Ok, here's the rundown: I've been very busy lately, so I haven't been able to post as soon as I had hoped. I'm sorry this chapter's kind of uneventful, but I promise to have chapter 5 posted very soon. And yes, I did change my profile name. X sounded better than 2.0 (at least to me it did).

Armiena: No problem! Thanks for the correction, I really appreciate it. The error has been fixed.

(Just for the record, this is an AU, so things will change and some characters will be different.)

Wow! My story "The Knight and the Princess" made Barachiel's list of favorites! How cool is that! (I feel special) To all you Revan/Bastila fans out there, read Bachiel's story "Heart's Eye View." It is excellent and is one of my personal favorites. (It's in my favorites list in case you have trouble finding it.) Anyway, here you are.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 4: More Reunions

The trip to Coruscant passed slowly, as hyperspace travel always does. Fortunately, with more fights erupting between HK-47 and Bastila and with T3 around to play dijarik with, the crew was able to find enough entertainment. Revan did notice that Mission was spending an unusual amount of time with T3, but he declined to give it thought. Finally, the Ebon Hawk exited hyperspace and they beheld the magnificent Republic capital.

Mission stared in awe at the planet from the cockpit as Revan and Bastila guided the ship's path toward the planet.

"Wow!" She gasped. "It's magnificent!"

"Wait until you see it up close," said Revan from the pilot seat.

"It won't be long before we begin our descent, Mission. I suggest you go to the main hold and strap yourself in," said Bastila as she punched in some coordinates. Mission nodded and made her way to the main hold, although she was reluctant to give up the view.

Revan activated the ship's intercom. "Hey, T3!" He said into the device. The droid responded to him from over the communicator. "Do one last check on the landing thrusters. I don't want this ship to make a crater when it lands." T3 tweeted in acknowledgement and the intercom went silent.

Revan looked at Bastila as he guided the ship toward the planet. "So," he said, "Looking forward to meeting our wise leaders again?" Bastila rolled her eyes and merely shook her head as she remembered their experiences shortly after the war.

After the battle of the Star Forge, the Revan and Bastila returned to the council but received a lukewarm greeting. While a handful of Jedi welcomed them with open arms, many were either untrusting or downright hostile. Revan's crimes as the dark lord of the Sith still echoed in the minds of the Jedi, and many of them still desired to see him punished. Even despite the fact that he had saved the Republic from Malak, his old self was not forgotten amongst them.

Even Bastila's short career as a Dark Jedi reached the Republic and many distrusted her as well. The news of her aiding the Sith at the Star Forge led many Jedi to regard her with disdain as well. As if this wasn't enough, it took only a short while for the council to find out Revan and Bastila had fallen deeply in love, and it brought even more scorn and criticism on them. Revan and Bastila refused to give in to this and made no attempt to hide their relationship. The council expressed strong disapproval of their love, and they debated on whether or not to allow it to continue. In the end, after realizing that anything they did would be futile, they left the two alone. Only a handful of masters, mostly Vandar and Kavar, accepted and approved of their relationship.

For months, the treatment that Revan and Bastila faced was almost unbearable. They were frequently glared at or even yelled at by citizens in the streets. Authorities frequently detained and questioned them for no reason at all. Many times they were spat upon or had objects thrown at them by random people. Perhaps the worst incident was where Revan and Bastila were attacked suddenly by an angry vigilante mob. The two decided to run instead of defending themselves, as they needed no reason to be arrested again. It took the Republic authorities to finally disperse the crowd and restore order. Once again, it was probably their love for each other that gave them the strength to get through these times.

Fortunately, over the course of two years, the two Jedi worked hard to regain the trust of the people, helping the Republic and the Jedi in any way they could. Gradually, as more people realized the two Jedi had changed, Revan and Bastila were accepted and their trust regained. Soon, they were almost treated as if they had never been Dark Jedi at all. They could finally walk the streets of a public place without fear of being attacked. However, they still occasionally faced a sneer or a raised eyebrow from a person in the streets, and the council still heartily disapproved of their relationship. Despite this, life was finally enjoyable once more.

Bastila shook herself out of the daydream and concentrated on helping Revan fly the Ebon Hawk toward Coruscant. Upon reaching the atmosphere the ship slowed its descent and kicked in the landing boosters. Revan gracefully flew the Ebon Hawk through the clouds and finally the sprawling city of Coruscant came into view.

It was a magnificent sight. The towering skyscrapers seemed to dwarf even those of Taris, and the sunlight which gleamed off of them made the city look like a brightly lit cavern of crystal. Ships and airspeeders zipped throughout the city, filling the sky like bees around a hive. The Ebon Hawk maneuvered its way to the docking port, and upon nearing it Bastila sent a transmission over the communicator.

"This is Bastila Shan of the Ebon Hawk requesting permission to dock at the spaceport, over."

The communicator buzzed and a gruff voice answered her transmission. "This is the Coruscant spaceport, we read you, Ebon Hawk. Permission granted, over."

The Ebon Hawk slowly gracefully into the docks and landed on one of the landing pads. When the ship finally clunked onto the ground Revan and Bastila unstrapped themselves and stretched.

"Mission, we've landed," Revan called out from the cockpit. He turned to his blue-eyed companion. "Well, Bastila, ready?"

"No point in staying here. Let's go," she agreed. The Jedi couple strolled into the main hold where an ecstatic Mission awaited them. She was desperately trying to mask her eagerness to leave the ship and explore Coruscant.

"Ready, you guys?" Mission asked anxiously.

"In a minute, Mission. Let me take care of a couple things, first. T3! HK!" Soon after Revan called them the two droids appeared in the main hold.

"Query: Is there something you need killed, Master?" the red droid asked him.

"Sorry, HK, but no. We're leaving the Ebon Hawk, but we need you two to guard the ship while we're gone."

"Sarcastic response: Oh, yes! Guard the ship! That is all this highly capable droid seems to be good for anymore. Nope, no need to use an assassination droid to assassinate, just guard the ship all day and all night!"

"Look, HK, I'm sorry there's nothing for you to kill, but you have your duties. Rest assured, you have my permission to eliminate any "meatbags" who attempt to enter the ship. However, you can only do this if you've already warned them to stay away once and they refuse to listen."

"Solemn resignation: Oh, very well master. I will strive to make sure this ship is safe from any meatbag threat."

Revan leaned over T3 and placed his hand on his "head". "T3, I want you to make sure this ship is alright and ready to go at a moment's notice. You know the routine: patch ups, repairs, diagnostics, etcetera. Oh, and make sure HK-47 stays out of trouble."

The little droid beeped cheerfully at him in response. HK-47 looked down at T3-M4 with droid contempt.

"Mocking agreement: Oh, yes, T3! Please make sure big, mean HK-47 is in no danger of becoming useful to anyone on this ship!"

Revan chuckled and faced his companions. "Alright, everyone ready?"

"I've been ready since this ship landed! Let's go!" said an excited Mission.

"Alright, let's go."

The three exited the Ebon Hawk and made their way to the registration. After checking in with the dock authorities they left the spaceport and into the sprawling planet-city of Coruscant. Mission was overjoyed. Rarely had Revan seen her so excited before. Everywhere they went she walked three steps ahead of them and stopped to marvel at practically everything she saw. For her, it was like a dream come true.

"Wow! Look at those skyscrapers! And I thought Taris' buildings were great! Geez, look at those cruisers! Are those fighters flying over head? Whoa, I don't think I've seen that kind of alien species before. What's that pyramid structure over there? Can we go see it?"

"Slow down, Mission," said Bastila finally. "There will be plenty of time to tour the place later. First, we must go to the Jedi enclave. We need to see the council."

The trio caught a shuttle and rode it to the section of the city which held the academy. After leaving the shuttle they strolled along the skyway toward the enclave. As they were walking Mission piped up once more.

"Hey Revan," she asked, "Do they let a lot of non-Jedi in the academy?"

"Well," Revan answered, "Well, in your case, they do, but usually only if they're accompanied by another Jedi, although a lot of non-Jedi roam the 'public' places of the academy freely. Some civilians come in if they need to speak with the council."

"You mean, if the need to complain to the council," added Bastila sarcastically.

Revan chuckled. "Unfortunately, you'll be seeing a lot less Jedi here than usual. Our numbers have really thinned after the Jedi Civil War." He looked down. "And it's all my fault," he thought to himself. Bastila took his hand in hers to comfort him. She could read his feelings thanks to their bond. Revan looked up at her and smiled. Just looking at her rarely failed to calm him.

They at last came to the grand entrance where some Republic soldiers stood guard. One of them, a man with a scar above his eye, greeted them as they approached.

"Ah, Revan and Bastila! Good to see you two again. What brings you to the academy?"

"The council requested our presence," replied Bastila.

"And what about her?" he asked pointing to Mission.

"She's with us, soldier. She'll be no trouble," replied Revan.

"Alright, go ahead in. I'll notify them of your arrival. Just make sure the blue one stays out of trouble." Mission rolled her eyes at this.

"She will. By the way, do you happen to know if Admiral Onasi is currently on the planet?"

"Yeah, I believe he is," said the soldier with a nod.

"Well, could you maybe inform him that Revan and Bastila have arrived?"

"I'll try, but I don't know if I'll be able to reach him."

"Well, just try and see. Thanks, by the way."

"No trouble," said the soldier and he returned to his post.

The trio entered the academy and beheld the familiar sites that surrounded them. Mission seemed in awe of the place.

"Wow!" she said while staring up.

"Yup. Impressive, isn't it?" said Revan as he looked around. "Amazing. I didn't think I'd ever be so glad to see this academy again."

"Just as I didn't think I'd be seeing you today, 'Padawan'," said a heavily accented voice from behind.

The three spun around at the same time and beheld a familiar, cat-like face belonging to an old friend of theirs. She was wearing her unique set of crimson robes.

Mission was the first to speak up. "Juhani? Wow, is it really you?"

"Hey, Juhani!" said Revan running up to her. "It's great to see you again! What are you doing here? I thought you were on Onderon."

"I was," she explained. "But the council decided to give me temporary leave of my duties. I came here to stay for a short while. I was then going to go back to Taris, but I heard you would be coming here, so I decided to stay. May I ask what business brings you to the enclave?"

"The council needed me to see an old friend of mine. I believe you've hear of him. Does the name 'Quaid Darin' ring a bell?"

"Ah, the exile," said Juhani with slight wander in her eyes. "I thought he had left the order for good. I never expected to see him again, even as a prisoner."

"The council needs me to see him. They believe he may be connected with the destruction of Peragus."

"There is something I must tell you three," said Juhani as the small group drew closer. "The exile was in the company of two other people. One of them is a male human by the name of Atton Rand. He does not seem to particularly like Jedi. The other is an old woman named Kreia, one of the Jedi masters who had been thought lost. She was being held with the exile but was just recently freed when they learned of her identity. The exile has been released as well. They are both here in the academy. This Atton person is still in custody."

"Do you know what they were doing with the exile?" asked Bastila.

Juhani shook her head. "I am afraid I do not know. That you must find out for yourself. However, I would watch out for the one named 'Atton'. I do not trust him."

"You have been around him?" asked Revan.

"Just once. One time I was asked to bring him his food in his cell, so I took the opportunity to talk to him. When I asked him about his past he was very evasive. The only thing he told me was that he was a soldier for the republic, but I believe he lied. In fact, I am certain of it."

"Geez. He doesn't sound like someone a Jedi would hang around with," remarked Mission.

"My exact thoughts as well. I think there is more to the story then I have been told. Regardless, it is not up to me to decide his fate." Juhani paused and shook her head. "But still, let us not dwell on dark things. It will be explained in time."

Revan nodded understandingly. "Well, it's wonderful to see you again, Juhani."

"And it is wonderful to see the three of you again. Tell me, are any other old friends here?"

Bastila answered her question. "No one except the two droids. That is if you consider HK-47 a friend, of course."

Juhani chuckled lightly. "Come, I will take you to master Vandar," she said. The four companions strode along the academy. At last they came to a large room full of young apprentices. At the front of the room was Master Vandar, who stood shorter than any of the children there. The young apprentices were practicing motions with their practice sabers. When Master Vandar noticed the four companions a smile played across his face.

"Ah, we have been expecting you," he said turning to them. Revan, Bastila, and Juhani all performed a respectful bow which Vandar returned. He then addressed the apprentices in the room. "Continue to practice. I must leave for a moment." The apprentices nodded and continued their motions.

"Step outside for a moment," he told the crowd of four. They left the room and Vandar turned his attention to them. "Hmm…I don't believe I have met this young one before," he said referring to Mission. "May I ask what your name is, young one?"

"Uh, Mission. Mission Vao. It's an, er, honor to meet you Master Vandar," she said with slight uncertainty in her words. She attempted the same bow of respect her Jedi companions showed Vandar earlier.

Vandar chuckled. "It is an honor to meet you as well. Revan has told me much about you, Mission. I must say it is nice to finally meet you in person."

"Really?" asked a shocked Mission while her face was starting to turn purple with embarrassment. To have a Jedi Master compliment her in such a way flattered her greatly.

"Has this been your first time in the academy?"

"Uh, yeah! This place is wonderful! I've been wanting to see this place my whole life. It's even better than Taris! Way better than Taris!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Mission. Revan told me about how you helped him escape Taris and aided in his search for the Star Forge."

A purple faced Mission glanced at Revan. The sudden attention caught her off guard. "Yeah, I guess I helped him a little."

Bastila and Revan laughed slightly as they watched Mission and Vandar talk. Suddenly Revan remembered their purpose and interrupted the two.

"Pardon me, Master Vandar, but you and the council summoned me and Bastila to the enclave. What do you wish to see us for."

"Ah, yes," said Vandar turning to the Jedi. "We must talk to you and Bastila about the exile. You must here what he has to say. Wait at the academy courtyard and meet us in the conclave room in exactly one hour. I will notify the other masters of you arrival and gather them together."

Vandar then turned his attention to Juhani and Mission. "Padawan Juhani, would you be so kind as to show this young one around the academy?"

Juhani bowed. "Of course Master Vandar. Come with me, Mission."

Mission's grin reappeared. "Wow! Thanks, Master Vandar!" she said. As she and Juhani left she turned and waved to Revan and Bastila. "See ya, guys!"

Bastila and Revan grinned and waved goodbye. Master Vandar bid them farewell and stepped inside the training room once again. Revan and Bastila smiled at each other for a while, amused at the situation.

"I'll tell you, Bastila, it's a shame not all the Jedi Masters can be like Vandar."

"He certainly has a way with children, I'll grant him that," she mused.

"You know, if Mission heard you say that, she'd have a fit." They both laughed.

Bastila paused and gaze fell downward. "Um, Revan…," she began. Her face grew serious.

"Yes, Bastila?"

"Should we tell the council about our little vision?"

Revan let out a deep sigh and moved his eyes downward as well. "I don't know. Things have grown confusing lately. There are many things I am unsure of." He lifted his head and gently raised Bastila's as well so their eyes met. "I do know one thing: we must trust in the force. When the time comes, we will know what to do."

Bastila nodded. Revan took her hand and the two made their way to the courtyard.

Finally, one hour late, Bastila and Revan arrived at the conclave room where two Jedi guarded the door. A short moment later they were let in and the two Jedi stepped into a large room in which stood many chairs, all of which contained a council member. Among the council members Revan noticed Vandar, Kavar, and Vrook near the center. Nearer to the right he saw Atris and Vash.

"Knight Revan, Padawan Bastila, come forward," commanded Vrook. The two Jedi marched hand-in-hand to the center of the room, an act which caused some Masters to raise an eyebrow. A deep scowl formed on Vrook's face. Upon reaching the center they let go of each other and bowed respectfully to the council.

"Arise," Vrook commanded. "Knight Revan and Padawan Bastila, you have been summoned here today because of a matter of great importance. Several events have transpired recently which have caused great concern among the council. Already, two planets have been destroyed effectively. One has been cleared of life, the other destroyed entirely."

He paused and stared at them as if he expected them to say something. He then resumed his speech quickly. "And now, a lost member of our order has resurfaced, and at a very peculiar time. He comes bearing information for us all."

Revan then chose the opportunity to speak up. "Has the exile spoken? I heard he insisted on remaining silent."

Kavar answered him instead of Vrook. "Regardless of what you have been told, the exile has been speaking all along. The authorities who detained him had refused to believe his story, and so refused to report it. That is why you may have been given the wrong information. Now that he is with us, we have found him to be telling the truth. You must hear what he has said. We now know who caused the destruction at Peragus."

Bastila and Revan were holding their breaths, hoping the answer would not be what they had feared.

Vrook resumed speaking. "It appears that the destruction was caused by a small faction of Sith. Apparently, they have returned. We are unaware right now of the magnitude of this threat. We hope it is simply a border skirmish by guerrilla attackers. Nevertheless, we are taking no chances. We must ready the Republic and the Jedi for a threat of any size."

Vandar at last spoke up. "And that is why you are here, Knight Revan and Padawan Bastila. We need you to help us here on Coruscant. We must strengthen ourselves while we still have time. The destruction of Peragus may have aided us in ways we do not know. It has opened our eyes to this threat. If we start now, we can defeat them before they grow strong."

"What will you have us do, honorable council?" queried Bastila.

Master Vash spoke for the first time. "You will stay here and help us to strengthen ourselves. We will need you to aid in the gathering of forces for our effort. As for you Revan, you will help the Republic in readying their fleet and readying their military."

"You mean," he started, "You are allowing me control of the fleet?"

"Not exactly. We will need your command of strategy to aid us here. You are to assist Admiral Onasi in preparations."

Atris, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up at last. "However, that is not your first task. To fully understand what has happened and what we face, you must speak with our lost member, the exile." She spoke the last word with a trace of venom in her voice.

"When shall I see him?" Revan asked.

Vrook resumed speaking once more. "You will see him immediately. He and Master Kreia are waiting for you. His third companion is still detained, however, so you will not be able to speak with him."

"Where is he?"

"He stays in a room here at the academy. You will be escorted there. If you have no further questions, you may leave now."

Revan shook his head. He and Bastila both bowed and turned to leave. They had decided not to tell the council about their vision. Bastila was suddenly stopped by Master Kavar.

"Except you, Padawan. The council needs to see you for another…important matter."

A confused Bastila stopped and looked once at the council and then back at Revan. Revan nodded at her and whispered goodbye to her. As he left, Bastila turned to face the council, unsure of whether or not to be nervous. She hoped they were not aware of the fact that she and Revan were hiding something.

"Padawan Bastila," began Kavar. "Another matter has come to our attention concerning you."

Revan was led by another Jedi through the academy. At last they came to a section of dormitories, where they stopped at a closed door. Revan's Jedi escort pressed a button on a panel beside the door and spoke into the intercom.

"Quaid, Revan is here to see you."

"Send him in," replied a voice over the speaker.

The escort motioned with his head toward the door. "He's waiting for you inside."

"Thank you," replied Revan and he opened the door. He slowly stepped into the dormitory and the door closed behind him. It was a simple room, with rude furnishings set about. Revan noticed an empty bed at his left, but that was not what he focused on. In front of him lay a small table next to which sat two chairs. One of the chairs held a man who was sitting calmly at the table, eyeing him.

Revan stammered for a moment, unable to gather his words. At last he pulled up the second chair and sat across from him.

"Hello, old friend," he said.