-1Chapter 14: The Jedi Council
Bastila weakly meandered through the vast colonnade of the Jedi Temple. She passed under a marble arch into a room literally made of water. The misty air hit her and soothed her dry sore throat.
The massive polished durasteel walls made the room seem cold blue. There was a winding path that cat-walked over the chasm of crystal water far below. Down deep in the great lake of water below, were a thousand nozzles that blasted water far above the catwalk in thick jets. The result was a cold blue room with a forest of fountains.
In any normal state, Bastila would be thrilled to see it. But she merely walked the path where it met other paths in a great circle of chairs buried in the thicket of water. Congregated in those chairs were the remaining Jedi Masters. Masters Zez-Kai Ell, Vandar, Vrook, Atris, Vash and Kavar were all present and accounted for. They looked nervously from one to the other, as if they were expecting the temple to collapse on them.
It was Vash who broke the silence.
"You come here alone in an escape pod. What has happened to your ward?"
Bastila could not force herself to look them in the eyes. She delayed this meeting as long as she could, but they would have to know.
"No longer does he listen to me. Our bond has failed."
The council broke out in an uproar. Vrook seemed only partly successful from showing utter rage. The others began to fidget in their seats. If Bastila had to guess, it seemed as if they were afraid. Afraid that Revan would hold some form of grudge. Bastila knew that Revan held no such grudge. Revan understood that the council was a predictable force that acted openly according to their beliefs. They were nothing more than a predictable animal following it's own set of principles. But their thin understanding of the elements that were conspiring around them caused them fear. It was Atris who stopped them with her clear magisterial voice.
"It was mostly due to Bastila's bond that we were able to contain him for so long. This was inevitable. He never was a true Jedi. But I wonder…" She pause for moment while she folded her hand. "Why did he not attack?"
Bastila's voice was calm and quiet in answer.
"You are of no interest to him. You never were. He believes…"
"What does he believe?" Vandar asked.
"He believes the Galaxy is about to be destroyed."
The look of pure dread covered Vandar and Vrook's faces. The others seemed quite confused.
"From what?" Vash asked.
"From fear!" Came a thunder-like crack.
Standing in the hallway of water was Lord Revan of the Sith. His visage made it seem as though he had parted the water just so the emotionless mask could glare coldly at the council.
Vash and Kavar responded quickly with sabers. While the other masters stood and backed off. The thing in the mask tilted it's head to the side in, what seemed to be, an amused look of disbelief.
"Lo, the Jedi attack in peace." He raised his gloved hands. "I have not threatened or attacked you."
"Vash, Kavar!" Rumbled Vrook. When the two young Masters powered their lightsabers down, Vrook stormed up face-to-face with Revan.
"You are not welcome here, darkling."
"Do not bare your old fangs at me, Kath hound!" Rumbled Revan. "I came for only one thing, and that was to share wisdom."
Vrook laughed, dryly.
"You're questionable wisdom is not welcome here either."
Revan walked past him. Disregarding all of the masters, he walked to Bastila.
"I did not come to cast pearls before swine." He placed a heavy hand on Bastila's shoulder. "I do not have the energy to argue with all of you. Darkness will have consumed you and crippled all before I could convince you of anything."
Vandar hobbled toward the black creature.
"Your arrogance has not changed! Converted, they said! We recognized that the true threat…"
A little spark of red flashed from behind the eye slits of the mask, as Revan regarded the tiny Jedi..
"That's right. I know, Vandar. You saw the threat just as I. And just as I was, you were afraid. You were afraid! Fear! I controlled it, but it controlled you. What had you intended to do? Wait for it to expose itself? It could destroy us all from billions of light-years away. You would never know long enough to ignite your lightsaber. You decided to wait while they compromised our last line of defense to see if they would actually introduce themselves? What stalwart fools!"
"We could've used a Mandalorian victory to draw them from their hiding places." Countered Vrook.
"Don't fool yourself. If you are so afraid of an enemy to preempt an attack, then you are too afraid to fight it."
The Masters made various protests, to which Revan did not respond. He grabbed Bastila by the shoulder and whispered into her ear. Her response was a wide-eyed look of panic and a slack jaw.
"Do as I told you." Revan said aloud.
Revan looked around noticing that the Jedi had begun to circle him. Each Master with their hand on their sabers.
"You are under arrest." Atris hissed.
Bastila screamed and blocked their path to Revan.
"Out of the way, Bastila." Said Kavar.
"He will kill all of you if you do." She said desperately.
"He is not yet that strong." Whispered Atris, almost hopefully.
The Jedi ignited their lightsabers. Revan tried to walk to the pathway but Kavar blocked it with one of his lightsabers. Revan regarded him with a warning glance.
"Promise me you won't kill them!" Yelled Bastila. "Promise me. I love you."
Revan cursed under the mask.
"Be silent, Bastila!"
But it was too late. They had heard her. If he escaped now, they would merely turn on her in frustration. He would have to kill them all.
"I have to!" Revan roared.
"NO!"
Vandar had flipped up with a high blow, while Master Kavar brought both of his blades in a standing Sai Tok, Zez-Kai Ell attacked with a bizarre jumping side slash, while Lonna Vash spun her short saber nimbly in a Siosk fan attack, Atris moved in with a simple stab while Vrook came in low with an upward presentation.
In a confused millisecond, it was revealed that Revan had parried all of their attacks, knocked them all back and moved aside. Only Vandar managed to keep up with Revan. The little Jedi was as nimble through the force as Revan was. They kept the exchange going with a steady beat. When any of the other Masters attempted to join in and help Vandar, they were quickly thrashed aside by Revan.
Vandar leapt in a corkscrew spin with his saber above him. Revan dodged it as Vandar knew he would, but Revan grabbed the Jedi from his jump and tossed him toward the fountains with a bolt of lightening following. The Jedi curved his trajectory so he landed on a path behind the fountains which absorbed the lightening.
The fountains provided a smokescreen for Vandar as he leapt back through with his saber ready. Revan dropped to the walkway and rolled under Vandar, attacking with a chambered stab. The Jedi parried and used the parry to push himself to the far end of the walkway.
Revan righted himself instantly and charged but stopped short of Vandar in order to fling his saber at him. Vandar dodged and attacked, thinking Revan was weaponless, only to find Revan waiting with a second saber.
Revan called through the force and pulled at the water around him. He redirected the flow to manipulate Vandar's moves and to shove him aside. Revan caught his second saber as it returned. Using both sabers, it was now more of a question of swatting a fly.
The two worked their way deeper into the hallway of water. Revan made sure his blades contacted the water as often as possible.
Soon the room was overcome with steam and no one could clearly make out where Revan and Vandar were. Through the muggy fog, they could see only the occasional flashing of blades.
Minutes passed before there was an abrupt cry and the whirring of lightsabers ceased. Something splashed far below into the pit of water. When the mist had cleared, Bastila Revan and Vandar were all missing.
"Shut off the fountains!" Roared Vrook. The walls of jet streams ceased to reveal the small motionless form of Jedi Master Vandar, floating peacefully in the water below.
"Quick, come with me!" Shouted Vrook, as he ran down the catwalk.
Red lights began to flash and sirens blared. Vrook raced down the colonnade to the greater vestibule for the Temple. His eyes flashed over the marble floors before he turned and ran to the opposite end of the colonnade.
"He hasn't left! He is still here!" He bellowed back. A host of Jedi Knights were following him now. "He is on the roof!"
No creature on any world matched the raw speed of that procession, as they ascended their own flights of stairs.
TTHHEEJJEEDDIICCOOUUNNCCIILL
Revan waited patiently. He had decoyed for Bastila. The old dog, Vrook would be upon him any second. He would follow him.
Revan had his fists curled and his muscles tensed. Let him come…
"Peace is a lie."
The silver clouds of Coruscant began to seep polluted tears. They hit the hood of Revan's robe like small bombs.
"There is only passion."
"Kill them all." He thought.
"Through passion, I gain strength."
He heard an army of footsteps.
"Through strength, I gain power."
The skies opened up in a downpour.
"Through power, I gain victory."
In his heart, he knew Kreia had been right; he had been a fool to come back.
"Through victory my chains are broken."
Vrook and Jedi, a hundred strong, filed out onto the roof. He saw their souls; he saw how they tried to cage their excitement with peace prayers and Jedi liturgies. They were all fresh. The prospect of Dark Lord Revan, dead or alive, made their blood tingle with excitement and a touch of eagerness. Vrook, however, was a credit to the Jedi credo.
Vrook stepped forward and, on que, they all drew their sabers.
"The force shall set me free."
Revan drew his sabers and held them defensively in front of him. He watched pensively as the Jedi barely waited for Vrook's signal. Vrook had not drawn his own saber. On Vrook's face was an expression of pity and sadness.
"Revan. You do not have to die this day. Give yourself up." Revan could feel the hate boiling in him, it gushed forth at every word Vrook spoke. "I helped train you, as we all did."
Revan watched the rain trickling off of Vrook's face, when, he was struck with a vision. He did his best to keep himself steady. Years later, the temple was in ruins and a host of Sith warriors marched down the streets of Coruscant. Those misshapen things that Revan had fashioned at Malachor V were watching the temple burn.
…Vrook had to live. The Jedi Masters had to live. They had to be there to stop the coming storm.
Revan saw the faces of them all in his execution squad. His mind raced. A simple situation had gotten very complex in a short span of time.
"Well?" Vrook demanded.
"I have work to do, Vrook. I do not deny, I would like to…" Revan reached up ripped his mask off. The "oohs" and "ahhs" of the posse had no effect on him. Revan secured his mask to his belt. His yellowed eyes bore into Vrook's expressionless face. Revan smiled and shook his head. "The time just isn't convenient."
As if it were understood that there would be no peaceable solution, the Jedi raced forward. Revan felt the smash of puddles under his boots as he ran to meet them in one last battle. Every prayer on a wing, each schoolboy Jedi, the hopes and dreams of the Universe, met, there on Coruscant, under the rain.
Vrook matched his cold blue saber with Revan's twin red. The second the three sabers clashed, the schoolchildren were sent skidding to the edge of the roof and Atris, Kavar, Vash and Zez-Kai Ell had to dodge lightening.
Vrook twisted his saber like a key, trying to gain control of all three blades, when Revan merely disengaged his sabers. He brought one up in a perfectly vertical slash while stabbing in low with the second. Vrook dodged, parried and reposted. Revan parried Vrook's attack, as well as five other attacks, coming from his right, three from the left.
Not giving them time to breathe, Revan dropped to the ground in a spin, creating two hemispheres of engagement. He saw the incoming attacks and saw them parried and answered. One female Jedi, leapt backward, mortally wounded. Two over zealous Jedi knights, one was Aqualish, lost right arms. Atris gained a nice deep wound on her shoulder, as Revan rose from his low spin. As he rose, Jedi flew at his command. Some were lost over the side of the Temple.
Vrook was waiting for him with two dangerous doubling stabs, one after another. Revan dodged the first and redirected the second into a surprised Jedi Knight. In releasing Vrook's blade, Revan waved his sabers in quick half-fan slashes that dissected up to six Knights.
Vrook yanked his lightsaber from the youth's chest and tried a clever Jedi non-offensive entrapment. He lowered his center of gravity and retreated his parry influence to his left only, exposing his right. Revan wouldn't have expected it from Vrook's rough version of Shien, which was mostly devoted to throwing the opponent over with brute strength and power strokes. But Revan caught the almost chess-like tactic and employed one of his own. Instead of going for the obvious opening, Revan exposed his upper-body in a committed blade engagement to Vrook's saber.
Vrook was never an eager man who rushed things, especially not things like the Mandalorian Wars, but when he saw the exposed area on Revan, he disengaged Revan's blades and attacked high. Revan had feinted his blades' involvement and had already batted the eager attack to the left and tackled the old man to the ground, slaying three Jedi in the process.
Vrook made to get up but Revan pinned him to the ground through the force and slashed the hilt of his saber in half, barely missing his fingers. While holding Vrook in place, he quickly brushed off Zez-Kai Ell and Vash. Revan noted that only the Jedi Masters were advancing on him now.
Kavar rushed him and Revan could smell hate in him. Kavar was young and rash but a master swordsman. Revan looked over his shoulder and saw Kavar charging. Revan extinguished his sabers, ducked inside Kavar's masterful Jar'Kai Anurestinn fleche and grabbed both of his arms just above the elbow. Revan head-butted him, brushed the lightsabers from his grip, slammed Kavar's stunned body onto his knee and then tossed him into Atris.
Realizing that Vrook had been released from his grip and had grabbed another saber off the ground, he reignited his sabers just in time to shield himself from Vrook's Sai Cha. Revan smiled in surprise and almost laughed aloud; Vrook was trying to behead him. Vrook kept pressing down until he was blade-locked with Revan.
From behind him, Vash used a knight's leap and brought her yellow short saber down in a vertical cleave. Revan dislodged one of his sabers from Vrook and caught Vash's saber. He was torn between the two, trying to muscle them away from him when Zez-Kai Ell used an Exar stab directed straight at Revan's heart.
Revan waited for the perfect moment before extinguishing his sabers and flipping out of the way. To his delight, the Masters smacked into one another. Vash was winged by Zez-Kai Ell's staff and slumped to the ground.
It was a bare second before Atris attacked with her silver saber. Revan was surprised at some of the moves she employed. Some of them were more than familiar and should not have been used by a Jedi. But they were working… Revan was dodging more blows than he was inflicting.
"You are no match for me, warmonger!" She seethed.
Revan gave a soft wave of his hand and she smashed into the ground. He used the same overhead Jung Ma swings he had used against Megalo. Two deflected off of her saber, one sliced a lock of her hair away and the third scratched the roof.
After recovering from the attack, he saw that all the masters were attacking in tandem. Revan had finally worn to the point of exhaustion. He had got the workout he wanted and he had decoyed for Bastila long enough. This was over. A quick massive burst through the force and he was the only one left standing. The masters and knights were overpowered through god-like strength and bashed to the ground
No one moved…
The Jedi could've regrouped, but they staid perfectly still. Scores upon scores of Jedi lay slaughtered and the rest would not attack. Revan approached Vrook Lamar. He stared into Vrook's cold confused eyes. Revan raised his saber high into the air and swung it down. It halted barely and inch from Vrook's neck. Vrook looked over at it in surprise. The blade disappeared and Vrook was lifted into the air by a gloved-hand.
"And so ends peaceful Jedi negotiations." Revan spat. He brought Vrook's face to his own. "Lay upon the peace you have wrought, Jedi!"
Revan cast Vrook upon the dead cauterized bodies of Jedi Knights. Revan looked at them all, but none of the Masters would return his gaze. Atris was starring glassily at a dead Padawan in front of her, while holding her left hand absently over her wounded shoulder. Zez-Kai Ell was gazing, humiliated, off into the puddles that had collected on the roof. Vash had passed out and a battered Kavar was kneeling over her.
There were many things Revan could have said. But he said none of them. He pulled out of his pocket a remote and activated it. He pressed various buttons on it before it floated away.
Revan turned back to see the defeated Masters, standing once more. They were all regarding him with looks of speechless amazement and fear.
Revan ignited one of his lightsabers, which caused the Masters to tense. Revan carved, silently, a figure "X" in the roof of the Temple. Retracting the saber, he brought his mask back up from his belt and latched it in place. He regarded the mortified and humiliated Masters before he leapt over the side of the Temple.
Vrook ran to the edge in time to see a Sith Ventura Class vessel, rocket off into the sky.