A/N: Just a quick little thing here. Thanks to AisloreiIV, AltonHammen, Andu1991, Bad Brad526, CherubAnima, DarkStorm00, Darknight48, Deadly6, DragonIroh, Dreadsws, Elizabeth Carter, Finefrenzy15, Flash fanfic with The Gods, Hannahmidnite, Kmnorway, KingBalonIX, Lady Ania, Lydrin, Michaelwi600, Nav15978, Neos the Final Builder, Neverstopwrighting, Old Emerald Eye, Oni X-Wolf, Overseer Bishop, Princess Raelis, RAD092515, Robofin117, Screamingjello, Shadowknight77, SingularMonk, Slayerofslayers, Tumby, Umbra8191, aJUGGaMILK, aljash, astroga121, avatarfan4, .98, hurtball123, iismadman97, jack89, les111280, mephistopheless, natsu254kirito, reaper of souls 115, saj13, sgtranglin, solarisj2150, spiff33, ssdaisydog, thegreat35t, valkyrie9034, xox-g-xox, and zelene2004 for favoriting. Glad you guys enjoy BTLATD enough to favorite it. :-)
-=0=-
Revan stepped out of her quarters, carrying her bags behind her with the Force. She knew most of the Masters would call it a frivolous use of it, but with the amount of droid parts in them she wouldn't have been able to lift them by normal means.
She looked around the temple one last time, not knowing when she would next step foot in it. As she looked around, Meetra said, "So, I guess I won't be seeing you again for a long time."
"Yeah." Revan said, "Unless the Council decides to do a one-eighty faster than I think they will."
"So, you think they're running us all towards a cliff, and insist that there isn't one? And will continue to do so until we've all gone over the edge?"
"That sounds about right."
"So... how many of them are you going to slap, when you finally just lose it?"
"None. That would have no use. It would just make me look unnecessarily violent."
Meetra nodded, and said, "You know people are going to bother you about carrying it with the Force, right?"
"If they have a problem with it, they can keep it to themselves."
Meetra laughed, and said, "What do you have in there that ways so much?"
"Stuff I can't get on Dantooine."
"Why so secretive?"
"Because, I know you're just looking for a reason to call me crazy." Revan replied, as she pulled a small vibroblade, about the size of a knife, out of the bag, and said, "Also, I seriously doubt you know what this is."
"It looks like a tiny vibroblade without a handle. I'm guessing you're going to use it on HK-47."
Revan nodded, "Better done than I expected. I'm thinking of using it as a CQB weapon the droid uses. Helpful for a stealthy assassination."
"I thought you said that you didn't intend for these things to be assassins."
"I don't plan for them to, but I want this next one to be the last droid I'll need for any purpose. If it works right, I'll make a second one identical to it. Have it protect Bas."
"You think she'll be okay with it?"
"Yeah."
"You really think that she'll be okay with a robot following her around?"
"I'll have it listen to her limits on where it follows her. It won't intrude on her privacy."
"You really think she won't have an issue with a robot designed to kill things protecting her?"
"Not just kill. It'll also hack, repair itself, garden, cook, fly ships, and any other thing that pops into my head."
"You're going to make a do-it-all droid that doesn't need people to keep it operational? And you don't see any issue where it might decide to kill us all?"
"It will have limitations on who it kills. And, the intelligence in it will be unable to modify its own code. So, it will find that certain individuals, such as you and Bastila will be safe from it."
"What about yourself?"
"Do you really think that I would create a droid which wouldn't have it irreversibly programmed so that it wouldn't be able to attack me outside of my specific commands? Of course I'm going to be on the list that if it attempts to attack its hardware will lock up. Even HK-1 had that."
"You really don't think you'll have any issues with this killbot?"
"I would prefer if you didn't call 47 a killbot, he's going to be so much more when I finally finish him."
"Do you really think that if anyone finds out about this that they won't be concerned?"
"No one is going to find out unless one of the few people I've trusted with their existence tells people who I haven't."
"You really think that you'll be able to keep this theoretical guard droid a secret?"
"Cloaking technology, and they aren't truly alive so Jedi won't be able to sense its presence since it won't be tied to the Force like all living creatures are."
"So, you're planning on exploiting that to make so that it can use cloaking to be guarding Bastila without anyone ever knowing it exists?"
"That's the plan, though it could be a bit difficult to pull off." Revan replied, as she walked onto the boarding ramp of the ship. She waved to Meetra, and said, "Bye. Shame this was such a short reunion. Feel free to visit Dantooine sometime."
Meetra laughed, and said, "I think the Council there would have a heart attack if they heard I was coming to their Enclave."
Revan laughed, and said, "Probably. They'd be afraid that you would convince me to join you in causing what they would see as chaos."
"I definitely would get you in on the fun!" Meetra said, "But seriously, if you don't have the girl by the next time you come here, I am going to be deeply disappointed in you."
"It'll depend on when that is." Revan replied.
Meetra sighed and said, "Do me a favor, quit being so noncommittal."
"I don't know..." Revan said, "That sounds like I'd have to actually do stuff if I did. And we all know how fond Jedi are of not doing anything that they should."
"Don't make me have to go and talk Bastila into sending you nudes of herself."
"If that happens I will both kill you and be impressed that you were able to talk her into it."
Meetra laughed, and said, "You couldn't bring yourself to kill me."
"You'd be surprised." Revan replied, as she and her luggage entered the ship, with the boarding ramp closing behind her.
Inside the ship, the Knight sighed, and said, "Alright. I guess I'm going back. Hopefully things will work out."
"What things are you talking about?" Bastila asked.
Revan jumped slightly, and said, "I've got some stuff planned. It could have an effect on the outcome of the war."
"What is it?"
"Complicated."
"Care to be a little less vague?"
"No. We already know that Mandalore believes I'm in love with you. If you have important information, then it could lead to plans being revealed to them."
"You aren't even planning on going for a while, so why keep it secret?"
"Because it could shift the outcome of the war."
Bastila sighed, and said, "You really shouldn't be so adamant against telling anyone any of your plans until it's time to execute them. You can't make the ideal plan in a vacuum.'
"You also don't want to give away your plans to people who won't even be involved in it."
Bastila nodded, and said, "I guess that makes sense. Least number of people who could leak it to those you don't want to know it."
"Precisely." Revan said, "But, there are some plans I have involving you."
"What?"
"First of all is teaching you how to be a lot better with that saber of yours. We'll test to see which kind of blade works best for you. Then there will be Force techniques for you to master, and how to shoot a blaster. Not to mention learning the ins and outs of computers and droids. Never know when that'll be helpful. Oh, and don't forget creating, arming, disarming, and locating explosives.
"Then there's learning about non-Force first aid. And stealth is a handy thing to be good at too. Never know when you'll need to be able to hack through a door's security systems. And you'll need to learn to tell whether or not a plant is safe to eat.
"Then there's learning how to make your own poisons, just in case. Cures to those poisons, how to subtly put the poisons into someone's food- either to kill them or to get into their good graces."
"Those seem strangely specific. Kinda like black-ops."
"Well, if you're going to be one of the best, you're going to have to know how to do everything. Skilled at everything, a master of nothing."
"Then wouldn't it make more sense for them to just find someone who is better at all of those things?"
"The thing is, Bas, you want as small a presence as possible. So, if you can have someone who might not do the job as well as a larger team of specialists could, they'll still do it well enough so that you can send a single operative in to handle a mission, and that way if shit hits the fan, you only lose one person, instead of an entire team. That, and a single person who can handle the situation is much more low-key. That way it's less likely to draw suspicion. And, these operations can take months to fully setup and execute.
"The poison situations would have to be done very carefully. You'd have to be there for a while. Then, have a scape-goat show up. Someone who didn't have weeks, months, sometimes even years, of time working to make so that they're just seen as another member of the staff who wouldn't do anything against the rules. That way, the designated victim of a frame-up will be eliminated, while you merely get reassigned."
"That sounds like something that would be done to our own people."
"Black ops are usually done domestically. To eliminate traitors. Or, to get close to them. Make them try to convert you to their cause, and then report them."
"And if they try to kill you for not joining them?"
"That's when you defend yourself, with saber and Force."
Bastila nodded, and said, "Why would you teach me how to do things which are so highly illegal?"
"They have other applications. They can be used behind enemy lines. To live off the land, and take out enemy camps without them ever knowing you were there."
"By poisoning their food supplies."
"Precisely. And, if you know how droids work, while some are dying of poison you could hack any droids they have. Make those attack the side they're supposed to work for. That would cause enough chaos in the camp for you to get out. Chances are that the camp wouldn't survive, since its entire food supply would be lethal to them, and they would have their own defenses turned against them."
Bastila asked, "How long have you had these skills?"
"I learned the poison on Nar Shaddaa. My Force sensitivity and violent personality made so that instead I was being trained to be an assassin. Never finished it, since Jolee rescued me before I was sent on my first mission. And, time with Kreia helped me hone the skills I got on Nar Shaddaa." Revan laughed bitterly, and said, "She understood something about me that it would take me years to learn."
"What?"
"That it would take something drastic for me to be a normal Jedi. That something in me would have to break before I wasn't just a weapon. Forged by the hardships of my youth. Jolee may have saved me from Nar Shaddaa, but in the end, I can't see myself as a person. I don't see myself as someone who has a right to happiness. I think of myself as a tool to defend others. Because... after everything I've been through I'm a broken shell of a woman. When what happened to me happens to a child. It breaks them. It's such a sudden shift in understanding of how the galaxy works that it breaks their mind. It either drives them mad, or to the grave. It breaks you irreparably."
Bastila sighed, and said, "No it doesn't."
Revan looked at her, and said, "What makes you say that?"
"Because, you're not broken. You may have baggage, but everyone does. Yours may be a lot worse than most, but it still isn't the only thing that defines you. It was a key moment in your life, but it doesn't have to be the only thing that matters."
Revan smiled, a slight upwards shift of her lips, and said, "How do you move past seeing your parents killed and then being sold as a slave on the Smuggler's Moon?"
Bastila sighed, and said, "I don't know how to say it without upsetting you."
Revan in turn sighed, and said, "Say what?"
"There's no point in saying it. You'll just get angry."
"You're going to say I shouldn't let it define me?"
Bastila nodded, and said, "I know that it has really affected you, Rev. But... if you keep living your life solely on that, it will kill you."
Revan merely laughed, and said, "It's better than the other option." as she walked away. Leaving Bastila to ask,
"What other option?" with no answer coming from the older Jedi, who turned around a corner. Alek walked around the corner, and asked,
"Did you piss her off again?"
"No, just left, saying something that without any context as to what she meant, might as well have been a riddle that can't be solved due to a key detail being left out."
Alek shook his head, and said, "Seriously, you two need to quit being so oblivious and just fuck already."
"You need to get your head out of the gutter."
"But then it wouldn't have a home."
"Find it a cleaner one."
"It cleans up the gutter every day!"
"Alek..." Revan said, as she walked back around the corner, "You really need to quit being so dumb about some things."
"You two are more obvious than two people who are caught in the act that you want to fuck each other."
"That statement was the dumbest thing I have ever heard." Revan said, "It was so dumb that I may have to slap you for it."
"It was also accurate."
"Any scientist would give you a twenty minute lecture on how that is actually not accurate. And give very good, very scientific explanations as to why."
He shook his head, and said, "You seriously need to get laid. Maybe it'd make you less grouchy."
"Alek..." Revan said, all four lightsabers in the room starting to shake as the words left her mouth, "Go. NOW!"
"Alright! Don't cut my head off!" he said, as he slowly backed away.
"I wouldn't. That would be way too fast." Revan replied, as he exited the room.
"Why'd you come back?" Bastila asked.
"Your confusion was bugging. The alternative is to end up like Meetra, and just be a perv who doesn't really give two shits about anything beyond getting laid."
Bastila nodded, and said, "I guess that makes sense. Though I don't see why normality is out of the question."
"When you have as much baggage as I do, you can't move on."
"And I don't get why you can't. Yes, it's horrible. It's left deep scars. But, just because you're scarred doesn't mean that those can't fade until they're almost invisible."
"Just because they can, doesn't mean they will."
"You'll never know if you don't try."
"I really need to quit accidentally getting into debates like these..." Revan sighed,
"That would probably be a good idea."
Revan was quiet for a moment, then said, "Bas, be careful with who you fall for."
"What brings that up?" Bastila asked.
"With what everyone's been saying. It's gotten me thinking. What if I'm wrong, and I just haven't yet realized I have feelings for you. Because I can't have feelings. It's not something I'm capable of. I'm not capable of actually loving someone. I can fake it if the mission demands it... but I'll never feel actual love. I see assets where I should see allies. Where a normal person would see someone as a friend, I see them as a slightly more useful asset. It's only when I see someone as something close to, or equal to, a best friend that I see them as friends.
"And that's great in a war and professional relationships. But anything personal... I'd be horrible. So, I'm saying, if I am wrong, if I do have feelings for you. Don't have feelings for me. For your own sake."
Bastila nodded, not sure how to respond. And said, "And what if you're right, and I end up having feelings for you?"
"Crush them, without mercy."
"You've always said that I should feel."
"A Jedi should have feelings. But when those feelings can only lead to harm, they must be eradicated."
"You think that if we did end up having feelings for each other, that it wouldn't be a healthy relationship?"
"I don't think I'm capable of having that kind of relationship with someone. It wouldn't be healthy. So, if I am wrong. If they're right. If I am in love with you, I'll do the right thing, and disappear from your life. It might make me miserable for a time, but if it means someone I love is safe, it would be worth it."
"I still don't get where you think you'd be bad for someone in a romantic relationship. You're protective, caring, intelligent, strong, the list of what's great about you goes on."
"Good things in a mentor, less good in a lover."
"Honestly, it sounds to me like you're giving yourself a harder time than you deserve."
"How, when I know that I would stab my lover through the head if I learned they were somehow responsible for what happened to me when I was younger, could I be good for anyone?"
"Well, considering the odds are several trillion to one against any lover of yours being responsible for it, I don't see how that's an issue."
"What if I lose touch with reality?"
"You've never lost touch with reality before, so I don't see how that would be relevant."
"Why are we even discussing this? It's not like anything could happen between us." Revan said.
"You were telling me that if you're wrong about your lack of feelings for me, that I should shoot you down regardless of what I feel."
"Well, that's a sufficient summary. So, never speak of this again, on pain of death?"
"Uhm, the first part, okay. The second... no."
"Alright. Good to know that you won't agree to stupid pacts of silence where you die if you break them. But, seriously, if this conversation reaches Vrook's ears. I will cut out both of our tongues."
Bastila just laughed, and said, "Yeah right. You'd probably end up cutting your entire jaw off if you did."
"That's what, Alek would do. I'm skilled enough that I'd just sear my lips."
"Just sear your lips. That sounds horribly painful."
"Yeah, still less bad than whatever Vrook would do. He doesn't tolerate such, 'Foolish discussions.' He'd definitely try to make us spend a month washing the floors. Day and night. Until we were bored to the point that all such veins of conversation would be dulled out of our brains."
"That sounds about right. So... day after tomorrow we'll be back on Dantooine. I wonder how many questions people are going to ask."
"A lot. The news of that camp spread quickly. Everyone's going to be pestering me to know every minute detail of how I wiped out the camp. It's going to be awful."
"You could always try telling them that you don't want to think about the time you killed nearly a hundred people single handedly."
"I doubt they'd believe it. Maybe I should put together a recording that goes into detail about it. That way I don't have to repeat myself more than once."
Bastila laughed, and said, "Your impatience in social interactions always seems to be the opposite of how patient you are with your plans."
"The plans actually matter. What's the point in recounting what worked and how well it worked? The least negative result would be that they just forget it shortly. The most likely is that they could in turn use the information you gave them to make your plan not work if you want to reuse it. So, you have to come up with new plans to make up for the fact that you gave everyone enough information for them to render the first one useless."
"So you're basically saying that you trust no one to not screw you over if you trust them with your plans?"
"There are a few." Revan replied, "And the logical part of my brain still tells me that I shouldn't. Logically, I shouldn't trust anyone with those plans. What's the point of having an effective plan if you know that there are others who have that plan in their minds. Who can easily create a strategy to counter that, since they know the details of it. Yet I still do. Some days I wish I could turn off the emotional part of me, and just be a machine with the single minded goal of winning the war."
"That sounds like a horrible thing to want."
"From an emotional viewpoint, it is. But it is logically ideal."
"Still... I don't think you'd enjoy being purely logical. Then no life would have any value. It would just be what they could do for you. You wouldn't care about anyone put under your command. You'd become just as bad as those you were fighting against."
"That's why I haven't gone down that path. What's the point of winning the practical victory, if you lose the moral battle?"
Bastila nodded, and said, "So, you really want to teach me?"
"Of course. You need someone to replace Quatra, and who better to do it than me?"
"Uhm, people who have trained students before?"
"They might do it wrong."
"What?"
"They may have experience, but transferring skills to a student is only part of being the trainer of a Jedi. You have to be more than just the source of knowledge and training. You have to be more of a mentor than a trainer. Because anyone can be a trainer, but it takes more to be a mentor."
Then, a woman laughed, and said, "You know, Revan, those aren't really the thoughts that a soldier should have."
Revan turned around, and said, "What do you want?"
"Geez, chill Revan." the woman said, "The Revanchists made sure that I was on this ship to work as a courier between you and them."
"I said that I couldn't give any support or have any connections to them currently." Revan growled, "And I told them not to name their cause after me. To put all your faith in one person, regardless of how skilled and well qualified they are, is madness."
"You're the exact symbol of everything we stand for. Everything we're trying to get the Council to approve of us doing and becoming."
"And what if something befalls me and I become corrupted? Then your cause has lost all its influence in the Order. Since you put yourselves solely on one pillar."
"You sound so certain that it's going to happen."
"It's impossible to perfectly tell the future. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, so how could we know what will happen fifty years from now? Never rely on any one person to be what propels you to a lasting victory.
"Because if you do, then any fault of that one person will be projected onto all of you. And I have more than my fair share of faults. It's madness to base yourselves on me."
"Revan, you're a tragic figure in the Order. Someone who endured unimaginable hardship, yet became stronger from it."
"Became stronger from it?" Revan asked, her voice turning frigid, "Do you think that waking up on a bed soaked with sweat because of the vivid nightmares makes me stronger? Do you think the odds of having a waking dream in the middle of a fight because of how my parents were killed makes me strong?
"If you really think that someone who can barely feel any emotion is 'strong' because of what nearly killed them inside, you are a fool. My past defines me because it has broken me. I'm a shell of a person. The small things of living a normal life that you take for granted I don't understand. I can't enjoy life the way you people do, because almost everything has enough similarity to somewhere I saw on Deralia before the accident that it breaks me down.
"I'm not strong, I'm about as fucking far from it as you can get without actually running in the opposite direction the moment you see the concept of strength."
"Most people who have experienced what you did have taken their own lives."
"And I've contemplated it to the point of being inside an airlock about to vent myself or leap off the ledge of a building and land as a red mist on the pavement below countless times." Revan replied, "It's only blind luck that has led me to surviving this far. And, if you do the math, the probability of me making it to Jedi being allowed into this war is not very good."
"Revan..." Bastila sighed.
"I'm just saying, from a mathematical standpoint, the chances of me making it through the day alive grows slimmer every single day."
"When you were about to vent yourself it was because you were enduring massive psychological strain from having to deal with thousands of Republic soldiers dying under your command, and then that Sergeant pushing you further. Anyone would have snapped under that much stress."
"A commander cannot let themselves break. Because if they do, then it will have negative consequences for the entire unit."
The woman sighed, and said, "Look, Revan. I wasn't trying to piss you off. I was just given some orders. Okay?"
"Fine. What's your name?" Revan asked, impatience clear in her voice.
"You can call me Ilena Tiris."
"Well, Ilena, I have a few simple rules for being in my presence. Never get in the way of my work, never try to harm Meetra, Bastila, or Baldy- they're my friends, you hurt them and you're fucking with me- and never, ever make any comments about me having romantic interest in Bastila."
"A bit of a touchy subject, I guess. Why?"
"Because those accusations are completely inaccurate. Part of enduring what I did is that I can't form any kind of romantic feelings. Fear that if I trust someone that much, they'll just end up hurting me. Or, that if I do end up caring that much for someone and end up in a relationship with them it won't be a healthy one."
"Geez. It's like I'm getting a report from a soldier." Ilena said, "Anyways, I'll just head to my quarters. If you need anything, let me know."
"You'll be the last person I go to." Revan replied.
"At least you're honest." Ilena said, laughing.
Once she was gone, Bastila said, "So what do you think the odds of Meetra trying to get in her pants are, if they ever meet?"
Revan said, "Judging from her figure... seventy-eight percent in favor."
"That seems awfully low for Meetra."
"Meetra has been a bit worse lately. Largely 'cause she's jealous of you."
"Because she thinks you're in love with me?"
"Exactly. She's trying to see if by sleeping with a large number of women who aren't me it'll make me jealous and I'll realize it's her I want. Instead of you. But since I want neither of you it makes literally no difference."
Bastila laughed, and said, "Well, you can't fault her for trying."
"But I can wish she'd get the hint, and give up." Revan sighed, as she rubber her eyes. "But, I'm tired. I'll see you in the morning."
"Sleep well, Rev."
"I'll try. I've got a bad feeling that this is going to be one of those nights where I have nightmares."
"There anything I can do to help?"
"Maybe. But it would probably make not enough of a difference to make up for your time." Revan replied.
Bastila sighed, and said, "I remember Quatra saying that people with Force bonds could influence the dreams of their bond mate. Maybe I'll try to do that, make so you don't have the trouble. The last thing anyone wants is for you to be exhausted because you didn't get any sleep."
Revan just nodded, as she walked away.
-=0=-
Two days later, Revan stepped out of the ship, and was greeted by the Council. Vandar said, "Knight Revan. Come with us. We need to speak."
"Of course, Master Vandar." Revan replied, her voice calm, but underneath she was nervous. After the... unusual dreams she'd had the last two nights the last thing she needed was to be interrogated by the Council.
Inside the Council Chambers, Vrook said, "Knight Revan. We are highly disappointed in you. We trained you to be the most skilled of Jedi. To be an example of what members of the Jedi Order can achieve.
"And, when we gave you a direct order to minimize contact with the mandalorian enemy while on a humanitarian mission to aid the worlds beleaguered by their attacks, you did the opposite. Going so far as to seize command of a Republic fleet from its Admiral in the middle of a battle."
"And in turn saving the majority of said fleet from destruction." Revan replied, irritation already sneaking into her voice. "I may have defied your orders, but I did so to save the greatest possible number of lives. If I had not taken command from Admiral Forsk, Alek, Meetra, Bastila, and I would all be dead."
"You were given orders to have minimal involvement in the war. That you were there to aid the cathar."
"We arrived on cathar just as it was about to fall. Our forces there were inadequate to push back the mandalorian presence there. Perhaps if the Order had been there we could have saved the world from mandalorian conquest, but not otherwise."
"This is not a matter of discussing whether the Jedi should join the war or not, Revan!" Vrook barked. "This is about your defiance of a direct order from both the Council here and the High Council on Coruscant."
"Would you rather that an entire Republic Fleet was destroyed, and every Jedi with that fleet was dead or captured by the enemy?"
"You have no proof that Admiral Forsk would have lost the entire fleet."
Revan laughed, then said, "Why then, would Mandalore himself want my head?"
"Perhaps because you annihilated one of his camps without mercy."
"They had cathar youths captured. They would have sent them off to be sold as slaves."
"So you eradicate the camp?"
"It was the only way to ensure that those cathar youths would escape a fate worse than death."
"You have no proof that you couldn't have rescued them without such measures, Revan."
"We had a traitor. Without my actions, he would never have been discovered, and eventually terminated."
"He was a Jedi." Vrook growled.
"He was an enemy of the Republic the Order swore to defend over twenty thousand years ago. That made him a traitor to the Jedi Order."
Zhar said, "Revan's argument is valid, Vrook. Do not let your frustration cloud your reason."
Vrook nodded, and said, "We know of that. What of the incident on Taris?"
"Are you referring to the rescue of Samantha Kilthas?"
"We are referring to the methods used to facilitate that rescue."
"What?"
"Your advances on Bastila on the field."
"Done only because it was necessary to prevent the mission from turning into a bloodbath." Revan replied, "The actions you are referring to disgusted me to a point where it was very difficult to maintain composure, and not vomit. But, sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the greater good. It is the Jedi way."
"There is always another way." Vrook growled.
"I tried to convince Kang in other ways. He was not believing it. So, I had no choice but to take the actions I did, despite my desire to avoid them like the plague."
"What of your actions after Bastila failed to escape with you?"
"Failure to rescue Bastila would have rendered my undesirable actions a few short minutes prior irrelevant. In order to ensure her safety, I had to assault. No one left behind."
"So it was necessary to anger the Exchange by essentially torturing one of their top men?"
Revan sighed, and said, "What would you have done in that situation? When someone you have fought alongside. Someone who has saved your life, is in danger of being raped by a filthy old man who is a murderer, spice dealer, slave trader, and every other kind of criminal? Would you show him mercy, or would you make an example of him? Would you rather that I let him get away with no punishment for such plans?
"The Exchange may be powerful, but the Jedi Order is more so. And with criminals like those, the only way to make them respect the Order, is to make an example of their more powerful members. To show them that if they cross us, we will make them pay, but are such a minor threat to us that we don't even need to kill them."
Vrook glared at her, and said, "Some actions are inexcusable."
Revan sighed, and said, "Do you want to know another reason why I didn't just cut him down? Just end his life in a single moment? Because it was too good for him. Death they suffer for an instant. But with what I did to him, he will suffer for all of his days. The pain will haunt him forever. He'll never be able to escape it.
"Because, when you attempt to harm my friends in any way, you are picking a fight with me, and I don't show mercy to the enemy. Because if you do, if you show them mercy, eventually you'll appear weak. And they'll join up together to kill you.
"But, if you show them a display of overwhelming force, there won't be future attacks. Death would have been the easy way out for Davik, he doesn't deserve it."
"That is not a decision for you to make on the field, Revan." Vrook growled. "And your attitude indicates that you have fallen."
Revan laughed, and said, "No. I haven't. Because, Vrook, I didn't act out of malevolence. I acted out of protection for a close friend. I caused him the harm that I did to protect a fellow Jedi. You probably haven't seen what it does to people what Davik had planned. I have. I saw it far too often on Nar Shaddaa.
"If I had not butchered Davik, countless lives would be on my head, because of what he would have done to who knows how many women. Most who suffered what he had intended for Bastila... didn't last a year. Of those who did, only one was ever her old self again.
"So, if I had let Davik continue to be able to do that... those lives would have been on my head. And when you know what he had planned does to someone, it should make you angry. It should fill you with a righteous fury. The wrath of god as ancient peoples would have put it."
"Anger leads to hate, which in turn leads to the Dark Side."
"If a brief flash of righteous fury condemned someone to be a hateful Sith, there would not be a Jedi Order to speak of. Since everyone has flashes of it. And, what is wrong with being angered by the injustices inflicted on those who cannot defend themselves?"
"Revan speaks wisely." Vandar said. "And, this is not the matter we intended to discuss. This was not meant to be a trial. The High Council has found her innocent."
Vrook nodded, and said, "You are correct, Master Vrook. However, I find difficulty in welcoming back a Jedi with such blatant disregard for protocol."
"I respect protocol right up until the point where it hurts people." Revan replied.
"Enough, both of you." Dorak said. "Revan, the reason we called you here is that we believe it would be wise if you had things to keep you occupied here. We think it is time that you take a student under your wing, so that their training will help you find peace, and keep your mind off of the war that is currently raging. To prevent further divisive incidents."
"I understand, Masters. I only have one request. May I train Bastila?"
"I do not know..." Vrook said, "it might increase the odds of the inappropriateness of your relationship with her to increase."
"Bastila is a friend to me. Nothing more now or ever."
"I believe that would be beneficial for both of you." Vandar said. "You have already gained Bastila's trust through the hardships both here on Dantooine, and with the Republic fleets. And, you will do what is best for her as a Jedi. You may go and inform your student."
"I will. Thank you, Master Vandar." Revan said, as she walked out of the room. Outside, she was greeted by Bastila, who asked,
"How did it go?"
"Pretty well. Except for the fact that it's pretty clear Vrook hates me now."
"That's... unfortunate."
"Yeah. Also, I am officially your teacher now."
Bastila's face lit up at that, and said, "That should be good. You know so much."
Revan chuckled, and said, "Why do I get the feeling that you're going to be picking my brain every day?"
"Probably because you know me well enough to know that I will."
"True."
"How have you been sleeping?" Bastila asked. "I wasn't able to figure out how to influence your dreams."
"Had a couple of dreams that really shook me up." Revan said, "Made me need time to form some plans, just in case they become reality. That's why I stuck to myself on the flight."
Bastila nodded, and said, "So, what's my first lesson?"
"We'll work on lightsaber combat. Find the style that works best for you." Revan said, as they walked out onto the plains.
-=0=-
A/N: Here's the latest chapter. Hopefully you guys enjoyed reading it. Thank you so very much to everyone who has favorited the story. I never thought that I would get that many people who enjoy my work. To the non-favoriting/reviewing readers, you guys are great too, but I have no way of identifying you. And to the reviewers, the reason I don't thank you by name every few chapters is I'm too lazy to go through the list of reviews, and write down a list of everyone who has reviewed.(Yes I know I'm a terrible person for being lazy.)
But still, I never thought that I would end up writing fanfiction. (used to hate the guts of this stuff.) And, that as many people would read it as do. (I thought like... one person would read my stuff consistently. And that they would read it drunk because it was so bad that it made them laugh.)
Anyways, see you guys next time. (Actually that would be really inconvenient if I saw each person who reads my stuff when they start reading it.)
