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Answering the questions:

Is the Force Bond still active? – Yes, it is but, as we found out from the insight to Bastila's mind, Revan is blocking her. It will be explained later in the story why he's doing it.

How the hell is Atris the Grand Master? – I have no idea, I'm not a Jedi.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 3

No one said a word. The impact caused by Atris's words made most of the gathered in the Chamber pale visibly, except for the Temple Guards who remained perfectly stoic and their faces were covered beneath the masks. Most certainly, almost no one expected to hear something like that from the Grand Master of the Jedi Order herself. The silence that followed her verdict didn't last for long, though.

"Is this some kind of a joke?" Jolee asked, stepping forward from his place next to the wall. He stood side by side Bastila. She looked at him with fear in her eyes. "I can't believe I hear something like this from the Grand Master herself!" he exclaimed in a righteous anger.

"Watch your words, hermit" Atris hissed. "You're not part of the Jedi Order, let alone the Council. Therefore, your words have no meaning here."

"But mine still have" Vandar spoke. "And what Jolee said is right. You have crossed a certain line, Atris and I'm not going to sit idly by while you violate our Code with each of your decisions. I did it when Meetra and later Revan stood in this chamber in the very place Bastila is standing right now and I regret that I did nothing to stop you back then. I'm ashamed that I didn't have the courage to speak my thoughts aloud and I'm certainly not going to repeat the same mistake again" he stated sternly yet calmly.

"You're a fool, Master Vandar, if you think that Bastila shouldn't bear the consequences of her choices" Q'Anilia countered in her emotionless tone. "We can't just let our students break the Code and go with it without any punishment."

"If we were to penalize every single one of the Jedi who violated the Code, our halls would be empty" Nomi spoke, signalizing clearly who she supported in that conversation. "Furthermore, this Chamber would be empty as well and our deliberations would be held amongst the spirits of the Jedi Order."

"Not without a reason the Jedi Code forbids to fall in love" Lucien Draay – the human Jedi Master stated, stroking his non-existent beard. His gaze remained locked on a particular point on the floor. "What can begin as a true, genuine feeling may turn into a passion. And embracing it is one of the fundaments of the Sith teachings. We cannot allow our own students to do it. Which is why Bastila should be punished for her deeds."

"Bastila, but not her child" Lonna countered from her seat. "May I remind you, Master Draay, that you wouldn't be sitting in this Chamber if we practiced the form of punishment Atris just proposed in each case of a Jedi falling in love" she said with a hint of zinger in her voice. The said Master clenched his teeth but said nothing to that.

"And I remind you, Masters, that it's not the only one of Bastila's violations of the Jedi Code," Atris said, attracting the attention of everyone back to herself.

"It's not the reason, Atris, and you know it" Vandar replied. "You hate Revan more than anything or anyone else in the Galaxy. That is the reason why you're so eager to carry on with what you said. It's easy to judge someone when we have only one point of view on the occurred situation. And as our Code says, there is no ignorance. Perhaps it would be wise to know what happened in the last few weeks from her perspective. Bastila," he addressed the woman standing in front of the Chamber who was still slightly trembling with fear. "Would you be so kind as to shed some light on the matter at hand? I'm pretty sure many of us would want to know the events that you took part in."

It took Bastila a few solid moments and a clearing of Vandar's throat to realize that she was supposed to answer. "I… I don't know what to say, Masters" she admitted quietly, looking down at the floor again.

"Perhaps you could start from the beginning" Nomi suggested. She did her best to sound as reassuringly and gently as possible. "Master Vandar informed us that the Council on Dantooine sent you and few others on a mission to find the Star Forge. You could begin by telling us what happened after you left Dantooine."

Bastila's lower lip trembled again as she gathered her thoughts, thinking about what to say. "We... We began our quest, heading towards Kashyyyk and we found the Star Map there. Then, we did the same on Tatooine and Manaan. We were ready to head for our last destination – Korriban but on our way there, we were captured by Malak. We ran into him when we were escaping and… and then…" she stumbled, trying to describe what happened next but found herself unable to speak. Her eyes glazed over and she trembled again.

"And?" Atris pressed forward in an attempt to force Bastila to speak further. The woman who was standing in the middle of the chamber shook her head violently, closing her eyes tightly. Her lips turned into a thin line and few sobs rocked her whole body. Tears running down her cheeks were clearly visible to everyone in the Chamber.

"Perhaps I can continue from here" Jolee suggested, placing a comforting hand on Bastila's shoulder. She shuddered and her breathing was shallow, being interrupted by the sobs. She nodded, signalizing that she agreed with him. "Although I wasn't there personally to witness what happened, Revan has told us how the Sith treat the Jedi prisoners. He described what Bastila went through in the seven days of her captivity. She was brutally tortured, electrocuted on regular basis, beaten regularly and… and raped by Malak and his soldiers" he said after a moment of hesitation. Bastila sobbed again after hearing what Jolee said – the words triggering painful memories in the depth of her mind. "For three whole days, she was being exposed to the teachings of the Ancient Sith. I'm not an expert but I'm pretty damn sure that not many, if anyone at all, would be able to stand against it. Considering that it was combined with the nightmares sent to her with the help of the Force, it's a miracle she didn't lose her sanity."

"Bastila, is it true what Jolee just said?" Lonna queried, horrified at the older man's description. She watched as the young Talravinian woman nodded her head hesitantly, confirming the words of the man who was standing next to her all the time. He gently squeezed her shoulder, trying to comfort her. The Jedi Master looked around, noticing the similar horrified looks on the faces of many other Masters, save one.

"When did you learn that Revan regained his memories?" Atris asked with her usual cold tone.

"On Dantooine" Bastila whispered. "On Dantooine, on the last day before our departure."

"And you didn't inform any of the Jedi Masters about that?" the Grand Master queried, raising her eyebrow that disappeared behind her white hair.

"Is it what matters to you now?" Lonna hissed at her. A small hint of anger was hearable in her voice. "For Force's sake, you're a woman, Atris, and the Grand Master of the Order! Compassion is one of our greatest values, so show some of it! To undergo something like this at such a young age will leave her scarred for the rest of her life!"

"It's not entirely true that none of the Masters was informed about Revan's memory return" Vandar spoke, attracting eyes of the other Masters to his small posture. "In fact, I knew about it even before Bastila did" he admitted. The small Jedi Master earned daggers sent at him by Atris's eyes.

"And yet you let him go?" she asked; her tone increased in volume. "You allowed our enemy to wander freely across the Galaxy?"

"I did because I didn't see darkness in him, Atris" Vandar replied, rolling his eyes. "And even if it was in him, he kept it under control. But do you want to know why I wasn't scared by the fact that he regained his memories? Because he came to me, seeking my advice. He told me himself that he managed to overcome our efforts to erase his identity. I doubt he would do that if he was our enemy. Furthermore, we wouldn't have survived that battle in the Unknown Regions if he was our enemy."

"Jolee, take Bastila to the Mind Healers" Nomi ordered. "We shall continue to discuss her matter but it will be better if someone attends to her."

"Of course, Master" Jolee replied, bowing slightly. He turned around to leave the Council Chamber, taking Bastila with him. Once again he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as they proceeded towards the elevator, leaving the ten Jedi Masters to further deliberations.

After leaving the hyperspace, the group of five immediately entered the shuttle that would take them to the surface of Onderon. Atton loudly voiced his objection after being appointed to accompany Revan, though he came nonetheless, not daring to ignore the Dark Lord's direct command.

Wolfie was piloting the shuttle, increasing the distance between the Star Forge and the KT-400 freighter that Revan and his men were currently inside of. Steadily, the mostly-green planet was covering more and more of the ship's viewport; Dxun came into view as well. The Demon Moon was casting a sinister shadow on the planet it encircled.

"KT-400 freighter signature 48-J9TP to Iziz," Wolfie said through the communicator, aiming to contact the surface. "We're approaching the city and we ask for a permission to land. Queen Talia is waiting for us" he added as if in an attempt to emphasize the importance of their arrival. Almost a minute has passed before the reply came.

"48-J9TP, it's Iziz, we hear you" a voice from the other side spoke. "You have a permission to land. You will be accompanied by our forces to the palace hangar. Welcome to Onderon."

Soon, they entered the atmosphere. Reaching the velocity of eight hundred kilometers per hour, they quickly passed the dense forests of Onderon and approached Iziz. As soon as the capital came into view, seemingly out of nowhere, two fighters showed up, escorting them towards the city where Queen Talia ruled over the entire system.

Iziz was increasing in size as they were closing the distance which is why Wolfie slowed down, dropping their speed. They floated above the white walls of the city that separated it from the jungle outside. Every here and there on the walls, the now-empty heavy repeatable batteries were standing. Although now they were abandoned, back in the Mandalorian Wars, they caused Revan to lose his first advance on Onderon. If he focused enough, he could still hear the pounding of those turrets that took out from the sky a better part of his army.

After passing by the buildings that were homes for many civilians, Revan and his men proceeded towards the palace where Queen Talia lived. After entering the city, they dropped the speed to roughly sixty kilometers per hour. They landed in the hangar that was mostly empty; the two fighters landed right next to the shuttle they arrived in.

Wolfie turned down the engines and all the other systems as soon as they touched the ground. Following Revan, Wolfie, Fox, Atton, and HK left the KT-400 freighter, taking first steps in the Onderon palace. They were quickly stopped by the Onderonian security, though.

"Lord Revan" a man in the front of a small squadron acknowledged him. In opposite to his companions, he wasn't wearing a brown uniform but a grey-blue one. He also wasn't wearing a piece of clothing on his face. "Queen Talia is waiting for you in the Throne Room. Before I can let you in, Her Highness insisted on disarming you and your men. Means of security" he explained. Revan looked at his men who were standing behind him and nodded, signalizing to comply. A little unwillingly, his companions handed over their weapons; Revan did the same with his lightsabers.

"Take us to Queen Talia" he ordered.

"Remove your mask, Lord Revan" the man countered, not allowing them to go forward. "We need to know that truly it's you and not an imposter. Queen Talia's direct order" he added.

"Her Highness told me that she will be waiting for me in the Throne Room" Revan replied. "I can understand the reason to disarm us but I'm not going to comply with that request. I will remove my mask in Queen Talia's presence and her presence only. Now, lead me to her. I didn't come to Onderon to speak with you."

"This way, Lord Revan" the man replied reluctantly, turning around. Revan and his men followed him through the narrow corridors of the Onderonian palace.

Revan smiled under his mask as he was recalling the last time he was there. It was one of the rare days wasted on a celebration. After six months of sieging Dxun and then two months of fighting on Onderon itself, the Republic, with him on the lead, turned out to be victorious, pushing Mandalorians out of the system. Invited by the Queen, Revan and his men had an opportunity to relax and enjoy the tastes of various meats and wines, dance and basically forget for one precious day about the war that was waiting for them.

Soon, Revan and his men, led by the Onderonian guards, entered the Throne Room. Contrary to other monarchs across the Galaxy, Queen Talia preferred modesty what explained why the large room was mostly empty. Except for the throne that was standing right next to the wall and columns that were supporting the ceiling, there was nothing else. The walls were empty and kept in darker shades. One would say that something like that didn't fit a monarch, but Queen Talia had a different opinion about that. The Mandalorian Wars left most of her people in poverty. Out of sheer respect and solidarity to those who trusted her, she couldn't live like the occupation never happened. She considered it her duty to show others the example of a modest life in order to fully recover from the Mandalorians' attack.

"Your Highness" the man who led Revan and his men from the hangar bowed down in front of his superior. "Lord Revan is here" he announced, stepping aside to reveal those who followed him. Revan took a step forward.

"Your Grace," he said with respect, bowing down just as the captain of the guards did a few seconds before. His men bowed as well.

"Lord Revan" Talia replied with a hint of reluctance in her voice. "I think I gave you the order to remove your mask" she commented, noticing that his face was still hidden.

"You did indeed, Your Grace," Revan said, straightening up. "But I thought it would be more accurate to remove it in your presence" he explained, lifting his hands to his head. In one swift movement, he took off the Mandalorian mask, revealing his face to Talia. Unable to suppress her instinct, the ruler of Onderon gasped a little too loud for her liking.

Few years have passed since Queen Talia last saw Revan and she could tell that he changed a lot. His face looked far more mature than for someone in his age. A few small, barely noticeable, wrinkles appeared on his forehead. His green eyes lost some of their original colors, taking a more grayish shade. The scar that he acquired after his time in the Mandalorians' hands and the black spots under his eyes – the remnants of the Rakghoul poison – also gave him a little scary look to his features.

"I'm happy with our meeting as well, Your Highness" Revan teased her when Talia didn't say a word. "You haven't changed a bit since I last saw you."

"The same cannot be said about you" she replied, shaking off of her initial shock. "I heard a little about the Jedi and their religion. I heard that one can change noticeably due to this whole 'Dark Side' thing. I see that it took its toll on you already."

"No, Your Highness" Revan objected. "My look is merely a remnant of a poison that kept on dwelling inside of me for the past two months."

"What do you want from me, Revan?" she asked, not bothering to approach the topic gently. "First of all, the remnants of Mandalorian clans began to gather on Dxun once again and one of those criminals even mentioned your name, saying something about your direct order and now you appear out of nowhere while a few months ago the Republic announced your execution."

"As you can see, I'm still alive" Revan replied, ignoring Talia's hostile tone. "As for the Mandalorians, indeed I gave them the order to gather on Dxun," he said, earning a questioning raise of an eyebrow from his conversationalist. "Shall we take a walk?" he suggested, reaching out his hand to her. "I'd gladly explain you everything that happened post-Malachor V."

Queen Talia looked at him reluctantly before accepting the offered hand. Together, they marched alongside the mostly-empty corridors of the palace.

Over an hour has passed before Revan and Talia finally stopped in her room. Two members of the guards accompanied them all the time, keeping a distance between them to guarantee them a privacy of conversation but remained close enough to react if something happened that could threaten their monarch. Through all this time Revan was explaining what happened after the final battle of the Mandalorian Wars, not skipping a single detail. The monarch of Onderon reached for a bottle of wine after hearing everything he had to say.

"How do you expect me do believe you, Revan?" she asked after taking a long sip from the glass that she emptied immediately after pouring some wine into it. "You're not the same man I knew during the Mandalorian Wars. You've changed a lot and I cannot say that it was a change for better."

"You used to trust me, Your Highness" Revan replied, taking a glass that was offered to him. He as well took a long sip of wine. "I respected our past when I began my own campaign against the Republic, not attacking Onderon. Believe me when I say it, if I conquered your system in the early days of the war, I would be sitting in the Chancellor's chair on Coruscant right now. But I didn't do it. I am fully aware that both the Republic and the Jedi Order did their best to make me look bad but I assure you, I haven't changed that much since you last saw me."

"My men have seen enough of the war already," Talia said, not looking him in the eye. "What kind of a Queen would I be if I dragged them into yet another war?"

"The one that would be later emblazoned for saving both her planet and the entire Galaxy" Revan replied, pouring himself some more wine. "I know that what I've said sounds unbelievable, to say the least, but what would I gain from lying to you? I could have just stormed through Onderon, conquering it. Believe me, I would have enough supplies and men to do it even if you used Mandalorian anti-aircraft batteries that remain empty."

"Do you know that many of my own men joined your Empire?" Talia asked, finally looking at him. "Even Vaklu, my own cousin, recently deserted from my army and began serving in your ranks. What happened to them? What happened to my cousin?"

"You said you know that the Republic announced my execution so how do you expect me to know what was happening with my Empire during Malak's rule? Only yesterday have I regained control over my men. I'm not fully aware of everything my former apprentice did during my absence but I promise that I will try to find Vaklu."

"And what about those Mandalorians?" she queried.

"Have they caused you any troubles?" Revan replied with a question.

"No, they haven't but I still don't like the fact that the men responsible for the misery of my people live right next to our door."

"They won't be staying here forever, Your Highness. In fact, I'm planning to go to speak to them when I'm done here" Revan explained.

"You expect me to fight side by side with them?" she asked with disbelief as clear as day in her voice.

"I expect you to move aside your aversions and help me in this war. And I'll be needing as much help as I can get which is why I want Mandalorians on my side as well. May I remind you that I'm a Mandalorian myself, and, in fact, their rightful leader."

"Yes, I'm aware of it" Talia replied, though a slight hint of reluctance could be heard in her voice.

"I understand why you don't want to work with Mandalorians but they're one of the most combative people in the Galaxy and that's why they will prove to be useful."

"So that's who you have? Your Empire and the Mandalorians?"

"If you agree to join me, then I'll also have the Onderonian forces as well. But no, these are not all who I hope to gather. Across the Galaxy are scattered people who owe me a little after the Mandalorian Wars and I hope to be able to rally them under my banners."

"And do you think it will be enough?"

"I hope so, Your Highness" Revan replied, not for a second dropping his official tone. "I turned to one of the Jedi Masters for help but I cannot rely on the Order, nor on the Republic. Which is why I need to gather other fractions of the Galaxy if I want to win this war."

Queen Talia let out a loud sigh, placing the empty glass on a small table. "I will help you, Revan," she said after a moment of silence. "You helped me when Mandalorians conquered my home. It is only fair if I help you now."

Revan smiled genuinely after hearing that. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"Please, call me Talia."

Okay, that's it for this chapter, let me know what you think about it. If you noticed any stupidities so far, feel free to point them out so I can improve this story. See you in the next update.