Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, they really belong to LucasArts/Bioware (I just like to fantasize about them).
Kenna was worried. Maybe it was just Carth's paranoia rubbing off on her from prolonged exposure, but she couldn't help but feel something very wrong was about to happen. The ever-increasing rage and thirst for revenge she felt nearly dripping off said pilot probably had a lot to do with that feeling, but it wasn't all of it. Still, she kept one eye on Carth as they made their way through the ship's corridors. Fight after fight with assorted guards, Dark Jedi, and Sith troopers, she felt the dread growing as she watched him. He was hitting harder, showing a side she'd never seen, and it terrified her. Don't give in to it, Carth. Please. I don't want to lose you.
When they finally made it to the bridge, Karath was waiting for them, surrounded by heavy troopers and flanked by two Dark Jedi. He tried to convince them to give up, that he would ask Malak to be merciful. Kenna wasn't buying.
"I've seen enough of Sith mercy!" Carth growled, practically able to taste how badly he wanted to kill the man. The images of Telos as a smoking, scarred ruin, and Morgana's broken body, and the anguish on Kenna's face in the torture cage were too fresh for him to ignore. He tightened his grip on his weapons until his knuckles turned white. Just let me kill him, he silently begged. He didn't really care at the moment if he made it off the ship alive, as long as he took Saul with him. What about Kenna? Well, alright, maybe he did care.
Karath shook his head as if pained by Carth's refusal. "You always did like to do things the hard way. Lord Malak would have preferred live prisoners, but corpses will have to do." He nodded to his troopers and the room was suddenly full of laser bolts, Force lightning, and the Dark Jedi's taunts. Kenna sent Bastila after the troopers guarding the door before diving toward the two Dark Jedi. She left Saul to Carth. She'd promised him she'd do as much. After attempting a few lightsaber attacks she blocked easily, one of the Dark Jedi tried to use Insanity on her. Kenna resisted, parried another strike, and chopped the man's head off. She risked a brief glance at Carth before attacking the other Jedi, just in time to see him kick the Admiral in the jaw and follow it quickly with a remorseless, furious stab from the Krath Dire Sword. A full half of the blade's length appeared out Karath's back. Grim satisfaction painted across his face, Carth yanked the blade back out. The Admiral collapsed.
'Help Bastila,' Kenna mouthed when he met her gaze, blocking the red blade swooping toward her head. She might be fighting a Dark Jedi, but Bastila was taking on five troopers all by herself. Not good odds, even for a Jedi. Carth nodded and rushed across the bridge to help. Kenna channeled a Force Heal, rammed one blade of her lightsaber into the chest of the attacking Sith, spun to help the others before the corpse hit the floor. She sent Force Lightning shooting through the remaining two troopers, and healed again as the two fell to the ground. They all relaxed a little, now that the room was clear of enemies.
"Carth…" Saul rasped, "Carth…"
"The Admiral!" Bastila spun around. "He's still alive!"
Carth's face hardened. "It's time to finish this."
No, no, no! Kenna panicked at the raging hatred in his eyes. I don't want to lose you! "No, Carth, don't give in to your hatred!" she begged desperately. I think I might love you. Please don't do this!
Carth whirled to face her. "Don't you understand what this man has done to my life??" he demanded, raw pain edging his voice. "Do you know the pain he's brought me??" Telos. Morgana. The medics were too late. Karath betrayed us. I can't find Dustil. The memories roared back with a ferocity he hadn't felt in months.
"Killing him won't ease the pain, Carth!" Bastila pointed out, voicing the point before Kenna could organize her thoughts. "Do not become what you despise!"
"Carth…" Saul coughed, "must tell you…must tell you something…" He coughed again, lungs filling with blood. "Come…closer." Carth warily crossed and knelt by his former mentor. Kenna and Bastila couldn't catch what the Admiral whispered in the pilot's ear, but then his voice grew stronger. "You didn't know, did you?" He coughed, then laughed. "Remember my dying words," he rasped. "Remember them whenever you look at those you thought were your friends!" The Admiral coughed once more before laying still.
Carth stood, overwhelmed by a mix of disbelief, horror, hurt and anger. "He's gone. He said…it can't be true, can it?" Do you really believe him? Could it be true? Is Kenna really-- NO!, No, she can't be! He's just lying to you again. He has to be. She's not... He shook his head. She couldn't be!! "No. No…no--it can't! Damn you, Saul! Damn you!"
"What did he say, Carth?" Kenna demanded, out of the loop and hating it.
Carth wheeled on Bastila. "Bastila, it is true, isn't it?" he demanded, "And…and you knew! You and the whole damn Jedi Council. You knew the whole time." He should have known he wasn't told everything, he should have guessed there was a reason for the speed with which Kenna picked up Jedi skills. He felt like a fool.
Kenna watched Bastila try to defuse the anger pouring off Carth. "Carth, it's not what you think. We had no other choice! Please, you don't understand…"
You're damn right I don't! "So make me understand!" Carth shouted.
"Whatever this is about, Carth deserves an answer." Kenna narrowed her eyes at Bastila, who looked trapped. "So start talking, Bastila."
She shook her head. "Not here, Carth. Please…there's no time. Malak is coming. This isn't the place. Please, Carth," she begged desperately. "I'm asking you to trust me. For just a little while longer."
"She's right, Carth," Kenna admitted. "This isn't the time. We can get into this after we escape."
Carth sighed. "I'll trust you, Bastila, but as soon as we're off this ship I expect some answers."
"Of course, Carth. As soon as we get to the Ebon Hawk I'll explain everything. To both of you. I promise," Bastila assured them, tone placatory.
Kenna opened the hanger bay doors and they made a beeline for the elevator. A few more Sith Troopers were waiting in the hallway for them, but they made short work of them. All any of them wanted to do was get out of there, Carth and Kenna so they could interrogate Bastila, and Bastila so they wouldn't have to face Malak.
None of them got their wish. As they ran down the last hallway between them and the Hawk, one of the blast doors ahead of them whooshed open, and through it strode the one man none of them had wanted to deal with right then: Malak.
Pure instinct took over. Carth's hand closed around the grip of the Mandalorian heavy blaster he'd holstered behind one of his swords, "just in case". He knew he could never cause any damage to a Sith Lord with a blade, but maybe he could get off a couple shots…
Just as she'd somehow known he would do, Malak blocked Carth's shots and Force Pushed him into the wall before turning his attention to Kenna. He addressed her as if she had known him for years. It wasn't until he saw the utter confusion on her face that he realized she didn't know what he was talking about. So he told her.
She was Revan. Kenna couldn't, wouldn't believe it. She couldn't be… "Bastila, is this true?" she demanded, whirling to face the Padawan.
Bastila nodded. "It's true. I was part of the strike team sent to capture Revan--to capture you." She explained how, when Malak had attacked Revan's flag ship, the Dark Lord had nearly been killed, and Bastila had reached through the Force to save her. The Jedi Council had wiped her memories and gave her a new identity. Kenna listened, dazed and wondering if she was dreaming, having another of her nightmares. That would explain Carth's reaction…He hated Revan even more than he hated Saul…But I'm different now! I'm Kenna, not Revan! He won't care. He'll still hate you. No, he knows Kenna--I mean, me. He wouldn't…Even as she tried to convince herself, Kenna had trouble believing it. Everything was shifting, right out from under her. "I forgive you, Bastila. You had no other choice."
"Forgiveness, Revan?" Malak mocked. "I was right to betray you. You're no Sith. Part of me has always regretted striking at you from a distance. Some might perceive it as weakness and challenge my right to rule the Sith. But now we shall settle this in the true Sith tradition, Master against apprentice. And the stronger shall triumph!" Even as he spoke, Malak trapped Bastila and Carth in Stasis so the fight would be just him and Kenna.
It still was laughably quick. Kenna was so much stronger. She didn't even try to use the Force on him, but it wasn't even really necessary. A few blows from her lightsaber and the Supreme Dark Lord of the Sith was clutching his side, winded and nearly dead. He snarled and trapped Kenna in a Force Whirlwind long enough to escape through the blast door behind him.
When she plopped to the ground, Kenna didn't even wait for the dizziness to wear off before scrambling to her feet and trying the door. It was locked, of course. She groaned and ran around the long way to come at the same hallway from a different angle. Malak was waiting for her, mysteriously back to full health and steaming for a redo. Kenna didn't hesitate. She laid another sound drubbing on the man, almost beating him once and for all before he put her in Stasis and prepared to kill her. A door opened down the hallway.
"For the Jedi!" Bastila cried, launching her lightsaber at Malak and freeing Kenna from the stasis. "I'll hold Malak off! You two get out of here, find the Star Forge!" she ordered as she closed distance to attack again.
"No, Bastila, he's too strong!" Carth hollered. "No!" The door separating Kenna and Carth from Bastila and Malak slid shut and sealed with a hiss. Shaking his head, Carth turned to Kenna, scarcely able to meet her eyes. "Come on, we should go. Bastila sacrificed herself so that we could get away. We can't let that sacrifice be in vain!" Kenna decided not to voice a protest and followed him down the hallway to the hanger and the waiting Ebon Hawk. After getting out of the hanger, they had to deal with six Sith fighters that gave chase. Kenna clambered into one of the gun turrets. We have too much to talk about. I am not letting us get shot down, she thought grimly, sending a laser bolt straight down the cannon of an attacking Sith fighter. It exploded, taking out another fighter that was just a little too close and showering the Hawk with debris. Four to go. She winged another one that immediately distanced itself before coming back for another round as Kenna blasted a third fighter into oblivion. Kenna and the Sith pilot fired at the same moment. The Sith vaporized, andthe Hawk's alarms started screaming at her.
"She can't take much more!" Carth hollered.
"I know, I know!" Kenna yelled back, lining up and blasting the fifth Sith into non-existence. "One left!" The last Sith was desperate, resourceful, or both. He managed to evade the torrent of laser bolts Kenna sent screaming toward him for almost a whole minute. But he over-committed on his attack run, and Kenna nailed him right in the cockpit, seconds before he unleashed an attack that would have been the end of the Hawk. The alarms were still screaming at her, and a glance at the function screen showed how badly the Hawk had been hit. Kenna decided to send T3 out to make repairs while they traveled to Kashyyyk. But at the moment, there was something infinitely more important that needed to be addressed. They deserved to know who she really was. Kenna nearly ran into Carth as she climbed down from the turret and he left the cockpit. He wouldn't look at her. Kenna's heart skipped a beat before plummeting down to her toes. No, Carth, don't hate me. Please. Please.
"Hey, where's Bastila?" Mission demanded, noticing the resident Jedi princess was unaccounted for. "What happened on that ship?"
"We ran into Malak," Carth explained. "He would have killed us, but Bastila sacrificed herself so we could get away."
"You mean she's…she's dead?" Mission asked, eyes widening in disbelief as she voiced Kenna's chief fear.
Carth shook his head. "Malak won't kill her. I think he'll want to use her Battle Meditation against the Republic. He'll keep her alive so he can turn her to the dark side!"
"We can't help Bastila--not unless we find the Star Forge first," Kenna pointed out, hoping they could stay on Bastila and Carth wouldn't bring up…the other issue.
That hope was dashed the next second.
"Not so fast." Carth finally looked at her, and the mix of hurt and anger in his eyes wasn't promising. Kenna had a feeling she was about to watch everything she had with him wither and die very shortly.