Welcome back! I'm really, really, REALLY sorry for the lack of activity in the past few weeks but I had to move out from my house to a lodgings so I had to accommodate to my new house and, as I found out, writing an AU story is becoming more and more complicated and I had to find my love for this story again XD. Not to mention the problems I encounter at school but I promise I'll try to come back to those weekly updates. Add this story to your favorites, follow it and leave a review and see you in the next update!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 7
"Stupid rock" Revan commented quietly as he, his men and Queen Talia were returning to Onderon, leaving the Demon Moon behind them. His recent dream left him restless, causing the dark bags under his eyes to increase in size. They reached the top layers of the planet's atmosphere rather quickly, approaching the city of Iziz.
The Dark Lord of the Sith had to admit that this System was driving him round the bend. Too many memories were related to it and they weren't pleasant memories. The only positive about his visit on Demon Moon was the fact that he managed to get the Mandalorians and the Onderonian forces to join him. After hours of negotiations, a Treaty of Dxun was signed between the enemies of the previous war who were now fighting on the same side.
After landing in the hangar, Revan, Fox, Wolfie, Atton, and HK headed toward the transport they came here in, aiming to return to the Star Forge. Queen Talia was coming with them as well, leaving the last orders for the General of the Onderonian army to prepare his men. With nothing more than that, the ruler of Onderon left her planet, coming with the Dark Lord of the Sith to the source of his Empire's power.
The sight left her breathless. Never before in her life has Talia seen anything like that. She didn't believe her eyes when she first saw the Star Forge on the planetary scanners but now she just couldn't deny what was right in front of her. The space station that was hovering above the star of the Onderon System was just… enormous. No other word than that could describe it in a better way.
The closer they got, the bigger the Star Forge was becoming. Talia looked around as much as the ship's viewport allowed her for that and realized that she couldn't see anything else other than the massive space station. She watched in fear as the auto-turrets located at the entrances to the hangars took aim at them only to let them pass after Wolfie ended the authorization. She let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding.
The transport they were in soon landed in the hangar. Immediately, the soldiers from the Star Forge came up to the shuttle, forming a small protective cordon. On the far end, Admiral Sommos was waiting, surrounded from both sides by her personal guard. She straightened herself even more if that was even possible when the loading ramp was lowered, revealing Revan who was followed by others that came with him to the Star Forge. The soldiers saluted, lifting their rifles to their chests. Revan didn't reply in any way. Noma walked up to the Dark Lord of the Sith, still maintaining her official pose. She bowed slightly, entwining her hands behind her back.
"My Lord."
"At ease, Admiral" Revan replied, signalizing her to rise up.
"Most of our fleet has already jumped into hyperspace" Noma reported, glancing through her hand-held datapad that she was always carrying with herself. "Only a few Centurion-class battlecruisers remained in form of the Star Forge's escort. We're almost done with charging the hyperdrive and in two or three hours we'll be able to make a jump to the Malachor System."
"Faster in comparison to what you've said yesterday" Revan commented, turning to face her.
"We managed to hasten the process" she replied, once again glancing through her datapad. She did it more out of a sheer need to avoid looking into the vizier of Revan's mask than from the necessity to double-check the reports. "The liquid nitrogen turned out to work faster than we originally anticipated and now remains only the matter of charging the engines. As I've said, it shouldn't take longer than two to three hours. Also, as you requested, my men have captured those, as you called them, pests?" Revan nodded in confirmation. "I allowed myself to order to disarm them and they all are waiting for you in the Prison Block."
"Very well, Admiral" Revan congratulated her, smiling under his mask. "I'll take care of them now as we're still waiting for the hyperdrive," he said, turning towards the corridor that would take him to the elevator. From there he would head directly towards the Prison Block.
"My Lord, one more thing" Noma added before Revan could wander off. She hesitated, trembling visibly before she spoke again. "Darth Traya is here" she reported, saying that sentence so quickly that Revan thought he misheard. The Dark Lord of the Sith noticed Wolfie tremble visibly at the name of his old master. "She… requested you to come to her as soon as you return to the Star Forge" Noma said, doing her best to calm down her shaking breath.
"What did she say?" Revan asked, fully retreating from the corridor in which he was already standing. Noma hemmed and shuffled her feet, once again reaching to her datapad.
"Let me quote her," she said, searching for that one particular line. She cleared her throat one more time. "'Tell that fool to come to me as soon as he returns. I have to speak with him'. She said only that" Noma added, once again taking the official posture.
"Where is she?" Revan asked, knowing that it wouldn't be wise to disobey his old master. He already ignored her command and he had a feeling that it wouldn't end well for him.
"She's waiting in the Command Center" Noma replied, letting out a small breath of relief. She didn't know how Revan would react to someone calling him a 'fool' which is why she had each and every right to feel slightly nervous. But, apparently, her fear was invalid.
"Guess my guests will have to wait a bit" Revan commented, directing those words more to himself than to anyone in particular. "Fox, Wolfie, take Queen Talia and show her around the Star Forge. I'll go speak with Lady Traya alone."
"If you can, tell her that I passed to you her orders" Wolfie replied. "I'd rather not be choked by her again." Revan nodded, signalizing that he'll do as his soldier asked him. With that, he disappeared in the corridor, this time heading towards the Command Center instead of the Prison Block.
"I was sure that I told your pet that I wanted to speak with you a few days ago" the cold voice of his first master greeted him upon entering the Command Center. She was standing in front of the holoprojector that was displaying the holographic status of the Star Forge – the same one where Bastila waited for him, using her Battle Meditation a few days ago. His fingers drifted to the small ring that was resting peacefully under the glove on his left hand at the thought of his wife. It was almost as if he wanted to make sure that it was still there. "Instead you allowed that Padawan to wrap you around her finger what caused your judgment to be clouded." She still wasn't facing him. Her head remained under the hood of a black cloak that she was usually wearing.
"I couldn't have contacted you" Revan countered, taking a few steps forward. "I had other things to do, more important."
"Like pounding Padawan Shan?" Traya asked, turning around to face him. From beneath her hood, two braids of white hair were coming down on her shoulders, reaching a little past her collar-bone. Her hair was held in place by the black snoods with some red markings. Her lips were visible as well. They were black as opposed to the color of her skin which was deadly white. Her eyes remained covered, though, but Revan knew exactly what was hiding behind the hood. Black orbs, black as the cosmic space itself, deprived of any trace of empathy or even life. Nothing. Just two empty spots capable of reaching the soul of a person they were looking at.
"Watch your words" Revan warned her. "She is my wife."
"Your wife?" Traya asked with a hint of contempt in her voice.
"Are you going to lecture me now about emotions like Vrook would most certainly do?" Revan asked in a similar tone. As soon as he said that, he was forced to the ground. He had to use both of his hands to support himself in order to not lay on the floor.
"I would suggest you be the one watching your words" Traya replied, holding Revan tightly in place without moving any of her limbs. "Compare me to that old fool again and you shall regret that," she said, finally releasing Revan from his torment. The Dark Lord of the Sith rose up, clearing his throat.
"You wanted to speak with me… My Lady?" Revan asked, making sure to use Traya's title. "What happened?"
"I thought you would have figured it out by now" she replied.
"I felt something in the Force" Revan admitted. "A subtle thing, a whisper, like a fall."
"Something?" Traya asked, raising her eyebrows that remained hidden under the hood of her cloak. "I thought that you of all people would be able to figure out what it was."
"Or perhaps I need your greatness to enlighten me" Revan replied with a mockery as clear as day in his voice.
"Save your sarcasm for someone who would be entertained by it" Traya countered dryly. "We have much more serious matter at hand."
"Which is?" Revan urged her on, hating the fact that his old master couldn't just say what it was all about.
"Your time is over, Revan" Traya replied, looking directly into his eyes that remained hidden behind the vizier of his mask. The Dark Lord of the Sith trembled slightly under her intense gaze, though he didn't let her know it.
"What do you mean?" he asked hesitantly, as if in fear of knowing the answer. He watched carefully as the Mistress of the Trayus Academy turned around to face once again the holoprojector. Each and every system of the holographic Star Forge was still shining with green light, signalizing that the mechanics were operational in one hundred percent.
"Our enemy made their first move" Traya began, carefully studying the hologram of the Star Forge. "It didn't escape the Emperor's attention that you managed to break free from his control. He's been patient towards you until just recently. Malak's betrayal, your captivity in the hands of the Jedi Order and the rest of the recent events sent a loud echo through the Force. Both Jedi and the Sith and any Force-sensitive being in the Galaxy was able to hear it. But not many could understand what it meant. And so it happened this time as well."
"What do you mean?" he repeated his question.
"The future was set in motion" Traya answered mysteriously. "Just as you and Malak were sent a few years ago to find the Star Forge, another two were sent into this Galaxy on the Emperor's recommendation."
"Who?" Revan asked simply, finally realizing what the old woman meant, recalling what he felt while floating in the kolto tank.
"Two emissaries. Just as you and Malak, once they were Jedi Knights, and just like you and your friend, the Mandalorian Wars have changed them, contorted them."
"Do I know them?"
"You should know them" Traya replied with a reproachful tone. "They both served under you until the very end of the Mandalorian Wars. The two Jedi Knights they used to be, died in the final battle. And those two emissaries were born on Malachor V."
"The Emperor managed to infiltrate the Trayus Academy?" Revan queried, not believing what he heard.
"The Trayus Academy always was a home to the Dark Side" the old woman answered. "Then it is no surprise that they were lured by the Emperor. Even if he doesn't directly know about the existence of the Academy, he can attract those lured by the Dark Side to himself. And so he did now. He sent a message through the Force to those who were willing to listen to it. And the two of my students have answered that call."
"And what happened?"
"They challenged me" Traya replied nonchalantly as if she was describing some not important events. "They betrayed me, as Malak betrayed you. To be united by hatred is a… fragile alliance at best. But my will was not law. From that, disagreements were born and those turned into ambitions and hunger for power. There are techniques within the Force against which there is no defense" she took off the hood of her cloak as she finished that sentence. First time in over a decade, Revan could see the face of his first master without anything hiding it.
It has changed much. And it wasn't only due to the passing time that left wrinkles around the eyes and lips of the old woman. Revan could clearly see the effects of the Dark Side of the Force on Traya's face. The skin around one of her eyes has fractured, leaving deep furrows in her flesh. Also, her black eyes have dulled, losing some of their old unique power. Now she looked more like a woman who had one foot in a grave.
"What happened to you?" Revan asked concerned. Never before has he seen his old master so… broken. At least not in the flesh. He could still sense the immense power that was radiating from her but now, as he came to think about it, it seemed… weaker.
"I was cast down" Traya admitted. "Stripped of my power. Exiled. I suffered… indignities. And fell into darkness."
"What happened to the Academy?" Revan queried, still looking at the old woman with a worried look.
"Nothing, I guess" Traya replied. "They never saw any value in that place. They took one of the destroyed ships from the orbit and left the System, fulfilling the Emperor's wish. You have lost time for preparations, Revan. Your enemy has made the first move, sending children of Malachor V to the Known Space. And the echo of the weapon you used follows them, bringing its effects to the rest of the Galaxy."
"How could I not sense it?"
"They carry the echoes of Malachor with themselves. They alone are almost impossible for anyone to feel through the Force. They are more wounds in the Force than a presence."
"How can I know where they are then? I believe that killing them is my duty, isn't it?"
"No" Traya replied, watching him carefully with her dulled eyes. "It is not. You've already set yourself on a certain path which you cannot leave right now. Someone else must face them. Someone who is one of them - another child of Malachor V."
"From what I understood, they are our enemies" Revan countered. "How can we possibly hope to receive any help from them?"
"Not all of them are our enemies. There is yet another one who suffered through the final battle… and made it out alive. Just like the Empire's emissaries, she carries a wound inside of her."
"She?" Revan queried, making sure he didn't mishear. It took him a while before the realization hit him. "Meetra" he more stated than asked.
"Ah, yes, the Jedi Exile" Traya replied, smiling weakly.
"But how can I find her?" the Dark Lord of the Sith asked, eyeing his old master carefully. "If I understood correctly, she cannot be found through the Force. And no one knows where she went after her trial."
"It's something you shouldn't worry about" Traya answered. "I will find her and train her anew. I shall prepare your friend for the encounter with the Empire's emissaries."
"I'll send someone with you" Revan offered, looking away from the furrow on Traya's face. The wrecked skin of his old master made him shiver a little. "It will be easier to find her if you'll have some help. Atton will accompany you… and HK as well" Revan decided after a moment of hesitation.
"Ah, a fool, perfect" Traya replied with a mockery as clear as day in her voice.
"What are you planning to do now?" Revan asked, pretending he didn't hear her remark. "Will you go to search for Meetra immediately?"
"No. I'll return with you to the Academy. There are some things I must attend to first. Besides, I'm not strong enough to travel through the Force right now."
"The Grand Admiral says we'll jump into hyperspace in around three hours" the Dark Lord of the Sith announced. "I would suggest you go to the Medical Wing. That scar on your face doesn't look nice."
"The Force is all I need to heal myself" Traya replied, putting on the hood of her cloak, hiding her eyes behind the clothing. "Leave me to meditate, Revan," she said, signalizing that she considered their small talk to be over. Revan watched her intensively for a few more seconds before turning around to leave the Command Center. He shook his head while leaving the room. Despite the great knowledge Traya possessed, he rarely liked speaking to her.
The Star Forge needed three more hours to be able to make a jump into hyperspace. Directly from the Command Center, Revan headed towards the Prison Block, taking one of the many elevators that were functioning in the Star Forge.
All the way down to the Prison Block Revan was deep in his thoughts. Traya's words… unsettled him. As if he didn't already have enough troubles to be concerned about. Not to mention the fact that he wasn't quite sure how Meetra would react to seeing him once again. They used to be close friends for the better part of his life and at some point even lovers, but the Mandalorian Wars, or more precisely, what followed them, changed deeply both of them.
Soon, the elevator stopped and the doors were opened, allowing him to enter the Prison Block. Usually, no one was here. In fact, never before has the Prison Block been used by him. But now this place was filled with the people that participated in Malak's betrayal… and those responsible for Bastila's torture. Once again his fingers drifted to his wedding ring. The cold small metal was working soothingly on him. And once again, it attracted his thoughts to his wife. With shame, he realized that… he had absolutely no idea what was happening with her. He had to comfort himself with a thought that he was doing it for her own good… and for the good of their child. It was a petty excuse, though. Even he could be hardly convinced by it.
I'll return to you one day, my love, I promise, he thought to himself, knowing well that Bastila could not hear him. He blocked their Force Bond and now he had to live with the consequences of that choice.
"What is the meaning of this?" Revan heard the enraged voice of Queen Talia resonating across the entire Prison Block. It didn't take him long to notice her approaching him. Even though still a great distance remained between them, he could clearly see the rage on her face. "Revan, I demand an explanation."
"I'm sorry, My Lord" Noma apologized, accompanying the ruler of Onderon. "But Her Highness just couldn't calm down and kept on demanding to speak with you," she said, strongly accenting her title in a mocking tone.
"Because?" Revan queried.
"Because my cousin, Vaklu is there, held by your men as the prisoner!" Talia exclaimed enraged. The Dark Lord of the Sith turned his head to look at the Grand Admiral, wanting to know the answer.
"From what we found out in the records, Vaklu was responsible for interrogating Atton Rand. Also, your man has confirmed it."
"You promised me to help me find my cousin!" Talia exclaimed. Anger was still as clear as day in her voice.
"And as far as I'm concerned, I did just that" Revan replied, looking at the prisoners who were kneeling at the floor in the cell, separated from them by the electric field. HK was standing right next to them with his rifle ready.
"Are you kidding me, Revan?" she hissed at him in her broken Galactic Basic. "My cousin is out there like a common criminal!"
"You've heard what Noma said" Revan replied.
"That's some bullshit" she hissed, doing her best to intimidate him. "I don't believe it!"
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but there could be no mistake" Noma opposed. "The data is incontrovertible and Atton himself confirmed that Vaklu was working for Malak as an interrogator."
"And you were working for him as the Admiral of his fleet" Talia countered. "Perhaps you also should be included as one of those prisoners?" she suggested, putting her hands angrily on her hips.
"I'm sorry, Talia" Revan replied.
"I can't believe it" she hissed again, taking a few steps backward. "I helped you when you came to me yesterday and now you're just going to kill the member of my own family?!"
"He worked for the man who betrayed me" Revan countered, looking at her through the vizier of his mask. "I can't simply accept him into service."
"And you don't have to" Talia continued on arguing with him. "You can just let him go! There is no shame in showing mercy."
"Release him" Revan decided after a few seconds of hesitation. He didn't want to do it but he couldn't risk breaking the alliance with Talia so quickly. He watched as the queen of Onderon sighed in relief. After a moment, Vaklu was released from the group of the prisoners who were still kneeling on the floor. "Kill them" Revan ordered without any sign of hesitation in his voice.
"Statement: With pleasure, master" HK replied, charging his rifle. Revan saw with the corner of his eyes as Talia and Vaklu left the Prison Block, though his eyes quickly returned to the prisoners. He watched as HK proceeded with the execution of several dozen men, sending a bullet into the skulls of each and every one of them. Noma turned her head in an opposite direction, not wanting to witness the massacre of the defenseless people. Revan could clearly notice her trembling slightly each time the shot was heard. It amused him, seeing the experienced Admiral who spent her whole life in the army flinching at the sound of a rifle.
"Drop them through the airlock" Revan ordered when the last one of the prisoners was executed. He spun on his heel, starting to make his way towards the room that served as his personal quarters.
Okay, that's it for today, let me know in the comments what you think about this chapter. Feel free to write in the reviews any questions or suggestions you may have. I'll do my best to reply to all of them. Also, I'll try to return to more frequent updates but I can't promise anything.