Yay, I'm back! I hope you missed me XD. And if you didn't then… I'm sorry, but I must disappoint you XD. Huge thanks to you guys, because 'Price of the Sacrifice has finally crossed a magic number of 100 favorites! I can't say just how grateful I am for that. It really means a lot to me, and I'm happy that you enjoy my story and my writing. Now we slowly begin to approach the end (I'm planning to finish it with a 50th chapter, or so), so make sure to follow me as an author because, I guess that around New Year, I will post a sequel. Of course, I will finish it first, and I'm planning to finish it this year. I hope I will be able to do it, and you can help me by leaving a review ;). This will make me want to write other chapters even faster. Also, make sure to check out my one-shot which I posted just recently. It's titled 'Broken Heart', and I hope that you will enjoy that as well. So, with this said, allow me to present you chapter 34th of the story about our favorite Sith Lord/Jedi/Mandalore.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Chapter 33

"Oh… fuck" Canderous accursed under his breath, looking for a better word, but he found none. Actually, this one described very well how they all felt at that very moment. Nothing more was needed to be said here. Indeed, they were fucked.

"It wasn't here before" Rex commented in the same, slightly terrified tone. The four of them was laying on the dune, looking directly ahead. They reached their destination rather quickly. But now they found themselves in front of the Krayt Dragon's Lair.

"No, it wasn't" Revan confirmed, not looking at them. His eyes, as well as his mind, were focused on the huge monster that was resting in its lair. He rubbed his hand against his forehead, wiping away the droplets of sweat that were gathered there. The sand was stuck on the skin of his face, irritating him.

"Any brilliant ideas on how to get past that thing?" Jolee asked with his usual playful tone and a small smile dancing on his lips. Apparently, nothing could discompose the old man.

"The only idea that I'm trying to think of is how to avoid getting eaten by this thing" Revan replied, still keeping his gaze focused on the Krayt Dragon in front of them. It was a beast that could be even forty five meters long and could weigh up to twenty tones. Never before in his young life has Revan encountered something so big. A Rancor itself was already some sort of a bigger challenge, and it was at least ten times smaller than the Krayt Dragon.

"If you're thinking, then I would advise you to hurry up," Jolee said after a moment. "We're not alone here" he added, looking backward. Revan followed his gaze and noticed a rather large group of Dark Jedi with a bounty hunter in the lead.


Bastila walked out from the medical room after being examined carefully. Fortunately, nothing serious happened to her. The only things that raised suspicious glances from Fox were the blurred marks of Revan's teeth where he bit her skin during their passionate moments they shared together. The amused look on soldier's face caused Bastila to turn a deep shade of red. She tried to calm down by telling herself that it could always be worse. If it was Juhani who took care of her, there would be no end to questions. And questions would raise suspicions, and suspicions could lead to conclusions.

She knew that she should feel nervous about being examined by a soldier, but, thankfully, Fox didn't do anything to her. She didn't know whether it was a respect towards her or his loyalty towards Revan that stopped the soldier from taking an advantage of her. The latter one, if not both, she stated. It truly amazed her. This loyalty the three soldiers were displaying. Even if Fox explained it to her back on Kashyyyk, it still amazed her. They followed Revan anywhere. They followed him when he fought back the Mandalorians, they followed him later when he began his own war against the Republic, and now they were following him as he was cutting his way through the very Empire he built.

She realized that she still didn't ask Revan about this. She could see, at least a hint of a reason why he was doing that. Perhaps he was driven by a lust for revenge. After all, Malak was the one who made the capture possible. Bastila was sure that they wouldn't win that day, back on Revan's flagship. She wondered what would he do to her if they failed. Would he turn her to the Dark Side? Would he even be able to love her while still being in control of his Sith Empire? Would he use her as his toy? She had no idea, and she preferred not to think about the possible scenarios. What mattered was that he loved her, and she loved him. All the rest could go to seven hells.

One thought didn't leave her mind, though, no matter how much she tried to get rid of that. A memory would be a better word. Dozens and dozens of corpses scattered across the enclave of Sand People. She shivered at the image that reappeared in her mind. What intensified her worries was Revan's reaction to his own deeds. No remorse, no second thoughts. Just a cold statement that he did what was necessary.

It terrified her to the very bone. She realized what that meant. Revan, at least partially, was still a servant of the Dark Side, even if he denied it. Did that mean that Revan was only playing a game with her? Was he only pretending to be the same man she knew before the Mandalorian Wars? Her eyes filled with the unshed tears as she realized that the man she once knew was long dead. He died when he set out to fight back the Mandalorians. The one who returned had secrets. He had a darker past he'd rather not speak of. She returned to her chambers, trying to get some proper sleep. It was a middle of the day on Tatooine, but after a night in the enclave of Sand People, her body craved for a good sleep in a real bed. She closed her eyes, drifting off almost immediately.


Bastila was in a vision. She wasn't part of it, as she was before, no. This time she was a mere spectator. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was. She quickly spotted Revan. But she immediately backed away when she saw him.

Revan, HER Revan was standing on top of a pile of dead bodies. What was worse, she could identify most of the corpses. She saw all the crew members of the Ebon Hawk, including herself, Masters of the Jedi Order, contorted in unnatural ways, the Republic Officers, and many others. Malak was there as well. His headless corpse was laying at the very bottom of the pile, while Revan was clutching the head of his former best friend. Bastila forced herself to walk forward.

When she was standing face to face with Revan, she took few steps backward. The person in front of her looked just like the Jedi Masters told her he would look like. Revan was clad in the same armor that he wore when she faced him on the bridge of his flagship. His skin was pale. Deadly pale. There were dark bags under his eyes. His eyes. They weren't shining with the deepest shade of green she could think of. Now they were sickly gold, filled with hatred and bloodlust. His lips were curled up in a vicious smile, as he was gazing into Malak's unseeing eyes.

Suddenly, those eyes filled with hatred rested on her. Bastila glanced behind her, in order to see what he was looking at. Her own eyes widened with fear when she realized that he was looking on her. She turned around, and now Revan was standing right in front of her. She tried to retreat, but he swiftly grabbed her arm, causing her to scream in pain.


"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" they heard the bounty hunter speaking, as the Sith approached them. They were now standing on their feet. The only thing that separated them from the Krayt Dragon was a dune. "I almost caught you back on Kashyyyk, but, somehow, you managed to escape. Now there is no escape for you, and Sith won't be getting in my way this time, as they did back on Taris" he said with a sneer.

"Oh, you can try" Revan replied, igniting both of his lightsabers. Jolee mimicked his actions, turning on his own weapon. Canderous and Rex positioned themselves in a defensive pose. A dozen or so Dark Jedi also ignited their own crimson red lightsabers, preparing for the fight.

First shots came from the two soldiers standing behind Revan. Most of them were not precise or were deflected by the Dark Jedi. Revan was actually surprised after noticing that one of their enemies was killed so easily. After all, the distance between them was still rather big.

"Push them back!" Calo ordered, raising up his own twin blasters, and firing a salve at them. Revan and Jolee deflected them all with no effort, sending them back at the bounty hunter, or at the nearby dunes, causing the sand to fly around them. The group of four men was forced to go backward, as the Dark Jedi were coming closer and closer. They were trying to climb the dune behind, what was rather difficult due to the sand that was escaping from beneath their feet, and that they had to keep their focus on not getting accidentally killed. It would be a lame way to die, after all.

The first of the Dark Jedi got close enough to them, climbing the dune right behind them. He made a serious mistake by using his hands for support on the treacherous sands of the Dune Sea. His mistake cost him his life, as Revan decapitated him with one swift strike, sending his head back where he came from, his whole body following it close behind.

Revan spared a quick glance behind him, only to see that the dune has already begun to descent. Now the only thing behind them was a cave where the Star Map was located in. As well as the Krayt Dragon.

"Watch your steps!" he warned them. Just as he said that his foot didn't meet anything beneath, as he tried to take yet another step upwards. This caused him to lose balance for a moment, but this moment could as well be the last moment in his life.

One of the Dark Jedi, who were already in the middle of the dune, used Revan's momentary lack of balance and sent a Force Push at the former Dark Lord. The sudden strike sent him flying backward, getting even closer to the Krayt Dragon's Lair. He rolled down the sand, landing directly at the entrance to the cave. Revan murmured few curses in Mando'a, directing them at his own foolishness. He spat some of the sand that has gotten into his mouth. As he raised to his feet, his three companions have already made their way down, now directing their own strikes and shots as their enemies were focusing on keeping balance on the dune.

A dozen or so Dark Jedi who came with Call Nord were now reduced to the number of five. As soon as they left the dune, they returned to the offensive. The bounty hunter was right behind them, firing at the group of four.

Revan kept his senses in the fight for a long time now, what was easier now due to the fact that they left the dune. But something else caught his senses. It wasn't a warning from the Force, no. He saw it with his very own eyes.

The Krayt Dragon has awakened.

It thrilled him to the very bones, causing him to momentary freeze right where he stood.

"Run," he said to his three companions. They looked at him, as much as they could, not believing their ears. Canderous was ready to reply with something like 'the Mandalorian never runs', but then all sounds were overwhelmed by a powerful roar of the creature behind their backs. This sound alone was more than enough to convince Canderous and the rest to change their position at least.

Revan decided to use the situation they were currently in. Canderous, Rex, and Jolee have already backed away, returning in the direction of the dune. Their enemies also backed away slightly after noticing the Krayt Dragon. Revan used their momentary distraction, leaping over them, and cutting their way of escape. Now it was Calo Nord and the Dark Jedi who were trapped between Revan and the Krayt Dragon.

As Revan was engaged in a duel against two pathetic excuses for the Sith, sparkles began to ignite on the tips of his fingers. The lightsaber is an extension of your arm, he recited in his mind, channeling the Force through the weapons he was holding. His two opponents were crisped to death in no time. Calo was now alone.

"You may have me outnumbered and outgunned, but if I'm going down, I'm taking all you with me!" he yelled, holding his right hand high above his head. A small, black thing was in his fist. "This thermal detonator will blow us all to bits!" he added with a maniacal smile, as he saw them retreating. What he didn't see though, was the Krayt Dragon making its way towards him.

Calo's screams of pain filled the air of Tatooine, as the large beast took him whole in its large mouth, shaking him in every direction. Revan and the rest watched in awe as, after no longer than few seconds, Krayt Dragon's head was consumed with fire, after a large explosion that was muffled inside of its huge mouth. The creature stood for few more seconds and then collapsed on the heated sand of Tatooine desert. From between its teeth, the crisped Calo Nord's corpse was protruding.

Revan sighed with relief and clipped his lightsabers back to his belt. They had now the clear access to the Star Map. He and his companions entered the cave, finding what they were looking for.


Bastila rolled up the sleeve of her robe once again to check her right forearm. She had no idea just how often she was doing it, but ever since she woke up from her vision, she did it at least thrice per hour. And each time she was relieved to notice that nothing was there.

Her strange dream terrified her. She sensed darkness in Revan all the time, but it was the darkness that was in everyone, so, until recently, she paid it no mind. Yet the dream, his deeds in the enclave, and his argument with Juhani made her examine him more accurately. It wasn't difficult due to the Force Bond they shared.

Indeed, after closer examination, the darkness present in Revan was much wilder than in anyone else. Wilder and, at the same time, much more under control. She had no idea how he achieved that, but that's how the things were. It wasn't consuming him, no. Actually, it seemed to be inverse. She was able to even see what was happening with Revan in that very moment, and his actions confirmed that. Truly, he was using the Dark Side that was within him, without succumbing to it.

This both surprised, and terrified Bastila. Through whole her life she was taught that the Dark Side cannot be controlled, and here he was, using it without being consumed, or corrupted. But her dream still kept repeating in her head, making her shiver. The worst was that she couldn't talk about it with anyone, at least not now. She would have to wait for Revan's return.


Revan almost ran out from that cave after transferring the Star Map's records to his datapad and finding the Holocron that belonged to Bastila's father. His lungs were screaming for the fresh air that would not be filled with the odor of rotting corpses. Tatooine's hot air was nothing compared to the air inside of the Krayt Dragon's Lair.

They passed the dead body of the said creature, heading back towards the Anchorhead. Revan quickly found himself engaged in a heated conversation with Canderous.

"I don't believe you have told me from which Clan you actually are" Canderous began in his usual tone. "Care to tell me now? It really intrigues me."

"I was born in the Raven Clan" Revan replied simply, not sparing the Mandalorian a second glance.

"Raven Clan?" Canderous repeated surprised. "Mandalore's personal honor guard, if I'm not mistaken?"

"You're not" was the simple response.

"What were the names of your parents, if I may ask?"

"Arused and Danre" Revan replied with a saddened tone. Canderous whistled at that. This made Revan stare at the old warrior with a questioning look and a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry," he said quickly after noticing the look Revan was giving him. "It's just… of all people I haven't expected them to be your parents. Don't understand me wrong" he added swiftly when he saw an even more puzzled look on Revan's face. "What I mean is that I knew Arused and Danre for quite a time. They were great warriors, I can assure you of that. I was enraged when I found out that they were killed, but, at least, they died an honorable death, if that cheers you up somehow."

"I know how they died" he countered, straightening himself up. "I saw it."

"You did?" Canderous asked surprised.

"Yes. Even though I was five years old back then, I remember it, as if it happened yesterday. I will never forget that day."

"Five? So your parents haven't even managed to give you a name?"

"No. I've given one myself. The one I'm carrying until today."

"So, why did you even got involved in the war against us? I mean, you knew that you're a Mandalorian, and yet, you went to fight your own kind. Not that I'm complaining, because we were waiting for someone like you, but… oh, you know what I mean." Revan nodded in response.

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure what my reasons were that day when I joined the Republic forces. I guess that my Jedi part took best of me, making me sensitive to the suffering of the innocents. Or perhaps I wanted to get to know the culture of my parents even more, and what's the better way than to meet them on the battlefield?"

"And do you have any brilliant conclusions?"

"Ay, I have one."

"And what is that?"

"Mandalorians weren't raping as often as the Republic soldiers." He earned an amused look from Canderous. "What? I hate this 'act' and those who commit it. I punished everyone who did it, and soon, at least amongst my men, there were no more rapes. I continued to do so even as the Dark Lord. I had many captives who were tortured by me or some of my men. But if anyone of them as much as tried to rape my prisoner, they were tortured even worse than those we captured."

"And, if I may ask, what the tortures were?"

"The Force can do things that are considered to be… unnatural. Keeping one alive, even if, from a medical point of view, he should be long dead. I used that. First I was using the Force Lightning, strong enough to give pain, but not too strong, so I actually don't crisp someone accidentally." Canderous chuckled at that. "Then I was dismembering the one I was torturing. Slowly, so he could feel every leg, and every arm being taken away from him. In the end, I was tearing away his head. Then, as a warning, his members were displayed for a public view to remind everyone what happens, if they try to rape someone. Trust me, it worked very efficiently."

"And why did rape bother you so much?"

"Because it left scars too deep to heal. Not physical ones, but mental ones. I saw it many, many times. Very few were able to get over it, and I needed those who followed me to be strong, especially mentally. Physical wounds can heal, but not mental ones. And if they served me only because of fear, they would turn against me when they only had a chance. And most of my men served me because they were loyal to me, like those three who travel with us."

"And yet you were betrayed" Canderous stated.

"And yet I was betrayed" Revan replied. "But I knew that, sooner or later, Malak would betray me. It was inevitable. Trust me, if he didn't do it like a coward, backstabbing me, he wouldn't survive his betrayal. I'm superior in every way. I'm more skilled in combat, I know more aspects of the Force, I can control my rage much better. It's just… a fair duel wasn't given to us, but I'm sure that it will happen."

"I don't doubt that." Was a single response, as they entered Anchorhead.


Bastila was pacing back and forth in front of the loading ramp. Just a few minutes ago they received a word from Revan that they were coming back with the data from the Star Map. And now she was anxiously waiting for his return.

Bastila made sure to block her dream from Revan. She didn't want him to know it before she confronted him about it. If he knew, he could have prepared himself, and she wanted an honest reaction from him, and not prepared one.

Finally after what seemed like hours, and in fact was mere minutes, the loading ramp opened, and four men entered. Revan greeted her with a smile. She replied likewise, but she found it difficult to smile to him. The dream still fresh and burning in her memory.

They went separate ways. Canderous and Rex headed towards the garage where they spent most of the time, while Jolee headed towards the small room he was occupying. Revan walked over to her, handing her a small datapad.

"What is that?" she asked curiously.

"Your father's Holocron. I figured you might want to see it before we give it to your mother" he replied, still having the same smile on his face. This smile made her wonder how someone like him could be a Sith. This made absolutely no sense.

"Thanks" she murmured, looking down at the device. "Can we talk?" she blurted out without thinking, as she saw him leaving. Her sudden question startled Revan.

"Of course we can. But let me use the refresher first. My clothes are sticking to me." Bastila nodded in response. Revan then disappeared behind the corner.

Bastila headed towards the quarters she shared with Revan. She had no idea how no one seemed to notice that fact. Perhaps they knew, and they just decided to ignore that? No, that wouldn't be a case. Juhani would most certainly say something about that. Just as she confronted Revan earlier that day.

The young Jedi sat on the bed, turning on the Holocron. It didn't contain his voice records, nor his holoprojection. It only had his personal entries. Just as she remembered him, his jottings were a mess, just as almost everything he did, in opposite to her mother. Bastila smiled lightly at that. At least he didn't change much.

There was nothing special inside. It resembled more a diary. In the irregular entries, he described the past years of their life. Her father wrote about the planets they visited, how they escaped Mandalorians in the Mandalorian Wars, and later the Sith. Every now and then her name appeared, usually followed by his wonders on how his only daughter looks like, if she's still alive, or that he missed her. I miss you too, she said in her mind, allowing a single tear to roll down her cheek. She reached more recent entries that described her mother's sickness, his worries for her, and that he would do anything to save her. He would do anything he could to earn money for her for healing. Unfortunately, he didn't succeed in getting those Credits. She was so absorbed with the Holocron that she didn't notice Revan who already returned from the refresher, clad only in a towel.

She almost jumped off her skin when she felt a delicate kiss on her cheek that removed yet another tear that was going down her face. But as soon as she realized who it was, she relaxed, enjoying the pleasant sensation. She closed her eyes, for few dear moments completely forgetting her dream.

"You wanted to talk" he whispered slightly into her ear. She was brought back to the ground with the strength of a dying star. Revan really had a perfect timing.

"What will you do when we arrive at the Star Forge?" she asked without approaching the topic gently as she intended. The question caused Revan to back away slightly. His eyes were wide with surprise.

"What do you mean?" he asked cautiously, trying to probe her mind through their Force Bond. Bastila immediately cut him off.

"What you heard. What will you do when we arrive at the Star Forge? Are you going to destroy it?" The only response she got was silence as Revan was staring at her with wide eyes. Revan's dead silence was all the response she needed. "You won't do it, will you? You will want to reclaim it, and become the Sith again" she murmured on the edge of tears.

"I won't destroy it" he replied quietly, earning a shocked gasp from Bastila and tears that were falling down uncontrollably now. He tried to hug her, but she immediately leaned away from his touch, surprising him.

"I don't want you to become Darth Revan again" she murmured, her voice being disrupted by sobs. "I want you to be with me when this war is finally over, Rev. I want us to hide on some distant planet, far from the Jedi and the Republic. I want a normal life for us"

"Whatever I'll do" he replied, finding his voice back again. "I'll do it to protect you. To guarantee you a save life. This is why I won't destroy the Star Forge. Because I will be needing it." Bastila shook her head violently, dropping her mental barriers. She summoned back her dream, sharing it with Revan. She knew he was in her mind right now. She felt him there.

Bastila slowly opened her eyes, wanting to see Revan's reaction. The shock was written all over his face. Shock and disbelief as he was watching with his mind's eye Bastila's vision. She bit her bottom lip, trying to suppress yet another sob.

"I don't want you to become this again," she said with much calmer tone now, but tears were still threatening to stream down her face. Revan lifted up his eyes, looking at her. Cautiously, he brought his hand to her cheek. When he saw she offered no resistance, he placed it on her face, wiping away the remnants of tears. He slowly leaned towards her, brushing his lips against hers in the most delicate kiss Bastila ever experienced.

"I won't become this" he whispered into her lips. "I promise it to you. But I need the Star Forge. I must reclaim it. For the sake of the Galaxy."

"Why?" she blurted out. This time it was Revan who dropped his mental barriers, allowing her to enter his mind, what she did immediately. He showed her what he saw deep in the Unknown Regions. He watched her eyes widening with shock and disbelief, just as his own mere seconds before.

"This is why I do what I do" he whispered to her. "This is why I turned to the Dark Side. One can't fight it without knowing it. This is why I attacked the Republic. I needed it to stand down, for it is too weak to face it. I needed the Republic to step aside and let me wage the war against the true Sith."

"Don't do it" she pleaded. "You don't have to do it. We can hide on some distant planet. We can avoid it, pretend as if only we live in the Galaxy. Please, Rev" she murmured. Revan reluctantly shook his head.

"I can't. Only I know about it. I and Master Vandar, but he won't be able to convince the Jedi Order that this is true. If the Emperor's plan was simply to conquer the Galaxy, then perhaps we would be able to go into hiding. But he plans to feed on it. If he succeeds, there will be no Galaxy to live in. Which is why I must stop him."

"Then I'm going with you. My battle meditation will…" She was stopped by Revan shaking his head again.

"I can't take you. Where I will go, I can't take anyone I love."

"You'll abandon me?" she asked in disbelief.

"I'll protect you" he replied, looking her in the eye. "I'll do anything to make sure you're safe."

"I don't want to be protected" she countered quickly. "I don't NEED to be protected. I'm not a helpless child anymore. I love you, and I want to help you. I want to be with you."

"I love you too" he replied, giving her a brief kiss on the lips which she gladly returned. "But I can't take you. I will be beside you for as long as our quest goes on. But I will have to go. And you will have to stay." Her eyes were filled with tears again.

"Then let's make a good use of the time given to us," she said, attacking his lips.


So the chapter is finished. As always, I'm asking for reviews and your thoughts. See you in the next update.