Chapter Twenty-Seven: Intense

"This is where Darth Revan was born?" Carth asked. "I don't understand—"

"Lord Revan, Darth Revan," she whispered, pressing buttons on the computer interface. Her voice sounded as if she was reciting dialogue, not conversing. "Different titles… I've held them all, used them all. But the face… No one will believe a small, fragile, innocent-looking girl—"

"—to be as powerful as I am." Revan smiled. She looked up from the computer interface and smiled at Malak. "Deceiving looks can be beneficial, Malak. But no more. If I am to rule as the Dark Lord of the Sith, I cannot show my face."

"Revan?" Carth asked. "Did you just call me 'Malak'?" He turned to Jolee for help, but the older Jedi just shook his head. "Revan?" Carth asked again. He placed a hand on her arm. She continued to type on the computer interface. "Beautiful, talk me."

"I don't understand, my master," Malak said.

"Fool," Revan replied. She walked over to a white, cylinder cargo container at the far end of the computer room. "I shall rule the galaxy with fear. This is the key… the first step."

"She's having another vision," Jolee said, watching Revan walk across the room.

"Tell me something I don't already know!" Carth cried.

Jolee looked at Carth. "She's never acted her visions out before."

Revan's eyes narrowed. "Lord Revan is something to be feared, not someone who looks the part of an innocent Jedi. Don't you understand, Malak? I will be the most feared icon in the galaxy. Nothing is more fearful than a face no one can see. Identity is power. My power will—"

Carth gripped her shoulders, turned her around to face him, and shook her. "Revan, listen to me! Snap out of it!"

Revan's face was pointed at his, but eyes were narrow, and she seemed to be staring right through him.

"She can't hear you," Jolee said. "The Star Forge is causing her to—"

"Beautiful, listen to me," Carth said as calmly as he could. "You're not Darth Revan. You're not her, you understand? You're not Darth Revan!"

The cargo contained glowed, then made a popping sound.

Carth looked at the cylinder container, then back at Revan. "What did you do?" Revan didn't answer. "Say something!" he said. "C'mon. The walkway isn't going to be clear forever. We've got to keep moving! We've got—"

Revan's eyes blinked. She gasped slightly, and her knees began to buckle. Carth caught her before she tumbled to the ground. Revan grabbed a hold of his arms, then looked at him. "Carth?" she whispered. Her eyes started to well with tears.

"Welcome back," he said. "You okay? What happened?"

She paused. "I don't know. The visions. They're stronger." She turned her head and looked at the cylinder container.

"I know," Carth said. "You've done good so far. Keep—"

Revan pulled away from Carth's grip and fingered the container. "I… created this…"

"What did you create?" Carth asked.

Revan pressed a button on the side of the container. The top of the cylinder spun open, the sound of metal sliding against metal filling the room. Revan reached inside and pulled out a tan set of robes with a leather chest plate. She held the robes out in front of her. "This."

Canderous threw a plasma grenade. Dark Jedi and Sith were sent flying backwards on the docking bay. Canderous screamed insults in Mando'a, firing rounds from his rifle.

No sooner had Revan, Carth, and Jolee left the docking bay had a wave of Sith and Dark Jedi arrived. Juhani and Zaalbar leapt into the in the middle of the melee along with other Jedi Knights, slashing and hacking at advancing troops. HK-47 and Mission stayed back with Canderous, guarding the Ebon Hawk's ramp from behind a barricade of crates and cargo containers. To Canderous, the Star Forge seemed capable of cranking out troops like it could ships.

"Exclamation: Take that, meatbag!" HK-47 cried as he shot down two Sith. "Oh, how I love the smell of battle and blood!"

"You can't smell anything," Canderous yelled to the droid.

"Explanation: It is merely a meatbag colloquialism, not a personal feeling or emotion. Assumption: If I were to have scent sensors, I would take pleasure in—"

"LOOK OUT!" Mission screamed.

Canderous turned and saw a grenade headed their way. He grabbed Mission and pushed her out of the way, protecting her from the impact of the grenade with his body. When nothing exploded or came tumbling down, Canderous assumed the Sith had launched a sonic grenade.

"Exclamation: Eat blaster-fire, meatbags!" HK-47 cried, still firing on the Sith.

"You okay, kid?" Canderous asked. Mission nodded, then pushed Canderous off of her. She sat up and held her head. "Side effects from the grenade," Canderous said. He'd been hit by enough of them over the years he'd grown practically immune to their effects. He turned back around and aimed his rifle at the advancing troop of Sith. "Get inside the Hawk! I'll cover you!"

"I'm fine," Mission said. "Give me a minute—"

"Get inside the Hawk, kid!" Canderous said as he fired several rounds. "Got enough problems without you passin' out on me!"

Mission glared at Canderous. "I told Revan I'd help and I'm helping, you Mandalorian Wartbeast! Just give me a second and I'll be fine!"

Canderous spit, then went back to helping HK. He hoped Revan, Carth, and Jolee were having an easier time than they were.

Carth felt uneasy about Revan donning similar robes to Darth Revan's. The only difference was the color, and the lack of a cape and mask. Revan had insisted on wearing the robes, despite Carth's urging not to.

"Why?" he had asked.

"I need to," she had answered. "I need to wear these."

"But why?"

Revan had looked at him, and was both confused and uncertain. "I don't know," she told him. "I just… need to."

Jolee had then intervened and told Carth to drop it, they needed to get going.

Revan's memories continued to guide them through the levels of the Rakatan factory. The farther they walked, the less Revan talked. She seemed to be walking in a daze, and Carth was no longer sure if she was the woman he'd grown to know. Was she slowly turning back into Darth Revan, or was she in control of the situation? Jolee hadn't stepped up and said anything, and Carth assumed he would if Revan was truly becoming a danger to them and herself. But Jolee hadn't, so Carth continued to tell himself she was okay. But four years of paranoia didn't go away overnight. "Revan, you okay?" Carth asked.

She didn't reply.

Dammit, he wished she'd answer him.

They continued to walk, the silence beginning to wear on Carth's nerves. It wasn't so much that they weren't talking to one another; it was that there was silence. No Dark Jedi, no Sith, just the low hum of the Star Forge, and the sounds of their boots making contact with the metal floor as they walked. Although it was nice to take a break from the fighting, Carth grew weary and uncertain as to their fate.

The platform they walked along ended in front of a large, metal door. Before Carth could ask who was going to open the door, Revan stopped and gently touched it. She closed her eyes and traced the cool metal door.

"What?" Carth asked.

"Bastila," Revan whispered.

Bastila? "What about her?" he asked.

"She's there. Waiting. Meditating. Anticipating."

Carth looked at Jolee for clarification. "She's on the other side of the door," Jolee said. "I can feel her."

"What's she doing?" Carth asked.

"Waiting," Revan answered. "Meditating."

"Malak's having her use her Battle Meditation to aid the Sith," Jolee said.

"Anticipating."

Jolee looked at Revan. "Anticipating what?"

Revan opened her eyes. "Me," she said, her voice hollow and emotionless. "She's been told to kill me."

Carth's eyes widened. "Revan—"

"She won't," Revan said. "Bastila's strong. But I'm stronger."

"Revan, are you sure?" Carth asked. "Are you sure she plans to—"

Revan head turned and faced Carth. "You dare doubt me?"

Carth took a step back. "Revan, look. I—"

"You dare doubt the power of a Sith Lord?" Revan asked.

"Master, forgive me," Malak said. "It is not my place to doubt my Master."

"If I were you, Malak, I'd keep my doubts to myself!" Revan snapped. "I have no room for spineless weaklings in my empire!"

"Beautiful," Carth carefully said, "I'm not Malak. It's me, Carth."

"She can't hear you, Carth," Jolee said.

Carth glared at Jolee. "How do you know that, old man?"

"Where have you been, boy?" Jolee spat. "The closer we got to the Star Forge, the more of her memories surfaced. When we were practically in orbit, the Star Forge called to her, trying to get her to turn to the Dark Side. Now here we are, deep inside this space station, and you're standing there wondering why she's acting like this? The Star Forge is a living entity. This was Darth Revan's home. It's calling to its Master and doing everything in its power to have her stay here. I can feel it; it's tempting me, too." He looked at Revan. "The longer we're here, the more intense her visions are going to become."

"There's no room for failure, Malak!" Revan snapped. "Imbecile! You're lucky I don't kill you where you stand!"

Carth looked at Jolee. "How intense?"

Jolee sadly shook his head. "I don't know, Carth. I wish I did."

Revan screamed. She grabbed the sides of her head and fell to her knees, weeping. "Make it STOP!" she cried. "Make it stop…"

Carth rushed to her and knelt down to hold her. "I'm here, Revan," he said, rubbing the palm of his hand up and down her spine.

"Make it stop," she sobbed, clinging hard to Carth. "I can't think! I can't do anything! Make it stop!"

"Shhh," Carth said. He didn't know what to say to her, didn't know how to comfort her. Revan felt like a rag doll in his arms, a rag doll on the verge of a mental breakdown. The only thing that came to mind to tell her were empty, cliché words of encouragement and support. "You just have to keep fighting it, Gorgeous. You're doing good. You'll be okay."

"They won't go away," she wept. "I can't—"

"Yes, you can," he said. "You're strong, Revan. You can do this."

"I can't… make them stop," she said in between sobs. "Help me."

Revan was trembling and clinging to him. He'd made a promise to her, and damn the Force she was cashing in on it. Carth felt helpless. "Shhh," he said again. Carth cradled her head against his chest, holding her tight. "I'm here. Everything's going to be okay."

"Hate to be the one to end the comfort session," Jolee said, "but we've got to keep going if—"

"Bastila wants to kill me," Revan sobbed. "They all do. They all want to kill me. I'm a monster who needs to be stopped!"

"You're not a monster," Carth said. "Not anymore. You've changed. Remember what I promised you? I promised to protect you, Revan. I wouldn't promise that to someone who's a monster." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Beautiful."

Revan sniffed.

"C'mon," Carth said. "Jolee's right. We've got to keep moving." He looked at the heavy metal door. "You go in there and do what you have to do to stop Bastila. Jolee and I'll be right there with you."

Revan was still trembling, but she nodded. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself down, before making an effort to stand up. Carth helped her, and asked if she was all right.

Revan grabbed the front of his armor, lowering him down to her level, and kissed him hard. Carth wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close as he kissed her back. Focus on me, Beautiful, he thought as he kissed her, his tongue sliding into her mouth. Focus on this moment. Focus on us. Carth swore he heard Jolee groaning in the background, but he didn't care. He loved Revan too much to see her go through this and feel helpless while watching her. He was willing to do anything to keep her on the light side, anything for those memories to stop flooding her mind. She needed him, and dammit, he was going to do his best to help her.

Revan abruptly broke the kiss, catching Carth off-guard. He blinked a few times, then looked at her. For a brief moment he saw the familiar twinkle in her eyes. "I love you, too," she whispered.

Before Carth could say anything, Revan released her grip, then turned around and opened the metal door. Carth looked through the open door and saw a woman wearing black robes sitting before what looked like a computer-rendered view of the battle outside the Star Forge. "Bastila."