Author's notes: And here comes the difficult part – how am I supposed to convince Ms. I'm-an-evil-Sith-Lord to cooperate with the Jedi goody-goodies? This was hard, I can tell you that. And then add Juhani to the mix. Just what am I supposed to do with her? This was really, REALLY difficult. Finally, I analyzed the situation, evaluated the pros and cons and decided to write it like this. Revan's choice is really what I would have done in the situation.

Oh, and I'm looking for a beta reader, if anyone is interested, my email is in my profile. Many thanks.

Brynn – Well, they probably hoped that she realized the need to turn back over the year… and, as usual, they were wrong. But thanks for the advice – I put it to use, and thus, this chapter was born. And the little attempts to redeem her will yet come… though only the Council is good at veiling them. Not Bastila.

Dark Lord Daishi – Thanks. Here's another chapter.

X X X

Chapter 10 – Judgment

X X X X

The fact that she nearly collided with the surface of the floor after waking up from that nightmare didn't do much in favor of Revan´s mood. She slept fully clothed, as everyone on the ship when they didn't have a shift, and had woken with a gasp that surprised even herself.

"Alexa, are you alright?"

Mission Vao appeared out of nowhere, her bright blue skin a slight surprise to Revan at that state. The name had to sink into her mind before she realized it was thought to be hers, but she shook her head, slightly violently, before looking around if Bastila was nearby. She had been afraid this might happen, but had forgotten it due to their dramatic escape from Taris and the soon-to-be attempt to persuade her to strike an allegiance with the Jedi. The dreams, hearing each other's thoughts… a Force Bond, no doubt. With Bastila. Of all the possibilities…

"I will be. Where's the Jedi? I must speak with her."

"She left about a minute ago, didn't even boss me around. Weird. But she was paler than ever and seemed terrified." Mission explained, "Dunno, she just ran out of the bunk and disappeared. Probably into the Enclave."

The Council. She knows. She ran to tell the Council. "Thanks. I have to find her, fast." Revan quickly said.

"But you're just as pale as she was and you seem shocked! What happened?" Mission wanted to know. Revan quickly waved her hand in frustration.

"Force business. I'll tell you later." Mission would normally object, but seeing the strict look on Revan´s face, she only nodded.

Why did she dream of the ruins? The only possible reason could be that she was on the same planet. Quickly putting on her boots, Revan left the ship to get some fresh air. The ruins! The map! She hadn't intended anyone to see it, least of all Bastila. One of the reasons she had agreed to stay was that she wanted a moment to scout the plains and collect that piece of the map. Her injury aboard her flagship over a year ago hadn't caused any permanent damage, but she found out that there were things she didn't remember. Not important things, but random numbers or locations. She had had to relearn them, which was easy, but there were only two ways to learn the location of the Star Force – to find the maps or someone who knew where it was. The latter was unlikely.

Outside the Ebon Hawk, she found Carth. He saw her slightly frightened expression, which was very rare for her. Something wasn't right – he didn't have to be a Jedi to see it. As for him, he was already surprised to learn from Bastila that the Jedi requested that he and Alexa remain on Dantooine. He knew enough about subtlety to see that he was of no consequence – it was Alexa they wanted, for some strange reason. Talking with her about that subject didn't seem likely at the moment, but he realized that at the rate things were progressing, he would probably have to do it soon enough.

"This morning's getting stranger by the minute. First Bastila comes out like she saw a ghost and now you."

"Did she say anything?" Revan asked, leaving her calculations.

Well, what could Bastila tell her to do except for…? "Well, she did mention that you should go to the Jedi Council at once. It's no doubt urgent, so you shouldn't keep them waiting She didn't seem well as I recall and as for that matter, neither are you, are you alright?"

She waved the question off. "I'm fine. I have to go."

Without another word, she sprinted towards the Council chambers, leaving Carth there with a puzzled expression. But he knew that whatever happened to the two women, "I'm fine" didn't describe it at all. What could he do besides follow Alexa and interrogate her once she and the Council finish their deliberations? He signed at her stubbornness, and then quickly followed her into the enclave.

X X X

"Bastila tells us of a most unusual development. She claims you and she have shared a dream. A vision of you and Malak in the ancient ruins here on Dantooine." Vandar said when Revan entered. Bastila was also there, naturally.

Though surprised by the firmness of the statement, Revan didn't flinch. Her eyes stopped on Bastila at once. "Disregarding the fact that I am offended by your prying into my personal recollections, intentional or no, I don't wish you to do it again."

"I couldn't help it!" Bastila defended herself sincerely, "I simply saw it… like when I heard your voice so long ago, in my head. The two visions… and I think I had one before, when the Vulkars captured me. It must be the Force Bond." She explained, looking at the Masters. "The Council believes it is a bond, one that has been forged when I saved your life aboard your ship."

"You and she are linked, as is your fate to hers." Vandar added, "Together you might be able to stop Darth Malak and the Sith."

"Together?" Revan skeptically raised an eyebrow. "If you were searching for one to aid me on my quest, I would have expected you to pick someone who wasn't a child." Bastila opened her mouth to protest, but didn't have the chance. "The girl is too young, too inexperienced and too known. Her age, I could overlook easily, her inexperience could be remedied. But her attitude – no. She believes herself to be invincible."

"I most certainly do not!" Bastila finally found her voice, "I offer you help! And not many Sith know me by face. and with the bond between us, I will prove useful in battle!"

"Such pride, such arrogance!" Vrook lamented.

"My words exactly." Revan nodded, but looked at Bastila again. "She is willful and brash, uncontrolled in battle." Again, she looked at the Masters. "I cannot take her with me. Important weapons should be kept safe, not thrown away. And without her, you won't last long enough for me to do what I must."

"If Malak is not stopped the Republic will fall, and the Jedi will be hunted to extinction." Zhar nodded, "The galaxy will enter a time of darkness and tyranny not seen for a thousand generations."

"But I am ready for such a mission, Masters!" Bastila cried, attempting to hold back her frustration, "I wish to prove myself capable. What better way to do this than such an important mission? And besides, if I stay away from known Republic planets, as I assume we will during this task, there is only slight danger that I will be discovered."

The blonde sighed deeply, closing her eyes, relaxing her tense body for a moment. then, with new strength, she looked at the Council. "If something happens to her, it will not be on my conscience. It is entirely your decision, not mine."

"Does this mean you will agree to our suggestion, Revan?" Dorak asked, somewhat hopefully.

"I will consider it more than I originally intended." Revan said, turning her back to the Council and leaving the chamber.

Bastila glanced at Revan´s back, then at the Council and quickly scurried after her.

A Force bond had only one advantage – she could try to block it for a while. Revan bolted into a training room and cast Force Shields around her mind, blocking the Jedi out. Thankfully, Bastila didn't notice it as she bolted past her. She couldn't get away on the Hawk – she knew that from experience.

She tried to get out of the Enclave the way she escaped last time, but the droid standing at the exit wouldn't let her pass – it kept babbling about the fact that the Council said she should return to her room. Since she was not in the mood to search the Enclave for any other possible means of escape, she waited for someone else to go out to the plains. It took a while, but she managed to get out, following one of the Jedi thanks to her stealth belt.

She didn't believe herself ready to go to the ruins yet. It would probably trigger another flash of memories, which she had no use for. Right now, she wanted peace, quiet, no one to disturb her. She hated being the one who had to solve the problems of others and not getting the least bit of gratitude out of it.

Her steps led her past an old meditation grove, where a figure was sitting. A figure that drew her attention, because it was strangely mixed in feelings. Guild squirmed inside the figure, and anger. Upon a closer look, Revan saw that it was a young Cathar, maybe a Padawan from the Enclave. She wore a blue-green bodysuit, a leather upper tunic and leather boots. Her face was young and fierce, she seemed quite strong in the Force and Revan thought that she had seen her somewhere before… but she couldn't quite remember where.

The Cathar radiated sadness… anger… and fear. Guilt. The woman's catlike eyes popped open. There was rage visible in them. She sprang to her feet at the sight of Revan.

"I will be your doom!" she yelled, drawing a red lightsaber.

Catfight – just my luck.

Revan blocked the Force Jump attack, even though her opponent pressed on. She pushed the woman away with the Force, smashing her against a stone obelisk. The Cathar grunted in pain. Her saber flied out of her hand. Before she knew it, invisible hands picked her up, holding her in place. The Force Grip didn't hurt her much, but it didn't let her move, either.

"Tell me why you attacked me and I might yet spare your pitiful existence." Revan hissed dangerously, her grip tightening for a moment. Goading a Cathar into a fight wasn't wise – their species´ temper was legendary. Not that Revan cared.

The woman saw that she was outmatched, but didn't stop struggling to break free.

"I am Juhani. And this is my grove. This is the place of my dark power. This is the place you have invaded. When I embraced the Dark Side, this is where I sought solace. It is MINE!" she growled and attempted to break free once again. Revan´s grip merely tightened once again. Eventually, she gave up.

"You… you are strong. Stronger than me, even in my darkness." Juhani noted, panting. "I… I sense the Dark Side in you. What is it you want? Why bother me here?"

"I sought peace and quiet and your guilty conscience is too strong to ignore." Revan sighed. "I should just take my chances and sneak off to the spaceport to get off this rock."

Juhani blinked. "You… you do not seek to kill me?"

"No point pissing off the Jedi on their own playground when it's not necessary. You were one of them, I see it."

"Yes." Juhani hissed through gritted teeth. "Until I harnessed true power when I slew my Master, Quatra." Grief and guilt swirled around her.

"Is that why you're here?" Revan asked, her frown deepening.

"I have fallen… and dark power courses through my veins. There is no way I can return to the Council, so here I shall stay." Juhani explained, rather wearily.

"Look, Juhani. I'm no Jedi and I don't give a damn about their redemption babbles. But you've got potential… and it's wasted here." Revan flatly said.

Now Juhani seemed confused. "What… what do you mean?"

"Your hatred can make you strong, but if you aim it in the wrong direction, you can never unleash your full potential. That is the purpose of the Sith. You won't gain strength by sitting here in your sorrow."

"I am not sure I understand." Juhani said with a frown.

"Every being must move on and better itself. Each creature has a purpose. The Jedi try bettering themselves by doing things 'for the greater good'. Not that it works. The Sith seek more power. But power without a purpose to gain something more is useless."

"What about purpose without power?"

Revan got the hint and smiled. "You are smart, Juhani. The Force gives us all power, even the Jedi. But they prefer denying themselves the true power of the Force – the anger and passions that fuel one's command of the Dark Side. You saw the power of the Dark Side – you now know what they tried to hide from you. But you hesitated when you slew your Master."

"Killing my Mater is unforgivable!" Juhani cried.

"Such is the way of the Sith. Compete or die. The apprentice must always struggle against the Master. You can either accept that and continue down the Dark path you started on, aware of what you're doing, or turn back and ask the Jedi for forgiveness. But you can't stay here. One must always be moving forward."

She released the grip on Juhani´s throat, allowing her to call back her lightsaber. She gazed at it and Revan sensed her anger slowly diminish.

"I think, in my own way, I truly loved my Master. But perhaps…" she took a deep breath. "There is no death; there is the Force. I­… I would apologize for so much, if I had the chance. But… if I show that I am free of passion, that I am serene, that I am willing to forsake the Dark Side for my Master… maybe, just maybe, the Jedi might accept me back," She breathed, her eyes shining with hope as she spoke of the Council. Her eyes moved to Revan.

"Do you think they would? Is it possible after all I had done?"

"Nothing is impossible." Revan noted simply. "If you do not try, you will never achieve anything."

"You wield the Dark Side." Juhani commented. "What are you doing on a Jedi planet?"

"I wield it, but it doesn't wield me. There is a difference between those things."

"So it is true… you are a disciple of the Dark Side." Juhani whispered.

Revan shook her head. "No…I am its Master."

"I do not believe the Force serves anyone." Juhani noted.

The blonde nodded. She had passed the test. "The Jedi definitely will accept you back."

Juhani smiled, slightly humbly. "I thank you. But you did not tell me your name, or your decision."

"I am called Alexa Denali." Technically true. "And my decision I cannot tell you because I haven't made it yet. But I will on the way back, I suppose. Apathy is death." Juhani looked puzzled, but Revan waved off the unasked question. "The Council is probably waiting for us, so we should go."

"Now, remember the two key lines –'Yes, Master.' and 'I understand, Master.'" Revan told Juhani on the way. The Cathar smiled, but didn't say anything.

They were welcomed over-enthusiastically by the Jedi who lectured Revan about wearing Jedi robes (Juhani then introduced her as Belaya, her… friend) and they went straight to the Council.

"Ah, you've returned." she could sense some surprise and a lot of suspicion from Vrook.

"Have you yet decided…?" Vandar cut mid-sentence as Revan half-led, half-dragged a very pale Juhani into the chamber. An uncomfortable silence.

"I'll leave you to talk – I have to go buy some new clothes. I may listen to what you have to say, but I am not wearing Jedi robes under any circumstances." Revan said, though she didn't smile. "That's a terrible fashion statement."

"Please wait outside, Alexa – we wish to speak with you." Dorak said. Revan nodded curtly.

She turned sharply on her heel and left, but noticed Zhar smile slightly, hopefully. She bit her lip and shook her head. She had too much to thank the Jedi Master for to shatter his hopes.

Not that he would ever learn of that.

X X X

Juhani finally left the audience chamber almost half an hour later. Revan decided to wait, to see what the Council would do. It would certainly influence her decision, because she yet had to make one. Two possibilities… and she had dawdled long enough. The Cathar noticed Revan standing near the door and smiled wearily.

"I must give you my thanks. Because of you, I am once again welcome in the Jedi Order."

"So you've spoken to the Council. What did they say?"

"They helped me see the truth both behind my actions and everything else. Quatra´s injuries were not as severe as I first thought. I was a fool to believe I could harm a Master such as she with my…my clumsy efforts." Juhani said, bowing her head with a humble smile. "The fierce confrontation between us was nothing more than a part of my training. Quatra wanted to show me how hard it was to remain on the path of light, how easy it was to stray and fall to the darkness. It had to be done, so that I could follow a guide – you – back to the Light." She sighed.

"The ways of the Jedi are sometimes strange. So, where's Quatra now?" Revan curiously asked. As far as she knew, this wasn't a standard Jedi training method… this Quatra actually quite appealed to her.

"After I left, she knew there was nothing more to teach me and she couldn't wait to see if I passed this trial. There are other disciples in the galaxy that need her aid…but with your help, I have passed this most difficult trial. I do not know what the Council has in store for me, but I will trust in their wisdom and in the Force." Juhani said, shrugging. Revan was about to say something, but Zhar appeared in the doorway.

"I apologize for interrupting your discussion, but the Council needs to speak with Alexa Denali. You may return to your quarters, Juhani." He added to the Padawan. Juhani bowed.

"As you wish, Master Zhar. I hope to see you again, perhaps as a fellow student of the Jedi, Alexa." And she departed. Revan and Zhar walked side by side into the Council chamber, the door sealing behind them.

"You have redeemed a fallen Jedi, Revan. Why?" Zhar asked, politely surprised.

Revan shrugged. "She was wasting her potential there. She would have remained in that grove forever, as you didn't seem to be overeager to send someone to help her. There are things that one cannot learn on their own, Zhar, as you very well know."

"Indeed."

Zhar smiled when they reached the center of the chamber and took his place among the Jedi Masters. Bastila was also waiting there – she must have been in the training room before that, since she was slightly out of breath and less pale.

"It is good to see Juhani back among the Jedi." Vandar noted. "Yet we still do not know of your own decision, Revan."

"I promised I would think about it." she took a deep breath and did her best to conceal her deception and try to convince herself that she was telling the truth to minimize it. "My common sense tells me that I should just turn on my heel, escape again and be fine on my own. I could find a way to get to the Maps myself. But I promised to think about your proposal."

"Maps?" Vrook repeated.

"Yes. The ruins in my dream contain an ancient Star Map. A Dark Side artifact of great power. It's over twenty thousand years old, but still intact. There are five of these maps throughout the galaxy. They were supposed to be destroyed after the collapse of the Infinite Empire, but they are a self repairing technology."

"What is this Empire you speak of?" Dorak asked with genuine curiosity. "It isn't mentioned in the history books, of that I'm certain."

"Does the term 'Rakata' mean anything to you?" Revan asked. Dorak nodded.

"But that species is long extinct." he noted.

"Not entirely. Their hidden homeworld is still settled with several remaining tribes. They still exist… as does the Star Forge." Revan noted.

"So, what is the Star Forge, exactly?" Bastila asked. "Malak mentioned it in that vision."

"Yes, I know." Revan said, nodding, "Imagine an enormous space station, hidden in an unknown solar system, with the power to create infinite fleets at minimum cost of resources or energy." She stared into space, with a slightly distant look.

Vrook cleared his throat, which snapped her back to reality. "Can you tell us where this Star Forge is?" he asked.

Revan focused, trying to remember again, for the zillionth time. She memorized the coordinates, once. But…

"No." she said quietly, shaking her head. "I… don't remember. It was recorded in my personal datapad, yet you surely destroyed it when you captured me." The Jedi exchanged worried glances – she was right. "And it was in my ship's logs. The Leviathan effectively destroyed it, so no, I don't remember. There is only one way to find out – visit all five maps once again."

"There were unconfirmed scattered sightings of you and Malak during the time of your disappearance." Dorak noted. "Is that when…?" he didn't finish the question, though it was obvious what he wanted to ask.

"Yes." Revan nodded. "We sought out the Star Maps. I… we… wanted the Star Forge to be a defense of the Republic."

"Then why begin the conquest? Why attack the Republic?" Zhar quietly asked.

With a blank, slightly distant look, she shook her head. "I didn't promise you explanations or apologies. I promised you action. You're wasting time here. You want to stop Malak, I want to stop Malak. Let's do that."

"So your answer is-?" Vrook persisted.

Revan sighed, "Let's be grandiose about this: I surrender myself to the will of the Council. I will help you, as long as your goals mirror mine, which they do… at the moment. I cannot promise much, least of all my own redemption, but I swear to you by the Builders that Malak will be stopped."

The Jedi looked relieved beyond question, which annoyed Revan.

"We have decided about Bastila as well." Vandar noted, "She will accompany you on the quest… but before we send you to the ruins, we would like you both to undergo a number tests. This will only take a few days." He assured Revan when she raised her eyebrows. "We want to be completely certain that your doubts were unfounded and that you can function together properly."

"When have I ever failed?" Revan asked rhetorically, before strolling away.