KOTOR: The Fate of Revan
Chapter 3: The Council's Decision
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Star Wars or any of the Knights of the Old Republic games. These games' rights belong to Bioware and LucasArts
The Ebon Hawk slowly descended on Kashyyyk. Thanks to efforts by the Wookiees, Czerka Corporation had been completely driven off the planet. Although the Wookiees were cautious about outsiders, the Ebon Hawk and its crew were welcome anytime. Revan, Mission and Zaalbar exited the ship and were approached by Wookiee warriors.
"Zaalbar, it is good to see you again. How's your journey going?" one of the creatures roared.
"Our journey is over. Mission and I wish to live here" Zaalbar explained.
"Mission?" the creature asked. Zaalbar pointed to her, and the Wookiee eyed Mission curiously.
"Is she with Czerka Corporation?" he asked.
"No, she's my best friend" Zaalbar said.
"Very well, she can stay" the guard roared. Zaalbar turned to Revan, while Mission hugged him. He was completely caught off guard, and he realized how much he'd miss the sassy girl. She quickly let go, smiling at him.
"Stop by anytime," Mission said. The Jedi nodded with a smile.
"Don't worry, I'll come back," he assured them. "Watch out for the Kirnaths." As the Jedi walked onto the ship's ramp, Zaalbar and Mission waved at him.
"Farewell, Revan" Zaalbar roared.
"Take care" Mission said. Revan returned the wave, and the ramp closed. The Ebon Hawk disappeared into the starry sky.
As the ship flew through space, Revan and Carth studied the navigational map.
"If we make the jump to hyperspace, we'll be in Coruscant in a day," Carth said. Revan nodded with satisfaction, and walked away. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks, worrying about what would happen. One day. In one day, he'd appear before the most powerful Jedi of the Order, other than himself of course. Still, strength can only get one so far, and in Revan's case, his power was useless. Would he be expelled for his crimes as Dark Lord? Would the Jedi allow Bastilla and Revan to love each other?
Those two thoughts bore a difficult question: which mattered more to him? Bastilla? Or being a Jedi? He stepped into Bastila's room, awakening her from her meditation. As he gazed at her beautiful figure, he already knew the answer.
"Hello," Bastila greeted.
"Hey," Revan said in reply. He stood still, staring at the floor, which gripped her attention.
"Is there something you need?" Bastila asked. He looked at her.
"Just something I want to know."
"Very well, what is it?" Revan sat down next to her, his face uneasy. The female Jedi was surprised at his expression. She had rarely ever seen Revan nervous about something. Normally, he was either cocky or confident.
"What do we have to brief the Council about?" he asked.
"Based on previous mission reports, I have some idea of what to expect," she replied. "We simply appear before them and answer any questions that they may have for us with complete honesty."
"Do they let us ask questions?" Revan inquired.
"I'm not sure," Bastilla said. "Whenever I had reported to them in the past, they never allowed me a chance to ask questions."
"Would they make an exception for me?"
"I'd hope so, considering all the good you've done." He gazed into her eyes.
"But what about all the bad things I've done?" She hadn't even accounted for that. Revan had committed horrible deeds as a Sith. But ever since his memory was erased, he had always been a defender of justice and compassion. More importantly, he single-handedly defeated Darth Malak. But Revan led him down the path to the Dark Side in the first place. Bastilla sighed.
"I don't know anymore, Revan," Bastilla admitted. His eyes widened.
"Wait…did you just admit that you don't know something?" he asked. She was confused by his question.
"Yes," she answered. Revan smiled, and jumped into the air.
"Finally, you admitted that you're wrong!" he exclaimed. She narrowed her eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Every time you didn't know something on our journey, you refused to say that you were clueless." The woman was infuriated.
"Name three times." Revan held out his hand.
"Gosh, where to begin," he muttered. "When I tried to repair that guy's droids on Tatooine, you said to take out the wires. I followed your advice, and when the droid blew up, you blamed it on poor wiring." Bastilla winced. She hadn't expected him to name that instance.
"Instead of letting HK-47 talk with the Sand People, you tried to, and ended up telling them that we were 'going to kill them and loot their bodies'. I'm amazed that they even let us back in, but you claimed they mistranslated it." The woman had forgotten about that as well.
"Later, on Manaan, you tried to be my arbiter for the first trial and did so badly that I almost got executed. But according to you, they were prejudiced against women and that's why you were doing so poorly." Bastilla grinded her teeth.
"Well I don't care if I can't repair droids, speak the Sand People dialect, or argue in the Manaan courts," she angrily replied. "And for the record, they were biased against me. Before, in the trial for Sunny, two of those judges asked me if I was single, and I responded by saying I didn't date smelly, grimy fish."
"So they thought you were sexy?" Revan smiled as he held her waist. "I can see why."
His hands started to go lower, until she tightly held them in place.
She shook her head. "No, not here."
He groaned. "Why not here? I'm tired of waiting, Bastilla."
"Revan, my love, be patient," Bastilla begged.
She leaned next to his head. "I'll make up for it as soon as the meeting is over."
Revan's eyes widened, anxiously wanting that day.
Everything looked the same. Although he hadn't seen it in years, every detail of the Jedi Temple was just as Revan remembered it. He and his remaining companions stood in front of the Jedi Council chamber.
Carth turned to Revan. "Juhani, Jolee and I will wait here."
Revan smiled. "If you hear a lightsaber ignite, that means we had to try things the hard way."
Bastilla glared at him, which made him uneasy.
"Relax, I'm just joking!" he said. The pair entered the room, the doors promptly closing behind them. They approached the Jedi Masters, bowing before them.
"Young Jedi, your situation is difficult to judge," Master Vrook said.
Master Atris narrowed her eyes. "I don't see any difficulty. Just expel them from the order!"
That single comment tempted Revan to force choke her.
Master Vandar turned to his female associate. "Calm yourself, Master Atris. You must empty your passion and gather your serenity."
The alien midget turned its attention to Bastilla. "Bastilla, you fell to the dark side, yet now I sense the light side of the Force within you. How were you redeemed?"
Bastilla mustered the courage to tell them the truth. "When I was in the Star Forge, as Darth Malak's apprentice, Revan confronted me. He defeated me, and spared me, even when I offered to have him kill me."
"So it was his mercy that brought you back?" Master Lonna Vash asked.
Bastilla chuckled a bit. "Actually, no. What brought me back…was love. He declared his love for me, and I revealed my own feelings for him."
"Is this true, Revan?" Vandar asked.
The Prodigal Knight nodded. "Every bit of it."
"What a paradox," Vandar muttered. The others turned to him.
"We've always taught that love leads to the dark side, yet it saved Bastilla."
Revan stepped forward. "No, love doesn't lead to the dark side."
The council members were surprised at his statement. "Passion can lead to rage and fear. It can be controlled, but passion is not the same thing as love. Controlling your passion while you're in love…that's what we should be taught to beware. But love itself will save you, not condemn you."
Atris laughed. "I suppose you've been listening to that senile Jolee Bindo."
Revan narrowed his eyes. "Yes, and he's a much wiser man than you'll ever be."
As she grinded her teeth, Vandar raised his head. "There is much truth in that statement. Thus, Bastilla, you are still a member of the Jedi Order."
Nobody spoke out against the decision, and Bastilla politely bowed. "I'm truly thankful for your forgiveness, Master."
Vandar looked at Bastilla's companion. "Your situation, however, is very complex."
Master Vash frowned at the figure. "How could we ever forgive him for what he's done? He's taken countless innocent lives, thrown the galaxy into war, and attempted to destroy the Republic itself!"
"That may be, but consider the good things that he's accomplished," Master Kavar offered.
The other Jedi turned to him. "He saved the galaxy from the Mandalorians, and now even Malak and his Sith forces."
"Furthermore, despite all the temptations and hardships, he has stayed on the path of the Light Side throughout this whole journey," Vandar reminded them.
"So, what should we do?" Master Vrook asked.
"I believe that Revan has redeemed himself by destroying the Sith Empire and Darth Malak," Master Vandar said.
Atris widened her eyes. "Then that's it? We're not going to punish him for disobeying us and fighting the Mandalorians? For trying to destroy our Republic?"
Even the strict Master Vrook shook his head. "No, Atris. I believe that Revan has truly redeemed himself. He deserves to be a Jedi."
Revan bowed. "Thank you, Master."
"Masters, will Revan and I be allowed to continue loving each other?" Bastilla inquired.
"Seeing how love is what cleansed you, Bastilla, I see no harm in allowing it to thrive," Vandar told her.
Bastilla and Revan were overjoyed.
"Stay here on Coruscant," Vrook ordered. "From now on, you'll be taking orders directly from us."
The two bowed, and happily dashed out of the chamber.