Welcome back! It's been a while since I posted, hasn't it? I can proudly say that I managed to get through all of my ending exams and I passed to the next class :D. Additionally, I was able to get my driving license, and I'm extremely happy because of that. And had my first car crash which I'm not so happy with XD. And, I guess that you will find this more interesting, I will be re-writing the first dozen or so chapters of 'Price of the Sacrifice' to make them less… cringy XD. I won't post it as a 'Price of the Sacrifice re-written' but I will inform you here, or in that story, about the changes. But you'll have to be patient because for now, I'd rather focus on this one.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 10
Atris was standing in the ruins of the Jedi Temple on Tython, infuriated. The ancient structure didn't resemble their previous home on Coruscant almost in anything. The entire planet was for the Grand Master too… quiet. She spent almost her entire life in the Capital of the Republic and she has already got used to the presence of over one trillion beings living there. Now, the birthplace of the Jedi Order seemed empty to her.
She still couldn't believe how that happened. How in a single moment have they fallen so low? Of course, she knew the answers. It was because of just a one man. The one man that caused so many things to go against her will.
"We have to find him" she whispered to herself. "We have to find him" Atris repeated louder for other Masters to hear her. What remained of the Jedi Council was gathered in one of the highest rooms of the Temple.
"And how are you planning to do that?" Master Q'Anilia asked. "We've lost him a few days ago and we have no idea where he can be."
"He has to be somewhere in this Galaxy" Atris countered. "And as long as he lives, he can be found. I'm not going to just let him disappear like that. We are here because of him. Vrook and Kavar are dead because of him!"
"He can literally be anywhere. We've lost him as soon as he made a jump into hyperspace with his fleet" Q'Anilia replied, somehow trying to reach with her inner sight what she couldn't notice with her own eyes.
"Besides, wouldn't it be wiser if we searched for Bastila instead?" Zez-Kai-Ell asked, stroking his bushy mustache. "The Force tells me that if we get her, Revan will come to us without the need to lure him out of his hiding."
Q'Anilia shook her head before any of the other Masters could say anything. "He sent her to us in the first place" she reminded her fellow Jedi. "Using her as a bait won't work."
"But it can help us regain our position in the Republic" Zez-Kai-Ell reminded the six other Masters who were gathered in the Chamber. "If we bring her back to Coruscant, we may be accepted back. And from there we could start looking for Revan. Even if he doesn't come for Bastila, she still may lead us to him."
"Bastila is just a stupid child" Atris snapped at them, turning back from the window. "I doubt she would even deserve a title of the Padawan if it wasn't for her Battle Meditation. I won't allow the Jedi Order to fall so low as to chase a stupid girl who couldn't control her own passion. Besides, her betrayal was only an effect of Revan's influence. If we want to reclaim our position in the Republic, we must focus all our efforts on finding this man."
"How do you want to do it?" Q'Anilia asked again, speaking loudly doubts that not only she had. "We barely managed to lure out his fleet during the War. He can be anywhere in the Unknown Regions for that matter."
"This Galaxy may be big, but it's not infinite" Atris countered, stepping closer to other Masters. "Send each and every Jedi we have – whether it is an apprentice, a Padawan, a Knight or a Master – to all corners of the Galaxy. As long as Revan lives, he can still be found and I refuse to allow someone who mocked us so openly to remain unpunished. He defied us far too often in his life."
"Scattering the Order will be risky," Raana noticed. "Exile from Coruscant left us vulnerable already. Sending our forces into each and every corner of the Galaxy will leave us undefended. It won't be difficult for our potential enemies to hunt us down one by one."
"It's the risk I'm willing to take" Atris countered. "Besides, our only enemy right now is Revan."
"What about the threat we warned him before he joined the Republic in the Mandalorian Wars?" Zez-Kai-Ell asked. His voice was calm as always. "After the Wars, Revan himself has confirmed that he found something."
"Did you really believe a traitor?" Atris snapped at him. "The threat that waited behind the Mandalorian Wars was what Revan could and had become. There is nothing else!"
"Nevertheless, scattering the Jedi Order will be a great risk" Lucien Draay agreed with Master Raana. "Many things may happen if we do so. We've seen time and time again Malak sending his assassins to take down the Jedi who dared to wander far enough from our reach. If each and every one of us goes his own way, I'm afraid it will mean the very end of the Jedi Order."
"As I've said, it's a risk I'm willing to take" Atris countered, informing the other Masters that she considered their argument to be over. "Master Q'Anilia, you are responsible for that. Send every Jedi we have to all corners of the Galaxy, whether it's a Republic Space, the Unknown Regions or the Hutt Space. Send the masters with their respective Padawans and Knights with the apprentices. Each and every one of them has one the same task: find Revan by any means necessary."
"What about those who betrayed us?" Q'Anilia asked, accepting the task given her by the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. "Vandar, Nomi, and Lonna chose to side with Revan. They made it possible for Bastila to escape. They must be punished and I think that the exile from the Order is not enough."
"They aren't our greatest concern right now" Atris replied, waving her hand at the same time as if she was whisking away an intrusive fly. "They are to be killed if given the chance but still, Revan remains our top priority. Do not forget it."
"When am I supposed to send the Jedi?"
"As soon as possible" Atris answered immediately. "The longer Revan remains free, the further he is from our grasp. We cannot allow him to roam this Galaxy freely anymore. He's done enough evil in his short life already."
"I shall do you as you commanded, Grand Master" Q'Anilia replied, bowing deeply. "And may the Force be with you.
Atris didn't reply.
"I have no idea how anyone can last here longer than just a few minutes" Wolfie commented when they finally left the Trayus Academy. "This place is terrible. And I thought it only affected the Jedi."
"It's no surprise that you can feel the effect this place imposes on the Force-sensitive" Traya replied, passing him by. "This planet has been a Sith homeworld for millennia now. The Dark Side of this place can be touched almost physically and what you did here at the end of the Mandalorian Wars only escalates it. If you listen closely, you can still hear screams of thousands who perished here, crashed by gravity's fist. Jedi, Mandalorians and common Republic soldiers – they all were powerless against the sheer strength of your device."
"It was easier to live on Dromund Kaas" Atton commented, breathing out a sigh of relief after he left the Academy. "And that planet is vibrant, in opposition to this dead rock."
"We'll be returning to the Star Forge" Revan announced. Though he didn't show it, even he was affected negatively by their visit to the Academy. "I must admit I was surprised that the vault remained untouched," he said, directing his words to Darth Traya. "The knowledge they contain could bring terrible results if it was to be unleashed."
"Neither of my two apprentices saw much value in this place" Traya reminded him. She seemed to be the only one not affected by the dark aura of the Trayus Academy. "They both were too blinded by their own abilities to accept what else I had to offer for them."
"Nihilus's survival depends on others. It's not an ability, it's a curse" Revan commented. "And the second one… He clings too tight to the Dark Side to let the death take him. His body has died years ago when we activated the Mass Shadow Generator. His desperate effort to remain in this world only feeds on him. That's also a curse."
"I didn't tell you about Sion and what makes him unique amongst the others," Traya noticed, revealing the name of the second emissary.
"You didn't have to. The Academy speaks louder and more clearly than any words you could say."
"No wonder I always considered you to be my most talented student" Traya praised him, though there was no trace of a single emotion in her voice.
"It doesn't surprise me either" Revan replied cockily. "Fox, contact Admiral Sommos, tell her to convoke another meeting of the Generals and Admirals of my army. We're close enough to the Star Forge for the signal to reach it. We have a war to plan and Atton recently returned with the information I sent him for."
"Right away, My Lord."
"I'll stay here" Traya announced as they were approaching their shuttle. "There isn't any more danger for me in the Academy; it's empty. I will be able to regenerate here faster than anywhere else in the Galaxy."
"The Star Forge is strong in the Dark Side as well" Revan offered. "It helped to fight off the poison that was killing me recently while there was no medicine available."
"The Star Forge is still just a machine, after all," Traya countered, stopping in her tracks. "While this planet has a life of its own. Or, at the very least, had. I'll wait for you to prepare me a ship and a crew. Besides, it will be easier for me to focus here on the events that are currently taking place. I can feel the Force shifting uncontrollably around Atris and the Jedi Order and from here I may have a chance to understand what it means."
"I'd rather had you at my side while we'll be planning our moves against the Empire," Revan said, looking his old master dead in the eye. Or at least just as much as his mask allowed him to do that. "I'm sure your wisdom would be invaluable."
"Don't flatter me, Revan" Traya replied, turning back to where the entrance to the Academy was. "You waged two wars without me helping in your plans and you had won one and was close to winning another as well. Besides, I'm not a tactician. I'm just an old woman."
"One more question before you go" Revan stopped her before she could go back to the Academy. "Why Darth Voren wasn't with you as well as that Twi'lek woman, Yuthura? They both were recently in the Trayus Academy and yet you were all alone when Nihilus and Sion betrayed you."
"Your outburst on Korriban was loud enough for almost everyone to hear it. They just followed the explosion to know its source. A bad timing, if I did say so myself" she chuckled humorlessly. With that, she turned away and disappeared back in the Academy.
"Noma received my message" Fox announced when they parted ways with Darth Traya. "She said that everything will be ready upon our arrival."
"Bring this ship to life" Revan ordered. He knew that he had already wasted much time, both on Dxun and in the Trayus Academy. The war has already begun, the pawns were moved. Only one question remained. Where would the first battle take place?
"As I said a few days ago, we're facing a new enemy now" Revan began when everyone had gathered. All the Admirals and Generals that were present when his return was announced were there again, as well as some of the higher ranked Dark Jedi, including Darth Voren and Yuthura Ban. Fox and Wolfie were present as well, standing loyally behind their superior. Atton received a sitting place at the table. "And we have to prepare ourselves to face him. Before I was betrayed by Malak, I've sent Atton to the planet Dromund Kaas to gather as much information as he possibly could" Revan said, pointing his gloved hand at one of his best assassins and spies. Looking at him from behind his mask, he gave him a nod to proceed with what he found out.
The man often nicknamed 'Jaq' cleared his throat before tossing a small datapad on the table in front of him. He pressed a few buttons and a hologram of the planet came to live. "Dromund Kaas is a planet almost twice the size of Coruscant itself but is mostly inhabited. There is only one big city located there that serves as a home for millions of creatures. Behind the walls, the planet is covered with thick forests and vast oceans, nothing interesting. The population are mostly humans and those odd-looking, red, humanoid creatures…"
"The Sith" Revan interrupted him.
"…Whatever" Atton continued. "But there are of course some other species, yet I doubt they have any meaning there at all. They're mostly merchants."
"I was able to infiltrate the city." He zoomed a specific area on the hologram. As the result, only the city was being displayed."It is surrounded with a force field and reinforced with an auto-turret grid. The only place that may be somehow important to us is the Imperial Citadel but it's also the only place I couldn't get into. I was only able to get some info about that place from the outside. It is the most important building in the entire city. It is said to be a home for the members of the Dark Council, the military leaders, and the Emperor himself. But I have no idea how one can enter this building. I spent a few days and nights, trying to find a gap in the sentinels' schedule but there was none. Each entrance is guarded by at least two warriors, trained in lightsaber combat better than many of the Jedi. I don't know though if they are capable of using the Force. Except for them, there are snipers located on the few nearby buildings" he said, pointing at the buildings on the hologram. "You need to be invited in order to get in. There is no other way of getting inside this building in one piece."
"Or you have to be allowed to enter" Revan murmured, recalling as he and Malak entered the Citadel.
"I managed to gather some other information, though" Atton continued, not hearing Revan's comment. "I was able to find out about another important world located within the boundaries of their Empire. It's a small planet that lies roughly a few light years from our current position and by many merchants is often referred to as 'the Gateway to the Empire'. A simple rumor has led me there, but I can assure you, My Lord, that my time spent there wasn't wasted" he said quickly, as if trying to avoid Revan's anger for not sticking to the task given to him. After saying these words, Atton threw yet another datapad on the table. It was a much smaller one.
"What is it?" Revan queried, eyeing the small device suspiciously.
"On Ziost are located the headquarters of their Ministry of Logistics. Compared to the Imperial Citadel, they are left practically undefended" Atton said with a smug grin. Interested by his words, Revan picked up a small datapad, turning it on. "I think I don't have to say that I was able to get my hands on those plans" he added. His grin became wider. "I copied everything I could, from their trade routes to the layout of their navy. And except for the Ministry of Logistics, on Ziost is also located the Orbital Defense Command Center. It contains all the information about the defenses of each and every one of their planets."
"And you were able to get there like that? There were no guards?" General Derred asked suspiciously, voicing the doubts all people located in the Conference Room had.
"I didn't say those places were unprotected" Atton countered. "I just said that compared to the Citadel there seemed to be no guards at all." His smug grin got wider if it was even possible.
"You weren't caught?" Admiral Len queried, hardly believing his ears. "I may be an old man, but still it's hard for me to believe that places of such a value are being defended so poorly that a mere whelp could get in so easily."
"I'm no whelp, old man!" Atton countered, angered by the Admiral's insinuation.
"Silence!" Revan ordered before they could even begin arguing. "Officer Halan, I want you to take a look at this," he said to the Intelligence Officer, handing him the datapad. The man in his mid-forties accepted it without saying a word. "Scan the data collected by Atton and inform me if you find anything suspicious. As far as I believe in Atton's skills as a spy, I share Admiral Len's worries. There is a possibility that you were just allowed inside."
"Where would be a sense in that?" Atton asked, his confidence slowly dropping.
"Their plans might have been faked" Officer Halan replied. "It is a trick commonly used during the times of war. Allowing your enemy to steal your plans, only to have prepared an entirely different strategy, one that would be a total counterattack. I'll analyze it as fast as I can, My Lord" he said, directing the last sentence to Revan.
"Then I'm afraid I have practically nothing more," Atton said, slumping back into his chair. "As I've said, the Citadel is impregnable. I also have the information about the boundaries of their Empire, but I doubt there could be any use of that" he offered.
"Nevertheless, the information about Ziost is useful" Revan concluded, pondering on Atton's words for a while. "Even if it turns out that the data Atton stole was faked, the places he described can contain their transmission codes," he said, allowing others to guess his trail of thoughts.
"And if we can get our hands on them, we'll be able to spy on their ship-to-ship communication" Noma finished.
"Given that these codes are there," Officer Halan said.
"You said that the data you've stolen contained the information about theirs planetary defenses, right?" Revan asked.
"Aye."
"Officer Halan, there will be a change of plans. Will check the accuracy of the stolen data by conquering Ziost. If we succeed, we may get the upper hand right at the beginning of the war" Revan said with a smile that didn't make it through his mask.
"And if we fail?" the Intelligence Officer asked.
"Then we'll have a reason to worry" Revan replied. It was rare for him to act like this: without a backup plan, but it was a necessity. "Prepare the fleet," he said, looking at the Grand Admiral. "General Derred, you will lead the ground assault. Darth Voren and Yuthura will accompany you."
"Of course, My Lord" General and the two Dark Jedi Revan mentioned replied simultaneously.
"How many ships do you want to dedicate to this invasion?" Noma asked, accepting the task given to her without a single trail of hesitation.
"Leave here only 4th, 6th and 9th fleet. Take the rest with you" Revan ordered after a moment of wondering. "And I think it will also be a good opportunity to test these new HK-50 models" he added with a smile that once again escaped everyone's attention. "Send one hundred units. If they can match HK-47's attitude, then I wouldn't worry about the outcome of the battle."
"It will be done, My Lord" Noma replied, bowing her head slightly.
"Darth Voren, take as many Dark Jedi as you wish. These are true-born Sith we are dealing with. I'm sure there will plenty of Force-wielding warriors amongst our enemies and I'd rather go through the first battle with as little casualties as possible."
Darth Voren nodded his head in agreement.
"That will be all for today" he announced, rising up from his seat. Everyone else mimicked his movements. "Your orders are simple: conquer Ziost. This is the only plan for now. If we succeed, we'll come up with some long-shot strategies, but now focus your efforts on this one task. Grand Admiral Sommos will lead the assault. Admirals Len and Davim," he said, addressing the two men. "For the time of the battle, you two report to her as your superior, is that clear?"
"Of course, My Lord" they both replied simultaneously.
"General Derred, you and Commander Gran will lead our troops in the ground assault" Revan continued. "Your primary objective: conquer the Ministry of Logistics and the Orbital Defense Command Center. Use any means necessary to get inside, but the buildings and what's inside them must remain intact, did I make myself clear?"
"Yes, My Lord" Derred replied, straightening up.
"We won't fail you, My Lord" Commander added, bowing his head.
"Officer Halan, I want you to go as well" Revan added after a moment. "Take your best technicians with you. Given that we win the battle and my suspicions are correct, I want you to get into their internal systems as fast as possible. These codes can prove to be crucial for our future war effort."
"I'll do as you command, My Lord."
"So that's it then. Hurry to your tasks and may the Force serve you well" Revan said, signalizing that the meeting was over. One by one, they began to leave the Conference Room. "Grand Admiral, may I have a word in private?" he asked, though it was only out of sheer politeness. He could have very well ordered her to stay and others to leave.
"Of course, My Lord" Noma replied, turning back into the Conference Room.
"How good are the ships with the masking technology?" Revan queried. Noma pondered for a while.
"Enough to carry a small group of troops," she said, recalling all the knowledge she had on that particular project. "We have carried out all the tests necessary and no scanner was able to detect them."
"Can they make a jump into hyperspace?"
"Yes," she replied without hesitation.
"Prepare one for me. I don't want any crew, though. I'm heading alone. I want the invasion of Ziost to be carried out during my absence."
"Of course, My Lord," she said and turned to leave. Just as she was right in front of the door, her curiosity got best of her. "If I may ask, where are you heading to?"
"Coruscant."
Okay, that's it for today. As always, I encourage you to leave a review to let me know what you think about it. See you.