Chapter 7: The Unknown Regions.
The Ebon Hawk extended the landing gear and settled down on an unnamed moon somewhere in the Unknown Regions. Cade was at the ramp, and he lifted a cover and hit the controls to lower the ramp. There was no one in sight. Mandalore strode down the ramp, followed by the others.
Mical looked around again. No Revan or the Exile.
"Well, lets give them a while. Everyone stay where you can see the ship-but fan out and look for signs of people having been here." Bastila ordered.
Cade wandered off to the north, following what could have passed for a path except for the lack of footprints. He thought he saw something moving. Jogging forward, saber in hand, he came to a small hill and looked over the top. There was a campfire, and two people were sitting around it-a man and a woman. Cade watched for a bit, but then turned around to get the others.
They all strode along towards the direction Cade had taken earlier. Suddenly, they came up to the clearing. A man was sitting there and turned to see them.
"Evening." he called. "Pull up a seat."
Bastila had been in the back, waiting to see. She walked around.
Revan stood upright when he saw her. "Bastila?" he asked. It had, after all, been fifteen years.
She nodded, walking up to him. They embraced, and Cade saw more emotion in that hug than he ever expected to see from any Jedi.
Bastila was looking into Revan's eyes-still the same, just a little more worn than when she had last seen him. He leaned towards her, whispering in her ear. "I'm so sorry I couldn't tell you where I was going." he said.
She nodded. "I understood, Revan. Things were always different for you."
He frowned. "I thought of you every day. I expected you to have moved on by now."
She grinned. "Move on from Revan? Who else could compare?"
He looked at her robes. "A Master? Good. You always deserved it."
She looked around. "Where's that psychotic assassin droid of yours?" Revan shook his head. "Been lost for a long time. I'm not sure where he went."
Across the fire, the Exile and Atton were having a similar reunion. Cade and Mandalore stood alone at the edge of the campfire.
"Emotional nonsense." he grumbled.
Cade had to laugh at that one. "If you didn't care, why did you agree to come?"
Mandalore spoke up. "The fighting was always more exciting with Revan. And it's been a long time since I had a good fight. You always seem to handle them by yourself-tell me, where's the fun in that?"
Cade continued to laugh, getting the attention of Revan.
He looked back at Bastila. "Who's the kid?"
She turned serious. "That's Cade. He's been with us the whole trip."
Revan walked up to Cade. The two looked at each other, appraising the other for a full minute. Cade finally held out his hand. Revan took it, and the two shook. After the greetings were completed, they all sat around the fire.
"The Star Forge." Bastila said, looking at Revan.
He nodded, frowning. "Yes, a new Forge, one far more powerful than the former. I've been thinking-I'm not sure how anyone alive can control it. Even I don't have that kind of power."
They had all suspected that, but hearing it from Revan highlighted how serious the situation was.
Bastila shook his shoulder. "We may have a solution. Though we didn't know or even suspect at first, there is one person who might be powerful enough to control it."
Revan's head shot up with interest. "And who might that be? Where can we find that person?"
Juhani pointed. "Right there, across from you."
Revan looked at Cade, his jaw dropping. "But...how? Unless...unless you're something very special indeed. Let me guess: a Warmaster?"
Cade nodded.
Revan considered the idea. "That just might work. Perhaps there is hope after all. Let's get going-we'll need all the time we can get."
As they walked back, Revan and Bastila hung back a bit from the main group. "He's really a Warmaster?" Revan asked.
Bastila nodded, "Revan, you can't even begin to comprehend the power he has. Remember the spirit of Ajunta Pall you met on Korriban?" she asked.
He frowned. "Why-what happened?"
She related the story to him. Revan was shocked-he would never have imagined that any Jedi was capable of that much, let alone someone as young as Cade.
"How is he holding up? I've seen the archives same as you have, Bastila. I know what happened to most of the Warmasters. This can't be easy for him."
She turned. "It's not. I don't know what this is going to do to him, Revan. Both the Council and I offered him the chance to back out. He refused both times, saying that it was his duty. But he's not stupid-he knows he's not invincible."
Revan was silent. "He's likely to either die in the attempt or succeed and be changed forever." he admitted. "Call it a fifty-fifty chance."
Bastila shook her head. "I think he knows, too, but he plans to do it anyway."
Revan wrapped his arm around her. "It's not our choice. If the Force wills it, he'll make it through." He didn't have to mention the alternative. They entered the ship.
Chapter 8: The Star Forge.
Revan stood in the cockpit behind Atton and Carth, who were both piloting the ship at its top speed. He looked at his surroundings fondly-the Hawk always felt like his ship. The countdown clock reached zero, and Carth throttled them back out of hyperspace. The Star Forge was in front of them, immense and powerful. He noticed the presence of a white hole near the base. So that was how it was more powerful-the Rakata had placed it to capture the energy emissions from the white hole for power, rather than sapping a star like the original design. He noted that the space seemed deserted. "Land us at this top array. We'll proceed to the control room from there."
Cade walked down the ramp. He motioned to Revan. "Lead the way."
Revan walked ahead, though he walked softly. Cade noticed the increased presence of the dark side, though it didn't seem as strong as he had expected. Probably, he thought, because I'm younger and not as experienced at detecting it. They came to a massive platform.
"Elevator to the control room." Revan said. They climbed up onto it and it rose into the top of the Forge.
In the control room, they all turned to Cade.
"The rest of you go to the observation deck." Revan ordered, though Bastila and the Exile remained behind.
"Okay, Cade. This is a list of what we need the Forge to produce, so you have an idea." the Exile showed him.
Cade reviewed it, committing the numbers to memory.
Revan grasped Cade's shoulders. "Now. To control the Forge is relatively simple. You have to literally will it to work the way you want it to using the Force. It's going to resist you greatly-the Forge will have acquired a mind of its own. You'll likely have to pour all your power into it. Just be careful-if you can't control it, the Forge will begin to control you, and destroy you in the process. Ready?"
Cade nodded. He settled into a meditative position, and closed his eyes.
Revan motioned to the other two to stand back. He felt the air become alive with the Force, but Cade seemed to be alright so far. They watched him for over half an hour. Cade had thrown himself open to the Force fully-it was taking everything he had to keep this up. The Forge was literally alive, and it was testing him, fighting back. He was beginning to buckle under the strain, and the Forge knew it. He knew there was no other alternative though. Then, for some reason, a random memory came to him. He saw in his mind Bastila and Revan hugging, saw their love together, and knew that it was because of the evil in the universe they had spent so long apart. They deserve better. The universe deserves better. He felt himself becoming stronger and he began to push back against the Forge's influence. It was now feeling the strain. Finally, with one mighty push, he forced the Forge to bend to his will, and it acquiesced. He ordered it to start the machinery, and produce what he wanted. Then, spent, he collapsed on the ground.
Revan ran forward. "Cade! Wake up!" Cade didn't move. "He's still alive-that's something. But I can't tell if he's exhausted or if his mind is gone. It'll be a few hours before he wakes up, if it all."
The Exile was examining the displays. "He did it-the factory is starting up and producing what was on our list."
Revan felt a sense of relief tempered with concern. If Cade was dead, it was his fault for involving him in this. Better to have fallen or died than risk someone else, especially someone as young and innocent as Cade.
Bastila saw Revan's face-she knew that look better than anyone. "It's not your fault. There was nothing else that could be done. Don't beat yourself up about this-there's a lot of work to be done. We've got a battle to win."
The others came down from the observation deck. They saw Cade lying in the corner, but no one had the courage to ask what had happened-they knew that things were working, however. Revan began to outline his plan of attacking the Sith fleet.
Cade was drifting somewhere, though he couldn't make out where he was. He felt like he was lost. He remembered controlling the Forge, but something had gone wrong. Something wasn't right. Suddenly, Cade began to have a flashback. He was sitting outside the Jedi Academy on Dantooine, looking at the new lightsaber that had been a gift from Jolee upon receiving his Knighthood.
Jolee spotted him on one of the benches and walked over to sit beside him. 'So, Cade. How does it feel to be a full Jedi?"
Cade was grinning. "It's both exciting and a little scary-I'm not an apprentice anymore. No one is there to have my back."
Jolee shook him. "Of course people have your back, kid. You're not being kicked out into the galaxy to go and do as the wind takes you. Just remember-never forget your way home."
Cade looked at Jolee funny. "Why would you say that? I know where Dantooine is."
Jolee shook his head. "Not here home. I mean here." He pointed to Cade's heart. "Sometimes it's easy for us to get lost and forget where we came from. If you don't forget where home is, you'll never be lost."
The flashback ended. Now why did I remember that? Cade thought. It all seemed so unimportant. For once, he didn't feel stress, he didn't feel fear or pressure. He was free. Why would he want to change that?
Atton was looking over Cade. "He seems to be an empty shell, Revan. I'm not going to lie. The body is there, but it doesn't seem as though Cade's there."
Revan bent over to pick him up. 'Let's get him back to the Hawk-it can't be any worse than being here." They carried him back to the elevator.
Cade was still drifting around, deciding what he would do. He heard footsteps behind him-it was Jolee.
"You're here too?" Cade asked, laughing.
Jolee came up and smacked him up the side of the head. "What do you think you're doing?" Jolee demanded.
Cade frowned. "I'm not sure-I just know I'm here. And I don't have to worry anymore."
Jolee looked like he was going to thump Cade again. "You know, of all the people, you're the last I would expect to chicken out. Don't have to worry anymore indeed-so much for a Jedi Knight. You don't even deserve to be a Padawan. You swore an oath to the Order and the Republic. You didn't swear to turn away in its time of need."
Cade nodded. "But what do I do?"
Jolee grinned. "You follow your way home, kid. You know that." And it seemed that Cade did know that. He walked off and entered the light.
Cade jerked awake, sitting up in bed and taking a deep breath. He was back in his room on the Ebon Hawk. Resting his head in his hands, he remembered what had taken place. He shivered a little at the memory of what he had been prepared to do. Never again, he thought. Cade picked up his lightsaber from the shelf next to the bed and walked out of the ship.
Revan was watching the final ships leave the Forge, assembling into a fleet outside. He saw Cade walk up beside him, looking out the window.
"It's beautiful." Cade remarked.
Revan nodded. "Everything okay?" he asked.
Cade turned to face him. "Yeah. Everything's fine." he said quietly.
Revan made no comment-though the experience had clearly changed the boy, he did in fact seem to be all right. Bastila and the others appeared.
"The fleet's ready, Revan." Atton called. They noticed Cade.
"Hey!" Carth yelled. "You alright? Glad to see you up!" Atton added.
Cade nodded, grinning. "Just a little tougher than I thought." he remarked.
Revan strode past them all to the elevator. Cade watched him go. While the others followed, he went up to Bastila.
"Is Revan okay?" he asked. She looked at Cade. "He will be. He just feels horrible at the moment. By his reckoning, it would have been better for him to try and have died than for you to have gone through that. We thought your mind had broken under the strain-it was hard on him to not be able to do anything."
Cade didn't reply, but he understood.
Chapter 9: Korriban Prime.
Revan had chosen his flagship. The Hawk landed in the shuttle bay. They went up to the bridge. Revan turned to the Exile. "Rachel-please direct the ships to fire on the main orbital stabilizers of the Star Forge."
She nodded, entering the commands. The turbolaser cannons hammered the stabilizer, causing the Forge to de orbit and collide with the white hole, which produced a massive shockwave as it exploded.
"Good riddance." Cade muttered.
Revan turned. "Plot a course for Korriban Prime."
"Korriban Prime?" Bastila asked.
"That's the name of the Sith homeworld-apparantly our Korriban is considered Korriban II." Revan replied. "Now, the object is to arrive in orbit and destroy the fleet. Bastila, we'll need your Battle Meditation to help with that."
She nodded, and began to prepare herself.
Revan continued, "Cade, you and I will board the Sith flagship and kill their leader, Darth Terek, to neutralize the Sith threat once and for all. The rest of you will help Rachel direct the fleet-if she asks for something, you do it. Understood?"
Everyone nodded. "Arriving at Korriban Prime!" Rachel announced. Revan and Cade left, walking to the shuttlebay.
Cade took the controls of a light shuttle, with Revan strapping in beside him.
"The flagship is the big black one." he told Cade.
Cade engaged the thrusters, and the shuttle shot out of the bay into the middle of the battle. He had to dive and spiral around turbolaser shots, rocks, and debris from the battle, but he managed to get the ship to the hangar of the Sith flagship. They unstrapped and ran down the descending ramp, deflecting blaster shots and killing the Sith combatants before running into the lift. Revan noticed how fast Cade was in combat, and realized Bastila had been understating the boy's power. The lift rose up to the Command Deck. Revan stepped out, realizing how eerily similar this was to when the Jedi strike team had boarded his own flagship. But there was no Warmaster then, he realized. Cade would make the difference.
The doors to the access hallway opened, revealing a group of Dark Jedi. Their lightsabers were out and they charged the two Jedi. Cade leapt in, saber flying. He cut down one Dark Jedi after another, Revan following suit. After the last one had been killed, Cade proceeded straight on to the Bridge. Revan noticed he seemed less human as the battle had progressed-this was the Total War Force Form at work. The ship rocked and began to list a bit. Cade sliced the door controls, and the blast door cycled open. The command consoles were unmanned. Only one person was there on the bridge, kneeling in a meditative position. The two of them strode together until they were a few feet from the Sith Lord, just outside of saber range.
"Darth Terek, we have come to bring you to justice for crimes against the galaxy and for plotting to overthrow the Galactic Republic. You can choose to surrender, in which case we will take you back to the Jedi Council for immediate trial and probable execution. Or, you can refuse, in which case we will kill you and leave you here on your ship as it's destroyed. Your call." Revan finished.
The shape stood, and turned around. It's face was hidden by a mask. The figure began laughing. "I have no intention of being taken anywhere by a broken-down Sith Lord and a boy." he replied.
Revan frowned. "I guess that would be option 'b' then. Very well."
The figure lit its lightsaber and moved to strike Cade, who was gone in the blink of an eye. The Sith Lord whirled to see Cade behind him, twirling his saber and grinning. "Care to do better?" Cade asked, taunting.
Darth Terek didn't reply, instead turning on Revan. Revan was strong, but not strong enough, Cade knew. The two of them dueled while Cade watched for a short time. But they were too evenly matched-and they didn't have very long. When Revan misstepped, the Sith Lord swung his saber, cutting a chunk out of Revan's leg. Cade leapt into the air, coming between Revan and Terek, and used a Force Push to slam Terek into the viewing window. Revan panted a 'thanks" as Cade walked towards Terek. The Sith Lord lept to his feet, and they met in combat. Light against dark, Jedi against Sith, the fate of the Republic hanging in the balance. Cade knew that if he fell here, there would be no one powerful enough to stop the Sith from destroying the galaxy. Their combat continued.
During one parry, the Sith Lord laughed again. "You're weak, Jedi. A boy cannot hope to defeat me. Surrender now, and I might spare your life."
Cade grinned. "You think I'm that stupid, Sith? I'd rather die than become a weakling like you."
Revan saw the air become dark with the Force around the Sith Lord. "Fool-only a Jedi would be so stupid as to deny his true power."
Cade decided enough was enough. Let's see what I can really do, he thought. Cade pushed with his mind, opening himself to the Force to an extent even greater than he had been on the Star Forge. It's getting easier to do that, he realized. Cade restarted the battle.
The Sith Lord began to panic as he felt the strength of the Jedi. How is this possible? he screamed in his mind. His defenses were useless-the Jedi was like a machine, smashing his every block and batting away his attacks as easily as one might do to a child. All his knowledge, his power, was useless. Suddenly, he realized he would die here. This didn't demoralize him as it might have-he tried to fight harder than before, to change his destiny as the Sith had always tried to do.
Finally, Cade saw an opportunity in the Force and moved his saber, slicing the Dark Lord's saber in two. The Sith collapsed to the ground, stunned. "How?" he asked, rasping.
Cade looked down. "You already know the answer to that, Sith. In the name of the Galactic Republic, I declare you a traitor to all races, and to the Jedi. You have been judged. Consider this the sentence." And Cade, with a mere flick of his wrist, removed Darth Terek's head from his body.
Cade stood for a moment, clearing his head of the Force form. He holstered his lightsaber. Walking over to Revan, he helped the man climb to his feet and they walked down the hallway together. Revan looked at Cade's face. He no longer saw the boy that had been on the moon-he saw the face of a man, of a Jedi, hardened by war but tempered by kindness, a person of quiet, immense strength. They reached their shuttle and Cade took off.
He turned on the radio. "This is Cade." There was a crackle of static.
"This is Mandalore, we hear you."
Cade smiled. "We're clear-blow that ship out of existence."
He heard Mandalore's satisfaction in his reply of "Sure thing, kid." Cade saw Revan's flagship bombard the black vessel, causing it's reactor to go critical. The viewscreen polarized enough to see the remaining chunks crashing down into the atmosphere of Korriban Prime.
Cade landed the shuttle on the ship, where he was met by Bastila, who immediately rushed to Revan's side.
"What did you do now?" she asked, clearly worried by his limp.
Revan winked at Cade. "Just getting a bit old, I guess. I'm gonna have to get used to someone hovering over me all day." he said, teasing.
Bastila slugged him in the side. "Let's get you to the bridge-we're ready to head home."
Revan shook his head. "Get everyone down here instead-we're leaving on the Hawk."
She nodded.
When everyone else showed up, Atton took the Hawk away from the fleet.
Revan sent a coded signal to the computer on the flagship. "We're not leaving things so they can rebuild in ten years."
The ships accelerated-some into the atmosphere to crash on strategic targets, others into the shipyards and other military installations.
"The galaxy should be safe now. Let's go home." Cade said. He walked out.
Chapter 10: Endings.
Cade was waiting in the anteroom of the Council Room on Coruscant. They were debating what to do with him. Part of Cade hoped they just sent him home to Dantooine. He'd had more than enough adventure to last a lifetime. But another part knew that wasn't going to happen. He noticed Revan and Bastila walking up.
Revan looked at him. "Cade. Waiting for the sentencing?" he asked, mockingly.
Cade snorted. "You wish. They've been debating on what to do with me."
Bastila smiled. "It won't be bad-Revan and I had a few words with them earlier." Cade grinned. "Where are you two off too?"
Revan laughed. "Corellia, for a nice, long vacation. We'll be back in a month or so-the Jedi want me on the Council. You'll hear about it later." They walked away.
The chamber doors opened. Cade stood, straightened his robes, and walked inside. Jolee was sitting near the window. He smiled at Cade, who wasn't sure how to take that. He went to the center of the room and bowed to the Master of the Council, who nodded in reply. "Cade Richards, we have been considering your rather special case." he said. "And, based on both the recommendations of the Jedi Historians, Master Shan, and Revan, and our own judgment, we have all come to an agreement. You shall receive the rank of 'Master' immediately, and you will be granted a full seat on the Council, in light of your service to the Republic."
Cade bowed again. "I am honored, Master." The Master smiled. "You need not bow to me any longer. The announcement will go out tomorrow, but Jolee will take you to the Supreme Chancellor's office tonight-I believe the Chancellor wishes to present you with the Cross of Glory and such. Your things have been brought from Dantooine here to the Temple. We look forward to seeing you in Council tomorrow. In the mean time, enjoy the nights festivities." Jolee led Cade out of the room. Neither of them said anything for a moment as they walked to the speeder park.
Finally, Jolee laughed. "Finally, a Council decision I can really agree with. You on the Council should shake things up a bit."
Cade shook Jolee's shoulder. "You'll still have to come visit me, old man." Jolee nodded. "Glad it's over?" he asked.
Cade paused. "Mostly." They exited out onto the deck, and Cade looked out on the Coruscanti skyline silhouetted in the sunset. "You know..." he said quietly, "it was all worth it."
The End.