Chapter Twenty-Two: Temptation
Revan sat on the ground cross-legged while the Rakatan elders chanted. There were four of them and one guide, meditating in front of what looked like a camp fire. The guide's monotone chanting had a therapeutic effect on Revan, helping her relax and meditate herself. It wasn't as successful as she had hoped. Revan would clear her mind, but she'd see Carth…
"No! You're not going in there alone!"
"Carth, I have to. They won't let me in otherwise."
"But you don't know what's in there, Revan! You don't know what's waiting for you!"
"I have to do this—"
"Not without me!"
"Carth, I don't want to do this anymore than you don't. But I have to. I'll be all right. I just have to flick a switch—"
"Revan, I won't let you—"
"What you want is irrelevant. I'm sorry, Carth. I've already disturbed this world and this tribe once before. I won't do it again."
"Revan, sometimes you can't play by the rulebook! Sometimes you have to forget protocol and just do what needs to be done!"
"I seem to recall that being the reason why I became Darth Revan."
Revan held Carth so tight after that. She whispered she was sorry and kissed his cheek. She told him she'd return to the Ebon Hawk afterwards and they could leave the planet. Carth grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her like he'd never see her again. Revan was taken by surprise at the amount of desperation in his kiss, the amount of pressure on her lips, his beard stubble scratching her face. She didn't know how to respond. It wasn't until Canderous pulled Carth away that Revan caught her breath. She looked into Carth's eyes and felt emotions come from him that she hadn't felt before. Sorrow, loss, confusion, regret, desperation, helplessness… and love…
He loved her…
A tear trickled down Revan's cheek. She shouldn't've pushed him away like she had. Yes, she was trying to protect him using the Rakatan laws as a crutch. Revan hadn't told him that the Rakatan elders warned her that there were Dark Jedi lurking within the shadows of the temple. She was afraid for him, and didn't want to see him killed trying to protect her. Dammit, he should be there with her, not back on the Ebon Hawk.
Revan recited the Jedi Code and took deep breaths. This wasn't going to help her when the time came to enter the temple and—
The Rakatan elders stopped chanting, the leader declaring that someone was approaching. Revan's pulse rate sped up. Carth?
Revan opened her eyes and stood up, seeing Jolee and Juhani coming into view.
"Wait!" Jolee called. "You can't go in there alone!"
Revan was about to say something when Juhani cut her off. "We have had a... a premonition. The Force has given us a vision. There is great danger within the Temple. We cannot let you face it alone."
"You might be walking into a trap," Jolee told Revan. "Maybe Malak himself is waiting inside. Even if he isn't, that temple will be crawling with Dark Jedi. You'll need all the help you can get."
"Jolee speaks for both of us," Juhani said. "You must enter the Temple, but we must go with you."
"Jolee, you can't come with me," Revan said. "It's, it's not my call. I can't—"
"Your destiny—maybe the fate of the entire galaxy—could be forever changed inside that Temple. I'm not about to let you face that alone. Not after my premonition. There's a reason I had that vision. So you just tell that guide of yours to do whatever he has to do to get us all inside the Temple."
Revan slowly nodded. She turned to the Rakatan guide. "Please… lower the energy field," she said. "I can't do this alone."
The Rakatan guide slowly nodded, speaking the Rakatan language, then kneeling and chanting once again.
Jolee snorted. "Why do I get the feeling this is going to take a while? Still, we better stay ready. As soon as those shields go down we have to get inside the temple."
There were so many Dark Jedi inside the temple. Too many had died, and with each Jedi that recognized Revan, the more Revan felt a piece of the life she thought she knew, a piece of her spirit, die within her. Revan felt she was the victim of the biggest cover-up in the history of the galaxy more so now than before. But she pushed forward, inside screaming that she wasn't strong enough to continue, that she couldn't continue. She had to continue, regardless of how she felt. Revan had to get to Malak. She had to defeat him.
Revan, Jolee, and Juhani made their way down a hallway that turned out to be a dead end with nothing but a stone slab, a couple of lights, and disabled gun turrets. Jolee turned around to walk back down the hall, but Revan stayed. She reached out and touched the stone slab that was resting against the wall. "Bastila was here," she whispered.
"What do you mean?" Juhani asked.
Jolee turned back around and watched Revan finger the stone slab. "Revan?"
"This is where… Bastila…" Revan turned and looked at Jolee. "Malak tortured Bastila here. This… this is the place I saw in the vision… when I was fighting Canderous…"
Juhani and Jolee exchanged looks of concern. "Revan, come on," Jolee gently said. "We still have more to do—"
"She was here," Revan whispered. "She was strong… resisted… Malak… tortured her…"
Jolee took Revan by the arm. "Come on, my dear."
Revan looked up at Jolee and nodded. "Yeah… that, that's a good idea." She pinched the bridge of her nose and allowed Jolee to guide her out of the dead end hallway.
They made their way through the rest of the temple, Revan allowing her memories to guide them. As they explored the cold, damp, and dark basement of the temple, Revan came across a computer. Not only had the computer recognized Revan, it had given her more information about the Star Forge and its history, and the history of the Rakatan. Revan didn't have the time to listen to the computer, so she downloaded all the information to her datapad to view later. The computer then told her to head for the upper level of the temple in order to find the release switch for the energy field. After downloading all the information, Revan pocketed her datapad, then the three left the basement.
Revan, Jolee, and Juhani reached the doorway that lead to the upper floor of the cold, stone Rakatan Temple. As the door slid open, Revan turned at looked at Jolee and Juhani behind her. "I know what I'm doing," she said.
"Who are you trying to convince?" Jolee asked.
Revan said nothing.
They walked up a stone ramp leading to reach the upper level of the temple. Revan looked around before walking forward, then falling to her knees. Memories flooded her mind. "Jolee," she managed to gasp.
Jolee grabbed Revan's arm. "Focus, Revan," he said, helping her back to her feet. Revan took deep breaths. "You all right?" Jolee asked. After a few seconds she nodded. "Let's go. This ain't over with yet."
The upper level of the temple extended to an outside walkway. It was still dusk, but the light from the sun caused Revan to squint, after getting used to the darkness of the temple. As she walked out into the light, she saw the dirt, dust, and blood splatters her robe had collected. A bath… she needed a bath. She hadn't had a true bath since Manaan…
Focus, she scolded herself.
At the end of the walkway, Revan saw a shadowy figure. She frowned and reached out with the Force in an attempt to figure out who it was. Another Sith?
Suddenly Revan gasped. Her dream… This was just like her dream. Stone, outdoor walkway… Jolee, Juhani…
No…
Standing at the end of the walkway, wearing a black Sith robe and gripping a red, double-bladed lightsaber was Bastila. Revan stopped in her tracks and just stared.
No…
Bastila smiled coldly. "Revan—I knew you'd come for me," she said. "Malak thought you might be afraid to enter the Temple again, but he doesn't know you like I do. Not anymore. Not since you've changed."
"Quickly, Bastila," Juhani said. "Come with us! We have to escape before Malak arrives!"
"Escape?" Bastila snorted. "You don't understand. I have sworn allegiance to Lord Malak and the Sith; I am no longer a pawn of the Jedi Council."
"A pawn?" Revan whispered. Her voice slowly became stronger. "Bastila, what are you talking about?"
Bastila sighed. "Surely you know what I mean, Revan. Look at what the Council did to you; they turned you into their puppet. The same thing they do to all who are truly strong in the Force."
"No," Revan said. "No, it's not true. The dark side is evil, Bastila. Don't do this!"
"You say that as if the dark side is some terrible entity," Bastila said. "The Jedi Council has brainwashed you like all the others. Like they once did with me. They speak of the dark side as if it is something to be feared. But in reality their only goal is to manipulate those who are strong in the Force. The fear of the dark side is a tool to maintain control. Why do you think the Jedi forbid you and Malak from joining the Mandalorian Wars? They knew you would realize your true potential and break free of their domination. Malak has shown me how the Jedi Council have been using me the same way they once tried to use you. They've been holding me back because they knew one day I would surpass them all."
Revan shook her head. "But… I saw you… Malak tried to turn you and you resisted…"
"I resisted at first," Bastila said. "I endured the Sith torments with the passionless serenity of a true Jedi, emptying my mind. But after a week of endless tortures I finally saw the truth."
"What truth?" Revan asked.
"Malak forced me to acknowledge my anger and pain. He showed me the liberating power of these emotions. Then he made me see how the Jedi Council has denied me what is mine by right!"
"Denied what is your right?" Revan cried. "Bastila, don't you see what you're doing? Listen to yourself!"
"The Jedi Council gladly used my Battle Meditation in their wars, but they still treated me like a child—like an inferior," Bastila snapped. "They were jealous of my power… of what I could become! They wanted me to bow and call them Master and follow their Code and obey their every order. But all the while they were exploiting my Battle Meditation for their own use!"
"The Jedi Council is holding you back, Revan. You're much stronger than all of the Masters combined. Don't let them tell you what to do. If you go to fight the Mandalorians, I'll follow. And other Jedi will follow, too."
Revan squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out more memories. The same words Malak used to push her into the Mandalorian War were the same words he used to turn Bastila. Dammit.
"You have yet to discover your true potential, Revan. I can see it in the way you fight, the way the Force wraps itself around you. You are the most powerful Jedi ever to have lived! It is an honor to call you friend."
Revan heard Bastila preaching the power of the dark side to Jolee and Juhani, but she ignored it until Bastila addressed her directly.
"You used to be Revan, Master of the Sith, but no longer," Bastila spat. "You are simply a pawn of the Jedi Council and the Republic they serve... like I was until Malak freed me from their shackles!"
Revan eyes narrowed. Her voice became unstable again as she fought to control her emotions. "You lie…"
"Lies? You are the one living a lie, Revan. The Jedi Council made you into something you are not; they programmed you to be their slave."
The power of the dark side… it called to Revan through Bastila. Revan could taste it, feel it… Revan clenched her fist and felt the dark power tempt her…
Another memory flashed before Revan's eyes. She was in her room on the Ebon Hawk, hugging her knees and crying…
"I don't want to fall again. I don't want to be Darth Revan again. I've only seen a couple memories and it's too much…"
"You won't slip, Revan. You won't fall. We won't let you."
"But if I do—"
"I'll be here to catch you."
"What if you don't? What if you try, but I still fall? What if you're not there at all?"
"Don't think like that. That's not going to happen."
"What about the darkness you said was there inside me?"
"You're not going to fall. I'll be there. I'll keep you from going back to the dark side. If you ever find yourself falling, slipping, giving in to a temptation, turn to me, think of me, think of the promise I made to protect you, to give you a future with me. Think of anything like that, anything to help you stay on the path you're on now, to stay the person you are now."
Revan held onto that memory. She concentrated hard, trying to remember every last detail. She could feel Carth's arms around her, the strong, warm embrace, the laughter that followed her tears, the passion that followed the pain…
"If you ever find yourself falling, slipping, giving in to a temptation, turn to me, think of me, think of the promise I made to protect you, to give you a future with me."
Revan gripped her lightsaber. She wasn't going to slip. She couldn't do that to Carth. She loved him too much…
"I'd rather lose Telos forever than to have you turn to the dark side to save it."
Revan wished Carth were here right now. She needed him…
"I made a promise to you that I'd give you a reason not to fall to the Dark Side."
"A pity the power you once has is so diluted in you," Bastila sighed. "You could have been strong as I am now… stronger, even. But that will never happen, now. With the power of the Star Forge Malak will destroy the Republic and conquer the galaxy. And I will be the apprentice at his side—after I prove my worth by killing you!"
Bastila raised her lightsaber, giving Revan barely enough time to turn her own on and defend herself. Jolee and Juhani rushed to protect Revan, but Bastila tossed them aside. She attacked Revan again, and Revan blocked. She refused to fight Bastila; only protect herself. Revan could easily take Bastila down, but she wouldn't. There was still good in Bastila, and it hurt Revan so much to see her friend like this. Bastila attacked harder, more fiercely than before. Still, Revan defended.
Bastila raised her arm and Revan went flying backwards, crashing hard on the stone floor.
"You are stronger than I would have thought possible, after what the Jedi Council did to you," Bastila said as Revan stood up. "Seems that Malak was wrong—the power of the dark side is not lost to you after all, Revan. Your mind was too badly damaged to ever fully restore your memories, Revan. But your power, your strength of will, the essence of who and what you are: these things still remain!
"Once long ago you defied the Jedi Council, freeing yourself from their control," Bastila continued. "You claimed your rightful title of Dark Lord of the Sith. Together we can defeat Malak and take back what is yours!"
"Bastila, it is not too late for you to be saved," Juhani said. "The teachings of the Jedi can lead you from the dark side back into the light and a true understanding of the Force."
Bastila sneered. "You are beneath my contempt, Juhani. When you felt the power of the dark side, you fled to a cave like some cowering animal! You know nothing of the Force or its true potential!" She turned back to Revan. "But you, Revan—the power of the dark side is yours to command! You can use it to destroy Malak! With my help you could rule over the entire galaxy!
Revan gripped her lightsaber. Her eyes narrowed. "The Dark Lord Revan is dead," she said, her voice filled with pain. "I am a servant of the light now."
"You are a pathetic fool, Revan!" Bastila spat. "Together we could have defeated Malak and ruled over an Empire, but now I will be at Lord Malak's side instead! You will be crushed with the Republic and all the fool who bow down to the Jedi Council! No one can stand against the power of the Star Forge and the Sith fleet!"
Bastila turned and fled down the walkway, through a stone doorway. Revan ran after her, only to see Bastila jump into a shuttle on the other side of the stone doorway, then take off up into the sky, towards the stars and the Star Forge.
"Blast it!" Revan cried.
Jolee placed a hand on her shoulder. "Later," he said. "Shut off the energy field and let's get back to the Ebon Hawk."
Revan closed her eyes. Slowly she nodded. Revan made her way over to a computer terminal on the far wall, punched a few buttons, then said the energy field and disrupter field were shut down. She gripped the sides of the computer terminal and hung her head. "This just keeps getting harder and harder," Revan whispered.
Jolee nodded. "I know."
"Why?"
Jolee frowned. "I wish I knew, my dear." He took her arm once again. "Come. We've got a long walk back to the Ebon Hawk."
Revan slowly nodded.
Dialogue (well, most of it) copyrighted 2003 BioWare and LucasArts. Thanks so much to lilias for her help with the Bastila dialogue.