A/N: Sorry about the longer wait for this. Was playing through KOTOR I on pc with mods again.(So much better than just vanilla KotOR.) If you're wondering what mods I used, they were some redhawke item mods, redhawke elder merchant mod, redhawke construction bench upgrade, Revan's flowing cape and belt fix, Frevan and Bastila untold love story mod, the romancing of Bastila mod, (The previous one includes some other NPC stuff), the 2012 visual enhancement mods, the Brotherhood of Shadow Solomon's Revenge,(which I felt was a bit too long in some places.) and some character appearance mods. Don't remember the exact ones. Anyways, enough off topic stuff. Here's the next chapter.
Revan stepped onto the shuttle, accompanied by Meetra, Bastila, Alek, and two other Knights named David Anseron and Richard Johnson. Inside, Revan stood silently rubbing her hands together. Cracking her knuckles. Meetra said, "Whoa, Rev. Don't get too excited."
"I can't do that. We're going to actually be able to do something that will actually help." she said.
"The Council did say to not seek out combat." Meetra said.
"I know, Meetra." Revan said, "I'll follow their orders. But, if there happens to be a 'mistake' made that means we have to fight our way out of a tight situation."
"Be careful, Revan." Meetra said, "We really don't want the Council punishing you. That way, you can come along when the Council does let Jedi go to fight 'em."
"Please. Even if they said I couldn't go, I would." Revan said.
"Really, Revan?" Bastila said, "You would openly defy the Jedi Council?"
"Sometimes, you have to defy the Council to do the right thing."
Bastila shook her head, as did Richard and David, before looking suspiciously at Revan . Alek just nodded in agreement.
Revan said to them, "Why do you look at me like that? Like I am a monster?"
"You're too comfortable with defying the Council. It puts you in danger of falling to the Dark Side." Richard said.
Revan sighed, and said, "I've already explained this to you, Bastila, Alek, Meetra. But, I suppose that I should explain it to you, Richard."
"Explain." he said.
"Well," she began, "I don't disagree that the Jedi Council is a valid institution and the Order would be worse if it were removed. But, I do disagree that they are infallible. To assume that they never have lapses in judgment, that they never give orders that should be defied because they are morally wrong. I simply believe that one must be willing to listen to guidance from the Council, but take it as suggestions as to what has a strong chance of being the best course of action and think over it for yourself. And, do what seems like the best course of action for everyone."
"But, if you rely on your own wisdom as the final say, how can you be sure that your thought processes aren't corrupted by the dark side?"
"In some ways it is more dangerous." Revan admitted, "But, if you want to truly live, you have to be willing to take a risk. If you just mindlessly follow the will of the Council, you'll be just a drone. And, that isn't helpful to anyone. And, there is always the risk that the Council itself could be corrupted. So, you have to learn to think for yourself, to analyze the situation, so that you can detect when they are not acting as Jedi should."
Richard was silent, but David said, "You can't be serious! Are you questioning the Council's dedication to the Light?"
"They're people, just like you and me. That makes them fallible. To assume they are perfect is wrong. They can make mistakes."
"But, who are you, a single Knight, to judge them."
At this, Meetra snickered, and said, "Might not be 'single' for long."
"Meetra..." Revan said.
"Sorry, it was just too easy."
"I don't understand." David said.
"What Surik was saying that Tremaine might be entering into a relationship of the kind that the Council does not approve." Richard said.
"Oh. Who are you thinking it would be with?" David asked.
"That's a secret. But, I'll give you a hint. It isn't me."
"Squint?"
Alek said, "You take that back, right fucking now."
"Easy, Baldy. And, Meetra's just being an ass." Revan said, "As everyone has told her before. Her assumptions are completely erroneous."
"What assumptions are those?"
"This is an inappropriate line of conversation." Bastila said.
Meetra then added, "Here's another hint. The individual in question doesn't think this is appropriate."
"Tremaine and Shan? Are you serious? I mean, isn't Shan under eighteen?"
"There is nothing going on. And, Meetra, I thought you had agreed to stop it."
"What can I say, it's going to be a long flight."
"You got that right." Revan muttered, walking out of the small room they had been talking in.
-=0=-
The next night, Revan stepped out of her quarters, when she sensed someone was moving around. She quickly had her twin weapons at her side, and walked out of the room and into a hallway, scanning both sides to make sure that there was no one there. Afterwards, she walked into the 'war room' and saw someone sneak into another hallway. Revan quietly followed, and suddenly the individual stopped dead in their tracks, and turned around. She said, "I take it you noticed I had noticed you."
"Well, Revan," Bastila said, "it wasn't too hard."
"What are you doing up this late? We're arriving on the Republic ship near Cathar tomorrow morning. You should be getting rest so you can be in optimal condition to handle whatever mission we're given."
"We were told it wasn't going to be a combat situation."
"Missions rarely go according to plan." Revan said. Then, after looking around for a moment, asked, "What was it you were given just before we left for Coruscant? You were really quiet for that trip, but soon afterwards you were back to normal."
"I told you how I don't get along with my mother? Well, I received a message from someone who had recently seen her. It said that she and my father were looking for me."
"Something must have happened. You should look to get into contact."
"The Order forbids it."
"The Order forbids a lot of things. It isn't always right."
"I guess so. I just... I don't want to think about her. It always makes me furious. To think of how she's treated my father."
"You've just got to let it go. It won't do you any good. And, despite me issues with some of the things the Order says, I completely agree that hate can lead to the Dark Side. And, I seriously doubt you want to have anything in your life that could lead you to falling."
"I'll try." Bastila said. "I should be getting back to sleep"
"Before you go, what were you doing?"
"I was just having trouble sleeping. I thought walking around the ship might help." Bastila said.
Revan nodded, and said, "Get some sleep. You'll probably need it." before returning to her room.
-=0=-
Carth stepped out of his ship, and walked into the bridge. Admiral Saul Karath said, "Ah, Carth, good. I see you have returned from your reconnaissance mission. We received the data you sent on your way here. Now, I have another mission I need you to do."
"What is it, Sir?"
"The Jedi Council is sending some Jedi to cathar to help bring supplies to the people of that world. I want you to go there, and make sure that the Jedi learn that the mandalorians are a serious threat. I know you are up to the task."
"I'll do what I can, Sir. How long until I'm supposed to begin transit?"
"The day after tomorrow you will begin your journey."
"Understood, Sir." he said.
"Also, Jordo will be going with you."
"Understood, Sir."
"Good, you are dismissed, Carth."
"Roger." he said, walking out of the room, and soon met Jordo in one of the quarters.
"Carth, how was the mission?"
"It went well, Jordo. Didn't get caught by the mandalorians, and was able to get some decent intel on their positioning."
"So, what brings you to this part of the ship. Aren't your quarters on the other end?"
"Figured Saul wouldn't have thought to inform you. We've been ordered to go to Cathar to help convince the contingent sent by the Jedi Order that they need to help us in this war."
"Great. Why are they sending me with you? I'm an engineer, not a soldier."
"I don't know, Jordo. Maybe because we're both from Telos."
"I suppose that could be it. How have Morgana and Dustil been?"
"They're doing well, though she's constantly worried about me. What about your wife?"
Jordo looked at the ground, and said, "Sarah, she left me for some guy she met while I was using the restroom at a bar while we were vacationing on Taris a while back."
"Why?"
"Because he was one of those rich nobles who could do whatever they wanted to."
"I'm sorry, Jordo."
Jordo looked sadly at the ground, then said, "I'd rather not focus on her right now. Her leaving me was why I joined on with the fleet as an engineer."
Carth nodded, and asked, "Do you know your way around a blaster?"
"Never fired one in my life."
"Really? Never?"
"There wasn't really a need to on Telos." he said.
"I suppose so." Carth said, "You'll need to get some practice in before we go. This will be an active combat zone."
-=0=-
The next morning Revan stepped out of the small ship, onto the much larger Republic vessel. She looked around the large hangar, then asked a nearby soldier, "Who are we to report to?"
"He'll be showing up soon." the man said.
She nodded, as Meetra, David, Richard, and Alek stepped out of the ship, followed a few moments later by Bastila. Then, a loud male voice said, "So you six are the Jedi I've been given under the condition of no planned enemy engagements? I expected more than some girls and a few small guys. What are your names?"
"I am Jedi Knight Revan Tremaine, with me are Jedi Knights Meetra Surik, Richard Johnson, and David Anseron as well as Padawans Alek Squint-not his actual name, but the actual name's impossible to pronounce- and Bastila Shan." Revan said, while pointing at the others as she lifted off their names.
"Well, you can take your fancy names and titles and forget all about them. From this point on until you rejoin your order you shall refer to me as Sir, are we understood?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" Revan said, standing at attention and saluting him.
"Good. Now, I am Lieutenant Commander William Veras. Your orders are to take supplies to the beleaguered warriors of Cathar. They've been fighting the mandalorians for over three months with no actual means of repelling their war machine. These supplies you will be transporting will aid in the defense of key positions. If they can be held, there is a chance that the mandalorian offensive here will have to be abandoned, as their main force moves on to more successful regions they have been attacking."
"Sir," Revan said, "why has Cathar been deigned such an important world? I have done a good deal of research into the planet, and beyond the cathar race, it lacks anything that could be directly useful to the Republic fleet."
"The reason this world has been deigned so important is that while it does not possess resources or factories or lie on a key hyperspace route is that the cathar are a friend of the Republic. The Republic protects its friends. Do you have an issue with that, Soldier?"
"Sir, no, sir! I was merely inquiring as to the tactical significance of this world, sir!"
He nodded, and said, "You will be moving in three squads of two. Your mission will be taking place in a small operational area. Only four square kilometers. That way, even if two squads are in the farthest regions of the operational area, they should be able to reach the others within a few minutes."
"Sir, what transportation will we have?" Richard asked.
"Each squad will be using a small shuttle, just large enough to carry the supplies that are needed and two passengers. Even if they are as large as Squint."
Alek clenched his fist, and said, "Don't call me that."
"I will call you what I want! You are serving in the Republic military, and I expect you to serve as is expected. If you view that as an insult, take it like a man and turn the other fucking cheek."
Meetra snickered, and William said, "Do you find something funny, Soldier?"
"Sir, no, Sir!" she said.
"Then wipe that grin of your face and prepare for duty. You move out in six."
"In six minutes?" Meetra said, sounding surprised.
"There an issue, Soldier? What do you want time to put your makeup on? In case you haven't looked outside in the last three months, there's a war going on. If you have a fucking issue with the timing of our missions, you can get right back on that shuttle and return to Coruscant. I'm sure the Jedi Council would be grateful to have you back."
"Sir, there isn't an issue." Meetra said, "I was merely surprised."
"Well don't be. We need to beat these mandalorian bastards back. And those supplies are a key part of doing that. So, prepare to move out!"
"Sir," Bastila asked, "what are we to do if we are attacked by mandalorians and they manage to damage our shuttle?"
"If you manage to fuck up that badly, then you are to fight the enemy off. The area is currently stable though, so you better not encounter anyone. We clear?"
"Yessir."
"Good." he said, as all of them but Revan started preparing. "Do you have an issue, Soldier?"
"No Sir." she said, "I was just wanting to talk with you in private."
"Is this important?"
"I believe so."
"Fine, but make it quick." he said, leading her outside of the hangar. "What is it?"
"I know you have your issues with the Jedi. You probably think the Order is a bunch of cowards for staying out of the war. But, I need you to do something for me."
"And what would that be, Soldier?"
"I need you to agree to not send Shan and Surik on the same squad."
"And why would that be?"
"Surik has some inaccurate ideas in her head that she has been giving Shan quite a bit of difficulty over. I believe that it would create division in the team that could lead to their termination."
"What makes you think I'll believe you?"
"Because, I want to fight the mandalorians. I'm here not because I was ordered, but because I want to be. Shan, Surik, Johnson, Squint, Anseron, they're here because the Council thinks that they'll do a good job. I'm here because they knew they couldn't keep my away from any involvement in the war."
"Oh, and why is that?"
"I'm from Deralia."
"Oh. I had a lot of good friends there." he was silent, then asked, "You said you were a Tremaine. Were your parents John and Miranda Tremaine?"
"Yes. They were killed by the mandalorians. Why, did you know them?"
"No. I just had a close friend who lived on Deralia before the attack who owed them his life. But, I thought their entire family was killed on Deralia. What actually happened?"
"I was captured, then sold on Nar Shaddaa." Revan said, "But, that isn't important. Will you do as I request?"
"I'll do it. You just get the job done, like your parents would."
"I'll try." she said, walking out.
-=0=-
Ten minutes later the Jedi were on their way to the planet's surface. On board the cruiser, Veras said, "Admiral Dodonna, I have sent the Jedi to where you ordered. Do you believe this will help convince the Order to assist our war efforts?"
"It has to, Commander Veras. If it doesn't work... I fear for the Republic's future. We aren't winning this war."
"Ma'am, what of the other mission? You mentioned something that you needed a Jedi to take care of. I know one of the Jedi who was sent here that would be willing to help."
"I've found someone else to handle it." Dodonna said.
"Aye-aye, Ma'am." Veras said.
-=0=-
Revan looked out of the windows of the shuttle, and said, "This doesn't look like an area that hasn't been hit too hard yet."
"Yeah. This place looks devastated by attacks. Why do you think they lied to us?" Meetra asked.
"To appease the Council, of course." Revan said, while checking to make sure that they were where they were supposed to be.
"We are at the right place?"
"Co-ordinates match up."
"Well, what do you think they want us to think? That even the lightest hit regions are still fucked?"
"Maybe. Though, I doubt they'd think we would fall for this. It's obviously a more heavily hit region than they told us. Come on, we should get these supplies to that defensive location."
"How much further?"
"Only a couple of kilometers. It should be showing up on the visuals soon." Revan replied. -=0=-
Alek looked around at the devastated fort, and said, "This area isn't in good shape."
"Yes," Bastila said, examining it closely, as the few remaining cathar warriors ran about, attempting to get repairs done to make it a defensible position for the next attack. She and Alek quickly set about pulling the supplies their shuttle had carried out, when a cathar woman walked forward, and said,
"You should not be here, child."
"What?"
"You should not be here, child."
"Why do you say that?"
"Your Order has denied the Republic's request for aid. You should not be here defying your superiors."
"They ordered us to come here to help." Bastila replied, pulling out another stack of supplies.
The woman walked away silently, and continued working on repairing a hole in the wall. "This place is going to fall soon." Alek said, "The few warriors they have left are exhausted, weak, and probably injured. It's a miracle they've held as long as they have."
"Yes." Bastila said, "But they keep fighting. Most would have surrendered on these circumstances."
-=0=-
Mandalore stepped onto his vessel, and asked, "What is the situation on Cathar?"
"The cathar people are defeated, however we cannot take out their final fortress because the majority of the Republic fleet is blocking our access." a mandalorian officer replied.
"So, they believe they can win this by simply keeping us from taking the last portion of Cathar? Send a message to the other two fleets. Tell them to send a contingent of ships here so that we can obliterate this Republic fleet that is attempting to stop us." Mandalore growled.
-=0=-
Revan exited the shuttle, and looked at the devastated fort. It had a few men in armor, the rest were unarmored women and children, attempting to help the warriors. Revan walked up to one of the women, a cathar with greying hair and two young girls, no older than twelve, with her, and asked, "What has happened here? How did the mandalorians do this much damage?"
"They struck first when we least expected it. Destroying our orbital satellites so that we could not fight them. Then, they descended on our capital, and slew Melchizedek."
"They slew your king? Who rose to take his place?"
"There was no one to do so. As tradition demands, the Cathar cannot be ruled by a woman, and our children were daughters."
"I am sorry for your loss, Your Majesty. How can we help you?"
"It would be for the best if you left. If your Masters found out about your presence here, it will cause much trouble. Though I thank you for the offer."
"The Order is aware of our presence. We were sent to assist how we can."
"If that is the case, we know where the mandalorians are going to attack from, but not when. If you could find that out, we will be able to better prepare for their arrival."
"So, sneak into their camp, find out their plans? Seems simple enough." Revan replied.
"It will not be so simple. They have many machines designed to detect if anyone is sneaking in, even using advanced cloaking technology. The only way to get in will require temporarily deactivating them."
"Wouldn't that alert the mandalorians to my presence?"
"If you are quick, you can deactivate them before they detect your presence."
However, at that moment, Meetra said, "We were told to avoid combat Rev. Not seek it out."
"We were also told to help the cathar."
"While avoiding combat."
"If your Masters wish for you to avoid combat, then you should not do this task."
Revan glared at Meetra, and said, "Very well. How may we be of assistance without engaging the enemy?"
"I fear that the supplies you have brought is all you can do to help us." the old cathar said. "We cannot hold these lands much longer. Soon the people of Mandalore will succeed in their Crusade against us."
Revan shook her head, and said, "I wish I could do more to help, Your Majesty. Perhaps we could help evacuate some of your people? That way your race might remain stronger than it is now."
"A generous offer, but we are a stubborn people. We will not abandon our home."
"Very well." Revan said, looking at the damaged fort. Then, she felt something in the back of her mind. Felt something through the bond. Fear.
-=0=-
Bastila and Alek walked through the jungle as the cathar commander had requested. Scanning the area for signs of which direction the mandalorians would attack from, when suddenly a massive droid with a mandalorian atop it barreled through firing blasters from both its shoulders and where its mouth should be. Bastila and Alek managed to evade the first barrage, and the rider, said, "Jedi, eh? I thought you were staying out of the war."
Bastila did not respond, but was frozen to the spot. "Oh, frightened, are you, girl? You should be. Few have ever defeated a mandalorian riding a basilisk."
Alek threw his lightsaber at the droid, which leaped backwards, and fired on him. He evaded its attack again, and said, "Why don't you take on someone your own size."
"Oh, you want to fight? Maybe you will provide more worthy a challenge than these cats." as he fired on Alek again. The Padawan deflected the attacks, and sent a barrage of lightning at the droid.
The mandalorian deftly evaded his attack, and said, "Oh, you aren't Jedi? I thought the Sith were terminated during the war with Exar Kun."
"I'm not a Sith." Alek said, leaping at the war droid. It evaded, and fired on him again. He deflected the attack behind his back, and said, "You'll have to do better than that to beat me."
"So it would seem, Jedi." the mandalorian said.
-=0=-
Revan stood there, for a moment, thinking 'Shit, she's in trouble. If I go now, Meetra will learn about the bond, but if I don't go, she could die. I shouldn't go. I should just follow orders. Wait, am I really so fucking cold that I'd let her die to cover my own skin. No, I have to go. I can't let them kill her. And Baldy too.' before taking off towards Bastila. Meetra looked surprised for a moment, then followed.
Both women used the Force to amplify the speed, and as they covered the ground, Revan began to feel more fear. Not from Bastila. Her own. Fear at facing a mandalorian for the first time in twelve years. Fear at the thought of losing. But mostly, fear for Bastila. Fear of losing Bastila. She sprinted in silence, using the Force to speed herself up. As she ran, she thought, 'What if she dies? I can't lose her. Where'd that come from? Maybe I do care about her more than just simple fondness. If so, that'll definitely make things more complicated.'
-=0=-
The droid fired on Alek again and again. Each time he either deflected or evaded the attacks, while Bastila stood there frozen to the spot. He growled, "Why don't you help, instead of just standing there?" as he ducked underneath an attack from the droid.
Bastila shook her head, and drew her lightsaber, glaring at the mandalorian. She said, "Sorry." before throwing a nearby stone at the droid. It caught it and threw it back at her. She jumped, and at the same time threw her lightsaber at the mandalorian. As it flew through the air, he ducked beneath it, and caught it by the handle. He said, "I've always wanted one of these." while he fired a round from his blaster into Bastila. She fell back, feeling sharp pain in her torso.
-=0=-
Revan winced, as she felt pain in her torso. 'Shit! She got shot. What if she doesn't make it? No... I can't have been too late.' she thought, increasing her speed.
-=0=-
The mandalorian looked down at his system, and it showed two targets approaching at great speed. He smirked, and said, "I guess I can play with you later, Chrome-Dome." before turning his droid and charging at the approaching target. When he saw the target was another Jedi, he chuckled, and said, "Excellent prepare to die from your own companion's weapon." as he jumped off the droid. However, he was dead before he hit the ground, Revan's blades having been thrown with such force that he couldn't react to them. As he fell dead to the ground, Revan jumped past his falling corpse- grabbing Bastila's lightsaber along the way- onto his droid, and destroyed it with a Force EMP to the cortex. As it crumbled to the ground, she leaped off it, and continued sprinting towards Bastila.
When she arrived at their location, she saw Bastila lying on the ground with a blaster wound, while Alek looked through his supplies for a medpac. "What the hell happened here?" she asked, running over to Bastila, checking the wound. The blaster bolt had hit her in the sternum, but didn't appear to have broken any bones. Revan ran a hand through her hair, and started healing the minor wound with the Force. When she was done, she said, "I was never here. We clear?" before starting to walk off, but Bastila groaned as she got up.
"Revan? What are you doing here?"
"Realized you guys were being attacked, came to help." the Knight replied.
Meetra chuckled, and whispered to Alek, "Think they're going to make out now?"
"I don't know. She's always saying that she's not interested in Shan. It would be somewhat... incongruous behavior."
Revan said, "I can hear you." as she looked around. "You should get back to where you were delivering supplies. You were lucky he hit you in one of the few places where it wouldn't hit any vital organs."
"Quit trying to coddle me, Revan."
"I'm just being practical. You're lucky to be alive, so you shouldn't be taking any risks. If any member of this team is killed, it will delay the Council permitting further Jedi involvement." she replied.
Bastila looked at Revan, and said, "Alright. We'll go back. What about you?"
"I'm going to be doing some recon." Revan replied, looking fondly at Bastila, "Be safe."
"You too, Rev." Bastila said, walking away with Alek.
When they were gone, Meetra said, "Aw, that was sweet. So, why didn't you tell me you had a bond with Bastila?"
"Because I knew how you would view it." Revan replied, looking at the jungle, "Come on. We've got a mandalorian camp to infiltrate."
"I thought I talked you out of that..." Meetra said, "Is this because of what nearly happened to Shan?"
Revan was silent, thinking, 'Yes, but if I admit that, you'll never let me hear the end of it. She's a friend, but if I tell her the truth, she'll be a pain in the ass. Screw it, I'll tell her. Just get this thing over with.' then said, "Yes."
"At least you're willing to admit it now. Let's do this." Meetra said.
Revan stepped back a bit, and asked, "Okay, what's with the completely different reaction?"
"Please, I just wanted you to admit that you were interested in her. That's all, Rev." Meetra said.
"So, you're saying that all of that was because..." Revan said, not even finishing her sentence.
"Yeah." Meetra said, "Come on. You said you want to infiltrate a mandalorian camp to get payback for them hurting your girl."
"You know we aren't actually together yet, right?"
"The key word is yet Revan. I'm sure you'll get her."
"That will have to wait." Revan said, "She's still a minor."
"Yeah, only for ten more months. Then, I hope to hear you two got together." Meetra said.
"It'll take time." Revan said, "Can we focus on this for now?"
"Alright." Meetra said, as they approached the camp. Revan examined it, and said,
"There are scanners at the four corners of the base, and two between each corner. It's probable that they overlap to prevent sabotage going unnoticed. The only way to easily handle it would be to actually hack into the system and make it acknowledge us as non-hostiles."
"And how would we do that?"
"Well, under normal circumstances I would suggest just having an organic do it, but considering the time restraints we're working under... I'd say that we're going to have to bring in my little pet project."
"What?"
"This way." Revan said, walking to the cathar encampment. There, she stepped over a broken wall, and was soon in a small corner. In it, there was a small crate. "I had this brought along just in case it was needed, and had it attach to our shuttle when we took off."
"What is it?" Meetra asked.
"HK-40, an assassination droid I personally designed."
"I know this may be a stupid question, but why are you designing assassination droids?"
"Why does one usually design assassination droids?"
"Who are you going to assassinate."
"No one. This one has a few combat issues in the simulations I put it through. It's targeting programming isn't very good, and it can't carry any standard weaponry. The servos just can't handle the stress. This guy only really works on hacking. But he does it insanely well. That, and with his legs being designed to enable movement at speeds exceeding that of a regular human, he should work perfectly for what we need."
"That's some impressive engineering, but why are you making personal assassins?"
Revan looked at Meetra, and said "For when we go to war with the mandalorians. Superior martial might could give us an edge, but it won't win us the war. What we have to do is eliminate the enemy's command infrastructure. That way, their formations and tactics will be sub-par, giving us the crucial edge needed to win the war."
"But... assassination? That doesn't seem very Jedi."
"That's why they don't officially exist. I've already made, and scrapped, thirty-nine others. This guy will be kept on as a hacker, probably. Unless its personality ends up being like the last one."
"What was the last one?"
"Nothing too serious. Just it saw that its purpose in life was to calculate pie all day."
"That's not too weird. It is a machine, and droids do tend to like math."
"Not the math concept. It spent its time calculating how to make the best tasting pie."
"You're kidding..." Meetra said, her mouth hanging slightly ajar.
"No, I'm not." Revan said, opening the crate. When it opened, a humanoid droid stretched out its servos, and asked,
"What do you require, Master?"
"I thought I told you not to call me that."
"My apologies, Master. What do you require?"
"Follow me. I'll show you." Revan said, walking away.
The droid asked, "Who is your companion, Master? Is she your lover, the Shan you spoke of with the organic codenamed Baldy while working on me and the Matale droid?"
Meetra laughed, and Revan said, "HK-40, I have no lover. Baldy was being a pain."
"Understood, Master." It said, as they neared the camp.
Revan pointed at the scanners, and said, "I need you to hack into those so they won't alert the enemy to our presence, but fully disabling them will cause the others to alert them. You have to make it acknowledge us as non-hostiles. Since you look like a protocol droid, they shouldn't attack you."
"Understood, Master. But, these are biometric scanners. To make them acknowledge you as non-hostiles you would have to add your biometric data to the accepted list. If they do overlap as you say, then the only way to do so would for me to acquisition a DNA sample from yourself and Surik."
Revan said, "I know how this works, HK-40, and I know that you do not need access to a fresh sample, as you have access to older, but still accurate DNA samples that you could enter into the biometric scanner."
"Why does he have access to older DNA samples?" Meetra whispered.
"He has access to galactic medical records. DNA status is recorded to prevent unregistered gene mods. And, I know that the fuck-up in my DNA which turned my hair blue is registered by the Jedi Council, there won't be any issues."
"As you say, Master." The droid replied, moving towards the scanners.
Revan stood there, silently observing as HK hacked into the devices. Ten minutes passed in silence as the droid hacked into the device. Then, another five. Finally, Meetra asked, "How long does this take?"
"A while."
"He's been at it for fifteen minutes."
"It takes about three minutes a scanner. Since there are eight scanners, it would make sense to assume that it will take about thirty minutes to handle it, if you take into account travel time."
Meetra sighed, and said, "You know, we're supposed to be heading back to the ship soon, right?"
"We've still got seventy-five minutes remaining." Revan replied, scanning the environment.
"What are you looking for?"
"Something isn't right here." Revan said.
"What?"
"You can sense it too."
"Oh, that. I just figured it's all the death and such."
"No, there definitely is an air of death around here, but there's something else going on here. There's something else. I can't quite put my finger on it." Revan said, as HK approached.
"The sensors have been modified, Master."
"Good. Return to the shuttle."
"As you command, Master." The droid said, walking away.
"So, what's the plan, Rev?"
"Simple, go in, find out what we can, sabotage anything available. Kill high ranking personnel if possible."
"Got it." Meetra said, following Revan. As they walked between the tents, they saw a mandalorian step into a tent, and mutter,
"What is it with these fucking animals? Don't they know their place?"
Revan looked at Meetra, and motioned for her to follow her into the tent. They stepped through, and saw the mandalorian kicking a group of young cathar on the ground. He said, "So, you animals think you have rights? You're only here because we don't have a ship that we're sending to Nar Shaddaa yet."
Revan clenched her fists, and used the Force to crush the man's neck. He clutched at his throat for a moment, before falling down dead, with a silent scream. The cathar stood up, but Revan put a finger over her mouth, and said, "You need to stay quiet for a while longer. We still have to clear a way out for you."
The oldest, a female of maybe thirteen nodded, and said, "We will stay here, Master Jedi."
Revan nodded at her, and said, "We'll see you free, just give us some time."
Meetra said, "Are you sure that's a good idea? They could mess up this mission."
"It won't be a problem. I was thinking about it while HK hacked into the scanners, and I've decided we're going to be hacking into their basilisks so that they won't be able to use them."
"How are you going to hack them?"
"Brute force attack to the cortex. It will allow me to reprogram their IFFs so that all mandalorians are viewed as hostiles, and all non-mandalorians are viewed as friendlies."
"Won't that take a while?"
"I've already got the program prepared, just have to upload it to each basilisk. We'll then send them to the far side of this encampment, and they'll create a distraction. Sound good, Meetra?"
"Yeah, I guess. We should get going. Where are the basilisks?"
"Near the center of the camp. We'll need disguises to be able to safely modify them."
"What disguise would work?"
"Even the mandalorians have engineers. We'll have to kill them, and take their uniforms."
"Would those fit?"
"We'll make it work." Revan said, walking behind a series of tents. As she rounded a corner, she ran right into Richard, and behind him was a pair of mandalorians.
"Revan, what are you doing here? Your orders were to avoid combat situations." he said.
"What are you doing here, and with a mandalorian escort?" she demanded.
"My duty to my people. Men, take this woman prisoner. And, her companion around the corner."
Revan laughed, and the men fell dead. Standing behind them was a single droid, carrying a blade. She said, "Well done, HK-43."
"It was my pleasure to terminate your enemies, Master." it said.
"Another assassin droid, Rev?" Meetra said.
"Oh, so the droid which hacked into our sensors was yours?"
"You destroyed HK-40?" Revan asked.
"Yes. We caught it running away from our camp. We assumed it was an enemy, so we crushed it. I am curious though, Tremaine, what brings you here? You usually follow orders."
"I think you know why." she replied.
"Oh yes, the warrior I sent to terminate Shan and Squint. It was a test, really. To see if you really did love her."
"You bastard!" Revan said, "What do you want?"
"In a word, chaos." he replied.
"Why? What do you stand to gain from it?"
"Personally? Nothing. I merely wish to see this pathetic galaxy burn, as me and my people ascend above mortal existence through the honor and glory earned in the battles."
"You're a monster."
"I know. To me it is a badge of honor. You seek to shame my by naming me evil, but I view it as a compliment. For what is considered good by those with our power? Simpering at the heels of old fools who claim to be wise but are too afraid of the truth to see what wisdom. I will take no part of it. I have no issue with being the villain in this part of history. For, while a hero may be remembered for a generation, it is the villains who are truly immortal."
"You're one fucked-up dude." Meetra said.
"I know." he said, looking at her, "And you two, now have a choice. Serve me, or die."
"You know we won't serve you." Revan said, glaring at him, "You're trash. You think you're powerful. That your skills are too great to be conquered, but you're pathetic."
He shook his head, and ignited his single, orange blade. "Then die, Tremaine." As he crushed HK-43 with the Force, and leaped at her. She deflected his attack, before kneeing him in the gut, and kicking him into a tent. He glared at her, and sent out a stream of lightning. Revan caught it in her left hand, and threw it back at him in a single ball. He ducked underneath it, and the sphere hit a basilisk war droid on the other side. It jumped up, all of its weapons firing simultaneously.
"Rev, we've got to get out of here. We're going to have the whole fucking camp coming down on our heads in a minute." Meetra said."
Revan replied, "You go! Finish the mission! I've got this!"
"You'll get killed!"
"I'll be fine. Go back to the cathar, and get the shuttle." Revan growled, ducking beneath a strike from Richard, and severed his left arm.
"No way am I going to leave you alone fighting an entire camp! If you won't do it to save your own skin, do it to protect Shan!"
"I've got the situation under control." Revan said, using the Force to send Richard flying through the tents.
"Revan, I am not leaving, that clear?" Meetra said.
Revan slapped her, and said, "We came here with a mission, Meetra. Go and do it, that's an order."
"You don't outrank me! We're both Jedi Knights!"
"Commander Veras put me in charge while we're on the ground! So do as you're told Meetra!"
"No way! I am not going to leave my best friend to die!"
Revan said, "I won't die. Remember, I've beaten Vrook Lamar in single combat."
Meetra sighed, and said, "Fine. But, I'll be coming back. You better still be alive."
"I will be. Just move, before they find you."
"Right." she said, running back the way they came.
Revan stepped forward, into the center of the camp, where the mandalorians were getting onto their basilisk war droid. She said, "Step away from the droids if you wish to remain alive."
"Who do you think you are, human?" one of them asked.
"The name, is Revan Tremaine. And, I am here to make you fucking pay for what you've done."
"Oh, the human likes the kitties. Isn't that cute." a mandalorian said.
"That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about my homeworld which you trashed. The homeworld you took me from so you could sell me as a slave on Nar Shaddaa."
"We don't believe in slavery." one of them said, "To spare an enemy is dishonorable. To spare them and sell them like property is even more so."
"It was done to me, and I know for a fact you planned to do so to your cathar prisoners."
"Those prisoners are meant to be a bargaining chip to get the cats to leave one of their impregnable fortresses."
"I heard one of your guards who was kicking them say that it was a shame that you didn't have any ships going to Nar Shaddaa soon, because then they could be sold, and be no more issues."
"You lie." The mandalorians said, "Kill her!"
Revan smiled, and said, "You are the ones who are going to die." as she drew her blades, and ignited them. They charged, but soon stopped in place, and a synthesized voice said,
"You are not meant to be here yet."
"Venerus." Revan growled.
"Not Venerus, rather one who opposes him."
"What do you want?"
"You to go. If you stay, Venerus will win. If you continue down this path, you will fall and he will win."
"I have a right to do this battle. I will not fall."
The voice said, "Very well. You may continue on this path." before vanishing, and the mandalorians resumed charging.
-=0=-
Meetra ran into the tent with the cathar children, and said, "Follow me."
"Where is your fellow Jedi?" the oldest cathar asked.
"She's working as a distraction. We've got to go quickly!"
"Very well." she said, as they ran out of the tent. As they ran across the clearing, they heard blaster fire, and then saw a man step out from a nearby tent, armed with a pair of vibroswords.
He chuckled, and said, "You looking to take our prisoners away, Jedi?"
"Go away. We aren't looking for a fight."
He looked at the blaster fire flying through the air, and saw a bolt of lightning fall from the sky. He said, "I'm sure you aren't. But, those prisoners are crucial to my plans. So, leave them here, and I will let you live."
"I can't do that." Meetra replied, drawing her lightsaber and activating it.
"You will fight me, Jedi? I thought your Order was opposed to Jedi involvement in direct combat. That the most they would support was helping resupply worlds my people have proven too weak to maintain their independence."
"Sometimes you have to defy the Council in order to do the right thing." Meetra said.
"You would really defy your Masters? You are braver than most in your Order." the mandalorian said, "Before we finish this, tell me your name, Jedi."
"First you tell me yours, mandalorian."
"Canderous, of clan Ordo."
"Meetra Surik, Jedi Knight."
"Let us do this, Jedi."
"You're on, Ordo." Meetra said, charging Canderous.
He deflected her first strike and sent her flying backwards with a kick to the stomach. She rolled away from his sword as he attempted to sever her arm, and caught his other arm with the Force. He struggled against it, and managed to break free, and struck at Meetra's left leg. She jumped over it, and kicked him in the head.
He laughed, and struck at her right elbow. She ducked, hitting his torso, and then stabbed at his right arm. He deflected the blade, and kicked her into a nearby tent. As she bounced off the fabric of the tent, he put away one sword, and pulled out a blaster pistol, She landed on the ground directly in front him, and he placed it to your head. "You are brave, and have a fighting spirit, but that spirit cannot replace skill on the battlefield. Goodbye, Meetra Surik."
Meetra coughed up a small amount of blood, and said, "You kill me, you'll bring the full might of the Jedi beating all of your allies down on your head."
"It would be a glorious battle to end my existence with." he replied.
"Before you kill me, Ordo, would you answer a question."
"I do not have much patience for questions, but since you fought me like a true warrior, I will answer."
"What are you planning to do with these cathar children?"
"Send them off of this doomed world. Send them to safety."
"On Nar Shaddaa?"
"That was merely the first stop. My plan was to send them to Coruscant, that way their species may recover one day, and provide a worthy challenge for mine. In a fair fight, not this dishonorable massacre."
"If you don't approve of this, why are you still fighting?"
"It was the order of Mandalore. We follow him, even if we do not agree with the battles he chooses."
"Wouldn't saving these youths be defying Mandalore?"
"Yes, and were it to be discovered, I would be severely punished. But, he will not find out."
"You want to save these youths, Ordo. So, let me take them. I'll get them to Coruscant."
He looked at Meetra, and said, "It would take some convincing to make Mandalore believe you bested me. I have no desire to join the void now. And, my end would be the only thing that would make him think I was truly defeated."
"Hand me the blaster. I'll shoot you, but not fatally."
"Why should I believe you?"
"If you agree to this I will owe you my life. If I killed you, I'd be no better than a Sith."
Canderous was silent, then said, "Fire so you miss all major organs. He tapped three spots on his armor, and said, "These locations would be the most believable where an amateur would hit that wasn't fatal. It will cause me to temporarily lose consciousness, and you will be able to rescue the youths. Use your Force powers to rip the pistol out of my hand."
Meetra nodded, standing up, and did as he said. She fired three rounds, and as he fell to the ground, she said, "Come on, kids. Let's get you to safety."
-=0=-
Revan deflected three blaster bolts back into the blasters they came from, and roundhouse kicked a mandalorian to the ground. She struck at a mandalorian, who deflected her blade. She slammed her second weapon into his sword, and while she pinned it to the ground, she severed his head with her other weapon. Then, as a mandalorian charged her from behind, she wielded the force to create a pair of ion streams. As the two streams met, a single bolt of lightning fell from the sky, leaving a charred corpse. She then ducked beneath a pair of vibroblades, and cut their owner's in two. She then slid between the falling blades, dropping her lightsabers for a moment, to pull out blaster pistols, and fire on a pair of mandalorian warriors. They fell as the rounds hit their heads, and she grabbed her weapons, to catch a single blade coming towards her head. She kicked the warrior between the legs, and stabbed him through the heart.
She then did a Force-amplified backflip onto a charging basilisk war droid and impaled its pilot on both of her blades. She then threw his corpse at his allies, and slipped into the command seat. After a quick look at the controls, she had the droid jump to the side, and fire on the other basilisks. As its weapons hit one, she jumped off it, and slammed her lightsabers into the ground. A moment later, five pillars of energy rose from the ground, and destroyed the remaining basilisks. She then rolled away from an attacking mandalorian, and said, "Burn in hell, motherfucker." as she severed his head, and then caught with her other weapon the blade of a charging mandalorian. As she stabbed the warrior, she saw a look of surprise in his eyes.
She then turned to the remaining mandalorians, who were now holding their fire, and said, "Bring it. "
They stepped silently away, and one said, "No way."
"Very well." Revan said, turning to walk away, when she sensed someone about to fire. She moved her blade into position to deflect the round, and when she did, she saw a purple twi-lek.
He said, "I'm on letting you go. You're trying to help these cathar animals."
"Who the fuck are you?"
"My name is Xor, Jedi."
"Should that tell me who you are?"
"No, I suppose not. But, I will not have you help any of these animals escape this planet. They killed too many of my friends. So, they're going to pay."
"If you think I'm going to let you drive a species extinct, you are sorely mistaken, Xor." Revan said, "Let's do this, one on one."
"Yes, I wouldn't want any of these incompetent fools getting in the way." he said, drawing a lightsaber.
"A Dark Jedi." Revan said.
"No, I just took this from a Jedi I killed back during the Exar Kun War. The old fool thought he was so special. I suppose I proved him wrong." the man said.
"Well, then in the name of my fallen brother, I will end you, Xor." Revan said, charging him.
He deflected her first strike, ducked beneath her second, and kicked her in the gut before she could get her third in. He stabbed at her, but she dodged, and kicked him in the gut, breaking his sternum. He coughed up blood, and said, "You'll pay for that, you human bitch!"
"Don't call me a bitch, animal." Revan said, sending a river of lightning at him. He rolled out of the way, but was caught in a stream of fire. As he attempted to escape from it, he felt his skin begin to boil. When he finally escaped, his skin was charred black. And, he looked up, to see the furious eyes of Revan. She said, "Your fellow mandalorians killed my parents and sold me as a slave. You slew one of my fellow Jedi. In the name of those you have slain, I sentence you to death." and severed his head.
The mandalorians stepped further away, and Revan put away her weapons and walked away from the camp. She walked in silence, thinking, 'That should make a difference. Help the cathar hold their world.'
Revan, stepped out of the jungle, and saw Bastila, Alek, Meetra, and David. David asked, "What the hell are you doing! Our orders were to avoid direct combat with the enemy where possible!"
"It was made necessary by Johnson betraying us and giving the enemy Alek and Bastila's location. I realized that there had to be a traitor, so I entered the only known enemy camp to locate and handle it. As I knew Meetra, Alek, and Bastila personally, I reasoned that the only ones who could be the traitor were you or Johnson."
"So you went in and started a massive fight? That doesn't add up."
"That was accidental. While trying to take care of Johnson I accidentally alerted the enemy."
"How?"
"That's unimportant, we need to be getting back to the main ship."
"Right, about that..."
"You lost your shuttle when Johnson went rogue?"
"Yeah." he said.
"We've got extra room on ours. Though it may be a bit of a bumpy ride." Revan said.
"Understood." he said, looking around.
"What's wrong?"
"I knew Richard for ten years. I don't know why he'd suddenly fall to the Dark Side."
"He was a madman." Revan said.
"That's kinda cold." he said.
"We did manage to speak to him. He recognized that he was evil, and reveled in it."
David was silent, then said, "Alright. We should get back now."
Meetra then said, "How about I take Baldy and David with me? And you go with Bastila, Rev?"
Revan just said, "What?"
"I want to have a word with Alek and David, without you telling me to focus on the mission." Meetra said, winking at Revan.
"Alright. Just don't go down any inappropriate lines of conversation." Revan said, walking to one of the two shuttles.
As she and Bastila stepped onto the shuttle, Bastila asked, "Why did you come to help me when you sensed I was in trouble? I mean, won't Meetra be even more inappropriate than before?"
"I managed to talk her out of it." Revan said, "I reminded her that there are more important things than being irritating."
"So, she'll be appropriate from now on?"
"No, but she'll let that line of inappropriateness die."
"Inappropriateness? Is that even a word?"
"Yes." Revan said, doing a variety of system checks.
Bastila was silent, then said, "Thanks, for risking a lot to save me."
"No problem, Bas." Revan said, nervously looking out the window.
"Did I say something wrong?" Bastila asked.
"No, nothing. Just thinking about something."
"What?"
"While in the camp, Johnson said that he just wanted chaos. To see the galaxy burning for no other reason than for its own sake."
"That's what's making you nervous?"
"Not just that." Revan said, scanning the environment as she attempted to look anywhere but at Bastila.
"Alright." Bastila said, also checking the environment. Then, she said, "What's that headed our way?"
Revan looked at it, and said, "JE-393's. They're a type of homing missile. Looks like they didn't like my killing so many of their people."
"How many did you kill?"
"A couple dozen is the minimum. No more than fifty."
"Force..." Bastila said, looking at Revan with horror.
"Don't look at me like that. We're at war, in war you've got to kill or be killed." Revan said, as she evaded the first missile.
-=0=-
Meetra sat down in the pilot's seat, and Alek asked, "What was it you wanted to talk to us about?"
"It's about Johnson." She said, thinking to herself, 'Great, try to help Rev, and end up getting called on my bs reason.'
"What?"
"He said what he wanted was chaos. Do you know if chaos meant more than what we normally think of it in his culture? Or either of yours?"
"Not in mine." Alek said, looking around.
"Nor in mine. And, if his culture had something special revolving around chaos, he never mentioned it. Is there anything else? That doesn't seem like something Revan would oppose being discussed."
Meetra thought, 'Great, what do I say? I suppose I could mention what I'm thinking of doing with those kids.'
"Well?" David demanded.
"Alright. Those cathar children Revan and I rescued, we need to get them to Coruscant."
"Why?"
"Because, I made a deal to save my life. A mandalorian was planning to go through a roundabout route to get them to safety."
"Why?"
"He wanted to make so that there were cathar to rebuild their species and engage the mandalorians in a 'glorious battle' as he put it. So, since I made a deal for my life, we're going to do it. Without telling Rev why."
"Fair enough." David said.
-=0=-
Revan evaded the second missile, and starting laughing. Until Bastila said, "There's another one coming!"
Revan quit laughing and waited, slowly approaching the missile, until doing a barrel roll at the last second to evade it. It continued flying, and detonated a few hundred meters ahead of them. They flew through the smoke, and Revan said, "Thanks for the warning. We should be safe for now."
"No problem, Revan." Bastila said, looking at the ship as they approached it. "You know, those are a lot bigger than I was expecting."
"They are pretty big." Revan said, looking at the Hammerhead class vessel. "But, they lack maneuverability."
"I suppose having to move that much bulk would take a while."
"You have no idea." Revan said, guiding the shuttle into a hangar. As the ship landed, Revan asked, "Is something wrong, Bas? You don't look so good."
"I'm fine." she said, yawning, "Just feeling a bit tired."
Revan also yawned, and said, "Me too. We should get some sleep soon. We're going to be here for a while."
"You're right." Bastila said, as they started to step out of the ship, and both collapsed simultaneously.
-=0=-
A/N: O_O Good lord. I did not see this chapter getting this long. Over ten thousand words. If you'll excuse me I'm going to go see a doctor to make sure I don't have carpal tunnel. Anyways, thanks for reading, and please review/follow/favorite.
