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

A/N 2: Only 1 more chapter after this before there is new content.

Chapter 3 – The Mandalorian Wars Pt 2

Revan looked up for only a moment as the sky burned with Basilisk war droids. "How the hell did I ever get myself into this?"

The Jedi shook his head as he looked out over the rocky surroundings of the desert-like world the Mandalorians had occupied. The world was nothing more than a planetoid and Revan wondered how such a pathetic rock of sand and dust was so vital to the war effort. Shaking his head, Revan turned as he heard a turboblaster turret firing a volley into the sky. Several brilliant flashes in the distance caught the former Jedi's eyes before he turned his attention back to the fighter he was trying so desperately to repair. Somehow, his forces had managed to fight the Mandalorians back the Mandalorians and had dug in to the small planetoid, setting up hastily constructed batteries to keep the endless stream of dropships and Basilisks away from the surface. Revan sighed as he looked over the detestable rock that didn't even have a name. The only reason he was here was because a stronghold on the planet could give a strategic platform for the Mandalorians to strike Ithor. The Senate failed to see that their pathetic lives were soon to be at risk. That is what they were becoming to the former Jedi Knight. Pathetic. To sit around, bickering about how much money they had while worlds burned, to ignore the pain and suffering of the galaxy while others fought and died and were torn to pieces. Never in his life had Revan feared anything, but he slowly felt fear settle into him as he thought of what the Galaxy would become with such people ruling it. Revan snarled as a blaster bolt came down on his position, obliterating a nearby turret. Revan growled in frustration as he looked at the mangled circuits of his fighter. "We can't let them have this world!"

Revan quickly made work of his fighter and ran a diagnostic, snarling when it did not respond. "What the Hell!"

Revan impatiently looked skyward again to see the battle was dying down, at least the aerial battle. The Jedi had left Malak in charge of the orbital fleet, hoping Malak could at least shoot at what he saw. Malak may have been powerful and an impressive fighter, but he seemed to have great difficulty seeking out his foes. Throwing the loose component he had been working on down in frustration, Revan turned his thoughts and drive to the ground battle that was soon approaching. A flash of blue eyes and a smiling face came to Revan's mind and the former Jedi shook his head. "What the hell is wrong with me? Why can't I stop thinking of her?" The battlefield was no place for such distraction, but facing being overrun and destroyed by his enemy, Revan could only dwell on the young girl he had befriended.

A shout caused Revan to turn his attention to a middle aged woman and an Echani warrior. "Yusanis? Arren? What are you doing here?" Revan asked.

He was surprised to see the skilled Echani warrior and the outcast Jedi Knight. It had been nearly a decade since Arren Kae was thrown out of the Order for as the Jedi called it, 'pulling a Bindo.' Revan shook his head of the thoughts as he took in the Echani that had forsaken his honor and family for the sake of the Jedi Knight he stood with. "We've lost the orbital defenses, Malak is ordering a retreat..."

Revan was silent as he stared at the Echani warrior and his fellow outcast. "Malak ordered a retreat?" Malak was not one to run from a fight and whatever it was that was making him run must have been serious. "Where are they falling back to?" Revan inquired.

Yusanis looked enraged and Arren looked sullen. "Eres III, the Mandalorians have begun landing Basilisks and are burning the Xoxin fields... the garrison there was slaughtered and they are shooting down whoever tries to flee." Arren replied in a solemn tone.

Revan released a long and steadying breath. Malak was going to attack them head on, just his style. "Where's General Kenobi?" Revan asked, pulling himself from his thoughts. It had been nearly a year since Dxun and there was still no end to the war in sight. The Mandalorians seemed to have a death grip on the worlds they held and their armies seemed almost endless. The fact that the Republic and the Jedi failed miserably to reinforce Revan and his forces did not help. The Republic military was too concerned with losing political targets to actually see that losing military targets were much more vital. The Jedi Council was content to have him at their whim by threatening to call on the Senate if their wishes were not met. The Jedi constantly sent observers and used their influence to discredit Revan with the Republic. Revan was not blind, he knew that they were afraid of him. Revan represented something that the Jedi feared, he represented another option to their students. The former Jedi Knight knew that the thought of removing him from power or discrediting him likely crossed their minds.

"Power."

The word seemed to send a chill up his spine. He hated power, he hated it when people looked to him for answers to questions he could not begin to fathom. He hated to be responsible for the deaths of his men, like he was responsible on Serreco. He hated the fact that men and women died to save him on Dxun. He hated the fact that he was fighting his own people. It sickened Revan to no end each time he struck down a Mandalorian before he had been wounded by Bastila. Bastila had opened his eyes to something.

"It needed to be done."

No longer was he sickened by killing, he simply closed his mind off from the pain, he detached himself from what he was doing. Killing his own people. It simply needed to be done for the greater good. Some would argue more atrocities have been done in the name of the greater good than in the name of evil but Revan found himself simply not caring. Worlds died while he fought the moral implications of his war. It was his war. Before he had joined, the Mandalorians met no challenge and simply burned the worlds they conquered into ashes and left their cities as glassy craters. The Jedi had the gall to blame him for the escalation of violence in the war. They simply refused to see that the Mandalorians despised weakness and respected power. If he met them on the battlefield and succeeded, then they would be broken and they would surrender. If he failed, they would still respect him for fighting and perhaps in the end not view the Jedi and the rest of the galaxy as weak and inferior and perhaps begin to respect them.

"How long until we get reinforcements?" Revan asked, annoyance clear in his tone.

Yusanis actually grinned in response as Arren replied for him. "Telos and the Echani are sending reinforcements. The Telosians are under the command of Admiral Saul Karath and the Echani are to transfer command to Yusanis as soon as they arrive."

At this news, Revan breathed a sigh of relief. An explosion and distant blaster fire drew him from his relief. "Well I suppose we should get back to the war." The other two warriors nodded agreement and followed Revan from the now useless fighter.

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

Sixteen year old Bastila Shan looked down at the image before her in satisfaction. She was sure it was the image she had seen tattooed to Revan's upper right arm. She had been too busy staring at him and his amazing fighting style that day in the recreation room where she had wounded him to notice it, but they had sparred since and she had curiously asked him about the strange mark. Revan had instantly closed off of whatever they had been discussing and had left, but not before she had seen enough of the mark to draw an accurate picture. Bastila slowly made her way to the Jedi archives on Coruscant. She had been transferred to Coruscant after Cathar and much to her delight, Revan made frequent visits to the Republic capitol world to speak with the Senate and the Jedi High Council. Jedi Master Atris sighed slightly as she saw the young woman enter the archives. It was an ongoing joke within the Council that Bastila's sharp attitude could rival her own, something her fellow Jedi Masters found amusing to no ends.

"Oh yes, we don't always meditate and curse Revan behind those doors..."

Snapping from her annoying reverie, Atris offered a small nod as Bastila smiled to her and bowed deeply.

"What can I do for you, Padawan Shan?" Atris asked wearily. Bastila handed the sketch she had drawn of the tattoo and waited patiently as Atris furrowed her brow at the drawing. "Is this some kind of joke, Bastila?"

Bastila frowned, not knowing what to say. Atris sighed and shook her head, handing the curious Padawan her drawing back. Atris turned and after digging quietly through a pile of datapads handed the datapad to Bastila.

"It's a Mandalorian symbol for a conscript. A forced member of their army and a member of the Clans. There are subtle differences for the Clans. Ordo clan uses a snake-like symbol while the Fett clan uses a Bantha skull..." Atris frowned slightly, looking over her console for a moment before finding the raven-like symbol. "Interesting..." Atris muttered to herself as she compared the two symbols. "This is the clan symbol of the Raven Clan."

Bastila frowned slightly. "Raven Clan..."

Atris nodded, suddenly interested in her work. "Yes they were said to be the only Mandalorians who were not blind to the Force. Mandalore is rumored to be from that clan. They were nearly wiped out seventeen years ago when they assaulted an unknown fleet of alien ships beyond the Outer Rim. It is unclear how exactly they were destroyed, but only a few dozen survived that battle. They were said to have scattered and been absorbed into the other Clans afterwards..."

Atris trailed off, turning her attention to her beeping comm link.

"Atris..." She answered, hearing the last voice she expected to her on the other end. "Atris, its Ian."

Atris' face turned red slightly as she trembled, her fact shifting to a small scowl. "What do YOU want?" She snarled into the communicator. Bastila backed away slightly, surprised and confused as to the Jedi Councillor's response to the other's voice.

"Malak is bombing the Mandalorian positions on Eres III and Revan is missing in action along with Yusanis and Knight Kae... The Republic is refusing the send reinforcements to their last known position and if Revan's position falls... we may loose Ithor and the Echani sectors... I thought that might concern you, Atris." Kenobi finished, his voce calm and collected. Atris frowned slightly. If the Echani sector fell, it would directly effect her since she was an Echani and the Ithorians were a peaceful race that would be crushed beneath the Mandalorians.

"What about the Iridonians?" Atris asked after a moment's hesitation. A deep sigh was heard from the other end of the comm link.

"The Iridonians are allying with the Ithorians and are gathering in the Yulant system. If we loose anymore harvesting worlds like Eres III, there is no telling how many will starve in the next few years..."

"What are the Echani doing?" Atris asked, confused that they would not be standing alongside the Iridonians and Ithorians.

"The Echani and the Telosians are sending their Forces to the Wayland system. Revan was trying to keep the Hydian Way secured from there, but the Mandalorians are overrunning them and we've lost contact..."

Bastila's eyes widened slightly at the news she was hearing. She knew Revan had been in the forefront of the Republic and Jedi forces, but she did not know he would be so exposed. A sudden chill ran up her spine when she mulled over all the things that could have happened to her friend. She remembered hearing about Dxun and Serreco and she could not keep the images of Revan being tortured and beaten to death from her mind. Atris sighed, shaking her head slightly.

"What do you want from me?" She asked tiredly. Bastila remained silent, watching the strange way the conflicting emotions passed over the normally stoic Jedi Master's face.

"We NEED help, Atris. We've lost over half of the Jedi already and we're estimating that we'll lose another two thousand within the next week. Revan may be too proud to say it but this war can't be won without the help of the Jedi Council... We need more people and the Council is sure doing their best to keep us from being reinforced." The former Jedi General added, his voice rising with the accusation.

For her credit, Atris looked surprised. "What do you mean?" She asked, shocked and appalled.

"Don't even try. The Council has been constantly sending their little puppet Vrook out here and he's been discrediting us before the Senate and the Republic military. Do you realize that Revan has not been reinforces since Dxun? The Senate delays all his battle plans and only battles he or Malak or myself are directly involved in actually hold any results."

Atris' face scrunched, in anger or confusion, Bastila did not know. The Jedi Councillor answered in a calm and collected tone. "I do not know what you are speaking of, Ian. But I assure you that I will find out soon enough."

Atris cut the communication as her eyes glazed over slightly. "Seven thousand..." She said below a whisper, though Bastila had heard. The thousands of Jedi sent to Revan were slowly being reduced to a handful and even the stubborn Jedi Master could see the implications. Turning her head to Bastila, a flicker of surprise shot through her blue eyes before she shook her head and dismissed herself. "I am sorry Padawan Shan, but I must speak with the Council immediately."

Bastila nodded numbly, a feeling of dread settling in her stomach. "What if the Jedi don't support Revan? What if what Kenobi said was true?"

The idea of her own Master deliberately sabotaging the Jedi's war effort horrified Bastila to the point of her own mind closing off the possibility. "No, Master would never do that."

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

Sitting in his chair before eleven of his fellow Jedi Councillors, Vrook Lamar sighed heavily as Atris replayed the communication from Ian Kenobi.

"We cannot fight... I've... seen what happens when Jedi fight. I saw the remains of those worlds the Mandalorians burned. If we are to remain strong... we cannot allow ourselves to be ruled by passion. We can't go into this war unprepared and there are not enough Jedi to end this war now that Revan has effectively lost nearly a tenth of our manpower."

The other Jedi Masters silently agreed, though many felt the need to challenge the Mandalorian threat. Vrook settled himself in his seat and shook his head. He would not risk his Padawan in a war that could be won by the Republic.

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

Ian Kenobi stood on the bridge of a Republic troop carrier, sighing and shaking his head as he looked over the gathered Iridonians and Ithorians. Holding the Yulant system and its rich agricultural worlds was key to preventing the suffering of the Mandalorian wars to spreading into the Core worlds. The Outer Rim and Mid Rim burned while the Core worlds remained unscathed. His lip curling in disgust, Ian stalked quietly to a meditation chamber, intent on seeking the Force's comfort. Revan had ordered him to keep his position and Malak was too busy burying the Mandalorians on Eres III under his ship's turboblasters to be of any help. Revan's position was a last stand against the Mandalorian advance and if his position fell... Ian knew the hastily gathered Iridonians and Ithorians would stand little chance against them. The former Jedi let out a silent plea to the Force that the Telosians and Echani would reach Revan in time. If Revan was lost, he knew the war would be lost.

A week passed and the bloodiest fighting the Mandalorian war had seen since had died down. Revan emerged with the Echani and Telosians triumphant as he successfully held off a much larger force. The Mandalorians had resulted to conscripting prisoners from their worlds along with their families. It seemed the endless armored warriors were slowly meeting their limit. The Core worlds still remained out of reach for them as Revan and Malak reinforced their positions with volunteers from the Iridonians, the Echani, the Telosians and the Ithorians. The Republic had managed to deploy the bulk of their fleet in an effective defensive pattern along the various hyperspace routes only a year and a half after Revan had suggested it. It appeared the losses on Eres III and Revan's stand had spurred the Senate into action. The Mandalorians had lost a bulk of their military and the hastily gathered conscripts held neither the skill nor the fighting experience of their previous comrades. The Mandalores still held firm and the worlds under them did not fall without blood, blood of their people. After a month of liberating nearly extinct planets, Revan had ceased the campaign, disappearing from the sectors of war along with Malak. The Mandalorians took this precious time to gather and strengthen their forces, though they knew a plan was being formed by their cunning adversary.

Revan was rumored to have been spotted near the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine and on Manaan, though the sightings were unconfirmed and his vessel was spotted near Tatooine, though it was gone before any Republic forces or Jedi could trace them. It seemed that as the months slowly passed that Revan had vanished and that the Mandalores had dug themselves in for a bloody stalemate. Wherever Revan went in those several months was unknown to all but those who had gone with him. The Jedi Council and the Senate had met with him once, each refusing to support his increasingly violent actions in the war and each scolding the young former Jedi for his actions. When Revan and Malak did return, there was something about them that unsettled those closest to them. They no longer joked with the men and were often sealed away in their quarters or training themselves. Whatever they had found seemed to change them, harden them.

Revan stared silently into the star field before him. It had been a week since his five month quest for the Star Forge ended and it had ended in a bitter defeat. The Star Forge seemed to require vast reservoirs of darkside energy to activate itself and the massive Rakatan device remained dormant, orbiting the Rakatan sun. Snarling in annoyance, Revan hastily retreated to his quarters, looking over anything he could to find a clue to unlocking the Star Forge's power. The massive factory was a relic of the darkside and he had known there were many others, like on Korriban or Dxun. A brief shiver ran up Revan's spine as he fought the feeling of dread those places stirred within him. Beneath the foliage, Dxun held something he feared and he did not wish to ever confront the true darkness of that moon. How he had not seen it while he was there he would never know but one thing was certain, he would never return to Onderon or Dxun if he had a choice. Korriban had sent another chill within him, a thrill of sorts. The world was dead but it still held the echoes of its former Lords, the power there if you could find it, but not enough to unlock the Star Forge.

As Revan's eyes scanned the various datapads, one world, one name seemed to call to him. "Malachor V..." The Mandalorians feared that world, almost as much as he feared Dxun. "We need to go to Malachor V..."

Revan muttered to himself. Mandalorians feared nothing and whatever was on that world that would cause the Mandalorians to isolate that single world and ban it would end this seemingly endless war. Revan knew he had to act, he barely had a thousand Jedi left in his ranks and his forces were not much better off. With the help of the Telosians and the Echani, Revan was able to liberate dozens of worlds, though what he liberated where worlds of corpses. It seemed the Mandalorians ruled an empire of death. Whatever the Senate was doing was not enough to protect itself, whatever the Jedi Council was doing was not enough to protect the Republic they had sworn to uphold was not enough. They were simply incompetent and could not offer strength in the face of adversity. Revan's Mandalorian blood boiled and he finally understood why the Mandalorians despised the Republic too much. War had made him strong enough to see the weakness of the Republic, how it allowed its outer edges to crumbled while corruption ruled and blacked its heart. There was something seriously wrong with the Senate and the Jedi Council.
"No!" Revan shouted, throwing the datapad away. "I can't think like that, this is what I am fighting for!" The words seemed to scorch his very soul. "This is what I am fighting for?"

What was the point of trying to save someone who didn't even make the effort of saving themselves. The Republic was on the verge of collapse and it had done that to itself by avoiding war for so long and not being prepared. The Republic had invited destruction. "There must be another way..." The Star Forge wasn't enough, hell it didn't even work and the Senate refused his requests for aid. There was only one thing Revan could do and the thought sickened him to no end. He had to stand before the Jedi Council and beg for their assistance, otherwise the war would never end.

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

"The darkside is strong in this place. I can feel its power... Is this wise? Once we pass beyond these doors we can never go back... The Council will surely banish us."

Malak's words rang through Revan's mind as he knelt with his eyes downcast before the Jedi Council. He could feel their intrusive mind probes and almost see the smug smiles they hid behind their stoic masks. They were right and they knew it. He needed them. "You should have thought of this before you defied our wishes, Revan." Master Vrook said with surprising calm. Apparently seeing the proud former Jedi that defied the Council and went to war against their every order was enough to sate the man's temper. Revan heard a snarl and the movement of a cloak before heavy footsteps sounded beside him and left the room. Malak it seemed did not have the patience to kneel before his former Masters, even if he himself admitted to needing them. Revan turned his head upwards, still kneeling before the twelve Jedi Councillors.

"I need the Council's full support... I need you to convince the Republic to give me more men. I NEED more Jedi." Revan replied, catching the mirth hidden in several of the Jedi Master's eyes. Trembling with anger, Revan cast a dark glare at each of the Jedi Masters through his mask and was surprised to see the humor vanish.

"You've tasted the darkside..." Vima Sunrider gasped as she stood from her seat.

Revan remained kneeling, staring at the red haired Jedi Master. "Whatever do you mean Master Sunrider?" Revan asked in a tight tone, secretly reveling in the look of horror on the woman's face. "If I had given in to the darkside the Star Forge would obey my commands, to despise someone for allowing death and suffering to go on is not the darkside. How ignorant of them."

Several of the other Jedi Masters stood as well, uneasily taking defensive postures. "You are no longer a member of the Jedi Order, Revan. You cannot ask us to help you with YOUR war."

At that, Revan had enough, tearing his mask from his face, Revan glared openly into Jedi Master Atris' face. "My war? My WAR! Do you think just because I am one of them that this is my war!" Revan screamed at the Echani Jedi Master, ignoring the confused look he received. Revan stood abruptly and spat on the floor as he glared at each and every one of the Jedi Masters. "We die because of you. The Force will not forget that when it is your time to answer." Revan turned and left the room, his cloak billowing behind him.

"I think we have made things worse..." Jedi Master Kavar added quietly. Master Zhar and Vandar nodded silent agreement as they took their seats, startled by Revan and Vima's sudden outbursts.

"What makes you think he has fallen, Vima?" Master Dorak asked after the Council had settled into their seats after the exchange with the former Jedi Knight. The Jedi Councillor wore a solemn expression as she turned her eyes to the dark-skinned Jedi Master.

"I remember my mother telling me how it felt when Ulic fell... I felt that in him, the bitterness, the despair... He will do something drastic and if we are not prepared... it could have serious consequences. We should take his council under advisement, we have ignored the Mandalorian threat for too long."

Several of the other Jedi Masters offered snorts of disagreement with her words. "If he has fallen as you say, nothing can save him. That one was always too proud-"

"Yet he knelt before us, yet he all but begged us for help." Zhar interjected, cutting Master Vrook off. The Council let out a collective sigh. Whatever was stirring in Revan's mind one thing was certain, they all dreaded to hear it.

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

Revan stormed through the Jedi Temple, his hands gripping tightly to his mask as he glared at the floor. "Do they want us to lose this war? Do they want the Republic to fall?" The former Jedi Knight sighed, heading for the Room of a Thousand Fountains. "Perhaps I can relax before I die."

The Republic Commander mused as he seated himself in the lush gardens and began a calming meditation. Malachor V had not been what he had hoped, the world was dead and after seeing the barren terrain and the dangerous storms that covered the lifeless rock, Revan knew why the Mandalorians chose to restrict the world. Sighing heavily, Revan continued going over his options.

"I can attack the Mandalorians head on, but that would likely destroy what is left of my forces... I could move my troops in a defensive pattern but that would only allow the Mandalorians the time to regroup and mount an effective counterattack, which would mean certain victory for them..." Shaking his head, Revan removed his armor and placed it in a neat pile beside him. "I could always draw them into a trap... but how could I draw the bulk of their Forces into a trap... and how can I spring this trap. The Mandalorians have at least four times as many men as I do and with less than two thousand Jedi left..."

A frustrated sigh escaped Revan as he opened his eyes from his meditation and thoughts. The Coruscant sky had dimmed some, though it was never truly dark on the city planet, Revan knew it was night and that he had spend several hours meditating and going over pointless strategies. "Maybe I can make a bomb." Revan mused aloud.

"That wouldn't be such a bad idea." A voice said from behind him. Revan turned calmly and gave a subtle nod to Ian Kenobi.

"Did you try as well?" Revan asked, knowing the former Jedi General had been in some of the hardest fighting of the war alongside him.

Ian shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest and looking to a nearby fountain, admiring its beauty. "Its not worth it. What point is there to go before them and have them rub it in your face that you should have listened?"

Revan smiled slightly at that comment, nodding agreement. "A bomb them. So what shall we call this doomsday weapon?" Revan joked, not taking his fellow outcast seriously.

"The Mass Shadow Device..." Ian replied. Revan furrowed a brow, looking at the slightly older man before standing. "Don't tell me you've already got something? I knew you were efficient Ian but Force!"

Ian shrugged. "I have an Iridonian in my Ithorian tech crew, he says with four core drives from four Republic ships he can make a gravity well the size of Yavin."

Revan brought his hand to his chin in thought, mulling over the news. "If we can draw the Mandalorians into an asteroid field... no they would never follow us in there..." Revan frowned slightly, shaking his head as dozens of possibilities passed through his mind. "I take it this device isn't picky about what it swallows?" Revan asked. Ian nodded his head and frowned as well, not knowing how to lure the Mandalorians into a trap. "I have an idea..."

Revan muttered after a few moments. Ian looked over to his comrade skeptically before Revan slowly rolled up the sleeve of his tunic, revealing a raven crested tattoo. "This is the symbol of a Mandalorian Conscript. Any who bear this mark or the mark of any Mandalorian can challenge Mandalore..."

Ian was silent, staring at the mark on Revan's bicep. "I can allow them to capture me and then challenge them. If I win I can order them to surrender and if they choose to torture me I can tell them our forces are gathered around Malachor V. You can use the Mass Shadow device to destroy the forces they send there and we can end this in a single stroke!"

Ian remained silent, his gaze fixed on the Mandalorian crest tattooed to his friend's arm.
"You're a Mandalorian?"
He asked after Revan's plan had been explained. Revan sighed heavily and nodded once. Ian returned the gesture. "I always wondered why they respected you. I suppose you all think alike."

Revan gave Ian a sour expression before the older exile shook his head. "No point in arguing. We can't change what is, only what will be." Revan took a deep breath and allowed it to pass from him as a shudder ran up his spine.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Ian commented. Revan snorted and nodded agreement before the older man bowed to him and departed.

"I am going to die." Revan shook his head at the thought. "I am going to die, slowly..."

Snorting at his own dark humor, Revan rose and turned to leave the peaceful gardens when he sensed someone's eyes on him. The former Jedi turned and stared in the direction of a nearby tree and shook his head.

"Its been a while hasn't it?" Revan said a bit too loudly. Bastila sighed and came from her hiding place, staring at the armored man.

"You know you look awful in that don't you?" Bastila teased. Revan smirked slightly, though the weight of what was about to happen was distracting him from the peace he felt in Bastila's presence. Revan turned, unaware of the wistful smile on his face and glad he still wore his mask as his jaw dropped slightly.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Bastila smiled sheepishly, turning slightly to Revan could see the light brown, form-fitting silk-like outfit she wore. Revan shook his head, trying to block out how much Bastila had changed in the several months since he had seen her.

"What do you think?" Bastila asked, a gentle flush rising to her cheeks.

"..."

Bastila frowned slightly at the lack of response and was about to speak her mind when Revan suddenly motioned to her to follow him. With a small scowl, Bastila followed the former Jedi until he finally led her to a waterfall and small stream. The area was deep within the Temple gardens and Bastila could not sense any Jedi nearby.

"This... this is beautiful..." Bastila sighed as she took in the stunning and private view of the Temple gardens. Revan nodded slightly, his mind still playing over the guarantee of death and torture in his near future.

"As are you..." Revan replied quietly as he lowered his hood and removed his mask. Bastila flushed slightly and stared contently at her friend for a moment. The months since she had seen him last had taken their toll. Revan's skin was pale, too pale to be considered healthy and Bastila could clearly make out the worry lines in his young face.

"Who are the Bloodravens?" Bastila blurted out suddenly, not knowing anything else to speak of. Bastila cursed herself mentally as she saw Revan tense. Bastila had immersed herself in studying the strange tattoo on Revan's arm and had discovered something that brought a bit of pride to her. Atris was wrong. The symbol was not that of the Raven Clan but of the Bloodravens. The texts she had read were vague at best and as far as she could tell, the Bloodravens were merely a family, a sub-clan in the larger Raven Clan. Bastila watched Revan's face for any signs of a response and was shocked to see his wary expression.
"I have never told anyone this before, Bastila."

Revan muttered as he slowly rolled the sleeve of his tunic up to reveal the obsidian Raven superimposed over a crimson shield. "The Bloodravens where a Clan of Mandalorians that could wield the Force. They don't really know where the power came from but it was said that each member of that Clan could use the Force with little to no training, meaning they held an unbelievably powerful affinity to the Force. The Bloodravens acted as Mandalore's personal guard and there were only allowed to be thirty at a time, selected from birth that would pass to adulthood. After Ulic Qel-Droma defeated Mandalore in their duel, Mandalore pledged himself to the Dark Jedi and allied with he and Exar Kun. The Raven Clan, which was where the Bloodravens came from, where wiped out and only a few dozen lived beyond Exar Kun. The Bloodravens where decimated as well and only two survived. A man and a woman... and they had a child before they were killed by a Jedi Knight. This Jedi Knight had killed them in defense though she did not know she was trespassing in Bloodraven territory... She later found the child... he was only five at the time... and she saw the potential within him. She saw the potential in him to do good instead of evil and she took him back to her people to teach him the ways of the Jedi only to abandon him a decade later to fight his people once more..."

Bastila stared, wide-eyed at Revan as he told her of who she could only presume to be his parents and what had befallen them as well as the way he had become a Jedi. The young Padawan felt a heavy weight settle in her stomach and looked to the ground. She had been given to the Order by her parents while he had his parents taken away by the Order only to be taken in by the one who had killed them. "Do you hate her?"

She asked timidly. Revan sighed and sat back, staring at the waterfall and allowing the gentle flow of its waters to calm him. "Mandalorians are taught not to hate. Jedi are taught not to hate." Bastila frowned at the analogy but said nothing. "To a Mandalorian, honor is everything. Kreia was a better warrior and defeated my parents in battle and deserves the honor that comes from that. She raised me from the age of five on and taught me of the ways of the Jedi. Mandalorians do not kill for some bloodlust or anything else so sinister. It is their pride, they glory that they seek. Few of them still hold true to the ways of their people as they should, to the roots of their honor, but it is always there, keeping them in check."

Revan slowly sat up and looked over to Bastila, who had seated herself beside him and was staring at something only she could see. "That is what is so strange about this war... It is as if there is something behind it, manipulating and driving the Mandalorians. Mandalores rarely waste their time killing innocents and when they do there is always a purpose. They would obliterate an entire planet of innocents if they thought a soldier was hiding amongst them simply because they hate only one thing. Cowardice. They want their enemy to know that they will die regardless of where they hide or run to simply for want of an opponent that will fight back. The worlds they ravage are left to those amongst their own ranks that have no honor and desert, living off the native populations... pirates and slavers... the Hutts, the Exchange, even Czerka."

Revan sighed heavily. "There is always someone who is willing to take advantage of someone else's misfortune, that is what disgusts me, that is what I am fighting to stop..."

Bastila remained silent, allowing Revan to speak. She knew he had been holding this in all his life and that he had placed a lot of trust in her to tell her, even if her own curiosity was the catalyst for this situation. Revan trusting her enough to tell her these things touched her in a way and she smiled softly as she reached over and brushed her hand across his face. Revan jumped with a start, staring at Bastila for a moment with a questioning expression.
"What-"

"Shhh." Bastila answered as she continued to stare into his tired, yet still passionate green eyes.

"I never knew anything about your past but you knew everything about me... now I see why you did not tell me." Bastila answered softly, watching his eyes shift slightly. "That must have been difficult to live with and to relive it each time you kill one of your own..."

Bastila trailed off as a tear shimmered in her eyes. "Why do you understand me so well? We've only known each other what? Three years and I've barely seen you..."

Revan answered in a miserable tone. Bastila continued to stroke the side of his face, brushing a stray strand of hair back. Slowly, Bastila moved closer to him and brought her other hand to his face, brushing her lips against his softly as she kissed him. Bastila felt Revan stiffen in response before he groaned quietly and returned the kiss. After a moment, he broke away gently and sat up with a troubled expression.

"What's wrong?" Bastila asked softly, frightened she had placed their friendship at risk by her bold move. Revan stared at the endless blue of her eyes and allowed his own misery to reflect in his.

"We can't have this, Bastila. We can only be friends." Bastila frowned slightly, not knowing what to say but relieved that he was not angry. Revan stared at his eighteen year old friend, suddenly feeling a pang in his chest that made him feel as if he were going to collapse. He would be dead soon, either by the Mandalorians or by the Mass Shadow device and would never have to deal with the consequences, while Bastila... He did not know what love was and was not some fool who chose to declare something he was taught to never feel or to hide, but he knew he would never take advantage of Bastila as he was tempted to for the briefest moment when she had kissed him, he would never dishonor her by putting at risk, all she had sacrificed her parents and youth for. He was not selfish enough to ask her to choose him over the Jedi and he would die before he even considered that.

"Are you angry with me?" Bastila asked, seeing his glazed expression and startling him from his thoughts.

"Of course not!" Revan snapped, grinning. "I actually am rather flattered that a lovely young lady such as yourself would consider a lowly Supreme Commander of the Republic and Jedi Fleet such as myself."

Bastila stared at Revan, expressionless for a moment before smiling and slapping his shoulder playfully. "You're teasing me!" She chided.

Revan chuckled softly, reveling in the peace he felt at that moment. "My deepest apologies, Princess Padawan!"

Revan replied as a mischievous glint lit his eyes. Revan stiffened as he spoke, preparing for the coming attack.

"Revan!" Bastila gasped, slapping him across the face. "How many times have I told you NEVER to call me that?"

Revan smirked as he rubbed his red cheek. "The real question is how many times have I listened?"

Revan dodged the next blow and was soon rolling around the garden, laughing and teasing his friend, trying to ignore the guilt that was gnawing at him for not telling her he would not be there for her.

"I am doing this for her, I can't let the Mandalorians win."

A shudder racked Revan for a moment as he stared into Bastila's eyes. He loathed to think of what would happen to her if the Mandalorians conquered the Republic. "Commander."
Revan stood and looked in the direction of the voice, eyeing Bastila for a moment. General Kenobi soon approached in a run, slowing to a stop as he caught his breath. "The Mandalorians are attacking Duros..."

Revan nodded and turned to Bastila, giving her an apologetic look before sprinting away with Ian. Bastila frowned as she watched the two former Jedi race away, hating to be left behind and hating that her friend was risking his life.

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

"Have you seen the suffering of those who starve because of this war? Have you seen the look of despair in a mother's eyes when she looks to her children and tells them their father is dead? Do you see your friends and comrades falling around you and know that no matter how hard you try, no matter what you do, nothing will help them? Have you seen the bodies, oh so many bodies that have been broken and destroyed or the ruins of those once great cities and races that now burn because of your inaction? Have you seen anything besides the mounds of credits you pile before you and shove in your fat faces?"
Malak roared to the Senate advisors as he stormed past them with a look of hate painted on his face. None of the Senators spoke as the former Jedi left them. A week had passed since Revan and Malak had driven off the Mandalorians over Duro. The world's once glorious orbital cities now lay in ruins, silent graves of countless Duros, Republic soldiers, Jedi and Mandalorians. The Mandalorians were far from weak and were far from defeated as the Republic had thought and Duro had been their first strike against a core world. What had enraged the former Jedi Knight more than anything was that the only reason the Republic even considered doing a damn thing about it was the amount of money lost in trade and destruction and not of the millions of lives lost.

Revan shook his head in disgust before leaving the suddenly speechless Senators. Never had Revan spoken to the Senate in anything close to disrespect and the Senators watched the respected and charismatic leader follow his friend's path. "I can't believe I risked my life to save the likes of you." Revan spat acidly as he passed through the doorway, leaving the Senators even more shocked by his behavior. "Malak!" Revan called after his friend's retreating form.

Malak spun and stared at Revan with rage in his eyes. "Why are we even doing this! The Mandalorians are right! We should let them die!"

Revan nodded before his common sense could stop him and sighed. "I don't understand how anyone... the Senate, the Jedi Council... can be so... detached from what is happening... I have seen it, felt it in each of those battles. Do you feel it too?"

Revan asked his friend, relieved when Malak nodded. "The silence that follows a battle... it always amazes me. To the Jedi those battle echo pain and death and they can hear or see nothing beyond that... but they have not been there, they can't see what is before them... Did you feel it? Even on Dxun I felt it. Something is manipulating the Mandalorians, something that seeks to weaken us... the Jedi and the Republic... and they are succeeding."

Malak grunted before narrowing his eyes and looking over a nearby balcony, staring towards the five spires of the Jedi Temple that lay across the walkway from the Senate rotunda. "There was always weakness... this is something else..."

Revan nodded his agreement. "On Korriban... have you ever wondered what happened to the Ancient Sith and their Empire? To have all that knowledge and... power lost to sand and wind seems..."

"Impossible?" Malak finished as Revan shook his head.

"No, it seems too convenient. We know that the true Sith did not die out in the Great Hyperspace War a Millennium ago, they were merely weakened. We know that Exar Kun found remnants of those that followed Naga Sadow on Yavin IV. The Massassi Temples and the primitive descendants of those ancient Sith..." Malak seemed to pale slightly as Revan paused. "I heard a rumor that the Sith pressed the Mandalorians into this war... A young Mandalorian prisoner with a mouth too big that was killed by his comrades... but still. Where would these Sith come from? Those that followed Exar Kun died in the bombardment of Yavin or were killed by the Jedi... Perhaps the first Sith Empire never collapsed as we thought?"

Malak coughed suddenly, turning from the view of the Jedi Temple and processing the thoughts he and his friend exchanged. "Those are dangerous thoughts..."

Revan smirked and shrugged. "As dangerous as seeking out the Star Forge and the ruins of the Trayus Academy on Malachor V?"

Malak turned and gave Revan a scolding look. "You walk a fine line my friend... We... walk a fine line..."

Malak finished, turning from Revan and glaring at the Jedi Temple. "Look at them over there, content to sit in their spires and watch the galaxy die... If what you say is true, then they were right, Revan. Perhaps we should not have gone off to war... perhaps these Sith are lurking beyond their vision and preparing for the attack. Force knows this war had nearly destroyed a fifth of the Order..."

Revan nodded, crossing his arms tightly over his chest as he stared indifferently towards the Jedi Temple. "Do you feel how much we've changed? Three years ago we were nothing more than newly Knighted children wielding a weapon that was too heavy for us and now..." Revan paused, turning his gaze to the deep canyons that lined the Cityscape as the echoes of pain and misery that existed a few kilometers below brushed his senses.

"Now we are stronger than we could have dreamed..." Malak whispered, following Revan's gaze as his face shifted to a mournful expression.

"As my Master used to always say. 'It is conflict that strengthens us, Padawan!'" Revan replied with a forlorn expression.

Malak snorted and shook his head. "Kreia always was a bit eccentric..."

Revan laughed as he slapped his hand on Malak's shoulder, causing the taller former Jedi to lurch slightly. "I think that is a requirement for being as Jedi Master, my friend."

Malak allowed a ghost of a smile to play on his lips as he and Revan turned, leaving all thoughts of the Republic and Jedi behind and occupying their thoughts with the coming battle.

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

"Mandalore!" A young Mandalorian Elite shouted as he rushed into the bridge of Mandalore's flagship. The Mandalorian leader turned his armored form to the approaching Elite and nodded as the Mandalorian bowed at his wait and brought his right fist over his heart in a salute.

"Speak." The silver armored man spoke, his voice tearing through the deathly silent bridge.

"Scouts have reported that Revan has landed on Kuan in the Taroon system... His forces are minimal and it appears to be a scouting mission."

Mandalore smirked beneath his silver mask as he stared at the Mandalorian Elite. "What are you waiting for? Send a dropship and a squad of battlecruisers at once!"

Mandalore turned from the man as he saluted. "Yes, Mandalore!"

The Elite vanished from his leader's sight and Mandalore smiled as he looked over the starfield. "I wonder if Revan will allow us to capture him... He would be the most valuable of hostages. It's a shame he's not a Mandalorian." Mandalore's head dropped slightly as he thought of killing such a worthy opponent. "We will see if he's worthy... I can only hope for his sake that he has the honor to die in battle and not be taken prisoner." The Mandalorian leader smirked as he thought of how quickly the war would end with Revan's death, though part of him regretted killing such a worthy opponent another was thrilled at the idea of defeating him. "We will see..."

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

"Commander!" An anxious Republic soldier shouted as he ran into the small Republic encampment on Kuan.

Revan looked up, nodding to the young soldier as he brushed dust away from his robes. "Yes Corporal?" The former Jedi asked as he adjusted the focusing lens of his newly constructed lightsaber. The azure crystal gleamed brightly in its casing and Revan quickly snapped the pieces together, preparing to assemble a second lightsaber.

"We've finished our patrols and the men are rejoining the fleet..."

Revan nodded as he quickly and expertly assembled his second lightsaber, placing a ruby red crystal in the hilt and sliding the mechanism into the saber's hilt. "Very good."

Revan looked up to the young man sadly. "You should leave as well."

The young Corporal frowned as he looked around the encampment. "But sir there are no others here..."

The Corporal trailed off as Revan tilted his head. "Are you implying that I cannot defend myself?" Revan snarled. The Corporal backed away and shook his head. Revan nodded. "There's a fighter on the third landing pad, I will be taking the transport." "You'll be needing its speed." Revan added to himself as the Corporal saluted and scurried away. The fighter soon blasted away and Revan sighed, checking his newly assembled lightsabers and rubbing his hooded head in thought. "I wonder how long I will have to wait."

Revan's eyes scanned the small encampment in irritation. Luckily this wouldn't be a costly trap for the Mandalorians but he did dread being tortured once more by them. The young former Jedi stretched in his armor and checked the small shield that lay strapped to his bicep. "Oh I am not going to make this easy."

The former Jedi smirked as he began typing false reports on a datapad about the border world's adequacy as a hidden base, making certain to mention the fleet's secret base on Malachor V. Revan chuckled as he shook his head. The datapad would not be convincing, but since the Mandalorians had never discovered his men were attacking from Taris and that he would be found along with the datapad, he suspected the Mandalorians would fall for the trap. Ian had told him he needed three days to complete preparations on the Mass Shadow Device and his fleet would be assembled in full force over Taris within another day of that. "I only have to hold out a week... I've done that before."

Revan nodded silently to himself as he made his way to his transport, purposely damaging several key components to the ship's drive and takeoff repulsors. "No such thing as overkill when it comes to subterfuge." The former Jedi made certain his sabotage was not so obvious before pulling a hydrospanner and hastily patching the damage. "I doubt the Mandalorians would think a warrior to be a great engineer."

Revan chuckled, rising from the floor and walking back to the small encampment, making certain that the base's computer core was wiped before sticking his lightsaber into the device. "Overkill, I know." Revan chastised himself, searching the base to make certain his plan would not be too believable. Just enough that Mandalore would not suspect a trap. It would make sense that Revan would choose Malachor V for his headquarters. The Mandalorian's paranoia of the rocky world was well known and Revan suspected Mandalore would be most displeased when he learned of the location. "I suppose I should make it look like I was doing actual work."

Revan activated several construction droids, making certain that they began building perimeter defenses and a sensor perimeter before heading to the Base's command area and leaving a notice for the base's next commander that the droids were set to automatic. The former Jedi slowly paced the office, making certain the base's long range scanners were conveniently malfunctioning.

"I think this is a little too obvious..." Revan groaned as a beep sounded from the scanner console. Revan walked to the device as a Mandalorian scout ship appeared, nodding to himself as he rushed to the hangar to repair his damaged transport.

An hour of waiting brought the Mandalorians. Revan rushed from his transport and retreated into his base, heading for the command center to send out a false distress signal before he leapt to one of the rooftops and waited. A dozen Mandalorians came into view, their weapons raised as he looked over the base. Revan levitated himself with the Force and landed softly before them, smirking beneath his mask as he bowed his head. Several blaster shots came towards him and reflected harmlessly from his energy shield as the Republic Commander raised both his hands, sending six of the Mandalorians flying into the air. The remaining six watched in awe and horror as their friends were thrown upward by Revan's power, vanishing from their sight. Two lightsabers came from Revan's robes and to his hands as the azure and crimson beams ignited, signaling the return of the battle. Revan rushed a Mandalorian, slicing through his blaster rifle and continuing through the man's body as he deflected several shots back to two other armored warriors. Revan leapt over a hail of blasterfire and dropped onto the shoulders of one of the three remaining Mandalores, driving his azure beam straight down the man's head and into his spine. Revan leapt from the falling warrior's shoulders and spun through the air as he brought his crimson saber through another Mandalorian's helmet. The final Mandalorian threw away his blaster, only to find his lower body and Vibroblade on the ground and his torso following before darkness took him.

Revan's head snapped to an approaching blaster bolt and his azure saber flicked the offending blast into the distance as a scream sounded from the attacker. The Jedi broke into a sprint, using the Force to propel his body upwards. Three years of war had hardened the once skillful Knight into a tool of death. Dropping to the ground, Revan used the Force to speed up his movements as he cut his way through dozens of armored Mandalorians.

"Where is he?" A Mandalorian commander bellowed as he grabbed a younger officer by his breastplate. The Younger Mandalorian simply stared blankly at his commander as a lightsaber cut its way through the dropship's bulkhead. Revan rose slowly from the hole, allowing his shield to deflect the blaster bolts away from him. His boots hit the floor with a thud as he calmed his breathing. He estimated that he had killed somewhere around a hundred Mandalorians in nearly two hours of fighting. The Mandalorian commander motioned to another Mandalore and Revan watched as a forcefield activated around him.

"Activate the gas vents." The Mandalorian shouted to his security officer as he watched Revan tap the field with one of his lightsabers. Sighing, Revan took a deep breath and attached his lightsabers to his belt, seating himself on the floor and crossing his legs as he slowly levitated and a barely visible blue field surrounded him. The sound of metal twisting alerted the Mandalorians that their plan had not worked. The forcefield collapsed, sending the poisonous gas through the bridge, though the Mandalorians were unaffected within their armor.

"Activate the stun pulse." The Mandalorian shouted as Revan stood and walked towards him. Revan's left arm raised as the commander was thrown across the bridge and into the dropship's command console. The console exploded in a flash of electricity as the deadly energy coursed through the commander. Revan quickly sidestepped a thrust from a Mandalorian warrior, allowing the warrior's momentum to take him to the ground. Revan brought his knee into the back of the Mandalorian's neck, breaking it instantly as he pulled his azure saber and deflected the blasterfire away from his failing shield unit.

A heavy hum vibrated through the bridge of the vessel and Revan frowned as a bright blue light filled the room, sending all the Mandalorians to the ground.

"Sithspit." Revan cursed as numbness threatened him. The Jedi looked around quickly for the control console, only to have another stun pulse tear through the bridge and bring him to his knees. Revan quickly pulled his false datapad from his cloak and code-locked it before another pulse sent him into darkness.

"Well I suppose that worked." Revan muttered to himself as consciousness escaped him.

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

Mandalore's hands tightened into fists as he read the casualty reports. The Republic position had been taken and ransacked, but all tactical information had been destroyed prior to their arrival. The only value that came from the raid was an encrypted datapad that would likely take days to break and Revan. Mandalore's fists tightened even further. Revan had killed a hundred and seventeen of his men in three hours on that rock and he came out without a scratch on him.

"A worthy warrior..." Mandalore scoffed at the thought. True, Revan had killed many of his men in battle and his battle strategies had ground his advance to a halt but what kind of warrior disgraces himself by being captured. He had even received a report that the Mandalorians that captured him gave him the option to take his own life to spare his honor. The refusal had been a slap in the face to the warriors who beat the Jedi till he fell unconscious. That led to another problem. When the Mandalorians had stripped the Jedi of his armor they had seen the mark of the Bloodravens on Revan and if that were the case, he needed to be punished. It sickened Mandalore to think of torturing the man to death but he knew it was an insult to his people to allow Revan to live. The man was responsible for the death of millions of his own kind and for that, he needed to die the traitor's death.

A week of tortures yielded no information from Revan. Even cutting away the mark of his dishonor had done little to get a response from the Jedi as they tore the Bloodraven symbol from his arm and burned the bleeding wound shut before beating him again. The warrior's resolve and his resilience impressed and frightened the Mandalorians as they tried to break him. Revan merely stared at them with pity as they beat him and burned him and whipped him.

Revan groaned inwardly as he awoke in his cell, staring at the small voice that had interrupted him. The Jedi hissed slightly as he shifted, feeling the broken bones of his ribs digging into him. Revan loathed to think of how long he'd have to spend in a kolto tank should he survive. He had learned that one of the Mandalorian codebreakers had accessed his datapad and that Mandalore was preparing to strike Malachor V. The thought brought a smile to Revan's lips though the smile was accompanied by a groan as he began coughing up blood. "Must've punctured a lung..."

A group of armored Mandalorians entered the prison area and stepped into his cell, kicking the barely touched food away as they approached the former Jedi. "On your feet."

Revan sighed, pulling himself to his feet as two Mandalorians restrained him and the doors to the cell opened to reveal Mandalore himself. "Its about time. Making an important guest wait for a week is considered very rude in some cultures." Revan smirked as the Mandalorian leader trembled with anger. Mandalore pulled Revan to his feet, taking his left arm and pulling it to the cell door, slamming the door on Revan's arm, shattering the bones.

Revan winced, but only grunted as he was struck in the face my the Mandalorian. "What a disgrace. You a Bloodraven?" Mandalore kicked Revan as his body dropped from the blow, backhanding him across his temple with his armored gauntlets. Revan felt spots swimming in his vision as a sharp pain entered his chest. Looking down through blood-filled eyes, Revan saw Mandalore digging his hand into his solar plexus as he repeatedly dealt blows to his stomach. Mandalore finally stopped as his prisoner spurted blood against his silver armor. Dropping Revan to the floor, Mandalore delivered one last kick to his side before speaking. "Revan Bloodraven, you are found guilty of treason to your people." Revan coughed as he fought to regain control of his body's spasms of pain. Mandalore sneered and brought his metal boot into Revan's shattered arm, twisting his heel back and forth as Revan fought to keep from crying out in pain. "You still remain silent? Perhaps you can retain your honor."

Mandalore lifted his bloody boot from Revan's arm and motioned to his guards to hold Revan. How the binds had left his hand, Revan did not know as he looked down to his shattered arm.

"It can be fixed. A healing trance or two... damn this collar."

A blinding pain shot through Revan as his vision sparked white for a moment. Only the iron grasp of the two Mandalorian guards kept him from falling on his face as he heard the hum of the Force-whip. "Damn."

Revan cursed as the whip hissed through the air and connected once more with his back. The whip slid slowly, the energy encasing it eating through his flesh as painful volts of energy shot into him. "Soon the battle will begin... maybe then I can die in peace." A sudden feeling of dread entered Revan. The Mandalorians would strike in full force against Malachor V and that meant that the ship he was in would fight as well.

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

"Good morning, Bloodraven." Mandalore spoke in a mockingly sweet tone as Revan was dragged onto his ship's bridge. Spots swam in Revan's vision as he was knocked against the side of the head with a blaster rifle stock and was struck in his abdomen. Mandalore signaled to his guards to back away.

"I wanted you to see something..." Mandalore trailed off as Revan fought to regain focus and looked up. The viewport of the Mandalorian battle cruiser only showed a hyperspace trail and Revan involuntarily coughed as he wiped the blood with his now free hands.

"What, the beauty of hyperspace?" Revan asked in a tight tone. Nearly a month at the hands of Mandalore and his tortures was eating away at the former Jedi Knight and he was having quite enough of it.

Mandalore chuckled without humor as he turned his back to Revan and stared through the viewport. "Patience, your suffering will soon be over, traitor." The hyperspace trail soon gave way to a starfield and what looked to be a tiny gray-green orb. "Welcome to Malachor V."

Mandalore motioned to his guards to bring Revan closer. The Republic commander was roughly led to the viewport where he watched in fascinated horror. "That wasn't part of the plan..." Revan thought to himself.

"It seems the Jedi and the Senate sent reinforcements here a few days ago, according to my scouts. I hear your friend Malak protested fervently... It was so very easy to track them here." Mandalore gloated to the captured Jedi commander.

"They're too close to the planet! What are they doing here?" Revan's mind began calculating his options. "Only one thing I can do."

Before either guard could react, Revan had broken from their iron grasps and had disarmed one of his vibroblade. Mandalore heard the movement and spun in time to see his two guards fall to the ground in a lifeless heap. For being tortured for nearly a month and nearly broken, Revan was surprised how well his fighting instincts came into focus.

"I challenge you, Mandalore." Revan snarled. Mandalore stiffened and turned to the rest of his crew as they lowered their weapons.

Mandalore laughed outright as shook his head. "Very well, fool." Mandalore removed his weapons and set them on the ground before approaching Revan and taking a fighting stance. "If you believe you can kill me with your bare hands." Revan threw his stolen vibroblade away and took another stance, ignoring the sight of the Mandalorian fleet charging the Republic and Jedi positions.

"Fools, why do they wait until now to fight?" Revan snorted to himself in disgust. "Likely to take credit for ending the war." Revan's capture had sent a shockwave through the Jedi Order and the Republic. Especially when it was discovered by a spy that he was being tortured to death. The sudden loss of their hero spurred the Republic's painfully slow decision to send more soldiers into battle as well as increased pressure on the Jedi Order to take action. The Jedi had agreed to send as many Knights as they could to safeguard the new Republic forces. Not wanting to admit that nearly half the Order was ready to leave in order to save Revan.

Revan charged Mandalore, trying to keep his broken arm as far away from the Clan leader as possible as he struck out and kicked the armored man with his boots which thankfully he was allowed to keep on. Mandalore staggered, either from the blow or shock, Revan did not know.

"After all..." Revan grinned to himself. "How dangerous is a man who's been tortured to the point of near-death."

Revan moved swiftly, finding a new appreciation for Mira's care as his body protested each movement with a shot of blinding pain. The former Jedi could feel the Force on the edges of his senses and tried to ignore the Force-dampening collar's effect on him. Being cut off from the Force was nearly as unbearable as the tortures themselves. Revan sidestepped Mandalore's considerably slower attack and wove an intricate pattern around the armored man as he swiftly struck loose portions of his armor and where he believed to be weaknesses. It seemed Mandalore's confidence was beginning to wane.

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

From the bridge of the Ravager, Ian Kenobi watched in horror as his fleet approached Malachor V. The Republic had sent a detachment along with the Jedi to hold Malachor V. Apparently, some genius in the Senate thought the Mandalorians would move against the base and that the best strategy would be to wait in orbit for the Mandalores. The Mandalores came, and in force. Ian groaned as he caught sight of the massive Mandalorian fleet, already engaging the much smaller Republic and Jedi Forces.

"Someone didn't get the battle plan, apparently."

Ian scoffed as he ordered his fleet to move to help protect the new Republic and Jedi Forces.

Malak scanned the battlefield, glaring at the newly arrive Republic vessels.

"What the hell are they doing here:

He practically shouted as he slammed his fists into a console.

"Now that the war is almost over, they decide to battle?"

Malak asked no one in particular as he sent various orders to his forces to try to protect the inexperienced Republic fleet over Malachor. The former Jedi sobered slightly as he caught sight of the Mandalorian fleet. Basilisks swarmed Republic ships and tore into Malachor's atmosphere. Mandalorian battlecruisers charged the inexperienced Republic forces head on, driving into them and scattering the terrified soldiers. The Jedi had seemed to reserve themselves to fighters which Malak was thankful for. He had only discovered that the Republic and Jedi were going to reinforce them and he did not know the fools would take it upon themselves to choose where and when the forces arrived.

"Tell them to get out of Malachor's gravity well... Where are the Interdictor ships, we need their field generators or we're done for!"

Malak and Ian had discovered that an Interdictor ship could use its gravity well projector to cancel out the effects of the Mass Shadow Device and were glad that the Mandalorians refused to use the heavy battleships.

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

Mandalore blocked Revan's kick and reached out, grasping the Jedi's broken arm. The Mandalorian leader tightened his grasp and pulled as hard as he could, satisfied when he heard the bone pop from its joint. Revan staggered from the pain and barely avoided the punch Mandalore threw towards him. Mandalore laughed as Revan backed away. Revan took a moment to regain his senses and channel the pain, which was easily being replaced by anger. The former Jedi spared a glance out the viewport to see the Republic and Jedi forces tat had joined his fleet being devastated and Malak and Ian's forced nearing them.

"This ends, now." Revan snarled as he leapt over Mandalore and dropped behind him. Mandalore turned around, a surprised expression on his face as Revan grasped a tube to his helm and tore it free, backhanding the Mandalorian with his undamaged arm. Mandalore fell, gasping for breath as he struggled for breath. The leader tore away his damaged silver helm and charged the former Jedi, close lining him and bringing his metal boot down on Revan's sternum. Revan could only feel the blinding pain as his breastbone cracked under the Mandalorian's force. Mandalore panted heavily as he looked down at the fallen Jedi with smoldering eyes. "You are finished."

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

Ian Kenobi turned from the viewport as he watched the last of the Republic's capitol ships sent to help them be destroyed. Casting a pained look at his Iridonian tech, Ian gave a single nod as the Ravager shuddered from the assault of the Mandalorian Basilisks.

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

"Any last words, Bloodraven?" Mandalore snarled.

Revan felt his body convulsing violently from the strain as Mandalore twisted his armored boot deeper into his damaged body. Revan licked the blood from his lips as he forced his body to respond. Mandalore felt Revan shift and before he knew it, was on the floor. Revan's booted heel dropped onto Mandalore's throat, crushing his breathing passage. Revan struggled to his knees and grasped Mandalore's head, whispering in his ear as he snapped the Mandalorian leader's neck with his last ounce of strength.

"Watch your future's end." A bright light suddenly filled the room, originating from Malachor V. Mandalore's last sight was of a massive shockwave consuming his fleet before he heard a distinct pop and his vision darkened. Revan resisted the urge to vomit from the physical trauma his body had gone through. Turning to the nearest Mandalorian he snarled as he forced himself to stand.

"Get this damn collar off of me!" The Mandalorian nodded and activated the collar's release. Revan wished briefly that he did not give the order as the death and pain of all the Jedi, Mandalorians and Republic soldiers being crushed by the Mass Shadow Device assaulted him. White and red flashes of light assaulted Revan as he doubled over, clutching the sides of his head and screaming inaudibly as the pain washed through him and the Force.

Malak staggered slightly as the death and destruction reached his mind, forcing himself to block the pain, Malak called on every ounce of strength to block the death being transmitted through the Force. Elsewhere, others were not so fortunate. Arren Kae was crushed in a single instant by Malachor V's gravity along with the thousands of Jedi, Mandalorians and Republic soldiers that reinforced them. Her ship being crushed into unrecognizable debris and her body being lost in that final battle of the Mandalorian wars. Yusanis searched frantically and to no avail for his lover throughout the survivors.

Ian Kenobi dropped into unconsciousness the instant the Ravager sent the signal to Malachor V. The pain and death in the Force was too much for the General to endure and the Force simply left him in that moment to spare his life. The Republic crews under Revan, Kenobi and Malak tried frantically to move their ships away from the shockwave that engulfed the bulk of the Mandalorian fleet and destroyed their allies. The Mandalorians retreated or surrendered, too shocked at the destruction they had seen to risk losing any more of their people. The Mandalorian wars and the Mandalorian people were destroyed in that single instant the Mass Shadow Device was activated.

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

The former Jedi Knight, Revan awoke two days after the battle of Malachor V on board his flagship. The former Jedi had been unconscious and under the constant care of the healers as they tried to stabilize his condition. What greeted the former Jedi's eyes was not something he would ever purge from his mind. All around him in the sickbay were dozens of former Jedi that he fought beside, all either unconscious or sickly and weak.

"What?" Revan managed to groan as he forced himself to sit up. The bone-knitters had seemed to do an excellent job restoring his shattered arm and broken ribs and he could feel the shark pain in his shoulder that told him his arm was no longer dislocated. Seeing the chaos around him, Revan forced himself to stand and cleared his head of the painkillers, allowing the Force to purge his body of foreign substances and damage. Several hours passed before Revan trusted himself enough to travel.

Malachor V lay before him, shattered into thousands of pieces though its atmosphere remained surprisingly sustained. Revan eyed the officers on his ship as they silently stared at the mass of destroyed ships before them. Never in all his years fighting and traveling had Revan seen such destruction and he paled when he thought of the millions of bodies that lay crushed in those floating hulks.

"Force what have we done..." Revan whispered as he felt a hand lay reassuringly on his shoulder. The former Jedi turned to see his best friend staring solemnly at the debris.

"What we had to." Malak said softly as he turned and left Revan to see what he had already saw too much of.

"Murderer!" Yusanis screamed as he threw a punch at Revan. Revan allowed his comrade to strike him, all too aware of the man's anger at the death of his lover. It had been a week since Revan had awoken and the fleet was still digging through the remains of the Mandalorian and Republic fleets over Malachor V.

"This is all your fault!" The Echani General snarled as he lunged for Revan. Revan made no move to defend himself as he allowed his once trusted friend to release his anger and pain. A week of treatment had healed his already damaged body and the pain his old friend was unleashing on him was hardly comparable to that of the tortures he had endured during the war.

"Yes, it is." Revan said quietly as the enraged and grieving Echani warrior struck him again. Revan turned his eyes to meet Yusanis' azure gaze.

"Arren was my friend you know." Revan said in a tight tone, his anger towards his now former friend rising. A week of recovery and being accused of mass murder by the loved ones of those who had died and the tortures that had nearly broken his mind had struck something dark within the former Jedi, something he was beginning to like since it dulled the pain and hopelessness. Yusanis breathed heavily from exertion and rage as he glared at Revan.

"If I ever see you again, only one of us will leave alive!" The respected warrior snarled as he left. Revan allowed himself to silently watch the man's retreat, promising himself the same thing. Betrayal was something that he would never abide and the pressures of the Senate and Jedi Council were weighing heavily on him. The Senate wanted him to stand trial for not informing them of the Mass Shadow Device, the Republic wanted to make him a god for saving them and the Jedi wanted to strip him of the Force and exile him. Never in all his wildest dreams did the former Jedi Knight think that saving the Republic would make him so hated.

"So be it." He snarled, turning to see his friend, Ian Kenobi, entering his quarters. "What is it?" Revan snapped, eyeing his friend warily. Ian had the look of a lost child and Revan was surprised by the look of betrayal and hurt the man sent him.

"I-" Ian began, shaking his head as he looked absently at the bulkhead. "I can't feel the Force..."

Resisting the urge to back away from the man in horror, Revan crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the man. Part of him sympathized with the man's plight, knowing all to well from his imprisonment what it felt like to be separated from the Force.

"I cannot do anything for you, my friend..." Revan said regretfully as he watched the devastation sink in to his friend. "The Council..." Revan began, wincing at his own words. The Council would likely damn him like the plague, what would they do to one who had served alongside him. Revan was not arrogant enough to assume that Ian served under him, the General had bore much of the weight of the Mandalorian wars and had saved him dozens of times already. "The Council may know what is wrong with you... I- There is nothing I can do." Revan whispered.

Ian nodded and turned to leave. "The Council wants us all to stand trial for the deaths of all those Jedi..." Ian said quietly over his shoulder to Revan.

Revan shook his head. "I will never bow to them or their foolishness."

Revan snarled, surprising Ian with his anger. Much to both former Jedi's shock, Revan continued. "They are worthless, all they do is sit in their spires waiting for a problem to solve itself or waiting to find someone they can blame all their problems on. Do you think Exar Kun's fall was his own doing? Do you think Ulic Qel-Droma's fall was his own doing? They are hypocrites and liars and they deserve no such respect. I will see them dead before I kneel before the."

Ian turned abruptly and stared at his fallen friend. "You can't mean that, what about Bastila? What about Master Zhar? What about all those you left behind? Would you be willing to fight them as well?"

Revan looked up into Ian's eyes, his brown eyes burning with contempt though Ian did not know where it was directed. "I am nothing but a murderer to them." Revan hissed. Ian remained expressionless as he watched the rage play over on Revan's features. He had seen this in Malak and many of the other Jedi as well. After fighting this brutal war they had been called murderers and criminals when they did what they had to end the Mandalorian slaughter, resulting in the death of the Mandalorian people.

"When someone tells you that you are something long enough... sometimes you begin to believe it..." Ian said thoughtfully after a long and uncomfortable silence. Revan sighed, shaking his head.

"I am a murderer." The former Jedi wanted to tell his friend those words but he could not, he had fought with himself over his decisions in this war, How many of his friends had he seen die or had buried because of this war. How many had died because of decisions he had made. The weight of the war and all those deaths came crashing down onto him as his body and mind shook with guilt and anger. "I can't change the past, Ian." Revan muttered. Ian nodded and turned, leaving his friend to contemplate his own path. "But I can change the future..."

Revan whispered as his chamber doors sealed. The Republic Commander wiped the blood from his mouth and stared at his armor that lay in pieces on his bed. His mind briefly wondered what had become of the red-haired girl that had saved his life but the thoughts were lost as anger and hatred filled him. The Republic had taken it upon itself to relocate any survivors of the Mandalorian's slave ranks to Nar Shadda and the girl was likely dead or enslaved on the smuggler's moon thanks to their carelessness.

Weeks had passed since the final battle over Malachor V and Revan had still not returned to the Jedi. Ian Kenobi had returned only to be stripped of his place in the Order and cast out, as Revan had predicted, like a plague. The Jedi Exile and former General chose to go beyond the Outer Rim to center himself. The Republic and the Core Worlds had long since sickened him and he had a sudden desire to be as far away from the Jedi and the Republic as possible. Revan had called all those that had survived Malachor V to follow him on a crusade beyond the Outer Rim to find and destroy the remnants of the Mandalorians as they scattered and fell into disarray. For a year, Revan, Malak and the Jedi and soldiers that followed them searched unknown space finding only a series of dead worlds, graves to some unholy crusade to end all life. Revan had felt that the Jedi were right when they spoke of an unseen threat beyond the Outer Rim but he was abhorred when he discovered the truth…The Massassi Sith, descendents of the Ancient Sith Brotherhood of Darkness. The same Brotherhood led by the Sith Lords Marka Ragnos, Tulak Horde, Ludo Kresh, Lord Kaan, and Ajunta Pall.

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

"Damn the Council."

Revan snarled. The former Jedi had since unlocked the Star Force and poured its mechanical might against the Massassi, stopping them in their tracks by sheer number. Revan harbored his hatred of the Jedi until it finally exploded. Leaving behind the Massassi and their dominion of unknown worlds, Revan turned on the Republic, allying with the remnant Sith of Exar Kun and claiming the mantle of the Dark Lord of the Sith. The Mandalorian and former Jedi did not want to admit it, but the Massassi scared him to death and he knew he needed the power to stop them. An empire where he drew each and every battle plan and one where he controlled the forces seemed greatly appealing to the former Jedi. "If I have to be a Dark Jedi or the Dark Lord of the Sith, so be it." Revan muttered to himself as he ordered his fleet to attack the Republic. The battle hardened Jedi and soldiers under him followed readily, disgusted as much as the Dark Lord at the weakness of the Republic.

"Things need to change..." Revan reasoned. "The weakness needs to be purged to we can be strong and repel these invaders." It was not a moral issue for Revan. The Republic needed to be replaced and what took its place needed the power to respond immediately to a threat and not hide in its Senatorial apartments or spires hoping the demons of the universe would go away. There was another reason behind his motives, Revan knew. He wanted the Jedi to pay. He wanted them to change as well. The Jedi had long since adopted the stance of non-aggression and pacifism in conflict, fearing another Exar Kun. "I'll show them what to fear."

Revan's mind snarled as he drew out plans to move against the Outer World planets of Belkadan, Helska, and Bastion. Malak had protested weakly of the invasion and Revan had admonished his apprentice by removing his jaw. Many began to believe that Revan had lost his mind after seeing him cut away his childhood friend's jaw. In a way, they were right.

"Fear commands loyalty. I want you to do what I say, not what you want." Revan had roared as he left Malak's broken body lying on the deck of his vessel. Things had never been the same between the two old friends, not surprisingly. Malak had wanted to ignore the and leave them be, saying that it would be years, possibly centuries before they began moving against the Outer Rim and known space. Malak had wanted to return to the Republic and ignore the problem, something Revan would not abide in his maddened state. The now Sith officers and Masters said nothing, unwilling to bring the wrath of Darth Revan upon them. The officers also knew that Revan had taken part in the few brief ground engagements with the Massassi. Whatever Revan had seen had pushed him over whatever balance he held and shaped him into a ruthless and tactically frightening genius.

Seeing Malak's punishment and the lengths at which Revan would go to shape his empire drew the loyalty of his followers, if not the respect. Revan was always one to fight alongside his men and take part in the actions. As Revan's flagship drew on the Republic world of Belkadan, Revan again proved that he was not willing to ask his men to do what he did not as he took a fighter and attacked the Republic orbital station and defenses. Belkadan was taken within hours without a significant loss of life and the people were allowed to keep their own government. The Jedi responded immediately, allying with the Republic against the Sith. Revan outright laughed at the action.

"So afraid to fight, yet now when it is I you fight you rush into it... Foolish, hasty. I am not the threat, though you are right to fear me." Revan eyes the ruined Republic positions of Belkadan and shook his head as he talked aloud to himself. "I will break you and you will become strong. You will be worthy to live." Revan turned and stalked away from his bridge darkly into a shadowed corridor, ignoring the apprehension his bridge crew felt at his strange behavior. They had long ago pledged loyalty to Darth Revan and the Sith and knew that Revan was not a weakling, or one to suffer fools.

"And so the Jedi Civil War begins." Revan mused as he prowled the corridors of his vessel. All kindness and light in his life had given way to darkness and malice. All softness and joy was replaced by jagged edges and grief. The Dark Lord of the Sith seated himself in his dimly lit quarters reading the civilian casualties from his attack. "What difference does one more life make? I am already a mass murderer to them. Why should I even care?" Revan asked himself in his dark quarters. A brief flash of a smile and a brown-haired, blue-eyed young woman dressed in the most ridiculous outfit he had ever seen crossed his mind before it was brutally crushed by the memories of death and suffering he had seen in his years fighting.

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

Shortly after the battle at Belkadan, Malak had been captured by a taskforce of Jedi trained for that express purpose, hunting down the Dark Lord of the Sith, and brining him back alive. "The incompetent fool doesn't deserve being rescued." Revan though to himself as he stormed down the halls of the Galactic Courthouse with two Sith Acolytes in tow. Revan turned to his two disciples and cried out, "Let's go free poor Malak. Perhaps he'll take my advice from now on when I warn him about rash actions... and we can show the Republic that they have no hope against us."

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

"Malak, why have you betrayed the Republic?" A fat twilek senator asked, leaning forward in his seat so he could better survey the war criminal.

Malak's metallic voice rang out from his cybernetic jaw, "Stopping us now will be like standing at the bottom of a mountain, trying to stop an avalanche. You are puppets of tradition pretending to be important. The coming Golden Age has no place for you. Your Republic is an empty self-indulgent diversion... signifying nothing. The lost glory of the Sith will turn all of your supposed accomplishments to dust."

Suddenly the door's burst open and Revan followed by the two acolytes stormed in, "Excuse me. Might I join the discussion? I've got something I'm sure you'll find interesting."

Malak turned his head and caught the lightsaber that was thrown to him by the Sith Master, "It's about time, Revan!"

Revan laughed a cold, hollow laugh, "Didn't Master Arca teach you patience, Malak? My Master Zhar was always trying to get me to learn." Revan walked up to stand beside his apprentice on the raised platform in the center of the courtroom, "The Sith Empire will rise again, and we are the spark. The flames will wash over the crumbling Republic and consume all your works... Establishing the glorious days of a lost Golden Age, far greater than any of us can know."

With these words said, the doors to the courtroom once again swing open and reveal the robed forms of Jedi Masters Zhar and Dorak. "Revan, I must speak with you!"

Revan smirked beneath his mask, "Go ahead, Master. We seem to have a captive audience. You know what, I could use you, Master Zhar; you could be a great ally to our Sith brotherhood."

Zhar slowly shook his head and stared at his former apprentice with a mixture of sadness and horror, "You know I must say no."

"A pity, you fought me once, Master Zhar, and bested me before I left to fight the Mandalorians. Why don't we try it again, a rematch? Only this time we up the stakes, if you beat me, I will return with you and undergo whatever training you wish to give, but if I win, you agree to join the Sith brotherhood and work at my side." Revan crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at his former Jedi Master.

"You know I could never bow to the evil Sith ways." Zhar said emphatically.

Revan merely waved his hand, "Whatever, we can work out the details later." With that said Revan activated his ruby red lightsaber and leapt for the Jedi Master. Zhar, faster than many believed possible, drew his emerald lightsaber and blocked the blow. Feinted left, and swung at his apprentice's head. Revan merely blocked the green blade with his cortosis gauntlet, and leapt back to the center of the courtroom.

Zhar lowered his blade slightly, "I beseech you to reconsider your actions and return with me. Stop this game of bullying the galaxy-- It's beneath you and beneath contempt!"

Revan shook his head and Zhar dashed forward causing the two blades to lock. Dorak sensing something was about to happen moved quietly behind the other Jedi Master, "Join me, Master Zhar."

Zhar shook his head and eyed Revan beneath the two crossed blades, "This is not the end, Revan. You and I will fight again... perhaps not for a very long time, but I will defeat you."

Revan laughed that cold laugh and dropped his lightsaber and ducked around the stunned Jedi Master, and calling Malak's lightsaber to him with the Force spun around and cut off Zhar's head. Grabbing his original lightsaber as he rolled he returned to his feet to stab Dorak in the chest, causing him to slump to the ground gasping for air. Then he hissed out, "Words. Go on to your higher plane, teacher. The galaxy is mine now."

A/N There ya go Revan is now a Sith. He may seem a little crazy, well that's because he kinda is.