Revan walked toward, the exit where she was greeted by Belaya, who said, "Revan, what was it like on the front lines?"
"Hell. Pray you never have to go there." Revan replied, walking further away.

"Can't you share at least some details?"
"I'd rather not." the Knight replied, as she walked out the door to the Enclave.

"Why? What happened out there?"
"She saw the true depths of idiocy." Bastila said, as she walked up to Revan.

"That's one way to put it."

"Now you've got me more curious. What happened out there?"
"You don't want to know."
"I think I do. You're making me more curious the more you evade!"
Revan sighed, and said, "So you want to hear a story about war? About the men and women I knowingly sent to their deaths to save others? About the enemies I butchered in a righteous fury about what they intended to do to the innocent? How I eradicated a mandalorian camp with nothing but my lightsaber and the Force?

"Do you want to hear how I beheaded one who went with us to the mandalorian front because he was an enemy spy? You wish to hear of how I incurred the wrath of Mandalore himself? You desire to hear of how I liquefied an enemy soldier, merely for aiming for one of my friends?

"You long to know of the ineptitude of the Admirals who are supposed to be protecting the Republic? You wish to know of the lengths they will go to in the hopes that it will save them from destruction at the hands of the mandalorian aggressors?

"Or perhaps do you want to hear of the good Jedi who died on the field? A brother in arms who sacrificed himself so that many more might live. Maybe what you're wanting to hear of is the other despicable acts I had to do, for the missions we were given?

"Or do you want to hear of the Dark Lord of the Sith who the Council believes is just a story I created? Do you wish to hear of what he did, in order to get to myself and the other Jedi who were on the front lines? Do you wish to hear of his attempts to lure us to the dark side, to pull us away from the delicate balance we achieve?

"Or do you want to hear an over-romanticized version of the truth? Of how I heroically went into battle against a camp of mandalorians to save a small group of cathar children? Do you want me to say that it was just for those children, and not because they nearly killed a friend of mine?

"Do you want me to say that I selflessly took command of the Republic Fleet in the Battle of Cathar, because it was offered to me? Because the Admirals thought I was a better fit for the job than they?

"Do you want me to weave a false tale of saving one who wronged my best friend, one I see as a sister, purely out of the kindness of my heart? Instead of the truth that I would rather have left her to suffer her fate, but didn't because of duty.

"Do you want me to say that I engaged the Dark Lord of the Sith and emerged victorious? Do you want to hear a tale where in the battlefield I found love? Where that love propelled me to brutally slay a man who injured the person I had fallen for?

"Is that the kind of story you want to hear, Belaya? The lies that are spread by historians and governments to make it seem that it was simply because they fought for freedom and justice that they were victorious? Instead of the truth that they were simply willing to go to further lengths, willing to sacrifice their soldiers in order to take out key enemy personnel.

"So, what is it you want to hear, Padawan? The truth or the story?" Revan asked, as she continued to walk away.

Belaya stood in stunned silence for a moment, then said, "Why is it that the over-romanticized is more in line with what you told the Council, than what you say is the truth?"
Revan laughed bitterly, and said, "Because I value my life, Belaya. The Council are mostly paranoid old fools who do not understand as much as they think. They believe we live in a universe of black and white. Instead of the truth, where most things land in gray. Some lighter gray, some darker."

"That's very cynical." Belaya said, "What made you so... upset with the Council?"
"You tell me." Revan growled, "Could it be that I have to lie to them about what happens in war, because they don't understand it? Some would argue that it's the love issue, because they think I have fallen in love.
"They're dead wrong, but they think it. Or, maybe, Belaya, it is because I have had to recite the same bullshit to them time and again, just to save not only my life, but Bastila, Alek, and Meetra's as well. Because, we would be destroyed by the Council if they knew the truth.

"If the Council knew the decisions that the short time I was at war demanded I make, they would have my mind sealed away, and a fake one replace it. They don't understand what it takes to win."
Bastila sighed, and said, "Rev, calm down. She's just asking questions."
Revan just nodded, and said, "If you want to know what happened, ask someone else. I'm not interested in talking about it."

Belaya nodded, looking at Revan with shock. Once Revan stepped into her cabin, followed by Bastila, the Padawan asked, "Why were you so harsh towards Belaya?"
"That way you don't have to worry about her falling for me." Revan replied, with a grin. "You seemed so jealous last time. This was the only way I could make it certain that there would be no inappropriate relationship with Belaya.

"You know, other than the fact that I wouldn't do something like that to you, Bas. Seriously, why get so worried? She was only my choice to care for Urz because you were coming with me." Revan said, as she pat the kath hound on his head. He barked happily, and rubbed his head on Revan's leg. After a few moments, he then ran over to Bastila, and sat at her feet, looking up at her. The Padawan chuckled, and pat him on the head.

Then, the ground shook, and Revan said, "Not this again..."
"What?"
"It's a minor issue with one of my projects. Sometimes it flares up, and causes this place to shake."
"Why?"
"Not sure."
"What is this project?"
"A work in progress."

"Is it another HK model?"
"Nah." Revan replied. "I should probably work on it. Try to fix whatever glitch is causing it. We can start working on your training tomorrow. You should probably go. This thing is still in the early development stages. Not exactly... safe to be around."
"Then why do you have it in your house?"
"I've got to test it somewhere." Revan replied.

"What does it even do?"
"Since I'm still trying to get it to not cause low-magnitude, highly localized earthquakes. Though that might be a useful technology to have, if we could raise the magnitude..."
"Revan, please don't go further down that train of thought. I would rather not have to explain to the Council why you're creating weapons of mass destruction."
"Who says they would know that I was the one responsible for it? I could get all sorts of people in trouble for it. Like some creepy farmer who thinks it's a good idea to flirt with anything female he comes across.

"Or a stuck-up one who you'd think was a politician on Coruscant. Then there's that fat guy who works at the port. I've always had a feeling that guy is messed up. Like he's into some really weird shit.

"Then there's a whole army of horny teenagers who I could get in trouble for making these weapons. Everyone knows hormones can lead people to do some pretty crazy things. Then there's that twi'lek who kept hitting on me, and eventually had a huge amount of surgery to make so she looked some weird bird-alien."
"You always have a way to keep yourself safe." Bastila said, shaking her head.

"Always." Revan replied, smiling at Bastila. And as always, she felt the urge to tell the younger woman how she felt. But, she fought it back. Resisted what she wanted. She couldn't let Bastila know.

'It would be wrong. She's still a minor. And, she probably doesn't even feel the same.' Revan told herself. 'And even if she did, would it even be a healthy relationship? I'm broken. I've known it for years. She deserves someone less violent than I.

'Someone who can protect her without leaving a trail of destruction and chaos. Someone who could make her happy, without horrifying her with their scars and the lengths I'll go to in order to get vengeance.'

Bastila said, "Rev? Are you okay?"
Revan looked at her for a moment, then said, "Yeah, just thinking of how to get the damn thing working properly."

Bastila was clearly not convinced, but had enough sense to not push any further. When Revan lied, she knew the older woman had a reason. So she just said, "I'll leave you to it. Until tomorrow."

Revan nodded, and said, "Goodnight, I guess."

"It's barely the afternoon..." Bastila said, walking out the door.

Revan nodded, and walked into the room. She stared at the custom humidifier she was working on. She looked at it, and said, "Why the hell do you still do this? You're such a simple fucking technology, yet I've tried six hundred variations, and it still doesn't work. All you're supposed to do is keep the air moist and eradicate any bugs that manage to make their way in here. Why is it that every time you zap one, you cause a freaking earthquake? It isn't like you're supposed to be a danger to anything larger than a hand."
Then, she heard someone knocking on the door, who said, "Revan, may I come in?"
"Just a moment." she replied, as she made sure her sabers were working properly. Then, she stepped into the main room, and said, "You can come in."
The door opened, and in walked another Jedi Knight. He said, "Revan, thank the Force you're in here."
"What did you do that you're so pleased to see me?" Revan asked, her hands moving ever so slightly closer to her sabers.

"I've been told to look for you. If I don't... I'll be in big trouble."

"Who told you to find me?"
"There's this guy, he lives in the main spaceport. He knows about a... very personal problem of mine. He says that there's a package for you. Something that wouldn't look good if the Council found out about it."

"What are you talking about?" Revan asked.

"He just told me to have you meet him in the spaceport. It's all I know."

"Alright. Get out of here. I'll meet him there."
"He said if you delay that whatever it is you're hiding will be revealed. Something about a conversation you had with Surik in the Republic sick bay shortly before the Battle of Cathar."

Revan nodded, and said, "Get out of my home. I'll go meet him in a moment. I haven't had a chance to change since I left the fleet, and would like to get into something a little less filthy."

"Of course." the Knight replied, as he left the building.

A few minutes later, Revan walked out as well, followed by Urz, who was happily wagging his tail. When she got into a speeder, she said, "Urz, don't attack or growl at anyone. Under any circumstance."

He barked in acknowledgment, as the vehicle rapidly flew to the main spaceport. When she finally landed outside, she walked in and said, "I've been informed that someone here wants to see me."
"And you are?"
"Knight Revan of the nearby Enclave."
"Ah, Revan. Yes, Mr. Shellick has been requesting you. He is in Docking Bay 17."
"Thanks." Revan replied, walking away, followed by Urz. Inside the bay, she was greeted by a greasy looking man, who said,

"I take it you are Knight Revan?"
"That would be correct. And you are Shellick?"
"That is accurate, Knight Revan. I have the cathar on my ship. I don't know why you want a bunch of the cats, but I'm not paid to ask questions. Just deliver the goods."
"I never requested any cathar."
"They say they were prisoners in a mandalorian camp. Freed shortly before the big space battle above the world. Where the Republic Fleet damaged the Mandalorian one, and then retreated."
"I know the battle well." Revan replied, "And I do remember rescuing them. What I want to know is how they got into your hands."

"I was given orders from the woman who transferred them to me, when I was passing through the Cathar system, said that I should bring them to Dantooine, and transfer them to you. I don't know why a Jedi would be interested in slavery, but I'm not one to judge."
Revan was silent, and just glared at him, and said, "You don't do a lot of fucking research into the people you ship things to, do you?"
"No, that would be counter to what our clientele like their business be conducted. No questions asked."
"Well, sometimes you should know a few basic things about the people you're shipping things to. Such as if the person you think is buying slaves was ever a slave themselves! Those cathar aren't slaves. They're here to make sure that the species survives, regardless of what the mandalorians do on their homeworld."

He nodded, and said, "I'll let them out of the cabins they're in." the man said, as he walked into his ship. A few minutes later, he walked out, followed by the cathar youths.
Revan motioned for him to go, as the young cathar stepped in front of her. She looked at them, and said, "My name is Revan."
One of them stepped forward, and said, "My name is Juhani, Master Jedi. What is your purpose in bringing us here?"
"To ensure the survival of your species. Regardless of what the mandalorian savages do to your homeworld."
"Do our elders know what you have done?"
"We had you brought here at their request."
"What will you have us do?"
"Whatever you choose, so long as it does not endanger the survival of your race."
They nodded, and Juhani said, "You look familiar, Master Jedi."
"You were captive in a mandalorian camp I eradicated." Revan replied. "That is probably where you saw me."

The young cathar nodded, and asked, "Where is your companion? The one who was with you then?"
"Coruscant. This planet was chosen as it was the most similar to your homeworld, while still being protected by the Jedi."
"May I join your Order?" Juhani asked.

"That decision is not mine to make. You would have to speak with the Council." Revan replied. "But you are free to do as you see fit." before turning to leave. "Just be sure to not hassle me too much. I brought you here so your race could survive. Not to babysit you."

-=0=-

Later, after she had spent a few hours working on the humidifier, she heard someone shouting outside. Curious, she placed the device back where it was before, and walked out. Standing outside her cabin, was a pair of Jedi. Screaming at each other.

Revan said, "What the hell are you doing? Haven't you heard of not yelling right outside of someone else's house so that whatever it is that you're fighting about doesn't bother them?"

They looked at her, and said, "You don't need to worry about us. It's personal."
"I'm fine with not concerning myself with your issues, I've got other stuff to work on. But, when you are screaming your heads off right outside my house, I can't exactly shut it out. So, you have three choices. One, quit being so loud. Two, take your argument elsewhere so that it won't bother anyone not involved. Three, quit bickering entirely."
He nodded, and said, "My apologies, Knight Revan. We should not have disturbed you."

"You've got that right..." Revan said, as she returned to her house.

Inside, she looked at the map of the nearby plains on her datapad. She would want an isolated area for training purposes. To reduce the chances of the Council watching her every move.

As she looked at it, she noticed a spot, just east of the Sandral Estate. Open plains, and few people went there because of the large packs of kath hounds that roamed it.

'Perfect.' Revan thought, as she walked into the kitchen to work on dinner.

-=0=-

Mandalore looked out at the map. "You are sure that the Jedi Revan has returned to the Jedi?"
"Sir, a trusted source on Coruscant has transmitted that she arrived at their temple recently. And afterwards headed to another Enclave."

"This Enclave is far from the worlds we are attacking?"
"Yes, sir. If I might ask, why are you so concerned about the actions of a single Jedi?"
"This Jedi eradicated one of our camps and managed to turn the tide of the Battle of Cathar when she took command. She is the only leader on the side of the Republic that we have faced that is not incompetent. If she takes command of the Republic forces, there is a slim chance that we will lose the war."

"Understood, Sir. Shall we send a group of assassins after her?"
"All that would do would make her more likely to return to combat sooner. See to it that we get an agent at the Enclave she is. If at all possible, make that agent prevent her joining. Ideally by having the Jedi destroy Revan entirely."
"As you command, Mandalore." the soldier replied.

Then, Canderous said, "If the Jedi turn against Revan, it will not be she who is destroyed."

"Why do you say that, Canderous?"

"Numbers may be against her, but those who would try to destroy her would not be strong enough. We lost Johnson to her, the strongest of ours. And, it was barely a battle."
"Do you believe that the Jedi Revan would be able to slay her fellow Jedi, when they are not on our side?"
"She would do what she did in the Battle of Cathar. What was necessary to ensure her own survival."

Mandalore did not respond, but looked out at the stars. Then, he said, "We will see, should that come to pass."
-=0=-

The next morning Revan walked out of her cabin, with several training sabers on her belt. A few minutes later, she was greeted by Bastila, who said, "I am sorry for being late."
"It's fine." Revan replied, "This way."
"Where are we going?"
"Out of the way. Since some of the stuff we're going to be practicing is still technically forbidden."

"What?"
"There are valuable techniques, ones that can save lives, that are still forbidden because of their misuse in the past. If you know them, it may help you in the future."

"Such as?"
"There are ways to manipulate minds more potent than Battle Meditation and the Mind Tricks all Jedi are taught. There are more brute-force attacks that can be used. They're forbidden because they might cause harm, and were frequently used for that very purpose. And, if you aren't careful in balancing between the amount of influence you have with the amount of freedom you give them, it can be fatal. There are also slight alterations of abilities that already exist that can be used to kill.

"For example, if you position a pair of pushes just right, you can actually surround what you're trying to push, and crush it. And, if you're really precise, you can add a bit of choke to the mix, so that you get underneath the skin, to some sensitive internal organs. So that it seems like they just had a freak accident."
"That sounds horrible."

"It is. But it could also save your life down the road. If you know the techniques the enemy might come up with, you can prepare yourself to defend against them."
"But if you're the one who creates the weapons your enemy uses, couldn't you risk being what led to them creating their own versions of your original technique?"
"You could. But, if you never use the technique, developed it in secret, and only taught the counters to the techniques to a select few, who in turn never told anyone, there wouldn't be an issue."

"But could you count on them not telling anyone?"
"You'd do it with people you'd trust with your life."
"Still, wouldn't it be best if no one developed such techniques?"
"Oftentimes it's not a matter of if something will be created, but rather who does it. Do we create it, and find the perfect counter before the enemy develops it, or do we let them take us by surprise when they wield it against us?"
"But, if you have such abilities, isn't there the temptation to use it yourself? To abuse that knowledge?"
"That's why you must be careful with who knows the secrets. That way you can have the counter quickly spread when it is needed, but not have the threat used by your enemies where you don't have a counter for their attacks."
"I still don't like the idea of developing something so horrible, just because you're worried that the enemy will, and you want to be able to handle it."
"No one does. But that's what you've got to do in order to save the most lives. If you know how those lives are being endangered, you can protect them from it much more effectively than when you don't know what you're up against.

"And sometimes, you have to use the techniques the enemy does, in order to save the innocent. To protect what matters. Sometimes a traditional method is just too slow. Sometimes you don't have time to deal with things properly.
"Or, maybe they're just too obvious, and would lead to whoever you're trying to protect dying. Sometimes, you have to slightly dip yourself into what you hate, to protect what you love." Revan said, leading Bastila to the training location.
After a few quiet minutes, Bastila asked, "How do you make sure that you don't go deeper than just a slight dip? How do you keep yourself safe from being lured deeper? Until you are surrounded by it, and consumed?"
"You have to be careful. You have to only use that in a time of utmost need. Where you're at a point of unequaled focus, so that you don't fail to maintain your balance."
"How do you know when that time is?"
"You recognize it. Almost like when you see a golden opportunity, but the far worse cousin of it. You recognize where you're at, and you react accordingly."
"What if you don't? What if you misread the situation?"
"Then you react accordingly. But, this is going into far too much depth into something that we won't come across for months. There are other things to worry about. We can address the moral dilemmas of the more dangerous aspects of life as a Jedi once you are to the point that it is what you are facing more than the relatively mundane parts of life as one of this Order."
"When will that be?"
"Hopefully never. But, I suppose I will have to prepare you for those eventualities. After all, what kind of teacher would I be, if I didn't help get you ready for what you might face out there?"
"A bad one?"
"Exactly. Though, there are some things that teachers shouldn't be the ones who make their students prepare for. So, we'll avoid those."
"What are you thinking of?"
"Mostly things that you have to learn to handle by enduring, and are so horrible that they break most people when they do. As this isn't the military, and I have no intention of breaking you for the 'greater good' we're going to skip over those bits of the training."
"I figured as much. Wouldn't it be especially hard to break someone who you have a psychic bond with?"
"Yeah, and then adding friendship to the mix... it would be a pain in the ass to force myself to do it, if it were really absolutely necessary."
"Are you saying you could do it, if you really thought it was necessary?"
"Now isn't that a loaded question." Revan replied, laughing. "A bit of a damned if I do, damned if I don't situation. If I say I would do what it took to break you in order to save you, then I say I'd do horrible things to you that would cause you probably permanent damage.

"And, if I say no it would mean that I wouldn't do what was necessary to save you, and so I'm a horrible person for letting Force knows what happen to you. Care to ask a question that's less likely to send me to the void if I answer it?"
"Why are you willing to spend your time training me, when there are countless better ways to get into the Council's good graces and convince people that you aren't going to war just for revenge?"
"Which answer do you want to hear?" Revan asked, "The truth, the whole truth, or nothing but the truth?"
"Very funny. Now could you answer the question?"
"Someone else would get it wrong." Revan replied, looking Bastila in the eye, "I care about you, Bastila. You're my friend. And, it hurts me to think of how someone else would fuck up your training. The thought of how someone else might be too harsh. Or push you too hard.

"The very idea that someone else might not understand what you're currently capable of, and so they go to easy on you and don't do any good at all pisses me off. The idea that someone who has so much potential would never realize it because some idiot didn't know where to push her to get better, and instead push harder in areas that there is less potential.

"I don't like it. You've got the potential to be a great Jedi one day. You have the talent to be one of the best who ever lived. And I worry that if someone else trained you, that your potential would never be fully realized because they wouldn't understand you, and wouldn't think you're worth the time of getting to understand."
Bastila just nodded, as they finally reached the training ground. Revan tossed her a pair of short sabres, and said, "Let's see how you handle these."
-=0=-

"Lieutenant Onasi, you need to see this!" a Private said, motioning for Carth to come over.

"What is it?" He asked.

"This data is... disconcerting sir."
"Let me see." Carth said, motioning for the Private to get out of the way.

Once he was out of the way, and Carth was at the computer, a video started playing. It showed Mandalore, standing in the center of a dark room. The leader of the mandalorians said, "To any Republic Officers seeing this, you have a simple choice in front of you. Either bring to me the Jedi known as Revan, or watch your friends and allies die as they attempt to escape this facility.

"We have rigged this one to explode. I will expect an answer within ten minutes of this video playing. A communicator is in the desk this system is located on." and then the video ended.

Carth quickly located said communicator, and opened it. A few seconds later, the image of Mandalore appeared, and he said, "I assume you are the Republic officer in command of the raid upon this facility."
"That would be correct, mandalorian."
"So, do you agree to my terms for the survival of your unit?"
"That decision is not mine to make."
"You are in command of the unit, are you not?"
"Any such action would lead to direct conflict between the Jedi Order and the Republic. As such a conflict would be long and bloody, it would have to be made by the Senate."
"You are saying that you do not have the authority to make the simple decision to save yourself and your unit to hand over a single individual?"
"It's not that simple an issue. Maybe you should get a better idea of how politics work in the Republic, before making absurd demands."
"Very well. I can see how turning over the Order's most prized protégé would lead to conflict. How about a worthless lower-ranking Jedi? Hand over Shan instead of Revan, and I will let you leave with your lives."
"All that would do is get Revan to start hunting you down to find Shan." Carth said. "For the leader of the mandalorians, you aren't very bright."
"So, you would defend some Jedi instead of your unit?"
"It makes no tactical sense to give in to your demands. Anything done so would lead to conflict with the Jedi. Either Revan, or the Council."
"Do you really fear Tremaine so much?"
"I've seen what that crazy bitch can do. I'd rather not have to face that."
"You would rather die in a massive explosion, and leave your child without a father?"
"You leave Dustil out of this, you fucking savage." Carth growled.

"The choice is yours, one of those two Jedi, or your unit."
Carth made a small motion for his unit to move out, while he said, "Again, not my decision to make. And, any statement I make that would be positive to your suggestion could then be 'leaked' to people who it would cause massive damage to the Republic if they saw such footage." Carth said, as he moved the camera so that no one else could be seen.

"You still have a choice to make, Onasi. What is it?"
"I can't agree to your terms." he replied, as he closed the communicator, and turned to walk towards the exit.

The Private asked, "Sir, what was with Mandalore's demands?"
"The Jedi Knight he wants us to hand over to him is a very skilled warrior, and is a better tactician than an Admiral who I won't say the name of. Mandalore seems to see her as a threat because of a pair of incidents."
"What about the other one?"
"If you'd seen how the Knight treats the Padawan, you'd understand why." Carth said, "The explosives have been disarmed?"
"Yessir."

"Excellent."
-=0=-

A/N: Well, sorry for the long wait. I've been really struggling to get writing done lately. As for the oneshot, I haven't gotten anything done in a while. Drawing a blank on how to get past one little buildup scene. Then, it should be an hour to just get the words down to finish the first draft.

After that, there'll be a couple hours of editing done on it, just make sure that it's well written and such. Don't want low quality BS getting in the way. So, hopefully I'll get it done by the time this chapter comes out.

And of course, please review to let me know what you thought of the chapter. Or just to tell me that I'm horrible for the delay. (I'm joking on that second bit. I know I'm horrible for the delay.)