Harry Potter and the Dying Embers

by Kalistar

AU SW Crossover. Harry Potter was attacked by Voldemort, however, his parents were not home and he was taken from his home and Earth by an old Jedi to grow up as Revan a powerful and feared Jedi. Dark!Harry, Independent!Harry

3. The Manadalorian Wars Pt1

A/N 1: I do not own Harry Potter nor do I own Star Wars.

A/N 2: As noted previously, yes the early portion of this is similar to another story, but Slytherin2005 received permission from the author.

Italics are thoughts and flashbacks. Thoughts in flashbacks will be in normal writing.

Chapter 3

Bastila stood silently watching in awe as her friend Revan knelt before the Council and was granted the rank of Jedi Knight, she felt the pride well up inside her and she waited with anticipation for what would follow. Revan slowly stood and bowed once more before the Council. "It is a great honor to receive the rank of Jedi Knight and I will do my best to uphold the tenets of the Jedi Council. I will do all that I am able to become a guardian of peace and justice in the Republic."

A cheer went though the cambers as Revan's friends mobbed him and chatted away happily at the pleasant distraction. Bastila sighed as she remembered the last 5 years of her life, the heartache at seeing another world fall to the Mandalorians, she remembers her feeling of despair and helplessness as Revan sat before her angrily describing each casualty figure and each detail of the battle, saying if only he'd been there it may have been different. Bastila smiled despite the overwhelming pain that the Mandalorians send through the Force, millions screaming out in terror and suddenly dying. It sickened her to her core to think about the Mandalorians, she only thought about her friend who stood in the center of the gathered Padawans and Knights being bombarded with questions and congratulations. Bastila slowly slipped outside where she could be away from the noise and decided it would be nice to meditate, she walked quietly to a hillside near the Enclave and saw, drawing on the Force to calm herself. I haven't done this for 10 years... she thought meekly as she concentrated on her Force aura, she could sense it and see it's brilliant yellow glow encased around her, further away in the tombs she could feel a black and cold could that sent a chill down her spine, she shook her head and pulled away, racing through the plains until she felt a familiar presence, the faint purple glow of his aura, even after all those years, she could see the color flicker from purple to red and worry crept into her mind.

An amused voice pulled her away from her meditation and she turned to see Master Vandar speaking to her. "It is a lovely place is it not Padawan Bastila?"

Bastila nodded and took a deep breath of the refreshing air as she slowly stood and bowed to the Master. "What can I do for you Master?"

The tiny form of the Master shook slightly with a snort as he pointed his finger at the Young Padawan. "Come here I have to help you Padawan."

Bastila looked at him with uncertainty. "I'm sorry Master, but what do you believe is troubling me?"

The Jedi Master sighed and looked out across the peaceful plains. "Come to speak to you I have about the power you have just used."

Bastila felt her face flush as the blood rushed warmly through her cheeks. "Oh, it's nothing Master, I merely look into the aura of the Force surrounding someone."

"Surrounding Revan." The Jedi Master corrected, Bastila could feel herself growing more red as the Master let out an amused laugh.

"No shame in this there is Padawan, Revan is a strong man, brave and compassionate, what you have done for him has given him more confidence than we would have thought possible, he is powerful... has always been, but now his mind is strengthened as well as his body." Vandar turned to see Revan slowly approach. "Tell us he did of your gift, impressed Knight Revan was, a decade it took for him to discover the ability."

"Battle Meditation." Revan's calm voice called out. Bastila turned to see him. He is so handsome.. Bastila immediately blushed more when Master Vandar cocked his head and smiled. Revan sighed and sat down next to her as the Jedi Master neared them. "Your presence will be needed on Coruscant within a few weeks Bastila." Revan said quietly.

"Battle Meditation is a rare and precious gift, I was right all those years ago when I met you... you are special." Bastila smiled sheepishly as Master Vandar continued. "Padawan Bastila, Knight Revan will escort you to the High Council on Coruscant and will aid you in your studies, Master Vrook has given his consent as has Master Zhar, they are eager to see the team you would make."

Bastila stared in confusion once more. "What do you mean Master?"

She asked in confusion, the Jedi Master smiled and crept away as he quietly answered. "Leave that explanation to your new Master I do."

Bastila watched as Master Vandar slowly disappeared into the Enclave and raised her eyebrow in confusion towards Revan. "What did he mean by that?"

Revan answered with a smile. "I've been granted permission to aid you in your training for Battle Meditation due to my high knowledge of tactical combat."

Bastila recoiled in shock as she watched Revan's amused face. "But you're only 3 years older than me, how could they assign me to you?"

Revan laughed and shook his head. "I think word of our little sessions has reached their ears, they are impressed with the focus you have with my teachings and they have given me permission to watch over you for a short time on Coruscant."

Bastila smiled inwardly as she felt her stomach flutter, she saw his arm reach out and his hand grasped her arm gently, she closed her eyes. So gentle, so peaceful... so handsome! Bastila felt her face flush once more and opened her eyes catching her new Master's amusement.

"Why Bastila Shan, I never knew you felt that way towards me!" He said in a loud voice, Bastila quickly looked around as she became a bright red, she stood and leaned over him, a scowl on her crimson face and her hands on her hips, her blue eyes burning.

"That is no way to treat your Padawan." She said as confidently and as imposing as she could, Revan calmly stood and towered over her, looking down at her he smiled, lifting her chin so she could not look away.

"Come now Bastila 5 years of training together, 5 years of friendship, I trust you with my life and I would never endanger you to anything, especially such trivial emotions. My life belongs to the Jedi." Bastila felt slightly disappointed from his words and looked away, she felt him reach for her, she turned to protest but was cut short by his lips connecting with hers, she pulled away at first then slowly returned the kiss. A sound of a snicker and approaching footsteps broke their moment, Revan looked with annoyance at his amused friend.

"Tell me Master Revan would the Council approve of this?" He said eyeing Bastila, Revan turned and scanned his Padawan and grinned.

"Well I certainly approve of it." He said calmly as he turned to face his amused friend.

"So we are finally going to check out those tombs eh?" Malak nodded and Revan turned to Bastila with a sigh, her face once again a familiar red.

"I will be back shortly Bastila, return to the Enclave and I will summon you when we are prepared for our mission. Bastila nodded and gave a meek

"Yes Master."

Revan snapped back at her. "Now now, I am only 20, I don't want any of this Master from you young lady, only in front of Malak so I can impress him!"

Revan turned and smiled to his friend who had since taken an interest in the ruins to the far east of the Enclave. "I'll meet you within an hour."

Bastila nodded and hurried back towards the Enclave, Revan turned to his once again amused friend. "You should be careful, you may get kicked out of the Order for that!" Revan shook his head as Malak handed him the package of armor they discovered in the tomb weeks ago. "I really like this armor..." Revan said with a smile as he donned the black and red robed armor over his gray Jedi robes. Revan reached into the pack and removed a red and black mask with a demonic pattern painted into it, he smiled once more. "Yes, when we face the Mandalorians they'll know what to fear." Revan clasped the mask to his face and turned to see his friend placing a red cortosis breatplate with flowing black cloaks on, he turned and laughed at the sight.

"Why are we dressing like Sith Lords, just to scare the hell out of Mandalore?" The two friends laughed and walked towards the ancient ruins. Malak shook his head as they left the tomb, he could feel a dark seed take root in him and he could see Revan had also felt the power of the ruins they had uncovered.

"We should destroy it." Revan muttered as he looked at his disturbed friend.

"What do you think we should do?" Malak shrugged and looked back into the darkened tomb.

"It may prove invaluable to defeating the Mandalorians and this so called Darkness the Jedi are constantly using as an excuse to prevent us from going to war." Revan silently nodded as he walked towards the enclave.

"We will appeal to the High Council on Coruscant for special dispensation to join the Republic, if they refuse I don't think I can stand by and watch another world burn, we should've done this years ago, but I had to be certain she'd be alright.." Malak nodded and followed Revan to the landing pads, nearby they removed the armor and placed it in a bag, carrying it calmly to the shuttle. Bastila approached as she lugged her own bag nearby, she rushed into the shuttle and nodded to Malak who smiled back and watched Revan at the consoles. The shuttle lifted gently into the night sky as Master Vrook watched with concern. Revan and Malak have been acting strange lately... Perhaps we should have granted their request to fight the Mandalorians instead of threatening to expel them from the Order... Revan smiled at Bastila's sleeping form as Malak chuckled.

"Malak, I've been researching, tell do these words make sense. 'Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion I gain strength. Through strength I gain power. Through power I gain victory. Through victory my chains are broken. The force shall free me.'" Revan ran a hand over his tired face and looked up at his friend.

Malak sat down in one of the chairs and glanced at his long time friend, "Haha, did you make that up yourself."

"No, it is the Code of the Sith." Revan closed his eyes.

Malak suddenly looked very somber, "The words make sense, yet we cannot take the risk of falling. Look what happened to Exar and Ulic."

"I know my friend, I'm going to go get some sleep."

Malak nodded and quietly left the room.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The High Jedi Council on Coruscant gathered in their chambers deliberating amongst each other.

"There is a growing shadow the dark side is casting, we must be wary of the visions, Revan and Malak may be good people and by all rights and honorable Knights but so was Ulic, so was Exar..."

The feminine voice trailed off and the woman looked sadly to the floor.

"Master Sunrider we must not dwell on such negative and dark times, we must look to the future and what we should do considering the Mandalorians. Revan is coming and he wants answers, answers to why he stand idly by while the attacks grow more daring, we need the answers, not just some reference to the darkness beyond..."

A murmur ran through the assembly as they looked at one another.

"We will not vote on the course of action to take against the Mandalorians."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Bastila didn't know why but she felt strange when she woke up, she'd had a dream, but she couldn't remember much. Something about a Star Forge and Mandalorians? She shook her head in frustration as she slowly sat up, seeing Revan at the controls of the shuttle. A smile played on her lips. Its so nice to have him so close. As if on cue, Revan turned and gave her a concerned look. "Is something wrong Bastila?"

Bastila's smile melted as she looked at him with confusion. Could he sense my dream? "I-I had a strange dream.."

Bastila flushed slightly This is ridiculous I am 15 I shouldn't be acting like a 5 year old running to daddy when I have a bad dream. Bastila looked up to see Revan slowly walking towards her, he knelt on the floor before her and looked up at her with concern, running his hand along her head. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Bastila nodded and spoke in a shaky voice. "I- I don't remember much I know you were there but it was strange... you were wearing a black cloak and had this horrible mask, you were leading an army to destroy the Mandalorians... but there was something wrong with it all."

Bastila trembled as she looked over to Revan who had his eyes wide and was pale. "Th- That is a strange dream indeed Bastila... perhaps it was a vision from the Force?"

Bastila trembled and looked at her friend and master. "There was something wrong with you, I hope it wasn't true you were... cold... frightening..."

Revan sighed and leaned back. "Perhaps it is merely a warning or a tremor through the Force, be mindful of the- Okay I never understood that when I was told it either, just be careful Bastila, keep an eye out behind you." Revan suppressed a laugh as Bastila yawned and stretched, smiling at him with tired blue eyes. Sometimes I forget she is a Jedi and far from a helpless little girl... no young woman. Revan placed his hand on Bastila's shoulder and reassured her.

"Soon young Bastila you will be taught to use your Battle Meditation by the greatest Masters of our Order and for what it is worth, I am proud of you."

Revan slammed his hand down onto the table, drawing the glances of several of the other Jedi and startling Bastila. "Damn it how can they vote to not do anything? They won't even let us go to the front to aid the refugees." Revan growled as he stalked to the center of the room, clearing his throat. "I would like you to all know that I can no longer serve the Jedi Order and be at peace, my heart aches with each death my the hands of the Mandalorians."

Bastila stared in mute shock as Revan continued a deeply passionate and moving speech, she almost wanted to go with him, but she knew she was too young. "The Mandalorians have once again crushed the Republic forces confronting them, they have taken nearly every world they attack within days. The Mandalorians decimate the survivors, anyone who attempts to surrender is brutally cut down, the women and children thrown into slavery to fuel their war machine." Revan stopped as several of the Council members entered the room, giving him disapproving looks. "I was raised in the Order and taught to live and die by the Code, I do not fear death, there is no death there is only the Force. I cannot stand by any longer while this suffering is allowed to continue I choose now to leave the Order and my studies and responsibilities here to fight this threat."

Murmurs and gasps sounded from the gathered Jedi along with shakes and nods of many heads.

"I have been told by the Council on Dantooine and also the High Council here that there is a larger threat beyond the outer rim and we must wait until it reveals itself to align with the Republic... There won't be a Republic if we don't do anything soon, they will crumble before the Mandalorian onslaught and be crushed by the juggernaught. I am sending messages to all the Enclaves for support, I will await anyone who wishes to join me in the fight against the Mandalorians on Taris. If there is a darkness growing beyond our ability to see, we must be strong and prepared, not torn from years of war with the Sith and the Mandalorians, we need to act not, we should have 5 years ago to end this threat. I can't stand by quietly anymore and allow people to suffer if it is within my power to help."

Revan turned to the solemn Jedi Masters and Council members gathered near the doorway, giving them a slight bow. "I apologize Masters but I am in no mood to speak with you about this." Revan began to walk out of the room until a hand stopped him, he turned to see a middle aged and beautiful woman staring at him. "Master Sunrider?"

"Knight Revan be mindful of the darkness in your heart, fight it, the lure of the dark side can claim the strongest of us and what of your Padawan? "Do not make this decision lightly or in passion, Revan." Nomi Sunrider shouted over the murmurs of the gathered Jedi. Revan spun furiously to the Jedi raising his hand to point at her, "Do not lecture me on Passion and hasty decision. Was it not you, in a fit of passion that stripped Ulic Qel-Droma of the Force in his weakest moment when he was so very close to turning his back on the Darkside? That was cruel, Master. Just as it is cruel to stand by while the Mandalorians are given, given dominance over the galaxy. You think they will stop with just taking over the Republic? They will kill anyone who has ever opposed them and they will kill untold numbers of innocents to meet that end. You speak down to me as if I am a child but I have spent two long years thinking about this and the time for debate and uncertainty is over. Now, too late, is the time to act. This war may still be lost but we have to do something. I am through waiting and I am through with the Council's slow actions. The only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing... Will you stand against this threat as you did during the last great war or will you allow evil to triumph?"

The words cut the Jedi Master as her own painful memories of Ulic flashed through her mind. How broken he was as he wept over the body of his brother he had slain and how she had wept as well and stripped him of the Force, causing him even more pain. How Ulic had sought atonement even without the Force and had trained her daughter, the only reason Vima was the Jedi she was now and not a Sith. She had punished Ulic and his punishment could only be called what Revan had said it was. Cruel.

"Stand down, Revan."

Nomi said quietly, her own emotions conflicting. Revan narrowed his eyes, the ghost of a sneer crossing his features before it was gone along with the anger behind it.

"You fear them, don't you? Do I look like Ulic to you? Do I look like Exar? Will you say I am a Sith merely because I wish to protect the Republic?"

In disgust, Revan completely lowered his mental shields.

"Look upon me and say those things, Master. Look into my soul and tell me I am a demon and then strike me down with your sense of justice that would allow the Cathar to suffer. Allow the Republic to burn."

Revan could feel dozens of Jedi touch his mind and withdraw instantly. The only emotions in him at that moment sorrow for the loss of the Cathar. Sorrow and the barest hint of anger. It was no longer about hatred of the Mandalorians. It was about protecting the galaxy from their menace and it was that overlying duty that convinced the Jedi present to follow Revan. Nomi briefly touched Revan's mind and lowered her eyes from his figure high above her as if he was passing judgement upon her and not her on him. Too conflicted with the painful memories of Ulic and his ultimate demise she could only answer Revan with silence.

Assured that his point was made, Revan turned to Atris and noticed the conflict within her. Reaching out, Revan rested his hand on her shoulder and stared into her eyes.

"Join us. Join Malak and I..."

Feeling Atris touch his mind, Revan was met with the image of their friend, Ian Kenobi and knew what it would take for her decision to be made. She was still holding on to the Jedi Council's decision despite her own beliefs that they should act against the Mandalorians. She didn't believe in what the Jedi Council spoke of but could not turn her back on her way of life. It was weak but in the same time strong. She would not follow her friends, not unless Kenobi went. Even then, Revan could not say what Atris would do.

"I am going to fight."

Revan informed the gathered Jedi. In the distance he could see a Master moving towards him and frowned as the Master stood before him.

"Your lightsaber, Revan."

Revan looked out art the hand and slapped it aside, much to the shock of all the Jedi present.

"I'm going to need it where I am going."

Revan returned, leaving the stunned Master behind.

"You cannot carry that blade, Revan. It is the weapon of a Jedi!"

Pausing, Revan looked down at the elegant saber he had crafted and cared for since he had been Kreia's student. Taking the deadly weapon from his belt, Revan looked down at it with a frown as the memories of his life as a Jedi crossed his mind. The indecision was there only for a moment before he turned and tossed it to Atris. Unconsciously, Atris caught the weapon, staring at her friend with wide eyes. It was official now and no amount of disciplinary action could make Revan a Jedi again. He could never return to the Order.

"I can make another."

Revan answered hoarsely, his voice cracking with the weight of his decision. That lightsaber felt like a part of him and now he felt weaker, was weaker with its loss. Leaving without another word, Revan continued towards the Senate building where he had an appointment with the Supreme Chancellor. Pausing as he passed a shop, Revan quickly purchased what he would need to craft a new lightsaber along with the crimson crystal that the shop owner carried. The shop would meet the needs of many former Jedi that day as they trailed behind Revan and all would wield the new weapons as a symbol of honor, not shame. They may not have been Jedi anymore, but they could be heroes to the Republic.

Hundreds of the Knights of the Coruscant Temple followed Revan's presence in the Force. Since he was the first to turn against the Council's decision they naturally looked to him for guidance. In the halls of the Republic Senate Rotunda the might of the newly outcast Jedi gathered as the Chancellor welcomed Revan and his fellow outcasts with open arms. A ship was immediately prepared with the facilities to house the hundreds of former Jedi that followed Revan's example.

Using a workbench in the landing hangar as they awaited the ship that would lead them to the war-zone, Revan constructed a new lightsaber and activated its crimson blade as he held it over his head and looked at his companions.

"Let this be a symbol to the galaxy that we will not allow injustice to continue." Revan shouted to the hundreds of cloaked figures around him. The Jedi all cheered, drawing support from their comrades and looking beyond the shame at no longer being Jedi. They could still make a difference in this war and that, in the end, was all that mattered.

"Not for Glory. Not for Honor. Not for Hatred. But for Justice, I do what I must." Revan finished to the assembled outcasts. Several other Jedi approached Revan and spoke to him as they began assembling weapons for the former Jedi present. Revan helped assemble nearly ever weapon used by the Jedi there in that hangar and on the transport ship that took he and his former Jedi comrades to Dantooine.

As Revan left Bastila looked around frantically for the only person who could talk Revan out of his decision, but Malak was nowhere to be found.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

At the same time on Dantooine, the Jedi Knight Malak followed Revan's example and gathered as many Jedi as he could.

"Do not heed the words of the Jedi Council. The Republic will fail if we do not act now... Already the Mandalorians have taken three systems along the Rim. They will only grow more powerful with time..."

Ian Kenobi frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest and gave Malak a calculating look.

"Come stand with me. We will use our might to help the Republic in its time of need. Join Revan and I. Together, we will battle this menace."

That brought some surprise on the faces of several of the dozen Jedi present. Ian took the news in stride, knowing that Revan and Malak would be together on this. The only question he asked himself was if he was ready to leave the Jedi way of life behind him.

"The Jedi Council is wise, but they take too long to deal with this threat. We must act now to stop the Mandalorians."

Several Jedi joined Malak's side and Malak smiled weakly at one.

"I have heard of you. Your Masters speak well of you, of your skills in battle..."

Malak turned back to the other Jedi.

"Join us..."

He asked imploringly. Uncertain murmurs broke amongst the Jedi and Malak swallowed hard as he continued.

"The Jedi Council is wise but can make mistakes. History has proven this time and time again. The Council seems content to watch, to debate, while entire systems fall to the mandalorians. If we don't act now, there may be no Republic army to assist in the future."

Malak turned his dark eyes to Ian's and narrowed them thoughtfully as he read his friend for a moment.

"I sense you will join us... What are your reasons?"

Malak asked, trying to calm some of the other Jedi's uncertainties and knowing that Ian would make a good argument.

"The Mandalorians need to be stopped..."

Ian said more to himself than in answer to Malak. Malak nodded at his friend.

"You should trust in yourself, and in your instincts. It is within our power to end this war. And the Council chooses to debate behind closed doors while entire planets burn. Without us the Republic will be no more. And the Council... Their vaunted wisdom breeds only inaction. And that will lead to destruction greater than anything born of the Darkside."

Malak gave each of the Jedi penetrating looks.

"Will you let the Republic die? The Mandalorians wait along the edge of space... eager to crush us. Will you do nothing?" Ian as well as several other Jedi crossed over to Malak's side as a young woman looked on with a fearful expression.

"Wait, we can't do this. The Council has already decided. You should listen to their wisdom."

Malak gave the woman a long, blank look before he frowned and shook his head.

"My heart won't let me wait any longer."

Malak answered finally. The other Jedi at his side along with Kenobi nodded their agreement as they left Vrook's Padawan and the other Jedi that refused to join behind. In the courtyard of the Enclave the Masters of the Enclave confronted Malak and those that followed him and ordered them to return to their duties or hand over their weapons and give up the title of Jedi. None of the Jedi present left the courtyard and all turned over their weapons silently. Within a few short hours a Republic military transport landed in the plains outside of the Enclave and the former Jedi Knight Revan approached the academy, ignoring the odd looks he received from the inhabitants as he approached Malak, Kenobi and the other newly outcast Jedi.
"Welcome to the war, my brothers and sisters."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

For two years the Mandalorians tore through the Republic unchallenged. The Republic forces scattered under the brutal onslaught of the Mandalores. In one month, that all changed. The jungle world of Onderon was one of the first to fall to the Mandalorians after they claimed its moon, Dxun as their own and all but enslaved the population of the world the moon orbited. The jungle world was also the first to be taken back from the Mandalorians. The Jedi had finally joined the war effort after two years of slaughter. The Mandalorians met the Jedi gladly, wanting to test themselves against the fables and mythic figures that had only heard tales of. Onderon fell from the Mandalorian's grasp in less than a week as the natives united and rebelled against their Mandalorian overlords. Dxun was another story. The Mandalorians seemed to have a deep connection to the jungle moon and did not give in. A brutal stalemate began in the thick jungles as the Jedi and Republic fought the Mandalorian warriors and the wildlife of Dxun. Onderon and Dxun had been what some would refer to as 'clean war.' The Mandalorians seemed to fixated on fighting the Jedi that the slaughter was reserved mainly to military Forces. The fact that Onderon had fallen so quickly and that Dxun was devoid of settlers helped that. Amidst the thousands of warriors and soldiers that fought against each other on that moon, one man stood out above all the others.

Silently, the armored man moved through the treetops, stalking his prey. Two green eyes looked through his crimson and obsidian mask as a deep scowl lit his face. It had been six months now since the fighting on Dxun began and almost seven since the Jedi had joined the war effort and already the effect was evident. The constant advance of the Mandalorian juggernaut ground to a halt under the Jedi. The Mandalorians had become enthralled by the Jedi and their power, ignoring the Republic forces and attacking the Jedi head on. Of a hundred thousand Jedi in the galaxy at the time of Exar Kun, only about half that had survived the initial rift in the Jedi Order and only ten thousand had chosen to fight alongside Revan. The Jedi Knight watched twenty armored Mandalorians move swiftly through the thick jungle to their fortress and his scowl deepened.

"Where are they off to in such a hurry"

He wondered as he quietly leapt to another tree and followed them. The young Jedi Knight soon discovered where the Mandalorian warriors were heading when he caught sight of a Mandalorian fortress hidden in the deep jungles. Taking a moment to scout the area, the Jedi Knight found several anti-air defenses and what looked to be an orbital Ion cannon. Using the Force, Revan could feel that there were thousands of Mandalorian warriors resting and training within the buried fortress and he could faintly sense the shield that protected the base from aerial and orbital assault.

"The only way in is on the ground..."

This was the last stronghold the Mandalorians held on the moon. Onderon had since joined their fleet with the Republic's in orbit and had successfully cut off retreat and reinforcement to the Mandalorians on the moon. The 'Siege of Dxun' as it became known had been bloody and of nearly two hundred thousand Mandalorians that had inhabited the moon at the beginning, Revan estimated that only three or four thousand remained, entrenched in the fortress before him. Until this moment, the fortress had remained hidden and the Mandalorians had struck from their hidden base, leaving horrendous casualties amongst the Republic's ranks. Of nearly a thousand Jedi that took part in the battle, two hundred had fallen in the six months of guerilla warfare. Revan could not help but admire the determination of his enemy, though a foreign feeling of hatred slowly began burning in him each time he came upon the mangled corpses of his comrades.

"No, I cannot hate. There is no emotion, there is peace."

Revan recited in his mind, using the Jedi Code to calm him, though it brought forth a new anger. Revan had met the Mandalorians on the battlefield and had seen firsthand what the Jedi Council refused to see, he knew that the Mandalorians were too strong for the Republic to stand against alone. The Basilisk war droids alone were too fast, too agile for the Republic gunners and fighters to shoot down. Only a Jedi could track and destroy the nimble Mandalorian craft effectively and even then with some difficulty. The twenty year old Jedi Knight moved to activate his homing beacon on his wrist communicator before he suddenly stopped, pulling his hand away from the activation switch.

"No, if I do that, they'll trace it and be on me in an instant."

Of the eight hundred Jedi that remained, only a few dozen would be nearby to answer to the call and even Jedi could not stand against the thousands of Mandalorians Revan sensed within the base. Making a quick decision, the Jedi lowered himself from his perch on the tree overlooking the Mandalorian base and used the Force to speed his return to the Republic base camp.

"I can recall the Jedi spread over this moon and we can bring our full force along with the Republic forces to bear on the Mandalorians."

Revan winced slightly at the mental picture of the Republic forces on the moon. To say that they were pitiful would be an understatement. The men had arrived in the first days of the fighting without reinforcement due to some foolish debate in the Senate as to the cost and effectiveness of the lengthy siege. Revan snorted in disgust at the short-sightedness of the Senate. The Mandalorians had lost thousands of men and dozens of ships trying to break through the Republic blockade and though the Republic had lost nearly twice as many men on the moon than the Mandalorians, the losses in space were far more to the Republic's favor and the victory, the total destruction and defeat of the Mandalorian forces on the moon would be a symbol to the Mandalorians of the Jedi's resolve. What better way to break your enemy's will than to take what they have claimed as their own, to take the moon that the fierce, armored warriors had seemed to call their home. With pride as great as the Mandalorian's it would be a slap in the face and it would severely break their morale to know that their stronghold had fallen to the Republic. It would also show the Mandalorians the effect the Jedi could have on the war.

Sighing in frustration, Revan ran the countless battle plans through his mind, too distracted to notice the perimeter sensor he had tripped, or the ten Mandalorians that stalked him expertly within the cloak of their stealth fields. One man cannot bear the full burden of a war, or even a battle and this was to become painfully clear to Revan. Warriors and soldiers cannot suffer distractions on the battlefield and as Revan planned for the coming battle, he was ignorant of the one that was already upon him.

The Force screamed a warning to Revan as the Jedi's eyes widened in surprise. Revan ducked below the invisible strike of the Mandalorian's vibroblade, pulling his lightsaber and activating its azure blade. The blade shot through the Mandalorian, tearing him cleanly in two as four other warriors appeared to challenge the Jedi Knight. Revan deflected the blaster fire that rained down on him from the distance, leaping to the treetops and slicing through the branches, allowing them to rain down on the Mandalorian warriors below.

"I should have known they were coming, I should have been more mindful of the here and now."

Revan's mind chastised himself. He could almost hear the voices of his Masters Kreia and Zhar joining the scolding as he leapt from the tree and descended on two dazed Mandalores. Revan chose to attack without his saber, kicking one Mandalore across his face and sending him to the ground and catching the other with his fist, knocking him unconscious. The Jedi had no wish to kill the Mandalorians, but he would if he had to. Vaulting himself from a tree trunk, Revan grasped a low hanging vine and rocketed to the treetops, away from his pursuers. The sound of a repulsor firing startled the young Jedi, who's main concern was escaping and relaying his position to his comrades. A Mandalorian swoop platform hovered above the treetops, carrying a dozen armored and burly warriors. The Mandalores immediately opened fire on the Jedi Knight and Revan was thrown to the ground by the concussion of a nearby explosion. The blaster bolts whizzed overhead as he lay on the ground, struggling to gain a painful intake of breath after the nearly twenty yard fall. Spots swam in the young Jedi's vision as he grunted with effort and pulled himself to his feet, feeling a blaster bolt tear through his thigh. Revan dropped to the ground and winced, reaching for his lightsaber, only to have a hard, metallic boot slam down onto his hand, no doubt shattering the brittle bones. "Over here" The Mandalorian shouted to his companions as several other warriors approached. Revan used the Force to dull the pain in his hand as he kicked the Mandalorian's legs out from under him and slammed his booted heel into the Mandalorian's throat, earning a sickening crack. The other Mandalorians gawked momentarily, stunned by the swift movement of the injured man before one raised his blaster rifle and fired a stun blast into the injured Jedi. "Check him for comms and get him back to base camp." The Mandalorian's gruff voice snapped as two Mandalorians moved to disarm the armored Jedi. Revan's azure beamed saber was taken as a prize by one of the Mandalorians while his armor was stripped away, revealing the deep black of his Jedi robes. The Mandalorian captain at the base did a double take when his patrol and search team brought back a Jedi, not to mention which Jedi they brought back.

"Is that who I think it is" The Mandalorian asked in disbelief as he looked over the armor that was taken away from the young man.

"He wears his armor anyways." Another Mandalorian commented as he looked down in disbelief at the youthful features of the young man. "He's just a brat, I have a son as old as he... this is Revan" The Mandalorians nodded silently as they allowed themselves to look on to the young Jedi in respect and awe.

"We lost four men out there to him." A Mandalorian in crimson armor commented as he slowly lifted the demonic crimson and obsidian mask of the Jedi. "Who'd we lose" The Mandalorian captain asked as he examined the young Jedi laying on the floor of the Mandalorian compound.

"Intari, Daren, Harin and Amiel."

"Amiel" The captain asked in disbelief. The Mandalorian sergeant that spoke nodded.
"He was the best we had here aside from his old man."

The next week was a blur for Revan as he was mercilessly beaten by an older Mandalorian. The murderous rage burning in the older man was easily sensed by the young Jedi as well as the pain in the man's aura. Revan knew then as he was beaten for what seemed to be the hundredth time that this man had shared a bond of some kind with one of those he had killed.

"Look at me when I talk to you, Jedi" The man hissed as he struck Revan across the face with his armored hand. Revan spat the blood, turning his eyes to the man with something resembling pity.

"I. Pity. You. Old. Man." Revan said wearily through painfully earned breaths. He knew his ribs were broken and he felt as though every other bone in his body was following suit. Only the Force had kept him conscious during most of the beatings and he knew it frustrated his Mandalorian torturer to no end.

"Did you contact your Jedi friends" The older man hissed, accompanying his question with a swift and hard punch to Revan's gut. Had he not been chained to the wall, Revan would have doubled over in pain. The Jedi coughed violently as he cursed the disruptor field that surrounded the room, weakening his connection to the Force. Just as the Mandalorian was about to strike again, the fortress shuddered violently under a powerful explosion. The base's alarmed blared loudly as the lighting flickered and shifted to red.

A Mandalorian in yellow armor rushed into the room, tossing a blaster rifle to the older man. "Garr, the generator's been destroyed. Some Jedi got through our scanners and sabotaged it. We need to move. Now" The younger Mandalorian shouted. The Mandalorian turned back to Revan and sneered as he pointed his blaster rifle at the young Jedi. "There's no time, the Republic and Jedi are destroying our turrets and overrunning our positions. Move it"

Growling in frustration, the Mandalorian fired a blast into Revan and took a moment to revel in the feeling of killing the man who had killed his son before rushing to battle. The younger Mandalorian gave the man a disapproving look before leading him to their defensive positions.

Revan's fists were clenched into tight fists as his face twisted in pain. The blaster bolt the Mandalore had fired had burned its way into his abdomen, causing the acid in his stomach to spill painfully forth and burn his insides. His legs would not move despite his body's wish to writhe in agony and his vision soon swam in red as he fought to remain conscious and reached to the Force to numb the pain, or heal it on some level. The Force disruptor was still firmly in place after the loss of power and Revan knew that any assault on the fortress would be bloody and likely draw out for hours. Opening his eyes, Revan saw the switch to the disruptor field and reached to the Force, feeling it as if it were an echo, calling to him. The switch tremored for a moment, but did not move and Revan snarled in frustration as the pain shot through him in another wave. The young Jedi took that moment to reflect on his captors, recalling the angry exchanged his captor had with other Mandalorians that had 'stopped by.' He recalled the disapproval in their tones though they always relented, stating it was his 'right' according to their code to seek retribution. Revan slowly felt a fire within him. One that did not burn through his abdomen and he curiously reached for it, realizing it was hatred. He did not hate the man who had tortured him, he pitied him. What he hated was something much less obvious. He hated the Jedi Council. Each and ever last one of the Twelve Masters. None of them knew what it was like on the battlefield. It was true some had fought against Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma, but none, none had fought against the Mandalorians, had seen the ravaged worlds they left in their wake and all for some warrior code and glory. The ones that had fought, were so detached from what was going on to even recall what it had been like and scolded him in a condescending manner as to the evils of fighting.

"I hate them." Revan struggled for his words as his vision darkened. He painfully shook his head as he looked down to the blood flowing freely from his stomach. How could they be so blind. The Mandalorians were slaughtering worlds to goad them into an attack. The Mandalorians wanted to fight the Jedi, so why keep them waiting? Revan knew that in a way he was giving the Mandalorians what they wanted, but what were his alternatives? To let another Cathar happen? He had seen the worlds the Mandalorians ravaged as a young Padawan, being sent on missions with his Master Kreia until she had finally had enough and left the order to try to help those worlds. He was later taken by Master Zhar and the Twilek had quickly proclaimed his ready for the trials of Knighthood. Revan's thoughts drifted to his friend, Malak and he wondered is his companion was here now, looking for him. He had known the tall Jedi Knight since they were both children and they had been like brothers, always causing trouble and always doing something to gain the ire of the Jedi Masters. A short laugh escaped Revan as he relived his childhood antics with his friend before his consciousness slipped and he fell to the peace that darkness offered him.

Revan awoke in a Kolto tank. His eyes burned as they made contact with the thick fluid and he panicked momentarily until the soreness of his body made him think otherwise. The Kolto drained and the mask that fed him oxygen slowly dropped away as he stood shakily in the empty cylinder. A hiss sounded as the glass casing lifted away and he was greeted by the face of a young Republic nurse. The woman smiled warmly as he bowed.

"It is good to see you conscious, Commander Revan."

She greeted with his Republic rank as she pulled a small scanner and ran it over his body. Revan frowned as the unpleasant and bitter smell of the Kolto hit his nose. The young nurse laughed as she saw this and set the scanner to the side.

"It looks like you've made a full recovery, and now you have some more scars to go along with that one on your forhead." She said cheerfully, too cheerfully for Revan's liking.
"How many..." Revan trailed off.

Revan finally asked in a raspy voice, ignoring the nurse's confused frown.
"How many what, Commander?" The nurse asked in slight concern. A deep voice answered behind her, earning a startled yelp from the young woman. "Forty Jedi and five thousand men." Malak answered in a somber tone. The young nurse's carefree and happy expression instantly switched to a sad and solemn one as the two Jedi continued their conversation.

"Why didn't you just bomb it from orbit" Revan asked as he swallowed, ignoring the dryness in his throat and the crack in his voice. Malak looked at Revan for a moment, frowning.
"We needed you, Revan. You are a symbol for all the Jedi that follow you and the victory on Dxun would not have happened without you. You led us to their hidden fortress, we felt you through the Force and planned for a week on the assault." Malak answered, some annoyance in his tone.

"I'm not worth it, Malak." Revan answered after a moment's pause. Malak gave an uneasy laugh.

"Its not up to us, my friend." Revan smiled slightly at the joke. It was in fact, not up to them. By decree of the Jedi Order, all the Jedi that had joined Revan to fight, or had gathered on Taris were cast out of the Order and treated as exiles. The Senate controlled nearly all actions within the Republic military, making their actions ineffective and dangerously slow.

"Where am I and how long has it been"

Revan asked after clearing his thoughts of his increasing annoyance at the Senate and the Jedi Council. The answer he received caused him to look at his friend as if he were mad.

"Dantooine"

Revan asked incredulously, his voice taking on its old sound. Malak nodded, unable to hold in his devious grin, it had been nearly a month since the battle had ended on Dxun.

"I thought that when you recovered, you'd like to speak at the Jedi Enclave. We could always use the support..."

Malak added as he looked at his friend. Revan nodded, taking a deep breath.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to shower and speak with the men."

The nurse had no objections, though she told the young Jedi and Republic Commander to rest. Revan brushed her warning away and conversed with the fleet commanders, pleased to hear that the Jedi and Republic had seemed to rally after hearing of his capture and the sad state he was found in. It seemed the Senate had approved his official status as a fleet commander and had incorporated the thousands of Jedi that had rallied behind Revan into their ranks. The Senate had ordered Revan to take two weeks of Recovery on Dantooine, which the young Jedi fervently protested. Malak had calmed Revan, commenting that his generals were not imbeciles and that the Republic wouldn't fall in two weeks. Revan had relented reluctantly and spend the first day of his forced vacation going over fleet movements and casualty reports. After only two days of going over the intelligence, Revan decided it was useless. The Mandalorians seemed to attack randomly, without any structure in their attacks. The assaults always brought panic to the Republic forces. Revan knew the Mandalorians used fear as their ally, it aided them just as much as their prowess in battle and their ability to remain cool and composed, stoic and detached from the horrors they unleashed on the battlefield brought a whole new meaning to the term, 'There is no Emotion.' Revan took one last look at the pile of datapads and holocrons before shaking his head, he'd have to restructure the entire Republic military and he'd have to find some way to incorporate the Jedi into those changes. Many would find it strange that a twenty year old man would be running the Republic's war effort, but Revan was no ordinary young man. The Jedi Knight had been a prodigy since he had joined the Order, absorbing all the techniques he was taught and drilling himself until he executed them with perfection. Revan was also frighteningly brilliant when it came to complex strategies and even subtle subterfuge. His ability to solve problems was almost legendary amongst his peers when he was a Padawan. He did not know what had driven him to fight the Mandalorians, he had to admit it did give him a thrill, a rush of adrenaline to fight, but he could do the same as a Jedi. He had tried to convince himself that he fought to uphold the Republic, but after only nine months in the war, Revan soon realized there was little to no strength in the Republic. They relied on numbers and leaned on the Jedi like a crutch. The young Jedi Knight found it pathetic to think about at times and soon threw his thoughts to recruiting more Jedi to fight along side him.

The sentiment in the Jedi Order to aid the Republic was vast, though to speak of it in the years following the war with Exar Kun and the rift that had formed in the Jedi Order was a taboo. The Jedi Council's word was law and the Council had so feared that another Exar Kun would rise that they began teaching their students to forsake all emotions. Compassion, love, anger, hate. They all seemed to lead to the darkside according to the Council. Though his professionalism as a Jedi was unmistakable, Revan often had his disagreements with the Jedi Council as to their slow response to the Mandalorian threat. All though his short life, the Mandalorians had burned the Outer Rim and the Jedi as well as the Republic ignored this. After seeing first hand what the Mandalorians did to those worlds, Revan began to speak out, unknowingly drawing other Jedi to him. The young man was charismatic and passionate when it came to his speeches and he could draw in hundreds to listen to him speak. Some even thought that Revan could persuade a Wookiee that he was an Ewok. The Jedi had split, as the Council feared. Going into battle against the Mandalorian threat only after they had burned through the Republic. Many individual Jedi had joined the Republic to fight the Mandalorians, but alone they were ineffective. Revan had somehow managed to convince thousands of Jedi to flock to the Republic in what many viewed as their darkest hour while the Jedi Council preached out against the evils of embracing war and fighting. Revan sneered as he thought of the countless arguments he had with the Council as to the morality of inaction. To do nothing was to allow the destruction to go on. All he had heard from the Council to back their decree were excuses, excuses that help little to no basis. The Jedi would vaguely comment on a hidden darkness or would speak cryptically as to the involvement of the Sith and how they needed to remain strong.

"How could they not see"

Revan snarled aloud as he walked the silent halls of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine.

"How can they not see that we weaken ourselves and invite destruction with pacifism."

Revan found that his fists were clenched into tight balls and that his footsteps were beginning to become unusually heavy. He had not taken the young Republic nurse's advice to rest and instead had spent the five days that had passed since his awakening catching up on what he had missed and going over what could be changed.

"Its not as if I have a choice! Who else is going to handle things? The Senate? They are too busy stuffing their faces and their pockets with credits to see what is going on. The Council? They are too afraid to do anything. Fear leads to the darkside... hypocrites."
Revan growled as his face twisted in his anger. The whites of his eyes were nearly obscured by the bloodshot scarlet that shot through them. In contrast to his dark brown eyes against the red, Revan appeared menacing and it was no surprise that the few Jedi that passed by did not intrude on his dark thoughts. Even as a young boy, Revan had what some would call a traumatic life. No one had talked about it and no one really knew. Kreia, the Jedi Knight who had found Revan had never spoken of where she had found the boy who seemed to surpass any problem that crossed his path, all the Jedi knew was that there was a scar on the boy, a pain that seemed to rest within the Force. It was almost frightening that one so strong in the Force was not found until he was five years of age, but the Jedi ignored the implications, seeing his skills as a gift. It was strange to the Jedi that this boy, even young as he was and from whatever origins he possessed did not anger quickly or act rashly. Stranger still was his fervent belief that the Jedi should meet the Mandalorians head on and the anger that seemed to show itself after so many years of being denied. Revan had always been difficult at times when he disagreed with something, difficult as in he voiced his disagreement, but for hi to physically take action was something that totally shocked the Jedi Masters. Revan closed his eyes as the thoughts of his childhood flooded his mind.

"How can any of them know what it feels like? To know that your own people are unleashing this kind of death and destruction while those that took you in allow them to destroy and murder."

Revan closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. How could he tell anyone that he was a Mandalorian, born into their ranks and orphaned in his infancy. He couldn't, that was something even malak did not know. Only Kreia, the one who had found him, sought him out, had known and only because she had seen him with the Mandalorians on that destroyed world fifteen years before and had seen his potential and had taken him. A sickening feeling settled into Revan's stomach when he thought of the hundreds of thousands of Mandalorians that had died on Dxun and Onderon and his part in that.

"To kill your own people... Jedi will never understand that."

The fact that he shared much of the Mandalorian's belief in honor and glory and that the fighting seemed to boil in his blood was almost enough to drive him mad in the peaceful surroundings. His life until joining the Order had been a battle, difficult and unforgiving. He had developed an appreciation for that struggle in his childhood and the gap that formed during his time in the peaceful surroundings of the Jedi Order was what drove him, what drove him to be the best, the strongest and the smartest. If he could not prove himself on the battlefield, he would prove himself through his actions.

The Krath Scythe flashed into the Iridonian system and shot forward as fast as her engines would take her over the Zabrak world. Reading the ship as a friendly target the Zabrak orbital defenses ignored the ship and the hundreds of escape pods that launched from her. As the Iridonian sky filled with the streaks of artificial meteorites the Mandalorian ground forces moved through the high winds and the dust-storms that slowed their efforts and finally into the safety of the temperate forests that housed the Zabrak cities and surface air defenses. This force of Mandalorians was merely the vanguard to a much larger invasion force that would reinforce them as soon as the surface to air batteries were taken out.

From the bay of the Krath Scythe dozens of agile W-wing interceptors poured from her landing bays and moved towards the few Mandalorian ships that continued to skirmish with the Republic naval forces. Within the wedge-shaped fighters the Jedi pilots called heavily on the Force as they weaved through the Mandalorian fighters and Basilisks and fired their deadly laser cannons on the vital points of the lightly armored Mandalorian cruisers. Swarming the Jedi fighters, the Mandalorian flyers grew frustrated by their new foes ability to evade nearly all of their attacks. Within minutes the Mandalorian fighters were decimated by the arrival of the superior Jedi fighters and the much larger Republic fleet tore through the remains of the Mandalorian vanguard.

Passing along their orders the Republic officers moved from the Krath Scythe to their own ships and ordered their ships to divide into two equal forces and hide behind the shroud of the moons, not even bothering to send down ground reinforcements. Confused by the orders the Jedi chose to hold the breach instead, knowing it to be a vital point in the Iridonian defense.

On the surface the Jedi emerged from their pods, clad in a strange combination of Jedi robes and Republic armor. Moving as quickly as they could to assemble the swoop bikes and speeders brought now in their pods, the Jedi begun moving towards the Iridonian forests, to where they could already sense the battle starting. Those that did not have masks were forced to shield themselves by the Force, draining precious strength they would need in the coming battle.

Revan quickly assembled the swoop bike he had stored within his escape pod. Thanking the Force for his foresight to wear a mask the Jedi climbed on the completed bike and powered its engine, shooting away through the dusty surface of Iridonia and weaving his way through the temporary shelter of the rocky canyons littering the world.

Malak and Kenobi along with several other Jedi struggled to assemble the parts to their speeder within the raging storm and took much longer than their companion to begin moving away from the dust storm. Sweeping across the world's surface with only the thin protection of their cloaks and armor, the Jedi did not arrive in a massive wave as Revan had hoped, but in scattered and small groups.

High above in the world's orbit the Jedi watched with growing dread as the Mandalorian fleet appeared on the edge of their sensors and began slowly approaching the breach that they protected. Unanimously the Jedi fighters agreed to follow the lead of Talvon Esan and fell behind the skilled pilot as they separated and formed into small units, awaiting the Mandalorian force.

Seeing the gathered Jedi the Mandalorian ships launched their fighters and Basilisks and moved ahead, the long range cannons of their cruisers extending their reach to the Jedi fighters. Before they could break formation the Jedi were overcome by the sheer mass of the Mandalorians and struggled to maneuver within the battlefield. An impressive flash of orange marked the death of a Jedi as they weaved between the swarming and heavily armored Mandalorian craft.

Seeing the Mandalorians descend upon the Jedi, the Republic navy moved in from each side much too early for the Mandalorians to concentrate solely on the Jedi. Seeing the incoming threat the Mandalorian's heavy ships broke away, ignoring the Jedi fighters that weaved around them and scored direct, but minor hits. The Republic fleets quickly converged and began exchanging fire with the heavy Mandalorian craft as they launched their own fighters.

Seeing that they were being overwhelmed and that the decoy had failed, Talvon Esan ordered the Jedi to break and attack the orbital stabilizers of the Mandalorian ships. With the Republic ships targeting their weapons and shields, the Jedi were able to slip in past the Mandalorian's defenses and knock out several of the ship's stabilizers as the shields strained under the weight of the Republic navy's fire. Seeing the Jedi attack the Mandalorian ships with no regard for their own safety the Republic fighters followed suit, destroying the Mandalorian heavy cruisers within minutes of the opening volleys.
The Mandalorian fighters continued the battle, fighting furiously in the face of their losses. Talvon Esan frowned as the Mandalorian cruiser he was shooting at listed and fell away to reveal a Mandalorian dropship streaking towards him. Calling on the Force, Talvon banked his fighter hard and attempted to dodge the ship, only to be clipped by the larger vessel and sent into a deadly spin that ended with his fighter colliding with the wreckage of the cruiser he had just attacked.

On the surface the Mandalorian Basilisks ripped past the breach in orbit and descended upon the Iridonian cities. Few surface defenses met this threat as Mandalorian ground forces surged from the rocky wastelands and into the Iridonian cities. Killing indiscriminately, the Mandalorians moved quickly into the Iridonian cities, their warriors meeting the Iridonians head on.

Enraged, Iridonian warriors appeared from all sides, clad completely in their armor as they rushed towards the Mandalorians. The Mandalorians raised their blasters and fired, killing many of the incensed Zabrak warriors and continuing to fire into the fleeing civilians. The first of what would soon me many lightsaber blades pierced the dusty battlefield as the former Jedi apprentice Nisotsa wielded the crimson-bladed weapon crafted by Revan on the Krath Scythe and she deflected the Mandalorian blaster bolts back with grace worthy of a Jedi Master. Seeing the Jedi brought surprise and strength to the Iridonian warriors as they moved forward again into the Mandalorian ranks. The Mandalorians, seeing the Jedi and knowing that their challenge to the Jedi Order had finally been met converged on Nisotsa.
The blonde former Padawan soon found herself surrounded and panted heavily as she struggled to maintain her control.

"If you're surrounded, run."

Revan's voice echoed through the young former Jedi's mind as she twisted and dodged a Mandalorian warrior. The warrior paused in surprise as he looked on what could only be a child but continued his strike, seeing the young woman fell one of his comrades. Seeing the warrior charging her, Nisotsa lowered her weapon and deflected the Mandalorian's blade, only to feel the armored warrior collide into her with bone-crushing force. Crying out in pain, the Padawan fell to the ground and lay motionless as the Mandalorian recovered and lowered his blade to the Padawan's chest.
A flash of red and a trail of orange marked the path of Revan's saber as it cut through the Mandalorian's heart. Moving forward, Revan rushed headlong into a dozen converging Mandalorians with a war cry as he dodged their fire and lashed out, his lightsaber striking each with graceful and powerful movements. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Revan looked over his shoulder at the smoldering remains of his swoop bike before effortlessly deflecting a blasterbolt back to its owner and killinganother Mandalorian with a strike through his weapon that continued into his torso.
Hundreds of Zabrak warriors collided with the Mandalorians in the sound of crunching armor, crossing swords and tearing flesh. Blasters were abandoned as the Iridonians hacked away at the Mandalorians in rage. Revan and several other Jedi that were in the area shuddered unconsciously at the power of that hatred but quickly cast their feelings into the Force, concentrating on the battle. Sparing a glance at the young former Padawan behind him, Revan quickly lifted the girl's body in his arms and rushed back from the battlefield, hiding her unconscious form within a undamaged Iridonian home that he thanked the Force had a terrified family within.

"Please watch over her."

Revan asked. The young Zabrak woman who Revan could only think was the wife of the house nodded as she motioned for Revan to lay the girl on a bed. Revan did so and activated his lightsaber, rushing through the door and using the Force to push him well beyond a human's natural speed as he leapt over the heads of the Iridonian and Mandalorian combatants and descended into the chaos of the battlefield, driving his way deeper into the Mandalorian ranks.

Across the forest the former Jedi Knights Malak and Ian Kenobi stood side by side with half a dozen other Jedi as they ran headlong into a horde of Mandalorians. The armored warriors fired their blasters at the Jedi, only to have the deadly energy return to them as the Jedi deflected the shots back. Unable to penetrate the line of Jedi the Mandalorians threw grenades and pulled their vibro blades, preparing to kill what would remain of the Jedi. To their surprise the tallest of the Jedi raised his hand and the grenades were sent flying back to them. Scattering as quickly as they could, twenty of the Mandalorians were consumed by the blasts of their grenades, their armor doing nothing against the deadly thermal detonators. Disoriented the other Mandalorians were met by a line of crimson blades that sliced through their armor as if it were air and left only a trail of bodies in their wake.

Xaset Terep twisted his swoop bike in a wide arc as he avoided the rockets raining down from a Basilisk war droid above him. Scowling in annoyance, the young former Jedi held out his lightsaber and sent his swoop bike into a line of Mandalorians. Unwilling to fire on their own kind the Basilisk landed, releasing several more Mandalorians into the fray. Xaset ignored the sounds of bending metal and rending flesh as his swoop ripped through the Mandalorian foot soldiers and reached out with his lightsaber, slicing away at the Mandalorians until a blasterbolt from behind struck his shoulder and sent him from the swoop in a roll.

Landing on his feet, Xaset did not see the blade of the armored warrior, his head rolled away from his body and an armored Mandalorian knelt to claim his lightsaber as a prize. The scenes were repeated a thousand times all over the harsh world as many Mandalorians and Zabrak fell. With the arrival of the Mandalorian reinforcements, the Jedi on the ground met their weakness as they were decimated from the sky.

"Get that ship!"

Ian shouted to Malak. Looking skyward with a squint, Malak saw a Basilisk war droid hovering above them and firing down at another group of Jedi nearly. With a feral roar, a blood-soaked Malak rushed across the battlefield, pushing his way through a line of Mandalorians with his brute force and leaping high into the air. Throwing his lightsaber out, Malak rolled in the air and landed with the Force's help, turning and raising both his hands as he sent out a powerful wave of Force energy that knocked over a group of five nearby Mandalorians who were quickly struck down by several Zabrak fighters.

Malak's lightsaber spun as it came to rest within the cockpit of the Basilisk and the deadly war droid fell from the sky like a rock, landing on top of a destroyed Zabrak building. No longer armed with his lightsaber, Malak quickly called the nearest weapon to him and rushed forward into a challenging Mandalorian. side-stepping and hitting the Mandalorian full-force with his armored shoulder plate, Malak turned his borrowed Vibrosword downward and drove it into the weak point of the Mandalorian's armor along the neck. The Mandalorian gurgled and writhed as his foe stepped over him and continued onward, killing several of his Mandalorian brothers in a similar fashion.

Ian Kenobi saw Malak hacking away at the Mandalorians and tossing them around like dolls and had to find some dark humor in the scene as a Mandalorian was sent flying backwards by Malak as the tall former Jedi tackled him into a group of his fellow companions. Malak followed through by using the Force to activate the Mandalorian's grenades and quickly rushed away as they were consumed in a violent explosion.

"Malak!"
Ian shouted, calling a fallen Jedi's lightsaber to his hand and throwing it with all his might towards his friend. The saber landed in Malak's hand and the vibroblade was abandoned as the tattooed former Jedi twisted and spun within the ranks of the Mandalorians, clearly using his impressive physical strength and size to his advantage. Kenobi was so caught up in Malak's fight that he did not sense the danger closing from behind him until the last split-second. Dodging to the side, Ian felt pain blossom in the side of his face as he dropped to the ground and looked up. The taste of blood filled his mouth as a Mandalorian rose his blade for a killing blow. Using the Force, Kenobi sent the Mandalorian off his feet and rolled to his side, activating his saber and rolling its active blade into his foe. The Mandalorian cried out in pain but fell silent quickly as he joined many of his Mandalorian brothers that day.

Revan found himself alone and surrounded by a field of Mandalorian and Zabrak bodies. Looking down on his work, Revan deactivated his saber and panted heavily as the corpses of the Mandalorian's armor continued to glow orange from where his blade had felled them. Reaching out with his senses, Revan could feel his Jedi comrades still fighting and swallowed several lungfuls of air before breaking off in a sprint towards the nearest sign of battle.

"You think you can just come here and take these people's lives away from them?"
Revan roared in challenge to a group of seven Mandalorians that were raiding a destroyed house for food. The bodies of the house's occupants lay at their feet, cut down without thought and left to die. Revan's eyes dropped to the body of a young child before he turned his masked features back to the Mandalorians.

"A Jedi..."

One of the Mandalorians stated, noting Revan's lightsaber. Before he had time to act his head rolled away and his comrades shouted to one another as they pulled their weapons and were cut down swiftly. Breathing heavily as he stood over the bodies of his foes, Revan felt his eyes blur with tears as he knelt beside the body of the Zabrak child and closed its dead eyes. Taking in the scene around him, Revan took off in a sprint powered by rage and drove into a nearby Mandalorian encampment, throwing the armored warriors about like toys with his power and cutting them down as their bodies fell at his feet.

Across the harsh surface of the world the former Jedi Knight Malak looked down from the treetop he hid in to the Mandalorian squad moving through the forest floor below. Turning his eyes to Kenobi and the two other Jedi that were nearby, Malak made a motion with his hand and dropped to the ground silently behind the Mandalorians. The first warning the armored warriors received to the danger they were in was the snap and hiss of Malak's lightsaber that was followed quickly by a Mandalore's pained cry.

As the Mandalorian squad was decimated, Malak furrowed his brow as he sensed Revan nearby. Kenobi as well as the other Jedi felt the surge of power in Revan's aura and all immediately took off to find their unofficial leader.

What they found was beyond their expectation. Revan stood over the bodies of forty-seven Mandalorians, his crimson saber burning in his hand as he panted heavily and wheeled on them.

"Move it, now!"

Revan shouted taking off in the direction of yet another group of Mandalorians. Malak, Ian and the other Jedi gaped at the sight as they came to the realization that Revan had slaughtered the entire encampment by himself. Snapping out of their shock, the Jedi rushed after their leader and were soon met by the flashing lights of Mandalorian blasters and the form of Revan crushing the Mandalorians around him as if they were insects. Within Revan the anger, the outrage at the loss of innocent lives was not satisfied and only grew with each stroke of his blade.

Throughout the rest of the night Jedi, Mandalorian and Zabrak met on the battlefields of Iridonia and cut one another down mercilessly. As the Iridonian sun rose over the carnage the Jedi and Iridonians saw one of the most beautiful sights of their entire lives. They saw that the Republic navy had taken victory in space and controlled the skies. Over the next week and a half the Mandalorian encampments were destroyed from the air as Republic ground forces coordinated with Iridonians and Jedi and quickly brought the Mandalorian forces on Iridonia down to nothing.
After two weeks of nearly constant fighting Iridonia was free of any large Mandalorian threats and the scattered survivors of the Mandalorian force were hunted down by the Iridonian military while the Jedi and Republic withdrew to their ships to count their losses.

The Republic army took few losses on the world's surface and in space the Republic navy had managed to overcome the Mandalorian assault fleet with few losses thanks to the efforts of the Jedi that had held the breach and distracted the Mandalorians long enough for them to strike. The Republic navy's inability to seal the breach before a significant amount of Mandalorian reinforcements could get through cost the Jedi and Zabrak greatly. Tens of thousands of Zabrak warriors lay dead with thousands of Iridonian civilians adding to the losses.

As for the Jedi. None of those that stayed to defend the breach in their fighters survived the battle and on the surface a third of the Jedi that had followed Revan and Malak to this war were now one with the Force or so badly wounded they would never fight again. Despite the heavy Iridonian and Jedi losses the Republic claimed this battle to be one of their greatest victories and the Jedi were all praised amongst the ranks of the Republic military as heroes. The Iridonians too looked on the Jedi as heroes and thanked them for their help in holding the Mandalorians at bay. Many Iridonians knew that without the sacrifice that many of the Jedi had made on their homeworld they would be lost.

Reaching a familiar structure, Revan peered through the doorway as he knocked. The cool eyes of a young Zabrak man met his and he frowned as the Zabrak continued to stare at him.

"Are you the Jedi that was here before?"

The young man asked. Revan nodded, glad he was still wearing his mask. The young man nodded slowly before reaching out and grasping Revan's hand in a warrior's handshake.

"Thank you for fighting alongside my people."

"Mother is grieving now but- Thank you again, Master Jedi."

Realizing that this was the woman's eldest son and that her husband was likely dead, Revan nodded grimly as he turned to leave. Behind him he could feel the eyes of the Zabrak youth following him as he moved amongst the piles of burning Mandalorian corpses and the grieving and enraged population of the Zabrak world.

In his mind, Revan knew how he had reacted when he had left the Zabrak household after Nisotsa had awakened was a mistake but he could not deny the results of his anger. He was alive and many, many Mandalorians lay felled by his blade. As Revan thought back to the strong young Zabrak mother he felt tears roll down his cheeks and pulled off his mask to wipe them away angrily.

&&&&&&&&&&&

"What are the estimated losses on Serreco?" Revan asked wearily. The young Jedi he had spoken to before sighed and shook his head.

"Forty percent of the garrison and twenty Jedi."

Revan closed his eyes and took in a steadying breath. "This is insane, the battle began only a few hours ago and we've already lost nearly half our forces." "Ian, prepare the men, we're leaving." Ian Kenobi, the young Jedi Revan had been greeted by minutes before bowed and made his way to the communications console before stopping and looking curiously at the new arrival.

Jedi Master Vrook Lamar stood silently before Ian, his face a mask of stoicism. "We are accompanying you."

The Jedi Council had become curious as to how the war was being fought. Though it was in their nature and the Republic's to ignore a problem, they could not ignore the fact that a fifth of their Order had rallied under one young man. Revan turned slowly, his masked face weary, though he spoke with a bit of passion in his voice. "Who is we, Master Vrook"

Vrook merely took a step to the side to reveal a young girl of sixteen. Revan's eyes widened at the sight of the girl he had run into on Dantooine. "Are you insane? How many missions has she been on?"

Revan snarled, causing Bastila's head to immediately snap to the former Jedi Knight. Vrook sighed as he looked down to Bastila. He did not want to take her along, but the Council thought it would help the development of her Battle Meditation if she were to witness a battle or two. "This is her first..." Vrook sighed, wishing he could take back the words as Revan nearly fell over.

The Republic commander composed himself and looked down to Bastila. "You stay on the ship." He stated as if he were the head of the Jedi Council. Bastila nodded meekly, this was unknown territory and she had always been taught by the Jedi to blend into the background and avoid confrontation, though her blood seemed to boil as the young man all but ordered her to stay behind.

"I can take care of myself" Her mind snapped indignantly as she listened to her Master speaking, more like arguing with Revan.

"I can't believe this" If Revan had not been so terrifying in his armor, Bastila would have thought he was pouting. "There's nothing I can do about it, the Council's decision stands and if we need to, I am under orders to speak with your commanders or perhaps the Senate" Revan shook with anger, though it was far from murderous he could not help but smile at the mental picture of Vrook being sucked into a black hole.

"Maybe we should make a quick stop by the Maw and..." Revan's dark thoughts ceased as he stared into two azure fires. He could see the annoyance burning below the surface and found himself staring at her. Bastila shifted when felt his eyes on her. She had difficulty comparing the menacing man clad in crimson and obsidian armor before her to the handsome young man that she had spoken briefly to on Dantooine a day before. Revan suddenly turned away, crossing his arms over his chest and staring intently at the holo of Serreco. "Since you've chosen to go over my head, Master Vrook I would appreciate your council as to the welfare of the refugees..." Revan sighed. The Senate seemed all for helping the refugees, if a holocam was on them. "More worried about their disgusting careers than people starving and dying..."

Revan made a noise that could only be described as a growl. Under his guidance, the Mandalorian advance had ground to a stop. The three gaping holes in the Republic from the Mandalorian's initial invasion were slowly closing and the Mandalorians occupying those worlds dug themselves in, preparing for a long, drawn out war and a worthy challenge. The Republic was slow to catch its breath as the Senate saw their worlds as no longer in danger. The Republic had, in the nine months since Revan entered the war, nearly undermined all he had accomplished. Revan had practically begged the Republic for his own fleet and had combined the bulk of the ten thousand Jedi that had joined him in that fleet. It amazed the Jedi to no end how the Senate could be so uncaring and blind to the plight of their own people as long as they had credits to stuff into their faces. Revan shook his head of the thoughts and was surprised when Vrook nodded agreement to his assignment.

"That would be acceptable, the Council is concerned with the welfare of the Refugees from your war." Vrook added pointedly. Revan sighed and motioned to his men to prepare to depart.

"General Kenobi..." Ian turned and set down the container of holos he was carrying.

"Yes, Commander" He asked, absently tugging on his cloak.

"The forces at Serreco are taking heavy losses and have dug themselves in. It will primarily be a ground war... like Dxun..." Ian winced slightly at the mention of Dxun. He had been the one to find Revan. He recalled Malak nearly knocking him over as they found Revan lying in a pool of his own blood in that interrogation chamber. Never had he seen someone so battered and he paled to think of what had happened to the other Jedi that were missing in action. The young General was pulled from his thoughts as Revan continued his briefing.

"I need to gather our forces, we cannot afford to be cut off like the Mandalorians were on Dxun. I'm sure you remember what happened to them."

"Killed to the last man." Ian nodded, trying to fight the deep sense of foreboding he was picking up from Revan's serious tone.

"Our fleet is over Taris and that is nearly two days from here... Serreco is only seven hours from here... and about thirty from Taris..." Ian again nodded understanding. Sighing heavily, Revan's stance slumped slightly.

"I... I need you to take a dropship and as many Jedi as you can to reinforce Serreco. Malak is taking half the fleet from Taris to reinforce Onderon. There was word that the Mandalorians are planning to launch an assault in the next week and we cannot ignore that, especially with all the help and all the resources Onderon can offer."
Ian bowed and added in an understanding tone.

"And you need to command the fleet."

Revan nodded solemnly. "You will be there, on your own for seventy hours. I can't promise you anything else except that I will be there in seventy hours."

Ian nodded, knowing Revan had no choice and departed, taking a Republic dropship and several dozen Jedi as well as a thousand men to reinforce Serreco. Revan watched his General leave, knowing that the time was being wasted.

"Lets move it"

He shouted to the other Jedi and Republic soldiers. Bastila and Vrook found themselves on Revan's flagship several minutes later and after nearly an hour of loading, the ship broke away from Dantooine and entered hyperspace, en route to Taris and the Republic and Jedi expeditionary Force, stationed over the city planet. Revan turned from his thoughts and the hyperspace field that had been occupying his view to see Vrook glaring at him. It had only need fifteen minutes since they had jumped into hyperspace and the Jedi Master had been occupying his time silently watching Revan and his men. Wincing, Revan walked over to the Jedi Master who could destroy his reputation in the Senate by withdrawing the meager Jedi support that had formed since he had rallied a fifth of the Order nearly a year before.

"Master Vrook, this is Lieutenant Korso, she will show you to a room."

Vrook nodded, satisfied. He had been planning on challenging the younger man to a verbal sparring match, but peace and quiet and a well deserved show sounded more inviting to the Jedi Master and there was the fact that he did not like the way his Padawan was staring at the armored Exile. Revan motioned to Lieutenant Korso and turned back to Vrook, only to see the Jedi Master's glare had shifted to his Padawan. Following the glare, Revan saw two azure fires that unnerved him more than a thousand Basilisks. Revan tilted his head slightly in a bow and watched the young girl suddenly start out of her thoughts. Shrugging mentally, Revan turned and removed the mask from his face, setting it in a pouch that lay hidden in his cloak. The former Jedi Knight pulled back his hood and took a in a deep breath, resisting the urge to cough as the recycled air hit his lungs. Revan looked down at himself with a frown. A month floating in a Kolto tank did not help his physical fitness. The Jedi quickly left the bridge, intending to find one of the Republic cruiser's recreation room and training. Revan stopped near the bridge's doorway and strained to hear what Vrook would say to his Padawan. Bastila frowned as she watched the retreating form of Revan.

"I wonder where he is going..."

The Padawan was torn from her thoughts as she heard her Master clear his throat. Bastila turned and paled slightly when she caught the look of barely contained rage on Vrook's face.

"Are you alright sir" Lieutenant Korso asked the Jedi Master. Vrook's glare softened to a scowl as he turned to the young woman, sighing and offering a neutral expression which was as close to a smile the aging Jedi Master ever got.

"I am fine Lieutenant, why do you ask"

The Lieutenant frowned, not wanting to say what Revan had put her up to saying but wanting to see the reaction firsthand. "Well for a minute there you looked like you were constipated, I could escort you to the ship's infirmary. The healers should be able to fix that right away."

Vrook stared at the young woman in open shock, his mouth hanging open before he caught himself. After getting over the shock herself, Bastila fought not to burst into a fit of giggles and looked at the Lieutenant with pity. "Master is going to kill her..." A deep laugh sounded in the hallway and Bastila turned to see Revan lying on the floor near the bridge's entrance, laughing hysterically. Vrook growled towards Revan and looked back to the Lieutenant. Seeing her shift under his cold glare, Vrook was satisfied and waved the comment off, making a note to get back at Revan. Revan stood and wiped his eyes, watching the Jedi Master, who's face had taken on a deep red leave with his Padawan in tow.

"I probably just made that girl's life. I hate to think of how stodgy and arrogant she'll turn out with him as her Master. I wonder why she looks so familiar." Revan smiled as he caught the small smirk on Bastila's face as she followed her Master from the bridge. "At least she can appreciate an excessive joke." Sighing, Revan made his way to his ship's recreation room, breaking into a series of advanced katas and fighting techniques.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Several hours passed and Bastila let out a frustrated sigh, tossing her datapad on her bed and turning from her stomach to stare at the bulkhead. The idea of seeing the Mandalorians first hand and being in the same room as people like Revan and Malak and Kenobi brought a thrill to her though it did little for her self esteem. The constant scolding of her Master over the years and how the other Jedi initiates had mocked her constantly for being brought in later than themselves brought constant doubt to the young girl. Turning her thoughts inwardly, Bastila groaned. She had constantly had trouble learning the techniques and Battle Meditation was no different. Bastila's eyes glistened as her thoughts drifted to where they always had for nearly a decade, to her father. Vrook had constantly scolded her on thinking of her past too often but she could not help it, she missed him too much. As it always did, thinking of her father also made her think of her mother. Scowling slightly, Bastila snarled in frustration, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of her bed.

"I may as well find a training room. Master did say this time should be dedicated to studying..."

Bastila's frown deepened. No matter how hard she tried, she could never concentrate and focus as well as the others her age. She was nearly three years behind the others when she arrived and they always rubbed it in her face. The young Padawan soon found herself standing outside a recreational room on the Republic cruiser and looked down at her loose fitting Jedi robes.

"Well at least I can train decently in these."

Ignoring the slight disarray in what would normally be her sleep clothes, Bastila entered the recreational facility and sought out a dueling room. Walking into th first room she saw, Bastila immediately stopped and flushed slightly when she caught sight of Revan. The former Jedi Knight had discarded his armor after training in them for two hours, favoring his obsidian Jedi robes. Bastila turned to leave but the Republic commander's voice stopped her.

"Dammit, three day. How are they going to hold out for three days" Turning slowly, Bastila watched the Jedi curiously. Revan was wearing only his black pants and knee high boots. His tunic was lying in a pile near his armor and Bastila was granted a very nice view of his well tones physique. Flushing at her own thoughts, Bastila turned her attention to the stream of battle plans the man muttered. She soon became aware that Revan was in some type of trance as his body moved through advanced katas she could only dream of completing. The former Knight's azure blade hummed through the complex maneuvers meant to train a Jedi's reflexes in combat and Bastila seated herself on a bench as she listened to the man's rambling begin to form into a complex battle plan.

"If I divide my forces on Serreco and Dxun I leave Taris and the entire Meridian sector open to invasion... If I leave too many ships there I could forfeit the coming battle..." Bastila listened intently to the former Jedi as he pondered aloud his thoughts. "I could always cut off the Perlemian trade route... it's the only hyperspace route that leads to Taris and through the Meridian sector..." Revan trailed off as he suddenly became aware of another presence in the room. Cursing himself for being so distracted, Revan ceased his kata and turned to see two blue eyes staring at him intently. "Padawan Shan? Its been a while."

Bastila jumped with a start, flushing. "Commander Revan..." She replied as she stood and bowed. Revan frowned and narrowed his eyes.

"How long have you been there, Padawan" Revan asked calmly, fuming inwardly to himself for not noticing her presence. Training always had a calming effect on the former Jedi and he had been so lost in his thoughts and training routine that he wouldn't have even sensed Malak enter. Revan's eyes narrowed further as he caught Bastila shifting uncomfortably under his gaze and flushing as much as her Master had on the bridge. Bastila glanced at her chrono, her eyes widening when she realized she had been watching Revan for nearly an hour. Looking like a Gizak caught in a swoop's headlights, Bastila gave Revan a pleading look.

"I- I must have been lost in my thoughts, I have to return or Master Vrook will... be unpleasant." Bastila winced. Searching for an excuse was more difficult that she thought. Revan suddenly smiled warmly to her, tilting his head.

"I suppose, if he isn't still in the infirmary..." Revan's smile shifted to a smug grin and he heard a small giggle come from the Padawan with him. Bastila placed her hand over her mouth, looking around as if the mere sound would draw the wrath of her Master. Seeing this, Revan burst into laughter, shaking his head and reveling in the peace and contentment he felt at that moment. It amazed the young Knight that this one girl could make him forget what he had seen and what he had to do in the end.

"So, Bastila... is it alright if I call you that" Bastila nodded, smiling slightly. It seemed like it had been years since someone had called her by only her first name. Revan returned the smile, walking over to his armor and pulling his tunic over his head after wiping the sweat from himself with a workout towel.

"Damn." Bastila cursed to herself as she slowly walked over to Revan.

"Tell me Bastila, why are you here" Revan asked as he lowered the setting on his lightsaber to a safe training level.

"I cam to train but your training methods... distracted me." Bastila felt a blush forming on her cheeks again and willed it away, hoping Revan did not see the faint pink of them. Revan smirked slightly and Bastila cursed herself.

"Training eh? How good are your reflexes" Just as she was about to answer, Bastila felt the Force warning her and threw herself to the side to avoid the azure beam that shot from Revan's hand. Bastila looked at the former Jedi in confusion before she saw him advancing again.

"Not bad, how's your form" Revan struck low, slashing his saber and was pleased to see Bastila leap over his attack and back away, drawing her own weapon. A pale yellow beam shot from Bastila's weapon and the Padawan quickly fell into her most comfortable fighting stance, preparing for Revan's next attack. Bastila quickly shifted her weight and shot to the side, blocking Revan's thrust and spinning as she swung her saber, colliding with Revan's azure beam. Revan used his strength to Force Bastila's blade to the side and instantly shifted his weight, spinning the blade and throwing Bastila off balance, tapping her with the low intensity blade on her shoulder.

"That is a common mistake, even amongst Jedi Knights and Masters. Always avoid a saber block." Revan's voice held no condescension, in fact it held a bit of respect that Bastila thought misplaced. She had always been belittled by her teachers and to have someone like Revan impressed with her technique was almost too much for her to handle. Fighting the urge to grin, Bastila nodded and prepared herself again for Revan's attack. Revan performed a similar maneuver and struck Bastila from the opposite side, pleased when she only locked with his blade for a split second before spinning away and delivering a kick, which be blocked easily.

"Good, now. I am going to try something a little different so be mindful." Bastila nodded, enjoying the duel and the fact that Revan was allowing her to explore her own talents instead of keeping her restrained to a simple set of fighting techniques. The randomness of his attacks was a little awkward to the young Padawan and his superior size and strength as well as his speed was difficult to keep up with. Bastila watched in momentary shock as Revan turned from her and used a nearby wall to vault himself into the air. Acting on instincts, or some would say the Force, Bastila dropped to the ground and moved her saber over her head in a wide arc, blocking Revan's downward strike. Revan smiled slightly, impressed that she was able to block such an unexpected attack.

"Very impressive, Bastila." Revan remarked. Bastila smiled and nodded her head, preparing herself for another attack. Revan grinned widely and obliged, charging for her and dropping to the ground, rolling across the floor as his saber moved in a barely visible blur. Bastila jumped back and furrowed a brow at the strange attack before she caught sight of what Revan was truly doing. Revan's blade suddenly ceased its light show as Bastila felt his booted foot sweep under her, knocking her on her posterior. Bastila quickly rolled away and arched her back, kicking her legs out to vault herself to a standing position. The Padawan barely had time to block Revan as he struck first on her left side, then her right. Twisting to the side, Revan prepared to lunge for his opponent when Bastila smirked and dropped beneath his attack, kicking his weapon hand to the side and bringing her saber into his mid section. Revan's eyes widened slightly as pain shot through him. Looking down he saw Bastila's hilt against his abdomen and groaned slightly. Bastila's victorious smirk was replaced with a confused and then horrified expression. Revan coughed violently as he looked over to Bastila as she deactivated her weapon and backed away.

"You. Forgot. To. Change. The. Settings." Revan dropped to his knees and clutched his mid section, closing his eyes as he drew on the Force and slowly lost consciousness. Bastila dropped her saber and brought her hands to cover her mouth as she gasped.

"How could I have been so foolish..."

She had been so lost in her thoughts on the way to the training room that she hadn't changed the setting of her weapon and Revan had started their duel so abruptly that the thought didn't even cross her mind. Quickly getting over the shock and mortification, Bastila rushed to a comm system and called frantically for medics to come. The Medics arrived within moments and quickly took Revan away, asking Bastila to calm down and speak with her Master.

"Force, what if he doesn't survive"

Bastila closed her eyes, willing away the tears at the thought. She was so caught up in her concern that she did not even realize she had bested one of the best swordsmen in the entire Jedi Order or that she had potentially killed the only man who could defeat the Mandalorians. She didn't even take into account the fact that Vrook was likely going to skin her alive and feed her to Firaxan or that this might destroy the Jedi's support in the Senate. Not wanting to endure the accusatory looks of the ship's crew or the scolding of her Master, Bastila rushed to the ship's infirmary, watching in mute horror as the healers fought to stabilize Revan's condition.

Vrook had been shockingly understanding. The Jedi Master had not even glowered at Bastila when she had finally told him what had happened. Vrook merely stood in the Infirmary watching Revan floating in the Kolto tank. The aging Jedi Master sighed as he watched his Padawan's sleeping form in a nearby chair. He knew he should scold her for her actions and for the strange way she was reacting towards Revan but he knew she was young and he had been young himself once. Vrook's eyes glazed slightly at that thought. He knew he was using that as an excuse more times than not for the fact that he could just not keep up with his Padawan. She was intelligent, brilliant really and her largest flaw seemed to be the lack of confidence. Vrook had constantly scolded her, belittling her in the hopes that he could drive her past that flaw but it only seemed to convince her more of her ineptitude. Sighing, Vrook looked over the form of Revan. It had been two days and Malak had already departed after having a few choice words to say to Bastila. The towering former Jedi had been surprisingly angered by accident and had fixed his cold glare on Vrook, likely thinking it was some Jedi plot to bring what they referred to as the 'lost ones' back into the Order. Vrook shook his head of the dark thoughts.

"No, Malak was a Jedi..."

Vrook could not deny the look of loathing he received from the man though and he knew that somewhere, Malak was harboring his hatred as it seemed many of the young did these days.

"Master Vrook..."
Vrook turned to see the young Lieutenant that had shown he and Bastila to their quarters looking at him with concern.

"I... know this may not be the best time but there's a message from the Jedi Council... They are ordering you to return with Bastila to Coruscant immediately."

Vrook nodded solemnly, turning from the woman and walking over to Bastila's sleeping form.

"She's going to hate me for this..." Sighing, Vrook gently lifted the girl and carried her to a transport, taking her from all the chaos that had engulfed the Outer Rim.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Revan awoke a week after his injury, pulling himself to a sitting position and ignoring the protest of his still tender abdomen. Frowning slightly, Revan stood shakily and walked to a nearby nurse, who nearly fell over in shock. "Please Commander, you must rest."

Revan stared at the woman before shaking his head and speaking. "How long?"

"Precisely one week." The woman responded. Revan nodded and looked around the medical room, not sensing Vrook or Bastila. His search was violently cut short when he turned back to the nurse and snarled.

"One Week" The nurse backed away and nodded slightly. Revan's eyes glazed for a moment in deep thought before they snapped back to life.
"What is our position?"

The nurse frowned. "We are holding over Taris, Commander."

Revan did not heed the nurse's warnings as he rushed to the bridge, clad in his medical clothing. The former Jedi immediately shouted to his officers to prepare the fleet to reinforce Serreco.

"To hell with the Meridian sector." The ships arrived two days later to find the forces on Serreco cornered and nearly wiped out. Revan led the assault against the Mandalorians, tearing mercilessly through their position and within a few hours, the battle had died down. What Revan found when he searched for his men brought a sickening feeling to him. Only a few hundred men had survived out of the entire garrison and the reinforcements and of all the Jedi sent there, only a dozen had survived, including the man he had brought reinforcements to four days too late. Ian took one look at Revan, a look that said everything. The war was no longer a clean war. All around the decaying bodies of civilians lay and Revan nearly gagged at the sight. Serreco was a hollow victory, a slaughter would have been a better term. Surprisingly, Revan's hatred did not include Bastila. She had been the one ordered by the Jedi to accompany him and it was their involvement that had done this. Growling with frustration, Revan kicked a Mandalorian's helmet and stormed away, ignoring the blood that seeped through his abdomen and ran down his armor. His own blood.

The Senate wasted no time commemorating the Jedi for their victory at Serreco. The civilian losses had been horrendous and had only started after Ian arrived. The Mandalorians had cornered the Jedi and the Republic and began executing the native population of Serreco to goad the Jedi and Republic into fighting. Those that tried, died and the planet had been nearly a total loss. "No more distractions."