Disclaimer: I don't own anything! KoTOR 1 and 2 respectively belong to Bioware and Obsidian, not me!
CITADEL STATION, TELOS IV...
Years ago, Telos IV was among the many planets that were ruined by Revan's Sith Empire when former Republic Admiral Saul Karath was ordered by Darth Malak to destroy it. The result was a Sith fleet bombarding the planet, destroying many buildings that housed millions of innocents who were eventually killed by the bombing, while the survivors were mentally scarred by the destruction surrounding them. This unprovoked attack was what launched the start of the infamous Jedi Civil War.
After the war, Citadel Station was built in orbit of the planet, intended to be a base of operations for the Ithorian-led project to restore the devastated surface. The orbital station was a vast network of modules that provided shelter, food, and entertainment for those who worked and lived on board it. The modules placed near the center of Citadel Station were used for residential and entertainment purposes only, while the docking modules on the outer part had hangars for ship.
It was often delayed due to the interference of Czerka Corporation, who took advantage of the project to seek more profits from the remaining technology on the planet. That changed with the arrival of the famous Jedi Exile as she, along with her companions, dealt with the Czerka thugs and the hired Exchange mercenaries. Exposing the corruption of Czerka Corporation to the Telosian government, the interstellar company would no longer bother the Ithorians and their project.
Approaching the orbital station was a lone ship; a Dynamic-class freighter, to be specific. It was the Ebon Hawk, the famous ship that came under the ownership of Revan, the former Sith Lord and Jedi Knight, and was currently owned by the Jedi Exile. The ship passed through the orbital satellites that directed space traffic to and from Citadel Station, its thrusters allowing it to near one of the docking modules.
The Ebon Hawk slowly landed in the hangar, its small legs coming out of the bottom and touching the ground as steam jettisoned out of the ship's exhausts. Soon after landing, the Ebon Hawk's ramp lowered itself onto the floor, revealing a lone figure exiting the freighter, a human woman to be exact. She was in her thirties with a tan skin complexion, blue eyes, and black hair with a small pony tail. What made her stand out of normal people was the brown Jedi robes and the lightsaber hanging from her belt. She was the Jedi Exile, the famous Jedi who brought down the Sith Triumvirate.
The Jedi Exile continued her path until she heard a series of beeps coming from her ship, making her turn around to see two droids on the ramp. One droid was a T3-series utility droid designated T3-M4, while the other droid was a Hunter-Killer assassin droid named HK-47. "T3, HK, wait on the ship," she told them.
When T3 let out a series of beeps in protest, the Exile assured, "Don't worry, I'll be fine on my own."
Despite the Jedi Exile's assurance, HK stepped forward with his blaster in his hands. "Query: Are you sure you don't need any company, master? There may be some meatbags who may attack you and need to be disintegrated."
The Exile could only cringe a little at HK's psychotic killing tendencies. Though she owned the droid for quite some time, and took the time to know the assassin droid, the Exile could not get used to his love and joy for killing things. "No, I'll be fine," "Just stay on the ship."
"Resignation: As you wish, master," complied HK, his mechanical tone filled with defeat and disappointment.
T3 let out a disappointed whirl before he followed HK into the inner hull of the Ebon Hawk, leaving the Exile alone in the hangar. She then, turned around and proceeded to head towards the exit, and the door slid open to reveal the hallway that was placed right outside the hangar. The Exile noticed that she was not alone for she saw someone else standing there, two Republic troopers to be exact. Both of them wore the standard uniform, were armed with blasters, and the Exile could tell they were well-experienced men.
Approaching the Exile, one of the men announced, "We're here to take you to Admiral Onasi, ma'am."
The Exile's were filled with a little curiosity as she looked behind the soldiers to see that Carth was no where to be found within the area. "Where is the admiral?" she inquired. "I thought I was to meet him, here."
"He wishes to discuss with you in private," one of them answered.
When hearing the words "in private," the Exile remembered the last time she talked privately with Carth, the discussion was about Revan. The admiral asked if she knew anything about Revan's whereabouts only to find a dead end. This time, Revan was most likely to be the subject of their discussion, but it did not make much sense to the Exile. Carth already discussed with her about her former commander, but she complied with the soldiers' words. "Very well," the Exile agreed.
The two Republic troopers nodded they turned around and led the Jedi Exile through the halls of Citadel Station to reach the admiral's quarters. As she followed the Republic soldiers, the Exile noticed that the sentient beings in halls were the same as ever since the last time she was here. After the failed attack on Telos IV by the Force-draining Sith Lord named Darth Nihilus, the citizens felt more secured, for they no longer worried about any more threats from the remnants of Revan's old Sith Empire. The Exile could not help, but feel proud that she helped bring that happiness to a planet who already suffered devastation.
The Exile's mind was brought back to focus when she noticed she and her guides were approaching the familiar entrance of the Admiral Onasi's quarters. One of the soldiers approached the door before knocking on it to announce their presence, and soon the door slid open. The room was small, but comfy, just like how the Exile remembered when she was here the last time. Waiting within the room was Admiral Carth Onasi, the famous Republic hero of the Jedi Civil War who helped bring down Darth Malak and his Sith Empire. Instead of his trademark orange jacket he wore during the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War, he had the Republic armor that was typical for admirals.
Turning to his men, Carth motioned a hand to dismiss his soldiers, who replied with a nod before silently leaving the room. Carth approached the Exile when the two soldiers were gone and greeted, "Glad you could make it, Exile."
The Jedi Exile nodded her head towards the admiral in respect. "You said you wanted to see me?" she asked.
"Yes," Carth nodded. "I know you plan to look for Revan in the Unknown Regions. I think I have something that can help you."
That piqued the Exile's curiosity as she hoped whatever Carth had was useful. "What is it?"
"A week ago, we received a transmission from an unknown source," Carth explained as he went over the desk to pick up a datapad. "We pinpointed where it was coming from. Its source was in the Unknown Regions."
The Exile knew where this was going. "You think it was from Revan," Exile guessed.
"Yes," he replied, approaching the Jedi Exile. "You can use that transmission as a lead to find Revan or at least the last place he was at. It's a start, if anything."
Carth handed the datapad to the Jedi Exile, who took it in her hand and inspected it to see what appeared to be hyperspace coordinates to Revan's assumed location. Looking up at Carth, the Exile asked, "Do you know what was in that transmission?"
"Unfortunately, we don't," Carth answered. "It was on a completely different frequency, so we couldn't figure what it was. But these coordinates should help you find Revan."
The Exile noticed his tone had a hint of anxiety-maybe agitation-and she knew why: Carth wanted to search for Revan, the man who felt obliged to help. She heard Carth's tale of his travel with Revan to defeat Darth Malak, so the Exile could understand why Carth felt the way he did. The admiral felt that he owed Revan everything that the former Sith Lord did for the Republic and the Jedi.
"Shouldn't you come along?" the Exile asked. "Revan would probably recognize you than me."
Though the offer was generous, Carth shook his head. "Thanks, but I can't. My duties as my admiral have been keeping me busy," Carth said before he gave the Exile a smile. "Besides, I don't think Revan would be too happy to know that I've left the Republic defenseless."
The Exile smiled at that as well as she put away the datapad within her Jedi robes. "I will find Revan and bring him back," she swore.
"I hope you do," Carth hoped. "May the Force be with you, exile."
"And with you, admiral," she bowed her head in respect.
With that, the Exile turned around and left Admiral Carth's quarters to head back to her ship. With this new information given to her by the admiral, the Exile's search would be a lot easier. She had to put it into the Ebon Hawk's navi-computer and leave as soon as possible. As she walked down the hall, the Exile wondered how the Jedi were doing at the moment.
JEDI TEMPLE, CORUSANT...
Away from the political life of the Senate and the industrial life of Corusant, was a large monastery-like building that housed hundreds of the Republic's guardians, the Jedi Temple. After its foundation, the Jedi Order built the Temple on Corusant to be protect the Senate from any harm, and to establish itself as the protectors of the Galactic Republic. The Temple was badly damage during the Jedi Civil War, which was readily evident with the cracks and craters all over the walls.
Fortunately, the Republic began to fund the Jedi Order, allowing them to rebuild the Temple. Even though it still remained heavily damaged, the Jedi were able to refurbish the place and make it suitable to train other Jedi, who no longer had to fear the threat of Sith assassins. The Jedi Masters were able to rebuilt at least the ground floor, along with some of the upper levels rooms to present the atmosphere of serenity the Temple had before its abandonment.
Within one of the rooms of the Temple was a circular chamber that served as a meeting place for the Jedi Council. At the edge of the chamber, there were twelve seats but only four of them were filled due the low number of Jedi Masters that existed within the galaxy at the moment. There were a few more Jedi Masters on the Council, but they were out in the galaxy, trying to recruit more members to the Order.
Filling four of the twelve seats were the stiff Jedi Archivist Atris, the elderly and sarcastic-yet powerful-Jolee Bindo, the polite Mical, and the famous hero of the Jedi Civil War, Bastila Shan, who now was the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. Atris wore her typical white robe of the Jedi Archivist, while the others wore the usual Jedi uniforms that were consisted of a simple brown robes over the white tunic. They all were dealing with their own affairs before Bastila summoned a meeting to discuss the message she received last night. When the three other Jedi Masters heard of the message, they were surprised, but they were even more surprised that Bastila said it came from Revan.
When hearing that Revan was still alive, Atris was anxious but her did best to did show her best to not show her anxiety because she still distrusted Revan after the years that passed. Even though Revan helped bring down his own empire, Atris' memories of his acts as a Sith Lord did not leave her mind, still leaving some bitterness to the Prodigal Knight. "Are you sure about this?" Atris asked, uncertain about Bastila's words. "Is Revan still alive?"
Turning her head to Atris, Bastila nodded. "I am sure. There's no doubt about it." Her eyes drifted onto the floor as her mind was focused on Revan's words. "What concerns me more is his message. Revan only said: 'They are coming.' I don't know what it means"
"It is vague," Mical commented. "We all know that Revan left known space in search of something. It's most likely Revan founded it, and it's now coming to strike at the Republic."
The others masters accepted the idea, save for Atris, who remained stubborn to the end. "We can't know that for sure," Atris said, trying to keep a calm, yet firm tone. "We have no proof if what Revan was looking for really exists. Besides, our only source of information was Kreia and she was a Sith Lord!"
"Bah! You think you can know everything, Atris," Jolee spat. "Kreia may have been a Sith, but she knew about Revan and his motives better than any of us did! You're just upset because you were her pawn in her game!"
Atris whipped her head towards Jolee and gave him a glare, yet held back her tongue. She knew well that Jolee was a member of the Jedi Council, which was only possible with the low members of Jedi. Jolee would not have joined the council if he did not know that the Jedi had reformed the rules to allow relationships and most of the old council were dead.
Before the discussion could become more heated, Bastila intervened. "Whatever the case may be, we must inform the Jedi," Bastila stated, turning to Mical. "Contact Mira, Visas, Brianna, and Atton. They should be done with finding more Force-sensitives on Alderaan. Tell them to come back to the Temple immediately."
"It will be done," Mical nodded.
"I'll see if I can give Juhani a call," Jolee offered. "She and that Twi'lek-Yuthura, I think that was her name-should still be rebuilding the Enclave."
"Thank you Jolee," Bastila nodded before she stood up and looked at everyone else. "For now we will continue to recruit more Jedi. If there any sign of this threat, than we need to be ready for them. That's all."
With that, the council stood up and left the chambers, but as they did, Bastila's mind went back to Mical's words. She wondered what Revan was looking for the Unknown Regions, and how significant of a threat they were to the Republic and the Jedi Order. Bastila only hoped they had enough time to face this new threat.
UNKNOWN REGIONS...
Floating through a small section of the Unknown Regions was an entire fleet of what appeared to be at least seventy-five Harrower-class dreadnaughts. They were accompanied by ships that were not seen since the Great Hyperspace War, such as Sith drop ships. The Derriphan-class battlecruisers that comprised of the fleet's capital ships, were upgraded with the latest weapons and hyperdrive technology. In the center of the fleet was a Derriphan-class cruiser that was completely covered in black transparasteel plating and had the most firepower compared with other ships.
On board the large capital ship, many figures walked back and forth across the long maze of halls that constituted the vessel. Among the many personnel on board was a lone figure, who was flanked by two troopers. His appearance was that of a fair-skinned human in his forties with the typical yellow Sith eyes and brown hair that was combed. He wore a long red robe over what appeared to be black armor, but he also wore red gauntlets and boots as well as shoulder pads. Underneath his left eyes was a black cybernetic implant. Hanging from his silver belt was a silver lightsaber that identified him as a Sith Lord.
The Sith continued his trek through the halls until he came across a large black, circular doorway that split open, and the halves of the door slid to the slid to reveal the bridge. The bridge was circular with dozens of control panels that were being manned by a crew comprised of many sentient beings- including Pureblood Sith-who all wore the typical uniform of a black shirt and pants. In the center of the bridge was a black, ornate chair meant for the captain, but no one sat in it at the moment. Next to the captain's chair was a small, black pedestal that had blue crystals protruding from it.
What concerned the Sith was not the ship's personnel, but the five other Sith Lords who stood around the black chair and supervised them. Two of them were Malgus and Scourge, both who he had no grudge against. Unfortunately, the Sith could not say the same for the other three Sith that were present. Each one was thorn in his side, but the one that stood out the most to him was one who the Sith recognized with hatred.
This Sith Lord was the same height, yet had a more bulky physique that was covered by his black and grayish-blue tunic. He wore silver large, triangular shoulder pads, much like Scourge, and black fabric from his robe went down to his black boots. Over his face was a silver mask, which seemed to be shaped like a man's face with a patch over the left eye, but it did little to hide the black hair that was combed back. Hanging from his belt was a black lightsaber that had three points protruding from the top, while a Rancor tooth came out of the bottom.
"I'm surprised to see you're here, Angral," the silver-masked Sith said sardonically. His voice was filtered by his mask. "I did not know you were invited as well."
The Sith Lord, Angral, did his best not to snarl, though his tone did not hide his rage as he spoke, "Likewise, Baras."
As Angral approached the group of five Sith, Baras explained with smugness in his tone, "We were just discussing my plan of assault." After speaking those words, Baras' masked face turned towards Malgus. "It seems to be a wise suggestion, but others don't seem to appreciate it."
"What I don't appreciate is your tactics, Baras," Malgus spat back as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Your plan would divide our forces too thin and makes them vulnerable to attacks!"
"And what would you suggest, Lord Malgus?" a Sith patronized in his cultured accent. "Face the enemy head on and wipe them out at the risk of wasting our fleet?"
Malgus' attention was turned towards the Sith who spoke those words. This Sith appeared to be human and in his late thirties, unlike his older male compatriots, and his dark brown hair was combed to the side. He wore a long, dark purple robe underneath the black tunic, along with silver gauntlets and boots on his forearms and legs, and around his waist was with a belt that his lightsaber hung from.
Anger rose with the militaristic Sith Lord of the group as he snapped, "Anything would be better than your cowardly methods, Thanaton!"
"Well, my 'cowardly methods'-as you put it, Malgus-have helped us build our military strength," Thanaton sneered. "Not like your and Angral's brutish way."
"I would think other wise, Thanaton," Angral stepped in. "While you and Baras were sitting on your backsides, at least Malgus and I have tried to expand our might across the Empire!"
Baras curled his hands in his fists as he turned his masked face to Angral. "I would retract those words, if I were!" Baras snarled.
As the four Sith Lord engaged each other in verbal combat, Scourge stood there watching in hopes of the argument to die down soon. Soon, he remembered the fifth Sith Lord, who was standing next to him, watching as well. "Aren't you going to stop them, Lord Nox?" Scourge questioned, bringing his eyes towards the Sith Lord next to him.
Like Scourge, Darth Nox was a member of Sith race, yet she was the only woman to be present in the emperor's circle of general and commanders. She did not have the usual sharp cheek bones nor the long tendrils, but Nox did have two horns protruding from her chin. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail that went down to her shoulder blades and her eyes did carry the same yellow color of the Sith species. Compared to Scourge, Nox was a lot smaller, her head reaching only up to his armored chest, yet she was more powerful than him. Instead of the usual black armor that Scourge and Malgus wore, Nox had a black robe over her body that had red threads on the edge. On her shoulders were were triangular pads and her long, black double-bladed lightsaber hilt hung from her red belt.
"No, I find this more interesting," she said with an amused smile before her eyes moved turned to Scourge's face. "Wouldn't you agree, Scourge?"
Scourge said nothing as he simply looked the arguing Sith Lords, not finding Nox's answer surprising. Scourge worked with Nox for a short time, but he learned a lot about her. During her younger years, Nox learned many secrets of the Dark Side and used them to rise through the ranks of the Sith hierarchy, soon commanding of her own fleet of ships. She was well known in the Sith Code and used deception to gain power, sometimes through her youthful appearance that bewitched many men, or simply waiting for her enemies to destroy each other.
The sound of curses and insults were thrown between the four Sith Lords with Scourge and Nox being unfortunate to watch. The argument eventually was drowned out by the sound of the bridge's door sliding open before it was followed by the cry of "THAT'S ENOUGH!"
The six Sith Lords, along with the bridge's personnel, turned their heads away from each other to see a figure entering the bridge. Everyone's eyes widen at who was present before them, and the Sith Lords knelt before the figure, while the rest of the crew gave a low bow of respect. "Emperor Augustine," the six Sith Lords spoke in unison, each one's voice filled with a hint of surprise of the figure's arrival.
Augustine, the emperor of the Sith, was a Pureblood Sith with a dark red skin tone, darker than any other Pureblood Sith on the bridge. He had dark brown hair that was spiked, and tendrils hung from his cheekbones, the same place where his horn protruded from. He wore a jet black robe over his red shirt and pants that came with black gauntlets, boots, and a belt that had his silver lightsaber hung from. Though he did not appear that majestic, Augustine was a Sith Lord whose power made the other Sith Lords cower before him.
"I did not summon you here to argue with one another!" Augustine shouted as he approached the kneeling Sith Lords, the end of his robe flapping a bit. Looking down at Baras, Augustine questioned, "What is status of our fleet, Baras?"
"Our ships are ready to depart, my lord," Baras reported, his mask never leaving the floor. "All they need is your command."
"Very well," Augustine nodded as he walked towards the black chair in the center. "Open up the comm channel to all ships!"
The six Sith Lords all stood up and turned their attention towards the black chair, while their emperor waited patiently to give his speech. A high-pitched beep echoed across the room, informing everyone that the comm channel was open. Everyone stopped what they were doing and remained silent, waiting for Augustine to give his speech to the entire fleet. Silence filled the air of the bridge until the emperor of the Sith soft exhaled and began.
"Soldiers of the Sith Empire! You all know why we have gathered here today! You all know what lengths were taken for us to be standing here! My soldiers, one thousand years ago, we were nearly brought to extinction by the Republic. Our forefathers saved what remnants they could find and came to the Unknown Regions to rebuild, seeking with one purpose: vengeance for the Sith Empire!"
"From the day you were born, you all were molded into weapons to carry out that purpose. Instilled with a thousand years of loyalty in your training, you took the task of your forefathers without any question nor hesitation. But it was never used, until now." "We have waited for a thousands years and we shall wait no longer! It is time to bring back the glory of the Sith Empire! It is time for us to rise again!"
Through the Force, Augustine could sense awe and wonder emanating from the crew on board, including the six Sith Lords that stood behind his command chair. Augustine knew how powerful words were and knew how to use them to inspire his soldiers, so he could accomplish his goal. Augustine kept those thoughts in the back of his mind as he decided to end his speech.
"Now is your time to prove your power! Strike fear into the heart of the Republic and their Jedi dogs! Bring them down to their knees!" his voice boomed with power. "For the Sith Empire! For glory! For the end of the Jedi!"
From the many terminals on the bridge, the emperor could hear the roars of thousands upon thousands of troopers of the Sith Empire who were on board the ships. They repeated his words, only theirs were in a loud unison that could make a person deaf.
"FOR THE SITH EMPIRE! FOR GLORY! FOR THE END OF THE JEDI!"
When comm channel was shut off, the emperor of the Sith outstretched his hand and ordered, "Prepare the ships to enter hyperspace! We will begin our attack on the Outer Rim planets!"
The personnel on board complied with their emperor's orders without question as they punched in the coordinates for the Outer Rim. As he sat back in his chair, Augustine grinned at the sight of the black abyss of space turned into the blue hyperspace lane as the entire Sith fleet entered hyperspace.
A/N: And that's it! Please leave your comments in the reviews, and if you have any criticism, please let it be constructive! Now, this story is NOT up for adoption. Thank you.
Raika out!