Hey, hey, hey! Welcome again! I followed the advice of one of the anonymous readers and downloaded Grammarly. What can I say? I apologize you all on my knees. I'm sorry that you had to endure all these mistakes. When I was checking previous chapters with Grammarly, I couldn't believe just how many mistakes there were. I corrected the critical mistakes but there still remain those more advanced. Unfortunately, I won't be able to correct them because I don't have money to pay for Grammarly Premium, but I promise you that before updating, I will check the chapter so a number of mistakes will lessen, or I hope so at least XD. And at this point, I want to thank this anonymous reader for his comments because they were like a bucket of a cold water that I certainly needed even if I don't like criticism XD. Thank you once again, I'll use these comments to improve my writing or at least I'll try to do so. Oh, and thank you all for 30000 views ;).

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Chapter 34

Bastila found herself in something that could only be described as a pure bliss. Even if she didn't like the idea of Revan leaving her, she couldn't help but enjoy the sensations she experienced while being intimate with him. All her inner struggles passed into oblivion when she was in his arms, beneath him. Now she was watching him with a hazed look, smiling lightly, as he was walking around the room, picking up two glasses and a bottle of finest wine that he found somewhere on Taris, while still being completely naked. Her gaze drifted downwards onto his muscled back.

It would be fair to say that his back was one big scar with few spots where a healthy skin was. Many of the smaller and bigger wounds covered his entire body, and she dared not to guess where he got them. Though she couldn't suppress a grin when she realized that some of the smaller cuts were actually her deeds. Small trails of blood were sipping from the cuts where Bastila's fingernails made contact with his skin.

She bit her lower lip worriedly as she noticed Revan's still fresh wound on his right shoulder. It certainly wasn't a healthy wound, considering how dark the skin around it was. He told her what happened to him back on Taris, and it terrified her, even if he assured her that he found the cure. The wound was festering itself.

"So, Bas," he said cautiously, handing her the glass filled with a red liquid. She gladly accepted it and took a sip. "What exactly happened to my armor?" Bastila almost spilled out the wine she had in her mouth, earning an amused smirk from Revan. "What? Wrong question?"

"No, it's just… I guess I didn't expect you to ask me about that" she replied after swallowing the wine without chocking.

"So? Will you answer my question?"

"I doubt you'll like that."

"Go on" he urged her. "It's not like the bad news haven't been dropped to me before."

"We destroyed it" she blurted out.

"YOU WHAT?!" he yelled, standing up rapidly, spilling the wine from his glass onto himself.

"We had no other choice" she hurried with explanation, trying to calm him down. "Your entire armor was emanating with the Dark Side more than from any of your minions." He groaned.

"I really liked that armored" Revan complained, sounding more like a small child who had his favorite toy taken away from him. "Tell me that you at least spared my mask," he said with a pleading tone.

"Well, actually, we did" Bastila replied, earning a surprised look from Revan. Clearly, he didn't expect to hear such an answer. "In fact, I kept it to myself."

"What? When did you do that? And why would you do that in the first place?" Bastila shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess that I just wanted to have something of yours. I deserved that, after all. And besides, it wasn't emanating with the Dark Side like the rest of your armor."

"And where is my mask now?"

"I had it with me all the time."

"All the time?" he asked in disbelief. "Like, since we set out from Dantooine?" He earned an affirmative nod from Bastila. "And you haven't told me?"

"And what would you do? Would you put it on? You may have as well stand in front of the Jedi Council and say 'hi, I'm Revan'." She shook her head, looking at him. "Who knows what you would do while being in the possession of that fancy mask of yours." Revan snorted at that.

"Fine, I see your point. But would you please give this mask back to me? It's very important to me."

"Perhaps… if you prove yourself nice" she teased him, having a playful smirk plastered onto her face. He raised his eyebrows, clearly not believing his ears.

"Nice? And how am I to prove myself nice?" he asked with a tone that sounded dangerously close to annoyed.

"Well," she began, straddling his lap. In the process, the sheets that covered her still naked body fell to the floor. "You can begin with" She kissed the spot on his skin where the wine was poured. "Reducing your well-known bloodlust" Bastila finished in a whisper into his ear. She leaned back to see his face with an amused expression. "Would you do that for me?" she asked with hope hearable in her voice. Revan chuckled at that.

"Bas, Bas, Bas, you're asking me to do the impossible" he replied, looking her in the eye. When he saw she was going to say something, he hurried with explanation. "What I mean is that the next Star Map is located on Manaan and the last one on Korriban. Gaining access to both of them will require from us the usage of violence. On Manaan we can go underwater or break into the Sith Base, and I'd rather do the latter one. And on Korriban… well, how to say it? This planet is the homeworld of the Sith. It's impossible to avoid violence there."

"And why can't we go underwater?" she queried. "Won't it be faster? I mean, we won't have to cut our way through tens of hundreds of enemies, will we?"

"When I gained access to the Star Map on Manaan for the first time, I, and few of my men went under water. From a group of dozen or so, only five, including me, survived. Descending to the bottom of the ocean is a suicide, Bastila" he reasoned to her, earning an annoyed sigh from the young Jedi on his lap.

"So that's it then? You won't do it for me?" she tried to use her last argument, deciding to play on his feeling towards her.

"I won't" he replied honestly, causing Bastila to almost jump out from his lap, but he held her firmly. "But I can promise you something different. Something that, at least I hope so, you'll enjoy much, much more." That intrigued her.

"And what would it be?" she asked curiously.

"I know a particular place in the Ahto City on Manaan. It's rather quiet, and the views from there are stunning. After we get the Star Map records, we could go there to enjoy few hours just on our own. As I recall, there is also a small, but nice, restaurant." Bastila leaned a little bit backward, in order to look on his entire face, trying to find any signs of lies, but she found none. An amused smirk appeared on her lips that slowly turned into laughter.

"What is so funny?" Revan asked, clearly not understanding her reaction. Bastila tried to calm herself down as she began to answer him.

"Nothing, it's just…" she began, but yet another series of laugh interrupted her. "Of all things, I wasn't expecting to be asked out on a date by Darth Revan, the Dark Lord of the Sith himself." He smiled in response, embracing her tighter.

"I'm not asking you out as Darth Revan, or the Dark Lord of the Sith, or the Jedi Knight, but as Revan. Just Revan. We have never actually been on a proper date." Bastila chuckled slightly at that, her abdomen erupting with thousands of butterflies. She wondered how was it possible for him to make her feel that way with just his words. She gave him a small kiss on the lips.

"Alright, Mr. Just Revan. I'll go with you on that day if you insist" she replied, giving him yet another kiss on the lips, which he eagerly responded to.

In no time, Bastila found herself pressed against the mattress of the bed with Revan laying on top of her. She had no idea just how exactly he had managed to flip her over so easily. She didn't feel him moving, or even using the Force. It was as if he teleported them. She heard about that power, but she seriously doubted that he wielded it.

She decided to abandon all of her thoughts concerning her change of position, and instead focused on experiencing pleasure from her beloved one. Through the past few days and nights, their relationship escalated to the unimaginable point. Many times Bastila found herself wondering why love was forbidden by the Jedi Code, and never has she found an answer to that. She didn't feel any temptation from the Dark Side so far. Of course, it still lingered there, waiting for her to use it, but it wasn't calling to her as much as it used to before she found out that Revan had all his memories back.

Bastila took a handful of Revan's hair that was now once again of a shoulder length. He was attacking her lips hungrily, as he usually did. She really enjoyed the physical aspect of their relationship, that was being additionally enhanced by the Force that her lover directed into those parts of her body he touched. She responded to his kisses with the same ferocity that he was showing.

He parted away from her lips, instead focusing fully on her neck, kissing, licking, and biting it all along. She used this possibility to breathe in some oxygen her lungs were craving for. She closed her eyes, allowing a small moan to escape her mouth, as Revan bit her neck in just the right spot, sending shivers down her spine. She could feel him enjoying himself as well. One of his hands was occupied with her breast, playing with it, while he used the second one to keep balance. Bastila found it amusing just how long Revan could play with her breasts, and not get tired of them. She could also feel that the man above her was more than ready for yet another round of lovemaking; the evident sign of it was pressing into her inner thigh.

Yet another moan escaped her lips, and she brought both her hands onto his arms. She was sliding them upwards, wanting to rest them on his back. She wanted to feel his numerous scars, trace her fingers alongside them, as if to reveal the events that were behind every single one of them. Countless battles that were hidden in each of these, now healed, wounds.

Revan let out a scream of pain that was muffled by the skin of her neck. Bastila felt him bite her, though he tried to make it as delicately as he could. His scream was immediately followed with a fall, as his right arm gave up under his weight. He pinned her to the bed, even if only for a brief moment, as he quickly rolled to the side, his face still contorted in pain.

All Bastila could do was watch in horror as Revan slowly was regaining his composure. It took him at least three minutes before the muscles on his face started to relax. His teeth were gritted till now, and she started to worry if they would start to break actually.

"What has happened?" she asked after, finally, she shook off from her initial shock. Revan breathed in few broken breaths before replying.

"My shoulder" he coughed up through slightly clenched teeth. "My right shoulder."

Just as his words escaped his mouth, Bastila turned her gaze to the place where his right arm connected with the rest of his body. Just as it was previously, the skin around the wound was black, but now the pus and blood were getting from it, followed by an unpleasant smell of a rotting flesh. Bastila instinctively put her fingers to her nose, trying to keep the odor away. What was even worse, the blackness that was surrounding the wound started to spread itself across his blood circulation system, painting veins black from the inside.

"It looked better just a few days ago" she commented, still in a shock.

"You scratched me with your fingernails" Revan replied, making her burn with a deep shade of red. He was beginning to breathe normally. "Sorry, but I don't think that the 'round two' is an option right now" he added, standing up from the bed. Bastila nodded in reply, watching him dress up. Her face was still burning bright red with embarrassment on Revan's words.

She watched him leave the room, probably heading towards the quarters that still were, officially at least, his. She also got up from the bed, and put some clothes on. It would be… difficult at best to explain why was she naked if someone walked in on her like that. After second thought, changing the bed sheets was also a good idea.

In no time the room was deprived of any sign of their recent lovemaking. She was incredibly grateful for the possibility of blocking the sounds from spreading through the entire ship. She was sure that if it wasn't for the Force, every member of their small crew would hear them.

When she was done cleaning her quarters, she walked off to the corridor, repairing her hair at least partially. She stopped bothering herself with doing her hair, deciding to let it go free. It was much more comfortable and much more practical. With the last move of her hand, she evened the crumpled material of her regular clothing.


"Calo Nord is dead, Lord Malak" Saul reported, kneeling in front of the Sith Lord. "He has failed in his mission. Forgive me" he whispered the last part almost in fear of saying it out loud.

"The penalty for failure is death, Admiral Karath" Malak replied without any hint of anger in his voice. He expected to hear it actually. "But the failure was Calo's, not yours. You may rise." Saul stood up immediately, knowing that it was more an order than an offer.

"Shall I hire another bounty hunter, Lord Malak?" he asked, straightening his posture and entwining his hands behind his back.

"No mere bounty hunter can stand against a Jedi. I shall not make the same mistake again. My apprentice, Darth Bandon, shall take care of our young Jedi friend."

As he was speaking, the door to the bridge was opened and a bold man stepped in. He was deadly pale and was wearing a black armor with some red patterns on the chest. In a pure display of his powers, he pushed one of the soldiers into the terminal, making it explode, killing the poor man instantly.

"Find Bastila and bring her to me. Alive if possible" Malak said, addressing his apprentice when he walked closer to the Sith Lord."

"As you command, Master" he replied, bowing deeply. He then turned around and left the bridge.

"Has our guest started talking yet?"

"Unfortunately, no, Lord Malak" Saul replied. "This man shows some incredible resisting skills when it comes to interrogations. Vaklu wasn't able to get anything from him. He said that he has no idea how anyone can endure the interrogation process without breaking eventually. For two weeks he got nothing from him. I don't think we will be able to make any progress with him."

"Impressive" Malak simply commented. Saul wriggled slightly, not knowing how to react to Malak's comment.

"What orders will you give, Lord Malak? Should he be executed?"

"Patience, Admiral. No one is invincible. Give Vaklu some time. That man will soon fall, just as all who are being interrogated."

"Of course, Lord Malak" he replied, saluting. Malak then left the bridge.


"Did anyone try to use the ship's communicator?" Revan asked, startling Wolfie. They were alone in the cockpit.

"Actually, yes" the pilot replied after calming himself down. He was in a middle of scanning the ship's overall status.

"Who?"

"Juhani. She tried to contact Coruscant and later Dantooine" he said, turning around to look at Revan. He rubbed his closed eyes with two fingers, sighing heavily.

"Just as I feared" he murmured to himself, earning a surprised look from Wolfie. "Are the communicators still blocked?"

"Yes."

"They must remain that way. Also, keep an eye on Juhani. If what Master Vandar told me is true, she is, or rather was, spying on us."

"I thought we're not working with the Jedi" Wolfie commented, eyeing Revan carefully with his right eye.

"Master Vandar is an exception. I trust him and that should be enough for you."

"Of course. And should I take any precaution with our little rat?"

"What do you mean?" Wolfie shrugged.

"I don't know. Deprive her of a limb or two. I bet that HK would be most eager to have some fun."

Revan shook his head. "She didn't succeed in her attempt so there's no need to do it. I don't want to raise any suspicions on why Juhani suddenly became a cripple. Just… keep an eye on her."

"And can't you just look into her mind? It would spare us some troubles" Wolfie suggested.

"She's a Jedi and a damn strong one, actually. She's been taught on how to set the mental walls in her mind."

"You could always break her," Wolfie said. Revan shook his head in disagreement again.

"We don't have the entire week" he replied. "Now, what's the ship's status?" he asked, changing the topic. Wolfie sensed immediately that he didn't intend to continue their previous talk.

"Our sensors are almost repaired" Wolfie reported, turning back to the screen. "Unfortunately, that's the only good news. Our hyperspace drive is damaged. Not seriously, but using the light speed right now would be stupid, to say the least. There is a possibility for us to make it to another planet but I'd rather not risk so much. It's more likely that our ship will explode while still in hyperspace."

"How long will the repairs take?"

"I don't know. Few hours, no more. T3 has already begun. The damage isn't a serious one but repairing it will be time-consuming. Tomorrow we should be done with it."

"Is there something else?"

"Not much. This one was the most serious one. The rest is not that critical, but we should be off that planet as soon as possible. If another sandstorm comes, we may not have so much luck. Oh, and one more thing. Someone from the outside tried to contact us."

"From the outside?"

Wolfie nodded. "The signal was coming from Dxun. I didn't reply to the call but whoever contacted us left a message."

"Bendak" Revan whispered with a small trail of smile on his face. "Do you have this message?" Wolfie nodded again. "Play it."

The pilot began to click few buttons on the main keyboard and after few seconds, a muffled sound came to them:"For fuck's sake, I've been trying to locate you for dozen or so days now, and you're not replying? Eh, doesn't matter. May as well record you this message. I only hope that you will hear it one day. Canderous contacted me when you were still on Dantooine. He informed me of your ship's signature and I spent two past weeks on trying to locate your signal and finally, I succeeded. I wanted to contact you to report to you on my task's progress. I managed to gather some remnants of few clans. There isn't much of us here, and I'm still trying to find others. Many of those gathered here don't believe in what I told them. I think it was a clever decision to not mention your name. Instead, I said that Canderous decided to call the clans. I talked with Queen Talia, as you suggested. She was, to put it gently, pissed off at what I told her. She said something about how she's going to personally kill you for bringing Mandalorians to her home or something like that. Anyway, I hope that you will hear this message one day and you will come to Dxun. Most of all, I'm hoping that you will survive your current mission. I don't want it to turn out that I was gathering those clans for nothing. They would personally rip me limb from limb if that occurred. That's all I've got to say. Bendak out." With that, the message was over. Revan's smile grew wider.

"Very well." He commented. " If Bendak tries to contact us again, answer the call. As for now, prepare the ship for the immediate take-off as soon as the hyperspace drive is ready." Revan said, changing the topic immediately. Wolfie nodded in response. "Oh, and turn on the ship's speakers. Attention, guys" he said when the pilot handed him the small mike. "The Ebon Hawk needs some repairs. For the next few hours, I don't want to see anyone inside the ship. Go out and stretch your legs. The evening is approaching so it's not that hot anymore. We will take-off in the morning" he said to the mike, making everyone in the ship hear his words from the speakers. "Not you," he said when he sensed Wolfie standing up. "You will participate in repairs. If you're done before morning, you can leave." The man only groaned in response.

He then left the cockpit, determined to find Bastila. They had to deliver her father's Holocron to Helena Shan. Revan cringed a little at that. He certainly didn't want to meet that woman again, but it was inevitable, wasn't it? After all, he was dating her daughter.

He found her rather quickly. She was walking through the corridor, apparently, she has just left their quarters. He smiled gently and came up to her, bringing her with him towards the ship's exit.

"How's your shoulder?" she asked with a concern in her voice.

"Well, it's been better" he replied, instinctively looking at his right arm that was now bandaged.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't mind it. It will be as good as ever in no time." He smiled at her, trying to add some assurance to his words. He wasn't sure if she bought that, but she decided to leave it as it was. "Ready for the second meeting with your mother?" he asked as an awkward silence began to linger between them. Bastila shook her head.

"Not necessarily, but I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"It will be ok." Once again he tried to add some reassurance to his voice. He earned a heavy sigh as a reply.

"I seriously doubt that. Just… don't leave me alone there with her."

"I will be there with you for as long as my presence will be necessary" he promised her.

"Then let's go meet my mother again," she said as they were making their way through the crowded streets of the Anchorhead City.


"Back already? Have you even looked for the Holocron, yet?" Helena greeted them.

"I have the Holocron, mother. I'm just not sure if I want to give it to you" Bastila replied harshly; all her thoughts about repairing her relationship with her mother escaped her mind at the greeting they received.

"And why not?" Helena asked surprise. Revan couldn't tell why was she surprised. Was it because they had the Holocron, or that Bastila didn't want to give it to her. "Would you deny me even that?"

"I've never denied you anything, mother. You may think I don't remember what it was like before I left for the Order, but I do. You were the one who pushed father to go on one treasure hunt after the other. You loved living in wealth. You think I don't remember the fights? You were eager to send me to the Jedi, even though I didn't want to go. You took father away from me, and now this Holocron is all I have of him."

"Fool girl!" Helena hissed at her. "You have a strange way of remembering things. That wasn't…"

"No" Bastila interrupted her in midsentence. "I don't wish to argue with you anymore, mother. It's time we parted ways, now, for both our benefit."

"Maybe you should listen to what she has to say?" Revan suggested, this time paying more attention to the talk. Bastila gave him the look that should certainly kill him for not taking her side.

"You don't know her" she replied angrily. "My mother is notoriously deceptive when she wants something. Why should she have the Holocron?"

"Is it too difficult to believe that I am a dying woman who simply wishes to have something that belonged to her husband?"

"I find it difficult to believe anything you say, mother."

"Maybe one of you should be the first to give the other a break?" Revan butted into the talk again. This time Bastila didn't react so angrily.

"You're right" she whispered with a heavy sigh. "It shames me, but I just… I find it difficult to… let go of the past. I'm… sorry, mother" she whispered to Helena. The expression on the older woman's face softened visibly.

"I was hard on you, dear. I wasn't a very good mother to you, I know that" she said with guilt in her voice. "Your father loved you so. He wanted you to be just like him… he wanted to take you on his hunts, but I said they were too dangerous. I always tried to keep him from the dangerous ones, though, but he would have none of it. It was a reckless life we led, always moving… I didn't want that for you."

"So that's why you gave me to the Order?" Bastila asked softly.

"What do your father and I have to show for after all those years of hunting? Nothing. That was no life for anyone, especially not for someone as gifted as you. Your father… he spent all his last years trying to pay for my treatments. That's why he went for the pearls. I begged him not to, but…"

"Your treatments?" Bastila interrupted again.

"I'm dying, Bastila" Helena admitted shamefully. "I did not lie about that. It's been a long time in the coming, and there's really nothing that can be done anymore. I told your father to let me go, but you know how he was. Stubborn. Like you. "

"I'm so sorry, mother" Bastila said in the same shameful tone her mother used before. "I don't know what to say…"

"Keep the Holocron, Bastila" Helena blurted out quickly without thinking. "It would do me good to know you have it. This… talking to you… This is what I really needed before I…"

"I know, mother" Bastila interrupted. For the first time, her tone was gentle. "Thank you. I'm glad we talked, too."

"Well now. You said you had important business, and you were never one to mince words. You there" she addressed Revan, gaining his full attention. "You take care of my daughter, you hear me?"

"I'll do my best" he replied sincerely.

"That's good. I'll feel a lot better knowing there's someone to watch her" Helena said with a small smile on her lips.

"I'll leave you two alone for a while," Revan said, turning around. He made his way to others from the crew who were clearly enjoying themselves.

"Where are you going to go?" Bastila asked when they were left alone.

"It doesn't matter, dear. Don't you worry about me."

"Here," Bastila said, handing her a single Credit chip. "Take these five hundred Credits. It's all I have. Go to Coruscant and find a doctor. I'll meet you there after… After what I have to do."

"But I already told you there's nothing that can…"

"Please, take it" Bastila interrupted her again. "I… want to see you again. When we can talk."

"Alright," Helena replied with a small sigh. "I will."

"Farewell, mother" Bastila said, smiling at her warmly.

"Before you go," Helena said quickly before her daughter could wander off. "Does that man truly loves you?" The question made Bastila blush furiously.

"What… what do you mean, mother?" she asked, avoiding her gaze. "We're both Jedi, love is forbidden to us and…"

"Please, don't lie to me, Bastila" Helena interrupted her in midsentence. "I can see how he's looking at you, as well as how you're looking at him. Besides, don't think I haven't noticed that red mark on your neck" she added with a playful tone, causing Bastila to blush even further if that was possible. "Now, does he truly love you, or is he just using you?"

"He loves me" Bastila admitted shyly.

"That's no reason to be ashamed" Helena commented, seeing her daughter's reaction. "I can see he's a good man. Trust me, there's nothing better in life than having this one person who loves you utterly. Now you do what you said you have to, Bastila. You go make your father and me proud" Helena said, dismissing her daughter.

"I'll try" Bastila replied with a small laugh. "Farewell, mother."


Okay, that's it for today. Thank you for taking your time to read this chapter. As usual, I ask you for reviews, and once again I apologize for the huge amount of mistakes that occurred. See you guys in the next chapter ;).