Nexus: Fulcrum – part one


Revan Freeflight:

The corridors blurred.

I lost all sense of my surroundings. The only sound that registered was the thud of my footfalls, one after another, on and on as either instinct or muscle memory propelled me ever forward.

I ran down a ramp, lurched over a guard-rail, landed a few floors below before barrelling left into another anonymous service corridor.

The path wasn't familiar to me, not consciously, but my limbs knew the quickest route to take.

The Force was reeling me in to the centre of the Star Forge – and I didn't know if I was a gormless tach hopping into a scent trap, or a zakkeg ruthlessly hunting down its prey.

And in my head, the murmuring grew to cacophony with every step I executed.

-this place is yours. light or dark or somewhere in between. you can master it again, do it different this time-

Silken whispers of promise-

-this is the only way. the only way you can win-

-but the promise was offset by other words, other voices, other snatches of memory. Memories that acted like a scattershot of faith dispersing the intangible yearning of the kaiburr to be mastered.

"You won't win if you fall."

"I stand in the light, Revan. Stay in the light with me."

"There is no emotion, there is peace."

Tucked away deep in a corner of my mind, Bastila was a kernel of power. Shaky, unsteady, and delving into a meditation she wasn't entirely invested in.

But doing so regardless, because of me.

And that was a strength in itself. Bastila, turning back around and fighting for me, guarded by my insane droid – and two of the sentients I trusted most in the galaxy.

"Revan Freeflight, whom I thought long buried, rose anew from the ashes."

"Who you were does not matter. Be true to who you are now."

Cool metal walls brushed against my palm. The Force was thickening, a calefaction of fire, malicious and burning with enmity. I could feel my speed slow as the air itself turned heavy with heat and hate.

I was closing in.

Malak's power was thrumming around me now, and each leaden pace was harder than the last. I felt like a flicker of light slowly fading against the suffocating encroachment of the dark.

"Your friends are what give you strength, Revan. Don't forget that."

"You go take out Darth Poodoo, and we'll have your back."

"Whatever happens, it'll be a battle song worthy for the stars."

I clenched my teeth, and drove forward.

Spherical walls of cinereous grey loomed ahead. Awaiting me was a massive dome of silver, a chamber-sized bulb nestling in the heart of the Star Forge. The nexus of my past.

I knew what was beyond.

The kaiburr. Malak. My end game.

"Promise me you'll get out of there alive."

There was a hatch set into this side of the dome.

-come forward. you can win. you can have everything you desire-

Revan.

My hand rose, and the hatch opened.

xXx

Canderous Ordo:

Something was pounding at the base of my skull. Mouth dry like I'd knocked back one too many vox shots; limbs aching like I'd spent all night at an aay'hen fest with a pair of akaanir dala. Hands empty-

The realization jerked me into action. I lurched sideways into a roll, grasping wildly for a weapon that wasn't there as I came up in a ready crouch.

Coming to like this was getting all too kriffing commonplace.

Vision blurrily morphed into sense. The hangar was empty. The hole where the entrance hatch had been was deserted. Last thing I'd seen was my own frag grenade prematurely detonating only metres away from my head, just as that robed shabuir had waltzed in like he owned the place.

"Status," I croaked into the comm. "Onasi? Who's up?"

::Canderous?:: Mission's voice, squeaking in my ear. Followed by a sob. ::I saw- I saw-:: She trailed off into another incoherent sob.

"Pull yourself together, ad'ika," I ground out, hauling myself unsteadily to my feet. A deep throbbing behind my ears had me cursing the lack of a helm, but I'd discarded that against those damned battle-droids. "Spit it out. Where's that kriffing Dark Jedi?"

::Ran back out the hatch.:: It was that Republic marksman Tobards, the one on the roof of the 'Hawk who'd fired a lame-arsed shot at me earlier. ::I had a good view from up here, but I couldn't do a blasted thing. My gun was ripped out of my hands-::

::Dustil?:: Onasi cut through the airwaves, voice shaky and threaded through with pain. I spotted movement further ahead – the man himself, leaning heavily against a line of consoles.

Onasi looked as groggy on his feet as I felt.

::Your son lured the blighter away, captain,:: the Republic grunt continued. ::Probably saved all our lives. That Dark Jedi was doing something to Jedi Bindo, but your son drove him back to the entrance hatch. Then- then he left-::

I spotted my blaster lying metres away, and just past the nearby snub was another discarded gun – Mission's, I thought, as I heaved forward to grab them both.

::Left?:: Onasi barked, voice hoarse. ::Dustil- his comm's still alive- Dustil, dammit, can you hear me?::

A crackle of static met his demand. I felt my mouth turn down in a hard grimace as I levelled the blaster at the remains of the entry hatch. Oh, Sithkid had some power in him, I didn't deny that – but I'd heard enough from both Revan and old man Bindo to ascertain exactly how much training the boy lacked.

Onasi's son didn't have a chance against a Dark Jedi powerful enough to knock us all out with one sweep of his robed hand.

::Dee ran into the Star Forge, Carth,:: Mission whispered, daring to voice what all of us already knew. ::And that Dark Jedi's gone after him.::

xXx

Revan Freeflight:

Breathe in.

The chamber was colossal. Larger even than it appeared from the outside.

Breathe out.

The floor was a vast circle of chrome with a railing edging around the outside. Darkened pillars loomed behind the railing at regular intervals, adding a gloomy feel to the chamber that seemed more of a shadowy aesthetic touch than a structural necessity.

In the centre rose the majestic kaiburr, a murky uncut mineral of grey, towering some ten metres high as it brushed the ceiling. Veins of vermillion red flushed an iridescent hue as they spider-walked deep into the translucent crystal.

The kaiburr was hauntingly, eerily beautiful.

Breathe in.

The stone pulsed, a massive heart beating out flurries of chaotic energy, all funnelling into-

Breathe out.

-Malak.

My breath hitched.

The figure was dwarfed by the imposing rock, and if not for the Force he would be almost unnoticeable. He was facing me, legs apart, arms folded, clad in an exoskeleton of black-and-grey.

The Force poured into him, eddies of darkness churning into a wild cyclone fuelled by emotion so intense I almost choked in reaction.

He took a step. Then another. And a third- before he was striding forward like all the ominous misdeeds of my past rushing forth to slam me into the nothingness I deserved.

But, in the end, what I deserved did not matter. Not here, at the crux of everything.

Malak came to a stop some metres in front of me, yellow eyes gleaming with malevolence.

"And so," his mechanical voice jeered, the thrum of his voder jarringly harsh. "The shell returns to her former seat of power."

The automated timbre of his voice was utterly discordant with what my mind expected.

Malak was tall, impressively so, and his form-fitting armour exuded a perception of tightly coiled musculature. Something brushed wistfully against my soul, like the sigh of a long-forgotten wraith. I could imagine a thick crop of brown hair instead of a tattooed pate, whiskey-coloured eyes instead of poisoned yellow, a fierce expression of devotion instead of-

"Mal," I croaked. My eyes were dry. My mind stilled to a blank.

All of the past echoes I had encountered- the ones who had truly known me- Karon, Zhar, Yudan, Nisotsa- I'd felt something. A kindling of empathy, emotion, of recognition deep within my core – even if my own memory failed me time and again.

The man standing in front of me was as familiar as home. As familiar as death.

And I felt nothing.

"Mal?" he mocked. It sounded like glee in his voice. "Shall I call you Rev? Revvie? My flying star?"

Nothing- but feeling nothing made no sense. In front of me towered the very foundation of my past – had the Jedi somehow burned all of that away, leaving me only with wisps of memory disjointed from any emotion whatsoever?

No. The Dark Side did that, my mind whispered. Beneath the apathy, I knew, rippled a crevasse of black grief I couldn't afford to lose myself in. Others followed the shadows I cast, some close enough to trail in my wake – but Malak was the one who held my hand while I destroyed myself.

And then I threw his hand aside, and let the dark devour us both.

Malak took another step forward. The iridescence of the kaiburr gleamed against his striped head, against the chrome jaw I had given him. "Long have I anticipated this confrontation, Revan, even if I did not believe you would make it this far. But then fate has always laid its heavy hand upon your path." He paused for a brief moment, as if considering his next words. "Well. However fleeting your struggle will be, I know I shall savour it." Malak laughed, then; harsh and forbidding.

The laugh reverberated around the chamber, slowly dying echoes, until nothing was left but his silent derision.

The words did not rattle me. Malak's scorn, at least, I had expected.

His brows lowered, as if he perceived his taunts were ineffectual. "Do the glimpses of the past torment you, Revan?" he continued on in a carefully modulated voice. "I have seen deep into Bastila's mind. I know how broken you truly are, how little you recall. And yet you must know we were lovers once. Do you remember my touch, Revan? Do you remember how I could undo you with a single caress?"

I was almost surprised to find his words had as little effect as before.

He seeks a way of unsettling me. Malak's mockery was but a twisted version of truth designed solely to wound. But all it did was thicken the grief. This... this was a tactic I often used. Any means for victory, be it brute strength or verbal barbs or unexpected sacrifice... the end always, always, justifies the means.

Always. And that is why I fell.

"I remember Talshion," I said quietly. My words came with little conscious thought on my part, as if they were more for me than Malak. "Talshion was there in my earliest recollections. I know... I know we always had each other's backs, once."

The surprise that flared across his face was as cruel as it was delighted. "Our infancy? That is what came to you first? Oh, Revan." My name was a machine-driven rumble of amusement. A jaggedly painful contrast with the voice I had once known. "To think, I had speculated that something palpable would stand before me. A fragment of the righteous Jedi, or a sliver of the driven lord." Malak shook his head in a slow, measured taunt. His glowing eyes never left mine. "I even wondered whether the Order's brainwashing would win out, leaving nothing but a battered husk of some erudite null. But in the end what remains is the feckless street kid of old. Really, Revan? Of all your iterations, you choose your youth?"

"Street kid," I muttered, as something firmed in my chest. I could feel the Force return, now; harden and strengthen into solid purpose. "Jedi Knight, Sith Lord, broken scholar... they all echo within me, Malak. I am what I am."

Malak looked entirely unimpressed. "The darkness and the light have always waged constant war within you, Revan. Like a torched battleground, now wasted and forgotten." His glowing eyes pinched tight. "In the end, you-" he took a step "-are-" his hand punched into the air "-nothing!"

Power flared.

A spear of energy, both unseen and barbed, launched directly at my heart.

The air around me flexed inward, a hastily erected shield concaving against the breakneck assault. My feet were driven backwards, slipping along smooth floors, as the Force within burned to life. Strengthening, melding, thrusting back against the onslaught.

A shattering, then, as Malak's attack splintered into a myriad of dispersing particles, of energy diffusing around me on all sides.

Muscles locked, tense and rigid; I held my ground as my eyes narrowed on him.

And into Malak's outstretched grasp flew his lightsaber hilt. "Good," he murmured, as single red dawned to life. "I was beginning to think you were nothing but a galactic anti-climax."

The red of his 'saber threw his profile into stark relief. Red, that had once been blue. No recollection, just a hard fact I somehow knew: Malak still used the same lightsaber that had once inspired thousands upon thousands to follow him.

"It ends here, Malak." I could hear my words ice over; my mind clear into sharp, crystalline purpose. The melancholy vanished. Everything that Malak had been to me once no longer mattered: here, on this game board, he was simply my opponent.

"Yes," Malak hissed; a hiss of agreement, of certainty. "Yes, it does."

xXx

Mission Vao:

"What?" I squawked in alarm.

Carth wasn't even looking at me. "I have to find him," he was muttering, like the world's biggest laserbrain. "I can't leave him out there."

"I get that, Onasi, I'd do the same in your boots," Canderous returned, just as stupidly. At least he was still watching the exit with his gun raised high. "But you gotta accept it's a kriffing suicide run all by yourself. Mand'alor's balls, any moment now that mir'osik might decide to wander back in here again."

"Carth," I wailed, blinking hurriedly. I wasn't gonna cry, dammit. "If Dee's still out there, still alive, he'll be busy, y'know, fighting with the freaking Force! You can't- you jus' can't-"

::I need a weapon, Captain:: that dumb Republic guy broke in over the dumb comm. ::Jedi Bindo warned me not to move with my injuries. Why don't you send that Twi'lek up here with a blaster? I've still got a clear shot at the hatch where I am.::

"Fat lot of good it did last time," I mumbled, still blinking. Dee was fine – he just had to be – but the thought of Carth running after him and that sleemo Sith was just completely borked. It wasn't like Carth could turn himself invisible!

"Mission-"

"No!" I cried, stamping forward and jabbing him hard in the gut. Even wearing scale mesh, Carth still grunted in discomfort. "Look, juma-head, you just got slammed into a stupid console with a wave of that scuzzball's hand! If that Dark Jedi's still out there, what're ya gonna do? Talk him to death?"

"Mission, he's my son," Carth said quietly, as his hands came to rest lightly on my shoulders. I blinked a third time, staring up into his stupid, stupid brown eyes. "I believed him dead for four years. If there's a chance I can do something, anything... Teethree can report all hatch openings and lead me to them. I might be able to catch that bastard by surprise-"

"You'll get yourself killed! You'll-"

"Ad'ika, stop." Canderous' voice was as hard as it was commanding. "Onasi's got to live with himself. And we have to hold the fort. Go run your blaster up to Tobards and then get your skinny blue arse back down here."

Canderous was holding out my weapon in his spare hand. I didn't know where he'd picked that up from- I'd fumbled it under the snub thanks to that nerf-herding Sith-

"The others," I said desperately, ignoring stupid Canderous to glare at stupid Carth. "Can't we comm one of them back? That ronto-turd Rosh- he could, like, run super-fast and go after Dee-"

"They're busy, Mission," Carth cut in. His voice had turned all soft and gentle. "You know that. We're on our own."

"There's a text-only transmit," Canderous said abruptly. "Read it for yourself, Onasi."

Carth dropped his hands, same time as I scrambled to parse the output on my wrist-comm myself. Words, in pale green text, clinically stating what the others were up to-

"They found her," Carth breathed a sec later. "Bastila. She's-"

"Yeah," Canderous grunted. "The princess is back on our side. About bloody time."

"And Revan has gone after Malak," Carth finished in a quiet murmur.

"See!" I cried. The message was from dumb Rosh – and he hadn't let slip too many deets on the transmit, but there was enough to get that Jen had gone off alone. Leaving Big Z and Rosh and Psycho Droid behind with Bastila. "Let's get Rosh back here, not like he's doing anything useful while prissy Bastila does her thing-"

"Revan ordered them to guard Bastila." Carth was scrolling through the message a second time, like it was gonna magically change. "Bastila is the key to turning the fleet battle around. That's- at least we have some good news."

He didn't sound happy. 'Course he didn't. Not with Dee out there.

"There's no reason they can't all come back here, then!" I felt like stamping my foot. I felt like bursting into tears. I wanted Big Z back here, not stuck somewhere deep in this slimy place, while Dee had run off with a black-robed chuba-face hot on his heels-

"Mission." Carth enfolded me into his arms, then, and my face pressed hard against the mesh armour covering his chest. It smelled like ash and sweat. "Even I can admit that what they're doing is more important than finding my son. We all have our part to play. Rosh and Zaalbar are protecting Bastila. You and Ordo will keep the 'Hawk safe."

"But-" My voice broke as my throat tightened. I barely felt the first hot tears drop free, though at least my face was mushed against Carth so stupid Canderous wouldn't sneer at me. "But what if there's more bad guys?"

"Then we fight." Canderous was resolute behind me. "Though I don't reckon there is. A Dark Jedi wouldn't attack with those Force-blocking assassins around, it'd nullify his own strength. He probably waited to see what pickings were left, the hu'tuun shabuir."

"I have to go, Mission." Carth's voice was low and hard. His palms were gentle on my shoulders as he slowly pulled back from me.

"Ad'ika." Heavy hands clapped down on me from behind, and I was unceremoniously plucked from Carth's embrace before being spun around. Canderous' hard-edged face was lined in a deep frown as he stared at me. "Stop acting like a kid. You ain't one anymore, and this ain't the place for it. Go run up to Tobards, then get some meds from the 'Hawk and see if you can rouse old man Bindo. Do it now."

My fists curled in reflex, same time as one lekku twined around my neck. I felt myself nodding, sniffing back the tears as my teeth clenched. I hated being told what to do, even from Canderous, but it wasn't like Carth was listening to reason-

"Talk to Teethree," Carth ordered quietly behind me. "Find out the most likely direction Dustil went, and relay that over the comm."

I glanced back to him. Without Canderous on my side, there was no way I'd be able to stop Carth being a total marsh toad.

Which meant the only thing left for me to do was actually help.

And I could admit, to myself at least, that maybe I'd run after Dee, too – if we didn't have the 'Hawk and the others to worry about.

"Okay," I got out, before snatching my gun from Canderous' off-hand with a scowl. "Okay. Jus'- jus' come back, okay?"

Carth nodded in acceptance – which was lame, really, because how could he promise something like that? He threw one last grim look at Canderous, before striding to the hole in the wall and vanishing around the corner.

xXx

Revan Freeflight:

Malak's sweeping lunge, mighty and fast, was as much a test as his Force spear had been.

I was leaping sideways by then, my own 'saber glaring to life as he spun on one foot and followed his attack with an overhand strike.

Cyan parried scarlet in a dazzling crackle of light.

"One blade, Revan?" Malak taunted. A brow raised in mocking consideration. "Did you misplace a lightsaber?"

"I'm versatile, Malak," I shot back, staring at him through the blue-red crosshairs of our 'sabers. "I don't need two weapons to best you."

"Let us dance, then." The words murmured from his voder, artificially soft and drawling. "For old times' sake. Perhaps, this is a more fitting way for you to finally die."

Malak pushed forward, before striking out again.

Both my hands held Karon's legacy tight as I blocked his opening flurry: a rain of sweeping blows, followed by a fierce jab that skidded against my sluggish guard.

Immediately on the defensive, I was scrabbling back, feeling the strength of each of his blows reverberate through my forearms as I barely managed to keep a lightsaber between us.

Dodging sideways, leaping clear, or parrying a counter-attack: I was intensely aware of the thin mesh shirt that covered my torso and afforded little resistance to any direct lightsaber hit.

I danced backwards, staying at the edge of his greater reach, focused purely on finding an opening he had yet to grant.

"First hit will down you, Revan," Malak sneered, derisively eyeing me over as I skittered back another handful of steps. "No substantial armour. You always did ignore your own mortality."

Keep moving, my mind whispered, as the fire of Force in my veins began to blaze. His exoskeleton will slow him. Always keep moving.

Stance wide, I allowed Malak a split-second of commitment to his next attack, before battering his lunge aside and throwing a fast riposte aimed directly at his unguarded upper arm.

My 'saber bounced hard away from the cortosis-woven armour; Malak snarled, and an upsurge of Force slammed deep into my gut.

I went flying, catching sight too late of the scarlet plasma thrown from Malak's hands-

xXx

Bastila Shan:

I was stretching out farther than I ever dreamed possible.

Somewhere beneath me, a solid coil of energy grounded my psyche back to my physical form. I would never dare to reach so far, had it not been for the unexpected wellspring of light offered to me: a blessing wrapped in a golden chalice that I was granted permission to sup from.

Grandmaster Vandar Tokare.

We could not speak in words, even joined like this; but I had recognized his signature when his consciousness first brushed against mine.

Freely, he offered his acceptance, his approval, and his unwavering strength to boost my own.

At first it had been somewhat arduous to lower my innate shields and accept his assistance. But I had managed. And now, the shaky faith I scrabbled to sustain – that I could stay true, turn things around and save the Republic Fleet – solidified into rock-solid certainty.

I would prevail, undo what I had wrought, and allow Revan the distance to do the same.

Had I ever felt the Force like this before? So beautiful and placid, yet stretching out for eons: encompassing the entire sector in a web of energy, of love, of unconditional being. All my self-destructive emotions washed away, until there was nothing left but this transcendent genesis of life.

Of peace.

And I was simply a part of the whole.

Flickers of spirit aligned before me: the same matrix I had manipulated earlier, but on an even grander scale. Each spark was left bolstered by my gentle touch, glowing brighter, before I transferred to the next. There was no uncertainty left; no guilt, no recriminations, no doubt. Just, pure, harmony.

Each life flared with hope and sharpness of mind, as I migrated ever onwards.

Then, something stabbing, hot, agonizing-

Alarm tore deep into my Force connection. I was ripped from the web, falling, plummeting, the link with Master Vandar disintegrating as I sailed down-

-slamming back into physical flesh with a resounding thud.

Revan!

Hands clutching at my side; there was no physical wound, but I felt the injury regardless. Gasping, face flattened against the floor, fingernails burrowing into fragile skin-

Revan? Fear was acrid at the back of my throat. Revan, answer me!

I'm okay. A paroxysm of pain radiated through the Force. I beheld the sharp impression of ironclad determination, before Revan abruptly reeled her emotions in, retreating from me. I'm fine. She sounded fierce. Focus on the Fleet.

She had been hurt. A wound alongside her torso that, even now, throbbed in my own body with painful clarity. How debilitating her injury was I could not tell, but my heart was fluttering with uncertainty.

Should I reach out? Lend her my strength? Peace, I knew more than she just how almighty Malak was with the Star Forge bending to his decree.

Malak is stronger than you physically, I whispered to my bond-sister. But you are faster, I have seen that-

The Fleet, Bastila!

I receded, driven back by her furious demand. I could sense the Force humming through her, burgeoning and strengthening, and I had seen first-hand just how endless her pool of power seemed at times.

But Revan lacked the serenity of spirit – the recollection of her Jedi training – to access it on demand. And that, I feared, was where Malak would best her.

I must have faith. Revan, have faith. The words were as much for myself as her, but I did not know if Revan could even hear me now. Trust in the Force.

With that final entreaty, I withdrew entirely back into my own mind.

My fingers curled as I pushed shakily up from the floor. I breathed in, lungs filling with air, feeling my lifeblood calm as returning Force eddies swirled gently about me. A soothing warmth brushed against my senses: the peaceful touch of Master Vandar reaching out; a flicker of concern, a question, a nudge reminding me of what we still had to achieve.

Mind clearing, I sank back to my knees, about to reconvene when-

"Onasi's gone too?" A mutter from behind wisped into comprehension. "Ordo. You must keep the Ebon Hawk secure-"

::Yeah, I got that, di'kut.:: Crackle of a comm. ::How about you tell me something useful, like who this kriffing Dark Jedi is? And if there's any more bastards out there?::

Alarm returned, spiking through tranquillity as I abdicated the meditation in favour of whirling around to stare in shock at the others.

"I cannot say for certain, Ordo." Yudan Rosh was frowning at the alusteel communicator affixed on his wrist. "Malak has multiple Dark Jedi bent to his will, but only one of note is still alive. If it is Sharlan Nox chasing after Dustil Onasi-"

"Sharlan Nox." The hiss slipped from my mouth before I could retract it. "That- that- thing has attacked the others?"

The Twi'lek's head jerked in my direction as his expression blanked into composure. He stilled, staring at me hard, before offering one last report on his comm-link to the crewmate I had not seen since Korriban.

"I have nothing useful to add at this stage, Ordo," Yudan said in a monotone, but his narrowed eyes were pinning mine. "As I relayed before: Revan is engaging Malak while Shan aids the Republic Fleet. The Dark Jedi Sharlan Nox can be cowed by superior Force-strength, but he is also easy to underestimate. Rouse the old man if you can."

A curse in Mandalorian was abruptly silenced as the Twi'lek ceased the open communication.

Yudan Rosh had not dropped his gaze from mine. His mouth tightened. "Sharlan Nox is on the Star Forge?" he questioned.

My head dipped in a nod of assent.

"The boy might be able to hide from him," Yudan murmured. His expression did not change, but there was a faint undercurrent of emotion in his soft words. "But Carth Onasi is no Force-sensitive."

"The boy," I echoed blankly. I could feel myself blinking. Yudan had relayed the name Dustil Onasi to Canderous- and with a start, a shaky memory from a lifetime ago unfolded in my minds-eye.

An encounter just before I had been ripped from the crew-

The boy. The Sith adept in the Korriban docking bay, the one nosing around our ship. Revan had discovered him, discovered he was Carth's child, whom Carth had believed dead for all these years-

A wholly unexpected encounter, and one I had not thought on since, for my next recollection was awakening to the tender ministrations of the Sith.

But Revan had been determined to track the boy down, I remembered now- she had argued for his retrieval despite my reservations, despite the Star Map, despite the matters still unspoken between us at that stage. Due in part, I had believed, to her growing attachment to the boy's father.

For it wasn't Carth's child that was of import-

"Carth is going after Sharlan Nox," I echoed numbly, eyelids fluttering. "That is- that is-" Ludicrous. Suicidal. Sharlan will end them both, and return to the Ebon Hawk, if he doesn't first report his success to Malak-

"Revan!" I gasped, shoulders tensing, gaze flying back to Yudan Rosh. "If she hears of Carth's demise-"

"(You are both assuming an event of which has not yet happened)," Zaalbar rumbled gently. "(Worry not of next year's tree-rot when you have this year's hive-ant infestation to deal with first)."

"She might be too occupied to sense his death, being as he has no Force," Yudan murmured, ignoring the Wookiee the same as I. "But she is attuned to those close to her, and there is no denying the depth of her regard for him."

"If she does find out..." I trailed off bleakly. Revan needed every advantage she could muster. She had left us all behind to focus on Malak. A heart-wound from the rear would blindside her, and- "...the bonds of attachment are what has held Revan strong," I whispered. "And Carth-"

"And Carth Onasi is her lover," Yudan Rosh finished in a quiet voice.

That their relationship had progressed did not surprise me, even as an innate repudiation of such entanglement desired to issue forth from my lips. What came out instead was- "You must go after them."

"What?" His word was a hiss, an unexpected show of emotion.

"You know Sharlan Nox," I returned implacably. The rightness of this action rang in the Force, echoed like a bell around me. Attachment was as much a weakness as a strength, and that was why the Jedi denied such individual involvement. Because, at the most critical of moments, attachment could be so easily used against even the most stalwart of beings.

The Sith were more than adept at those sorts of machinations – and a Jedi could be as fallible as any sentient.

And Revan – Revan was as much a Jedi as she had ever been.

"Carth Onasi cannot die," I whispered. "Not if we wish for Revan to stand firm. And you- you must be a match for Sharlan Nox. You can prevent this-"

The Twi'lek's eyes narrowed. "Destroying the Star Forge is our prime objective, Shan. And for that, we must ensure your survival. Revan ordered me to guard you against any danger, and I will not abandon my post."

"There is no other danger! Sharlan Nox is the only Force-sensitive Malak allowed to step foot here, other than myself!" I protested, feeling my cheeks burn. "This section of the Star Forge has naught but a skeleton crew- any danger would be in the form of foot-soldiers, and Zaalbar and HK-47 are adequate protection against that-"

"Indignation: Adequate?" a mechanical voice squawked. "You dare use such an insipid pejorative? Shall I label your glow-stick a toothpick?"

Yudan Rosh did not move, still staring at me intently with an unreadable expression. "Obviously, you have not encountered Malak's battle-droids-"

"(The battle-droids have not intruded this high, Yudan Rosh)," Zaalbar interjected. "(And if they do, we now understand how to take them out with relative ease)."

"You agree with this course of action?" The Twi'lek switched his attention to the Wookiee, as if Zaalbar's counsel was of more worth than my own. Perhaps, at this juncture, it was; but the realization stung nonetheless.

The Wookiee shrugged his massive shoulders. "(I do not foresee any imminent danger here. And Bastila Shan is correct that Carth Onasi's death may... may destabilize Jen at a most dangerous time)."

"Commentary: The master would prefer it if Paranoid Has-Been remained at least semi-functional. As would I. He makes an enticing target for the day the master recognizes the folly of her recent pacifistic bent."

I paid the irritating droid no mind. "You are stronger than Sharlan Nox," I said to the Twi'lek. It was not a question. While I may not have known all the inner workings of the Sith Empire, I was familiar enough with the higher-ranking Dark Jedi to know there were few considered more dangerous than Yudan Rosh. "Can you reach out? Sense where he is?"

One brow quirked at me in question. "Can you?"

I felt my eyelids flutter. "I don't dare," I whispered. Transcending into battle meditation was not the same as stretching out one's awareness to sense the Force; and without the bolstering strength of Grandmaster Vandar, I could not risk opening myself to the temptation of the kaiburr.

In that regard, I simply did not trust myself. I did not know if I could live with myself if I failed again.

Yudan's eyes closed and his lekku relaxed behind him as the Force spilled out. A handful of charged seconds later, and the Twi'lek was staring blindly at the floor. His intake of air was audible and deep.

"I can sense him," Yudan murmured. "Revan and Malak overpower almost everything, but... I can sense Sharlan. I will be able to track him."

His grip tightened on his lightsaber.

"(Go, then)," Zaalbar rumbled gently, motioning a paw at the chamber's exit. "(Protect Carth Onasi and his cub, Yudan Rosh. I shall stand firm here)."

"Mockery: And while the Wookiee practices the evolutionary concept of 'standing', I will take care of anything that might frighten Uptight Soporific."

"Zaalbar," I whispered, as the Twi'lek left the chamber and I slowly sank to my knees again. "Any chance you can set that droid on mute?"

xXx

Revan Freeflight:

The hit to my side was moderate. Bad enough to have burned through the mesh scale and deep into skin. Not debilitating, at least, for I'd already been rolling in evasion when Malak's flying 'saber had connected.

But had I been a split-second slower, things would be a lot worse.

My hands tightened on Karon's hilt as I pushed physical discomfort aside. I was metres back from Malak, now, having retreated with a Force-enhanced leap before he could press his advantage. Legs apart, stance firm and guard ready; my defensive form was solid and waiting for whatever he threw at me next.

I couldn't kid myself, though. If I kept fighting this way, it wouldn't be for long.

Malak is stronger than you physically, Bastila whispered. But you are faster, I have seen that-

And Bastila, despite her best intentions, wasn't helping any.

The Fleet, Bastila! I threw back furiously. Good intentions or not, I couldn't allow her fear to bleed through to me; not here, not now. And even more critically – Bastila had to focus on what was truly important. I needed her aimed at the space battle, not worrying over my health.

"First blood to me, Revan," Malak mocked. Even with a mechanical voice-box plated over his ruined throat, he still sounded so damn smug. "It never used to be so easy."

Malak had his back to the kaiburr once more, as jagged flurries of Force streamed into him from the unbalanced crystal. The veins of vermillion pulsed deep into the rock, indicators of mineral corruption, according him the amplification of a lightsaber crystal on a truly astronomic scale.

I knew he had yet to fully plumb its depths, and I was already struggling.

Have faith.

The esoteric message rang softly in my head. I wasn't sure if the words were a thought or a memory. A reminder, maybe, from the woman I had once been, facing the man I had once loved.

Find another solution. That was what I'd always done. Kept fighting and searching until I found the path to victory. Overcome what you can and accept what you must.

There was no doubt within me, now; no fear or concern. Malak's current superiority was ephemeral – I simply had to find a way to weaken him. And I would.

My senses were intensifying, psyche slipping into a meld of serenity and sharp-honed awareness – a state I had felt before, a state I had mastered before.

Trust in the Force.

And as the kaiburr lent unsteady passion to Malak's next barrelling foray, it was a calm influx of Force that steadied me in response.

For even here, in this dark-edged place, the Force still sang bright. In the air, beyond the walls, deep through the sector and ricocheting within the conjoined mind-link to my bond-sister.

Time decelerated into infinite possibilities. The arc of Malak's attacking lightsaber morphed into predictability; a dodge from me, then, followed by a fast jab he shrugged off with his 'saber.

Malak's return flurry blurred and slowed in my Force-enhanced vision. Each strike I could meet, could block, could predict. Malak leaned to the right, muscles bunching for a lunge that would be both sweeping and over-ambitious. I side-stepped out of reach, before spinning hard on a heel and thrusting forward in a jab aimed at his unguarded side.

The 'saber scored against Malak's armour, but did not penetrate.

His weapon slammed back to knock mine aside, and once more, I danced back out of reach.

"You've been practicing." His eyes narrowed, gleaming a sharper yellow. Malak leaned forward, 'saber twitching in the air, as if he meant to launch another attack. He repeated the move but I held still; seeing the feints for exactly what they were. A low thrum of amusement emitted from his voder. "Has that treacherous Twi'lek been reminding you of our past spars, Revan?"

I didn't answer. Merely took up my 'saber and glided into an offensive form that felt as natural as breathing. I could feel the kaiburr pulse in response, throwing unsteady power into Malak's core, flaring the passion of emotion that I had once taught him to master.

Wait for another sweeping right-hander, my intuition whispered. He always over-extends, but he is fast enough that he can make it work. Against most.

At another time, the haunting knowledge of my blind history would unsettle me. But I was in a place, now, where neither the claws of my past nor the fangs of his words could reach me.

I thrust high, attention fixed on both his stance and his weapon, ready for his slamming block and follow-up riposte. Weaving beneath his counter-attack, I came out with another jab aimed at the same spot on his side.

The 'saber hissed and sparked as that sithspawned armour once more held firm, but judging from Malak's enraged bellow, he'd certainly felt my strike this time.

Cortosis isn't invulnerable – I'd wager that blow rocked the armour's integrity. I need to get another torso hit in, with as much Force-strength as I can muster-

A roundhouse to the jaw caught me completely off-guard.

I staggered, reeling, physical senses momentarily stunned. Drawing furiously on the Force to convert my stumble into a back-spring, I darted out of his longer reach while my shock abated.

I expected a block, a 'saber thrust, a kick to the legs- There was a skein of disbelief to my broken thoughts. He never had the stones to punch me in the face before-

The Force balanced me as my head cleared. Malak, oddly enough, had taken no step closer. He stood ready, facing me, with a slight cant to his posture that further suggested my earlier hit had struck true.

"Enough!" Malak growled. I expected another pointless taunt after that punch, but instead it was fury building in his narrowed eyes. Charging upon the air, as a wind gust whipped to life around him. "Enough. I am done playing with you, Revan."

A dark pressure surged against my connection to the Force. My own hold stayed firm, but my eyes widened nonetheless as a staggering torrent funnelled into Malak from the kaiburr.

Not just from the frelling kaiburr-!

No, no- like the barbs of an encircling septagram, I could clearly sense seven distinct sources of power edged around the railing of the chamber. All drawing the Force from- from somewhere- before amplifying it through the massive crystal and then feeding it back to Malak.

The pillars, some of the pillars are hiding something- What I'd taken as nothing more than gloomy architecture obviously hid something more ominous. Some sort of gateway-

My awareness stretched out in a frantic need to evaluate and understand, but all I could fathom was the idea of seven separate portals, somehow offering Malak an endless stream of Force to pull upon at will.

And the power in his grasp kept growing.

"Now you will see what the Star Forge is truly capable of, Revan," Malak rasped. The Force lashed, visible for the crackle of black-and-white that spat around his torso. A deathly achromatic fount of raw energy he was about to focus on me. "Now you will finally die."

xXx

Zaalbar:

After Yudan Rosh disappeared, it surprised me when Bastila Shan did not immediately close her eyes.

"I-" the Human paused, appearing hesitant. She was already kneeling, on the cusp of re-entering her meditative state of being that was powerful enough to change a battle's outcome. And yet her head was craned back, awkwardly, as her uncertain gaze fixed on mine.

Logically I knew of Bastila Shan's power, but there were times when the beliefs of my childhood would resurge with a flurry. She was so physically small – Humans nominally were, just like Twi'leks, but Bastila Shan had little height on Mission who was barely more than a den-cub.

Size did not necessarily equate to strength, I knew this even when Kashyyyk had been the borders of my experience, but it was usually an indicator – at least, back on my homeworld.

As a cub, the only magic I had accepted was that of the gods – and even there, I doubted. Of course, tales of mystical Jedi had breached my remote home, but my people had always seen them as akin to moderators, counsellors – an alien, less-able version of an Old One, perhaps.

The idea of a being that could influence minds from afar – or, one that could project sparks of lightning from their fingertips at will – seemed no more than a wild story meant to awe a cub.

I was a different Wookiee now. I no longer had to see events with my own sheltered eyes to believe – Mission and Jen Sahara had taught me that. There was much out there I accepted went well beyond my comprehension.

"(You should reconvene)," I rumbled gently. "(We have need of your abilities, Bastila Shan)."

Her head bowed. I was not sure, at first, whether the gesture was agreement or guilt.

"Thank you, Zaalbar," Bastila mumbled. A handful of braids dropped to fall in front of her face. "Thank you, for standing as Revan's guide when I did not."

Her guilt was obvious, now. Painting her words with regret, colouring her soul with shame. Only a fistful of minutes ago, this woman had appeared so serene and peaceful, suspended in that esoteric state of battle meditation.

I did not know what Bastila Shan expected from me, though. I could not release her from the burden of self-blame: a maturation like that had to stem from oneself.

"(It seems to me that Force-sensitives face far greater trials than other sentients)," I mused. "(But failure to overcome these does not equate to weakness, Bastila Shan. Even a bent sapling strains to right itself and reach the sun. The shade of your past can shadow your future, or it can form the core of your inner strength)."

A wisp of a sigh escaped her. Her chin lifted, though, as she continued to address me. "I suppose there is a thin line between self-reflection and self-flagellation."

"(There will be time for that later)," I nudged. "(Time for peace, time for consideration. But first you must-)"

"Yes." Her quick agreement curtailed the rest of my words. She was staring at me solemnly through those unnaturally flawed eyes. I had no understanding how long it would take for those markers of corruption to disappear, but it seemed to me the sharpness of colour had already begun to fade.

Bastila smiled, then, sad and peaceful. "I do not believe it was chance that crossed your path with Revan's, and therefore mine. The Force moves through us all, Jedi and non-Jedi alike. I know little of you and your people, Zaalbar, but you speak with a wisdom well beyond your years."

I huffed, surprised and mildly discomfited. "(I have had my own failures, Bastila Shan)."

"You are a humble soul, Zaalbar. Perhaps, one day, I will have the chance to visit your homeworld and know you better." Her eyes closed, then, and without waiting for any reply the young Human turned and bowed her head once more.

The concept of bringing off-worlders to Kashyyyk would not sit well with my sire, I suspected, not after recent events. For my companions, though, Freyyr might make an exception. Bastila Shan seemed to infer that she might learn something from my people, but I knew the opposite could well be true in tandem. Isolation had not prepared my people for the machinations of foreign greed. In that regard, I believed cautious exposure and education was the better route.

I was starting to think of my homecoming, I realized. To look toward an event long denied to me. The present, first, had to be overcome, but the future – the future was bright.

And as Bastila Shan wove her invisible, alien magic, I found myself smiling in the silence.

xXx

Author's Note:
Coming up next: Revan strives to understand and destroy the source of Malak's power, while another showdown unfurls elsewhere on the Star Forge.

A kaiburr's worth of thanks to kosiah for the beta.