Revan stepped out of the bridge, holding her twin lightsabers as she walked quietly through the vessel. Scanning the area, she hit her communicator, and asked, "Where is the main generator?"

"It's down a deck, and through two right turns. After that it will be the second left in that corridor. If you take the lift in the room you're currently located." a Republic ensign on the other end replied.

"Thanks." she replied. As she scanned the area while waiting for the lift. "This isn't working." she replied, "Is there an alternate route?"

"Checking." the soldier replied. "If you have a way to get that grate directly to your right out, you could use the maintenance shaft to get down."

Revan looked at it, and said, "Got it. What is the situation in the battle?"

"We aren't being pushed any further back, but we aren't pushing them back either. But, you need to focus on finding the intruders."

Revan nodded, even though the soldier couldn't see it as she used the Force to pull it out of its spot, and tossed it behind her. As soon as she slipped through, she began to climb down the ladder on the other side. When she reached the door to the next level, she pushed her way through the panel to the level and continued on her hunt.

When she reached the door that she had been told would lead to the main generator, she hit the button for it to open, but nothing happened. She hit it again, and again nothing happened. She shook her head, and igniting her violet blade, struck the door, and began to cut a hole into the metal. When she had finished cutting a large, uneven circle, she kicked the middle of the door out, and the rest automatically slid back.

She stepped in and saw several engineers lying dead on the ground, their bodies cut into several pieces. As she examined the closest corpse, she saw that the wounds had instantly cauterized, leaving the floor completely clean.

She attempted to activate her communicator, but was getting no signal. Something was interfering. She reached out through the bond and used it to say to Bastila, "Get your lightsaber at the ready. Johnson's on this ship. And warn everyone else on the Bridge."

"Got it." Bastila replied.

"Good. And, if he gets up there, just try to stay alive until I get to you."

"I can handle myself, Rev."

"I know you can, but I don't want you to risk your life. He's stronger than he appears." Revan replied, scanning the environment, using her weapon to light the area so she could see the area around her. She reached a panel, and saw that it had also been cut by a lightsaber.

Then, as she looked to see if repairs would be possible, she heard a light 'thud' behind her. She turned around, and saw five women in black robes carrying a single lightsaber each.

The one in front, said with a raspy voice, "Do you truly believe that the Jedi Order will preserve our kind when the Republic turns against us out of fear of our power?"

Revan looked at her calmly, and said, "I'm not interested, Sith."

"We are not Sith. We are those like you. We are those who walk the gray path. Those who follow neither the light nor the dark, but live between it. Those who do what has to be done. To fight against the growing power of either side. Those who find a place of balance!"

Revan glared at them, and said, "Why are you helping the mandalorians, if you are opposed to one side of the Force growing stronger than the other?"

"The Light has been far too dominant for too long. It is time to bring it into balance again, and you could help us. All it would take was a single sacrifice, then you could help us save the galaxy from imbalance."

Revan looked her in the eye, and said, "Do you five really think that I'll join you? That I would be willing to make whatever sacrifice it is you want me to?"

"It is a small one. That which binds you the most to the Jedi's foolishness." the woman said, "Kill her, and you will truly be a Gray Jedi."

Revan ignited her blades, and said, "I'll never do that. And, if you really want me to, I'll make you pay for it."

"It is for the best. Your connection to her is what weakens you! What prevents you from ascending! Either you can break it yourself, or we can break it for you."

Revan chuckled, and said, "You just made a bad move." glaring at the five, igniting her twin blades. "I'll never let you hurt my friends, the people I care about most. I'll take you all on before I let you lay a single finger on any of them." charging at the woman in the middle. As Revan swung down with her sapphire blade, she threw her violet blade at the shoulder of the one directly behind her. As Revan's second opponent deflected the purple blade, Revan reached out with the Force, and redirected the blade so that instead of flying toward the wall, it came at the foe again, but from behind this time.

The woman fell, clutching at her severed arm, as Revan grabbed her primary blade, and ducked beneath a strike by the leader of the five, who had easily deflected Revan's first strike. She attempted to sweep the woman's feet from underneath her, but her foe dodged, and Revan had to deflect two strikes from the others while flipping backwards to dodge a third.

As she landed, on the edge of the platform, she said, "You know what I love about you guys? How easy you are to trick." as she took in as much Force energy as she could, and slammed it down into the section of the walkway they were all on.

The force of the shockwave hitting the thin metal was too much for it to take, and, as Revan leaped towards the door, she could hear it fall down the chasm. When she landed on the small ledge sticking past the door, only the front of her feet reached, the heals dangled over the chasm, and she began to feel herself fall backwards, She reached out, trying to grab the edges of the door frame to stabilize herself, but they were too far out.

Time seemed to slow as she fell backwards, fumbling for something with which to pull herself up. As she felt the fronts of her feet fully leave the platform, she breathed in, attempting to calm herself as she felt the end approach.

Then, just as she closed her eyes, she felt something grab her ankles. She opened her eyes, and saw Bastila holding on tight. The Padawan smirked, and said, "Didn't I tell you to be careful, Rev?" as she pulled the Knight up.

Once Revan was on stable ground, she replied, "Miscalculated the distance I needed to jump a touch. Thought I'd easily get through the doorway and onto stable ground."

Bastila laughed weakly, and said, "Next time, Rev, don't take that kind of risk. Remember, you aren't the only one who would have been affected if you don't make it."

"I know, Bas." she replied, "And I'm sorry that I took that risk, but how did you know to come down here?"

"I sensed what you were planning when your first attacks were deflected. So, I came down as soon as I could, to make sure that you didn't get yourself killed."

Then, the leader of the five said, "Oh why don't you two kiss already? It's obvious you want to. Oh wait, you can't. Isn't that age difference so pesky sometimes? Then again, I suppose there's no point for you two to, since you have brought yourselves into such a convenient proximity. Now, I can kill both of you for the allies I just lost."

Revan turned around, and, as she cracked her neck, said, "You won't lay a finger on her. I'll kill you before I let that happen."

"Such empty threats hold no water here." the woman replied, her red blade glowing brightly, "But let us finish this. My blade thirsts for your blood after what you have done. Those four were as my sisters, and you shall pay for their deaths."

Revan looked her in the eye, and said, "When this is over, one shall stand, one shall fall."

"Not one, but two." the woman replied.

Revan chuckled, and said, "No, just one. I won't let someone like you hurt her. You should know after what happened on the surface what happens to people who try and hurt my girl."

Bastila stuttered, "Wha-what did you just say?"

Revan blushed, and said, "Disregard that last part. Just act like I started fighting after one shall stand, one shall fall."

"I don't think she will. You really should have tried to be a little less obvious about the fact that you're in love with her. If you had managed subtlety, she may have survived."

"That's the funny thing," Revan replied, as she glanced at Bastila, "more than a few people have threatened her life when around me. They're all gone, she and I aren't. Are you sure you want to add yourself to the list of people I've killed to protect my friends?"

The woman chuckled, and said, "I'll risk it." as she charged, "Lord Mandalore will be pleased to hear that the Jedi who did so much damage has been destroyed."

Revan deflected her foe's first strike, and stabbed at her gut. The woman sidestepped away from it, and struck down on Revan's vulnerable wrist. The Knight's second weapon caught the blade just in time, as she kicked her foe square in the chest, returning to her normal combat position.

The woman charged at Revan, who simply sidestepped and tripped her. She rolled on the ground, quickly returning to a standing position. They stood there, slowly circling each other, with Bastila moving slowly away, but always standing behind Revan.

The Jedi Knight continued to slowly circle her opponent, looking for an opening to use to her advantage, examining the situation, trying to find the ideal time to strike. They continued to circle one another in the same path for a while longer, Bastila managing to make a break for the elevator when Revan was standing in front of the door.

They continued to circle one another for a couple of minutes, before the black robed woman charged. Revan deflected the strike towards her head with her violet blade, and struck at her foe's left leg with her sapphire weapon.

The woman caught the blade with her left hand, using the Force to shield her hand from the blade. She pulled back on the blade, attempting to pull Revan towards her, but instead the Knight deactivated her weapon, leaving the woman standing there, with her left flank exposed. As Revan struck at the open side, the woman rolled back, and sent a stream of lightning flying towards the Knight. Revan caught it with her violet blade, though the hilt began to heat up, Revan continued to block it with the weapon, ignoring the searing heat of the hilt in her hand.

She walked towards the woman, who was using both of hands to send lightning flying towards Revan. The Knight continued to block the attack, until she stood directly over the woman. She placed her sapphire blade to her neck, and said, "Surrender."

"Never." she replied, kicking Revan in the gut. The Jedi stumbled backwards, still managing to deflect a pair of strikes at her left side. When she regained her balance, Revan struck first with her violet blade at the woman's neck, and while it was deflected struck at the left arm with sapphire weapon. Next, as her foe dodged that strike, Revan struck at her right thigh with the violet blade. As she continued to strike, her weapons left trails of blue and purple behind for a moment as they rapidly flew towards their target.

The woman managed to block or deflect all of Revan's strikes, but as Revan continued to move, her movements rapid and graceful, the target of the attacks began to tire. The acrobatic nature of the movements necessary to evade some of the strikes, and the force required to deflect the others was quickly draining her.

So, instead of giving in, she seized as much Force energy as she could, and reached out towards Revan with it. The assaulting Guardian noticed the thread of Force energy approaching her neck, and attempted to block it with her own Force energy. But, it pushed through, and found its mark. As Revan felt pressure around her throat, she continued to strike, ignoring the pain and light-headedness as the flow of oxygen to her brain stopped.

She leaped into the air, her twin blades held over head, and struck down with both simultaneously. As her blue and purple weapons hit the single red blade of her foe, the crimson one was pushed down, and the other two continued on their path, severing the woman's arms. Revan then kicked her in the stomach.

The searing pain of where her arms had once been made the woman lose her concentration, and the energy blocking Revan's windpipe faded away. The Knight gasped for air for a few moments, before her breathing returned to normal. She looked her crippled foe in the eye, and said, "You serve Venerus, don't you?"

"I have no idea who you're talking about." the woman replied, her voice weak, the pain wracking her body making it difficult to speak.

"Venerus, the Dark Lord of the Sith."

"I do not know who that is, Knight Tremaine. Please, end my pain now!"

Revan looked her in the eye, and said, "Very well." severing her foe's head as she turned to walk away.

She walked slowly to the elevator, where she saw Bastila sitting on the floor. The Padawan opened her eyes, and said,

"I thought you might need some help getting back up after that fight."

Revan chuckled, and said, "Thanks, Bas."

-=0=-

Meetra groaned as she felt her back hit the wall. Her vision blurred, and she saw someone walking towards her, something bright red in his hand. As she felt her mind slip away, she saw several smaller red objects fly towards the man, only to be deflected by the longer red object in the man's hand.

She blinked trying to refocus her vision, but felt herself slipping away into unconsciousness. The man continued to walk towards her, something about the red object seemed dangerous to Meetra's mind, even through the cloud of pain dimming her senses.

As he stood over her, the menacing red object coming closer to her neck. As it drew closer and closer, at an agonizingly slow pace, she felt heat radiating off it. It continued too approach her, with each passing second the heat grew greater.

And, even as she felt the hot red object grow closer, she faintly registered a chill run down her spin, growing greater as the heat of the object did. Then, just as it began to touch her directly, she saw someone else, larger than the man bearing the red object, come towards her at a speed far greater than that of the other. As she saw the blue object in his hand, something registered relief. That the blue object would somehow protect her.

As the blue object approached the man carrying the red one, the weapon, which she now recognized it as, moved up to meet the blue one.

The two connected sending sparks flying, landing near her. One landed on her cheek, searing hot for a second, then gone. As if it had never been there. As if it had never been real in the first place. 'What a strange thing.' she thought, as her vision finally left her completely, and she felt herself in a different place. One warmer, safer. Standing by the fireplace was a woman she didn't recognize. Meetra said, "Who are you?"

The woman replied, turning to face Meetra with a small smile on her face, and said, "You certainly say some strange things, honey."

"I'm not food." Meetra replied.

The woman laughed, a strangely musical sound, and said, "Not going to let that joke die, I see."

"What, I'm not something to be eaten." Meetra replied.

"That wasn't what you were saying last night." the woman replied.

"Do I know you?" Meetra asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Of course you do, I'm your wife. Are you alright, Meetra?"

"I'm not sure." she replied, "I may just need to get some rest."

"Long day arguing with the Council?" the woman asked, looking Meetra in the eye.

"No, I was fighting mandalorians on one of their ships over Cathar."

The woman chuckled, and said, "Still dreaming about the glory days. You really should move past that. Next will you be talking about Revan, before the final battle?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The final battle, where the mandalorians were driven extinct. Where your old friend Revan sacrificed her life to kill not just Mandalore, but the rest of the mandalorian fleet too. Surely you remember that."

"No, I don't." Meetra replied, looking around her. "What are you really? I know for a fact that Rev is still alive. She's probably in the bridge of a ship commanding the battle, while Bastila uses her Battle Meditation."

"Why do you talk about the dead like they're still alive?" the woman, who Meetra was now certain wasn't actually someone she'd ever met, asked.

"What are you talking about?" Meetra asked, reaching for her lightsaber, only to find it missing from her side.

"Bastila Shan killed herself five years ago, shortly after she felt Revan die. Something about not being able to live without her." the woman said.

"You're lying." Meetra replied, glaring at her.

"Babe, you need to relax. Have a drink, clear your head."

"Don't call me that, woman!" Meetra shouted, "I'm not buying your bullshit! You say you're my wife, but I've never met you! I know for a fact that Revan and Bastila are alive! I know that the mandalorians are still around! They're a threat to the Republic! I don't know what you are, but you aren't who you say you are!"

The woman shook her head, and said, "Meetra, dear, please just have a drink. It'll help you clear your head."
"I don't drink." Meetra said, "My father was a drunk who beat my mother to death, so I'll never touch the stuff."

"You said that for a while, but eventually you started to drink to bury the pain of what happened during the mandalorian wars. After your only remaining friend from that time, Alek, died taking out Darth Venerus and his Sith followers."

Meetra said, "What is this? Some trick to try and pull me over the Dark Side? An attempt to use me as a tool of some great evil? I'm not buying into this bullshit. So, either quit spouting your lies, whatever you are, and leave me alone. Or I. Will. Kill. You."

"Meetra, what's gotten into you?" The woman asked, tears forming in her eyes.
"Don't try to manipulate me with sad eyes." Meetra said, "I don't know you. I've never met you. And, I probably never will because you aren't real. You're some illusion used by someone in an attempt to convert me to their side." as she walked out the door, and found herself on Coruscant. She looked around, and it was exactly the same as before she left it. Except, something was missing. The traffic, while still there was slow, cautious.

Before, it had been fast, rapid, people rushing to get to their next location. As she looked at it, she saw one thing else that was different. The flags on the city weren't those of the Republic, but something different. It was a red background, with a mask in the center. And, underneath the mask were the words, "Remember the Battle of Coruscant."

-=0=-

Revan stepped into the bridge and said, "Prepare to evacuate the ship. We can't get power back online. All panels in engineering were set to deactivate the generator, and then damaged beyond repair. We can't get power back on."

Forsk said, "Very well. Prepare the Heroic for evacuation. The last to leave will be personnel who will set it to self-destruct. I don't want them to get a single fragment of a single screw."

Revan said, "We'll be on the first shuttle out of here. Command of the battle cannot be interrupted or there's no way we'll even be able to fall back."

"Understood." he replied, "Spread the signal. We're getting the hell off this ship!"

"Aye-aye, Admiral!" an ensign said.

Revan turned to Bastila, and said, "Situation with the Battle Meditation?"

"Whoever was behind the enemy Battle Meditation has stopped. I'm not getting any resistance when I use mine"

"Good. Keep that up, and we may be able to get out of this thing alive." Revan said.

-=0=-

Canderous said, "Sir, the Republic appears to be evacuating one of their vessels. A capital ship."

"Can we take it?" Mandalore asked.
"No, sir. The team we sent in to sabotage it have all been exterminated. The Jedi who annihilated the base is on that vessel." he replied.

Mandalore said, "Then destroy the vessel. Do not let her get away. This Revan will not stop us!"

"Yessir." Canderous replied.

-=0=-

Alek sprinted towards Johnson, as he slowly moved his crimson lightsaber towards Meetra's neck. Just when he was about to severe his head, that blade moved in to block his strike. He chuckled, and said, "You did well, Alek. But, you don't know what you're up against." as he pushed the Padawan back.

Alek ignored him, and continued to attack. The sapphire lightsaber always coming just short of reaching its target.

As Alek struck again and again, as well as evading the strikes from Johnson, Veras lined up a shot, and after watching for a few moments saw an opening to fire. As Alek's blade approached Johnson, Veras pulled the trigger. As Alek's blade was deflected, Vera's shot wasn't. It hit Johnson square in the chest. He clutched his side, and as Alek struck again and again, Veras continued to fire. The rounds leaving his blaster almost always finding their mark.

Johnson fell down, only to vanish. Groaning as he leaned against a wall, clutching his wounds with his synthetic hand, he said, "That was not the honorable way to win a battle." before disappearing again.

"But it was the effective way." Veras said, as he walked over to Alek. "You did well, soldier."

"Thank you, sir." he replied, looking at Meetra sitting against the wall, her eyes closed. He walked over to her, and as he checked for a pulse, she gasped, and grabbed him by the throat. She growled,
"What the fuck is going on here? Where the fuck am I!"

"Relax," Alek said, "you're on a mandalorian ship, in the hangar. You got thrown from one end to the other and were knocked out cold."

"Figures." she muttered. "So, where to next, Veras?"

He replied, "The bridge. From there we can set the ship to self-destruct, and send it heading towards the middle of the fleet. There it'll do the most possible damage."

"Got it." Meetra replied, "But first I'm gonna need to find my lightsaber."

-=0=-

Revan examined the battle map, looking for a flaw in the mandalorian formations to exploit. As she examined it she didn't see a single hole. The only weak points, a pair of damaged vessels was too closely supported by a pair of cruisers.

As she continued to examine it, viewing the way that the mandalorians were pushing, even her feint having failed to produce a major advantage, only slowing down the enemy. She continued to stare intently at the map, watching the simple figures move along the two dimensional plane for a while longer. She then turned away from it, and said to Forsk, "Things aren't going well. We aren't in a position where a safe retreat is possible, but there aren't any weaknesses in the mandalorian formations to exploit to get us there. The only viable option for turning the tide is to send small transport vessels to board mandalorian ships. They should have hangars open for their fighters to land in when they return because they need more fuel or repairs. We can use that to get spec-ops onto the ships, and sabotage them. If we're lucky we'll be able to produce a large enough gap in their forces that will take the mandalorians long enough to fix that we'll be able to escape without excessive losses."

"We'll send people onto whatever ships you tell us to." he replied.

"Good." she said, looking at the map. She highlighted five vessels, and said, "If these five are set to self-destruct it should cause enough collateral damage to enable our withdrawal."

"Understood." Forsk said.

-=0=-

Meetra grabbed her lightsaber, and asked, "Do either of you know the way to the bridge?"
Veras said, "Mandalorian vessels typically have a standard design with the bridge at the front on deck twelve. From there we can activate the ship's self-destruct and auto-pilot functions."
"So where's an elevator?" Alek asked.

"That I don't know." Veras said, "But if it follows a pattern similar to Republic vessels, we'll be able to get to a lift by checking every right side door. Within four or five there should be a lift."

"Or, we could capture and interrogate one of the guards that are almost certainly waiting for us." Meetra said.

"That could take too long." Alek said

"Looking for a lift could take just as long, and could lead to more fights." Meetra replied.

Veras said, "Surik has a point. We want to keep a minimal presence. If we're able to get info from one of the mandalorian troops we'll be able to more quietly reach the bridge."

-=0=-

Vrook stepped silently into the council chamber. He looked at the other members of the council, and said, "We made a grave mistake in sending Revan to Cathar."
"Why do you say that, Vrook?" Dorak asked, looking up from a datapad.

"I recently received a message from multiple Republic officers regarding her actions. She has placed all of the others sent with her in grave danger. She nearly got both herself and Bastila killed. She endangered both herself and Surik by attacking, and almost completely destroyed a mandalorian camp. "Also, I received a report that Knight Richard Johnson has joined the mandalorian forces. According to Surik, he was a mandalorian who was working undercover in an attempt to sabotage the Republic war effort."

Vandar said, "Revan destroyed an entire camp? What were the Jedi casualties?"

"None. She slew every last mandalorian she encountered, and escaped unharmed."

"Then how did she and Bastila nearly lose their lives?" Vandar asked.

"The vessel was sabotaged. Johnson had set it up so that a chemical used by Dark Jedi hunters would be released into it while the ship was flying."

Vandar sighed, and said, "We knew that sending Revan was dangerous. That it was doubtful that she would obey the order to maintain minimal involvement in actual combat. It was one of the reasons Master Sunrider suggested her."

"We should call for her early return." Vrook said, "We cannot have her level of involvement. It will compromise the High Council's position."

"The unit that was sent to Cathar shall remain for their entire term of service." Vandar said, "If we were to call any of them back, it would lead to further distrust of the Order from the citizens of the Republic. Revan is defying the parameters of the mission, but she may be helping the Order by doing so."

Vrook said, "What would you have us do, Vandar?"

"Nothing."

Zhar said, "I cannot agree with that, Master Vandar. There must be discipline in the Order, or everything will fall to chaos."

Dorak said, "I agree. There cannot be such blatant disregard for orders from superiors without consequence."

-=0=-

Mandalore said, "There appears to be a gap in the Republic's formations, send vessels to assault it."

"As you command, Mandalore." a mandalorian soldier replied.

-=0=-

Revan glanced at the map, and traced a pair of paths across the map. She said, "Send the following frigates where I have marked."

"Aye-aye, ma'am!" an ensign said.

Bastila, who was standing beside Revan, using her Battle Meditation as she looked at the map, said, "If you send those ships it will just move the hole."

Revan looked at it, and said, "Once those two frigates are moved to their new position the other frigates will move to close the hole."

"Are you sure that won't create another?" Bastila asked.

"I know what I'm doing." Revan said, chuckling. "When we get back to Dantooine I'll lend you my copy of the Art of War."

"What's that?"

"Classical book of combat strategy." Forsk said, "Mandatory reading for every officer in both Republic and mandalorian fleets. It was written by an ancient group of Jedi back when your Order was still willing to fight to protect the Republic. Instead of hiding behind excuses."

Revan chuckled, and said, "Just because the Order has deteriorated from the old days doesn't mean that all of us aren't willing to do what has to be done."
"Just because you aren't all cowards doesn't mean that your Order is redeemable." Forsk said.

Revan said, "The Order can be fixed, if the Council gets replaced with people who aren't indoctrinated with the current teachings of there being only one extreme or the other." before turning to look at the map and said, "But there will be another time to talk about this. Currently we have a battle to finish."

-=0=-

A/N: This chapter was going to have come out a couple of days ago but I got sick, and couldn't get anything written. So sorry about that, but hope you enjoy it despite the delay. Anyways, thanks for reading, and please drop a review/follow/favorite.