I must admit, I never expected how funny it actually is to kill off the main or secondary characters. I think I now know why George R. R. Martin is doing it so often XD. Perhaps I'll do it some more often later in the story XD.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 45
"Threat: I have killed many Jedi. I have killed many Sith" HK said, twirling in hand the ignited lightsaber that Revan tossed him. While the former Dark Lord was focused on Vrook, the assassin droid took on Master Kavar.
"I'm not just an ordinary Jedi" Kavar replied.
"Clarification: You are a pathetic meatbag whose life will end today."
"We'll see about that, droid."
HK needed no further invitation. Surprising his opponent with his skills, the droid proceeded to attack the Jedi Master with the blue lightsaber. Kavar was a little taken aback by the ferocity of the droid's attacks. Though he quickly adapted to it. Despite the fact that HK had some significant skills with the lightsaber, Kavar was not defenseless. After all, he wasn't one of the best duelists in the Jedi Order without a reason. Carrying two lightsabers, the Jedi Master was able to stand against the rusty droid without many difficulties.
"I should have killed you years ago," Vrook said in between the slashes. "You should have never made it to the Order."
"That wasn't your only mistake, old fool" Revan replied, not breaking his assault.
His young age allowed him to deliver a blow after blow at the Jedi Master who was struggling to keep up with his opponent. It's fair to say that if Revan was using both of his lightsabers instead of one, Vrook wouldn't stand a chance against him.
Despite that fact, Vrook managed to deliver his own strikes every now and then. The ancient Valley of the Sith Lords was now filled with the sounds of the lightsabers clashing against each other. Red, blue and green colors filled the stone structures that used to be the workplace of the archeologists that were now lying dead on the ground.
He paid no mind to Kavar. HK proved himself to be more than capable of handling even a Jedi Master. When he was engineering his droid, he made sure to add the programming that allowed him to wield a lightsaber as a Jedi Knight would. It was good to see that it was working.
Revan gripped his lightsaber with both of his hands, bringing it high above his head. He did it in an attempt to cut Vrook from above but the old Jedi Master saw it coming. Lamar brought his own green saber to deflect the powerful strikes that Revan kept on delivering. He was so focused on his enemy's lightsaber that he failed to notice the young man moving his head in his direction.
Vrook staggered backward when Revan's head made contact with his face, breaking his nose. He spat blood when the former Dark Lord kicked him in the guts with his knee, forcing him to bend forward.
Revan was prepared to end him right there, right then. Once again bringing his lightsaber high above his head, he brought it down, aiming for decapitating Vrook in one swift movement.
His plan came to naught, though, as Master Kavar tossed one of his blue lightsabers at him. The strength hidden behind that action deflected Revan's blade and sent it in an opposite direction from the planned one. This action bought Vrook a few precious seconds that were enough to save his life.
The old Master straightened up, jumping not high from the ground. Pivoting in the air, Vrook lifted his right leg, aiming it at Revan's chest. His action brought the desired effect, sending the younger man flying few meters backward.
Revan turned around in the air in order to regain balance. He quickly landed on the ground, he slid two or three meters backward, using his free hand to slow himself down. The ground beneath him cracked alongside the spot where his hand touched it – the Dark Side floating off of his body in waves.
He renewed his assault by running back at the old Jedi who has now fully regained his composure and healed his broken nose. The two clashed once again, refusing to give the upper hand to their opponent.
Meanwhile, Kavar was beginning to lose the ground against HK as the droid continued his assault. The fact that he wasn't a living being was making it easy for him to keep on fighting intensively while the Jedi Master began to tire.
Kavar tried to send HK flying backward with the Force Push, only to find out that the droid was immune to the Force attacks. The look of surprise on his face was quickly replaced with the grimace of pain when HK delivered a powerful kick in his guts, forcing the air out of his lungs.
The Jedi Master tried to block the droid's assault, though it was difficult. Clearly, he wasn't prepared to face an enemy who could continue to fight with such ferocity for so long. And the Jedi stagnancy now saw the light of the day, showing how incapable of fighting were those who didn't participate in the war. It was said that Kavar was the best duelist in the Order, second to none. But as it turned out he was only a master when it came to teaching. Not participating in any real war made him incapable of facing HK-47 whose programming was based on what Revan learned during his campaigns against the Mandalorians.
The droid knocked out one of his lightsabers from his hands with his powerful blows, making Kavar fight with just one. The Jedi Master knew perfectly well all the forms of lightsaber combat and would be able to defend himself against someone who was fighting according to those forms, though the droid seemed to act almost instinctively if it was even possible for a machine.
Another powerful punch in the guts left Kavar breathless again. In the last futile hope, the Jedi Master tried to protect himself by sending multiple rocks and stones at the droid with the Force, counting on damaging him somehow, though his effort came to naught. Mere stones were not enough to pierce HK's armor.
The droid continued the assault, forcing Kavar to back down. HK then tossed the blue lightsaber at the Jedi Master as if in an attempt to cut him in half. Vrook's companion deflected the blade with ease, smiling under his nose. His smile quickly vanished, though when he noticed droid's hand pointed at him.
"Meatbag" was all HK said before using the flamethrower that was attached to his forearm. Kavar had no time to react as the weapon released its deadly charge, surrounding the Jedi Master with fire. His screams filled the Valley as well as the odor of a burning body. Soon, his screams died out as he fell lifelessly to the ground.
Kavar's death attracted Vrook's attention for few precious seconds what turned out to be his damnation. Revan used that time to call to himself with the Force the second lightsaber that was lying nearby. Doubling his attacks, he resumed the assault on the old Jedi Master. Vrook had a hard time blocking all the strikes that were coming at him but he managed to parry them but not without breaking a sweat.
Leaping backward, Revan created a distance between them. Then, he tossed one of his lightsabers at the old Jedi Master as if in a hope to cut him in half. This came to naught as Vrook jumped over it; the blade missing his body literally by millimeters.
Using the fact that the Jedi Master was in the air, Revan sent a Force Wave in his direction, pushing him towards the stone structures that were standing in the middle of the Valley. Vrook hit one of the columns hard with his back, causing him to groan in pain.
Revan closed the distance between them by leaping at his enemy. He tried to pin the Jedi Master to the stone column behind him, though his opponent managed to dash away from him, missing his blade again by mere millimeters.
Vrook collapsed on the ground beneath him when all of a sudden a lightsaber pierced his thigh. It was the lightsaber that Revan tossed at him previously and now he called it back, causing the blade to get stuck in the leg of his opponent.
The Jedi Master groaned in pain again while pulling out the lightsaber. He didn't see yet another blade coming in his direction, though. Closing the distance between in one swift stride, Revan pierced his second lightsaber deep into Vrook's stomach, causing him to fell to his knees. The Jedi Master coughed with blood.
Revan pulled out his red lightsaber from Vrook's body and gripped his head with his free hand, preparing to finish his opponent for good.
"I should have killed you on that backwater planet" Vrook spat out, coughing blood. Revan nodded his head.
"Aye. You should have" he replied. The Valley was filled with screams again when Revan unleashed his anger in a form of Force Lightning, releasing it from the hand with which he was gripping Vrook's head. The old Jedi Master was screaming, attempting to set himself free from Revan's iron grip but it came to naught. The younger man was superior when it came to physical strength.
After a few seconds of holding Vrook like that, Revan lifted his lightsaber and cut off his head in one swift movement, silencing him forever. He looked into the empty eyes for a while longer before throwing the object in his hands away, sending it somewhere into the Valley.
"Wolfie," he said, turning on his communicator. "Land the Ebon Hawk and gather everyone here. We need to say the last farewell to Rex and Canderous" he said without waiting for a reply.
The Ebon Hawk landed not far away, in the empty spot of the Valley. The crew abandoned the ship and made its way towards the center of the former workplace of the archeologists. When they arrived, two stacks were already formed in the middle of the Valley. Revan and HK were pacing back and forth, gathering items necessary for the stacks to burn. The sun was already setting down, casting long shadows at the ancient tombs.
Apart from Revan, no one dared to come up to the stacks. Everyone was standing at a respective distance, not being able to come any closer.
When the stacks were ready, Revan ignited them, using the Force Lightning to create sparks. The pieces of materials they gathered from around the Valley, as well as the archeologist tools quickly caught fire, spreading it throughout the entire stacks. Soon, the flame was burning in its full glory, consuming those who were lying on the plies.
"His name was Reildar Cloaddi, aka Rex" Revan began, staring blankly at the stack. His mask was off "He came to us from Balmorra. He served under the Republic and later under me for all his life. Until now. After all the years of your service, you're finally free. Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum."
"His name was Canderous of Clan Ordo," Revan said, using the same phrase as previously. "He came to us from Mandalore. He served under Mandalore the Ultimate and later under me for all his life. Until now. After all the years of your service, you're finally free. Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum."
"Motir ca'tra nau tracinya. Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a. Cuun hett su..." Revan hummed the Aay'han – the Mandalorian funeral chant. Fox and Wolfie joined him, despite not being Mandalorians themselves. Revan taught them the basics of Mando'a and he made sure that the funeral chant was amongst those basics. And so they sung, filling the Valley of the Sith Lords with the echo of their combined voices.
"They didn't deserve such fate" Revan stated when the chant stopped. "They were both warriors and they should have died like ones. With their weapons in hands, in the last, glorious battle. Not on their knees, not backstabbed with their hands cuffed behind them. None of them fought for spoils or glory. For honor perhaps. But most of all, they fought and died for me."
"Soldiers die during the war" Fox stated, staring blankly at the stacks. "Rarely they get a chance to die an honorable death."
"I haven't lost soldiers today" Revan countered. "I've lost brothers."
"Objection: Master, they weren't your brothers," HK said. "They weren't even related to you in any way. The Mandalorian perhaps, but not the second one."
"You won't understand it, HK" Revan countered.
"Objection: Master, my highly advanced programming allows me to understand far more things than all of the meatbags from the Galaxy combined with each other can understand. Including you" the droid added after a split second of hesitation. Revan shook his head.
"But not this, HK. You will never understand what it means to care. You will never understand what love is."
"Definition: 'Love' is making a shot to the knees of a target one hundred and twenty kilometers away, using an Aratech sniper rifle with a tri-light scope… Love is knowing your target, putting them in your targeting reticule, and together, achieving a singular purpose against statistically long odds." Revan shook his head again, deciding not to argue with his droid.
"Here is the data from all the Star Maps" Revan said, giving his datapad to Fox. "Decipher the coordinates and prepare the Ebon Hawk for the jump. I'll stay here a while longer."
"What about the rest of the bodies?" he queried.
"What with them?"
"What are we supposed to do with them?"
"Leave them where they are" Revan replied, looking at the corpses that were lying scattered around the Valley. "Let them serve as a food for bugs."
They soon began to disperse, slowly turning back and heading towards the Ebon Hawk. There was no talking. No one dared to breach the silence of the Valley.
Revan was still standing in front of the burning stacks. The wind was getting stronger and stronger as the night was approaching. The result was that the air was whistling in the Valley, getting across the stone structures. The temperature was also dropping rapidly, resembling the one in the tombs. He wrapped up himself tighter in order to protect himself from the cold.
The wind was sending the smoke from the stacks in his direction, forcing him to cover his mouth in order to not breathe in the fumes. It was smarting his eyes, causing few tears to appear in the corners. Or maybe it was a grief? He didn't know.
"I think I've told you to go back to the ship," he said when his senses picked up someone else's presence nearby.
"I know" Mission replied. "I just wanted to make sure you're holding up somehow." Revan snorted at that.
"Somehow" he repeated bluntly. "And how would you be holding up? In the past week, I've made far more mistakes than during the past years. The result is that my wife is in hands of my former best friend, now my biggest enemy, left to the mercy of him and his men. Two of my most loyal men died because of my order. I watched them die, unable to save them. Yeah, I'm holding up perfectly."
"Bastila's capture is not your fault" Mission comforted him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Revan snorted again.
"Of course it is" he replied. "I found out about Juhani's mission back on Kashyyyk, yet I did nothing. On Tatooine, I've got an indisputable proof of her collaboration with the Jedi Council, yet I did nothing. If only I reacted sooner, Bastila would be with us, intact and Rex and Canderous would be still alive. If only I reacted sooner…" he trailed off. Mission continued to rub the comforting circles on his shoulder and back.
"They were close to you" she more stated than asked.
"Yes," Revan replied, still not looking at her. "I met them both during the Mandalorian Wars. Rex was one of my most trusted soldiers while Canderous was one of my top enemies."
"Enemies?" Mission queried surprised.
"Yes. We fought on the opposite sides of the conflict. I was leading the Republic and the Jedi while he was leading the Clan Ordo. Many times we encountered each other on the battlefield."
"So how did it happen that you two were getting along so well?"
"Despite the fact that I crushed the Mandalorians, none of them holds a grudge against me. Of all things, they mostly believe in strength. When they are at war, they do not seek spoils or treasure or anything like that, no. They are looking for a worthy opponent. Going to war is a challenge for them. They test themselves against other armies of the Galaxy. If they win, they go further. If they lose, they acknowledge the superiority of their enemy. And so it was in my case. Before I joined the war, the Mandalorians were invincible. The Republic had one victory at best while Mandalorians were rampaging across the Outer Rim, conquering a world after world, without meeting much of a resistance. When I took the lead, the war began to turn in the Republic's favor. For the first time in fourteen years, the Mandalorians met someone who was able to stand against them. In me, they saw the reflection of their own philosophy. In me, they saw their greatest challenge of all. If they defeated me in the war, the Mandalorians would assume that no force could stand against them. I've earned their respect by outsmarting their tacticians and outmatching their most skilled warriors."
"Doesn't make much sense to me" Mission summed up. "I mean, I've heard that you had slain their leader and scattered the clans. If I were one of them, I would hate you with my whole heart" she admitted. Revan chuckled gently after hearing that.
"For many, it's difficult to understand the Mandalorian culture. They never hold a grudge against those they lose with. They admire them. After losing a combat or war, they try to understand their mistakes and work on how to improve them. Which is why I believe the Mandalorians will outlive the Republic."
"What?" she asked, clearly not understanding what he meant.
"The Republic is a dying beast. I proved it when I almost cast it to its knees. The greatest advantage the Mandalorians had was the fact that they didn't have a democracy. Mandalore is always an authoritarian leader. He listens to the representatives of other clans, of course, but his word is law. Thanks to this rule, the Mandalorians were capable of making swift and important decisions in the blink of an eye while I was forced to wait for the Senate to end the discussions. Which almost proved to be our doom. If I didn't stop listening to the Senate at some point during the war, our victory wouldn't be so sure."
"And why is that?"
"There are little to no Senators who actually care about people that chose them. Most of them see nothing but their bank balance. Countless times in the war I asked for reinforcements and supplies. They denied me that, saying that it's not 'financially rewarding'. Only when Mandalorians set to conquer the Telerath System, the Senators were consentaneous as to defend it."
"What was the reason for that?"
"Telerath is a banking planet, located in the Inner Rim. Despite the fact that it lays so close to the center of the Galaxy, it's not a part of the Republic and never will be. The reason that planet acts as a bank is that of its neutrality. Every Senator of the Republic has its Credits located there. Or at least most of them. So I think you can understand why they were so eager to send me to defend it from the Mandalorians." Mission nodded. A silence fell between them.
The stacks were burned almost entirely. The bodies of his fallen men have already disappeared with the smoke that filled the air around the Valley. The sun has already hidden behind the horizon, leaving the entire Valley in darkness. Only the monumental sculptures that were standing afar were still visible, overshadowing everything else in that part of the planet.
"What even are those?" Mission asked, looking at the statues. She rubbed her arms in order to bring some heat to her body. Revan followed her gaze.
"For millenniums, this place served as a relic of the Dark Side. And one of its strongest emotions is fear. Those sculptures are supposed to scare those who come here. Many say that they used to be the living beings who didn't bow to the first Sith Lords. As a punishment, they turned them into stone, forcing them to bow for eternity. But I guess we'll never know the truth" Revan explained.
"I must admit, they are pretty scary," Mission said, still looking at the sculptures.
"Why are you even doing this?" Revan asked all of a sudden, surprising her.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Why did you support me on the Ebon Hawk?" he explained, looking at her. "You've heard what I did as the Dark Lord, so why did you stand by me? And why are you here, trying to comfort me now?" If Mission was offended by his questions, she did not show it. She shrugged.
"I never knew you as the Dark Lord, but I know you as Alen Royce who helped me back on Taris. You helped me to get over the destruction of my homeworld but you didn't have to. You turned out to be the friend I needed so I just wanted to return the favor, I guess. Everyone needs a solace, even the Dark Lord of the Sith himself." Revan chuckled at that.
"I guess you're right" he murmured. "Come on, Mission. Let's go back to the ship" he said when the stacks stopped burning. Now, only a pile of ashes remained.
They turned around and proceeded to head towards the Ebon Hawk. Mission was in the lead, allowing Revan to remain with his own thoughts.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. There was a disturbance in the Force. A silent one, but loud enough for those who were willing to listen to it. His eyes glazed over and his lower lip trembled when he understood what it was that the Force communicated.
The seventh day has passed.
That's it for today, I hope you liked it. Also, I'd be thankful if I received the similar amount of reviews as after the previous chapter (that is 4). So, see you in the next update!
Translation:
Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum - I'm still alive, but you are dead, I remember you, so you are eternal.
Motir ca'tra nau tracinya. Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a. Cuun hett su - Those who stand before us light the night sky in flame. Our vengeance burns brighter still. Burns brighter still.
Aay'han - a bittersweet moment of mourning and joy; "remembering and celebration".
