Updated 07 NOV 06 with much more character dynamic and dialog. I want to build the relationships between Revan, the Exile, Malak, Bandon, Vrook, and others.
The Power of the Sword - Part II
The Sylvan Forest of Deralia
In the forest, Revan followed the droid as birds sang and crickets chirped. The cobblestone path was quaint and it brought a smile to Revan's lips and she felt at peace and idle thoughts played through her mind.
There are still so many things I do not understand in the Order. I don't understand why the Jedi do not intervene in the Mandalorian War. We could bring peace and prosperity to the entire galaxy if they would only bring their power to bear. We would have a time of unlimited growth. Also, I don't understand why love is so terrible. My union with Malak has made us stronger. The High Council doesn't understand that things have changed. We must adapt for the greater good.
When they emerged on the far side of the forest, a speeder was waiting and they got in. It sped off toward a compound, kilometers away. The gates to the estate opened as they approached and the speeder parked next to a sparkling fountain. Revan and the droid stepped off and proceeded into the estate.
She was led through dark wood hallways carpeted in rich fabrics with holo images of distinguished persons adorning the walls. Eventually, they came to a courtyard, where a number of men sparred with vibroswords. Another man sat beneath a parasol, watching the mock combat and the droid led Revan to him.
"Jedi Revan, might I present Lord Dakar."
Revan made a curt bow as the man motioned for her to sit. He was attired in robes of deep teal and gold with a bulbous felt hat. Revan thought he might be in his forties and his brown hair was just beginning to gray.
"Lord Dakar, I bring greetings from the Jedi Council on Dantooine."
The man nodded warmly. "Thank you, I trust that you have something of mine."
Revan took out the holocron and held it momentarily. She had noticed that the men in the courtyard had stopped sparring and were standing nearby as if waiting for something. Also, out of the corner of her eye she could see droids coming from the estate…and they were armed.
Revan blinked and a sense of urgency filled her heart. She looked the man in the eye and knew something was wrong. He saw it in her face and nodded to the men. Suddenly, a cord wrapped around her neck. The master manipulator had been manipulated.
Revan was pulled backward as the cord tightened. She dropped the holocron, which was scooped up by the faux Lord Dakar. Revan's eyes rolled back and she gasped for air.
As her vision blurred, she saw a man raising a vibrosword at her. Desperately, she centered herself and focused her mind. She spun, placing the man with the garrote in the path of the falling sword. There was a slashing noise and the sound of a man screaming; blood sprayed over Revan and the cord went slack.
Revan fell forward as blaster bolts from the droids hit around them. She inhaled several deep breaths as her lightsaber came to life. She leapt up, taking a Soresu-Form stance and held her weapon out. The lightsaber whirled around her, deflecting bolts in every direction. She was surrounded by hostile forces and tried to move to gain the advantage, but men rushed her, braving certain death to get at the Jedi.
Revan sliced neatly through two men before several slammed into her. In a mass, they tumbled to the ground as men pinned her arms.
"Grab the lightsaber!" they yelled.
Flashes of Revan's Padawan trial seared through her mind followed by an image of an alien droid standing before an ancient computer in an abandoned ruin. Tendrils of dark and forbidding power surged through her and her eyes glowed yellow for a moment.
"What the-" a man on top of her began.
The men holding her were hurled by unseen hands high into the air. Droids fell backward, sparking and twitching as if hit by a wave of invisible water. Revan rose and reclaimed her weapon with an eerie sense of ease. As one man fell back to the ground, she sliced through him, scattering his parts over the grass. Calmly, she finished off the stunned guards one by one, soaking in their terror as the searing blade of energy took their lives.
The faux Lord Dakar looked on in horror; a mere Padawan could never have defeated his force. His jaw fell open as Revan raised her hand, yanking the holocron from his grasp.
Revan walked up to the man, forcing him to his knees with her power. He cringed and sobbed, begging for his life.
"Bow to me and I shall spare your life. I may have use for you in time. You will serve the greater good."
"I swear it! I will serve you!" he pleaded.
Revan looked him over as he knelt before her and she noticed something odd. "What is this? Some disguise?" she said as she ripped the syntheskin from his face, revealing a much younger man. "Who are you? Who do you work for?"
"M-my name is Atton…Atton Rand. I was hired by Motta the Hutt to get the holocron."
Revan nodded. "I see. I release you from his employment because you now work for me."
The Dakar Estate
Later, Revan did meet with the real Lord Dakar and provided him with the holocron. As she was treated to the finest accommodations the Deralian Lord could offer, she met the Lord's daughter, Aerin Dakar.
Their appearance was remarkably similar, but Aerin was peaceful and serene in her demeanor. The young noblewoman was gentle, preoccupied with cutesy items and was a great lover of animals. Although Revan enjoyed her company, she thought Aerin was rather vacuous and unambitious despite having great potential and training. Their personalities could not be more different.
Revan smirked at her near twin derisively. There, but for the grace of the Force, go I.
When her trial was complete, Revan returned to Dantooine and was elevated to Knighthood in a secret and austere ceremony honoring millennia of Jedi tradition. Master Vrook bestowed upon her cortosis-woven robes of blue and gray along with a Jenraux Crystal to be used in defense.
Master Vrook beamed with pride and lauded the accomplishments of his pupil and Revan basked in the glow of her Master and surrogate father. Despite their differences on the Mandalorian Wars, they had become as close as any family.
Revan bowed low and accepted these treasures. She meditated with her holocron and fed more of herself into the cube along with her ambition and desire.
Her level of prowess had not been seen for decades and she had attained her rank before reaching the age of 20, something unheard of for ages. Little did they know how her power had been enhanced by ancient sorcery.
A fortnight later, Revan stood before a throng of young Jedi and all eyes were upon her. "The time is drawing near," she said with conviction, "for us to cast off the old, stogy cloak of the Order and to venture forth to save the Republic. No one else will do it, so it must be we who make the sacrifice."
The crowd went wild.
Malak rose and stood beside her, holding her hand up. "We will not fail because our hearts are pure."
Mai-Lyn also leapt up, her face full of passion. "No sacrifice will be too great."
Revan went up to the golden-haired woman and embraced her. "You and Malak will be my sword and shield. Mai-Lyn, now is the time. Go and bring Atris into our fold. I shall meet with Bastila."
Mai-Lyn hesitated for a moment as if thinking. "Revan, I do not have a good feeling about Atris. Though she has been my friend, she is shy and retiring, not wanting to get involved in any controversy. I have tried to influence her, but I lack your charisma."
"It is not all charisma, my friend. There is finesse too. You have to know what makes someone tick…what motivations they have…what they like and what they fear. Only then, can you make people do what you want. It is an easy skill, I will teach you in time."
"I look forward to it, Revan. I shall go now and meet with Atris, but I must tell you, that I will miss Master Kavar. He has been a beacon and an inspiration to me. I have learned much under his gentle hand."
Revan made a sly smirk. "Was he that gentle?" she asked, insinuating something else and Mai-Lyn blushed furiously.
"How would you know? There are things that a Jedi should not discuss."
Revan grasped Mai-Lyn by the face and gazed into her eyes. "I know all that goes on around here. I know that he made you happy and that is all I care about. Would he join us?"
Mai-Lyn shook her head. "No, he would not. The Order is his life…I just hoped that it would include me as well."
"I am sorry, he is a good man. Come, we must attend to Bastila and Atris."
The Courtyard
Revan found Bastila wandering through the Courtyard. I have not spoken to my friend as of late. She seems distant…subdued by the will of the masters. I will show her the true path. She must see that we are righteous in our motivation. A lump formed in Revan's throat and perspiration beaded on her palms. Something was not right.
Bastila was meditating, focusing her energy and immense power flowed through her and she gasped, losing contact with the Force. Bastila then seemed to feel a presence behind her.
"Bastila," announced Revan, "I'm sorry that I have been so busy. You have been like a sister to me and I have missed our chats. I have missed our friendship."
"Knight Revan, please have a seat."
Revan sat, inhaling the scent of Gardenia. With a strange smile, Revan looked Bastila in the eye. "My Sister, I have seen how you have grown. Your power has manifested itself nicely," she said. Then, she leaned forward and her face took on a conspiratorial look. "I am going to tell you something in confidence and I know you will listen."
Bastila nodded.
"I am going to join the Republic. I have the support of most of the young Padawans and I know you have the foresight to join me. With you and Malak by my side, we will be invincible."
Bastila's face turned ashen gray and her expression was as stone.
"Knight Revan, please…do not speak like that. You are talking about treason to the Order."
"It is for the greater good, Bastila. What good is the Order if the Republic falls to Mandalore? We would be nothing," Revan urged.
Bastila turned away from Revan's intense gray eyes, a fierce and dangerous dragon's eyes. "Knight Revan, go if you must, but I shall respect the will of the Order. I shall not follow you."
Revan fell back as if struck. "You fool, how dare you defy me. We are friends…." she added, holding out a last hope that Bastila would relent.
"Not any more…leave me."
Revan paused for a moment before she spat on the ground before Bastila. "Weakling. How could I have thought that you would be anything?" she said and stormed off in search of false glory...and darkness.
As Revan stomped away, her cheeks blushed red. Rarely was she denied her desire. Bastila's fading sobs meant nothing.
Who does she think she is? I made her…she is nothing without me.
Despite her anger, something kept Revan from using her power to overwhelm her friend and force her compliance…something still noble. Inside, she fumed over the rejection as she walked away to find Malak.
She found him in the lounge. "It is time," she said calmly with grim determination.
"I am ready. I see that Bastila decided to remain a sheep. Atris did as well. I just spoke to Mai-Lyn. It did not go well."
"Forget them. They are no more than dust now. Gather the true believers."
Malak smiled, that infectious boyish grin that had charmed Revan since the beginning. "It's already begun. Bandon is spreading the word, while Mai-Lyn ushers in the women. Sion, Nisotsa, and Mohitos are shepherding the men. Moritz and Carriaga Sin are providing intelligence."
Word spread quietly through the rebellious Padawans and they gathered in the predawn mist. Along with Malak and Mai'Lyn, Revan led the group onto a landing pad, where a number of shuttles awaited. She had forced friendly transponder codes from the mind of a controller and had sent them to Atton Rand, her Deralian agent. The doors to the lead shuttle opened to reveal her servant and the Padawan force congregated, anticipation electrifying the young group. Revan climbed halfway up the shuttle steps and turned to her followers.
"Brave soldiers of the Republic, we embark upon the great adventure. You have proven yourselves worthy to fight by my side. Come, we shall purge our beloved worlds of the hateful enemy!"
Cheers sprung up from the horde and they streamed onto the waiting shuttles. Revan and Malak watched with satisfaction until a single voice penetrated the darkness and stopped everything. Revan turned to see Master Vrook approach. Malak moved, but Revan stayed him with her hand.
"I'll handle this," she said, walking to meet Vrook.
With the mist between them, she bowed before her lifelong teacher. "Master Vrook," she said with the tiniest hint of regret.
He scowled at her, barely able to contain his anger. "Revan, I cannot allow you to do this. You betray the Order. It is sacrilege."
Revan spread her arms in honest apology. "I am truly sorry, Master. You have no say in this any longer. You gave me your answer earlier. Would you see the Republic destroyed for the inertia of the High Council? It is for the greater good."
"You keep saying that, but you have no idea what it means. Your arrogance will destroy you, Revan."
Vrook's pupil bit her lip. "Believe what you wish, Master, it changes nothing. Please, let us go." She turned to depart, but Vrook reached out and grabbed her arm. She shrugged his hand off angrily and turned back at him with a venomous look.
The old Master shook as he fought to contain his growing rage at her betrayal. "Revan, I challenge you. Stand and face me. Should you be victorious, you are free to depart. Should you fall, everyone stays."
Suddenly, Revan's expression changed and she laughed, an eerie, high-pitched laugh. She was unrecognizable to Vrook in her arrogance and pride. "Very well, Master. I accept," she said gaily as though she were merely going for a stroll with her teacher and not agreeing to fight to the death.
Though reluctant to duel her master, she knew she could not refuse for fear of losing all credibility with her new army. She swallowed the bile building in her throat and focused her resolve.
Revan sidestepped gracefully, igniting her lightsaber and the cobalt blue blade shot forth with a hiss. Vrook narrowed his eyes and responded in kind with his golden weapon, regretting his gifts to his rebellious student. He settled into a balanced Niman stance, neutral and flexible.
They circled warily until Revan took a defensive stance, weight on her back leg, blade angled over her shoulder. This was the most powerful of forms that Vrook had taught her; Juyo, a style reserved for only the most talented masters.
Their eyes locked in mutual antagonism, neither able to gain a mental advantage. They were now oblivious to the scores of watchful eyes upon them.
Vrook launched a series of powerful strikes, which Revan deflected and dodged. As their weapons locked, Vrook extended his power outward, but to his amazement, Revan withstood his mental assault. A smile creased her lips as she seized the initiative.
Switching to the Shien Form, Revan launched two fierce uppercuts that forced Vrook backward and he spun to parry her attacks away. Blue and golden light arced and sizzled throughout the morning mist.
The duel raged for uncounted minutes between parry and riposte, reprise and remise. Despite his command of the Force, Vrook began to breathe heavily, fighting to keep up with Revan's athleticism as she injected attacks from Ataru. She leapt and darted about, striking from all angles; she was a blur of power.
Feeling his waning strength, Vrook unleashed the last of his energy, hurling a massive wave of the Force at his opponent.
Translucent coils swept around Revan, and washed over Malak, Bandon, Mai-Lyn and many others, hurling them backward onto the ground. However, Revan stood, unfazed.
Seeing that his power had failed, Vrook rushed at her, their lightsabers meeting in mid air. Amid the crackling sounds, Revan shifted her weight ever so slightly to change her center of balance. Revan withdrew her blade and Vrook stumbled forward. With a torque of her hips, Revan swung her blade at Vrook's neck, stopping her lightsaber a centimeter from his throat. The heat burned his skin.
Vrook froze and Revan blinked; a silence fell over the field. The young woman's mouth fell open, surprised at her own victory. Revan almost wished that Vrook had won; that he had stopped her. A tear rolled down her cheek and she choked silently.
"Goodbye my Master. Please forgive me…I have to do this."
She deactivated her lightsaber and turned her back on all that she had known and stood for.