Chapter Thirty-One: Final Moments

He's going to kill me.

That was the only thought that entered Revan's mind as she frantically dodged and blocked Malak's attacks. Malak was stronger than she was, either due to the Star Forge or his control of the Dark Side. Revan tried to call on the Force to help her, but Malak blocked every attack. Revan felt helpless. The Force hadn't abandoned her; it just wasn't working against her former friend.

Revan found herself floating in the air, unable to move. She flew backwards, hit her head on a computer panel, and groaned as she fell to the ground.

The Force was serving Malak just fine.

"Master Zhar re-trained you on Dantooine, didn't he?" Malak asked. Revan said nothing. "I recognize your battle moves. You may not remember, Revan, but he trained us both before." He twirled his lightsaber in his hands. "Then you trained me."

Malak threw his lightsaber at her. Revan caught the motion out of the corner of her eye, and managed to duck and roll away, just missing it. Malak's blade cut through the computer panel, causing a bright flash as severed circuits sparked, hissed, and cracked. The flash was just enough of a distraction for Revan to leap to the upper level of the bridge. She hid behind a large computer, trying to catch her breath and gather her thoughts. She'd done nothing but block and defend. Revan couldn't kill him.

"You can't win, Revan!" Malak's mechanical voice cried.

She felt him approaching. A shiver ran down her spine. I can't fight him, she thought. We were friends. I can't do this. I can't kill him anymore than I could kill Mission or Jolee… or Carth.

"I grow tired of these games, Revan," Malak sneered.

Revan closed her eyes and tried to calm down. I wish he'd stop saying my name like it was some kind of disease. Then she thought, I suppose to some people it is.

"Shall we dance like this forever?" Malak asked. She could hear the hum of his lightsaber. He was standing at the foot of the platform, no doubt. He knew exactly where she was.

And exactly what I'm thinking, she said to herself.

Revan tried to clear her mind of all doubt. If she and Malak were as close as she thought they were, her doubt and fear would be used to his advantage. It was bad enough she wouldn't fight him. She had sliced through Dark Jedi left and right, not once thinking she shouldn't. Sith soldiers, Dark Jedi… they had been nothing. Revan had trained all year to face Malak, to strike him down, to bring an end to the reign of the Sith.

No, Liana trained for a year. Not me.

Revan winced and told herself to concentrate. Revan, Liana, names didn't matter. She trained for a year to face Malak. She was the only one who could face him. She had to do this. Pull yourself together, she told herself. Fear leads to the dark side. You don't want to do that again. Look at how many lives you destroyed, and how many people you killed. Look at what you did to Malak. Look at what he's become.

Revan opened her eyes and looked out the bridge window. She watched the battle outside the Star Forge, the Republic and Sith ships firing upon each other.

I started this four years ago.

Revan gripped her lightsabers.

I need to end this now. Force, give me strength.

Revan came out of hiding, gathered her strength, and used the Force to send a wave of energy at Malak. The Sith Lord was caught off guard and flew backwards. Malak let out a gasp of pain as he hit the metal floor with a loud thud.

Revan wasted no time. She ran down the ramp as fast as she could, leapt into the air, ready to attack. Malak quickly raised his lightsaber and blocked her attack, using his one blade to stop her two. He pressed hard on her blades, threatening to overpower her, and managed to regain his footing.

Malak laughed in her face.

Revan flew backwards, hitting her head hard on the ramp. She let out a cry of pain.

Get up, she yelled at herself. Get up!

Malak ran toward her. She rolled out of the way, then quickly stood, walking ever-so-carefully backwards. Malak turned to face her, his grip on his lightsaber tightening.

Revan's Dantooine training wasn't going to work. Malak knew the same moves, the same steps. No wonder they were going around in circles. She needed to abandon her training if she was going to defeat him.

Canderous. Canderous taught her some Mandalorian fighting techniques. They spent an entire day in the cargo hold fighting with vibroblades, long swords, and quarterstaffs while Mission and Zaalbar watched.

Just don't forget to keep your right side guarded, Canderous had warned her. Then you'll do fine.

But were Canderous's teachings going to work now?

Like I have a choice?

Revan didn't have time to decide. Malak ran towards her. Her two blue and purple lightsabers crashed against his red one. Revan heard Canderous's voice in the back of her mind coaching her through the steps.

Your arms are occupied, but your legs are free.

Revan pushed against Malak's blade, then kicked his knee hard. Malak stumbled, and Revan used the Force to push him backwards. Revan didn't give Malak time to recover. She charged after him, raising her blades to attack. Malak barely had enough time to stand up and defend himself. Revan swung and clashed her blades against Malak's lightsaber, one strike after another, her blades moving in a blur of purple and blue. When she could sense Malak's desperateness and confusion, that he could no longer read her movements, she kicked him hard, knocking him backwards.

"They didn't teach us that on Dantooine," Revan spat.

Before Malak could say anything else, Revan attacked again. Malak ducked and rolled, then got to his feet and raised his lightsaber. He didn't say anything to her. He charged forward. Revan didn't have time to plan an attack, he was running so fast. She brought her lightsabers up and stood in a defensive stance, ready to block anything he threw at her.

His blade clashed against her left-handed saber, her blocking saber. Malak leaned in, their faces inches apart. Their eyes met.

"You're growing tired, Revan," Malak said. "I can feel it. Exhaustion's setting in."

Revan mentally cursed at Malak. He was right. Her last attack drained her. She'd thrown too much energy into it. The strength in her arm was starting to falter. She was losing…

Canderous's voice suddenly rang through Revan's mind.

Always think about what's free.

Revan held her other lightsaber tight. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Malak's eyes narrowed.

Revan plunged her lightsaber into Malak's chest.

The battle was over.

Revan heard Malak's mechanical voice gasp, and watched his eyes grow wide in both shock and pain. His weapon turned off and fell to the ground. He staggered backwards, then fell to his knees, his hand covering the wound left by her lightsaber. She stood there, watching, not sure what to do or what to say. Malak was dying, she could feel it. Her best friend, her former lover… he was dying.

"Impossible," Malak gasped. "I cannot be beaten. I am the Dark Lord of the Sith."

Revan started to tremble. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She didn't know what else to say. "This is… the way of the dark side."

"Still spouting the wisdom of the Jedi, I see," Malak coughed. He looked down at the floor of the bridge. "Maybe there is more truth in their code than I ever believed."

Truth in the code, Revan thought. She abandoned her Jedi fighting techniques and defeated him with Mandalorian ones. Her mentor considered himself a non-Jedi with Force powers. She'd fallen deeply in love with a Republic Officer. So much for truth in the Jedi code.

Malak looked up at her. "I cannot help but wonder, Revan." Their eyes met. "What would have happened had our positions been reversed? What if fate decreed that I would be captured by the Jedi? Could I have returned to the light as you did?" Malak coughed and winced as he held his wound. "If you had not led me down the dark path in the first place, what destiny would I have found?"

Revan's eyes filled with tears. "No," she said. "No, you can't blame me. You were right when you told me we were meddling in things we didn't understand. But we started this together. And when I wanted to stop, you told me to keep going. You can't blame me anymore than I can blame you. We chose our own paths."

"I manipulated you," Malak admitted.

"I know," Revan whispered. "And I let you."

Malak coughed and fell forward, supporting his weight on his one arm. "I suppose you speak the truth," Malak said. "I alone must accept responsibility for my fate. I wanted to be Master of the Sith and ruler of the galaxy. But that destiny was not mine, Revan. It might have been yours… but never mine.

"And in the end, as the darkness takes me… I am nothing."

"Malak," Revan whispered. "I'm…"

Malak collapsed.

The ruler of the Sith was dead.

"Liana, are you always going to be my friend?" Malak asked.

"Like forever and ever?" Liana asked. The young boy nodded. "I guess, yeah. If you don't annoy me too much."

"I mean it!" Malak said. "I… I've never had a friend before."

"Duh!" Liana said. "Course I'll be your friend. Who else would put up with me?"

Malak smiled. "Astral."

Revan fell to her knees. She felt empty and hollow.

She had prepared herself for death—but for her death, not Malak's. Revan had convinced herself she was going to die on the Star Forge, die fighting Malak and saving the galaxy from the ruling Sith. She looked at Malak's body, her lower lip trembling. Slowly she walked over, knelt down, and gently brushed her hand against his brow. Tears trickled down her face, and she didn't wipe them away. Instead she leaned forward and kissed the top of his head.

"I love you, Malak," Revan whispered. "You'll always be my friend, for ever and ever."

Malak didn't reply.

Republic ships had broken through the Sith blockade and were attacking the Star Forge directly. The space station rocked as Republic ships fired. Revan could feel the tremors and vibrations as the Star Forge threatened to blow up at any moment. She needed to move, to run, to get to safety. But she didn't move.

Revan felt faint. Her head was spinning. She could feel her heart pounding away, her blood pressure no doubt off the charts. She closed her eyes and collapsed next to Malak, letting exhaustion get the better of her.

As she lay there, slowly falling into an exhausted slumber, she thought about the last time she collapsed. Canderous had caught her and carried her back to the Ebon Hawk, and she had woken up hours later asking for Carth. Then everything had changed…

The space station was breaking and collapsing under the firepower of the Republic ships. As the Star Forge cried out in pain, Revan thought about how much she loved Carth, how she longed to be lying in the safety of his arms. She loved him with all her heart, and she was going to miss him.

Thanks so much to X-Men: The Last Stand soundtrack for being in such wonderful minor keys.