Here's another chapter as promised. Thanks for all the support and reviews people. I got a lot of help from my dear friend general-joseph-dickson, who helped me develop my writing style. I will not be uploading a new chapter until I have rewritten the first two and maybe a little of the third since I have drastically improved since then. I hope you don't flame or hate me for this, but I will try to move as quick as I can with the rewriting. A note: I will respond to any review through a private message and I apologize if anyone didn't get a response. That's all for now, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 4
Revelations and Explanations
Revan relaxed in his seat and sighed in relief when he saw the familiar comforting streaks of hyperspace. Taking of his headset, he slowly climbed down and took a deep breath. He felt as if a rancor was lifted off his chest. He hated Taris with all his heart and finally leaving was a dream come true.
"Back in my day, you had to actually try when you were shooting the enemy. Amateurs." Canderous muttered, climbing up the ladder. Revan chuckled.
"The Mandalorian wars are already far behind us ner burc'ya. (My friend)" He said. Canderous raised a brow with a small smile on his lips.
"They are indeed. You're full of surprises Marek. I never thought I would ever meet a Jedi who fought in the Mandalorian wars that actually knows something about our culture and speaks our language." Canderous said as they slowly walked back towards the main hold.
"If you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the outcome of a thousand battles." Revan said, patting Canderous on the shoulder. "That is something none of the incompetent fools in the Republic realized. They were too blinded by hatred to think properly and that is one of the worst things they could have done." Canderous turned and gave Revan a suspicious look.
"You speak as if you were a leader, not a warrior." Canderous noted. Revan shrugged.
"I never said I wasn't a leader. You just assumed I wasn't." Revan replied. The pair arrived in the main hold to find everybody standing around a large holoprojector in the middle. Bastila had her hands clasped behind her back as she spoke.
"We're headed for Dantooine. It's one of the last safe refuges in the galaxy. Dantooine holds great power, some of the most powerful Jedi Masters of our Order reside there. Even Malak would think twice before attacking the Jedi enclave." Bastila said, confident in Dantooine's safety. Revan on the other hand, was not.
"Are you trying to deceive yourself or really believe that your little enclave is safe." Revan asked. "Having some of the most powerful masters of the Order as you put it just makes it a strategically valuable target." Bastila glared sharply at Revan.
"Malak wouldn't dare attack the enclave!" Bastila retorted hotly. "The Jedi there are too powerful for him to handle." Revan shook his head.
"Lightsabers don't help against 750 meters of durasteel with tactically placed turbolaser, ion cannons and quad laser batteries." Revan stated calmly. Bastila was about to retort again, but quickly stopping herself, finding nothing to counter his statement with. Revan nodded, seeing she finally got the point. "Dantooine isn't the safest of worlds, but still, it has got to do for this time. Bastila wants me to have a word with the Jedi council stationed there and that's what I intend to do." Revan said, crossing his arms. "And you're all coming with me." He added. If looks could kill, Revan would be six feet under.
"What! You've got to be joking!" Bastila exclaimed indignantly. Revan raised a brow.
"No I'm not joking. I'm never going to accept seeing the council without someone I can trust with me." Revan calmly stated, narrowing his eyes. "Wrong me once shame on you, wrong me twice, shame on me. I have no intention of being in a room filled with Jedi without any guarantee of my safety." Carth narrowed his eyes at Revan.
"Why would you not trust the Jedi unless you're a Sith?" He demanded accusingly, pointing his finger at Revan. In turn, Revan locked his gaze on Carth. He was getting seriously annoyed by the man's accusations and paranoia.
"Me and the Jedi have a long troubled history, but I'm not a Sith, so stop with your paranoid accusations for once!" Revan retorted, clenching and unclenching his right fist repeatedly to work off the annoyance and frustration.
"Fine, but if I even suspect that you're trying anything, I'll make sure that you end up in the brig or six feet under, got it?" Carth threatened. Revan chuckled humorlessly and Bastila could swear she saw his right fist glow a light blue for a second.
"You could try flyboy." He coldly responded. Bastila decided to quickly intervene before Carth could say something that would set the former Dark Lord off.
"Alright, everybody will come with us." She said, hoping to reduce Revan's anger and quickly changing the subject. "How long until we arrive?"
"It should be a day before we reach Dantooine by my estimates." Carth said, turning his attention to Bastila. Canderous let out an amused chuckle.
"A day for a planet so close as Dantooine?" He asked with amused skepticism. "I don't know what you did with the Dynamic-Class freighters in the Republic, but out here in the Rim, we need to fly fast and that is exactly what this baby can do. We'll arrive in 2 hours." Canderous stated the last part in a serious tone. Revan raised an impressed brow while everybody else just looked incredulously.
"Our top hyperdrives would make it in 17 hours, there is no way something from the Outer Rim could match or surpass that by such a scale." Carth said calmly, not believing the other man. Canderous snorted and Revan smirked a bit.
"Star Forge hyperdrives would make it in 3." He mentally noted. "Maybe if I could make a hybrid of both drives..." He mused, but was brought back to reality by Canderous' voice.
"You never had to constantly live in fear of getting caught like most people do in the Outer Rim, that's why nothing in the galaxy can match the ships of the Outer Rim. Pressure makes gems, ease makes decay." Canderous stated calmly. "But I guess you'll see that for yourself in two hours."
"Did anybody see Mission?" Revan cut in suddenly. Everybody besides Zaalbar looked around the room.
"Mission went to the starboard dormitory once we entered hyperspace. I haven't seen her since then." Zaalbar said in the growls and roars that were Shyriiwook and for the first time spoke to someone other than Mission since they joined the group. Revan nodded sadly, understanding.
"I'll go and see how she's doing. There's nothing left to say here." Revan said and left in the direction he felt Mission's presence. Coming up to a closed door, he knocked on it gently. "May I come in?" He asked in a soft tone, not sure how Mission was taking it at the moment.
"Yeah, sure." He heard her say, so he opened the door. She was sitting on one of the four bunks in the dorm, staring at the floor in front of her with her hands holding her chin. She turned and smiled a sad smile as he walked into the room.
"Hi Marek." She said. Mission was puzzled as to why he had come here, but she was glad he was. There was something about him that soothed and inspired her in a way.
"I just wanted to see how you're feeling." Revan said honestly. Mission returned her gaze to the floor in front of her and sighed deeply.
"I can't believe it's gone. No more. Destroyed." Mission said and then laughed sadly. "Who would have thought I would be sad because of Taris of all places." Revan sat besides her on the bunk, remembering all the planets he witnessed being destroyed. He grew resistant to it now, protecting himself from effects subconsciously after all the massacres he had seen. He had to, otherwise he wouldn't be able to go on with his mission. Some of the less powerful Jedi had either been killed by the distraction in the heat of the battle or worse... went insane.
"Mission, I know it hurts, it always does. If you need or want anything, just ask." He said comfortingly, putting an arm around her shoulder. She smiled a more genuine smile this time.
"Thanks Marek, it means a lot to me. Nobody was so nice to me like you are now besides Zaalbar and Griff, not to mention that you knew me for only a couple of days." She said, honestly grateful for his kindness. Revan raised a brow.
"Who's Griff?" He asked, not remembering her mentioning a Griff before. Mission had a wistful expression on her face.
"Griff's my older brother. We lived on Taris since I was 4. He taught me how to take care of myself on the streets, how to play pazaak, hack into security systems and use spikes to open doors. He always had these get-rich-quick schemes, but he always ended up doing something wrong or planning it out badly from the start." She related. Revan nodded slowly. He sounded like a petty criminal from what he could tell, but he didn't want to judge prematurely, but he had to admit, the skills were handy.
"Those skills sound pretty handy. Where's Griff now?" Revan asked. That's when Mission's expression turned dark.
"It all started when that bitch Lena got her paws on him." Mission said venomously. "Sorry, but I don't feel like talking about Lena right now." She stated coldly. Revan nodded in understanding.
"Alright, we might talk about it when you feel you want to OK?" He asked gently, standing up. Mission nodded. "We're going to Dantooine, we should be there in about 2 hours. You try and rest a bit. I'll be in the other dorm if you need me." He said and left the dormitory, making his way to the other side of the ship where he guessed the other dorm was.
His guess was a correct one, so he seated himself on one of the bunks in a meditative position and immersed himself in the calming sea that was the Force. After a while, he sensed that they were getting close to Dantooine, so he slowly got up and stretched. Deciding he wanted to explore the ship for a bit, he got walked through the corridor that connected the dorm with the rest of the ship and turned left into what seemed a garage and workshop. Trask and Canderous noticed him as he walked in.
"Hey Marek, you've got to check this out!" Trask said excitedly as he led the older man to a brand new swoop bike stationed in the corner of the garage.
"It's Davik's personal swoop." Canderous explained. "It's brand new. Leather seats, advanced engine heat and G force sensors, aerodynamic sleek surface design and there's some kind of prototype accelerator too. Davik bragged how it could achieve 200 kilometers per hour in just 3 accelerator pads. The maximum speed is 620 kilometers per hour. " Revan's eyes took in every detail of the orange and gray twin engine beauty that stood in front of him.
"I want one." Revan said, mesmerized, making Canderous and Trask chuckle.
"It is yours. The whole ship is yours. You're the one who did most of the work, so it's only fair you get the Ebon Hawk and everything on it. Including the swoop." Canderous said, patting Revan on the shoulder. Revan couldn't suppress a grin.
"Thanks Canderous." Revan said, his gaze lingering on the swoop for few moments. "We're about to exit hyperspace, so we better get to the main hold." He stated and made his way to the hold with Canderous and Trask.
"Why are we going anyway? What did the Jedi do to you that you don't trust them this much?" Trask asked curiously. He still couldn't find a reason as to why Marek didn't trust and probably hated the Jedi council.
"The worst thing? They tried to wipe my identity and make me a slave of their will." Revan said coldly. Trask's and Canderous' eyes widened as they both stopped and Revan turned to them.
"But why would the Jedi want to do that to you? Aren't they the good guys?" Canderous asked. "You said you defected." Revan snorted.
"The Jedi are hypocrites. They say how they want to achieve a balance in the Force and always defend those who can't defend themselves, but all they want is dominance and always act on what is in their best interest. The best example you can find is the Mandalorian wars. The enemy wasn't Sith, therefore it wasn't their problem." Revan explained. He entered the hold and seated himself on a bench with three seats in the shape of a quarter of a circle. Slowly, the room filled with the others and the Ebon Hawk was set to land on autopilot.
"Well, we're all here, so lets go." Revan said, making his way down the ramp of the ship, taking in the fresh and calming air of Dantooine. Bastila stopped beside him once she got out of the ship.
"Brings happy memories, doesn't it?" Revan asked her when she took a deep breath. She nodded absently, looking at the sky above the enclave's walls. Revan slowly continued his walk down a small decent and into a hallway connecting the landing area with the main courtyard. He was stopped by a young female Jedi.
"You, Padawan, why aren't you wearing the customary robes of the Jedi?" She demanded harshly. Revan found it amusing that he was being called a Padawan by someone that seemed that had just only became Knight by the looks of her. Well, he did hide his Force signature and only showed a minute fraction of it.
"Because I'm not a Jedi." He replied, making her raise a brow. "Not every Force user is a Jedi you know." Revan added, making her brow fall as she noticed he was in a company of two Jedi and a strange group of two men, a Twi'lek and a Wookiee.
"A Sith prisoner I see. You must be a weakling to be allowed to walk the enclave without any binders." She said with a mocking smirk, taking a step closer. Revan's amusement faded away. "You were probably beat up by that lowly group of in-sensitives and they called the Jedi to mop you off the floor." She said cockily. The Jedi was only a step away. Bastila and Marlena shared a shocked glance.
Revan glared darkly at the insolent Jedi. The light seemed to be darker than usual. He released a bit more of his Force signature and that enough to make the Jedi's eyes widen and and take a step back. He made her back into the tree that was in the center of the round courtyard. She was looking left and right to see if any of her friends were going to help her, but they were too stunned to move. Revan pointed a finger at her.
"I'm only showing a fraction of my power Jedi. It would be wise for you to humble yourself while you still have your life. You Jedi disgust me to the core." He spat, glaring at her for a moment longer then turning and slowly walking towards the Jedi council chambers. Just as she was about to sigh in relief, she saw Revan's finger make a twirling gesture and she felt the ground disconnecting with her feet. She gasped as the world turned into a twirling blur.
Revan smirked to himself. "That would teach the Jedi a lesson or two." He thought with satisfaction. Her expression was priceless. Sparing a glance over his shoulder, he saw the group still standing at the doorframe, looking with various expressions at the Jedi who was twirling helplessly in the air.
"He just used Force Whirlwind on a Jedi in the middle of the enclave..." Bastila thought blankly with wide eyes. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact as she was staring at the helpless Jedi.
Canderous was smirking at the show. Marek was a truly surprising person. Canderous never saw anyone stand against an arrogant Jedi like that. He had no doubts Marek was not a Sith, but he still didn't act like a Jedi either. It was like he was a lone warrior who cared nothing for anyone's rules, yet had a sense of honor. That was something that made his respect for the man grow.
"Come on!" Revan called out from the other side of the courtyard. Bastila was the first to start walking again, slowly followed by the others who kept their eyes on the rotating Jedi.
"This will get you into a lot of trouble Revan. You just attacked a Jedi in the middle of the enclave!" Bastila hissed, making sure nobody heard her. Revan stopped in front of the council door, his smirk still present.
"Bastila, with all the Jedi hold against me, teaching that arrogant fool a lesson is the least of my worries." Revan said, leaning his back against the closed door and crossing his arms, waiting for everybody to gather. "Not like I worry about what the Jedi think at any rate." He muttered to himself.
Once everybody gathered, he turned towards the door and opened it. He walked in first, taking in every Master in the council that was before him. A balding man in his sixties was standing to the very right of the half circle the council was forming in the room. The man had a look of half hidden resentment in his blue eyes. To anyone else it would have passed off as annoyance, but Revan knew the Master and knew what Vrook thought of him. To Vrook's right was a pink skinned Twi'lek with purple eyes. Zhar was the only Jedi Master he respected and liked. The Twi'lek was the favorite Master of many Padawans and Knights in the Order. Revan and Malak had the honor to train under him in their Padawan days.
The next Master was a small creature with pointy ears and green skin. Master Vandar was a powerful Jedi Master and one of the rare people who could actually win an argument with Vrook. Even though they had disagreements, Vrook and Vandar were old friends. The last member of the council was a dark skinned man with a balding head and green eyes. Master Dorak was the council's chronicler during the Mandalorian and the Jedi Civil War. He too trained Revan for a time.
Revan stood in the center of the room. "One Jedi delivered unharmed as promised." He announced in a casual tone as Bastila walked over to his side. She was about to give him a questioning look when she sensed something in her mind.
"Play along." She heard Revan's voice say, yet she couldn't see him talking or moving. She then remembered the bond she had with him ever since the battle on the Predator. Bastila decided to do as he asked her to do since she knew he wouldn't hide his identity for long. Zhar was the first to speak.
"It is a great relief to see you again young Bastila." He said. "I see you have brought company." He noted, taking a good look at the group which stood behind Revan and Bastila.
"Thank you Master." Bastila said with a respectful bow. "I have brought Marek Gundark here today because I sensed he has a very strong affinity in the Force. He, however, did not wish to come without his companions." Bastila explained. Vrook frowned at that.
"Why is that?" He inquired. He didn't like it when someone tried to lay down the terms on the Jedi council.
"I have very good reasons never to see the council again without escort of any kind." Revan said in a cold voice. This made the council members nervous. Vandar decided to speak.
"We are not aware you had been present before the Jedi council in the past." Vandar said in a calm tone, trying to settle down the nervousness. "We never implanted any memories of him seeing the council." He thought. "Perhaps he got a blurred memory of seeing the council as Revan." The old master reasoned, but it still didn't settle the nervousness.
"You all know what I'm talking about." Revan said. "You know exactly what I'm referring to." He added with heavy emphasis, his glare moving from Master to Master, only skipping Zhar. The Master was one of his favorite teachers and if he had learned anything about the man, he knew that Zhar had enough honor and dignity not to participate in his brainwash.
"No, it can't be!" Dorak exclaimed. "There is no way you could have..." He started in shock. Zhar, Vandar and Vrook had the same expressions of shock on their faces.
"What? I couldn't have overpowered that Sith ritual you pulled off?" He asked with a snort. "You Jedi should know better than mess with things that are beyond your comprehension. You underestimated me and used knowledge that was not designed for Jedi to wield. Your arrogance, ignorance and hypocrisy is what condemns you from the start." Revan said in a venomous tone.
"You're the only one excluded Zhar." He added, making the Twi'lek raise a surprised brow. "I know you Zhar, you wouldn't participate in something like this." Revan said honestly. "You've earned my respect during my Padawan days and that is something I don't give lightly."
"Wait, you said they tried to wipe your memory." Canderous said in a questioning tone. Marlena also took her turn to speak.
"What is happening here? What Sith ritual? The Jedi would never do that!" She exclaimed, outraged. "To imply the Jedi council itself would do something like that... it's like claiming Revan is alive!" She thought.
Revan turned to the group. "Yes Canderous, they tried to wipe my identity and seeing all the shocked faces here, I'm sure you see they failed." He said, motioning towards the Jedi behind him. "Marlena," He said, turning towards her. "And Bastila, this is referring to you too, the council is not all good and wise as they say they are. Anyone with half a brain can figure out that no being is perfect. The Jedi are desperate now and they don't care by what means they'll achieve dominance in the Force." Revan told the two Jedi. "Not like they ever do." He added more to himself.
"How dare you judge us!" Vrook cried in outrage. "We had no choice but subdue you! You're too dangerous to be left to roam free with your knowledge and power! We have to do everything necessary to achieve peace!"
"There is always a choice!" Revan shouted. "You fools tried to make me your pawn, a slave to your will! You didn't want to achieve peace, you wanted to use my power and knowledge to overpower the Sith!"
"What are you talking about?" Bastila asked in confusion. "Your mind was too damaged to be healed, they couldn't preserve your identity so they implanted a new one."
Revan chuckled. "Is that what they told you?" He asked with amusement. "Then tell me this; how am I standing here with all my memories restored if my mind was too badly damaged to be restored and only some memories will resurface as small visions?"
Bastila's expression turned to a thoughtful one and then it occurred to her. "Wait, I never told you about the resurfacing." She said accusingly. Revan smiled a faint smile.
"I have a general idea of what the council wants from me." He said. "Answer my question."
"The council had misjudged your power to heal and your condition." She said as if it's the most obvious thing in the universe. Revan was about to speak out, but another voice spoke before he could utter a word.
"I cannot take this any longer." Zhar said with a grim expression on his face, gaining everybody's attention. "We did not misjudge his condition nor power."
"Master Zhar!" Vrook interrupted sharply, sending the Twi'lek a glare. Zhar ignored him.
"The council planned to delete his identity and implant a new one, one obedient and with a small access to his memories, enough to show us how to beat the Sith while keeping all his power." Zhar said, feeling as if a rancor was lifted off his chest. That made Bastila and Marlena gasp in shock.
"What is this all about?" Carth demanded. "You're talking like Marek is a big fish in the Sith." He didn't mind Sith getting mind wipes, they all deserved it in his opinion, but he was very suspicious about Marek's role in all this. Revan turned towards the group again.
"I guess this as good as time as any." He said, taking a deep breath. "I am Revan, former Dark Lord of the Sith." The chamber fell silent. Everybody except Bastila and the Jedi Masters stared wide eyed at the man before them.
"Revan?" Mission asked blankly with a measuring look in her eyes. "You certainly don't act like a Sith, much less a Sith Lord. A Sith Lord wouldn't keep a 14 year old in his group and most certainly wouldn't bother helping her."
Revan merely raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. "Who said I was a Sith? I said Sith Lord."
"That kind of goes hand in hand." Carth said darkly, slowly pulling out his blaster and pointing it at Revan. Much to everybody's surprise, Canderous reacted to that by pulling out his Mandalorian heavy blaster and aiming it at Carth.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you flyboy." He threatened. Carth angrily glanced at the Mandalorian.
"You're protecting him?" He asked in an incredulous tone. "He destroyed your entire race, killed your leader, destroyed your weapons and armor before your very own eyes. How can you defend him?"
"He is the only one who could stand against our top military minds and win. Our armor and weapons can be rebuilt, our honor doesn't lie within them, it lies within ourselves. Revan killed Mandalore in a fair duel to the death, that makes him, in the eyes of any honorable Mandalorian, our new and only acceptable leader." Canderous said, looking at Revan straight in the eyes. "I'm with you no matter what path you choose."
Revan nodded respectfully. "I'm honored to have you with me." He replied, his lips forming a smile.
"Carth, you're no match for Revan, even when he's unarmed, even less when he's got Canderous with him, stop it." Marlena said. Carth glanced at her, then at Canderous and Revan. Holstering his blaster, he quickly stomped out of the chamber.
"This is... I don't know what to say..." Trask started. "You don't act like a Sith, nor a Jedi obviously, yet you helped us all to survive and helped people along the way." Revan raised a brow. "Bastila told us what you did for that old man." Trask explained. Revan glanced at Bastila for a moment. "We all know what you've done in the past, but I have an inexplicable feeling you're not a bad guy."
"What about you Zaalbar?" Revan asked. Zaalbar, as Revan was beginning to see, was a very quiet and closed person. It's really a surprising pair that Mission and Zaalbar make, almost fully in contrast, yet the best of friends.
"My sentiments are the same as Mission's, I am with you." Zaalbar stated. Revan gave a nod and then turned to the last two of his group.
"What about you two?" Revan asked. "You're Jedi, I can only imagine how this all feels." He added sympathetically. When he left the Jedi, he had already seen them for what they really are, so leaving wasn't much of a problem. Except one friend he had to leave behind...
"Saying that the Jedi Council would destroy a mind is like saying Revan is alive." Marlena thought, almost laughing at herself for thinking that. "When you talked, I sensed no deception, when you argued, I sensed conviction. I don't think you lied about anything you said and seeing that Master Zhar supports your claims and as he's one of the most respected and noble Masters in the Order, I think I'm going to take my chances with you." Marlena said, walking up to Master Vrook and handing him her lightsaber.
"I resign from the Jedi Order." She said solemnly, walking back to the group. Bastila watched Marlena all the way and then looked down at the ground.
"The Jedi are the closest thing to a family I have now, but Marlena is right, Revan didn't deceive us and he has the support of Master Zhar. Nothing he spoke was a lie, that I'm sure of." She thought. "Maybe the old Revan I knew is still there."
"Marlena is right, there was no untruth in his words. I too resign from the Jedi Order." Bastila said in the same solemn tone. Vrook was fuming.
"How dare you turn our own against us!" Vrook yelled out in rage. Revan raised both his brows.
"Turn them away?" Revan asked, his brows falling down into a serious expression. "You've done that all by yourselves." Vrook tightened his grip on Marlena's saber, his eyes narrowed.
"Bastila, we need you, you're the Republic's last hope in defeating the Sith!" Vrook reasoned. Revan gave a disbelieving look.
"If she was, you wouldn't keep her grounded at Padawan level when her powers are clearly that of a trained Jedi Knight. Don't say how it's about attitude or control, I just ran into a Jedi Knight ten times as bad as Bastila in a really bad mood. I have nothing more to discuss here." Revan said with finality as he turned to leave.
"Revan, we need you if the Republic has any hope of surviving. If you leave, you'll be an enemy of the Republic and the Jedi." Vandar said. Revan snorted.
"The Mandalorians couldn't defeat me, what makes you think a battered down Republic and a handful of Jedi can?" He asked, leaving the chamber with the group following after a few moments.
"Realistic, calculated and unrestricted by anything, he hasn't changed at all." Zhar mused with a small smirk tugging at his lips. Dorak put a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes.
"What do we do now?" Dorak asked, disappointment and weariness rolling off his voice. "All has went as wrong as it possibly could have."
"I'll go with him to monitor his actions and not allow him to do anything that would endanger the Jedi or the Republic." Zhar said in a calm tone. Vrook glared daggers, but said nothing. As Zhar was met with silence, he nodded to the council and strode to his room to get prepared. Everybody knew it was probably the last time they'll see the Jedi Master as a Jedi, but they didn't say anything.
Revan was standing in front of his newly forged crew. "I'm glad you all decided to stay with me, especially you two." Revan said, looking at Bastila and Marlena. "I know it's hard, but I'll try to make up for it. I assume none has finished their training, correct?"
He was met by two nods. "I have a proposition then. Even though I was a Jedi Knight at the time, I had picked up and learned everything I could from the Jedi, and later studied the teachings of the Sith. I can teach you everything I know if you have the will. I will not force you to learn Sith powers and techniques if you don't want to." Bastila and Marlena shared a glance.
"We accept your offer." Bastila said. "Thank you."
"No, thank you, it's the least I can do." Revan replied honestly. "Now," Revan started, addressing the whole group "as you probably expect, I have a plan. It is something the Council wanted of me, the source of the Sith fleet, the Star Forge." Everybody was listening intently. "The Star Forge is a large space station, slash factory. It is a construct of the dark side, using the power of the nearby star and the dark side to produce anything imaginable. Ships, satellites, droids, armor, it's all coming from the Star Forge. The factory itself is as old as the prime time of the race it was built by, 25 000 years."
That got quite a few surprised expressions and wide eyes. "That would make it 5000 years older than the Republic itself!" Bastila exclaimed. "There would have been evidence of their existance."
"Oh, but there are. The Rakata, the race that built the Star Forge, were dominating over almost every other race in the galaxy. Humans hadn't come into contact with them and that is one of the main reasons it's not recorded. They survive through vague legends within the races they enslaved. As for evidence, the ones left are five star maps, one is here on Dantooine, the others are on Kashyyyk, Manaan, Korriban and Tatooine." Revan said.
"The maps were once complete, and you would need only one to find the location of the Star Forge which lies above the world of Rakata Prime, but they were nearly destroyed by slave races breaking free of their masters. Since the Star Forge is made of the dark side and everything it creates is of the dark side, the exposure caused the Rakata to become corrupted and mostly die. There are only a few tribes left on Rakata Prime, their technological advance almost forgotten. As the star maps were created by the same technology as the Star Forge, they self repaired partially with time, but not completely. To find the Star Forge, you have to record all the data from the star maps into a datapad and when all are merged, they will reveal the coordinates."
"So basically we have to go and record all the maps, but what after?" Canderous asked. He wasn't someone who liked history, but the Rakata gained his interest, especially the fact that what they built is what makes the Sith fleet tick.
"Since there will be a gravitational shield around the Sith and the Star Forge, we have to go to Rakata Prime and disable it manually, once that is done, we destroy the Star Forge. That's the simple layout of the plan." Revan explained.
"You can't destroy the Star Forge with just a group of six. You would need at least a fleet if not an armada for that." Canderous stated, making Revan smirk.
"Leave that part to me." He stated simply, making everyone look at him with suspicion, but nobody said anything.
"Alright, we have some work to do. I will go and access the star map. Mission, Zaalbar and Trask are tasked with finding us food and clothes." Revan said, removing a handful of credits from his pocket and handing them to Trask. As Trask counted, he did a low whistle, making Revan chuckle. "It's just something that I got from Davik and I've got a lot more from the Sith back on Taris."
"Canderous, Bastila and Marlena, you're tasked with weapons, armor and first aid. I trust you can figure out what everybody would like." He said, handing them another handful of credits that was even larger than Trask's.
T3-M4 came from a corridor that lead to the hyperdrive and asked for his assignment. Revan looked down at the droid. "You secure the ship and keep a constant look out for tracking devices." Revan ordered, making the droid beep an affirmative and went into another corridor. He once again turned to the group. "You guys go, I'll just go and find a backpack and a datapad."
The group divided into groups and left the ship while Revan searched for the things. He found a couple of backpacks in the storage and five empty datapads in the communications room. Taking one of each, he left the ship and went for the central courtyard. Just as he turned a corner in the hallway connecting the landing pad and the courtyard he was met by Zhar coming the opposite way with a duffel bag over his shoulder.
"Ah, just the man I was looking for." Zhar said as he met Revan halfway. Revan smiled and raised a brow.
"What is a Jedi Master doing here with a duffle bag over his shoulder?" Revan asked in a friendly tone.
"I was hoping to join you on your journey whatever it might be." Zhar said. "If you would have me of course." Revan grinned. This was certainly something he wasn't expecting.
"Of course I would have you!" Revan said, hugging his old friend. "You're not wired or anything?" He joked.
"No." Zhar replied with a chuckle. "I told the Council I'm here to keep an eye on you, but I don't really know my reason yet. I just feel I should come with you. I do not sense much change in you from your days as a Jedi Knight. Your aura never Dark nor Light, but a light gray. I feel there will be much to discuss on that matter."
"There will be, I'm sure. You go ahead and leave your things. The dormitory is on the left side of the ramp. Just be sure to tell T3 I allowed you in." Revan said, starting for the other side of the hallway.
"Oh, and I almost forgot." Revan said, turning back to his mentor. "Would you mind helping me train Bastila and Marlena?" Zhar chuckled.
"Of course I would help you." He said. "They are one of the most promising students. After you of course." Zhar added with a smile, making Revan chuckle.
"Zhar left the Jedi, I'm just going to let him find that out on his own."
"Thank you." He said and walked into the courtyard. He glanced at the Jedi who was still reeling from the effect of the Force Whirlwind she had been put out of about ten minutes ago and continued his way out of the enclave into the plains. He overheard some of the people in the outside courtyard talk about Mandalorian raiders in the area and kath hounds acting violent. Luckily, he still had the prototype vibrosword and his blaster with him.
He moved through the plains, reliving memories and stopping only when he had to fight a group of kath hounds. He stopped at a certain blba tree that was on a small hill in the plain. It stood out from it's surroundings since there were little trees in the plain and this one was on the top of the hill, towering over it's environment. Revan sighed. "I can't believe I still love her after so long. She probably got over it by now." Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes. "I've got to check, I've got to see if she truly got over us or not, but not right now."
He opened his eyes, watching the tree intently. "I'm wasting time." He thought and with that he made it for a small passage between two raised fields. Finally crossing the last plain, he arrived at the dome-like structure that held the entrance to the underground halls underneath it. Revan activated the door's mechanism and entered the dark halls.
Revan was immediately assaulted by dark side energy, but he let it wash over him. He consumed it, but didn't let it consume him. Moving through the hall he opened another door to face a spider like droid with a large dome in the middle.
"Greetings Overseer." Revan said in Rakatan. "I am Revan, we have met a couple of years ago."
"I remember you, neither slave nor Builder." The Overseer replied. "You have previously proven yourself so I will not require you to do so again. You may see the star map."
"Thank you." Revan said and made his way to the star map. Opening the door, he entered a large room with only one object inside, a claw like mechanism that opened like a blossoming flower once Revan entered. He scanned it with his datapad and returned to the plains, biding farewell to the Overseer.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Asked a voice as soon as Revan exited the ruins. He tracked it to a Mandalorian in red Neo crusader armor flanked by two Mandalorians in blue Neo crusader armor on one side and a Duros on the other. "You must be either brave or crazy to travel this far into our territory."
"My business has nothing to do with you, move aside." Revan said, ready to draw his blaster in a split-second. The Mandalorian laughed.
"You're threatening me? I am Sherruk, I have killed anyone who dared to cross my territories, even Jedi." Sherruk said proudly. Revan raised a brow at that.
"The only Jedi you could kill would be Padawans. The Jedi as a whole do not specialize in fighting as much as the Sith do. Do you wager you could take former Sith Lord on?" Revan taunted, slowly drawing his vibrosword and charging it with electricity, making the air around it crackle and glow a light blue.
"Neat trick, powering up your vibrosword like that, but still a trick." Sherruk said, moving his hands behind his back and recovering two lightsabers, one green, one blue. "This however is not trickery." Sherruk added, waiting for his opponent to run for his life. Revan smirked. Before they knew it, the Duros was lifted into the air, clawing at his throat to make the invisible hand release him. With a snap his neck was broken and he was thrown at the two Mandalorians beside Sherruk. They hit a blba tree, falling unconscious.
"This ain't a trick either." Revan said. "You really should run while you still can, but make sure to drop the lightsabers."
Sherruk snarled and charged at Revan head on. Revan calmly readied himself into the starting stance of his personalized Juyo. It took the best out of each form and combined it into one. The form drew on his emotions and will to fight, making them empower his actions. Sherruk came down upon Revan with both of his sabers going in for a vertical slice. Revan sidestepped and pushed the blades away. He went in for a stab into Sherruk's side, but had to duck under a swipe from Sherruk's lightsabers. The Mandalorian was strong, he had no doubt of that, and him being enraged didn't help things, so Revan decided to dodge as much as he could. He knew he was out of practice with both vibrosword and lightsaber, but Sherruk wasn't a Force sensitive so it worked to his advantage.
Revan slashed diagonally, but Sherruk blocked it, forming an X with his sabers. They pushed with all their might against the other. Deciding to end the lock, Revan used the Force to push the Mandalorian a few meters back, making him lose his balance. Revan closed the gap and made a slash for Sherruk's check but he was blocked, although with less force, again by both of Sherruk's sabers. With trained expertise, Revan threw a punch with his left fist into the side of Sherruk's helmet, making him stumble to the side. As Sherruk stumbled, Revan swiftly turned a full circle, stabbing his blade into the Mandalorian's back and through his heart, giving him a quick death.
Looking at the corpse that was Sherruk, Revan sheathed the vibrosword and called the still active lightsabers to his hands, deactivating them and clipping them to his belt. Looking around, his gaze stopped at a hole inside a small cliff of a raised plain.
"The crystal cave." Revan noted, approaching the cave entrance and going inside.
Zhar went to the dormitory as Revan told him and put his bag on the last bunk in the dormitory. The dormitory was simple, four bunks on the right and a reserve bed on the left with a small table and chair in the corner.
After some time of familiarizing with the ship, Zhar concluded that it was a smuggling vessel, seeing that it had removable floor boards, lots of containers and what not. He was meditating in the main hold when he heard someone board the ramp. Standing up, he turned towards the corridor and waited for the group to arrive.
Canderous entered the main hold with two Mandalorian blaster carbines over his shoulders, a large heavy repeater in his hands along with four heavy blasters on his belt and about eight grenades. Behind him Marlena and Bastila were carrying duffel bags and levitating plasteel cylinders filled with energy cells, armor and grenades along with first aid kits. On their belts were two blasters, twelve grenades and a vibrosword strapped to their backs. They all stopped when they noticed Zhar.
"Master Zhar? What are you doing here?" Asked a dumbfounded Bastila. Marlena stared with equal amount of surprise. Canderous lifted the heavy repeater.
"Whatever he's doing, he can do it outside this ship." Canderous said in a tone that suggested he didn't trust the Twi'lek's intentions.
"Canderous!" Bastila exclaimed indignantly.
"It's alright Bastila, your friend's suspicions are understandable. I'm a Jedi Master and Revan just expressed his views upon the Jedi." Zhar said. "However, I met him just outside the central courtyard and he allowed me to accompany you on your journey." He explained. "He also asked me to help him with your training. I'm sure he knows a great deal more than me about the Force, both Light and Dark, but I will assist in any way I can."
"It's alright Canderous, only Revan could have told him he was going to train us." Bastila said. Canderous gave a measuring look and eased himself.
"Revan did say you're not a bad guy. Don't compromise his trust." Canderous said finally. Zhar relaxed too.
"I will not." Zhar replied. "I don't think we have been introduced, I am Zhar Lestin." Zhar said, offering a handshake.
"Canderous Ordo." Canderous said, holding the repeater in his left hand to shake hands. "I'll just leave these in the cargo hold." He excused himself.
"Is there any way I can be of assistance?" Zhar asked. Canderous eyed the repeater and then the Twi'lek in front of him. "I can handle it." The Jedi Master assured. Canderous handed him the repeater while he was taking control over the cylinders.
After they left the weapons and equipment in the cargo hold, Canderous and Zhar sat in the main hold to wait for the others while Marlena and Bastila left their things in the girls' dormitory as it was already called.
"So, you were Revan's master? Must be a hell of a Jedi then." Canderous said, eyeing the Jedi Master in his laid back position on the three seat bench.
"Revan is a very special man, his power is ever growing and he is always eager to learn more." Zhar responded. "I wasn't his only master, nor the last. He isn't what he is just because of me."
"You left a pretty good impression on Revan, I'm sure you were one of his best masters. As they say, the pupil is a reflection of the teacher. I'm sure you're a very powerful Jedi." Canderous stated with finality. Zhar chuckled.
"Perhaps." He concluded. Their attention turned to the direction of the boarding ramp as they heard a new set of footsteps. Out the hallway came a dirty and bruised Revan with two lightsabers at his belt and a rucksack on his back. His clothes had numerous cuts on them and his boots were stained with matter of questionable origin.
"I hate kinrath!" He spat, making the two men laugh. Revan glared at them. "Well, I'm glad you two got along." He said dryly, making his way to the refresher. "Trask and his group better get here soon with some new clothes." They heard him mutter as he turned the corner. Marlena and Bastila came to the hold.
"What was that?" Marlena asked. "Did somebody come back?"
"Yes, Revan has." Zhar answered. "After apparently having..." He said, glancing at Canderous with a smirk. "met some kinrath."
As if on cue, Revan came back into the hold, having washed his face and hands, but still looking like he was trampled. Bastila fought back a gasp while Marlena put a hand over her mouth to hide a rather large grin. The more Bastila was watching him, the harder it got to fight the urge to laugh.
"At least you don't..." Revan started but got cut off by the two women losing control and laughing. "...laugh." He finished with a dark expression on his face. He dropped the backpack beside the holoprojector.
"I wanted to give you these lightsabers, but now you're gonna have to make them on your own." Revan said. The two stopped laughing and noticed the two sabers clipped to his belt as he was retrieving a couple of crystals from the backpack.
"What? Where did you get those?" Bastila asked. Zhar raised a brow when he noticed the lightsabers.
"I killed a Mandalorian who happened to have gained these as trophies." Revan said, turning with two blue crystals in his hands.
"We are really constructing our lightsabers?" Marlena asked. Revan was silent for a minute.
"No. You're lucky I rarely like designs that are not my own." He said, pocketing the crystals, handing Marlena the blue lightsaber and Bastila the green one. Marlena weighed the saber in her hand and gave a satisfied nod. They heard Trask, Mission and Zaalbar come onboard.
"Hey guys." Mission said as she walked in. She noted Zhar sitting next to Canderous on the bench. "Aren't you that Jedi Master Revan said he liked?" She inquired curiously.
"Indeed I am." Zhar said. He was surprised that someone so young would have a part in Revan's crew, but he had no doubts she has proven herself a worthy ally to Revan. "I am Zhar Lestin."
"Mission Vao, nice to meet you." Mission said. As they were talking, Trask and Zaalbar walked in with a bunch of bags in tow. After they met the Jedi Master and left the things in the cargo hold with Revan taking a black jacket with matching trousers and a white T-shirt, everybody assembled in the main hold.
"T3, are clear of any bugs or tracking devices?" Revan asked the astromech. The droid responded with an affirmative series of beeps. He turned to the group.
"Alright, since Zhar is not introduced with the plan, I will do a recap. I am aware that what the Jedi Council wants from me is the source of the Sith armada. The source is a 25,000 year old space station that uses the power of a star to generate materials for constructing anything from armor and weapons to ships and Interdictors." Zhar listened intently, his hand holding his chin. "The location to this space station is in five star maps that are located on Tatooine, Kashyyyk, Korriban, Manaan and here on Dantooine. I have recovered the data from the star map here, but since all maps were damaged, we need the combined data of all five to locate the Star Forge."
"So we are going to the four planets to retrieve data from the other maps." Zhar said. "But what of the Star Forge? If it is the source of the armada, it will surely be heavily defended."
Revan allowed a small smirk to cross his features. "When we get the coordinates, we will let them accidentally slip to the Republic, but not before I can resolve some issues revolving around the Star Forge..." Revan said, his smirk fading and his eyes showing a hint of sadness. "...and a personal matter."
"Even if we manage to get to the planet, how do we get into the Star Forge?" Trask asked. Revan calmed himself, straightening as he spoke.
"What I am about to say is rare knowledge, one that not even Malak possesses." Revan said, making everybody perk up in expectation. "Since we all require some preparation before our journey. Bastila and Marlena need to hone their skills while I myself must familiarize myself with using a lightsaber and the Force again. Sith soldiers and kinrath don't really count as skilled opponents after all. We are traveling to a top secret complex I have constructed on Fibuli."
"We are going to a Sith base?" Bastila asked, a mixture of emotions passing through her. Revan chuckled.
"Do I strike you as a Sith right now?" Revan asked. "I am not, and never was, a Sith. A Sith Lord is only a title. I am a Gray Jedi. I have been since my late days as Padawan, but that is another story. What matters is that we are not going to a Sith base, we're going my base of operations, a place for Gray Jedi and any man or woman loyal to me or my ideals."
There was a long silence until Marlena spoke out finally. "What is a Gray Jedi?" She asked.
"It is a rarely mentioned faction of Force users that is so low in number that it's not even sure they exist anymore." Zhar said, watching Revan with a contemplative look on his face. "They are known for acknowledging and emotions while not letting them take control over them. Gray Jedi always did what they thought was right, no matter against whom or what they fought to achieve their goals." Zhar explained. Revan nodded in confirmation.
"This explains it. This is why you haven't changed, but the only question that remains is why have you turned." Zhar said finally, relieved and happy that he was in fact never wrong about his most promising student.
"That is a story I will share with you, but at another time. You do not need the burden yet." Revan said. "Now, everybody, get some rest, it's been a long day. I'll set course for Tython." He concluded the meeting, making his way to the cockpit.
The dark orange and silver Dynamic-class freighter rose into the blue and orange dusk sky of Dantooine, breaking through the atmosphere and disappearing amongst the stars as it entered hyperspace.