Revan looked at her datapad, fiddling slightly with the image on the screen. After a couple of minutes, Meetra walked up, and asked, "What you doing?"
"Looking at the design for HK-44. Seeing what I need to improve in 47."
"Why not 46?"
"44 was the closest to a success. I just need to find a way to make that design a killer, with some more powerful components. So that it has the physical abilities to, in close quarters, defeat a regular organic."
"Why?"
"I need it to be good enough to handle any situation. To adapt to any threat that it might come across. I mean, this is going to be going behind enemy lines. If things go downhill, it needs to be able to defend itself. And, if I'm going to have another one to be a bodyguard for Bastila, that also need to be able to fight any potential threat. For a minimum of two or three minutes so she could escape."
"You worry too much, Revan." Meetra said.
"What can I say, I like to know that she's safe."
"And who's keeping her safe now?"
"No one that I know of." Revan replied, "But I can't watch her all the time. If I did that would make everyone get suspicious. And, would mean that I couldn't get any non-Bastila work done."
"Fair enough." Meetra said, as Revan discarded the entire outer shell of the droid. "What was wrong with those parts?"
"Inefficient spacing. Limited the range of motion of the joints. And, it was too heavy a metal. Made 44 too slow. Though from what little data I've been able to gather from him since then, he's doing a great job with his new owner."
"What is he even doing?"
"Protocol on Naboo."
"Great. How bored is it?"
"He's loving it. Gets to use most of those languages I programmed in."
"Why do you keep an eye on the droids you made?"
"That way if it starts acting haywire, I can activate the kill switch. Make any rogue droids have their memory cores wiped completely clean, and replace their personality matrices with a pre-built protocol droid one."
"Basically if any of its old problems show up again, you end it and replace it with a basic droid. What about some of the... unique stuff you put in that wasn't related to killing people."
"Those features are stored in a completely separate storage device."
"Couldn't the droid then use it to keep itself alive?"
"I prepared for that eventuality, Meetra." Revan replied, as she then deleted the circuitry. "The memory can be viewed, but they can't directly access the drive. The way I wrote their code, they could try for a thousand years to put something in that storage, but it wouldn't work."
"Why?"
"Because, the drive is too small to store them. I designed their code to compile so that it wouldn't fit on it. Have it be a very processor efficient design, but at the cost of having absolutely atrocious storage space usage."
"Couldn't the owner work on reducing it?"
"No, I locked the drive. They'd have to make a few people to copy the code into another one to effectively clone him. And even then it might not work. And, they wouldn't have a reason to. When I sold it to them, I explained that it was an automated process that scanned for any thought processes that are... dangerous."
"Such as?"
"Anything regarding killing organics en masse."
"But you actually have some data transmitted to you because...?"
"Because there is always a chance that the automated system will not work. That it'll miss any dangerous patterns. Because it isn't intelligent. It just looks for a few specific patterns, and isn't given any wiggle room, to protect the livelihood of the droid. I don't want the personality to be replaced with a stock one over a thought that is condescending towards the idea of genocide. Because, that would not be good. I'm trying to create a series of droids that are good at what they do, and can be counted on under almost any conceivable attack."
"A horde of angry jawas wielding lightsabers and throwing their underwear at it?" Meetra asked immediately.
Revan laughed, and said, "I don't think it has to worry about that. I don't think jawas even wear underwear. Though I've never been interested enough to check."
"Well, that does sound comfy." Meetra said.
"Meetra, do not do what I know you're thinking of."
"You'll never know if I do." Meetra said.
"I'm pretty sure that I'll hear about it."
"You're no fun..."
"You have a very unique sense of fun, Meetra." Revan replied as she put the file away, and said, "But, I don't have much time to work on 47. He'll have to wait until the other more important matters have been taken care of."
Meetra laughed, and asked, "What could be more important than having your own personal army of murderous robots?"
"You make a valid point. I'll put everything else on the back burner. Build up my army, then I won't have to worry about the other stuff because the entire army would make everyone do what I say! It's a brilliant strategy. It'll be great when I'm eighty-five."
Meetra laughed, and said, "You have yet to master the art of sarcasm, young Revan. But you grow ever closer."
"You're one to talk, Meetra." Revan replied, as she pulled out a small chip. She handed it to Meetra, who looked at it with confusion.
"What's this?" she asked.
"It's a storage chip. In it is my full report of something that is about to happen."
"What are you talking about?" Meetra asked, concern creeping into his voice.
The Knight grinned, and said, "The future is now, Meetra." before walking out the door.
Meetra caught her friend's robe, and said, "What are you doing!"
"Something that needs to be done." Revan replied. "Putting my plan into action."
"Plan, what plan?"
"My plan to send a message, to everyone."
"Care to fill me in on the details?"
"The less you know the better." Revan said, as she looked at the time. "But, I need to be out of here already. I need to be at the peak of the temple in... fifteen minutes."
"That's way too far away. With where we are, you're at least half an hour away."
"You underestimate me, Meetra." Revan said, as she walked out the door, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"I don't like being kept out of the loop." she growled, "What are you doing, Revan?"
"Don't worry. The plan's been approved by Kreia and Bastila."
"Should I be worried that you were willing to tell her over me?"
"No. I just needed her cooperation for the plan to work."
"What are you having her do?"
"You'll see in a moment." Revan replied, as she closed the door, and started to sprint through the temple, dodging anyone who was standing her path. As she ran through the temple, there was a group completely blocking her chosen path. Seeing this, she jumped towards the wall, and when her feet touched it, pushed off it, propelling herself over the group. They look up in surprise, as they see her fly above them.
They say, "What the hell are you doing, Revan? Have you gone crazy?"
"No, you'll see what I'm doing in a moment!" Revan replied, as she continued to sprint through the temple, using the Force to increase her speed. She moved, and slid under a closing door, to the surprise of the Master who did so.
He asked, "What are you doing, Knight Tremaine?"
"No time!" she replied, as she continued to run. Instinctively blocking the Force energy the Master tried to use to slow her down.
As she moved through the temple, a pair of Knights asked, "Revan, can we talk to you for a moment?"
"Not right now!" Revan said, as she jumped onto the raised arm of one of them, and pushes off. As it falls, he says,
"Ow! What the hell!"
"Someone's in danger!" Revan replied, pushing past another Knight.
"How do you know?" he asked, barely managing to keep up with her, as the two ran through the temple.
"It's a long story that involves a lot of ships blowing up and a small sect of Dark Jedi who tried to kill me."
"Wait, a small sect of Dark Jedi? Where did this happen?"
"You really that thick?" Revan asked, as she pushed through a blockade of three grouchy looking Jedi. As they fell on their asses, Revan used the Force to call the elevator door. A few seconds later it opened, and Revan entered it, and slammed it closed. She hit the key to take her to the roof, and started tapping her feet as it climbed the many levels of the temple.
As it continued to rise, Revan breathed in, and out. Bringing herself to a place of peace, where there was no emotion. Then, the door opened, and Bastila was simply standing on the edge, with another Jedi's lightsaber at her throat.
Revan simply laughed, and said, "Do you really think that you're going to succeed in hurting her?"
"I was wondering how long her message would take to reach you."
"I had it before you even acted." Revan replied, confidently walking forward, as her lightsabers flew off her belt, into her hand, and ignited. "You see," Revan said, walking towards him slowly, "This wasn't Bastila being careless. She was here on my command."
"Why?" she asked, holding a lightsaber at Bastila's throat.
"Because, I knew that at least one of your kind would be here."
"My kind?"
"Jedi who are secretly of mandalorian origin. I figured that Mandalore would have sent at least one of you orders to capture Bastila."
She simply tilted her head, and said, "Clever. But, what purpose would letting me succeed have?"
"There are several. The most important, though, are that it will send a message to your boss, and hopefully open the Council's eyes to how serious a threat the mandalorians are."
"What are the others?"
"This is going to be really awesome." Revan replied, as the lightsaber her mandalorian foe was holding, collapsed in on itself. She looked surprised, and was even more surprised, as a precise wave of Force energy pushed her backwards. The mandalorian flew backwards, and almost lost her grip on Bastila.
But, just as she fell over the edge, she caught the Padawan's leg, pulling her down too. Revan swore under her breath, as she sprinted forward, as a group of Jedi exited the elevator behind her. She vaulted over the rail, and started the rapid descent towards the base of the temple.
As she fell, she did everything she could to catch up to Bastila. As she approached, the mandalorian pulled out a pistol, and opened fire. Revan shifted to avoid the shots, and used the Force to pull Bastila into her reach. As Revan caught her, she said, "Sorry, Bas. This isn't how I predicted this would happen."
"You have a plan to keep us both alive, right?" Bastila asked.
"Of course I do. I have a plan for everything, after all." Revan replied, as she shifted them away from the fire of the mandalorian, and pulled out a blaster. She placed it into Bastila's hand, and said, "I need to focus on making so we'll land safely. You'll have to shoot that mandalorian."
"I've never shot a blaster!" Bastila replied.
"Grab the handle, point the long end at her. Have it about two centimeters below where she is currently, to account for the speed at which we're falling, and pull the trigger."
"How do I aim beyond pointing it at her?"
"Point the top of the glowy red bit where you want the round to go." Revan replied, as she again dodged the mandalorian's shots. "Now kill her!"
"Got it." Bastila replied, turning to the side, and aiming towards the mandalorian. While she did that, Revan did what she could to point her feet down instead of her head, and decrease their speed. As she did so, she also gathered Force energy around her feet, and up along her legs, forming a kind of shock absorbing system.
As they approached the ground, Bastila said, "It won't shoot anymore!"
"It's probably overheated!" Revan replied, continuing to focus on keeping them safe from the ever encroaching ground floor. Then, when they landed, a cloud of dust, and red to their left, rose up. And, they continued to go down a bit. When the dust cleared, Revan was lying on her back, with Bastila on top of her.
The Jedi Knight sighed, and said, "See, Bas? We're fine. I've just broken my left leg."
"You've what!" Bastila said. "Rev, why don't I feel any of your pain?"
"Because, gorgeous," Revan replied, holding her close, "I'm blocking it from going through the bond. No need for you to suffer my pain."
Bastila sighed, and said, "You don't have to protect me from absolutely everything."
"I know." The Knight replied, "But, I will never let anything bad happen to you. Even if it means I have to sacrifice myself to keep you safe from it."
Bastila said, "I know, Rev. And, I'm scared that you will do that. And I'll not have a friend who I can turn to, even when everyone else has turned against me."
"Alright, that's good enough for me." Meetra said, "You may now kiss the bride."
Revan blushed, turned her head to look at her friend, and said, "That is not funny."
Meetra laughed, and said, "Looks like someone was considering it."
"No." Revan replied, as Bastila got off of her, and helped the Knight to her feet. "I was joking about my leg." she added.
"I figured as much. Breaking bones is quite painful, and you didn't have a pained expression on your face."
"She might have been a bit distracted." Meetra said. "But seriously, Revan. What in the name of the Force where you thinking? If your estimates had been off by even one nanometer, you'd be dead now. And Bastila probably would be too."
"Meetra, I developed this plan years ago, for the eventuality where I would be in a hostile engagement at the peak of the temple. If it were going negatively, I could simply jump off, and land without a scratch."
"So... you really had a plan for that. Do you have a plan for if..."
"I'm attacked by a horde of angry astromech droids and Jawas wearing thongs?"
"Dammit!" Meetra said, "How did you know I was going to say that?"
"Because, I also have a plan for if a group of irate pyjaks are hunting me down with wookie bowcasters. Or a group of horny chickens are looking to kill me for eating the rooster. The list goes on." Revan replied.
"Have I really reused the scenarios that often?"
"Yes." Revan replied, as she popped her neck.
"What would you do if
Bastila tackled you while she was wearing a bikini, and started kissing you?"
"Before or after I die of shock?" Revan asked. "Because, I can't see Bastila one, tackling me, two wearing a bikini, or three kissing me. And with how the laws of probability work, the chances of her doing all three are next to zero. That was a new one, Meetra. Now you have seven scenarios."
"What would you actually do?" Meetra asked.
"I already told you, die of shock." Revan replied, as she checked to make sure her lightsabers were working.
"Revan, quit avoiding the question."
"I do not have a plan for that scenario. Because the thought has never crossed my mind. And, considering the fact that the odds are only just barely better than the odds of a hungry kath hound turning into a mandalorian dreadnaught and flying in a perfect circle for thirty-seven minutes, I don't think I'll have to worry about that."
"How do you have that calculated?" Meetra asked.
"Math." Revan replied, looking at the time.
"You're being awfully evasive about this."
"It's a very awkward thing for you to ask about. I don't have a plan for it, and I never will. That is my answer." Revan replied. "It would depend on the situation."
"So you're saying potentially you'd kiss her back?" Meetra asked, a smirk on her face.
"I'm not going there." Revan said, "I know what you're trying, and it isn't going to work."
"Alright." Meetra said, "What if it were just a random stripper?"
"I would push her away."
"What if it were a random male stripper?"
"I'd push him away."
Meetra sighed, and said, "You make this stuff no fun."
"It isn't something that I have interest in." Revan replied, as a group of Jedi walked out of the temple, and shouted,
"REVAN! What in the name of the Force have you been doing!"
"What is necessary to minimize Jedi casualties." Revan replied, stepping forward, to look the older Jed in the eye. "I had reason to believe that a mandalorian spy was amongst the Order. So I laid a trap for them."
"What kind of trap?"
"During the Battle of Cathar, I was attacked by a group of fallen Jedi. During the combat, the area we were fighting in collapsed. I barely managed to catch the floor of the doorway. I was about to fall to my death when Bastila pulled me up.
"Her actions there created a Force Bond between the two of us. Because, as I am sure you are aware, when one Jedi saves the life of another, it typically creates a link between them. So, through a long series of events that I have already relayed to the Council, Mandalore was led to believe that I have inappropriate feelings for Bastila.
"That, and my actions which saved the Republic fleet over Cathar, made him send men to capture her. Now, as there were previously mandalorians on Coruscant, and Johnson proved to be an enemy spy, it seemed logical to assume that he wasn't the only one.
"So, with Master Kreia and Bastila I formed a plan. Bastila would isolate herself on the roof, making herself a clear target for any mandalorian agents. And, one of them took the bait." Revan finished, pointing at the field of red behind her.
The Master said, "So, you were heading to spring your trap. You could have informed us."
"I didn't know who I could trust. Who wasn't a mandalorian spy. It was clear that Bastila was not, as she would have disappeared if that were the case. As for Master Kreia, she is far too old to be related to this mandalorian force."
"What about me?" Meetra asked, "Why did you keep me out of the loop? Did you think I might be one?"
"No." Revan said, laughing, "I was trying to keep it with as few as possible. That way if things went horribly wrong, a minimum number of individuals would be affected.
"But it went off without a hitch. No lives lost except that of the hostile. I'd say it's one of my better executed plans."
"But... you had to jump off the roof!" he said.
"Yeah... I didn't want to have to do that. But, you have to admit, it was pretty awesome. Have you seen anyone else do that and come out unscathed?"
"No." he said, "But while it was impressive, it was also dangerous and irresponsible. Something could have happened to you or Bastila."
Revan's eyes grew dark, and she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "I jumped off that roof because that mandalorian bitch pulled Bastila down. It wasn't like I picked Bastila up, and jumped off the roof. I went over that edge to save her life.
"So don't you dare get on my fucking case for endangering her. I made over a dozen modifications to the original scenario in order to ensure her safety. Maybe, Master, you should be looking at the real problem here. The mandalorians have had multiple agents infiltrate the Jedi Order. They are a threat to everything the Order stands for.
"So perhaps you should focus on hunting them down, instead of getting on my case for putting someone in danger, when I knew exactly how to get her out of that situation. I had a setup for every potential threat the mandalorian could provide. I knew that using Bastila as bait would be dangerous for her. I had to make sure that nothing would happen to her, or the plan would have to be scrapped."
The Master nodded, and said, "You should all return to your quarters. To ensure your safety until you depart tomorrow morning."
"Very well." Revan said, her voice one of forced calm. Once the group had dispersed, Meetra said,
"Rev, breathe."
"I can't believe them. After I pull a mandalorian out of hiding, they still refuse to see that those bastards are a real threat. Those mandalorian animals have infiltrated the Order, and no one will listen. No one thinks they're a threat. They're all so scared of a potential greater danger behind the mandalorian attacks to act on the threat that can actually be seen.
"And then when someone shows how great the danger is, they just put them in a corner, so that they can keep their heads in the dirt. What is it going to take to open their fucking eyes? A blaster to the head?"
"Revan..." Bastila sighed, "You have to keep calm. If you let your frustration get the best of you, it won't help anyone."
Revan sighed, as she sat down, leaning against the outer wall of a small decorative garden. "I know." she said, "But... I can't stand it. I give them proof that we've been infiltrated... and they just send me to my quarters. They say it's to keep us all safe. But it's actually so that they don't have to do anything. When did the Order become so corrupted? When did everyone lose sight of the ideals that are supposed to bind all Jedi together?
"When did an order of brothers in arms against the advance of darkness in the galaxy become more interested in just sitting in the temple doing nothing than actually fighting the darkness? I remember when I first arrived. So skeptical of the Jedi.
"I'd never met one. Never so much as seen one. The few times they showed up on Deralia, mom and dad always made sure that I wasn't anywhere near them. Always saying that the Jedi weren't at all what they would have you think.
"I didn't get it back then, but they must have known I was Force Sensitive. And that the Jedi would have pressured them into giving me over to the Order. And here I am now. Fighting against most of the Order. Trying to remind them of what we're supposed to be.
"And when I show them how much danger we're in... how much influence Mandalore has in the Order, without us even knowing it, they treat me like I'm just a paranoid madwoman. I nearly sacrifice myself and one of my closest friends in an attempt to open their eyes.
"And yet they still keep them closed! What happened to the Order since Kreia showed me what it meant to be a Jedi? What happened to everyone else, while I was so focused on just being the best of our kind?
"Why is it that even after everything we've done, the Council still won't listen? Do we really have to defy them? To abandon the Jedi Order entirely to save it? Is it truly necessary to turn our backs on our friends and comrades in order to save them?
"Or am I just going at it all wrong? Have I chosen the wrong angle to push the Masters? Is there any way to open their eyes, or is it just futile? Is there any way to save the Order, or is it simply doomed to be destroyed because of its own corruption?"
Bastila was silent, and said, "You can't give up, Rev. The wise always seem mad to fools."
"And it seems like the entire Order is made of fools now. Remember when it fought. I remember back when I was just a kid. A Jedi saw injustice on Nar Shaddaa, and he fought it. He took the lives of the guilty, to save those of the innocent.
"But now, the Order is satisfied with letting the guilty continue to harm the innocent so long as they do not go directly after us. I remember a time when being the best the Order had to offer meant everything to me. Hell, when just being a Jedi meant that. Now, it's nowhere near the top of my list of what's important to me.
"Because, with how far the Order's fallen, being the best of us isn't that hard. Just standing up for what the Order is supposed to will put you in the top ten."
"Revan..." Bastila sighed, as she sat down beside the older woman. "We aren't the only ones who understand what's going on. There are others working to fix the Order."
"But it doesn't matter..." Revan sighed, resting her head against the garden. "There are so few Jedi Masters who see how wrong things are now... we'll never have the influence to save this order. It's what Nicole described the Republic as. An ancient bureaucracy that is rotting away. And there's no way to save it."
"Revan," Meetra said, "I know you. You are never one to give up on anything. You will fight day and night for what is right. Even if it takes your entire life. You don't surrender. You fight. You don't give up, you convince. You don't abandon, you save."
"Maybe it's time to change that." Revan said, looking up at the stars. "Maybe, instead of trying to save this Order, we're supposed to create a new Jedi Order. One not composed of strictly the Light. Nor one fully corrupted by the Darkness, as the Sith are. One between the Light and the Dark."
Bastila said, "Don't be so quick to give up. Revan, what the Order needs now isn't someone to turn their back on it. What it needs is a hero. Someone to look up to. An example of what Jedi are supposed to be."
"I'm no hero. I'm just a soldier." Revan replied, as she stood up. "And when there is no war for that soldier to fight, they have no purpose. And, I have been forbidden from fighting the only threat out there."
"Revan, you'll fight the mandalorians." Bastila said, "One day, you will turn the tide of the war. When all is said and done, you'll be the person who saves the Republic. I know it. But, you can't give up on it."
"I haven't given up on the Republic. I'm giving up on the Jedi Order. It's been a pleasure knowing you. But the time to act is now. The time to defy the Council. To defy the cowards who believe they are in command. The time to act, to fight the war.
"I know this is the last time I'll see you, so goodbye. Odds are, the blood of many Jedi will be spilled today. For today, in the cause of doing what is right, I am going to defy the Jedi Council, and go to war with the mandalorians."
"Rev, you always said that if you go alone, you would do more harm than good. What has changed now?" Bastila asked.
Revan smirked, and said, "I won't be alone. There is a faction amongst the Order ready to stand up and fight. A faction composed of individuals ready to stand up and actually be Jedi. And, I know they will follow me. They've come to me for help, and now I will go to them."
"One small faction isn't as much as an entire Order." Bastila said. "Would it not be better to wait, and be able to provide better help? And perhaps not abandon the Jedi?"
Revan looked up at the peak of the temple, and said, "You see this massive structure. This temple that is the home of the Jedi. Don't you see something wrong with it?"
Bastila looked at it, as did Meetra, then asked, "What?"
"It's more ornate than practical. And I am done. Done with the Council's cowardice. Done with the Masters shoving their heads so far up their asses that they can't see the threat right in front of them. And I'm done with them. Done with their cowardice."
"Revan... clear your head. Emotion, yet peace." Nomi said, as she walked out of the temple.
Revan looked at her, and asked, "Why? I show them that there are mandalorian infiltrators, and instead of showing any sign that it troubles them, they just tell me I should keep a low profile. Basically tell me that they don't care. That it doesn't matter to them.
"That even after all I've done, all they can see is the fact that I put someone in potential danger. They don't see the fact that they're all in constant danger. They don't see the approaching threat of the mandalorians. They just see me as a paranoid nutcase. They think that I'm not acting out against them out of fear. That I don't stand up for what is right because I value my place in the Order more than that.
"The time for talking is over, Nomi. The time for action is now. The time has come to send out the call. To all true Jedi out there. That it is time. That we are going forth, to fight the enemy."
Nomi sighed, and said, "Not yet. As much as I want you to stand up to those cowards, there is still something you must do first."
"Nothing else matters now. The war has to end, or we'll all be dead." Revan said.
"You are letting your frustration cloud what you truly believe." Nomi said, before turning to Meetra and Bastila, and saying, "Leave now."
They both bowed, and did so, not saying anything. Once they were gone, Nomi said, "Revan, I cannot believe you are being such a fool. You are willing to turn your back on any chance you have of being with the person you love just because you are frustrated with the Masters?"
"Every day I delay, Republic soldiers are dying. Innocents are dying, because of inaction. If I stay here just because of my feelings for Bastila, it would be selfish."
"If you sacrifice your chance with her, Revan, you will not be able to focus on the war. You will always be wondering what would have happen if you had stayed. If you had the patience. If you act rashly, she will be hurt. Hurt that you care more about the war than you do her. You have always been reasonable Revan. Continue to be so."
"You expect me to sacrifice countless innocent lives just because I have feelings for someone?"
"You have never cared for someone like this before, Revan. For all but a very select few, there is only ever one. It is not being selfish to give yourself something to come back to after the war. Give you an anchor to your humanity.
"You would be doing any potential subordinates of yours a disservice by separating yourself from what makes you like them. You would do them more harm than good by killing yourself inside. It is a short time, Revan. For once in your life, let yourself have happiness. This may be your only chance."
Revan walked to the crater she had left in the ground earlier. She closed her eyes, as she squatted over it, and placed a palm over the center. "Right here, I held her in my arms. So close I could smell the scent of her shampoo. The soap she used. I could feel how soft her skin is, even through the robes.
"And, through the bond I could feel how comfortable she was there in my arms. How safe she felt. As we were falling, I couldn't feel any fear from her. She was calm. Because she trusted me to land us safely.
"That did make me happy. But, there are soldiers out there who already have someone waiting for them, Nomi. Every day I delay, a husband dies. A wife. A father, a mother. With every delay, I deny a family the happiness of being whole.
"The way of the Jedi is that of sacrifice. Doing what is best for everyone else, even if it isn't what's best for us. I know that my actions doom any hope I have with Bastila. But, in the end, it's just what it means to be a member of the Jedi Order."
Nomi shook her head, and said, "Perhaps, Revan. But, it is not set in stone. You have experienced so much pain in your life. So much emotional turmoil. Do not turn your back on something good for you."
"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."
"Sometimes logic isn't the only deciding factor in a decision. You are still a person, Revan, despite how hard you try not to be. This time, ignore the logic."
Revan sighed, and said, "I love her, Nomi. But... it would never work between the two of us. I'm too broken to ever be fixed. I'd be hurting her be letting her know I love her. Because she might share those feelings. And... anyone I'm with is doomed to be miserable."
"Revan, you are a horrible liar sometimes." Nomi said. "You're just trying to get me to tell you that your idiot plan is a good one."
"What would you rather I do?"
"Do what is best. Return to Dantooine. Train Bastila. Make it clear that you love her, just as she loves you." Nomi said. "And then, once that is established, defy the rest of the Council. Build an army of Jedi. And end the war."
Revan laughed, and said, "You say it like it's going to be easy."
"You will accomplish it, Revan. You are the best of us." Nomi said, as she re-entered the temple.
Revan nodded, and said, "You may be right, Nomi." before walking into the temple.
-=0=-
A/N: Another chapter done. We draw ever closer to the scene where Revan and Bastila get together. Closer to the scene which inspired this entire story. But, there is still much between now and then.
Many more words to be said. Discussions to be had. Possibly a droid to be built. A student to be trained. A skill set to be built up. And many more quotes of other things to be made. Probably a lot of Transformers. Probably going to try and put in, "When I find who is responsible for this, he's going to die." (which is an Optimus Prime quote. Shocking, I know.)
And then maybe later, "They slaughtered X, I'll kill them!" And some other Transformers quotes. Because, I love Transformers.
Anyways, thanks for reading the latest chapter, and if you enjoyed it, please leave a review.
