Chapter Ten
Disclaimer: I do not own KotOR.
"You know, this place looks vaguely familiar," Revan remarked once they had finally reached the ruins the Jedi had barely heard of despite being only a mile and a half away from their enclave. "I think maybe I've been here before…"
"Don't be absurd," Bastila said quickly. "If you had been here before then you would have had to have come to the Enclave before as it's the only place to land a ship on the planet and you seem quite certain you've never spent much time around Jedi before now."
"True," Carth agreed. "But that doesn't explain why he seems to know so much about them…"
"It's probably the Force bond," Bastila lied. "And this place likely looks familiar just because you saw it in your dream."
Revan crinkled his forehead. "Why would I dream about ancient buildings? That's…really, really boring. It's bad enough that I have to be here now. Why would I spend my sleeping moment thinking about that when I could be dreaming about…" he cut himself off unexpectedly and coughed awkwardly. "Well, this isn't exactly the top of my list."
"You can't choose what you dream about, Revan," Carth pointed out.
Revan looked surprised. "You can't? Strange, I always do."
"That's probably your affinity for the Force showing itself again," Bastila theorized. "And we talked about the dream, remember? We shared the dream of Revan and Malak coming out here and that's why the Council asked us to investigate."
"I know that," Revan said crossly. "I'm not stupid, you know. I just also happen to remember saying even then that I had no idea what you were talking about as far as this 'shared dream' went."
"I'm fine with you not remembering the dream that I know I felt your presence in," Bastila said calmly. "As long as you don't go looking for alternative ways you could have been here."
"That sounds equally dull," Revan yawned.
"Alternative ways?" Carth asked, uncertain as to whether he really wanted to know.
Bastila shrugged. "You know, like deciding that he's secretly a Sith Lord by the same name whose footsteps we are retracing even now."
Carth frowned. "That sounds rather unlikely. Why would he think that?"
"Because they have the same name and it's Revan," Bastila said flatly as if that was all the explanation she needed to give. Then again, given that it WAS Revan, maybe it was. Neither of her companions pressed for more information at any rate. "What I do wonder is why Malak was so frightened of the Jedi finding out that he was exploring the ruins. He and Revan made it sound like entering was crossing some sort of line but as no one seems to know anything about it, let alone what's inside, I can't see the consequences for entering would be too severe."
"Maybe he was just worried that entering the ruin would be too much on top of everything else," Carth suggested. "I mean, this did take place after the war, right? And from what I heard the Jedi weren't too happy about that."
Revan snorted. "That's an understatement. I believe the Jedi Council quietly kicked them out of the Order but knew that since they weren't doing anything to aid in the defense of the Republic against the Mandalorians that publically disavowing the only Jedi who were would have lead to long-term public relations problems. And Malak was only waxing poetic about what a final step that was and that there was no turning back because he always had a flair for the dramatic and he was trying to get Revan more excited about it. Not that that worked, of course, but he never did stop trying…"
Carth turned around to stare at him. "Wait, what? How do you know all of that? That's hardly public knowledge and I know I haven't heard any of that-"
"It was in the dream," Bastila claimed. "Odd how Revan seems to know so much about it considering he insists he can't remember it."
"Alright," Carth said hesitantly. "But if I find out you two are lying to me then it's just going to give me more trust issues."
Bastila shuddered and hoped that he would understand the need for discretion (well, sort of discretion) if – when, really, as it was highly unlikely that Revan's secret identity as Revan could be kept secret after their first encounter with Malak – the truth eventually did come out. It was unlikely but she couldn't very well tell him now! He didn't understand how important this was to the war effort and how, for all that she was called the Republic's Only Hope, she really was sharing that burden with their resident former Sith Lord. "Understood."
Revan blinked innocently at him. "You have trust issues? And you never told me? Great, now I'm going to develop some…"
Carth sighed as he was once against confronted by proof that Revan cared very little about his life. "Let's…just go inside."
Once Revan, Bastila, and Carth passed through the ominous archway leading to the secret ominous ruins they encountered a secret ominous droid. It was a bit strange, though, in that the journey didn't feel nearly as life-changing as dream-Malak had made it sound. Then again, perhaps Revan was right and he really was just hamming it up.
"Do you feel that?" Bastila asked, shivering.
"Are you cold?" Carth asked politely.
Bastila shook her head. "No…well, a little actually, now that you mention it. That wasn't what I was referring to, though. This place…there is evil in it. I can feel it."
Carth looked skeptically at her. "Evil. Right."
"It's true!" Bastila insisted.
"Evil isn't a tangible force, Bastila," Carth lectured. "It is only an abstract concept found in the hearts of men that leads them to commit terrible acts."
"I hear you, Carth," Revan spoke up. "But you'll never convince the Jedi of that. Trust me, I've tried. I think. Or at least I feel that it's something important enough that I would have tried had I been given the opportunity. They claim the Force is making them do all sorts of terrible things which really seems like a cop-out to me. If I ever turn evil, I want it to be known that I wasn't tricked or coerced in the slightest but knew exactly what I was doing the entire time."
"That almost makes it worse…" Bastila murmured. "And the dark side of the Force really is a huge threat that Jedi have to struggle against every day of their lives and that's why emotional attachment is so dangerous. Just one slip-up and-"
"She means Jedi often get fed up by the archaic restrictions placed upon them and so leave the Order and occasionally decide to kill a bunch of people or declaring themselves a Sith Lord sounds like fun, leading to ever-increasing restrictions which cause more promising young Jedi to leave the fold in a never-ending cycle of death and redemption," Revan interrupted to translate for Carth. "And I suppose to be fair to them, they need SOME reason why so many of them turn evil at some point."
The ancient droid in the center of the room suddenly began speaking to them.
"I can't understand it," Carth announced. "But that's hardly surprising. What's it saying, Bastila?"
"I'm not certain," Bastila confessed. "I don't recognize the language. It sounds ancient, though."
"It says that I sound like Revan," Revan announced. "Which I suppose I do, being named Revan myself, but I don't know how this droid would have recognized my voice. And you think that if it did somehow it would have known what I looked like and commented on that as well. Unless it's a blind droid? If that's the case then I just feel very sorry for it."
The droid spoke again.
"Oh, it says it's not blind but the last time it heard my voice I was wearing some ridiculous hooded getup," Revan amended.
"That's strange," Carth frowned.
"It probably downloaded the knowledge from somewhere," Bastila dismissed. "Maybe Revan was on the holonet."
"Were you ever wearing a ridiculous hooded getup on the holonet?" Carth asked, curious despite himself.
"Of course not," Revan denied. "Well, except that once. No, better make that a few times. I had this girlfriend, you see, and she was into that kind of thing."
The droid made an impatient sound.
"Oh, it asks if we're here seeking the Star Map," Revan translated.
"Possible," Bastila said cautiously. "Is that what Revan and Malak were here for?"
The droid spoke again.
"It would appear that they were," Revan informed her. "Which it really feels that I should already know for some reason. The Star Map will lead to the Star Forge, which is apparently a very powerful factory that could conceivably be used to churn out a seemingly endless supply of ships, armor, and weapons. It also said that we would have to fight two droids each guarding a computer terminal in which we'd have to answer a question before the door to the chamber containing the Star Map will open up. It also wants to know if we have questions or if we're not as stupid as you two look."
"It did not say that!" Bastila exclaimed.
Revan shrugged. "Believe me or don't, that's your prerogative. Do try and remember which one of us can understand ancient Rakatan, though."
"Rakatan?" Carth repeated. "Is that the language? I've never heard of it."
"Well, the Rakatan have long since fell from prominence," Revan explained. "Long before the Republic was formed, they had an intergalactic empire and had conquered a good portion of the known universe as well as some parts of it we have not yet encountered."
"The droid told you all of that?" Bastila asked, surprised.
"Huh? Oh, no. I just really like history and languages," Revan explained.
"That's not consistent with any history I've heard and I don't even vaguely recognize that language," Bastila said doubtfully.
The droid made a few more noises.
"It says I was right about everything although it usually refers to the Rakatan as 'the builders', though now that it thinks about it I'm right as far as the name goes," Revan said smugly. "Now if that's all, we really should get a move-on. This place is kind of boring."
"And evil," Bastila added.
"Not to mention cold," Carth chimed in.
"Oh look, a dead body!" Revan exclaimed, making a beeline for the body in question.
"How did I know you'd be the one to find the dead body in this place?" Carth wondered aloud. "Seriously, your uncanny ability to locate those is kind of creepy."
"You're just jealous," Revan sniffed.
"J-jealous?" Carth sputtered. "Why would I-"
"Is that Nemo?" Bastila gasped, kneeling down to get a better look. "Oh, it is…poor Nemo…"
Revan started snickering. "So we found Nemo, huh?"
Bastila smacked Revan on the head. "That is hardly the proper respect for the dead you were complaining no one had an hour or so ago at the Sandal estate."
"Yeah but…Finding Nemo!" Revan protested.
"I don't get it," Carth said.
"Me either," Bastila concurred.
Revan sighed heavily. "Oh, never mind…"
With that, they stood and made their way to the door in front of them. They soon came to three more doors. The door directly in front of them seemed to be sealed and so presumably housed the Star Map. The doors on the right and the left could be opened, however.
"I vote that since Revan is the only decent fighter here he goes and faces one of the droids and Bastila and I face the other," Carth offered.
"Hey!" Bastila protested. "I am too a decent fighter!"
"Are you in Revan's league?" Carth asked simply.
Bastila frowned. "Well, no. That doesn't reflect poorly on my own abilities though because, honestly, REVAN."
"I'm not sure I like this plan," Revan complained. "Can't you guys do this? I've been carrying us this whole time."
"All you did was translate," Bastila pointed out.
"And if I hadn't we might have been stuck there for hours while it tried to find a language we understood. Or maybe, since it is REALLY ancient it never would have," Revan insisted.
"You know, you're right," Carth cried out.
"He is?" Bastila asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I am?" Revan was equally surprised by the unexpected support.
"Of course he is," Carth nodded. "He saved a lot of time. You know what else would save time? If the three of us didn't kill one droid then have to move on to the other."
"But…I…" Revan trailed off, looking helpless. "Fine."
He stormed off in one direction and Bastila and Carth went the other. Shortly after Revan stepped inside the door, the blue shield of a droid powered up and the unit in question advanced menacingly on him.
Revan sighed. "I always hate having to kill a droid…still, you leave me no choice. Well, no choice that wouldn't take quite a bit of time and effort as I'm not familiar enough with your circuitry for an easy rewiring."
Revan dutifully ignited his double-bladed violet lightsaber (did he mention how badass that looked? No wonder the Sith started using it. Red lightsabers were just eyesores but at least they weren't as bad as orange) and stepped forward.
Roughly five minutes later, the droid was in pieces at his feet. "Well, that was easy enough," he declared. "Now, for the computer console."
He pressed a button and a series of non-Basic characters appeared on the screen. 'Choose three life giving environments: Desert, Grassland, Oceanic, Barren, Volcanic, and Aboric.'
"Wow, and they even give you options?" Revan mused as he typed out 'Grassland, Oceanic, and Aboric'. "This test is easy. I guess it really only is to weed out those that fail epically like Nemo apparently did. Honestly, how he managed to get himself killed even before getting to the room with the killer droids is beyond me…some people are just too pathetic to live, I guess. Although that doesn't explain how he got to be so old, though. The mind is the first thing to go, I guess? Or, to be more accurate, the badassery? Remind me never to get old…"
His task done, Revan strolled back the way he came. Bastila and Carth weren't waiting for him and he could hear the unmistakable sound of blaster fire coming from the room his companions had disappeared down.
"Typical," Revan muttered as he grudgingly set off after them. He found Carth crouching behind a pillar shooting erratically at the droid (and futilely as its shield was holding up) while Bastila at least was doing a little bit of damage as she hacked away at it with her lightsaber.
Soon after Revan joined the fray that droid, too, was vanquished and Bastila moved over to the console. "This doesn't make any sense," she noted. "I suppose this might be in the same language the droid was speaking out there? I see a slot, maybe I should put a datapad in there so it can hook up with the interface-"
"That sounds far too complicated," Revan cut her off. "Let me see… 'Choose three death giving environments: Desert, Grassland, Oceanic, Barren, Volcanic, and Aboric.'" He quickly typed in 'Desert, Barren, Volcanic. "You know, even if I only knew one set of answers it's really process of elimination…"
Bastila just shook her head in annoyance at how easy this was for Revan – and some slight trepidation as there must be some reason he knew this and if he remembered it probably wouldn't end well – and took off towards the Star Map, Carth and Revan following at her heels.
As they'd expected, the formerly sealed door was open and they boldly passed through it.
In the middle of the room was an ancient-looking three-pronged device. As the three stepped closer to investigate, it opened up to reveal…well, a star map, as the name had suggested.
"Manaan…Korriban…Kashyyyk…Tatooine," Bastila murmured after a few minutes of silent study.
"Telos…Nar Shaddaa… Onderon…Malachor…" Revan mimicked. When Bastila turned to glare at him, he smiled innocently back at her. "What? I thought we were just randomly listing planets?"
"That is not what we're doing," Bastila snapped.
"Well, it might be what Revan was doing," Carth disagreed.
"Well, it wasn't what I was doing," Bastila insisted. "This map is incomplete although I recognize those four planets I named. I suspect that if we go to those four planets we'll find Star Maps there and then we can piece together the location of the Star Forge."
Revan and Carth exchanged looks, for once on exactly the same wavelength.
"No, just no," Carth said.
"I've got better things to do," Revan claimed.
"And I've really got to get back to the Republic," Carth added.
"And this is just making me reconsider my decision not to join the Sith," Revan remarked.
Bastila shivered at the last one. "Well it's too bad you feel that way," she said with a tight smile. "But ultimately it is up for the Council to decide."
Revan groaned. "What? But they've always hated me! This is so not fair…"
"What do you mean 'always'?" Carth demanded, his paranoia flaring up.
Bastila sighed heavily. "Let's…let's just go, shall we?"
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