could bet that his eyes turned into a hateful shade of gold at that very moment. He gulped heavily, trying to comprehend it. He wasn't afraid of the Dark Side. After all, he knew that he had to use it if he wanted to defeat the Sith from the Unknown Regions. What he was afraid of was that he could become one of them, if not even worse. He gulped once again and started to go faster. The Star Map won't find itself on its own, after all.


Woah, I think that this was my biggest change in the KotOR plot line so far. Let me know what you think about this chapter (especially about the conversation between Jolee and Revan) and the story that is coming to an end. I think I will close it in 50 chapters. I encourage you to leave a review, especially those who never leave a comment. I would really appreciate your opinions, but not only from 3 or 4 persons but from all of you XD. Feel free to tell me what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong. I'm sure there's plenty of these XD. See you soon, guys, I hope that the next chapter will appear faster because I want to finish 'Price of the Sacrifice' before 2018. But we'll see how it turns out. See you in the next chapter ;). In the next chapter: Revan and his companions face Calo Nord and get the third Star Map. Possibly our favorite Dark Lord of the Sith will face Helena Shan in the one-on-one conversation. Sleep well, guys ;).