Chapter 4

Revan moved out of the doorway leading to the temple summit and looked around the small room as Jolee and Juhani came up to his side. Ever since they had crash-landed on this unknown world, the party had been thrown from one situation to another.

First of all the battle with the Rakatan from the Black Tribe and then meeting the Elder tribe and earning their trust through rescuing one of their warriors. To do this Revan, Carth and Zaalbar had been forced to slaughter the Black Tribe and kill their chieftain the One before being able to rescue the Elder warrior.

The Elders had agreed that he would be able to enter the temple as long as he went alone. He initially agreed to do so, but Jolee and Juhani had arrived claiming to have seen a premonition of a darkness inside the temple possibly Malak. Revan had managed to convince the Elders to allow them to enter, secretly he relished at the chance to fight Malak for what he ever he had done to Bastila.

But here and now on the summit of the temple, he realised it wasn't Malak that was within the temple. The aura he sensed while dark and warped, was beautifully familiar and he knew it almost as well as he knew his own. It was an aura he had fallen in love with, along with the person it belonged to. Revan felt his pain build up and it showed on his handsome face, something that did not go unnoticed by Jolee

"Revan…" he whispered putting his hand on the young man's shoulder

"Nothing is more painful than feeling this…" Revan mumbled. "I can't believe this is about to happen…"

"You going to have face it now…there's no going back…" Revan sighed and his cyan eyes closed.

For a split second his aura almost vanished, as if it had not even existed like a whisper on the wind. Than his eyes snapped back open and the energy that the other two Jedi could feel was unbelievable. It was like a hurricane, powerful and ferocious filled with rage, hatred and pain. Revan took a deep breath and walked through the second doorway of the small room and came face to face with the very person who had saved his life upon that bridge no more than a year ago.

No longer did she wear that form-fitting outfit she always did; now black leather robes replaced it. Her blue-grey eyes did not hold the innocence of her soul untainted and uncorrupted but shone with a hint of yellow and burned with an unnatural rage. She was still the most beautiful creature he'd ever laid his eyes, but it wasn't that innocent beauty he had come to know so well. It was that dark, corrupted beauty common to those who'd become a shell of their former self. Bastila Shan stood calmly watching Revan approach, with an evil smile on her face and her double-bladed lightsaber in her hand. Revan hesitantly took the Mantle of the Force lightsaber from his belt, leaving the Heart of the Guardian on his belt as he stopped a few feet away from the now corrupted shadow of his love, Jolee and Juhani behind him sabers inactive in their hands.

For a few moments no one spoke. Bastila and Revan had locked eyes and Revan had his mental barriers up despite Bastila trying to probe his mind. There was a time he would have let her do so freely and without hesitation or question. But now this was last thing he could allow, he'd save her whether she liked it or not.

"Revan I knew you'd come for me…" Revan continued to gaze at Bastila without a word. "Malak thought you might be afraid to enter the temple again but…he doesn't know you like I do…since you've changed" The smile hadn't changed in the slightest as Bastila continued to look at Revan, paying no heed to the others.

"Bastila…" Juhani pleaded, "Come with us…we need to escape before Malak returns"

Bastila laughed haughtily at the Cathar's words "Escape? You don't understand. I have sworn allegiance to Malak and the Sith. I am no longer a pawn of the Jedi Council" Revan stiffened slightly at being called a pawn and a bolt of electricity crackled up his body, his black hair fluttering slightly.

"Don't do this Bas…" he answered "Don't give in to the Dark side" Bastila looked at him with what seemed to be sympathy.

"You say that as if the Dark Side is a terrible thing…" she replied softly "The council has brainwashed you as it has the others. Like they once did to me. They say the Dark side is something to be feared but in reality they simply wish to manipulate those strong in the force, the fear of the Dark Side is simply a tool for control" Bastila's voice had become laced with venom and Revan found his heart turning to stone.

She held out her hand "Why do think they forbade you and Malak from entering the Mandalorian wars. They knew you would realise your true potential and break free of their domination…" she then swiped her hand viciously through the air and her face became a snarl "Malak has shown me that the Council have been using me the same way they tried to use you…because they knew one day I would surpass them all" Revan looked away slightly unable to meet her gaze.

"Bastila don't do this…" he whispered so only she could hear looking back at her once again raising his mental barriers to keep her from his mind "Come back to the light…" he felt her withdraw from his mind but kept his barriers up.

"I…resisted at first" she replied turning away to walk back towards the ship. "I endured the Sith torments with the passionless serenity of a true Jedi, emptying my mind. But after a week of endless tortures…" Tortures! Revan's eyes being to glow with a hint of yellow, though they mostly remained their natural cyan colour "I finally saw the truth and Malak helped me acknowledge my rage and hatred and gaining the power that was denied from me by the council!"

Her words dripped with malice as she spoke again "They would have me bow and call them master, like some small child!" she spat as Revan continued to resist her probing " they would gladly use my Battle Meditation in their wars and to their own ends while I followed their every order and their code. But they were jealous, jealous of my power! What I could and have become!" Bastila stopped her rant as Revan continued to hold her gaze. His eyes betrayed nothing and his body was relaxed…for now.

"Fight it Bas…you're stronger then this!" Bastila snarled at Revan's words taking them as an insult before calming down and looking at him with pity.

"You sad little fool…" she whispered shaking her head "you speak as if I'm the same Bastila you've know all along. But freed from the control of the Council, I am much, much more. I almost wish you could see the way I see things now. I wish you could join me and taste the power once again. Sadly I doubt you are even capable of it now" Revan's hair now covered his eyes.

In truth though it was the last thing he wanted to do, Revan knew this would end with a clash. Also he was somewhat hurt by her words. Revan decided that he would challenge her claims.

"Is…that…right?" he answered slowly. Bastila frowned and then her eyes widened slightly as Revan's cyan blade came into being with a slow snap-hiss.

Revan slowly lifted his eyes to meet with hers once again. This time his eyes literally swam with his pain, and the betrayal he felt with her finally succumbing to her temptation. Her gaze faltered slightly.

"With the power of the Star Forge Malak will destroy the Republic and conquer the galaxy" Bastila replied sweeping her arm out dramatically. "And I will be his apprentice…after I prove my worth by killing you" Revan actually smirked at her words. Despite the fact this was the woman he loved, he'd heard those words some many times and each person who'd uttered them had failed.

Bastila's face twisted into a snarl and her doubled bladed lightsaber roared to life as she leapt at Revan hurling Jolee and Juhani back with the force. Revan swung his Mantle of the Force blade up and parried her blow. Revan calmly slid his blade down to counter her second strike. He then shoved her back and leaned his head back to avoid a sweep at his head. Revan hopped back slightly as she swung at his legs. Bastila spun away and twirled her saber in her hands.

Revan spun his saber around his hand looking at the shadow of the Bastila he'd fallen in love with. He shook his head sorrowfully and then settled in a classic Form V Djem So stance, his blade angled above and behind his head. Bastila smiled in sadistic pleasured and held her saber in her right hand in front of her, her left arm drawn back towards her midsection. Revan then lowered his blade to his side, the blade angled down in front of his legs. He slowly brought his left hand up and gestured her to attack.

Bastila smirked and attacked again. Revan calmly parried her first blow before ducking a second. Suddenly he attacked, striking at her left side, then bringing his blade down to slide of her blade. Bastila growled and shoved him back or had he allowed her to push him back?

By this point Juhani and Jolee had recovered and joined the fray.

Bastila calmly deflected both their attacks before shoving Juhani away and spin kicking Jolee into unconsciousness. Bastila then spun away from a blow by Juhani and reside her hand. Force lightning erupted from her hand and sent Juhani hurtling backwards with a shriek. The Cathar collided with the wall and slumped the floor.

Bastila refocused her attention on her former love or was he still her love? Bastila felt hesitation to attack for a split second, then yelled and brought her blade down towards his face.

But his cyan blade was there to lock with hers. They stood for a few seconds locked in a struggle for supremacy. Revan however knew Bastila was holding back. Revan now began to tire of her games.

"Come on Bastila! You're not even trying!" he spat as he shoved her back with incredible force. Bastila flipped nimbly in the air and landed graciously on her feet.

"Malak was wrong about you…" she said as the two stared at each other, sabers held at their sides "The power of the Dark side is not completely lost to you it seems…you're stronger than I thought possible after what the council did to you" She smiled.

"And you can deny what you are Revan. But you are deluding yourself" she spoke coolly "I know the truth. I have seen the shadows of your mind. Remember I was there when you nearly died in the trap the Jedi Council set for you" she held out her hand pointing to her head. "We are forever linked by my actions on that bridge"

Revan spun his lightsaber around his hand once, before he twirled it in front of him and then settled in the same stance he'd taken against her on that bridge. "Yes Bastila, that link is how I know you will return to us"

"These are not your true feelings Revan…" she said sympathetically. But his eyes said otherwise and she found herself becoming entranced by those eyes like she had done before. She stopped herself from falling under their spell and continued her speech.

"You are speaking as a tool of the Jedi Council" she tried to break him with her words. But she knew deep down he was not that weak, words could not harm him at all "But I see now the Jedi were using us both"

"Like Malak is using you now" he replied softly. Bastila flinched but continued on.

"They hoped I would draw out your memories, exploiting the bond between us" she spat. Her anger at this was different it wasn't that dark anger. It was a hurt and protective anger about using Revan. She may not have realized it but he did. "But in our shared visions, I felt the so-called taint of the dark-side. But now I embrace that dark-side. Your dark-side!" she finished

"My dark-side?" he replied. "You should have learned from that mistake Bastila"

"No your only mistake was giving up that power" she shot back desperate to turn him "But now I see your strength, you deserve the title of Sith Lord, not Malak!" she once again raised her hand towards him "Join me and we can destroy Malak and rule the galaxy as Master and apprentice!"

Revan scoffed at her words and lowered his saber again. "What I want is what Malak stole from me," he murmured.

"Yes your title of Dark Lord!" she answered eagerly.

"NO!" he thundered "You!" Bastila became still. His words had hit her heart, something she did not expect.

"Revan…" she hesitated slightly her voice noticeably softer then it became strong again "The power of the Dark Side is yours to command! Use it to destroy Malak. And I will help you rule the galaxy" Revan shook his head, and Bastila felt her heart sink at his words.

"You're insane if you think I'll make that mistake again" she glared at Revan in hurt, shame and rage.

"You pathetic fool" she hissed, "You and I could have ruled the galaxy. But now I will be at Lord Malak's side instead as he destroys you and the Republic" Bastila spun on her heel and ran towards her ship. Revan followed her but was thrown back by the roar of the engines as the fighter rocketed away.

Revan stood watching the fighter fly away. Juhani and Jolee began to stir as Revan gazed up at the sky a tear slipping from his eye. Then it happened any restraints Revan had fell, all walls were shattered. Electricity crackled up his body as Revan tensed, his rage, anger, hatred, pain and suffering came to a boil. He threw his head back and let out a howl of agony. The force-energy around him erupted and several statues began to crumble under the weight of his power. Revan continued to howl until his lunges screamed for air. By that point the statues had completely fallen and Revan stood his chest heaving as his pain and rage leave him slowly and reluctantly.

Revan focused his energies to the force and found whom he sought as Jolee and Juhani moved to the console to shut down the disruptor field around the Star Forge.

Darth Malak stood on the observation deck of the Star Forge calmly looking out over the assembled Sith Fleet. His sickly yellow sunken eyes glowed from their place in his face as he watched the ships settle into battle formations.

"Malak!" The Dark Lord turned and looked around the room. That voice, he knew it well, but he was not present on the deck.

"Revan?" he exclaimed "How…?"

"You took her from me Malak…" Revan's voice echoed in his mind. He could hear the anger and hatred in Revan's voice. "You will pay for what you did to her! I'll rip the entire Star Forge apart until I find you…and when I do I'll make you regret ever setting eyes on Bastila! And more importantly you will regret not killing me when you had the chance!"

Malak felt a small hint of fear enter his mind. Revan wasn't one for making threats, but when he did, very few could argue he couldn't back them up. Revan's voice echoed again through the force leaving a final lingering promise.

"This all ends now! And it'll end with your death!

Ok, that was a little difficult to write. What do you think guys?????