Author's notes: Another Korriban chapter – this one is shorter, but the next one will probably be as long as Ch 32, though I'm not making any promises yet. I'm still unsure about the gender of my Exile character, but he or she is definitely going to be LS or gray. Don't get me wrong, Hanharr isn't a bad character, but he works better as part of the Mira storyline rather than just killing Mira so early on in the story. What do you think? Male or female Exile? I've got names ready for either option, both with a meaning, like "Alexa Denali". Maybe I should go with male & see if I can write the Exile with a platonic love for Revan… that wouldn't be so bad. Besides, there really aren't true romances in KotOR II. We'll see.
Anyway, just so you know, all the typos & mistakes you pointed out were fixed (I hope) – I reloaded most of the Taris chapters.
Brynn – fixed, corrected. Thanks for the advice.
Dark Lord Daishi – (Arachne uses Force Storm on DLD. Hit with damage 200 (roll 50 vs defense 0 Sneak attack! Automatic hit! Critical hit!) There you go!
Phht – yes, it would surprise them, but... well... I'll think about it. (wink wink)
passon – Hey, I like the Arren Kae theory! KotOR II quotes:
Atton: "She may have been good-looking once, but it takes some hard living to make creases like that."
Disciple: "I know you… not even the markings of the Dark Side can hide it. Why have you done this?"
Atris: "Kreia? Oh, that is not her name."
Kreia: (when you ask her why she dislikes the Handmaiden) "There are countless reasons and I have neither the time nor the patience to list them all."
(telling you about Arren): "And she was… said to be… a skilled warrior. Beautiful."
(when you ask her if she's ready to die): "I have died long ago!"
Handmaiden: "She died in the final battle. The body was never found."
Kavar: (to Kreia) "I thought you had died in the Mandalorian wars!"
Besides, how many exiled Masters can one Jedi have? Oh, and please have some patience – it takes some time to make a proper chapter, you know.
fff – fixed, thanks for pointing that out. The second slip is also fixed now. Thanks for the encouragement.
X X X
Chapter 33 – Double-crosses
X X X
Waking up in the Sith Academy was not exactly Revan´s idea of the perfect morning. It didn't even seem like morning at all, because the Academy was always quite dark. Getting up even earlier than usual, she decided to go explore the Valley as soon as possible – she didn't want to encounter the other students, if it could be avoided. They would only get in the way of things and end up dead. Not that it was a bad thing, but the very lightly challenging task wouldn't be challenging at all anymore.
HK-47 quickly reported to her (rather sadly) that no meatbag had tried to disturb her sleep, not even for a reason that didn't involve assassination. Revan understood that could sometimes be a bit too overzealous. Not that it was a bad thing – he was probably the only person… droid… whatever… that could lighten her mood with simple cheerfulness that came from simple things such as tormenting meatbags. The droid insisted that he would come with her to help her gain prestige, if only to finally get a chance to fight side-by-side with her.
"Just like old times, Master." HK put it cheerfully. Despite herself, Revan managed a small smile.
But before they even had the chance to leave the Academy, someone pulled Revan to a small room at the side, only to find themselves with a lightsaber close to their throat. When she saw the person's face, she lowered her blade. It was Yuthura.
"Not exactly a trusting person, are we?" she asked, glancing at the now deactivated blade.
"Should I be?"
"No. And that is one of the reasons why you are my favorite prospect of the year." The Twi´lek said smugly. It was a rather strange greeting.
"Query: Shall I dispose of the sneaky meatbag, Master?"
"No, HK." The droid lowered his new Mandalorian assault rifle, though rather reluctantly. Revan arched an eyebrow. "Your favorite prospect?"
Yuthura glanced at HK calculatively, but returned her attention to Revan. "Absolutely." she said, nodding, "By my estimation, you are far more likely to achieve the prestige necessary to join the Sith than any of the others. As a matter of fact, I am so certain of that that I'm willing to offer you an opportunity of the once-in-a-lifetime variety. Would you like to hear it?"
This
could prove useful. "Of course."
"Good. I do so adore someone who's willing to take a chance. As I said, you're no doubt going to be the one whom Uthar chooses to become a Sith. With my help, of course. Once that occurs, he will take you into the Valley of the Dark Lords to the tomb of Naga Sadow to administer the final test. There you and I will be alone with him. The perfect time to, shall we say, arrange for a change in the academy's leadership?"
"Pupil versus Master. Sounds familiar."
"As it should." Yuthura nodded, "It is central to our beliefs. It is my responsibility to replace my Master when I am strong enough." she said proudly.
"Indeed." This was called cowardice – one of the things she hated most in the galaxy. Maybe betrayal would be worthy of prestige? That way, she would gain a lot more. Being the second-in-command of the Sith Academy wasn't that useful to her mission. "Very well, I'll help you."
"I'm so glad you see it my way. I will begin to make preparations for your final test. Your only worry now is to get there… don't disappoint me."
"When my opponents are these pathetic weaklings? That would be extremely hard."
Yuthura smiled a shark's smile, nodded and left.
The logical course of action was to search the tombs. However, it wouldn't be wise doing so without any information – Revan stopped the first student she met on the way, a rather jumpy human boy. "Oh, ah... hello." he said nervously, "I don't remember seeing you here before. My name is Kel... Kel Algwinn."
"Hi. I don't suppose you could tell me how to find the Sith tombs?"
"Of course." he said brightly, "The valley's full of ancient Sith ruins, from a time before the Sith left this region of space. Rather exciting, really. I've, uh, never studied it myself... I couldn't help you much. If you're really interested, there's a fellow by the name of Dak who's out in the valley now. He knows plenty about it."
But Revan frowned – the boy was acting strange… stranger than was acceptable, really. "Is something wrong?" An uncovered weakness would definitely be worthy of prestige.
"I... oh, uh, nothing." he said, avoiding her eyes.
"Are you sure?"
"Y-yes." he stuttered, "My master always says I am too trusting, too willing to show weakness. You're a Sith, so I really shouldn't... you know..."
"Are you saying you're not?"
"Well I... I... I didn't mean it like that. I... I shouldn't trust you. I can't trust you, can I?" Asking someone who seemed to be a Sith if he could trust her? What kind of insane idea was that?
"Sure you can."
"I just... don't feel I belong here. I thought maybe I did at first, but now I... I don't know. I have so many doubts." He confessed.
"Oh. Well, you'll get over it soon, I'm sure. Thanks for the information." She noted nonchalantly.
"S-sure, no problem." Kel quickly made himself elsewhere, the air of nervousness lifting.
Shaking her head and making a mental note to point this little discovery to Uthar, Revan formed a plan in her head – a plan how to gain as much prestige as soon as possible. The boy was far too trusting and weak-minded… he wouldn't have made even a proper Jedi. The best way to win that was stopping the other students from progressing, so the first thing she decided to do was the most enjoyable task – aiding Lashowe.
Wandering the shadowy corridors got her eyes used to the sunless atmosphere. And in such darkness, the Sith woman's platinum blonde hair really stood out. She was standing near a computer console, typing something. The smug aura around her was thicker than usual, as if she knew something the others didn't. Even when Revan approached her, she showed no signs of a change. And when she spoke of a Jedi holocron in a Tuk´ata mother's lair, it was obvious why she thought she was sure to win. Such an artifact was quite valuable.
Surprisingly, it was quite easy to convince Lashowe that she wanted to aid her, simply by giving her a false lead. The girl really was far too trusting for her own good – a weakness that she wouldn't live to regret, since she immediately instructed Revan to go to the central pillars of the Valley where she would be waiting alone.
The central chamber of the Academy, the one where the students met yesterday, was the main crossroad of the building. There, Revan found Master Uthar, sitting cross-legged in the center of the room. Meditation there was probably a habit of his, since no one walked anywhere near him. He was almost unusually calm for a Sith, but his acute awareness of the surroundings showed no trust or empathy.
Her footsteps calm, echoing through the entire room, Revan walked to the meditating man, bowing as low as her pride would allow her. Uthar acknowledged her presence merely by opening his eyes, "Greetings, young one. You have much to do yet. You have gained little prestige."
"I know the Code of the Sith."
"Then speak it." He nodded after she recited the words. "Yes, well done. But to know words is different than following them. Tell me then, true or false – victory by all means is desirable."
"False – if victory doesn't prove your superiority, it is temporary, an illusion. It is no real victory."
Uthar nodded slightly. "Well done. I shall test you no more. You know the Code – very impressive. Go now, you have impressed me, but not enough to claim you the victor. I have matters to attend to."
The woman bowed again and turned to leave. She made her way to the exit to the Valley of the Dark Lords, not noticing how the Sith Master gazed at her before she disappeared, uncertain if she really was what she appeared to be.
X X X
The Valley of the Dark Lords was surrounded by magnificent statues resembling the ancient Dark Lords. Revan remembered them well from her last trip to Korriban several years ago. The Valley itself didn't really change much from her last visit before the Jedi Civil War, except for the few groups of Sith archeologists digging with hand instruments and students that probably came either to help or raid as much as they were able of the tombs. Revan walked past several guards and archeologist, HK following. Then she spotted a single meditating figure near the Tomb of Tulak Hord.
Lashowe.
She quickly instructed HK stay out of this battle and search the tomb of Naga Sadow for anything suspicious while she dealt with the brat personally. The droid took the hint and in an instance melted into the background, like a professional Sith assassin would.
"There you are – finally!" the brat immediately snapped as Revan approached her, "If you were planning on showing up any later, we would have to abandon this! I've been calling to the Tuk´ata mother in their language. She should respond any…ah, there she comes now." Three dark animals appeared outside the tomb, sunrays on their black fur making it seem dark gray. Their horns and claws seemed dangerous even from the distance. "Get ready – this will not be easy. She's a tough beast."
It was pointless to use Force powers – the tuk´ata were immune to most of them. Their claws were effective weapons and despite their weight, they moved swiftly. The Queen jumped at Revan, who dodged and cut the beast in half with amazing speed. Lashowe managed to cut off the paws of another one and Revan finished their work by throwing her lightsaber at the animals. Within seconds, they were dead, burned by the blazing red beams. The saber returned to Revan´s hand, but she didn't deactivate it. There was still one beast on the loose.
"Ha ha! Wonderful! We worked better together than I would have expected!" Lashowe cheered. Searching through the remains of the Tuk´ata Queen, she found what she was looking for. "And here is the holocron. Such a small thing and so much effort to obtain it." Her greedy gaze moved from the holocron to Revan. The smirk on her face faded slightly. "I'll just run along and take it to master Uthar. I'll be sure to mention your aid, of course." she added that matter-of-factly. That was an old trick.
"Nice try, you little brat. Now hand it over." Revan hissed.
"Over my dead body!"
A nod. "Your wish is my command."
Lashowe attacked – it was obviously her intention from the beginning. Two matching red energy beams clashed. But Revan wanted to show the Sith that she didn't stand the merest chance against her. Since Lashowe furious, she was completely unprepared for aggressive Force powers that sent her flying into the air. Unable to free herself from the Whirlwind, Lashowe tried to strike with her saber. It was useless. She wasn't able to focus while spinning. With a satisfied smile, Revan threw her lightsaber at her enemy. The Sith tried to parry, but all she managed to do was cut herself with her own weapon. By the time the crimson lightsaber was deactivated, Lashowe´s lifeless corpse was lying on the ground.
No one around them cared about what had just happened – they were either preoccupied with work or just thought that the weakling got what was coming to her. The holocron was still in Lashowe´s pocket… though not for long.
Dustil caught up with her en route back to the Academy – she clearly sensed his aura approaching, so she didn't turn to face him.
"So, how did your meeting with Daddy Dearest go?" Revan asked, more out of interest than any real concern.
"He's still alive and rather desperate to convince me to leave the Sith." Dustil said, almost brightly. He seemed to be enjoying his father's torment.
"And your decision?"
"After you showed up, m'lord? There's no decision to make." He spoke the title very quietly checking if no one was listening to them. While Dustil Onasi was many things – obnoxious definitely being one of them – he wasn't stupid. "You wouldn't be looking for an apprentice, by any chance?"
"The potential candidate is being tortured and converted as we speak… unfortunately, by the time I get to her, she might develop an unfortunate loyalty to the crude leadership of my dear ex-apprentice. So you must be patient." She frowned a bit, but shrugged her pain off once more. It wouldn't stop… not since they reached Korriban.
She had calculated that the journey to the Forge was about as long as the journey to Korriban from the spot where the Leviathan had captured them, perhaps even shorter with the superior engines of the aforementioned warship. And from that moment on, she was in constant pain. She shielded her mind against most of it, but the continuing onslaught eventually became too much – she lost focus once and had stopped trying ever since.
She had hoped that perhaps the bond wasn't strong enough to project emotions and pain. Now when she knew the full extent of their link, she was beginning to grow worried. Force Bonds were not unfamiliar to her – quite the contrary. She studied them deeply during her Jedi training, but had never experienced one. Perhaps because bonds were often formed through understanding… and few really knew her, let alone understood her.
Sharing her thoughts, emotions was too… personal, just as Bastila had noted once. And Bastila Shan, while definitely belonging in the category of young Padawans who would simply stare at her in awe and admire every talent she had also wanted to see beyond the mask, beneath the surface of power, wisdom and perfection she had worked on ever since she realized her own potential. And perhaps they weren't so different from each other – she had done the same with Bastila, even though for different reasons.
But the fact she was allowing the Jedi to get this close to her and see things only she knew unsettled her. But perhaps it wasn't that bad – if the child knew what they would soon be facing, she wouldn't betray her. Yes, perhaps it would be better if she kept fewer secrets, considering what a failure her first attempt to unite the galaxy was. All her wonderful, flawless plans came crushing down because of a single mistake of allowing someone to watch her back.
HK suddenly appeared on Revan´s left startling Dustil slightly. The assassin droid glared at him for a moment, then began his report on the Naga Sadow tomb. Unfortunately, the newly installed lock mechanism had to be unlocked by a very specific key… and there seemed to be no other way of opening it. It seemed that Yuthura was right – only Uthar knew how to get in. And that meant she would have to gain the right for the final test. Revan resisted the urge to roll her eyes – spending more time in the company of these amateurs was degrading, in a sense.
She just hoped that killing Malak and regaining control over the Sith was worth all this.
X X X
The journey back ended up being longer than usual – Revan and Dustil talked quite a lot, mostly about the Sith. The boy was impressive, Revan had to admit that. He could become a fine Sith… but she sensed pain within him. What struck her was that it seemed similar to her own… in a sense. But it was late, she didn't want to pry and she had to present a certain holocron to Uthar, so they both went their separate ways, agreeing to meet up in the morning to explore the Valley some more.
"Greetings once again, young one. What do you bring to my attention now?" Uthar greeted her as she once again stood before him.
She showed him the acquired device. "I have found a Jedi holocron."
The Sith Master chuckled and took it to examine it. "I have heard that such a device existed. Tell me, young one – did you acquire the device by yourself?"
The truth would bring her more prestige than a lie. "No."
Interest appeared on his face. "So I see. And Lashowe – does she yet live?"
"No, I killed her."
He chuckled again, clearly amused. "Ha ha, well done! You have gained an artifact through trickery and eliminated an opponent at the same time! This is deserving of great prestige! Is there anything else?"
"Indeed… Master." she quickly added. "I have found out that a student – Kel Algwinn, I believe his name is, is thinking of leaving. He has doubts."
Uthar nodded. "I know this one you speak of… so you've gained his trust? I commend your competitive spirit. Impressive. I will… speak with him. Now go. You have impressed me, but it is still not enough to claim you the victor. Do not falter now – you are very close to the end."