Roche...subjugated. Axxila, subjugated. Allanteen, subjugated. Yag'Dhul, subjugated. Telos IV...decimated!? Revan dropped the datapad on the floor of the Star Forge's observation deck. I didn't make that order...I told Malak to have Admiral Karath prove his loyalty by capturing a planet, not dooming it!
He summoned the datapad back to his hand, and looked at the details. Malak ordered Saul Karath to bombard Telos IV, and make sure none were left alive. According to the report, thousands of Republic citizens were killed, several were missing. No doubt the ones who were missing were soldiers. Revan didn't care about that; what he cared about was the fact that Malak undermined his authority. Karath was to prove his loyalty, not destroy a planet.
Malak...I won't stand for this. You may live, but you've made a grave error. Now the Republic will try twice as hard to stop us. You've only made things harder for us. Up until now, the Jedi Council has taken a wait and see approach. No doubt that this attack on Telos will provoke them into taking action. This is--
Revan stopped, and pondered the situation for a moment. Perhaps this was a good thing. The more Jedi there were on the battlefield, the more Jedi would die or join them. However, that made little difference for Malak. Revan pulled down his hood, and removed his Mandalorian mask. He knew what he looked like...his appearance was twisted by the darkside. His skin, formerly tan, had turned a dark gray, with black shadows underneath his eyes, which were now a pale yellow. His hair, which gradually spiked in the front, was now black with gray streaks. Looking at him was like staring into the face of Darkness-- but also like looking into the heart of the Force.
"Malak...if you think that losing your lower jaw is your worst punishment so far," Revan said to himself. "You are sorely mistaken." He took out his comlink, and contacted Malak. "My apprentice, meet me in the observation deck immediately. No questions asked." He closed the link without saying farewell.
He put his comlink away, then folded his arms across his chest. There were a number of ways he could punish Malak. Loss of bodily function, electrocuting him until he passed out, even temporarily disabling the built in system that helped him breath. He could also lift him into the air with the Force and thrash him against the ground and walls over and over again until he begged for mercy. The possibilities were endless.
Perhaps I could create a whirlwind, and turn it into an electrical storm that will shock Malak until he submits. I've never tried that before...that could be fun. Or perhaps I could constrict his lungs; he doesn't exactly have a neck anymore. Or, I could-
Before he could complete his thought, he heard Malak walk in. He waited a minute until he heard Malak's footsteps approach the ramp to the top platform. Once he was close enough, Revan spun around and placed Malak in a stasis field. His apprentice's eyes instantly widened with shock, and perhaps fear. He tried to struggle against Revan's stasis field, but he couldn't break free.
"M-Master...wh-what is the meaning of th-this?"
He was struggling just to get the words out. Revan could only smile in amusement.
"I'm not going to play games with you, Malak. Did you or did you not order Admiral Karath to bombard Telos?"
"I-I did, but-"
"No buts!" Revan cried. He flung out his hands, and purple lightning flew from his fingertips. Malak cried out in pain, and Revan removed the stasis field to allow Malak to fall over in pain. Malak slumped to his knees, his artificial breathing hastening.
"M-Master, allow me to explain. I-"
"No explanation is necessary, Malak. You allowed your blood lust to get the best of you. Do you have any idea what this means? The Republic will now fight twice as hard, and now the Jedi will truly get involved. This will cause more deaths than is necessary!"
Malak looked up with nothing but hatred in his eyes. "You are a fool, Revan. You care too much for the lives of others. You are no Sith! You are unworthy! You should be-"
"You insolent fool!" Revan summoned a whirlwind of Force Power around Malak, tossing him about in midair. He then flung his hands above his head, and summoned a Force Storm. The lightning mingled with the whirlwind, shocking Malak as he was thrown about. "You know nothing! You understand nothing! If everyone is dead, who will there be to rule over? The more people there are, the more likely we are to gain more followers. You understand nothing of subtlety, Malak. If it were up to you, we would assault the galaxy with our entire fleet!"
Revan dismissed the electric whirlwind, then grasped Malak with the Force. He slammed him into the ground, and held him there. He would wait for Malak to beg for mercy; for now, he would only enjoy Malak's pain.
"You have no faith in my tactics, Malak, so therefore, no explanation is possible for you. You will learn, however. I promise you that; you will learn. And if not by my hand, then by the hand of the Force."
"What do you expect me to do, master?" Malak hissed in response. "Beg for mercy?"
"That's exactly what I expect you to do. You will not die this day, Malak. It is not your time; plus, you are the only one who is worthy of being my apprentice. So, unfortunately, I need to keep you alive."
Malak growled in anger, and struggled against Revan's hold; it did him no good. "Mercy is for the weak."
"And power is for the strong, which you are not. Your mental strength is lacking, Malak. You don't think before you act, which is why you are weak. You must learn to strengthen your mind. Your final punishment will come in a moment, but first I must ask you this: You were going to lead the destruction of Rodia, correct?"
"Yes, I was." Malak said angrily.
"Not anymore. You don't know when it is appropriate to destroy. Do you even know why we are attacking Rodia?"
Malak said nothing. It was either pride or ignorance that held his tongue.
"We are attacking because it is the main source of Republic scouts and explorers. Not to mention they are still on the fence; in other words, there's still a chance they might join the Republic. We must take away that option as quickly as possible. I will lead the assault instead. As for you...you'll stay here and work on strengthening your mind."
Malak finally sighed and relaxed a little bit. He knew there was no arguing with Revan at this point. "What must I do...my master?"
"Cower in fear."
Revan released his hold upon Malak, but he assaulted his mind with nightmares. Malak screamed in fear, his fingers digging into his bald skull. He rose, but only got as far as getting on his knees. "Make it stop, master! Make it stop!"
"No." Revan said plainly. He walked back up to the main platform, and picked up his helmet. He slid it back on his head, and pulled up his hood. "You must stop the nightmares with the power of your own mind. Your skills with lightsaber combat are great, but your mental prowess needs improvement. You think with your muscles, and that is a flaw. You must learn to use your mind in order to overcome obstacles as well. This will help you..." Revan smirked from behind his mask. "Maybe."
He laughed and walked down the ramp, and stopped next to Malak, who was still cowering. Malak looked up at Revan, with nothing but fear in his eyes.
"Master..." Malak pleaded. "Mercy...mercy, please..."
Revan could only laugh. "Mercy is for the weak."
He unclipped his lightsaber, and ignited the blood red blade. Red hot plasma met Malak's back. As Revan walked out, he laughed at Malak's pain. All Malak could do was scream.
-----------
Revan took a shuttle to board the ship The Leviathan. It was their gift to Saul Karath for proving his loyalty to the Sith Empire. Revan did not mind the fact that Saul Karath got this ship for destroying Telos. It showed two things about the man: The first, he was loyal. The second, he was willing to do whatever it takes. The bombing of Telos was hardly his success; it was more like Malak's failure. In any event, Saul Karath earned this ship.
When Revan walked into the main deck, Saul Karath turned around. As he was about to speak, his eyes suddenly were filled with surprise. He clearly wasn't expecting Revan to be there. Revan walked past him and smirked, then took a position at the head of the deck. Saul Karath stood a few feet behind him, and bowed in respect before speaking.
"Uh...my lord. It is a pleasure to see you, but may I ask where Malak is? I mean no disrespect, but I was under the impression that he was to lead this mission."
Revan nodded, but did not turn around to face him. "Originally, yes. However, I thought it more important that he train alone today." Something like that, anyways. "But it is not important. Are the preparations ready?"
"Yes, my lord." Saul Karath replied. Revan looked over his shoulder for a moment to get a good look at the Admiral. The years have not been kind to him; his cheeks had become slightly hollow, and he had a good amount of stubble that gave him a rough look. His eyes were gray; those obviously wouldn't have changed. His uniform had changed, obviously. Instead of wearing a red and yellow uniform like he did when he was with the Republic, he now wore a black and red Sith officer uniform, with a black and gray officer's cap. He certainly looked the part. "Uh..my lord?"
"Hm? Ah, yes. Are we ready to depart?" He looked out the window again.
"Of course, my lord. On your command."
"Let it be done, then."
It took only a minute to send the message to the rest of the fleet. Their fleet was considerably large; it was made up of ten battleships all together. There were five Interdictor-class Cruisers, including the Leviathan; in addition, they had three Centurion-class battlecruisers, and two Derriphan-class battleships. Derriphan's were fairly small, but they were slow and packed heavy firepower. They only carried about six fighters each, but it wouldn't matter. The point of this assault was to bombard Rodia into submission. Since Rodia was considered a neutral planet, attacking it would be fairly easy.
"Admiral Karath?" Revan asked suddenly. His sudden statement startled Karath a little bit, but he replied nonetheless.
"Yes, my lord?"
"I trust that none of our plans regarding this attack has been leaked out?"
"I assure you that it is impossible." Saul replied, his voice suddenly full of uncertainty.
"You have all ways been easy to read, Saul." Revan replied smugly. "What are you not telling me?"
"Well sir, even though our security mainframe is impossible to reach, there is all ways the smallest chance that information will be leaked. You of all people should know this."
Revan nodded, and folded his arms across his chest. "Yes, of course. You are right, obviously." So why do I sense that something is wrong? Something definitely isn't right here... He refused to dismiss the feeling. He could sense something was wrong...something was waiting for them at Rodia.
When they exited hyperspace, they were in the following formation: The Leviathan was heading the fleet, with the other four Interdictor cruisers following behind in a horizontal line. On the left and right flanks of the Interdictor line was either Derriphan. A Centurion covered either flank of The Leviathan, and the last Centurion was below the Leviathan. Revan had ordered this formation in order to protect The Leviathan, along with the other defensive ships. He had ordered this formation before they set out for Rodia, but now he was glad he ordered this formation. When they exited out of hyperspace, a Republic fleet of fifteen ships was blockading their path. There were about eight Hammerhead-class cruisers, and seven Foray-class blockade runners. I knew something was wrong...but no, this can't be all. I sense something...
"I had a feeling this would happen..." Revan muttered to himself.
"L-Lord Revan, I apologize. I truly did not see this-"
"Do not worry, Admiral Karath. Numbers in battle amount to nothing in the long run: It is strategy that wins the day. Are our fighter pilots ready for launch?"
Saul Karath looked to a deckhand who was working a terminal; the man nodded at Admiral Karath. "Yes, they are ready."
"Excellent. Order the fleet to spread out, but still maintain this formation. Order the Interdictor ships to release two squadrons of fighters each."
While his orders were carried out, Revan took a moment to observe the Republic fleet. They didn't seem to have any kind of formation. And if they did have a formation, it was a very poorly planned one. Then again, perhaps that was part of their strategy? No, that would be foolish. At any rate, Revan would see to it that they were quickly wiped out. Still...I sense something. A presence I have not felt since-
Before he could complete his thought, Saul Karath interrupted him. "Sir, we are ready to proceed. What are your orders?"
"Order the fighter squadrons to advance. Have the fleet advance with them in a wedge formation with the Derriphans above us. The Republic fleet seems to be unorganized, so it should be easy to divide their forces."
"At once, my lord."
As the fleet assumed its new formation, Revan couldn't help but notice something. The Republic fleet isn't doing anything. Hm...it appears they are taking a wait and see approach. This should be interesting.
"All right." Revan said once the formation was complete. "Begin the attack."
Once the fleet began advancing, Revan saw the truth of the Republic fleet. Just as they began their advance, the fleet turned to meet them. It was a formation Revan had never seen before. The Foray blockade runners were arranged in a circle, with the command decks facing them. Surrounding them were seven of the Hammerhead cruisers. In front of both circles was the eighth Hammerhead cruiser.
Crap...they knew my strategy before I even made the command? Somehow they knew I would order my fleet to attack the Forays first, since they were the most susceptible to fighter attacks. With the Forays eliminated, I then would have ordered my fighters to swarm the Hammerheads as a distraction, so my Derriphans and Centurions could bombard them.
"Revan?" Karath asked. "Revan, what's wrong..."
Revan couldn't respond; he was in pure shock. They...they put me in check mate...before I could even move. Maybe..maybe the King shouldn't be on the battlefield. Maybe...
No! No, this is where I belong. I will win this battle. A change of strategy is all that's needed. Hmmm...all right, let's try-
"Sir, we have incoming fighters!" Cried a deckhand.
"What!?" Revan snapped. He returned his attention to the window, and saw that he was right. Several squads of Republic fighters were headed towards them. He pulled down his hood, then depressed a indentation on his helmet; he had a built in com system installed recently, so he wouldn't have to bark orders at deck hands. He muttered the fighter transmission code, then began relaying his orders. Before he did, however, he had Saul Karath pull up a topographic hologram of the battlefield. The hologram was projected on the window, so Revan wouldn't have to move.
"Squadron A1, assault the fighters coming in at you from the front. A2 and A3, there's a squad coming up on A1's right. Move to intercept."
"Copy that, my lord."
Revan waited a moment, then his eyes widened when he saw what had happened. Somehow, the squad that had been coming in on the right somehow completely bypassed A2 and A3-- no, not just bypassed, took out half of both the squads, and then utterly destroyed squad A1. After that, A2 and A3 disappeared from the projection.
"B7, you have a squad coming up behind you. B5, move to cover their back flank."
B5 came up behind the pursuing squad, which quickly split in half and executed a pincer move, taking out B5. Then, just like that, B7 was gone.
No...no, how is this possible? How can they react to every situation perfectly? No man, Force Sensitive or not, has those kinds of reflexes or foresight.
Reflexes weren't the only surprise. The fighters were acting in perfect synchronization; each maneuver was executed without flaw. So far, the Republic had only suffered a few losses in this battle-- Revan, on the other hand, had lost almost every fighter squadron he sent out there. He had only one choice...
"All ships, release all of your fighters. Centurion class ships, Mayhem and Reaper, engage the enemy cruisers. Have your fighters draw the enemy fire. Derriphan class ships, Violet Raven and Inferno, hold your fighters; give the Centurions cover fire. Concentrate your fire power on the Hammerheads. Interdictors and the Leviathan, hold wedge formation. and provide cover fire for our fighters. Execute now!"
They did as they were told, and the Republic fleet responded. Half of the Hammerheads and three Forays moved to engage Revan's portion of the fleet, and the other half of the Hammerheads and the last four Forays moved to engage the Centurions and the Derriphans. As Revan barked orders to his men, his mind was racing with what was happening.
I'm being outsmarted...I'm going to lose this battle. Somebody on the Republic's side has bested me somehow...but how is this possible? Wait...that disturbance I felt earlier. It felt so familiar...it can't be...can it? Yes...it is. Bastila's Battle Meditation has finally manifested itself, and she's using it against me now! Dammit....dammit, why didn't I see this coming? I need to force a confrontation with her somehow...but not here. No, definitely not here. It's too late for that now. No..I need this confrontation to happen on my own terms. Now is not the time.
"My lord!" A deckhand cried out. "We've just lost the Derriphans, and the Centurions are at critical condition." The deckhand paused for a moment, then his tone turned from urgent to grim. "We've just lost the Centurions."
Revan looked at the tactical map, and swore under his breath. "And now the rest of the fleet is coming after us." Then, just like that, they stopped. "What the- Admiral, what's going on?" Demanded Revan.
Saul looked to one of the deckhands who muttered something to him, then he turned back to Revan. "It would appear the Republic is sending us a transmission on an open channel. Shall I patch them through?"
"Yes...I want to speak face to face with the one who "bested" me." Revan hissed angrily.
"As you wish sir." Saul gave the deck hand the signal, and the transmission appeared where the tactical hologram once was. In place of the hologram was the face of Bastila Shan. Crap...she's as beautiful as I remember. Pale skin, brown hair, blue-gray eyes. Heh...maybe it's best that she didn't join me. The Dark side would have ruined all that beauty, and possibly that figure. I see she still wears that skin tight body suit of hers.
Revan pulled his hood back up, then he folded his arms across his chest. "Bastila Shan. It's been a long time, girl. I haven't seen you since I last stepped foot on Dantooine. I see the years have been very kind to you." He glanced at Saul, then motioned to signal that he was dismissed. Saul bowed in respect, then stood aside to let Revan cary on.
"Darth Revan, I wish I could say the same to you, but I have no idea what you look like. Quite frankly, I don't want to know. It's probably as pretty a site as your apprentice." Bastila replied calmly, yet venomously.
"Your tongue is as venomous as ever, I see." Revan snapped. "Now what do you want, Padawan?"
"I want you to surrender." She replied evenly. She showed very little emotion in her face. "You are beaten, Revan. You are a brilliant tactician, but clearly you are no match for my Battle Meditation. Turn yourself in, Revan. The Jedi Council will be merciful."
"And that's the problem: Mercy. It is their Jedi mercy that nearly caused the galaxy to burn in flames when the Mandalorians attacked. To surrender without the penalty of death would be a foolish and dishonorable move on my part. I will never surrender."
"Be rational, Revan!" Bastila replied, frustration evident in her voice. "You've all ready lost many lives in this battle alone. If you continue to fight, you'll lose many more. Think of your soldiers!"
Revan couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. "The lives of my soldiers mean very little to me. They can be easily replaced-- either by other sentient beings, or by battle droids."
"I see that you have fallen too far to be reasoned with, Darth Revan..." Bastila said, a tinge of regret lingering in her voice. Her expression saddened for a minute, then her face was full of determination. "Surrender now or I will order my ships to open fire, and decimate you and your fleet."
"I have a better idea, Bastila. If I die, my apprentice will only take my place, and most likely attack Rodia again, next time with a much larger fleet. Unlike my apprentice, I actually think before I act. So, Bastila, I give you this proposition: If you allow us to retreat, we will not attack Rodia. However, if you shoot us down before we can leave the system, Malak will come back and decimate this planet-- and any other planet, for that matter. The choice is yours, Bastila."
And I know you'll make the Jedi decision- you'll let me go free. Your Jedi mercy is a flaw that will cost you your life next we meet.
The conflict was evident on Bastila's smooth features. After a few moments, she finally sighed and nodded. "Very well. Leave this planet, Revan, and never return. If you do, I won't be here, and you won't receive mercy."
"I just needed the okay to leave, thank you very much." Revan replied mockingly. "We'll meet again, Bastila. And when we do, you will die."
Revan ordered Saul to cut the transmission; Bastila's face disappeared in a matter of seconds. The deck fell completely silent...they awaited their leader's orders. Revan turned around to face them, and spoke smoothly and calmly. "Order a full retreat. Set a course for the Star Forge; I have a feeling that this war just got a little more..." He paused, and allowed himself a smirk. "Interesting."